Best local burger joint hands down! For those days when In-N-Out just won't do! Don't get me wrong, I love In-N-Out; but sometimes I'm craving a tasty flame broiled burger over one prepared on a flat top grill. Something about that char and grill marks that makes my mouth water; luckily Zorba's always fits the bill. Zorba's has been a local mainstay in Riverside (just outside of Highgrove) for years. To the best of my knowledge ownership has changed hands several times but the quality of the food has remained the same. Combos here a bit pricey, but I definitely feel that you get what you pay for. The burgers here are flame broiled, well seasoned, and always perfectly cooked. Never under or over cooked. Very decent sized and are served on a sesame seed bun. The general condiments apply here with lettuce, tomato, onions, and thousand island/dressing rounding out your burger. I do like the fact that the lettuce here is finely shredded. While I think they have a tendency to go overboard with it at times, at least you can always pull the excess out. Overall, it makes for more consistent bites as compared to those crap places that put that sh*tty piece of the lettuce head (you all know what I'm talking about) on your burger and the the whole thing comes out 2 bites in and pulls all the rest of your condiments/toppings out and onto your lap. My favorite mainstay is the double cheeseburger. Let's be honest, I don't come here when I'm worried about watching my figure. The fabled Zorba Burger (Cheeseburger w/Pastrami) is awesome. Sometimes I feel the pastrami is little undercooked but I don't order this item that often. The fries are good here and consistently well cooked. A little bit thicker than I usually like but they are always crispy yet soft in the middle. Be sure to check out the fried mushrooms which is always a welcome site at a greasy spoon. The zucchini is good here too; not necessarily as good as The Lucky Greek's, but definitely better than Gus Jr's giant burn-your-mouth soggy slabs. Not to be out done option wise, you can substitute either of these sides for fries. And finally and definitely not least: THE F-ING AWESOME SODA MACHINE!!! I'm sure you've seen these around elsewhere like at certain El Pollo Loco's or Del Taco's but this place has 2 of them!!! A soda machine that spits out Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Barq's Root Beer, etc, etc... along with different flavor shots like vanilla, raspberry, and orange. Needless to say the options are endless. This machine alone is enough to warrant you dining in (since refills are free) and avoiding the drive-thru. My wife and I are regulars here and it's easy to see why. When the food is this good, why wouldn't you come back? read more

This place is a must after retreats! I usually get the Zorba burger with zucchini fries. It's a killer. The burger comes with pastrami which adds another dimension to it. The zucchini fries are cut julienne so it's a little crispier and taste more like fries. They usually hook it up here cause we bring like 30-40 people in. It's greasy goodness!! read more

This was the worst experience I have ever had. I placed a carry out order for my co workers and myself and the person taking the order was clueless, then I arrive and the owner helps me and has no idea what my order was and starts raising his voice at me and being so rude, like it was my fault the order was not taken correctly. Never Again they lost my business and letting all my co workers never to go there again. Owner needs customer service training so he won't feel so high and mighty and yell at paying customers. read more

Zorba's Restaurant - Soggy hard bread pastrami - Fast Food Near Me - Riverside, California

While visiting a friend at UCR, naturally the first thing I asked was, "okay, so what's your favorite place to eat around here?" Which is how, after driving through the endless construction project that comprises the Riverside area, we ended up at Zorba's. I love the relaxed and eclectic ambiance here. Upon entering, you will see cozy booths, fresh flowers in vases, stained glass art with their logo, and retro posters. Very charming. If I went to school here, I'd probably kick it here with friends often. I love the food even more! A quick glance at the menu, and I knew I had to try the Zorba Burger - cheeseburger with pastrami. We shared this and the chili tamale. Both were phenomenal! The pastrami was nice and meaty, but not too fatty, and turned an ordinary burger into a giant hunk of decadence. If you order the chili tamale for the first time, don't be alarmed -- the tamale is hanging out at the bottom of the cup to absorb the delicious chili flavor. The chili itself isn't the chunky kind, but more saucy and comforting. The meal came with a soda and fries. The fries were thick cut, crispy, and mealy. The soda machine not only gives you over a hundred options, but is really fun to play with. Their condiment bar goes beyond your standard ketchup/mustard packets and includes hot peppers and freshly made pickles. Again, I shared the #6 and the chili tamale and I was ridiculously full after, so it's a super good deal. PS: Random notes: They also have a drive thru. If you use credit card, they'll charge you $0.54. read more

