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Categories: Mexican, Latin American
Neighborhood: Near SouthsideRoosevelt (Red, Orange & Greens)
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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I enjoyed our dinner at Zapatista. We went on a Sunday night, and it was pretty packed. The decor was festive and the menu extensive. My salad was amazing - like a Mexican chopped salad. Our Chihuaha cheese with chorizo was a good app. My beau loved his chicken mole. We had the Mexican cheesecake for dessert. Definitely not your traditional cheesecake! It had four types of (savory) cheeses and an almost chewy texture. I'll leave it up for you to decide if chewy texture is what you want out of your cheesecake.
Minuses: really crowded.
Pluses: good food.
I so much wanted to like this place, since I love Mexican and it is so close to where I live. But, alas, I can't: quality of food and service varies so much that you never know whether you are in for a good meal or a horrible experience.
Their tomato sauce fajitas are good, as is their quesadilla. Their tacos though taste like microwave oven. Waiters are at times nice and at times obnoxious and incompetent.
Frozen margaritas are good, though
Zapatista saved my hide today. Big time birthday brunch for the lady, and I had two options in mind for our cost-conscious, green-to-the-city kith and kin: Eleven City Diner and Flaco's Tacos. Ruled out Flaco's on the quick since it just didn't feel right for the occasion, and set our sights on Eleven for a low-key brunch.
After misleading the fam about the trek ("Just two more blocks. I swear." I, too, am green to the city.) the scads of people bulging out of Eleven could be seen two blocks away. "Party of eight? Oh, gee, the wait will be over an hour. Sorry." Yikes. Put all my eggs in one basket and that basket repaid me by blowing up in my damn face.
Now what? Think. Fast. Please.
Uhhh I'm not a brunch expert yet, and the only other place I know close is the Bongo Room, which (1)looks abandoned when nobody is in there and (2)clearly wasn't abandoned as evidenced by the line I could already see snaking it's way down Wabash. Mercifully, a more seasoned South Loop denizen suggested Zapatista. Two concerns immediately came to mind:
Concern the first: Shit. It's going to be too pricey. I'll be drawn and quartered for this long, costly journey.
Concern the second: If these other places are jammed then surely Zapatista will be just as packed.
Man, was I surprised when we walked in, were seated right away, and had a reasonably priced Mexican brunch. Mindblowing! It's like an invisible Great Wall of Roosevelt repelled the throng of college students and such that were filling up the queues a block or two up the street. Is Roosevelt too far south for these people? Is the brunch at the Bongo Room and Eleven THAT much better than Zapatista?
I found Zapatista to be quite good. Nice decor which invokes the spirit of Mexico in a not-too-fancy way. There was even a little Day of the Dead display in the lobby. Always appreciated to have a bite of knowledge and culture before a meal. The molcajetes at each table are great, and the servers use them to make your guacamole fresh, too. Ate 173790812 pounds of tortilla chips with their salsa and guacamole, and then proceeded to devour the Mexican eggs benedict with chorizo (huevos de la revolucion, I believe). The eggs benedict didn't set my world on fire, but they were definitely good, and the friendly, prompt service and chips--my god those chips--won my heart. My girlfriend had some other dish with two dynamite pieces of bacon. I'm sure she would've loved to try the bacon had I note pilfered them before she knew they were there.
For her birthday, the waitress brought over a chocolate cake-filled corn husk which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hard to go wrong with chocolate and ice cream, but the portion was just enough to make us all happy.
Zapatista, I owe you a solid. Thanks for bailing me out.
I love Zapatista - for their food. I've been there several times and the food is just amazing! The chips and salsa are fresh and often replenished. We've ordered the Guac before and it has satisfied even the pickiest Guac eaters. It's made fresh and can be made to the right spiciness.
Also, we have taken advantage of their drink specials since they can be on the pricier side but they certainly make them pretty strong.
Their entrees are amazing. I've had the Chopped Revolution salad (4.5 stars), the chicken tacos (3 stars) and enchiladas (4.5 stars). I am not always the biggest seafood person and rarely, if ever, order seafood out. Yet after tasting this entree before, I ordered the Enchiladas de Mariscos yesterday (tilapia, scallops, and shrimp) and it was to die for! Amazing! It was so flavorful and the food was cooked perfectly. I also was a fan of the creamy chipotle salsa. The food is pricier for Mexican, but to me you really do get what you pay for and it is worth it.
