Convenient, gets the job done and serves beer too! The kids and I wanted a quick snack halfway through our trip at the zoo so we stopped at Mahale Café. Food was hot and fresh and the chicken tenders were especially crispy - it complimented the beer I had perfectly. How to order: -get in line -wait until you're called to approach the counter -order -they will prep your food -walk to the register to pay -enjoy your meal Seating can be a challenge as it's very limited. We had people over our shoulders waiting until we were done eating so they could take our seats. I got up to refill my drink and a person at another table asked if they could take my chair even though I was coming back and my family was still sitting and eating. Good experience overall and the cashier was super friendly. She also reminded us to show our membership for the discount. read more

Mahale Cafe - Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Mind Haze Hazy Tropical IPA (6.7% ABV) - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I wanted to try Pink's Hot Dogs but you have to order on a kiosk. It was too bright because of the sunlight shining on it outside. Even though there was an umbrella, it couldn't cover the screen. I ended up eating at Mahala Cafe. I like that there are employees working there to order from. I ordered the cheese burger basket and it took 8 minutes for it to be completed. It came with fries and I ended up being full. There's outdoor dining and you can get condiments yourself. Cashier was communicative and so was the cook. I was confused about there being pizza slices made and it was for anyone that wanted food already instead of cook to order food. read more

Mahale Cafe - Cheese burger basket - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Just a warning, they don't open right away at 11am like they say. There were also a couple workers who were not friendly when opening late (one worker kind of kicked the door open, my wife said hi and he just looked at her and then proceeded to walk in, and the girl at the counter seemed annoyed that we were ordering). We usually get the chicken tenders which are pretty good (hard to mess them up), but you only get three. They tend to pad the plate with fries underneath, for better or worse. Another tip is to save your cups and bring them if you plan to be back. Drinks are only $2 when you do this. Overall, decent food with not the most friendly staff - a solid 3. read more

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Wednesday 20, 2024 Had lunch Shout out to Anna the cashier who gives us newbies Info regarding New members. She explained how the food was served there. Pizza was grab and go by the slice peperoni or cheese. Other foods we needed to make a choice of a grilled sandwich, Angus burgers, chicken tenders with fries plate, children's plate. If you purchase a sovereign cup refill cost is $1.99 no cash card only. It was very relaxing They had benches available to sit and dine with a covered shelter. read more

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Great location to eat in the zoo. There is a nice patio to sit and watch the giraffes. It was typical zoo food; burgers, pizza and hot dogs; Nothing special. The place was clean. The employees were super friendly and quick. Bring tie ATM or credit card, no cash is accepted. Don't forget your zoo membership card for 10% discount. read more

No it isn't gourmet and no it isn't cheap but yes it's a very decent dining option in an outstanding location within the zoo. read more

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The most delicious veggie burger I've ever eaten! Fries were great too. I'm very nice place to eat while you're visiting the Los Angeles County Zoo. read more

Mahale Cafe is about as busy an eatery you'll find at the Los Angeles Zoo. I've eaten here on numerous occasions and as annual zoo members, we receive a 10% discount when we show our cards at the register. Our most recent visit on yesterday, was an order of chicken strips, which come with fries. We also ordered extra fries, a soft drink with refills, and shared. Everything came piping hot from the grill, and was brought to us at our table. Way more fries then we needed, with chicken strips a bit over fried, and considerably smaller then the ones I had just months ago at one of their other cafes, Zoo Grill. Hopefully a fluke of my favorite menu choice over the years. You can also order burgers, pizza, hot dogs, etc. One note that may be a distraction for some, is the staff member that wipes down the tables. He shuffles around dragging his feet, literally; hovering at times, ready to pounce on each table as its vacated by diners. Which is kind of a good thing. He's been here for years, never says a word, and the foot dragging does get a bit annoying at times. But at least he's doing his job; in a Frankenstein sort of way. I'm not trying to demean him, just a heads up for those not use to him as I've become. read more

