Zellers is officially making a comeback on March 23, and with that is the return of some iconic dishes from the original Zellers restaurant menu.
For 2023, the restaurant has been recreated in the form of a food truck, and it's touring the country and cooking up some old favourites for nostalgic Canadians.
And, ahead of the masses, I was able to try all of the retro dishes Zellers offers on its new menu.
Unfortunately, all I was able to taste-test were mini, bite-size versions of the entrees, but they still provided great insight into the flavours of the normal-sized versions.
Here's a ranking of all the Zellers treats and which ones you should order if you spot the famous new food truck.
Zellers grilled cheese
Zellers' mini grilled cheese.
This mini grilled cheese was alright, however, I found that it didn't really have the super-melty grilled cheese vibe I love.
It was more on the bland side (compared to the other items on the menu) and could have had a bit more pizzaz, flavour and overall taste!
That being said, it's not offensive in any way, it just was my least-favourite menu item.
Score: 2.5/5
Zellers hot chicken sandwich
Mini Zellers hot chicken sandwich.
This sort of thing has never been my favourite on a menu. However, it's really unique to Zellers and it epitomizes the early-2000s Zellers restaurant.
The bite I tried was cozy, comforting and honestly really good.
This might just be a me thing, but I didn't think the peas tasted very fresh. That being said, it does what it says on the tin and I'd be really digging this without the peas!
Score: 3/5
Zellers chicken finger
Zellers chicken finger.
Any cook, chef or restaurant patron will tell you that it's quite hard to screw up a classic chicken finger.
And I'm happy to report that Zellers didn't screw this one up.
It's a classic chicken finger that comes with a BBQ sauce and a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
It gets the job done by all accounts and was actually pretty tasty.
Score: 3/5
Zellers fries
Zellers fries.
These fries were surprisingly good and were served with a pretty flavourful gravy (similar to the one used on the hot chicken sandwich).
The fries, despite being covered in gravy, had a good crispiness to them and didn't get that soggy — a feat hard to pull off for a lot of fast-food French fries!
If you're unsure what to order, you can't really go wrong here.
Score: 4/5
Zellers Big Z Burger
Mini Big Z Burger.
The Big Z Burger is back — in my case in a mini form — and it was a real hit!
It came with a patty, nice sauce and pickles. It tasted perfect, had a great balance of all the flavours and the beef was tasty and seemed fresh.
While it's hard to measure a full-size burger against a small slider like this, if the usual version is half as good as this mini-size, Zellers fans will be in for a home run.
Score: 5/5
If this has piqued your interest, you can check out the Zellers Diner food trucks that will be rolling out across Alberta and Ontario over the next week or so.
And, if shopping is more your thing, you can find out exactly what's available to purchase in the new stores right here.
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