Yes, the service varies - slow and not always very attentive. This is what takes this down from 5 stars to 4. They tend to be slow even when they are not all that busy. It can take a while to get the dishes away once you're finished as well as time to get the check. I wouldn't go here during peak weekend hours or if I was in a rush. This place has the potential to be great if the service could be improved.
The dinner reviews don't seem to be very good, but the husb and I very much enjoyed our hangover brunch at Zapatista!
I had been out with the girls for a bachelorette party, and the husb had a buddy in from Denver, so needless to say, we were hurting Sunday morning. The original plan was to hit Publican for brunch, but it was closed for the James Beard dinner. My Yelp for BB directed us to Zapatista.
Good bloody marys with Coronita backs and guac at 10:30? Score! My husband enjoyed his chilaquiles (though no comparison to Kitsch'n on Roscoe) and I had a delicious chicken chile relleno.
Full tums and not-so-much-pounding heads later, we were ready for the day. We'll definitely be back if we find ourselves down that way.
I've eaten at Zapatistas four times, most likely because I live right next to it. Once take out, twice inside, and once on the patio. I'll review each.
Inside: First off, I find this place pricey for what you get. With that said, the atmosphere is nice and the service is good. The first time I ate here I had the Beef Fajitas and a Margarita. The meat was perfectly cooked and presentation was fantastic. The margarita was pretty good as well, but I wouldn't say it was amazing (I had heard things). The second time I ate here the food was not as good. I enjoyed the Beef Fajitas so much the first time that I decided to have them again. However, this time around the meat was over-cooked and the service not as good.
Patio: This was a great experience. I only came for after-work drinks but the atmosphere and services were very good. Recommended in the summer time!
Take Out: Horrible. The food was luke-warm even though I got there before it came out to me and the freshness that you get by eating in the restaurant was just not there. I have a feeling they gave me an order that was sent back earlier, just re-heated. Very disappointing for the price.
Overall, I recommend Zap's if you're going to eat-in or want to enjoy some relaxing drinks on the patio. Otherwise, there are a number of better Mexican restaurants in Chicago, most of them cheaper than Zap's.
I'd give this place 2.5 stars if that was an option.
Totally underwhelming. I went here on a Friday night with two friends for drinks and dinner. The margaritas were very small for the price they charge. I ordered chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, and the presentation seemed a little off - plus my food was not very warm when they brought it out.
Good points: the guacamole and salsa were delicious (love when they serve guac and salsa with warmed chips!), as was the chocolate tamale dessert.
I'd go back - but only for drinks (NOT the super expensive, tiny margarita either) and the guac and salsa. I wouldn't get dinner there again.
I'm with a lot of the others here. I want to like this place so much, but I can't give it 4 or 5 stars. I was in this place shortly after it opened and it was very good, but the next two times I went in were less and less appealing in terms of food and service.
The interior and of the place is awesome. However, the food just doesn't live up to the rest of it. It's not terrible food, but it's just not all that great. Don't come here expecting authentic Mexican food. This isn't the Mexican food you'll find in Cicero, Chicago Lawn, or Pilsen. This is South Loop Mexican food, but still, it was a little bland but ordering fajitas and having the chicken served an a big piping-hot stone bowl is pretty damn cool.
One thing you have to love about this place: the one who has come to be known as the "Guac Girl." She stands out from the rest because at the times I saw her, she was the only gringo working there. I'm still pretty sure her only duties are to look cute and stir the guacamole. She doesn't make the guacamole, just stirs it. I'm not trying to sound like a creep, it's just a curious note in this place that makes me wonder what I have to do to get a sweet job like Guac Girl!
We went bc we had a coupon for free "freshly made" guacuamole, and walked away with less than we expected.
The guac was overly salty yet surprisingly bland, a combination I didn't know was possible until now (and I LOVE guac, even the store bought kind). DON'T get the "fahitas for two" because it comes with NO sides, only 4 tiny tortillas (each is the size of your hand - in fact, so small it can't actually wrap around the meat).
