Z - I'm a local and come here All the time.... Your food is consistently bad and overpriced. And why does it take so long to get a beer at the bar? You're a great local hangout  but please.... Step up your game! Make food with flavor (that's not burnt) that isn't ridiculously overpriced.
Review Source:With cheap eats and inexpensive beers, happy hour is a total win at Z Ranch. And their outdoor deck is a great locale for live music during the spring and summer.
On Monday's they do a burger special: $5 for burger, fries, and Mickey's. If they have portabello mushrooms in the kitchen, they'll usually make a veggie burger for you if you wanna get all Morrissey and go meatless Monday. #VeggieWin
Came to Z Ranch for happy hour with a few friends to enjoy some food and drinks. Started out fine even though the patio was full of drunk staff members.
I didn't have an issue until I realized that one of the drunk staff members had literally taken his junk out of his pants and started pissing in the parking lot while leaning on my car. I ran over to confront the drunken fool, only to find the entire area outside my car doors wet with urine. When I said something he started laughing and stumbling around--while still pissing. I lost it when he finally hit my car with his piss. His other drunken friends and staff members laughed and heckled me as I yelled at guy who continued to urinate.
If you want a urine free car and good service, AVOID THIS PLACE!!!
If the management reads/responds to these posts (which I doubt they do), there is nothing you can say that'll redeem what I've experience, at your poor excuse of a business.
This hidden-away burger joint is great for unusual lunches. It must get more biz at night because it's empty at lunch. A bit pricey for the meals, but the 3 lunches I've had there are all big meals (about $10-15) with a choice of sides, including sweet potato fries. Food comes out pretty mild tho, even when ordered spicy. The Western Burger and the Patty Melt were both great sandwiches.
It's a 4-star lunch place. Â Look for it behind the 76 gas station, and don't judge it by the location. Best burger joint in town!
Hit and miss.
Hits - Beet chips, grilled cheeses
Misses - deviled eggs (why, why, why did I eat those). BBQ chicken.
I've been there a few times and I always walk away wondering if I enjoyed it. I love their beet chips for sure, and the grilled cheese is great. The BBQ chicken was undercooked and had greasy, rubbery, uncooked skin. The deviled eggs were ok going down, but the storage looked suspect and unfortunately I saw them again later that night. On slow nights, the atmosphere is fine, but on busy winter evenings, you are inundated with young seasonal workers looking for cheap beer and food and to cause havoc. Not my scene at all. I really wanted to like it here.
In response to Cortney - I live in Mammoth full time, year round, but I don't enjoy the boozy 20 something scene. Nothing against the seasonals (who I wouldn't call local), but I prefer a good happy hour or dinner rather than getting fed and wasted on as little money as possible. Maybe I should have been more clear about my visit - I started this review in October of 2011 when I was there the first time and forgot to finish it. You most definitely had BBQ chicken. It was a whole leg made up of a thigh and a drumstick with a red sauce and grill marks. Perhaps you have taken it off your menu since then.
You might have noticed that I don't even call myself local. I would think that most everyone in this town is important, as it's a small town. We all rely on each other for our joint success, and the whole "locals rule" philosophy is stupid. And if your version of nice is telling me I don't know the difference between pork and chicken, maybe I should shut up now before you start being mean. I do think your approach is way off if you are trying to get me to change my review, but I guess you don't care because you have all the business you need.
So many things wrong with this restaurant - decided to try it out because the ratings seemed average plus the prices were decent (especially for the area).
1. Â the dining room is freezing - it's not ideal to have to wear your winter coat throughout a meal.
2. the wings we ordered to start took 40 minutes to come out and they were undercooked at the bone. and they brought the wrong flavour.
3. meals took FOREVER to come out
4. the tri tip steak was mediocre and the salad barely had any of the ingredients listed on the menu - they probably ran out and gave me what little was left over
5. the french onion soup (why did i think it would be okay to order this at such a restaurant) was awful
6. Â the cooks did not seem to have great practices in terms of hygiene - too bad the kitchen is open and i couldn't help but watch these things happening.
Don't bother trying this place.
Went there for new years. I was having a good time. The music wasnt really my flavor but they were a good band. They have pretty cabin style decor. I am not a fan of dead animals on the wall. Cool little booths for your friends to hang out in.
The cool part about their NYE celebration is that the beers were free for the first few hours.