Check out the cool soda machine that can create 50+ concoctions of different sodas of different flavors. Best of all, it's a Coca Cola machine, so too bad for those Pepsi lovers. The burgers were pretty good, though I could barely finish half a pastrami burger, which was delicious. The fries were perfectly crispy. The combos were good deals, I suggest considering those. The atmosphere is very friendly, almost like a fast food restaurant, but with more of a personal touch. read more

They closed an hour early, because the owner is dishonest and the employees are lazy. The workers sound VERY uneducated and don't know what they're doing. I'm not sure what it is about Riverside businesses and thinking they can get away with closing significantly before their hours advertise (Heroes Restaurant and Brewery, The Salted Pig, etc.). It's rude to the customers that have to drive all the way there only to be disappointed by a sassy woman. The food isn't great. It's definitely not worth it. If you want pastrami in your burger, bring some to In-n-Out and do it yourself. Sounds extreme, but it's a game changer. Don't judge. I'm a fan of delicious flavor. read more

They charge for cheese in breakfast burrito the pancake here are under cooked. The burgers are really good!

To the rude lady who worked on Friday night 1/8/21 around 7:50pm.... I hope you lose your job. All websites and social media say it closes at 9pm. We pull up to the restaurant at 7:50pm, as we pull you up to drive thru menu, this lady turns off all the lights. She then opens the door and ask of if we have a phone order. We say no and she says oh sorry and shuts the door as my wife was trying to ask her why they are closing early. So my wife call the restaurant and the same lady answers the phone. My wife asks her why they are closing early and she says their new hours are posted on the door but not online yet. We were still there 10 minutes before these "new" hours. You would think they would update their hours that are posted online since no one is actually going to the door to dine in during COVID-19. My wife tells them they should update their hours and the lady just hangs up on her. We drove 20 minutes to eat her only to be treated like trash. AVOID THIS RESTAURANT and THEIR RUDE EMPLOYEES. read more

This is the simplest and BEST burger concept I have ever witnessed... not that I've never had a pastrami burger before, but Zorba's does it RIGHT. Whenever I visit Riverside, this is one of my favorite places to dine at. Of course, the Zorba's Burger (cheeseburger with pastrami) is the only thing I ever order. I'm not sure why people come here for the "fancy" soda machine, but whatever draws customers. The food is reasonably priced but so so so worth it. Now I'm craving it! read more

This place is a MUST if you are a student anywhere near Riverside. Great portion, great fries, great shakes, great service. Bring your friends - this is such a great place to go get food and hang out. I recommend getting a Zorba burger, especially if you love pastrami and bacon. It is heavy, but it is so worth getting, at least once! Don't forget your peppercinis - for those who love a little spice. read more

Driving the long drive down Iowa, thinking you already passed it multiple times, is definitely worth it. I was introduced to this establishment a few weeks ago, and have been there about 5 times since. Pros: * Free Pickles. * Delicious charbroiled burgers. * Delicious pastrami. * Deliciously inexpensive combos. * Hella-flavored soda machine. * Workers are nice and seem happy. Cons: * Use styrofoam cups, bad for the environment. Whenever I have friends visiting, am hungry for a burger or just hungry and don't know what I want, I will go here for delicious food. read more

If you happen to be in the area (this restaurant is a few miles from UC Riverside and seems like it is in the middle of nowhere), this place is a great fast food place to go too. Think of McDonalds and the Hat put together for the Zorba Pastrami Cheeseburger. The best of both worlds coming together to form one entity that is truly delicious. IF you come here, you need to get this. That's about it. read more

If only I knew about Zorbas sooner! This little gem is surprisingly off the radar of most UCR students (at least when I went there.. awhile ago..), and if you go to UCR and you're reading this. GO NOW. It can be a bit hard to find because you pass maybe five train tracks and you start thinking you're lost, but you're not, you're almost there! They also seem to be very involved with the community, lots of local school sports teams and photos up on their walls and they host biker nights too. Now that I don't live in Riverside, I constantly find myself craving their infamous and sinful pastrami burger. This burger is no joke, and no matter how hungry I am and how much I overeat, I've never been able to finish this monstrous creation in one sitting. Food is heavy here, obviously, it's not for the health or weight conscious, but a perfect cheat meal type of place. While this place is known for the pastrami burger, which I highly recommend you try, it's really the other side items on the menu that kept me coming back. The deep fried mushrooms are THE BEST. They are ALWAYS freshly fried and I know this for a fact because I have NEVER failed to burn my mouth from being too impatient and reaching for one as soon as they come out. So worth it though. Served with a side of ranch.. and dunk those babies in there. OMG. GET THEM. The sandwiches/melts are yummy too if you don't want a burger. Patty melt is greasy, cheesy with a slab of patty meat in the middle. Mmmmyess. They also have those fancy touch screen soda machines where you can choose from over a hundred options and combinations of different drinks. I'm simply not creative enough to take advantage of this beast of a machine, but it's definitely fun to have the option when you feel like something more than just the regular coke, sprite, root beer and lemonade. read more