My bf and I walked away practically starving, AND the service was terrible - slow, grumpy, and constantly eye-ing your wallet to see how well you'll tip.
Totally deceiving ... at first glance you think to yourself this place has to be pretty amazing. The patio tables are practically full, chips and salsa adorn each, hustling bus boys carrying pitchers of water, extremely friendly hostess ... this Sunday brunch is starting off just right. Too bad this is where the experience starts it's downward spiral.
The waitress was quick to take our drink orders. We ordered two bloody mary's. I am not sure what happened, but it took forever to get our drinks and even longer for her to return to take our order. Had it not been for the attentive bus boy refilling our waters, chips and salsa we would've left long before she ever returned. The bloody mary was probably the worst I've ever had. My husband had about three sips of his and said he couldn't drink anymore. It tasted that bad.
Our orders were finally taken and our food delivered not too long after. Unfortunately, it was all cold. The rice and beans looked like they had been cooked days ago. The meat inside my enchiladas was no where near warm and the flavor nonexistent. My husband's wasn't any better - we were so disappointed. Especially after waiting so long to have our orders taken, then to have the food taste so lousy, it was a total let down.
I'm torn with this one, I live around the corner and love going to Zapatista in the summer and sitting outside sipping one a La Senorita and eating my Fajitas.....but.....the food is really not that great. I love Mexican food and can eat it everyday and this is the only place by my house and that's why I keep going back. I've had the Fajitas, tacos, Enchiladas and Tamale's and I have to say the Fajitas are what I order every time. I will recommend one thing here, their Chocolate Tamale dessert, it is so good! The service is hit or miss, sometimes they are all over you and sometimes you may as well be invisible.
Ah south loop,
Why are you still some nebulous yuppie-laden condo micro-metropolis with little developing food and culture?
I've eaten at zapatista plenty of times, but really because its so convenient to where I'm at.
I like the variety of tacos they offer but NONE of them taste very good.
The guac is made fresh but not the best I've had, and they can never seem to get it as spicy as asked for.
The Mole here IS good.
Everything i've tried is just ok.
I like the outdoor patio and they do have half decent specials most days. Most of the menu is also a bit overpriced normally, another injustice about this crap part of town I live.
Cuatro you're next.
¡Ay ay ay ay ay!*
I'm glad I was out-voted when this place was selected for dinner. I've wanted to try this place for a while, but since I'm watching my dollars I had hoped we'd opt for something a little more budget friendly. However, I feel that my meal was worth every penny.
I'll dispense with the one negative first, service. Per usual I was late to dinner, but my butt barely hit the chair before our server wanted my drink order. Some time to glance at menu would have been nice, but I ordered a margarita on the fly. Almost as quickly our server wanted our food order too, again I hadn't had a chance to crack the menu. After our meals came our server all but disappeared; we never got a chance to order another round of drinks and I was craving another yummy margarita.
The food was quite tasty, the menu includes way more than the Mexican standards. I got the tilapia tacos, which the server recommended over the mahi ones. They were so tasty I inhaled them lickity split and devoured the rice and beans on my plate. The tacos don't come with salsa, but the salsa on the table complimented them nicely. You can add pico de gallo, guac, lettuce, sour cream and cheese for $3.50. Personally, I think the pico and cheese should be included afterall you are already paying $11 for 3 tacos.
Anyway, the rest of my table got the burrito with roasted tomatillo-cascabel salsa; pollo al carbon; and chipotle chicken enchiladas suiza style with cuatro chiles salsa. Everyone had nothing, but love for their food.
We chatted non-stop throughout our meal so I didn't get much of a chance to drink in the decor. I will say what I saw of it was nice and tasteful.
By the way if guacamole is your thing they make troughs of it to order. Seriously, the bowl was so huge it I could wear it as a hat!
* I'm sure there are more creative exclamations, but that's about as good as my Spanish gets. I know I'm a sorry excuse for a Mexican :(
This place has had several chances to win me back. It's on the walk home from work and the outdoor patio looks inviting. That's pretty much where my good times end with Zapatista. Much like this restaurants namesakes' Liberation Army fell apart in the South upon his demise, so does the dining experience once you sit down.
To quote an earlier poster, "this place has consistently the worst service of any restaurant I've ever been to."
