Zack’s American Bistro

Best Gluten free pizza I’ve had, our server Rylie was awesome. If your looking for a place with gluten free options this is a must try! DON’T MISS IT!! and definitely ask for Rylie! !

I have been here twice in the last 5 months and the best thing I can say about this place is my son loves the playground area. It was OK the first time… bland burger, mixed drink with way too much ice, slow slow service. Second time, giving the benefit of doubt, pizza was very underwhelming (I’m not a good cook and think I could make a better tasting pizza)! Service not good at all for being a Sunday afternoon with not many people in restaurant. Cook and waiter talking and eating at table by us while cook licked his fingers and appeared to really need a clean up! After noticing this, lets just say no one was hungry any longer. My family will not return to this establishment. Very disappointed because it is in a great location.

Went here on a weekday evening around 6:00pm. Awesome vibe to the restaurant and great food. Our server, Meghan was super cool and treated us very well. I highly recommend this place.

Eh this place is ok if you have alot of time to spare… the bartender seemed overwhelmed and the place wasn’t very busy and she seemed unavailable… I get it I work in the industry… but I would have loved a smoother flow of the place

I have eaten at Zack’s a ton over the last 2 years. There is not much else out here so they end up being the default go to place. The kid likes the playground. The outdoor seating area is pretty nice after they upgraded it in 2015. Lately I don’t go there so much. Why? I am extremely tired of the menu. The best things there are the mozzarella cheese sticks (when made well), the chicken corn chowder soup and the pub steak, pasta bolonaise. My biggest complaint is the tired menu of burgers pizza and salads. I really want more variety and some very spicy flavorful food. Which they have made from time to time on their specials. But typically the special is just some sort of burger. While I am a huge burger person I do not care for theirs because they taste too dry and are more like a meat ball on a bun. I like my burgers thinner, But they make their own burgers patty’s there. The mozzarella sticks are made fresh and taste it but some times they are still cold in the middle. The chicken corn chowder soup is the best thing on the menu. But the bowl is too small. I want a bowl at least twice that size. The pizza there is a thin crust which is okay but they put hardly any toppings on it and some stuff is extremely greasy (pepperoni). I wish they would offer a fat free pepperoni. I wish the pizza sauce was a lot more robust.
Items I think they could add that would do well are.
spicy chicken chipolte pasta
spaghetti with meatballs/​meat sauce but with really robust sauce.
add thousand island dressing (even if was just kraft)
cheese steak sandwich with lots of onions and peppers
green chili meatloaf with mashed potatoes and vegetables
grilled chicken breast smothered with grilled onions and peppers (choice of bell, problano, green chilies and jalapenos) with a flavorful rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable
green chili mashed potatoes
jalapeño mashed potatoes
carrot cake with no frosting
hot cinnamon apples/​peaches/​berries/​apricots (what ever is in season) with ice cream
Now their fry’s and potato chips. They are made fresh and seem like they need salt in a huge way, always. I don’t know if it is the oil they cook them in but they never taste good to me and I eat like one or two and throw the rest away. I think if they cut the fries thinner they would be better. But I think they need to cook them in better tasting oil. Maybe the oil is healthy and that is why they taste bad to me. It is a fry or potato chip so they will never been health so why not make them flavorful and crispy.
The wait staff and everyone I have ever talked to has been nice and friendly ALWAYS!
If you come when they are busy with all the kids there going in and out to the playground do not sit by the door. the wind and cold air cools your food off so fast. I wish parents would learn to control their kids better. But hey now days a parent that controls their kid is unheard of.

Zack’s is another Austin restaurant that could be so good but is also so far off the mark on too many occasions.
The standard pizzas are fine, but the gluten free options are virtually inedible with the base tasting like uncooked dough. Even the salads are nice one week and then basic at best the following week.
Credit where credit is due, Zack’s did handle our feedback very well and this is testament to the quality of waiting staff and training they have been given. It is a shame that the food often lets them down.

The food was not prepared well, and the manager said no, our food is good. Never again. The kitchen staff as so loud that it was distracting.

