Zayda Buddy's Pizza

Zayda Buddy's makes pretty good Minnesota style pizza but I would recommend avoiding the sandwiches. Last night I had a tuna melt there, it was 1 piece of bread with tuna and cheese on top, a tomato, and a pickle on the side. I also had to pay 2$ extra for potato salad rather than pringles or fries for my side. Now that would be fine but the cost for this was $11 ($8.99 for the basic tuna melt plus two for the potato salad).

This wasn't exactly a gourmet meal, I really wouldn't expect to pay more than $7 for half a tuna sandwich and a side. Comparatively you can get a grilled cheese and toato soup near by for only $4.

There are much better and cheaper options in Ballard if you want a sandwich.

Pros: Pizza

Cons: Tiny over priced sandwiches, cheap beer marked up to 4$

Posted 06/06/09

Hey, what's with the mini beers? I mean, C'Mon every bar in Seattle has at least the american pints and real pubs have the 20oz imperial. The mini 14oz beers here are just rediculous. At least have an option for someone who wants a real beer! Thanks.

Pros: Location

Cons: Small Pints

Posted 03/16/09

What a terrific place! Great location, yummy food, fabulous customer service, fun atmosphere...I couldn't resist eating like a kid (grilled cheese and tater tots), but had to have a MN beer for old time's sake. I highly recommend to everyone, regardless of your experiences (or lack thereof) with Midwest food and beer!

Posted 10/11/08

This place is a fun place to have a casual drink and meal. One of my friend's had the turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, delightful! One had a chicken burger, delicious. And my other friend and I split a pizza. The crust was perfect and the toppings were great. I had roasted garlic on my side it was great while I was eating it and I eat a lot of garlic. But seriously you should probably avoid the roasted garlic if you have to go out the next day or two. I was sweating garlic for at least 24 hours, it was insane and I'm certain there was not a vampire in the greater seattle area after I ate that. But like I said, it was good and I guess its just the price I had to pay. Also the drinks are fantastic! I had an awesome grape sode cocktail and my friends had some other cocktails off the inventive cocktail list. This place has a fun atmosphere and great bar style food. :)

Pros: Grape soda cocktail

Cons: a little noisy, but adds to the atmosphere

Posted 09/04/08

First things first, I grew up in the mid-west, so the pizza here is the style I grew up with. Having been consistently disappointed with the pizza this far west, I am always looking for new things. (I should probably mention that I lived in Chicago and like more than one pizza style.) Zayda's has been constantly improving since I first went in, and by no means have I exhausted the menu, though I have never had food I considered merely passable. Every restaurant has good and bad nights, and if you don't realize this you shouldn't dine out.

This is a place I enjoy taking people to eat, though by no means would I say everything is perfect,

Posted 06/28/08

locally owned zayda buddy's brings Minnesota style pizza to the already eclectic neighborhood of ballard. fresh ingredients, sauce made daily, even the grenadine is made lovingly on site. during football season, you can find many relaxing in the bar drinking pints brought specially from the Midwest watching their favorite teams.

Posted 06/01/08

beautiful ambience and very relaxed and comforatable atmosphere. awesome service. pizza is the best. i loved the ballard bridge. the cocktails were done with all fresh ingredients and damn does it show. the margaritas and the bloody mary are the best i've ever had. never had bratwurst and cheesecurds that are this good either, and i get to enjoy them with a leinenkugel's beer which my boyfriend tells me is the best beer from wisconsin.

Posted 05/10/08

This place is fine, it really is, but I don't know why they keep saying they are family friendly when they don't even have highchairs or booster seats. I guess they are family friendly for those with kids aged 8 and up??

Posted 04/09/08

The thing I like about Zayda Buddy's is the fried stuff and beer that reminds me of, well, the midwest! Now, obviously you can't eat it every night, but if you need something deeply fried, the cheese curds are the best (closest to the real Wisconsin kind I've had out here) and the tots are killer. If you're in the mood for a meal, the burgers are solid and the sloppy joe is outstanding. The drinks are super good (great bartenders). But don't expect "Seattle" fare. It's not that way and it doesn't pretend to be. It's definitely midwest, and not Chicago or even Minneapolis midwest, but small town midwest. I still think people may come in and not know this, so I felt I had to say it! I've never had a problem with the service, but then, I usually go late on the slow nights.

Pros: Cheese curds, Tots, Sloppy Joe, Fun beers

Cons: No mac and cheese yet!

Posted 03/03/08

love this place.

the pizza was totally awesome and i love the bar. cool place to go just for the bar.

Posted 01/13/08

I came all the way from the eastside to try the "new pizza place" in Ballard with friends. It has swanky and fun atmosphere. The dark wood booths are cozy, and the overall atmosphere is sophisticated and stylish. Don't miss Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck in the ladies' restroom. We shared the cheese curds with a yummy dipping sauce, and two pizzas- tapenade and a traditional margerita. Both had thin, crispy crusts, which I love. We took the leftovers home, and they were great the next day too. I didn't try the cocktails, but saw lots of fun choices and great Minnesota beers. Next time, I'll have to try some of the fun cocktails and home-cookin' dishes on the menu. Despite what some other reviews said, our service was great. The place was busy, but not packed, so we were seated immediately. The waitress was quick to take our order, and refill our drinks (without our needing to ask). It's a cool place to hang out with friends or bring the family.