The food is usually good, though there are times when it seems the regular chef has taken the night off...or maybe the refrigeration broke, or both.
Regardless, poor service erases anything that comes before or after it!
Delicious from chips and salsa to burrito.
I know not the typical place you might meet a few friends during Memorial Day Week-end but not one to follow in pattern.
We sat at the bar as apparently on Monday's, they have a taco special - all you can eat! Well - 3 stars for the food!!! No stars for the seriously poor service - ok, honey behind the bar, you need to learn to stop sleeping on the bar and talking with your girlfriend to help the customer.
We ordered hot sauce and waited for 20+ minutes, asked 3 people and finally the bartender said "we don't have" - Mmmm, why didn't you say this to us the first time?
If you want so so food, terrible service - go here but this city has too many great, excuse me, FANTASTIC mexican restaurants to waste your time here.
I so badly want to love this place. It's convenient, it has great margaritas and again, it's convenient. Prices aren't too bad either.
Instead, however, I just like it. The last few times I've been here though, I've been seriously underwhelmed by my food. Quality is totally inconsistent. Two tacos (both chicken, part of the same order) can be wildly different from each other - one slightly off and the other delicious. And while I really really appreciate that they put in chips and salsa with carry our orders (seriously - it's part of what I'm paying for at most Mexican restaurants, I really appreciate this), I don't appreciate that they seem to save all the burnt chips for the carry out orders. The quality difference between the chips at the table and the ones they send home with you is quite noticeable.
Anyway, I'm sure I'll keep coming here but I just wish it was a little better.
came into this place for happy hour, drink specials were pretty good considering that some of the Mexican beers were on special. Usually those are a bit pricierty, so knowing that dos equis was only $3 a bottle, I was already a happy camper. :-) We did not dinner but we did scarf down some appertizers. Quesadillas are quesadillas, if a restuarant messes those up, then you know you are in trouble. We also had mini tostadas made with barbacoa. I'm a Mexican who doesn't eat much spicy foods, therefore I have a low tolerance for spicy foods, but these little tostadas that was piled hight with barbacoa was quite spicy, but very good. Meat was very tender and I was suprised that those little totadas was able to carry the weight of the amount of meat they pile on. Can't wait to check this place out for dinner!
After visiting for the 2nd time, I can easily say this is a top notch Mexican place.
I visited for dinner before going to see the Joffrey. For starters, they bring you the standard nachos and salsa that most places do. We also ordered their guacamole which is made from scratch and may be one of the best guacamole I have ever had.
For dinner, I had the vegetarian burrito with some sangria. The burrito dinner is quite good, large but not overwhelming. It comes with black beans and rice which are good, but not the best I've ever had.
Their sangria was quite good and they might have the most extensive tequila menu I have ever seen. I kind of want to come back just to try their wide range of tequilas (they also offer tasting flights which sounds great to me).
Overall, not too expensive, but very good for the money. Highly recommended.
Food was OK but overpriced and small portions. Steak was chewy and tasteless and the pork was bland. Evidently more thought went into the decor than the chow.
I'll stick with the Mexico Steak House on Archer.
The food is a let down, it's bland and takes a while to make it to the table. For all the hype I expected a lot more.
I would say 4 for brunch and 3 for dinner. Since its so close to my house and I come here often, Ill round up...
Brunch is always good here and they have inexpensive options that are great. Dinner is good too but it can be pretty pricey for what you get. I usually dont complain about prices but I have gotten a few bills here that were pretty shocking.
The guacomole is great, the best I've had in years. Be warned though, last night we ordered it Medium and it was crazy spicy. She put another avocado in it and it was still super spicy but more edible.
I also recommend the steak fajitas and Mexican Coffee. The fajita portion is pretty big so my date and I split fajitas for one and it was more then enough food.
This place is a little hit or miss but the last few times have been better. I think the service and atmosphere are great, I just wish their prices were more reasonable.
At one point or another, this place had its hay day but it certainly lost its luster. They couldn't even get a mojito right. A recent reviewer reminded me about it. I no longer consider this place worth the trouble. I used to take business clients there for a quick lunch. They actually were beginning to make me look really bad.
Had brunch here. Not bad!
