You want ice cream with 7 flavor choices? Fine. This is the place for you. If you want good food served attentively, look elsewhere. By the way, if you choose not to heed my advice, avoid the chili, a watery, beefy affair strewn with canned tomatoes.
On the way out, I was treated to the manager giving a gentleman in front of me a hard time for attempting to pay for his meal by using an outdated gift certificate. In front of the other patrons, she argued with a gentleman for perhaps 5 minutes. Rather than say something professional such as, " I'll accept this gift certificate if you promise to come back and visit us again," what we got was, " we can't wait forever for you to cash in your gift certificate. After all, we have to reconcile our books."
And with that, she lost 2 return customers, the gentleman ahead of me, and me.
My chocoholic friend and I stopped here on a recommendation from counsel. It took my friend 15 minutes to decide what combination to order... which is apparently a common experience based on the seemingly limitless combinations and eager to please ice cream parlor staff. I obviously had to have the cinnamon soda with the butter pecan ice cream. It was a winner! :)
My friend ordered chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, brownie, fudge, chocolate something. The little girl sitting next to him, witnessing his un-adult-like glee, dared him to drink the gravy boat full of hot fudge. I turned away so I didn't have to witness the consequences of this display. Despite the junior audience squeals, I should not have been surprised by the fact that no chocolate escaped to the floor.
The paper straws were an eco-friendly perk. The juxtaposition of Zaharakos museum-like decor and child-friendly ice cream parlor atmosphere made for a unique stroll down 'I-wish-these-were-my-childhood-memories' lane.
The ice cream, sodas, & surroundings are the only worthwhile reasons to stop. Â
Don't get me wrong - for that, it's worth the stop - but don't expect the food to rise above edible and, well, meh..., which to me says that I'd really rather they just be an amazing ice cream / malt / frappe / soda shop,than the 'who cares?' tourist blech restaurant they currently are.
Seriously. Â For real. Â STOP it with the crappy, if hygienically prepared food! Â (Seriously, that is the best thing I can say about your food: I saw servers following board of health protocols consistently throughout food prep. Â That's not exactly mouth-watering news.) Â
Yes, the servers are prenaturally pleasant. Â It's fairly alarming in a restaurant, but in an ice cream shop / soda fountain, well, that's what you'd expect, right???
I promise we'll just come for the sodas and the ice cream - those alone get four stars or more. Â No foolin'. Â We'll be thrilled and have a reasonable food traffic for walk-out cones and shakes. Â
(I will admit: I'm not sure what the breakfast score is: I just know none of the lunch "real" food items are worth eating.)
When I walked in, I was pretty sure I died and gone to heaven. This place is like stepping back in time. What I love about Columbus is that small town nostalgia. The service here was super friendly, the decor is amazing, and the old automated organ adds to the atmosphere. Everyone here was smiling, after all, how can you go to an old fashioned soda fountain/ice cream shop and have a bad time? I had a sundae and my husband had a dr pepper milkshake. Everything was very yummy and hit the spot on a dreary winter afternoon. I can't wait to take my kids here when that day comes. A day trip to Columbus and Zaharakos might just have to be our new Christmas tradition.
Review Source:We held my mom's 90th birthday party in the upstairs banquet room. Â Everyone had a great time with make-your-own-sundaes, cake, and drinks. Â The ice cream tasted as as great as it's always been and the toppings were delicious. Â
Faye and her staff were easy to work with as I planned it from out of town and the event ran flawlessly!
So thankful we could celebrate such a special occasion in this wonderfully restored and locally adored business.
Imagine stepping back into time to an early 20th century ice cream parlor. That's exactly what going to Zaharakos is like. It's an extremely beautiful ice cream and soda shop inside complete with cherry wood furnishings and lighted mirrors. The lunch items are delicious. My husband had a grilled cheese and avocado sandwich that was out of this world. I had a club sandwich on pretzel bread that was divine. The chocolate malt I had was thick, creamy and delicious. We just stopped here passing through on the way to Bloomington but I would also make a special trip to Columbus just to stop here. I was a bit awestruck at the place.
Review Source:This place is all about kitsch and old-timey novelty. They have cool ice cream creations that are hand-dipped, and they have those old time drinks like Green River soda.... and that's what you should go here for. The food is just okay -- my burger was overcooked - so don't expect to be wowed by the food. We did have a brownie sundae after lunch that was pretty darn awesome, though. So yeah, great for dessert, so-so for food...
Review Source:On a hot day, arctic air inside Zaharakos washes over you as you open the Washington street storefront door. Built about 1900, the entire place is lit with replica 1900s incandescent light bulbs. Arrayed in front of you are the trappings of an authentic, old-school soda fountain. There are porcelain bins that once held syrup, and behind them, vast mirrors. In front of the mirrors, glass jars with an array of chopped nuts and other ice cream toppings. There's no soft serve here. Staff members exert a martial-arts-grade grip on ice cream scoops and lug frosty tubs of ice cream from a back room walk-in.
