El Zarape Restaurant

Let's get one thing clear: this doesn't taste like "authentic" Mexican food. Head to ¡Salud! by Barrio Logan for that.

However, whatever Mexican-American fusion cuisine this is...it is excellently done. My favorites include the California Burrito, Chicken Mole plate, and Veggie Supreme Burrito.

They never let me down.

The owner of this place was on the news complaining about how people would rather be unemployed than accept the slave wages he offers for the slave jobs of cooks, dishwashers, etc.. He "threatened" he may even have to charge more for the crap meals he sells just so he can pay people.

Perhaps you should rethink your business strategy if not paying people slave wages would interfere with your ability to operate.

No one needs this place. I am a San Diegan, and I cook my own damn food. The owner is delusional if he thinks the community needs his crap restaurant. It should be bulldozed so more housing can be built in its place instead.

First the chilaquiles brunch was $20. Then $25. Now $35. Stop raising the price and taking my money! Cuz Im just gonna keep coming back anyway lol.

Ive always been a fan of this place, even pre-parking lot umbrella makeover. But now with their brunches Im even a bigger fan. I will say try to avoid sitting under the umbrellas when the sun is shining down hard. While the umbrellas do provide shade, you might still get the sun shining through annoyingly on only one spot.

Also, since it is outdoors, there can be some flies out. And nothing kills the mood quicker than swatting away a buzzing army of flies trying to conquer your breakfast.

However!!!!!! Nowhere else can you choose between 5 (I think) different types of chilaquiles OR pozole OR menudo OR birria!!!!!!!

Come hungry!!!!!!

Tried the carne asada burrito wrapped in a quesadilla, lobster burrito, shrimp burrito. The lobster & shrimp we're ok. The asada burrito was delicious. Wrapping it in a quesadilla was genius! The only take cash, thank goodness we had enough on us as we don't usually carry cash. 2 small tables for outdoor seating which was a nice option.

El Zarape certainly has a very extensive menu, so there's definitely something for everyone! There are a few vegetarian options on the menu, and one of them is the Veggie Supreme.

According to their menu, the veggie supreme includes rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, potatoes, salsa fresca, and guacamole. While the burrito tasted pretty good, it was either missing ingredients or there was a very minimal amount of the ingredient. For example, the salsa fresca was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, I requested tomatoes to be added but didn't see any. As for the guacamole, there was only a little bit that appeared when I reached the middle of the burrito, and the lettuce was relatively sparse as well. If this is to be a veggie supreme burrito, there needs to be a bit more than what tasted like mostly rice and beans. The rice and beans were good. Overall, the burrito was still good, just a tad lacking in the ingredients.

I ordered the hibiscus drink to go with the burrito. The drink was tarty and didn't taste too sweet at all. It paired well with the burrito and, in fact, it didn't really taste sweet.

Parking sucks over here in this neighborhood. The customer service is meh. Would be nice to be greeted when I walk in or go to the counter. The fish tacos are up to $2.50 now and the amount of fish that is inside the taco is disappointing. The burritos are still big and tasty and the green salsa is a must when eating anything on the menu. I may come back, but I'm in no hurry.

The menu is expansive and I have yet to make a bad choice here. My favorites include the breakfast supreme, which is a ham and potato upgrade over the regular burrito, the bbq chicken,  and the Cali. Don't sleep on the TJ dog, a hot dog with sour cream, cilantro and mild salsa.

I'm torn, and I still haven't decided what rating in going to give this place (4 or 5 stars). I guess you'll know (as you are reading this from THE FUTURE when I've already decided).

So a couple of things that are weighing on me that I want to get out of the way upfront:

First, I'm not a local. And I HATE it when someone from out of town comes in a review bombs a place and doesn't give the restaurant a chance to redeem themselves.

Second, came here under COVID restrictions. So I didn't get the full "experience".

Lastly, they were out of a few ingredients for things I wanted to try, so I ended up with my fourth choice. Which I guess is a good thing? Because it shows that they're popular?

So, to the review: I found this place on Yelp looking for a good burrito. My wife and I drove up and man is the menu LONG. Unfortunately (as I said) they were missing several of the things I was interested in trying (no crab, no lobster, etc...). So I asked the cashier for a recommendation. He kind of just shrugged his shoulders. Thankfully a guy in line behind me shouted, "CALAMARI BURRITO! It's really good." So that's what I ordered. My wife got the Taco salad.

SIDE NOT: It always bugs me when employees at restaurants don't have a recommendation. I mean, you work here! Try the food! What's your favorite thing? Just lie and say something! Anyway...

The calamari burrito was good! It just wasn't "great". I have had several better burritos in my day. My wife did not particularly enjoy the taco salad.

The food was also a little pricey for what I would expect. Definitely reasonable, but not a TREMENDOUS value.

There's also no parking. I know this isn't this place's fault and is more a function of the neighborhood, but it's annoying to have to circle the block a couple of times to find a place to park.

I still don't know what to give this place. I feel I want to be generous and give it 5 stars but I'm leaning to 4.

The food was good, not amazing. There definitely wasn't anything WRONG with it, but it didn't "wow" me.

I'll ask my wife.

She says, "4 stars!" Didn't even hesitate.

We checked their hours, which stated that they were open until 11 pm on a Friday evening. We got to the restaurant at 9:45 pm, and other patrons were eating inside. We attempted to place an order, but we were told that the kitchen was closed. We went out of our way to come to this location based on listed hours, so this was pretty inconvenient. Update your hours

I am obsessed with El Zarape!

Anytime I'm in or near San Diego, and I have an opportunity to go to El Zarape, I absolutely make it happen. I have been a customer for over 15 years, and love their entire menu.

My go to is the lobster burrito. Yes, the lobster burrito! It is filled with huge lobster pieces, and each bite better than the last.

Tacos, burritos, almost anything you want, it's all delicious. If you love seafood, seriously try the lobster burrito. It's unlike anything you've ever had before. Have I mentioned that I absolutely love the lobster burrito?!

They have dine in seating available, as well as, a chip and salsa bar. I have dined in, in the past, but this last visit, my order was to go.

The neighborhood is quaint, and if you've never been to this specific location, I would encourage you to go earlier in the day, so that you can walk and enjoy the little shops, the little bars, and just that neighborhood feel.

There is only street parking so if you can find a meter, grab it when you see it! It's worth the effort. Craving tacos? This is the place for you! Craving a really good burrito? This is the place for you! Their hours currently have changed due to the pandemic, and I'm hoping that they'll go back to their late night hours.

If you're looking for an upscale hole in the wall place with delicious food, check out El Zarape!