Again it is not easy to find a place in Mammoth that serves good food at a decent price. Â We thought we had found it at the Z ranch the prices were not outlandish and Yelp ratings appeared decent, but if you look at the trend of the ratings for Z ranch that have been trending downwards with the common complaint ..COLD INSIDE. We were seated as far back as possible from the front door and it was still too cold. Â As I was sitting there I was wondering why management does not purchase a couple of heaters to help keep their patrons warm. I think part of the reason it appears many locals come here for happy hour and their allegiance and focus is primarily on them and not their customers who come from out of town. Â Unfortunately and not unexpectedly, while waiting for our food in the COLD I was wondering if our food was going to be COLD. Â Well let me say it was not hot off the grill, somewhere between lukewarm and warm. Â I would probably come back during the summer months, but during the winter months ...COME ON... Management invest in some heaters so that your patrons can take off their snow jackets and eat some good HOT food during the winter months !
Review Source:Went there last night on the Yelp recommendation and were disappointed. The restaurant was cold, the  chili was cold and the 1/2 pulled pork sandwich was tiny. I ended up having to order an appetizer so I didn't leave hungry.  The redeeming qualities were our waitress was very friendly and the catfish sandwich that one person in our party ordered was pretty good.
Review Source:One star. Keep in mind we did not eat here. Would love to review the food, but we never had a chance to order. After showing up for taco Tuesday , We ordered pork tacos. Waitress says "sorry, no pork". So, we order the fish tacos instead. Waitress says "sorry, we are out of fish also". Since the menu only listed port and fish tacos, we asked what kind of tacos they had for Taco Tuesday. She says, "sorry, we are out of Tacos". I've heard the food is good, but the server was so lame - she easily could have turned it around and suggested something else or been helpful in some way shape or form. So if the owner is reading this - please give those servers some sort of training. She was so bad we laughed about it the rest of the night over Margaritas at Roberto's.
Review Source:The place itself is interesting to say the least - Is it a cabin? Is it a bar? A restaurant?
Anyway we were greeted promptly, sat and given menu. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich + chili combo. Both were good, especially the chili.
At some point during our meal, we saw people going to what seemed to be a taco station - I wish I was told that they had that special going before we ordered.
Pulled pork was good, as was pie desert served in cast iron skillets.
Not cool was the chili.
Whoever the chef was who made this has a sick sense of humor.
The chili was not edible. Â When we made this known to the server no attempt was made for a edible substitute, the attitude was " well that's how we make it here". Â I know how it is in mtn towns, but this was just bad business, will not eat here again.
one of the few places for rather tasty meal in mammoth for good value. Service smiled..kid friendly...great nightly specials. Â Like $1 taco bar Tuesdays.
Hush puppies are the bomb with honey butter dipping sauce. Â Catfish had great flavor no batter and tasty and I don't even like catfish. All the sides esp the BBQ beans are awesome. Â Tip: try the tri-tip.
The rum cake dessert....sooo good buttery melt in your mouth. Â Bummed that someone bought the whole Russian cake so we couldn't try it. Â But we'll be back. Â Maybe tomorrow!
We ate here tonight and REALLY enjoyed our meal. Â My husband had a cup of chili and 1/2 a pulled pork sandwich. Â Both were delicious. Â I had the tri-tip salad. Â Other than the beef being a little tough, it was a scrumptious salad. Â We will definitely go back the next time we're in town.
Review Source:ZRanch is by far the worst resturant I have EVER eaten at. Where do I even begin?!
1st...The service is AWFUL! It seems like everyone that "works" there would rather talk to their friends then help the actual paying customers.
2nd...The owner lets her young childern run around screaming and yelling freely and doesnt do anything about them. They are a little to young to be hanging out in a bar at all hours!!!!!!!
I would NEVER tell someone to eat here! it is truly a horrible place to go to!
Z Reezy! This place is fun and full of locals. Generally a good place to catch cheap drinks and a free show. Cheap drinks(redundant, I know), especially if you know what to order. No hard lix but that just keeps me outta trouble so I'm definitely cool with that. The go-to place for happy hour, especially weekdays. Good food, cheap drinks, and down-to-earth peoples. If you like clubbin' it in LA or are not a fan of blue collar types, go to Hyde. If you're like the rest of us, come to Z on a monday for a 5 dollar burger and beer and meet some like-minded folk!