I sat at the clean, stone counter and ordered a shake. The shake was great. The service was excellent. I'd definitely go back. I would exceed the recommended daily allowance of ice cream if this place were closer to my home.
1) Â Don't stop if you are in any sort of a hurry. Â I sat at the ice cream bar when I stopped in here and you get to see first-hand just how labor-intensive making hand-dipped ice cream treats can be. Â That said, on my visit, there were a lot of things contributing to the service hangups that I experienced and unfortunately I can't blame it all on the hand-dipping of the ice cream. Â The fountain Coke and the old-fashioned ice cream soda I had were great, but outside of those two treats there was inattentiveness and inattention to detail all around.
2) Â I had the Gom sandwich with cheese. Â I thought it was pretty tasty, if not exactly original or mind-blowing. Â My sandwich (which had been sitting for at least a few minutes when it was served to me) came with chips and they were all crumbs as someone appeared to have literally dumped the end of the bag right out on my plate.
Cute place that definitely made me wish that I had been alive during the era of the old-fashioned soda shop. Â The woodwork and bright incandescent clear glass bulbs reminded me of an old chain of ice cream shops called Swensen's that I would see when visiting malls on family vacations as a kid. Â It was nice to see them doing things like pouring flavored syrup into a glass of ice (preparing to have soda 'jerked' into it) using a metal 'jigger' on a sticky marble counter. Â But it seems that they could provide a much better experience with a little better management. Â I saw one manager while I was there...an assistant manager...who was hustling behind the ice cream/soda bar the entire time...but with a place this busy I would have expected to see one or more floor managers out walking the room and taking steps to avoid service/experience bottlenecks.
Would love to come back to this area sometime when I have more time to spend. Â And I'd love to come back to Zaharakos, but I likely won't order food and -- even then -- will allow myself at least an hour.
Probably just nostalgia but gone are the days of a real, unbathed, lazy-eyed Zaharako behind the counter cleaning the ice-cream scoop he's about to use for your chocolate malt in the water from last Tuesday. But also are the days of a legit green river, sarsaparilla soda, and their signature sloppy-joe-esque burger that I grew up loving.
A great stop for an out of towner who wants to feel like they're back in a 1910 soda shop. You can sit at the giant counter on the right when you walk in to enhance that feeling, this is where the soda machine is and where the ice cream is served from.
Yelp 2-stars is described as "Meh. I've experienced better" and that is exactly how I feel about this place. But I will give a bonus for the near perfect renovation.
If your a big party, have kids, or are looking for an attraction I would suggest it, but the food was just ok, I had the burger, fries and tried the mac-and-cheese. The ice cream was not great and came pretty melted, I had a chocolate shake while eating and was a similar story. Yeah I had Ice cream twice while there.
They have expanded into the store front over and added a section selling homestyle goods and some souvenirs think, cracker-barrel esque. Also there is some displays talking about the history of the place which are neat.
In summary a good place to check out if your in the area, but kinda gimmicky, and beware of the organ if you dont like loud noises, I am one of the minority who preferred when it didn't work as it is cool to look at but...
Dear Wilma,
You'll never know what a horrible day today was and how much your friendliness and soda shop expertise meant to me. I needed a pick-me-up something awful and you delivered. Being the Curious George that I am, I had a hefty list of questions like "what is your favorite?" "what exactly is a soda float and if I were to get one, which flavor would you recommend?" First you gave me a wee bit of a startled look, realized I was dead serious and then promptly filled me in on the xyz's of the soda shop world. Amidst the photos for Zaharakos on Yelp, you will find an image of the beautiful lemon soda float you made (which was a-m-a-z-i-n-g).
As if your friendliness and the delicious float weren't enough, my senses were on overload from the shop's intricate and gorgeous interior as well as the smell of sugar in the air that was so damn good. I would have sworn I could scoop this smell up with a spoon.
Wilma, I can't thank you enough. Our little interaction will forever be remembered as a bright spot in my cloudy day.
No trip to columbus is complete without a visit to Zaharakos. Â The homemade ice cream sodas and milk shakes are indescribable and very delicious. Â You can sit at a table or belly up to the old time soda fountain counter. Â Make sure you take time to browse the memorabilia especially the old nickelodeons on display. Â They are very rare and if you ask they will turn on the very large German one in the main dining room and play songs for your enjoyment. Â A real delight.
