Zagar's Charcoal Grill — Restaurant in Melbourne

Went here at 3am (i know, not the ideal time to have a meal) and was met with the most eerie experience. The place is a corner restaurant with only a few signs to let you know that its the correct place nothing else since the actual restaurant is located on the 2nd floor and is accessed from a narrow flight of stairs locked behind a locked door and an intercom.

The intercom does absolutely nothing when it comes to getting the employees' attention and i found myself pressing it multiple times and getting absolutely zero response. I genuinely thought the place was closed and that this google entry had their hours wrong. However, they were indeed open as after 2 calls on the number plastered everywhere on the locked door and the same number on this google entry I finally heard a grumpy human voice telling me that the restaurant is full and I can only order takeaway. I was hungry and was craving steak anyways so takeaway wasn't an issue but the voice's impatience definitely was.

Instead of directing me to an online menu (such as the one on this very google entry), he decided to read the menu out to me as if I am expected to both hear him clearly on this terrible audio quality and remember everything he read out as if I'm a savant. When I asked him to repeat what he read he simply refused and when asked whether the menu on this google entry was a visual of what he was reading he told me to stay on hold instead of simply answering yes or no.

After staying on hold for 5 minutes a seemingly gentler female voice came through my phone but the impatience did not change. While waiting, I looked at the menu on the entry closely and decided what I wanted beforehand but because the previous person did not confirm nor deny the changes (edit: I just received another call and the price on the image is not the same as the ones he read out), I had to make sure and ask the price to be read out once again but for the item i wanted only and before I could even say the item the call got cut and radio silence since.

Edit: I just received multiple calls from Zagar's asking whether my order was taken and explaining that there's something wrong with their phone line today (likely story considering how grumpy and impatient the two people answering sounded). While the call was ever so slightly more pleasant this time around, I still didn't get to order and the employee was still rushed and more concerned about ending the call more than anything.

The employee said the order take an hour and when asked if I would get a call or indicator that my order was ready, I was asked about my current location and forced to identify myself and my car in front of the restaurant since they had a camera outside, swiftly dodging my question.

Additionally, I couldn't order because the payment system was super sketchy. I was asked to provide my credit card details over the phone as if I'm letting my mum borrow my credit card for a bank deposit. I have no clue whether this practice is common occurrence or not, I will admit my ignorance on this matter however, even if it is common practice, I would never hand out my credit card so casually as if its Halloween candy to ANYONE, let alone a place that I am visiting for the first time and was clearly too impatient and annoyed to take my order.

The call ended better than the first time because it wasn't an abrupt cut this time but we still got nowhere because the employee gave up and settled on telling me to make an order next time (which I am not doing). $60 for a steak that takes an hour and grumpy ass employees who care more about not taking an order than taking one?...

After running late and missing a booking at another restaurant a few friends and I went to come here in late August one weekend, called first to confirm they were still cooking and there was a table free. Was told on the phone "everyone's leaving now there should be room" when we arrived 10 minutes later it was clear nobody had been there in a long time, we were the only people there at around 8:30PM. The atmosphere was abysmal. To enter the building we had to ring the intercom on a door out front and go up a narrow flight of stairs into an 80s style bar. The steak prices were pretty steep but we were willing to give it a go until we enquired about the sauces available of which there were only 3 and 2 of them were a BBQ sauce. I told the server, an older woman, that we were sorry but we would finish our drinks and eat somewhere else upon which she cracked it and told me "we can't do that" and "if you want to finish your drinks you have to order something" and when I said I don't see why she said "it's part of our liquor license, EVERYWHERE is like that" she was very rude and the whole vibe there was already creepy, all 4 of us felt uncomfortable. The reviews of the steaks looked quite good but the atmosphere and service were awful. Wouldn't recommend coming here, felt like we were about to be part of a...

A warning needs to come before you make a decision about going to this grill.

It is a grill and only that. Don't expect fancy service or creative decor. It sits above a small section of shops and has at most 10 tables.The reason we keep going back to this place though is for the meat. Think a real grill or steakhouse... the only reason you go there is for the meat.

There are limited options on the menu and don't expect to find anything from meat. (This is their specialty, and like every other grill like it, you will only get served the meat with salads usually being an optional extra). The husband and wife team run the place and usually are very attentive. On occasion the meals can take a tad longer than usual but this is often expected on busier nights in any restaurant.

The sausages for entre are amazing and the main meal of steak is ALWAYS cooked exactly as you ask for it - so keep in mind to ask for it how you want it, not how you think they may cook it.

We will continue to keep going back there because their meals never...