For $5 you can get pretty much most of the brunch options- and the portions are quite generous.
Chiliquiles (added a side a guacamole)-tasty
French toast-good
Special french toast with plantains-Skip-smeared in some fakey type of strawberry "jelly", not what I expected
So if you want a cheap brunch with a mexican flare- this is your place
I do enjoy going here for guacamole and mojitos in the summer though
11 members of my family converged on Zapatista this past Saturday afternoon, to celebrate a birthday. Groups like this can be tricky for restaurants to handle well, but staff here pulled the event off nicely. It probably made a huge difference, though, that we ran the dinner family style with EVERYTHING, including drinks, pre-ordered. Sometimes it's just so nice not to have to make any decisions.
Unfortunately, as pleasant and friendly as the service was, the food was just so-so. The guacamole was pretty bland- especially considering it was the house speciality- and everything else I have had better versions of elsewhere. Nothing really sang as special.
It's a shame that the quality of the food did not match the quality of the people serving it. Sometimes a great night out is made by the company kept, not the setting. Zapatista kept us comfortable, just not reeling to go back.
My boyfriend and I came here one night just to have a few drinks and relax with one another. It has a cool bar and the drinks were great. I had the raspberry mojito and he had 2 beers. They also give you free salsa with home made chipes which was really good. We ordered the tropical ceviche as a little snack. The fish was pretty good, but there were some really old tortillas under the fish that were so stale we couldn't even bite through it with our teeth. I give this place a 3 just because our waiter was really nice. The stale chips under the ceviche were definitely unacceptable though. I would probably come by to give it a 2nd try.
I was somewhat pleased with my experience here. The fajitas were good and came out in a huge steaming stone bowl with the steak draped over the side - good for effect but continues to cook your meat while you eat so it was a bit overdone. My friend had the carne asada which was great.
Went on a Saturday night and it was quite loud. Tables are close together and somehow I always end up sitting next to the loudest person in the place.
Service was good, not great.
A good place to try once but I don't feel a strong urge to return.
Came here on a rainy saturday night. The entrance is cool in the fact that they have a coat check/rack right by the entrance and its a nice open space. Since I had not made reservations, there was a 20 min wait which turned out to be more like 12. I liked the ambiance of the place and the merengue music had us tapping our feet.
Our server led us to our table and brought us waters promptly. My wife wanted to try the ceviche de pescado ( the description was pretty mouth-watering) but the execution left a little to be desired. It seemed a little bland and the portion size was pretty small. Should have listened to the warning bells in my head when our server was trying to guide us towards their pricier special of the night - seared tuna on toast.
We had a pitcher of their regular margarita which at $26 was pretty good. I like my margaritas strong and it was enough for us to contemplate returning just for the margaritas.
For our main course my wife and I had the fajitas for two (skirt steak and tilapia) and really liked the presentation. The steak was laid out like a fan on one half of a huge stone skillet type thing and the other half was covered by the tilapia. We ended up ordering the guacamole, lettuce and sour cream platter extra as well but the portion was small and I think chilies has a better version of these sides ( and its included in the price).
The meats were kept warm in a mix of Asadero cheese, poblano chiles and a salsa which was tasty but could have done with a little more heat. The steak was really juicy and tender and the tilapia (though tasty) paled in comparison to the steak.
There was a mix of corn and flour tortillas which were both warm and plentiful. Our friend had the grouper with the mushrooms and herbs which was ok...again a bit bland for my tastes.
As we were done with our meal we peeked over at what other people were having and saw some tacos and enchiladas. Perhaps that is what I shall try the next time I am here.
Bottomline - the food was good (not great) and so was the ambiance. I can see myself coming back to hangout at the bar rather than for dinner. The dinner for the three of us without dessert was approximately $30 pp which for a Saturday night without a reservation was pretty good.
Came here for the "Mexican Brunch" menu on a Saturday in August and was disappointed by the cold food (!) and the cold shoulder (!!) we got from the staff. I ordered the carne asada and enchilada combination plate, and I sensed that, had it been more than barely lukewarm, I might have enjoyed it. I'm not someone who needs piping hot, burn-my-tongue food, but I expect it not to taste like it's been sitting for 20 minutes under a broken heat lamp.