Looks better on the outside. Looks better by overall rating. A bit over rated I think. And I do know what to expect from a place like this. Met my Nephew across the street this past Saturday to have his brakes looked at. We were all starving and looked to Zorbas for the closest quickest breakfast we could find. And the high overall rating had me sold. The food just wasn't that fresh tasting or flavorful. Breakfast Burrito, Hot Cakes, Eggs, Egg Sandwich. None was terribly great. The cashier asked me if I wanted cheese and salsa in my Breakfast Burrito, I said yes to both. Got charged for one of them! Wouldn't cheese be included? There's salsa on the table. No need to charge me to put it inside. Weird. I guess we could have done worse. I did feel like we should have drove just a short distance to Bakers though. read more

If you find yourself in the area, definitely plan to stop at Zorba's Restaurant, which is off of the 60E and 215N. It's part retro American diner/part fast food joint. They serve breakfast late and burgers early. At 10am, I was ready for their signature Zorba burger ($7.25) with a stack of pastrami on top of a patty. Lettuce, tomato, and thousand island dressing round out the ingredients in between a sesame bun. The accompanying fries are everything you'd want and expect: hot, crisp on the outside, soft potato on the inside, hearty, and perfect for smearing in ketchup. Need I say more? read more

This place was a really nice surprise. TLDR: The Dial-it-up soda machine, crispy thick fries and big TVs really make the difference. 99% of independent burger joints make super thick french fries and they are so mushy, they even taste a little bit raw. Well not THESE FRIES! They were crispy all the way through! You can read the other reviews for the Soda Machine awesomeness. They also had flatscreens showing the game, which was a really nice surprise. If you don't read the reviews carefully, you might think this place is supposed to be a Chili's, or Applebee's. No, it's just a burger place like McD or BK. Only it's independent and WAY better. read more

Food: Had a Zorba burger and fried mushrooms. The Zorba burger is a cheeseburger with pastrami. It was good but if I would have liked Jr. version. That thing was huge.The fried mushrooms were okay. They were piping hot so be careful. Service: Prompt. You come in. They ask for your order. Ambience: 50s diner meets neighborhood non-chain burger joint. Its decorated like a diner but over the years they've added awards, movie posters, and plaques from sports teams they've sponsored. Verdict: The portions are huge and the price is fair. Definitely something to try. read more

Best burger place in Riverside! Owned by a Korean couple, they know how to do their burgers right! I love the California burger and I love their zucchini fries! The burgers here are always tasty with the perfect amount of savory in each bite! Their burgers are big and very generously portioned. It's worth a trip to the Inland Empire just for this burger! I love this family-owned business and the Zorba burger has great pastrami!! I used to come here like once a week when I went to UCR! They also have a soda machine! It's great! I believe every Sunday or something they have a bike club meeting there. read more

Love this place! Service is great food is prepared fast and I'm always back for more! Fried mushrooms are the best! FYI

I heard about this place because it was being hyped left and right by people at school (UCR), but I think it's over rated. The burgers are good - definitely better than McDonalds, but honestly it's one of those "high quality" burgers, but nothing extremely special about it. Fries are thick and yummy. Everyone talks about the soda machine, but I've already seen it at my Pick Up Stix back in Irvine years ago .... so it's not that special to me. Sorry. Customer service ... eh. I think their main interest is getting people in and out or something, because they're never happy. Super inconsistent with pricing when I customize my order. I always ask them for the pastrami burger with NO beef patty because my stomach doesn't do well with ground beef .... and half the time they take off a buck something because I'm not getting the patty ... other times they just charge me full .... read more

I waited in a long line just to be treated rudely by some young kids at the window who seemed clueless as to what they were doing! It's not that hard to take the money and give the order. The rude female was wearing a large sloppy oversized sweatshirt it was just gross to think she's working around food. Then comes the food, I ordered a cheeseburger meal and a junior burger a fries the hamburgers were tasteless. It was a bad experience all around and for their prices I won't be going there anymore. read more

We usually eat lunch here a couple of times a month and the food is always good and fresh! We both think it is nice to have your meal cooked to order and the toppings on your burger can be specified too. If you order the fries or onion rings (our favorite) you can ask to have them made crispy and they take care of you. A newer addition is a 2nd Coke dispenser that will give you too many combinations to think about! We have eaten here since it was located across the street which is many, many years ago. read more