Review Source:I give these guys a solid 4 stars for what they are - a locals bar and grill. Â The place is pretty cool - an A frame with tables out front and the bar set deep in the back. Â It's a bit loud, lots of ski and snowboard bums in their 20's (a good thing) and a handful of families having dinner. (at least the weekday evening we were there). Â Decent beer selection. Â The menu is original and interesting. Â We tried the beet chips - good. Â Get the goat cheese. Â Basically, fried veggie chips - so a potato chip that's a bit more healthy for you. Â My wife got the pulled chicken plate - nice. Â About as good as pulled chicken can get. Â I had a bowl of chili - really kick ass - tri tip rather than ground beef. Â I also had the Dirty Hippie Sandwhich - pretty good. Â If you're a veg, then it's a nice meal. Â Along with the chili it was plenty to eat. Â The broccoli salad was surprisingly good as was the corn. Â Good original pub grub - not a gastro pub in an LA sense - but a good place to have a beer and meal. Â I'll go again...
Review Source:Tonight, I went to Z Ranch for the awesome cheeseburger, fries, and Mickey's grenade for $5 deal (Mondays only). Â However, I ordered the fried beet chips and chicken wings. Â What a lovely surprise! Â The beets were delicious. Â They were extra thin, crisp, and looked like rose petals in the basket. Â After tasting them, my friend said 'now we have one more reason to come here every week.' Â I agree.
Review Source:We've eaten at Z Ranch three times now, and enjoyed every bite. And sip.
My favorites are the fried beets with goat cheese - so yummy!! Their salads are great, too, with homemade dressings. Â
The last time we were there, I had one of the BEST BURGERS OF MY LIFE!! Fried beets and goat cheese appetizer, of course, and for dinner, the "build-your-own burger" with blue cheese and red onion (it came on a jalapeno bun that looked and tasted home-made, which really added to the overall flavor), side salad with their yummy apple vinaigrette dressing, shared fries dipped in the Z sauce, and a nice glass of Purple Cowboy Merlot that complimented the meal perfectly.
We also enjoyed dining to some great music (Led Zeppelin, Foghat...) - let's just say, I had a "whole lotta love" for my meal, and I wanted to make it a "slow ride" because it was so tasty :)
It's an interesting place! A little Hard Rock Cafe, a little eclectic gourmet, a little sports bar (in the back)... the decor kind of gives you a clue it's going to be different when you walk in - they've kept the old booths from Gomez's in the front (painted white), but up in the top of the A-Frame is an huge elk head, surrounded by stacks of wood, with a giant disco ball hanging above it. Quirky and fun. There is usually a crowd in the back, which adds to a festive atmosphere without overwhelming your dining experience in the front. And the music is great!
Others come for the atmosphere and their super cheap specials - Taco Tuesdays, Mickey's Mondays, etc. Â We enjoy the atmosphere as a backdrop to what we see as the main event: the food and wine!
i have long said mammoth needs better food. Â now with z ranch and matt toomey's joint, it's finally getting it. Â
i had the deviled eggs (excellent), the fried beet chips with chipotle ranch (awesome) and the unbelievably good blackened catfish sandwhich. Â washed it down with a sierra nevada on tap. Â
i will be returning. Â oh yes.
my experience with this place was pretty blah. Â our server was not very concerned about accuracy with our order and he seemed bored. Â The restaurant was not very busy, so we thought we could get a reasonable meal without a long wait.
we ordered the bacon macaroni and cheese, which sounded great, but we never got it.  After an agonizingly long wait (20+ minutes for an appetizer?) Our server brought us regular macaroni & cheese...which was kind of oily and not very appetizing.  When we told him that we ordered bacon mac & cheese, he did offer to  bring out the correct order, but after how long this took to come out, we told him don't worry about it.  Then our burger orders got mixed up and the requested toppings were not correct.  Cold french fries.
All in all it was a less than stellar experience without good customer service. Â Probably will not go again.
Great Monday Happy Hour special....cant beat the 5 dollar Monday Happy Hour Special Mickeys Grenade, Burger and Fries Combo!!!!!
Burger is delicious with your choice of cheese (of course), fries hit the spot...especially with the z bbq sauce!
A few of my personal favorites are: Catfish Sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, Frickles, Â stuffed chilli, and Sunday Brunch!
Z Ranch is a once a week visit spot for me as a local here in mammoth!! Chill place to hang!
My first trip to Mammoth in the summer after 25 years of visiting mammoth in the winter. Stayed at the Viewpoint condos, which are a short walk to Z Ranch. Mammoth is pretty slim-pickings for food. Mostly bar food, pizza, Mexican or a few upscale spots. First visit to Z Ranch and it seemed like a happy change from the standards. Granted, it was still heavy on the burgers and sandwich selection, but there were plenty of options to mix it up. There were 12 of us, most got the dirty hippy fried green tomato sandwich, pulled pork or hamburgers. Everyone was pretty happy with their food. I got the portobello sandwich with Brie and a side salad. Was really happy with my choice. The house salad dressing was really tasty. The frickles were good too.
