Zaraks Grill Lounge — Restaurant in Oldham

Zaraks comprehensive review:

When we arrived we were greeted pleasantly with a refreshing plate of thinly sliced melon/watermelon, strawberry’s and dates for free. For starters we were recommended the iftari starter which consisted of wings chicken legs, lamb chops and samosas. The samosas were appetising, the chicken was nice and moist. The samosas were also pleasingly tasty however the same could not be said for the wings. For our mains we ended up ordering 4 Dynamite Burgers (What most people go for), and I have to say it was absolutely delectable. The dynamite burger had a fried chicken fillet stuffed between two homemade beef burgers and if that wasn’t enough topped with cheese, onion rings and a fried egg in a brioche bun. It also came along with a side potion of chips to aid the appetite. The only one let down was that the chicken fillet piece that came was cut in half after being cooked, which neglects on the aesthetics of the burger (and the feeling of not getting something in full, which suggested as if they had cheaped-out to distribute the fillet between multiple orders). With that being said its safe to assume that the Dynamite burger was a stacked burger enough to fill any hungry beasts stomach.

Next the pricing of the food. The burger meals were £12.95, which in all honesty is not bad for the location and the amount of food you get. Drinks were reasonably priced However tap water was £1.50. I dont know if this was added to our bill by mistake, however charging for tap water is not reasonable. The starter was £10 which we shared between 4 however was technically for 2 and again I would say its not badly priced. Sauces were so free. The other downfall is the location, parking is free however we had to park in a way that blocked the entrance to another building and I would suggest anyone with large cars to be vary of this.

Moving on to the other aspects of Zaraks, the furnishing was set out good however two issues slightly cropped up. The main issue was the seats, they were not the most comfortable as I found my self fidgeting, trying make my arms resting position pair up with the chairs armrests. The other issue consisted on there being Separated seating which seemed to be for big groups however the area looked much more sophisticated than the ‘regular’ seating.

Which brings us on to the last topic of the review the is service. When we visited Zaraks, they only had 1 chef and 2 waiters between 6 tables. This was not good as we had to ask multiple times for one thing (such as refill on drinks) and I feel this can be improved on. The starter was given in just about the right time however the burgers did take slightly longer than expected and we had to ask if they were done. The wait time on food wasn’t as bad however it could have been more efficient when they only had 6 tables to feed.

Overall I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that wants to fulfil there big appetite. The food to cost ratio is very good and therefore overall I give this a 4/5.

Note: Images from the...

Was debating whether to give this place a 4 star or a 3 star but went for 3 stars. If google had an option for 3.5 stars I would have gone for that. My visit could have easily been a 5 star but I will explain below.

Starters:

Cheesy nachos - 5/10: Not really much going on here, for £6 I’d expect a little bit more as there was only a spoonful of mince meat, not the worst but wouldn't get again.

Lamb chops - 7/10: The lamb chops were inconsistent. We went for medium rare to medium and the first lamp chop I tried was beautifully cooked, tender. The second I tried was very chewy and tough. One of the lamb chops wasnt cooked to the point it was raw in the middle, we had to get this sent back and the replacement lamb chop was really nice.

Masala fish - 7/10: Not much to say about these, they had a nice crisp to them and a nice taste

Dynamite prawn cocktail - 7/10: The prawns had a really Nice batter coated around them and the sauce that they gave complimented really well, this could have had a higher rating however the actual prawns were a bit tough but can’t complain too much about these.

Mains:

We ordered a mix of Coute de bouf, pan seared lamb rump and veal chops. I tried a bit of everything and I must say, all dishes were cooked perfectly. Credit to the chef, he knows how to cook a steak. All dishes were 9/10 or 10/10. The meat was tender and the seasonings complemented the meat very well. The peppercorn sauce was amazing also.

If I had come just for the mains this place would have got 5/5. With the starters I’d have given it a 4/5 or a 4.5/5.

The reason I had to give this place a 3/5 is for the reasons below: The glasses that had been brought out all had fingerprint stains on them whilst a couple had white marks on them. Maybe it was some sauce etc but due to dirty cutlery and cups I had to knock some points off. I had ordered some drinks at the start. Half of them came with the starters but a couple of us were still waiting for our pina coladas. I had to ask for this 3 times before they eventually came, but this was when I had nearly finished my main meal, so it was abit too late.

My main gripe Was the issue with the water. I feel like tapwater should be served at all restaurants if asked for and I have never had an issue before asking for tapwater. I had asked for tap water and the waitress stated they don’t give out tap water but only bottle water. Now maybe on a normal day I wouldn't have minded but in the month of Ramadan when people are fasting and thirsty, I feel they should supple people with jugs of tap water when asked for. The waitress stated that 3 bottles of water would suffice but that was clearly incorrect as there was 10 of us. Of the top of my head it was £3 a bottle and we spent close to £40 just for water which I think is ridiculous.

All in all I would recommend to go and try this place out as their steaks were amazing and I will definitely come again but...

I attended Zaraks Grill Lounge with my Mrs on the Sunday the 12th of June 2022 around 18:30.

We were greeted by manager (could be owner) who asked if we had booked or not, he was very nice and got us seated immediately and brought of 2 menus, shortly after a lady came over to ask if we were ready to order (she was very polite) and answered some questions I posed about the food we would order.

We ordered:

1 x Garlic Chicken Bread 1 x Cheese Pepper Fries 1 x Sirloin Steak (10oz) Medium cooked with Chips (also with peppercorn sauce and cheese on the steak but these you have to pay for extra this) 1 x Melted Cheesy Chicken 3 x Bottled drinks (2 x J20 Apple Mango and Diet Coke)

Total = 54.90

Food took around 20-25 minutes but it was quiet at the time so I can’t comment on busy periods, I really like the way front of house of the restaurant is, there is like a selfie spot area if you into that kind of thing, Alhamdulilah the food was amazing honestly when I saw my steak, I was doubtful about the portion size after finishing it I was full also tasting it, this was one of the best steaks I have eaten, my Mrs Chicken steak was great as well shoe loved it, the garlic chick bread and cheese pepper fries were great as started also, it is tad expensive (but then again it is high end restaurant it is expected) but it is soooo worth it. I did also notice it was getting really busy by the time we left so must be a good place to eat.

As we were leaving the manager (could be the owner) was conversating with us asking if the food was good or if we had any complaints, he was happy for me to take pictures of the establishment for social media, also would like give a shout out to the ladies on front they are doing an amazing job at Zaraks.

I believe you can park in the front of the premises but be careful if you have a lowered car as there is steep decent when exiting the front of the business, you can also park Exchange Street after 6pm (as the near by businesses close around then), I parked on Gravel Walks to not get hassled.

The downside I can think of music is explicit so if you go with family (children or elders) it is not nice environment to hear but I guess you could ask the manager to turn if off on site or change the music non explicit (I think he would be happy to honour this request). Another one (this is be being very picky sorry) is a little tad expensive on certain item such as drinks and charging extra for peppercorn sauce with the steak it should come with it BUT there is BIG BUT the steak is really amazing I would 100% recommend this place a visit I do hope to visit again with my friend’s next time.

If you are after an amazing steak this...