Food is good here, don't listen to the picky eaters here expecting Michelin quality food and experience or those going to a burger joint and then complain about a bad salad lol it's always been a good grab an go food spot. Take it for what it is. read more

Away from downtown and any other commercialized businesses, Zorba's brings burgers to a comforting level. You can most definitely enjoy a classic cheese burger, fries, and a fancy coke machine in an environment that is friendly and totally fits the description of a diner. With a hearty but greasy looking menu, you are sure to get a quality meal. Their burgers are stacked with the typical tomato, lettuce blend, and nicely grilled onions, along with a good house sauce that just completes a great burger. If your in the riverside area looking to escape the cheap bland and flavorless commercialized fast food places, definitely head to Zorba's instead. read more

Ordered a chicken quesadilla to go, it was ok, very plain. I asked for sour cream, pick de gallo, the normal things that usually come with a Quesadilla and they stated they did not have any. That was hard to believe. To-go packaging was a joke. I had to pry the slices apart when I got back to my office which is only a 2 minute drive. read more

Zorba's Restaurant - To-go chicken Quesadilla - Fast Food Near Me - Riverside, California

Our company orders breakfast every Friday (we switched from Gus Jr to Zorbas a few months ago) Its night and day! The woman that takes the order is ALWAYS so pleasant and she has not once messed up our order (which is why we had to switch from Gus...they never ever got the order right). We order quite a lot of food, and it's always ready within 10 minutes. One time the boss even left his card there and the following week when we called to place our order, the woman said...I have been waiting for you to call we have your card! The only reason Zorbas is getting a 4 and not a 5 is because the portions are a bit small. read more

Filth. Awful customer service, mainly because they refuse to operate a business. Management needs to get their crap together. Operate during posted hours or change them. Creating inconveniences for people trying to give you money is not good for business. read more

I went to UC Riverside for 4 years and I only ate here once while I was in school. I went back to pick up my diploma a few days ago and decided to eat here with a few others after watching some Man Vs. Food. That show is no joke, watching it made us crave some fatty burgers and fries. Zorba's is actually pretty clean for a fast food-ish joint. The coolest thing they have there is the soda machine! I've never seen one like this anywhere else, but you can pretty much make your own drink out of like, 30 soda combinations (not that I would haha). Also, the owner asked if we were college students and gave us all free drinks! What a nice guy. :) The burgers are pretty cheap considering the size of them. I ordered a Zorba Burger and Zucchini Fries, and I couldn't even finish the burger. It had one patty, cheese, and PASTRAMI. Now that is just monstrous. Overall, this is a pretty good place if you live nearby and you want to splurge on something fatty and delicious. I was really sleepy on the drive home though.. read more

Zorbas is that place where you want to cheat your diet with superb "sit down fast food" If you go, I recommend the following: :D - The Zorba Burger: Single patty but stuffed with succulent pastrami....oh, and if you don't want to blow up, try sharing this burger - The french fries (and drink): which of course comes with your Zorba burger. The french fries are warm, crispy, and fried to deep perfection. The drink? Well, let's just say I almost fell down seeing the 100+ flavored soda machine. GET THE PEACH SPRITE!!!!!! (The only downside to this machine is that sometimes the line to just get a cup of soda gets pretty long) UPDATE* THEY HAVE TWO SODA MACHINES NOW! How heavenly... - Fried Zucchini: ITS GOOD! Especially when you dip them into cool ranch. WARNING!! : Sometimes the Zucchini can be bitter...just sayin. - Fried Mushroom: OMG. if you like mushrooms, then you would LOVE them battered up and then deep fried. They literally explode in your mouth when you bite into them. YUMMMMM - Chili Cheese Fries: Yes, they taste just like any other chili cheese fries but it just seems like there's no other place to get LEGIT chili cheese fries around Riverside. Eat them with the peppers that they have next to the pickles (but only eat them if you can handle the heat) The owner of Zorbas is this REALLY nice korean guy who has pictures of his daughter (i think that's thats his daughter) around the cash register. If you're a regular, he sometimes hooks you up with discounts, free drinks, and maybe even gives you your meal for free. (free food is rare...but happens once in a blue moon) read more

This place is highly overrated, but still decently good. I had the zorba burger meal, a chocolate shake, and fried mushrooms. Burger wasn't bad.. but what was so memorable about it? The pastrami tasted like pastrami and the burger was just a normal burger. I did like the sliced up lettuce, though. Fried mushrooms were not good. No flavor at all. Shake was really sub-par. Carl's JR. has better shakes! Fries were decent. Meal was really cheap for all of it and they made it quickly which was nice. Overall, not bad.. but nothing memorable. read more