Mahale Cafe - We shared an order of chicken strips and extra fries. - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

fuck this place on my mom, paid 20 dollars for a 12 dollar burger and a drink. SO HOW THE FUCK IS THE DRINK SO DAMN EXPENSIVE. i paid more for these crusty ass fries, shitty burnt dry burger than I did my god damn ticket. make this shit make sense man. FUCK MAHALE CAFE read more

I have one star because the food was OK. The Cafe is located inside of LA Zoo, close to giraffe. The owner was VERY impatient when we were ordering 26 same orders for a group of school campers. We were surprised the way they treated us and kids. We were taking kids to LA Zoo for fun and for education purpose. If you are not patient to kids, I advise you to change another location. Good luck, I absolutely will not come back again. read more

Mahale Cafe - a man ordering food at the counter - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I'm a zoo member and for the most part I always bring my own food. But today we caught the "hangry bug" and decided to pop in and grab some fries. They just came out of the fryer and were hot and they totally hit the spot. Surprisingly prices for food at the Zoo are not totally crazy which I appreciate! Yes I could get fries for half the price anywhere outside but I was okay with the little extra for hot food now! Some of the sandwiches looked pretty tasty. I think I may try this place again for lunch instead of grabbing a meal afterwards, just so I can try some of the offerings. read more

Actually pretty tasty and decent food not insane prices and lots of drink selection. Cheese pizza was really good although the dough could have been a little thinner but I needed the carbs for energy to walk around the zoo. Nice and clean and good seating. read more

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If I could give 0 stars I would, the customer service here is terrible and the food they serve you can make at home it taste straight from the cafeteria expensive for no reason I will forever remember not to eat at this establishment ever again read more

This location is open, not sure why Yelp shows it closed. I went with family on the weekend. The lines are long, but i and our family enjoyed the hot food. We ordered a chicken sandwich with fries and a vegetarian sandwich. We had a good experience. This place is right across from where giraffes are. read more

Probably one of the "best" places to eat at the LA Zoo. They have burgers, pizza, chicken tenders and even serve 2 different types of beers on tap. Its expensive. For a-okay burgers and some nasty fries it was 20.00. But when you're hungry I guess it doesn't matter. The burgers were alright, but the fries were gross. The condiments were left outside and they are not refrigerated or cooled. Ketchup, mustard and ranch are all served at a hot temperature because they are located outside of the cafe. They all tasted weird and hot and like there could be bacterial growth on them. I would steer clear of the condiments station. Anyways, its like a cafeteria style type of thing. You choose what you want on a tray and proceed to pay. The lady working behind the counter got annoyed with me because i "touched" one of the trays. I was simply looking at the chicken tenders and wanted to get a better look because they looked dried, oily, and crusty. I didn't touch the food with my hands what-so-ever. she quickly snapped that "if you touch it you have to buy it or they will throw it away." I politely apologized and then she gave me a nasty look and didn't even proceed to "throw away" what i touched like she claimed she was going to. Bring your own food- you are allowed to bring whatever you want into the park. don't deal with these long lines, hot weather, and bitchy employees. that's the best tip i can give u! read more