The only downside was everyone got their food, and one member of our party had ordered the ahi entree, and didn't get his dinner. After it was clear his order was not coming out with everyone else's, he asked the server if it got lost. She said the kitchen forgot it, but they're working on it now. Then it still took forever again, she said the kitchen overcooked the ahi and was making another one, and said she was sorry, but it wasn't her fault, don't blame her. She was nice, but it was troublesome that she either didn't notice until we asked, or she knew it wasn't coming out for a while but didn't bother to tell us. He should have at least gotten a free beer since it was their mistake, or a little salad to nosh on while he waited. But they didn't offer anything. I would think if they forgot the order, then messed it up and had to do it again, he would at least get more than a "sorry, but it's totally the kitchen's fault, not mine". They were also out of sweet potatoes (?!), so even though most of us wanted either the sweet potato mash or the sweet potatoe fries, we did not get to sample. And they were not busy by any means this evening. No reason to run out of sweet potatoes at 6:30 pm, and mess up orders.
Anyways, the wine and beer selection was great. Overall, a nice addition to Mammoth Lakes.
The place is pretty awesome in terms of decor and staff. I think its probably a really chill place to hang out after a day of boarding, but with it being end of season it was a little slow.
I do like the fact that they offer more than your normal bar food, and actually try to give you something different. The food preparations probably could use a little more attention, but overall not bad. The group ordered the hush puppies (a lil dense), mac 'n cheese w/bacon (tasty), fried cornish game hen (not bad), 4oz filet (as tiny as it sounds), pulled pork (pretty good), and the special of the night was some lamb chops (pretty good, but the cooking was uneven).
Pitchers of beer, root beer floats washed everything down.
So sorry, z ranch. Arrived for dinner to find windows open on a very chilly evening and music blasting. Not quite the ambiance I was seeking. Ordered dinner: Â mushroom bisque - excellent! And hippy sandwich - wonderful! Husband had pulled pork sandwich - very tasty. Unfortunately, being chilly and unable to converse at a normal decibel level did put a damper on the meal. Synopsis: probably get food to go. (reviewed by DCB)
Review Source:Great menu with items completely different from other restaurants. Â The deep-fried Cajun Cornish game hen was excellent along with the pulled-pork sandwich spicy and not too sweet and the deep-fried Beet chips...that's right deep fried Beets are a must. Â Their drink menu is also very eclectic and inexpensive. Only problem is the restaurant is off Main street and the unassuming front of the restaurant may discourage more customers. Please support this restaurant and their great menu and staff.
Review Source:Pulled pork sandwich. Yea please! It was messy, a bit spicy, and delicious! The fries it came with were ok but only cause I'm not a huge fan of fat fries. The brunch menu looks amazing. Very hip comfort food. A nice change for mammoth. They have blue moon on tap and also mammoth root beer which is delicious! Only beer and wine.
Review Source:Last trip to Mammoth my friends and I braved the snow and wind to gout to eat and decided on going here. It's fairly new so we give it a try. If I left anything out, read my friend Kev M's review on the place (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/z-ranch-mammoth-lakes#hrid:Ax2rCrnyc4tx4Wq5mu2WxA">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>).
For appetizers we ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes and Frickles (fried pickle chips). First came out then Frickles and thought they were ok. The batter had a mixture of cornmeal in it so the texture was a little rough. They were unevenly sliced so the thin ones were crisp while the thicker cuts were salty from the brine. The Fried Green Tomatoes were just five puny slices of tomatoes and they used the same cornmeal batter as the Frickles and just drizzled it with balsamic vinegar. It also came with a dipping sauce that was unknown to us but one of the workers said it was a sun dried tomato aioli.
As my main dish I ordered the grilled (brie) cheese sandwich. For and extra $1 each I added bacon, tomatoes, avocado, and mushrooms. The sandwich was gooey and delicious! They didn't just use regular button mushrooms, they used portobello mushrooms and they were very tasty.
For dessert we go the Texas Chocolate Cake. It was served in a kinda warm iron skillet but  when I took a a piece it was completely cold! The texture seemed a little chalky to me. I didn't like it at all.
If it wasn't for my yummy cheese sandwich, I'd give this place 2 stars. Prices were a little high for the quality and amount of food. At least service was good and made our dinning experience better.
Dinner - Sat., March 26, 2011
***Restaurant***
The best I could describe the restaurant is "rustic chic" where cabin/lodge meets modern restaurant decor (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FgQNr3P&s=8f677d10e7e7d0ee4889a7e07d1f1d6f04117f69dfd49abb3aff2c2df816e530" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/gQNr3P</a>). Â It's a small restaurant with a bar in the back. Â Limited on-premise parking which can be made even more difficult in heavy snow. Â Their website needs to be updated.