Pros: Stylish and Fun Atmosphere

Posted 12/10/07

I apparently moved out of Ballard just as all the new condos and restaurants started opening up! I headed back over to my old neighborhood this past weekend and saw that even Leary Way has some hip new places. Friends and I went into Zayda Buddy's and were happy to find a unique spot. Their menu is an original take on pizzas and sandwiches (though I'm not sure I'm going for the deep fried burger any time soon . . . . one of you guys can go for that). We tried the thin crust tapenade pizza which was really flavorful. The drink special was a funky margaritta which also went down well. They also had some guilty pleasures like tater tot casserole and cheese curds (a mid-west take on mott sticks) on the menu. The cheese curds were great comfort food in the rainy season. I'll have to go back for the 'tots. The atmosphere was funky and comfortable. Nice big booths and cool old picturess on the walls. It was a great place with a little attitude to get together for a casual dinner with friends.

Pros: great atmosphere and unique drinks, good comfort food

Cons: little lighter fare

Posted 12/08/07

My friends and I were there on Sunday night. The place was very cozy, trendy, casual, and hip. The service was exceptional and pizza was very flavorful and delicately cooked. Salad was very classic. Try Minnesota Pop for a drink. It is very clean and fresh. The whole experience was very pleasant. You've got to check out this place.

Posted 11/21/07

I started off the meal with the much hyped Northstar, and was not disappointed, very tasty indeed. Our party of 3 shared an order of chicken wings and a mixed green salad. The chicken wings were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Accompanying them was a creamy barbecue dipping sauce which helped to dampen the spice of the wings so that they made your mouth tingle, but not flame. The salad was a bit boring considering the price, but was plentiful and the vinaigrette was nummy. We finished with a large number 1, and while I think this pizza could be good, I think the trick is to not have too many toppings... This was too many toppings and so the middle of the pizza ended up like soggy cracker, not crispy. All in all, it was a nice experience, and I'm sure I'll be back to try other comfort fare.

Posted 11/04/07

I tried out Zayda Buddy's a few weeks ago, on a weekday afternoon. I brought along my laptop to work on some homework and took a seat in the bar. The bartender was very friendly and helpful. I tried one of their specialty drinks which was very good, and as a bartender I can be pretty picky. I think it was called the Lone Star? It was made with their own infused brandy. It was fruity but not overly sweet, and the different flavors were well balanced. The pizza was good, although I tend to prefer a thicker crust. I'll definitely have to bring my hubby and kids in, they love thin, crispy crust. It even came out without the cheese as requested. I've had to send back pizzas at other places because they've neglected that detail. My only complaint is that the cold breeze from the front door made my pizza cold far too quickly, but I can't really fault the restaurant for that.

Pros: Cocktails, Service

Cons: Parking

Posted 10/31/07

Stopped by Zayda Buddy's for Saturday evening meal. We wanted pizza and I foolishly suggested "that new pizza place by Ballard Ave". The service was really horrific. Extremely slow, it took 30 minutes to get our drink order. Then 10 more to order our meal. Another 40 to get our pizza. Pizza was totally gnarly and not in a good way. Cheezy bread was subpar and they never brought the other appetizer we ordered. The prices are insanity. We spent $90 on food and really really regretted it. Two of my fellow diners are pizzaholics and pretty much would eat any pizza and be totally satisfied with it, hated it and said it was worse than pizza inn. that is not a good sign. Hopefully this joint will be replaced with something much tastier and a little more interesting.

Pros: the atmosphere was ok

Cons: food, service and prices. EVERYTHING?!

Posted 10/29/07

I happened upon Zayda Buddy?s only after discovering it on my way to grab a cup of coffee at Fiore? we finally went to check it out and it was way rad. The soundtrack was out of control good and the servers were cute. To be honest we were just doing some drinking but I will return for the elusive ?Minnesota style pizza.? We did a beer tasting with some of the funny Minnesota bottles and cans. I had never had Blatz before, and let me tell you it was awful? but the can was so funny that I had to have two! Grain Belt and Old Style were actually good though, and our server recommended this Korean Beer called HITE that was my favorite. What Korea has to do with Minnesota beats me, while simultaneously making me laugh a little. Finally, we had Hamm?s Special Light. This was too much. Who knew Hamm?s made a light beer? The table we sat at was spacious and accommodating to lots of beer, and the decore was cool, but not pretentious.

Pros: Beer

Cons: none?