Mahale Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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so yeah you are wandering around the zoo forgot a lunch or just wanted something HAWT to chew on... well your choices are somewhat limited to say the least. Well you kinda end up here to grub unless you are near some other wonderful grub spot. What stuck out the most was it wasnt a 100% rip off here. it was just a mostly ripoff. I will let you look at the prices for yourself, but if you want a drink, expect to pay about 4 times the value of it. Maybe that is why all the water fountains were sealed off. Force you to buy some extra water at $4.25/liter!!! yeah you heard that right! PRO TIP: Do not get the cute kitsche animal sippee bottle/cup! Its $3.50 for an 8-10 oz drink that your child wont even end up drinking... Case in point she said it made her thirsty after drinking it and the rest is in my fridge right now! well the munchkin was asking for real food and just had to have something hot. Dont ask me why... that is just how munchkins are... at times they wont accept any other answer without throwing a tantrum, and a parent like me will occasionally give in, since well you love your kid. Let alone you want them to have a special memory with you in a special place that will always be with them. So yeah I gave in and we went in thinking a hot dog and ended up with a burger combo. Yeah yeah I know, but that way we both were able to share it and it was about the same price as a dog and fries... $7.50 vs $7.95. I was a lil surprised that it wasnt $20-$25 for a burger and fries or dog and fries to be honest... Well the burger was a preformed patty without any seasoning. Seriously, are you not allowed a lil bit of salt and pepper while you are cooking these things up, or scary thought, use some "seasoning" salt while its cooken!!! The fries were average fries. Outside on the left after paying and going out the exit, there are a bunch of condiments; ketchup, mustard, ranch, bbq, and relish. All from Heinz and they didnt taste good on the ones that I had. None the less you ate them and liked them since there wasnt an alternative option. The burger came with a number of raw onion strands, some foliage (green leaf lettuce, a slice of tomato and last perhaps least were three teeny pickle morsels. we wont confuse them with a regular slice of heaven made nom nom nomness well the munchkin and I shared it. I am lucky we were both somewhat ravenous that day or it woulda been a waste of some cold hard cash... So please be smart and bring your grub with ya. the price value is not very high here... and the taste is MIA also... read more

This place seems to get reviewed about once every other year. So, here's the 2014 review. First things first,... avoid the pizza here. It looks good, but it tastes horrible. The crust is just plain nasty. It's like eating play dough. That makes it unpalatable for most humans. Outside of the pizza, the grilled chicken sandwich was okay. Also, the salads are okay. You should expect to pay sequestered prices (feeding 4 will cost about $50). So, don't look shocked when you get your bill. I didn't try any of the other places at the L.A. Zoo because we were generally looking for pizza. I would have given them 2 stars, but the fact that they mucked up pizza drops them down. COME ON ZOO, GET WITH A PIZZA PROGRAM,... PLEASE!!! read more

5 stars is based off the fact that it is Inside the Zoo! If it were outside, it would be like 3.5 stars. I will leave it plain and simple - My family will not anywhere else at the LA Zoo. They have the food we like, they make it fairly decent and it's pretty quick. They also have ice cream right outside! Best combination. Eat here, I doubt you'll be disappointed compared to the other spots at the zoo. read more

Got the cheeseburger basket. It was decent. Burger was sort of juicy and the bread was surprisingly better than expected. Fries are mediocre and probably not worth the calories. They were hot, though. Yes, lady cooking and taking the orders is not very friendly. I'll live. Great view here of the giraffes!! read more

Mahale Cafe - Giraffe - Burgers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I just dropped my hot dog, chicken sandwich basket and cheeseburger basket as I stepped out the door. All got immediately replaced for free. It's super busy and the food is a little overpriced for the captive customers, but I'm happy about the replacement so... 5 stars! read more

A cafe without coffee? Confusing And disappointing! The fries were good though. Not much more to say but yelp is making me write more or it will classify my post as a tip. read more

I have to say I enjoyed this place, even though it is a food joint for patrons of the LA Zoo. I liked the Freschetta pizza they served (cheese and pepperoni are the only options), and the cheeseburger I had was pretty good, better than some fast food joints I have been to recently. The fries were average. read more

Long lines, slow service, but they have 2 kinds of beer, Kolschella amber and angel city Pilsner, so it's worth the wait. I just got beer and fries so I don't have any comments about the food. The Kolschella is great. read more

Terrible service, burned pizza. And when you try to exchange the burned pizza..... forget about it. Not worth the wait and definitely not worth the money. read more

I am a zoo member so go there several times a year. This is the place I tend to go to. I enjoy their pizza, which so far the times I have been there it has been fresh. I have also gotten french fries here which when fresh are also good. Like the seating area, nice view of the giraffes, although there are a lot of bees around. This last time was the first time I went on a weekend, there were three people working preparing the food, though they spent most of the time talking among themselves and not really paying attention to those of us in line waiting to order food. read more