We went into Zack’s for the first time yesterday morning for a little recovery brunch and to check it out. We were immediately greeted by Eric, the bartender who was outgoing, engaging, and enthusiastic. The food was good. It was Saturday brunch and I ordered the breakfast burrito and added jalapeños and bell peppers. I’ll have to go back to try the dinner entrees for sure sometime soon. But yeah, Eric was awesome. Bloody Mary was spot on as was the Poinsettia!

Competent neighborhood family restaurant.
That about sums it up. I came here for lunch a while back while I was waiting for my car to be repaired at the local Firestone down the way and had chicken strips, house salad, and the soup of the day, which I believe was corn chowder. All were fine, though nothing I would write home about. Think of it like a neighborhood Denny’s. Not knock your socks off fast service, but friendly and helpful.
Zack’s is trying to be a little of everything, from the menu to the layout to the décor, and succeeds in achieving a comfortable mediocrity. For example, it advertises itself as an upscale ‘bistro’, yet has a kid’s playground like a mainstream family restaurant and also a wine bar (!). Strangely open floorplan that is equal parts eatery, café, and sports bar.
Average it out, and it gets 3 stars on the ‘CTJ Scale’ as noted below.
5 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Jesus good. Would be OK passing on after finishing a plate here.
4 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Mary good. Would be OK being seen eating here by Mother Mary.
3 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus’ Dad.
2 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​the-​Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn’t have my last supper here.
1 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Nobody good. I wouldn’t have my penultimate supper here, either.

I went in last weekend and really enjoyed my self the staff was fun and enjoyable, the food was great, and there was a live band on the patio we had fun and it was very clean, we will definitely be going back to zacks

OK, we tried again. BIG MISTAKE. This place has all the potential but falls flat in every category. Food is awful. Service is slow (although nice enough) I just can not even understand how this place is in business? Me and my husband always joke with each other about going back (look babe theres a groupon) but I would NEVER make that mistake again. I don’t care that I live in Steiner and its super close and has a playscape. The food is horrid (even the cheesesticks were TERRIBLE the last time, which was the redeeming feature our first visit)

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!! Spent the day out at lake Travis with friends and found this place incredibly close and convenient. Thought I was just going to pop in for a quick bite and ended up staying for a few drinks as well!
My server Emily was incredibly personable and recommended me a great meal and great drink pairing.
I started out with a plate of onion straws, the sauces they came with were awesome and was pleasantly surprised to find out that they are all made from scratch.
Emily recommended the pub steak, it came out steaming and looked delicious. I ordered it medium rare and it came out perfect. The sauce on it, while a bit runny, matched the steak beautifully.
I stayed for a few drinks after seeing their bar. A bit small, but very friendly and the bartender definitely knew what she was doing. The coconut margarita is awesome.
I will definitely be coming back.

I feel that a lot of restaurants in Austin can get away with places like this one. They put a playground so that it entertains kids so parents can drink.
The food was really bland, dressings for salad all have generally the same flavor as each other… If I was stranded on an island and my senses were distorted, and someone said «hey, look there’s a Zacks»… I guess I’d eat it. It’s only food for survival, not enjoyment. Unless you’ve been drinking… Then you might enjoy eating this food more.
I felt like I was dining in a cheap office space. Love the laminate flooring used as wainscoting and the transition strip for the chair rail. If you come here, get a look at the cheesy home made «acoustic panels» they made for their ceiling…
Service wasn’t bad, it was just service.
Playscape was coated in dirt. Just meh.

Great food, great atmosphere, and great service!!! The absolute BEST pizza I’ve ever had… fig & prosciutto… amazing!!! The barbecue chicken pizza is fabulous too!

Great service and good food. Found this place shortly after moving to the area. With such a friendly staff we settled in fast. The kids love the playground. Food is top notch and fresh. This is the families new favorite spot. We will soon be regulars at Zacks.