Review Source:What a little gem.  One should really visit this place to get a view of what Soda Fountains were like at the turn of 20th Century.  The décor is absolutely wonderful.  The icecream is tasty...but the real fun is the authentic sodas you can get.  I never knew how tasty a raspberry coke could be.  The staff is very friendly.  Worth a trip to Columbus just to visit this place.
Review Source:When I was a kid (like I'm a sea otter now) two of my favorite places to visit were the Paramount Music Palace and Farrell's. Â They, like many great places, are gone now, but in Zaharakos, there is a way to capture those same type of memories. Â Â We visited Zaharakos on Saturday evening and had a wonderful time. Â First off, the service, from the first moments we entered until we left with smiles on our faces was outstanding. Â It seems to be populated with some of the most polite young people from Columbus - for that, the town should be proud. Â
As we walked in, the Welte Orchestration with its 184 pipes was inviting us to sit down and eat. Â It was just on the right side of raucous and was a perfect way to be introduced to the restaurant. Â
As for the food (and treats), everything we ordered was delicious. Â I had the raspberry Coke and the eldest girl had the "green river," which she really enjoyed. Â Â
My burger was delicious, and gave me a little taste of yesteryear. Â I had a bite of my wife's Gom sandwich, which was a great mixture of sweet and spicy. Â
And oh, the ice cream - beautiful and delicious. Â I would highly recommend the raspberry chocolate chip! Â
All in all, I'm enamored with Zaharakos. Â I can't wait for another excuse to visit Columbus, Indiana again for a visit.
Of the six things that the visitors center lists for things to do in Columbus, Zaharakos is number four. Â However, I wouldn't recommend it for the 18-Pre-Children year old demographics. Yes, its very cute and it smells amazing on the inside. Seriously, if they sold a Zaharakos air fresher, I'd buy a case of it! However, we decided to soak in some rays and sit outside. This made for an awkward experience as we experienced very long wait times and a basically unresponsive waitress. Our meals were even served in to-go boxes. Three stars because the food was good, but this place is not my style. I would recommend it for little kids and those into the nostalgic victorian style.
Review Source:Great Food, Great Ice Cream, Great Atmosphere. Great Service. The automated calliope was a little loud but a fantastic restored machine! Our car club with about 24 of us landed in the place at about 4:30 on a Saturday and had some great burgers, sandwiches and  ice cream. I watched one of our members actually order, eat and finish their FIVE SCOOP Sundae! My hamburger was great as was my single scoop chocolate sundae. Go here. You will not be disappointed!
Review Source:I can only give Zaharkos 3 stars right now (even though I really want to rate them higher) because all I had was the sloppy joe, fries, and a malt. Â However, what I did have was outstanding.
I love old-timey ice cream parlours and this place sure fits the bill. Â They even have Mexican onyx soda fountains from the early 1900s (for display only).
Go for the ice cream not the lunch. Â Sloppy Joe sandwich was something a four year old could make. Â It was ground beef stuffed inside a grilled cheese. Â It tasted like it should be on a kids menu. Â
The ice cream and the atmosphere is another story. Â Unique, fun, and worth the trip. Â
Keep in mind you have to sit through constant organ music. Â All they need is the cymbal slamming monkey and we're good.
Based on both customer service and the quality of the product, this place hardly deserves one star. Â It does have a nice interior, but my friend and I were variously ignored or treated rudely by the teenage staff who seemed irritated by the fact that they had to...you know...take our order, make our drink, print our check, and run our credit card. Â
After the rude and snail-paced service, the sub-par ice cream simply added insult to injury. It tasted like it used almost entirely processed ingredients and had freezer burn on it, to boot.
Highly recommend NOT going.
While visiting Columbus this afternoon, we decided to have lunch here and I am so glad we did! This place is wonderful! Great to see such a historical ice cream parlor being preserved so beautifully. Admittedly, the service isn't great, but IMO the pros outweigh the cons. Lovely atmosphere and unique food (e.g. TRUE fountain sodas, old fashioned ice cream). If you're in the area, you should definitely check this place out! If I understand correctly, this place wasn't renovated until 2008 or maybe even later, so if you visited before then it was definitely nothing spectacular.
Review Source:I wish I could give half stars cuz I'd give it a 3 1/2. Here is the scope on Zaharakos. Â If you're traveling through the area, give it a try. Especially if you have kids. It has a great historic feel with lots of old soda machines, a cool old clock that chimes and plays fun songs, and a candy shop. But know a few things before you go. Â First off, their service is consistently bad. The servers are super nice but everyone manages to work at snail pace (the whole town does)...it gets old after a while. Â They have a limited menu but some tasty items that many people will like. Â I personally like their signature Gom sandwich (Zaharakos' take on the sloppy joe) but there is a really good turkey sandwich they also serve. Â The best part of Zaharakos though is not the food ...it's the sodas and their killer ice cream. I love their cinnamon coke and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Â
I previously rated this place a 4 on another site, but after going here a few times, I downgraded ...primarily due to their service. Â But I would always recommend people go here at least once. Â Perhaps you'll have a different opinion!
