Zum's Eatery & Mercantile
• 116B Waterton Ave. | Waterton, AB
Average User Rating:
6.98/10
6.98/10
Recommended by:
62%
62%
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"Fantastic food at a great price"
Henry
August 2011 — "On a recent camping trip to Waterton National Park I had the chance to try out Zum's on the small town's main street. There was a fire ban during our visit so we could not cook our own food during the trip but rather forced to eat at one of the local restaurants. Due to its small size and remoteness most of the restaurants and services in town charge rather outrageous prices compared to prices in the city. We visited a Subway which is the only chain "restaurant" in town and it was well over $10 for a meal. So I was skeptical of the prices when we visited Zum's. To my surprise the prices were rather fair and the food wasn't bad either. The portions on everyone's plates were quite large. Our group ordered a personal pizza, chicken quesidilla, as well as the buffalo burgers. There was more than enough to eat and each entree was around $10-20. Very fair prices for a resort town. Service was fast and friendly as well and don't forget about the bottomless pop refills."
User Rating
7.33/10
7.33/10
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"disappointing"
T
September 2009 — "We visit Waterton nearly every year and have dined at Zums on two previous ocaisions when the food and service was above-average. On this most recent visit, we were very disappointed.
To begin with, this is place with a funky and fun atmosphere and shouldn't be confunsed with a fine dining establishment---we get that. However the fun and funky aren't (and shouldn't be) substitution for well-prepared food at fair prices and in reasonable portions. Our salads were much smaller than we have had in the past and the greens weren't very fresh. Our entree was barely lukewarm and again portions seemed noticeably smaller than on previous visits. Service was prompt, however, I'd have sooner waited for my food a few more minutes if it meant that it was hot.
In Waterton, you have only a few choices for restaraunts and Zums is the only middle of the pack kind of place where you can get a resonably priced "diner" kind of meal. ALL the restauant prices are higher, given the location---we take that into consideration. The other restaraunts are either upper-end, upper-prices places, or subway and ice cream palors. It seems that Zums has succumbed to the circumstances (recession)and knowing that they occupy a singular spot in the waterton restaraunt market has raised prices, lost sight of quality control and shrunk portions. All this because the consumer had little other choice (either the white tablecloth place up the street or 60-100 km drive someplace else)
I hope that this was an isolated incedent and we can find next season that Zums has corrected itself. We will give them a second chance, but only a second chance."
User Rating
4/10
4/10
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"Zum's is a pretty good bet for your buck"
mary
August 2009 — "Zum's is situated in picturesque Waterton National Park, not too far from Pincher Creek, Alberta and on the Montana border. Zums offers both indoor and outdoor eating options, with a lovely view of the lake from their patio. I was there during the long weekend, and the town was overflowing with people laden with cameras, icecream cones and sticky children and dogs. We chose to sit on the patio to people and lake watch, but found most of the people who smoked also liked to sit on the bench on the sidewalk just next to the patio - no fault of Zum's (or the people really) but a shame nonetheless. I ordered a veggie burger with cheese for about $12; it is always hit and miss with veggie burgs as they can be sawdusty or chewy, so I tend to add cheese just in case. The meal came with a gargantuous pickle, a tiny little cup of coleslaw and lukewarm fries. Now, the burger was good - it had a nice flavour, and the trimmings were plentiful. The coleslaw was very sweet and wasn't particularly good, at least in my opinion. The fries would have been much better a bit warmer, but strangely enough, they were still good, maybe because it was so warm out? The overall meal was not bad, the view can't be beat, other than the smokers gathering in little groups not 10 feet away, and the service was very good."