Yet it's not as though the staff would have ever found out because no one -- neither our waiter nor any other staff -- came back to our table after they delivered the meal.
No "How is everything?"
No "Can I get you another mojito?" (And I always thought servers had an incentive to offer alcohol because it increases the size of the bill and thus their tip.)
Not even any refills of water glasses.
About a half an hour later (including a few failed attempts to flag someone down), I resorted to getting up, walking inside, and saying to the chotch host guy, "I'd like my check please, unless you want to continue ignoring us so that we can just walk out." I was so effing cranky.
Taking advantage of Restaurant Week 2009, the three of us sat down on a Tuesday night to what turned out to be an outstanding meal.
Tuesdays at Zapatista are $5 Mojitos, any despite the low price, this was the best mojito I have ever had. Original is flavor and taste, yet enough alcohol to pack the type of punch mojitos are known for. Perfect way to start the meal.
Restaurant Week at Zapatista entitles each member any appetizer, entree, and dessert for $32. Some restaurants during the Week have set menus, but Zapatista actually lets you choose anything on their menu.
For appetizers, we had the Cecivhe de Atun en Tostaditas, the Guacamole (spicy), and the Empanadas Veracuzanas. The ceviche was delicious and the hint of coconut made it even better, along with the crunch of the tostadita. The guacamole was pretty good, but we probably should've ordered it medium instead of spicy. The empanada was light and perfectly fried to a golden brown.
Our entrees consisted of the Camaron Sinaloa (shrimp), the Salmon Organico en Chipotle, and the Chili Relleno. The shrimp dish was decent and came with a heavy dosing of chipotle salsa. The plantains on the side were an extra bonus. The salmon was perfectly cooked and really meaty, and the mashed potatoes beneath it enhanced the overall plate. The chili relleno was very tasty and lightly fried. It was relatively cheap in cost yet very filling.
Finally, for dessert, we chose the Tres Leches Cake, the Chocolate Tamale, and the Sopapillas Con Pillionsillo. The cake was the best of the three and super moist. The chocolate tamale was some serious dark chocolate with a molten center. Without the ice cream next to it, someone might go into a choco-coma. The sopapillas, which were discovered to be fried pieces, similar to elephant ears, were really lame. They were served with ice cream and some brown sugar sauce, but really it was a huge waste.
The service was great and our server was attentive and enthusiastic about everything.
Overall, this is a great place to meet after work and grab a drink and experience authentic Mexican food at a low price.
Some good things: the room is gorgeous, the patio is large, the walk to the firework display downtown is short, the margaritas come in liters (without ice, so you really know what you're getting - a pitcher can be any size, ya know?), the plantain tostada appetizer is kick ass, the guacamole is freshly made just the way you like it. Some not so good: the spinach and mushroom quesadilla dinner with three kinds of mushrooms and caramelized onions was really mostly cheese, and I was hoping to get veg on. My dinner companions also found their entrees a little lack-luster. Next time I'll stick to the appetizers and drinks and all will once again be right with the world.
The guac? Amazing. The tequila selection? Impressive (though I didn't actually try any of them). However, I can't really say much else about the place. I got the enchiladas de mariscos. One scallop? Five shrimp? Most expensive thing on the menu (save for the $50 shot of tequila)? Yes to all. Sadly.
The service was also mind-numbingly backwards. It took longer for the first round of drinks to come out than it did for 13 people's dishes to be cooked and served. I could go back and maybe try some of the dishes other Yelpers have mentioned, but hopefully I would be at a time that the servers are on their game.
Also, the upsell on the guac? Kind of bogus. As soon as we sat down the server asked if we wanted a couple things of guac to start. Forgot to mention they're $8 a pop...but luckily it was some damn good guac.
I'd have to say I was underwhelmed. The margarita was not good. I had mine on the rocks, and I was with friends who tried the frozen version and the strawberry version... we all thought they were low on alcohol and with a funny taste to them (maybe bottled lime juice or something). I would not try those again.
We started with the guacamole... it was fine but not in the same league as Adobo Grill's. I thought the chips and salsa on the table were excellent, in all fairness, but my burrito was really standard given this was an upscale restaurant. It was a small burrito (which was fine) but I was expecting a lot more.
I don't think I'd go back.