This place is really good. The burgers are big. I struggled to finish mine which is really rare

Definitely one of the places I miss most from my time at UCR. Anytime I'm in the area now I make sure to stop by for either the zorba burger or the chicken avocado sandwich. Such a cool spot that I'll always find my way back to. read more

Zorba's Restaurant - Fast Food Near Me - Riverside, California

A classic burger joint, but they have much more than that. I came there on a tuesday night and the parking lot was filled with motorcycles. this place has that old nostalgic atmosphere. Food: the first time I visited Zorba's I tried the zorba burger, all I can say is yum. everything seems to be made fresh and quality is pretty up there. gyros are awesome there too. Service: The place is really good, especially the service, for a burger joint i wouldn't have expected that much customer interaction with the owner. i have never had a bad experience there. Go and try their food read more

I love this place!! It's one of the closest restaurants to my work & I'm so glad. Lol my friends and i go at least once a wk. The staff are really cool & friendly. Vince is one of the coolest guys you'll meet...i hear he gives discounts to regulars (not that i get them lol). The food is always good. This place gets PACKED during lunch time (12-2)...we love when people dont pick up their orders cuz someone goes a little crazy on the speaker lol...not to mention when people linger a little too long & the whole place is packed. but its not even rude...its pure comedy :) the food & ambiance are always great. ...i almost forgot!...one of THE best things is their soda machine. Omg over 100 possibilities in drink options. My favorite is the Grape Fanta...dont ask why, i just do hehe :) Anyways, Zorbas is definitely a place you come to once, & keep going back! :) great place read more

Okay, so this is pretty much the best burger place I've ever been to. The first time here I had the Zorba Burger, which is a hamburger with pastrami. It was pretty huge and very satisfying. On subsequent visits I've gotten the steak burger, fish burger, hot dog, pastrami sandwich, gyro, and chili cheese fries. The steak was kinda tough and the pastrami had too much meat for my tastes, but everything else has been excellent, and cheap to boot!. It's really surprising to find a burger place with gyros and theirs are actually really really delicious. The food can be a little greasy, but I mean, it's a burger joint, what do you expect? Not to mention their 106 flavor soda machine, try the raspberry coke! Delicious! Their service is really prompt and friendly, and food always comes out really fast. The owner is a nice Korean guy who gives us free food / drinks a lot, I think it's cause he knows college students are just poor as hell. He's actually comped us once too, just waving us off when we went to pay. It's kinda in the middle of nowhere though, all the way down on Iowa, about 2 miles from the university, so I hadn't even seen this place until my room mate mentioned it. It gets pretty crowded at lunch with a lot of construction workers and frat boys but after about 2pm it gets much more quaint. Overall, excellent place and definitely one of my regular haunts. read more

I was really hungry and decided to come here since my friend recommended me to try Zorba's burgers. The customer service was alright and the food came out relatively fast. I got the Zorba Burger and fries which was pretty filling. The burger patty and pastrami complement each other well and I recommend trying this burger for first timers. The fried mushrooms are different from the usual fries and onion rings. I recommend coming here if you're having a cheat day or craving a burger!!! read more

Zorba's Restaurant - Fast Food Near Me - Riverside, California

I was craving a veggie burger and decided to try this place based on yelp reviews. So glad I did! I've passed this place several times but thought it was just burgers but am happy they offer veggie option:) I also tried the fried zucchini - me and my mom shared- it's a big quantity! The place is very clean and the decor is nice! Great customer service from all the employees. I will def be returning! read more

Love this place, we go weekly. Food is great, but in these Covid times they seem to have changed their hours without notice. I checked two places for their hours before heading over, including Yelp, but arrived Monday at 7:15 to find them closed, no hours posted, no reason posted. They are supposed to be open until 9 on Monday. This has happened twice. I understand these are hard times, but please communicate with your customers by posting signs and hours at the restaurant, and post your new hours to sites like Yelp. read more

This place is a RipOff. Hadn't been here for a couple of years but Maannnnn did the prices go up. I phone ordered in a cheese burger add avocado and bacon and a xl soda.. $11.26..It was a scrawny thin patty loaded to the brim with lettuce.This place has gotten to big for its britches.. They won't get my $$ anymore... read more

OMG, Zorba's is my favorite burger place out here in Riverside. Are used to come here when I was working in a traveling job, now I work just down the street. The Zorba's burger is awesome. read more