***Food***
-- Fried Green Tomatoes ($5.95): Â cornmeal-crusted, deep fried and drizzled with what I think is balsamic vinegar served with a nondescript sundried tomato aioli . Â It was tasty, but we got i think only 6 slices of varying sizes. Â Not a great value for the price paid considering it's just deep fried unripened tomatoes. Â The profit margin on that must be thru the roof!
-- Frickles (fried pickle slices) ($5.95): Â crunchy, sour, and extremely salty! Â They should have used good quality deli pickle slices (which have more crunch and less brine) rather than the cheaper soggy variety you throw on burgers you care nothing about.
-- Hand Cut French Fries ($3.95): Â If you like fat versions of In and Out semi soggy fries, then this is for you! Â Personally, I'm a fan of your classic double-fried fries (hand cut or otherwise)...crunchy on the outside, soft n' fluffy on the inside. Â It's good, but not great.
-- Bacon-Wrapped Filet ($13.95): Â First off, it's only 4 oz (pre-cooked?) filet (not mignon mind you!). Â It's a cute morsel of good meat, but you couldn't wrap bacon around something this small, so it was kinda stacked in the immediate area of the beef. Â I ordered it medium, came out medium/medium well, but I expected that to happen on the little nugget. Â Could have been charred a little more if they cooked it on a hotter grill, but still was tender and beefy. My big gripe is that they served this on top of parchment/deli paper on a metal platter (heck, everything is served that way). Â Problem is that the paper got really soggy and was coming apart and onto every bite of food. Â No bueno.
-- Texas Chocolate Cake ($5.95): Â warning!! Â It may be served on an iron skillet, but it's a cold slice! Â It's akin to a dense, semi-flourless chocolate cake...which would have been badass if it came out warm!
***Service***
The gentleman that took our orders was really friendly and upbeat! Â He had a great attitude even tho we mockingly gave him a bit of "heat" (pun!) for a cold slice of cake served on a skillet...kudos, bro! Â
***Final Thoughts***
In retrospect, I don't think I would have gone to  Z Ranch starving from snowboarding in what was a snowstorm from some level of Dante's version of Hell.  Personally, I didn't feel I got my money's worth...maybe 75%.  I haven't been here during happy hours, so maybe I might check it out next time I'm in Mammoth.
So my friends decided to come here when another restaurant was too packed. Â We read a couple of good reviews, sadly we missed the happy hour.
There was only one waitress, but she did an excellent job waiting her tables. Â She made several recommendations that the other people in my party ordered. Â
For appetizer we started off with a stuffed chili it was brought out on a sizzling plate it was wrapped with a piece of bacon and stuffed with cream cheese and some kind of meat. Â It was really good, but I was a little disappointed that it was $6 for 1 it would have been more worth it if it came with 2.
The pulled pork sandwich- this has to be one of the tastiest pulled pork sandwiches I have ever tasted.  It was full of soft moist pulled pork with their mustard bbq sauce and apple coleslaw on a jalapeño and cheese bun.  If we ever go back that is what I would order.
The bacon wrapped 4oz fillet mignon was very tender and soft, my friend raved about how good it was.
My husband ordered the double royal burger with fried egg, brie and jalapeños.  He throughly enjoyed it and commented on how it was one of the best burgers he had ever had.
I decided to just order a grilled cheese sandwich and soup. Â Grilled cheese sandwiches are usually safe and not easy to mess up. Â When I got my order I was so wrong. Â The grilled cheese wasn't even grilled, they didn't butter up the bread which is how the usual grilled cheese is done. Â The cheese was a bit plastic-y since it was smoked Gouda. Â Needless to say I was not happy with my food. Â The soup was mushroom bisque and it was yummy it had a kick to it. Â I complained to the waitress that the grilled cheese was horrible and that I wanted to see the menu for something else. Â I ended up not picking anything and she felt bad so she asked if she could bring me a small salad which I agreed.
When we got the check, we noticed that they did not charge for my sandwich, soup, or salad. Â She was a wonderful waitress and was super nice. Â The service was wonderful. Just make sure you don't order the grilled cheese sandwich. =P
Went for takeout after a day on the slopes. The place wasn't busy, but service was slow - 25 minutes to get our food. The catfish sandwich was dry, with the catfish considerably smaller than the bun. The 1/2 lb burger was also dry. The fries had a burnt taste, but were undercooked on the inside, and greasy on the outside, rather than crisp.
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