Love this spot! Even though I don't even live in the city, I've made it here 3 times. Once was for a rehearsal dinner, with a large group - the staff and restaurant was very accommodating, and the family style serving was perfect. I stationed myself near the HUGE molcajete of guacamole, which was amazing. Tried cheese enchiladas for the first time, and I was very impressed. Margs were strong and delicious - always a good thing!
I visited for lunch over the summer with my friend, and we sat on the patio - they allowed our puppies to dine with us, as long as we were outside, which was great! This time, we tried the fajitas, which were fantastic. I love how they are served in what looks like a bubbling lava. Your steak stays hot during your entire meal, which is very nice. I highly recommend the barbacoa tostaditas as an appetizer, they are bite sized and delicious!
This is one of my favorite spots to dine outside at during the summer!
Great food for great prices. If you're looking for an even better deal than normal, try their brunch on Sundays! Or (I heard) they have a limitless taco happy hour with $5 drink specials on weekdays from 4-6pm?
Zapatista is one of those places that I love to take out-of-towners because it has delicious, unique food, a great "wow-factor" ambiance, great service and I think you get more bang for your buck here than anywhere else!
This is my favorite restaurant in the South loop. It's one of the only kid friendly family restaurants in the area. I love the carne asada tacos here. They are very flavorful and come with some of the best corn tortillas. They are even served with a little dollop of guacamole on top. Also, their chips and salsa are delicious! The salsa is freshly made and you know this because it tastes a little different every time I come. The chips are always warm when they arrive to your table and I really appreciate that. There's nothing better than eating warm chips. Also, the guacamole is amazing. It comes in those big lava rock containers and I encourage you to get the spicy one. It's not overly spicy but has more flavor than the mild versions.
During the summer you can eat outside as they leave their large doors open and it's really nice to sit and enjoy some margaritas or beers. I think the service could use a little improvement however. I'm not saying it's bad service, it's just not the best you will ever have. But the food and fun atmosphere make this spot a frequent trip for my summer routine.
Zapatista... I don't really know what to say about you. I'll just throw it out there: consistently the worst service of any restaurant I've ever been to. I really cannot stress this enough. The food is nothing special but definitely good enough to bring you back multiple times, with my favorite being the chicken-stuffed chile relleno (I also like their fish tacos), but-man, the service is abysmal. And that's really too bad.
No alcohol at the Obama rally? Well, then...we needed to fix that by grabbing a drink before waiting in line. My friend suggested Opera, but I quickly denied that idea. So, we wandered into Zapatista. It was pretty crowded around 7pm with people crowded around the bar watching the election results come in. Luckily, a table for two was open, so we were seated right away.
Our server was soooooo sweet. So well mannered, enthusiastic and didn't look annoyed with the fact that I couldn't hear him. (He said, "Gracias" and I just stared at him blankly. Oops.)
I ordered the plaintain tostaditas (which are like 5 small tostadas), topped with cheese, sour cream and guac. Perfect portion for someone just looking to snack on something.
The mojitos were $5 on Tuesdays - $6 for a flavored one. I was surprised by the fact that they were carbonated! Is this how they're supposed to be? In South Beach (which has the best mojitos), I don't recall them being carbonated. Nonetheless, it was different (yet still had the minty taste) and reminded me of an Italian soda.
This looks like it'd be a great place to hang out for a girl's night out or even bring the fam. And, it was definitely a good choice of where to start out before the President Elect rally! ;)
Great margaritas, the fajitas for two are to DIE for but the service is shaky at times. I've also had the fish tacos (delicious), steak salad (yummy) and chicken lime soup (one of my favorites).
The only reason I am giving this restaurant three stars is for the service which has been good at times we've gone and has been TERRIBLE. One time we even received the wrong tables check!
We keep going back because the food is really delicious (probably have been there 10 times now).
This was my first time at this establishment, and had come per a recommendation by a friend. The service was good, however the patio is a bit tight as it seems they tried to squeeze as many people as possible out onto their small portion of the sidewalk.
Overall the food was good - we ordered guac and had the steak tacos. Definitely a good choice.
New Vegetarian Plate $8.99
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
Free Taco with Combo Order!
Neighborhood: Roscoe Village
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: Steakhouses
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