learn About Yaks on the 5
The Magical Origins of Yaks
Once upon a time in 2002, a group of culinary wizards decided that coffee and pastries needed a serious upgrade. Enter Yaks on the scene! Picture if you may: a small café where magical things were happening—beans roasted like they were preparing for a coffee championship, syrups crafted with the precision of a potion master, and pastries so delicious they made taste buds Jump up and dance.They even made their own chocolates for their mocha’s.
But the people had a craving for more than just lattes and treats; they wanted real food that didn’t look like it was pulled from a bland corporate catalog. So, like a caffeinated superhero squad,
Yaks burst onto the scene, opening 7 cafes, 2 bakeries, a roasting company, and a catering company, in just a few short years—all fueled by the mantra, “Let’s do this, no plan necessary!”
quality food - quality food - quality food -
quality food - quality food - quality food -
learn About Yaks on the 5
The Big Shift to Burgers and Dunsmuir Dreams
Fast forward a glorious decade, and the founders hit a funky wall. Not a sad wall, mind you, but more like, “Whoa, we’re so busy cooking that we’re missing out on the fun! Time for meeting great people, conversations to be had that they were just too busy to have anymore, staff to be known.! Because of this, they packed their spatulas, waved goodbye to the chaos, and headed to Dunsmuir, CA, a town in the middle of no where, ready to unleash their creativity in a whole
new direction: burgers!
Burger Alchemy and Flavor Innovation
Now, this is where the magic gets weird—in the best way possible. The Yaks team became burger alchemists, determined to whip up the best burgers in the universe. They locked
themselves in a cozy apartment for a month, brainstorming burger ideas that would make even your ex seem forgettable. They crafted buns that could hold a mountain of toppings and sauces that were concocted by mad scientists who also loved group hugs.
After perfecting their burger game, they turned their attention to fries—because what’s a burger without its trusty sidekick? They experimented with every potato known to man, texting each
one until they found the crispy fries that could make even a diet-craving person weak in the knees. But it didn’t stop there, fries needed the perfect ketchup so back to the kitchen they went to create a lavender ketchup and a house made ranch dipping sauce.
But wait, there’s more! They dove into the world of barbecue, mastering the art of smoking ribs and wings, all while drenching them in a homemade chocolate barbecue sauce that could make
angels sing. And just when you thought they couldn’t get any more delicious, they unveiled their sticky bun—a dessert so heavenly it practically has a fan club. They sell 50,000 of these bad
boys a year, and trust us, once you’ve had one, you’ll be planning your next trip to dunsmuir!
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learn About Yaks on the 5
Yaks Today: A Culinary Legend with Heart
Fast forward again, and Yaks is now strutting its stuff as one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S.! Featured in the New York Times and GQ magazine, and crowned the best restaurant in Siskiyou County (according to ChatGPT, no less!), Yaks is a culinary legend.
So, there you have it—the Yaks story! Still saucy, still handmade, and definitely not taking shortcuts. If they can whip it up, they will—from house-made ketchup to burger buns that are
practically works of art. Yaks is all about flavor, fun, and a sprinkle of culinary magic that keeps everyone coming back for more!But even more, they have learned the balance of busy busy, yet having time for customers and staff! People! Because when it’s all said and done, it’s the people that matter most.
OUR achievements
Among top 100 in US
top restaurant in Dunsmuir CA
featured in the New york times
featured in GQ magazine
Voted top in top restaurants in Redding
Voted one of the best burger shops in US
“we were one of the best stops in Northern Ca.”