This is truly a must go place if you are visiting Columbus IN. I was taking the Miller house tour during one weekend and had lunch there before going to the tours.
The artisan grilled cheese and avocado might just be the best sandwich I had in recent memory. Â
They did a great job to preserve this historic place. Look at the 1950 picture, it hasn't changed a bit! The ice cream counter from a century ago is gorges.
Need to try their ice cream next time.
Sure. You'll go for the ice cream - and it's GOOD ice cream - but try the pies! You won't be disappointed.
I had two pieces of Toll House peanut butter pie (picture pecan pie with peanut butter chips) for breakfast -- leftovers from the night before. YUM! At lunch I had the vanilla crumble pie -- picture the sugary filling of apple pie without the apples, and tasting of milk pie. Yum.
I highly recommend the grilled cheese -- avocado inside and an extra layer of cheese on one side of the OUTSIDE of the bread.
We stopped here just as the Mike Pence for Governor event was letting out but still got right in and seated. Â The place was packed but we were served right away by a nice young lady with a great attitude.
Food was very good and not expensive, but the Ice Cream was the part we were waiting for, and it did not disappoint. Â On a scale of one to ten I would give it a 9 with a bump for the extra hot fudge our waitress brought us.
Stay for a playing of one of their restored 3 music machines.
Parking on street is free but don't stay in one spot more than 3 hours.
We were touring the town of Columbus on our Segways when a local stopped us to ask us about them, and then told us not to miss Zaharako Ice Cream shop.
So we took their advice and was glad we did.
Opening the door, it was a step back in time to a REAL classic ice cream counter from the turn of the 20th century. Our hostess and waitress Wilma was wonderful, she had been going there since she was a kid and gave us all kinds of history. As it was mid-November the place was decorated for Christmas, which gave it an additional festive feel.
Now for the food, excellent, had a turkey sandwich, an Milk Shake and a Sunday. The Ice Cream is home made and most Delicious.
There is a little gift store attached to it with interesting items to look at as well as to purchase.
This should for sure be a stop on your list when you visit this quaint town.
Quite dissapointed here...reading all of the reviews I was expecting to be blown over but Zaharako's doesn't quite live up.
First things...their sodas, their ice cream, their milkshakes...they are very good. Â It's definitely worth a try.
Their service is quite bad. Â Perhaps just my experience, but I stood at the wait stand for about 15 minutes waiting a few feet from an open table. Â After finally being allowed to sit, I was ignored for another 15 minutes before the waitress could screw up nearly everything in my order. Â After I could finally get the bill, I stood by the cash register for about 5 minutes while the staff washed dishes telling me to wait. I actually stiffed my waitress on the tip, and I haven't done that in years. Â
The food itself also left quite a bit to be desired. Â Perhaps the driest burger I've ever tasted...it was almost inedible. Â The sloppy joe and ham sandwich tasted like homemade, meaning made with Manwich, Oscar Meyer, and Wonder Bread. Â Soggy fries and stale potato chips finished up the lunch. Â
I would highly recommend getting an ice cream float here, but I would avoid turning the menu over. Â It's really hard to believe that this place has been open for 110 years serving hamburgers this bad.
This is a very neat place to eat! The burgers are delicious the root beer was very tasty and the ice cream was great! They have a self-playing pipe organ that will play some music while you eat and relax! The atmosphere takes you back in time, with the great looking bar and soda fountain and the wood work in this place is very nice! I recommend this place to everyone, it's a must see!
Review Source:I would recommend that anyone stop here even if just passing through. Â It's worth seeing and it's a rare place. Â Zaharakos is an old fashioned soda fountain that has been restored to almost it's original condition. Â It has a beautiful bar with with mirrors in the background framed by globe light bulbs. Â It's truly a beautiful place.
Along with the interior, Zaharakos still serves the old fashioned soda fountain drinks that my parents used to get when they were kids. Â It's much different from the way we think of soda and ice cream now, so I enjoyed the experience.
I found the food selection to be fairly limited. Â I don't think there were many options for vegetarians. Â I got the "Gom Sandwich" that was a sloppy joe on white bread. Â It was very good. Â The menu consists of some sandwiches, salads and fries. Â For a drink I tried a "green river". Â It was tasty and like the early ancestor of Mountain Dew. Â It was like an anthropological excursion into early 20th Century dining.
If you ever in the area you definitely need to stop by. Â I'm sure there are fewer and fewer of these places that exist in the world and they probably won't be around forever.
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