ZZA Factory — Restaurant in Elgin

This, by far, is not the very best pizza in Elgin; for that I would still say Danny's is winning out; BUT, for what this place is, it's very good. It's very hard to find a restaurant that has both burgers and pizza together - which you would think would be a common combo with how good of a mix it is - but I digress. To start with, I tried the Cowboy Mike pizza, the Burger, Brownoli, and the "Pauly D’s Breaded Cheese Wedgez" delivered. The pizza was good, but with such stiff competition in the area, it's hard to impress fully. I do really like the unique square shape as it is extremely rare to actually see a pizza fill a literal box perfectly outside of going to lower quality places like Pizza Hut or Little Cesars, so that was certainly refreshing to experience. The taste was good, although as it was left out, where lukewarm pizza usually is still just as good (at least to me) the more crispy crust started to be a bit of a turnoff as it took on a heavier burnt taste the more it sat out, which is a little disappointing. The chicken itself was probably the most flavourful part of the pizza, which is weird, but it wasn't a turn off as what it made was the BBQ sauce have more of a delicate flavour which actually really worked to the pizza's strengths, in my opinion. Keeping the sauce more light also allowed the butterier nature of the crust to come out; allowing for the flavours to all mix together well and actually give you the ability to taste all of the components together. Another really strong plus to Zza Factory. Where as this pizza still isn't the best around, I would venture to say it is certainly up there; and even with the seemingly high price to someone who's first time it might be trying them, the cost does become more apparent as you notice the quality. Now, onto the burger, the second star of the show - it was, sadly, mediocre in my eyes. While the size was perfect, the meat itself didn't have the flavour I was hoping to get out of it. The burger was your typical fast food affair, more akin to the patty of Meatheads and Portillo's, which to a lot of people is fine, I just don't personally enjoy as it tends to have a slight aged taste to it - so if you like more Meatheads type patties, this would certainly be more up your alley than mine. The Breaded Cheese Wedges (let's say it as it is, fancy cheese sticks) were okay. Maybe it was the drive over or the few minutes they sat in the box; but they overall were a bit bland. Maybe it's me as I don't use marinara sauces, but where as there are a lot of fried cheese shapes out there, these were not up there with my absolute favourites. The breading was good, but nowhere near crispy; there was hardly any crunch to them at all - and I needed to add salt to get some of the flavour I expect from a fried mozzarella dish. -- These mixed with the burger is why I took a star away. This leads me to the last item, and lord if it isn't temptation on a plate. The Brownoli. Now, I am a BIG cannoli person. I could sit and eat cannolis all day if given the opportunity - this is now a new dangerous discovery - because good heavens is the brownoli amazing. This is a chocoholics wet dream. I will be ordering from this place again, even if it's just to order 10 of these things. If you love cannoli cream & you love brownies... this. This is the item for you and you will NOT be sorry. To put this review to bed, the last thing I will say, the staff (the driver and the gal who answered the phone) were both very nice and pleasant. I appreciate the two who helped me out - and where I cannot say to other staff, I do know that these two were wonderful to have worked with. In summation: good food, friendly staff, okay pricing; evil desserts. Give Zza Factory a try, and see if you...

Where to begin? As soon as you walk in, you see that it is crisp, clean and fun. The staff is friendly, the tables are ample size for two, three, or even four trays. It is small, but has a big personality and menu to match. Your meal is ordered at the counter and delivered to your table. You could come here once a day for an entire month and probably never try the entire menu once.

On my first visit, I tried their "factory burger," $1 hot dog (Tuesday special), and more homemade, fresh cut and fried French fries than I could eat in a sitting! The burger: 1/3lb patty, and all the fixings. Except for one thing, that is. I'm sure that you are a fan of pickles and regular ol' "MickeyD's" style cheese. However this burger comes standard with melty nacho style American cheese and giardinara, and their "Zza sauce." If you like a big, messy burger that employs full use of both of your hands, then this is the burger for you. The hot dog: Vienna ® beef, with mustard, onion, relish and a secret ingredient-celery stick. Now the sound of tough, crispy, stringy celery with your dog probably turns you off, doesn't it? But this dog is made absolutely for the celery, and the celery for the dog. In my mind, you couldn't, and shouldn't have one without the other. For something quick, and will satisfy your deepest cravings for a hot dog (especially on Tuesday), this is the dog. The fries: indistinguishably homemade, hand-cut, aren't too salty nor too bland, and, not to mention, you get quite the large tray full. Don't worry about ketchup if you happened to get the burger. All of the saucy, cheesy goodness that fell from your burger will suffice. Now their shakes: made with real ice cream, and made by hand to your order. To my opinion, and I think you might agree, best shakes of anywhere around. You know a shake is good when you have to fight to get your straw down into it, and strain to get it up the straw because it is so thick.

Don't get me wrong now, this place isn't an instant heart attack station! They have plenty of options on the lighter side, such as salads and chicken. Nonetheless, they have everything. From dogs and burgers to salads, shakes, sundaes, pizza, sandwiches, gyros, wings and tenders.

This lil' hole-in-the-wall joint is somewhere where you can sit, and you will stay until they kick you out. The atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable. To me, this is date night destination with my girl, and I know that once you visit, you will want to take your friends, family, and special ones here. This is a one-of-a-kind joint that will keep you coming back, so as long as...

I’m leaving the 2 star because the pizza and fries were amazing the first time. But 1 visit we got a raw burger & we tried it again because things happen & we thought it was an isolated incident. We were dining in. Then the second time we got ice cold fries & a soggy hot dog meal. I called up there and was told in so many words I was lying because “that’s hard to believe because we make our fries fresh with each order)They offered more fries at a later visit but honestly it’s just a no for me 2 bad experiences is enough for us to never visit again. I took the food right back to the restaurant & was still told the food was made to order & then tried saying the order was placed over a hour ago & sat which was a LIE because our first call was still within the same hour & we got there and paid and still had to wait for it to be ready! I also posted when I ordered at 2:21 & was told 15 mins. I got my food at 2:45 & was calling them back in less than 10 mins from leaving. The cashier tried lying and saying I order my phone and picked up over a hour later instead of just acknowledging their mistake. Which makes the business look bad & it’s not like we wanted anything free we just wanted fresh food.

EDIT: I knew someone there was going to try and lie which is exactly why I put time stamps showing when I called to order and when I called back to come. There wasn’t even an hour from the time the order was placed until I called back so don’t get on here commenting and lying! Accept accountability for YOUR BUSINESS mistakes and move on. It’s not like I’m asking you for anything for free nor did I bash your business the first time we were given a completely raw burger. We brung the full meal back to you guys and only asked for a refund! Nobody tried getting free food! And the fact that you got on here and commented that lie says a lot about your business & is the reason it...