On the Green Side: Zark's Burgers

This has been a long overdue entry. Last year, I treated the family to one of Manila's most famous burger joints. If you are green-blooded, I'm sure you know which burger joint I'm referring to. This place is famous among the La Salle crowd, though it has won the hearts of people all over the metro because of its exciting, adventurous, and gigantic burgers. This has become a go-to burger joint for those who live around the area, and for those who find themselves in the Manila area.

Zark's is a burger joint along Taft Avenue, which is famous for its mouth-watering, reasonably priced, gigantic burgers. I found out about this place because of my brother, who unfortunately, is green-blooded. He said there was a famous burger place near his school that sold really delicious and big burgers. He has tried this place before but he really wanted us to try it and taste it for ourselves. So, when I got my first bonus from work, I decided to take the family out and try Zark's.

Zark's is a relatively small burger joint on the 2nd floor of Archer's Nook. I say small because the place is definitely small for the volume of people that eat there everyday. Theplace was jam-packed even if it was a Sunday. The place had a diner feel to it. There was a bar, where the drinks and orders were placed; a TV that was set on a sports channel, and booths on the sides. The decor was mostly green -- framed jerseys of famous La Salle players and pictures of satisfied customers on the walls. After waiting to be seated,we were given menus and the journey to picking only one burger started.

Since we were all very hungry, and picking which burger to try took so long, Mom decided to get some nachos as an appetizer.

The nachos were just like any other nachos, save for the salsa. Zark's ran out of salsa that day, but since everyone was hungry, we decided to get them even if there was no salsa. The cheese dip was enough anyway. It was creamy and very cheesy. You won't have to worry about not getting enough cheese on your nacho chip because of its high viscosity. (Did I just use that term?! I meant, the cheese dip wasn't as watery as other cheese dips.)

Now let's go to the star(s) of the day.

Zark's has two kinds of burgers. The major league -- 1/2 pound patty burgers, and the minor league -- 1/4 pound patty burgers. Since I love spicy food so much, I didn't have a hard time choosing a burger. Fine, maybe I did have some trouble choosing what burger to get since they had a wide range of burgers to choose from. I wanted something spicy, I wanted bacon, I wanted bleu cheese, I wanted all sorts of stuff on my burger. In the end, I stuck with my first choice: something spicy. I ordered their Burger from Hell.

The Burger from Hell is the spicy burger of Zark's. Aside from the usual vegetable toppings, it has sauteed onions, chili, chili oil, and chili cheese sauce. This burger will definitely be enjoyed by chili lovers because it really is one hot burger! One small bite is enough to make you ask for milk. The red bits you see are actual chili bits, placed on top of their chili cheese sauce, topped with their chili oil. They weren't kidding when they said this one's from hell!

Short commercial break. My cute little niece. Yes, she's a girl. 
Teehee.

Moving on. My sister's boyfriend ordered the Bourbon Burger. A quarter pound burger topped with mushrooms, cheese, and their bourbon barbecue sauce. I wasn't able to taste this one due to my burnt tongue, but my sister's boyfriend did approve of this burger. If he liked it, I'm sure it was good because he's very picky when it comes to food.

My sister got the Bleu Cheese Burger. Just like her boyfriend, she's very picky and particular when it comes to food. They're the maarte couple. They only want the best of the best. I was able to taste this one since I asked my sister for a bite even before I dove into my own burger. The burger was great, cooked just right. The flavor of the burger was locked inside the juicy patty. just like the rest of their burgers, but, the bleu cheese wasn't pure bleu cheese. According to my sister, it tasted like mayo + bleu cheese. Then again, it was understandable considering this burger was only P135.

My brother was the only one who got a burger from the major league section. He ordered the Jawbreaker -- a triple patty burger with cheese, spam, bacon, and overflowing cheese sauce. The burger was so tall, I didn't know how he could bite into it.

Mom got a classic. She ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries since everyone else ordered something adventurous. She just asked a bite from each of our burgers and enjoyed her traditional one. Even if we all got burgers from the minor league, Mom still wasn't able to finish her burger (she had it cut in half because she had a feeling she wouldn't finish it because it was just too big!) But that doesn't mean she did not enjoy this simple burger.

Zark's Major League Burgers came with fries or chips and a drink, but you have to add P20 to get these when you order from their Minor League Burgers. All of the burgers, except the Jawbreaker, were minor league burgers. Imagine the size of our burgers had we all ordered from the major league section! These burgers aren't just good -- packed with juiciness and flavor, but they are reasonably priced too. I only spent around P1,500 for six burgers (I ordered another burger to go for my boyfriend), sides and drinks, and dessert. Speaking of dessert, we tried their Fried Snickers.

If you liked Flaming Wings' Wicked Oreos, you will love this one! The snicker bars are freshly cooked and the vanilla ice cream on top not only complements the sweetness of the chocolate bar, but the temperature of the fried dough/batter covering it. It was a perfect mix of hot and cold, sweet and creamy. Sweets lovers will love this one.

So, what's my verdict for Zark's Burgers? A MUST TRY. You rarely chance upon good food quality that is reasonably priced, with an accommodating staff waiting on you. You won't regret dining here.


Price Range: P130-P500/person

5 out of 5 for Zark's Burgers

Zark's Burgers
2464 Archer's Nook
Taft Avenue, Manila

Contact details courtesy of http://www.zarksburgers.com/