We aren’t too fussy about our food but this place is pretty bad. One of my kids had fries and they were extremely greasy and tasted like the oil needed changing. Overall the food was like a bad home dinner.
The burger is edible, side salad is pretty much lettuce and you wonder how fresh. Other food was not good at all.
The ambience is weird, just one big room and it feels all a bit strange. My kids said the playground ‘smelled’ and came in quick which is very unusual for them.
It’s clearly got a steady flow due to location and there is a bar area which I suspect regulars use. We won’t ever be back again which is a real shame as close to home.

I’ve lived in Steiner Ranch for a few months now, and have been to Zack’s three times. Upscale, great, courteous staff, and a great selection of wine.
Normally I would give them four stars because I had only been there a couple of times, except that on my third visit I had their pizza. It was to die for. An Austinite since 1977, but born and raised on the east coast, I’ve never found edible New York-​style pizza in Austin until I had theirs. Made me think of home.
Five stars for the pizza alone.
Al Keegan
Austin, Texas

Bad really Bad! My son ordered a pepperoni pizza and I ordered the cobb salad. The pizza came to the table with a pool of grease in the middle. He picked up a piece and the pizza slumped straight down at the crust dipping like a faucet from grease. My salad came out without any dressing or egg. I asked Angela, thats what it said on my reciept she had long brown hair, is this a normal pizza with this much grease? She said yes! I said my salad is missing the eggs and no dressing. She states we are out of eggs and i will bring you some dressing. She comes back and the side of dressing is bubbling, yes bubbling!!. My son was having a hard time eating his pizza and Angela asks if he wants a bunch of napkins to wipe up the grease! Our soda refiils consisted of Angela bringing over a glass of coke with no ice and pouring half into my glass and half into my sons making a total mess of coke on the table! ! YES IM SERIOUS AND NO ITS NOT OVER YET, KEEP READING!
We were «finished» and Angela comes over and says «I guess you don’t want a box for that NASTY PIZZA».
I said do you realize you just called your own food nasty? Angela said «ya i did i guess i should take it off the bill» Angela then brings me the wrong bill! I showed her and she returns with 2 $ 10 dollar gift cards to come back. Angela then proceeded to tell us she has been working 15 hours shifts so the owner can go to the X Games and that she has a stomach ache! I guess the owner could care less about his place and it shows!! YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP FOLKS… we will never ever come back!

Horrible. Awful. Just plain bad.
I ordered the Chicken Alfredo. The pasta sauce tasted worse than store bought from a tub and there wasn’t enough sauce to cover the pasta. The chicken was dry and served on the side (???). This is a basic dish that shows they don’t care about quality.
I also got cheesecake which I assume was store bought. There was maybe a tablespoon of sauce. It was dry and tasted thawed out.

Have been to Zach’s a couple of times and all of the food is pretty good… kind of what you would expect from a Bistro-​type spot, but some menu items are definitely better than others — and some you’re not quite sure why they are on the menu at all at a «BISTRO.»
GOOD:
*Black and blue burger: Nice patty to bun ratio, good flavor, cooked well, Nice burger.
*Roasted turkey club: Nice flavors, but wrap kind of dry so fell apart and was messy to eat.
*Chicken Alfredo: pasta and chicken both cooked well. $ 13
GOODER:
*Traditional buffalo chicken wings. Well seasoned, cooked just right, and on the larger side. Not the best I’ve ever had, but certainly the best I’ve had in Lakeway/​Steiner Ranch area.
GOODEST:
*French onion soup: Perfection. Cooked down, really tasty, just the right amount of cheese and croûton.
*Chicken Parm Sandwich: Lightly breaded, crisp chicken breast that stands up to the additional zesty marinara on top-​no sogginess here. Perfect serving size and house made potato chips are the bomb! (Choice of fries if you prefer)
*Staff and supervisors very friendly!
Zach’s menu is quite large for such a small place. Apps, soups & sandwiches, entrees (e.g., Grilled Salmon $ 16; NY Strip $ 19), pizza, breakfast, and a pasta section. They’re doing it «well» and I am a fan; however, in my personal opinion I think the food quality could be «great» if they cut back a bit on some of the choices and focused more on the things they really excel at. A bit of an identity crisis perhaps? Can’t please all of the people all of the time. :)