User Rating
7.60/10
7.60/10
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"Awesome Potato Skins"Chloe
June 2009 — "As we wandered around the town of Waterton looking for something for lunch we came across Zums Eatery and Mercantile. The weather was decent so the restaurant’s patio seemed very appealing. The waiter who greeted us was friendly and let us decide what patio table we wanted to sit at. My boyfriend and I ordered the potato skins ($9.99) and the fried chicken dinner ($12.99) to split. About 10 minutes after we ordered the potato skins were delivered. They were really tasty. The potato skins were large and were loaded with cheese, green onion and bacon and were great to dip in sour cream. After we finished our potato skins our fried chicken dinner was ready. The dinner included three pieces of chicken and fries. The chicken was hot, crispy and tasted fresh. I would for sure go back to Zums the next time I am in Waterton. The food was delicious."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
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"Casually Kitsch"
Dana
August 2008 — "This is an interesting place... the walls are covered in car license plates from around the world, and they've gone with the kitschy style of decor, so there are definitely interesting things to look at while you eat. It's a busy and popular restaurant--casual and family-friendly. The service is great--fast and friendly. The food is nothing special, but it tastes good and the burger plates are full. All in all, it's OK. Avoid going to the bathroom though (located through the attached gift shop)--it's a bit of a mess."
User Rating
6.17/10
6.17/10
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"Popular dining experience"
Sally
July 2008 — "We noticed this restaurant as we were looking for a place to have dinner. It was so busy that several people were lining up outside and waiting for a table. We were hungry and did not want wait so we returned here for breakfast the next day. The menu had several kinds of omelets, French toast, waffles, pancakes, cereal, yogurt and fruit, bagels and cream cheese, oatmeal and toast and breakfast banana splits. I chose the hot cakes with eggs and bacon and washed them down with a filling latte, which pretty much set me up for the entire day of hiking that I had ahead. Most of the tables were inside but we enjoyed the views from the decks outside at one of the eight or so tables. The wait staff helped us with our choices and were also happy to give us advice on our hiking choices for the day! Zums also has a souvenir shop, which has all sorts of touristy gifts like tee shirts and Canadian apparel as well as rustic keepsakes."
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
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"The Name Will Get You"Kaye
June 2008 — "What a unique name for a restaurant. Just makes you want to go inside. Decorated with license plates, the patron has lots of looking around to see where this and that one is from. Many pictures and posters to enjoy too. The restaurant has both inside and outside seating. On a beautiful night you'd have to get there early if you want to be on the deck.
We ate there three times. The food was tasty and very homestyle. The waiter was jocular but not intrusive which was nice. I would avoid the chile though.
The soup and sandwiches were fine. Breakfast was standard fare, eggs done to specifications, toast and coffee were hot. The cost was reasonable when you consider you are in a national park.
A neat little shop is attached with items a cut above the tourist type geegaws. Worth a look. Bathrooms were clean and easily accessible.
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User Rating
6.33/10
6.33/10
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"Great atmosphere!"Karl
July 7 — "My family spent a couple of days in Waterton National Park. One morning we decided to try out the Eatery that seemed to be popular, Zums. Upon entering we were quickly seated to our table. The atmosphere was fun, and our kids enjoyed looking at all of the different license plates from around the world hung on the walls. We ended up playing i-spy to keep them occupied while we waited for our food. Our kids each ordered the mini-pancakes. My wife and I both ordered the eggs benedict. Our coffee was brought to use promptly, which was very gratifying to see. The food was fresh with a "homemade" type of style. The hashbrowns were chunky, just the way I liked them. The service was excellent, and the prices were also decent (seeing how all food seemed to be more expensive in Waterton). For my family of 5, our total bill came out to $67.00 plus tip. however, non of us left the restaurant hungry. I would recommend Zums as a quaint, kid-friendly and good food establishment."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
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DescriptionZum's Eatery & Mercantile, located in the village of Waterton in Waterton Lakes National Park, is a popular spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The casual, family-friendly restaurant offers a menu of favourites like waffles, pancakes and omelettes for breakfast while lunch and dinnertime visitors can choose from burgers, BLTs, fish and chips, quesadillas, bratwurst and more. Inside or patio dining available.
Location Information116B Waterton Ave.
Waterton
AB