Posted 10/19/07

This place totally disappointed me on my first visit. The service was slow and lacked any apology for it. It took FOREVER to get seated. Then it took FOREVER to put our order in. We were there on a Friday night, but it was not overly crowded, we were eating after 8:30. Our server screwed up the order of the folks next to us and was not overly eager to fix it (the customer is always right did not seem to chime with her). The service was the most frusteratingpart of the night.

As for the pie, it was decent. We had the number 4 and it was tasty and different. Unfortunatly I was expecting more with the amoutn of time it took, but so it goes. I was checking out the place for my birthday party, but have decided against it. The service is not up to snuff and I can't imagine what it would be like for them with a large party. This place is mearly passable if you are not hungry when you walk in, have lots of time and are with a few people. I'll go back because I want to try a few more things on the menu and I'm optimistic, but hopefully they will be quick to improve the service there.

Pros: pizza is good, good menu

Cons: service

Posted 10/15/07

Please avoid! We went to Zayda Buddy's Pizza on 10/12/07. It started out wrong from the very beginning. We waited only a few minutes to be seated since it was only 5:40pm. We decided on a seat at the bar since the tables were all taken. Upon seating we were not provided menus, it was a few minutes later that they got around giving them to us. We ordered our drinks and the wrong beer came to the table, no biggie. Then we place our pizza order and waited. 30 minutes later the place starts to get really packed and we start seeing customers that came in after us start to get their pizzas. So we asked about our pizza and they checked the kitchen. 10 minutes pass and the waiter finally comes out and says the kitchen "just dropped our pizza" and a new one will come out in 20 minutes. They offer us a free appetizer, so we accept the chicken wings...bad idea, they were over-battered and over-fried wings. Another 35 minutes pass and our pizza finally arrived! The pizza is far from being "Minnesota-style". It was thin crust, but very, very soggy. It tasted like the pizza was dumped into water and served. The cheese was also a tad brown at spots from being over-cooked and had that burnt cheese flavor to it. At the end, they were nice enough to place the drinks and appetizer on the house. They also apologized about the wait and it was mentioned that this problem has been ongoing since they have "only been open for a month". Over hearing the customers, there were many that were dissatisfied and had been waiting 2 hours for a pizza. The place itself is rather small with very limited seating, that night there were 3 waiters/waitresses, hostess, and a kitchen staff. Many of servers kept apologizing that it was "busy" so they were "backed up".

Pros: Good decor.

Cons: Horrible food, horrible service, staff unprepared.

Posted 10/12/07

I love Tator-Tots. I love to eat them all the time and stuff. I am so happy to have Tator Tots in my life. I love the way that this resturant puts Tator-Tots in a hotdish, because when I was a little kid I used to eat sloppy joe's all the time and my mom would make Tator-Tots for me to dip in ranch dressing and eat on the side. It was really good. And it would make me really full, I like it. Ok, Bye.

Pros: Tator Tots

Cons: No Sloppy Joes

Posted 10/01/07

$70 take out order for lunch today. It took 1 hour from the inital call to walking away with the goods. 1 server, only 1 table of customers, but I still had to wait for around 30 minutes in the restuarant. A totally unique experience, and one which I will never repeat.

But wait...it got worse.

Overall the food was decidedly average. It's not very often I use the word 'disgusting', but that's the only way to describe the tater tot casserole. A few dollops of what can only be described as 'unseasoned cheap meat, badly chopped onion, 7 taters, and a layer of melted cheese no larger than half of a post-it note'. The best part was the generous helping of Pringles that came with the dish....but only because of the surprise factor. According to the menu, the casserole should have been accompanied by a 'soft butter-flake roll'.

$9.50 for Pringles and tasteless slop. Needless to say, I won't be back.

Pros: Nice environment

Cons: Slow service, poor quality food.

Posted 10/01/07

This is a great place - casual atmosphere, really good food and fun cocktails. The pizza is perfect thin crust and they have good midwest fare like tater tot hotdish and green bean casserole on the menu. The service was great and the overall vibe very inviting. Try the Minnesota POP cocktail which tastes like grape crush. Ladies don't miss the retro poster of Burt Reynolds in the bathroom. Classic. oooh, and they have fried cheese curds on the menu. how can you go wrong?

Posted 09/29/07

I ate at Zayda Buddy's last night, and loved the atmosphere, service, and pizza. I went with my boyfriend who loved the beer list with beers on tap like peroni and mannys, but he really liked the beers in a can. He had a Blitz, and Hamm's, then grainbelt in a bottle. The waitress recommended the North Star to me and I ended up having two. I think that is my new favorite martini. It is made with vodka, fresh squeezed lemon, and their home made fruity wiskey. We had the pizza with sourkrout on it! I was a little nervous to try it, but it was delicious! The pizza sauce was really good, and the crust was very thin and crunchy just the way I like it. The rest of the menu looked interesting as well. There are a lot of other things to choose from if you are not in the mood for pizza. I may just try the tater tot casserole next time if I can tear myself away from the pizza. Service was top notch, very friendly and helpful. We will be back!!!!

Posted 09/20/07