Zapatista

The service was terrible today. Our server was not attentive. We even ran out of tortillas in the middle of eating and she was no where to be found. At the end she was terribly slow when we requested to ice cream that came with the kids meal. I thought I would come back after it being my second time but this visit wasn’t pleasant at all.

One word: SCAM…
Came here on a Sunday for dinner. My bfren ordered the steak fajita for $ 17.99 and I ordered the steak taco dinner for $ 9.99. They have a «couples special» for the fajitas for 2 people but it’s $ 29.99, and honestly NOT much of a deal considering the cheapest fajita is $ 15.99.
We also ordered 2 Bloody Mary’s. UGHH! They were so peppery and had no veggies. I couldn’t finish mine, I wouldn’t recommend it here unless you just like tomato juice with what tasted like a powder mix.
So here is why I give 1 star…
I ordered steak tacos. so I should be receiving steak right? So I ate the first taco and it seemed dry and flavorless. I asked for more salsa or hot sauce, and the waiter stated they had no bottled hot sauce.
So i asked for just more salsa. Once I get the extra salsa, I looked at my second taco and realized. wait a minute… this is not steak! It was pulled pork MIXED with steak! I had my boyfriend taste it because I thought there was no way they were trying to scam me and serve me pork underneath the cilantro and onions. But yup. They served me pork tacos that were COVERED with few cubes of steak, onions, red sauce and cilantro! Did they think we wouldn’t notice?!? There’s not even an item on the menu for a «steak and pork» taco…
The waiter came by and I asked him if I was served pork in my steak taco… he didn’t seem surprised by kinda paused. then said, «Ummm… Sorry about that. Did you enjoy it at least?». I told him NO, and he offered to take it off our bill.
I actually HATE shredded meat for some reason (too dry?), I hate shredded chicken, beef, pork. Ugh. So it’s funny that the pork was shredded because i noticed right away once I actually opened the taco.
Oh yea… we also got the Dos Ceviche. it’s a mix of the classic ceviche with also the ceviche of the day. I don’t recommend this either. Reason #1: shouldn’t the ceviche be marinated and cooked via lime juice?! How come I don’t taste any lime! The classic ceviche was suppose to have shrimp and crab, but it had «shreds» of crab… meaning it was mostly onions, tomatoes, a few shrimp, and just white threads scattered representing the crab. The «guacamole» they listed on the menu is a thin spread of guac on a Tostada with the ceviche sitting on top. Wow. SCAM! The ceviche of the day was just another shrimp ceviche with TONS of purple radish (the ones no one likes). Again, no lime. The classic one lacked flavor so I dipped my chip in salsa, then added the ceviche on top.
This was a horrible first experience. I just feel like I got scammed on everything. The bloody Mary’s were literally a cup full of tomato juice with powder mix, ceviche was not «double the size» like the waiter stated, and my steak became pork! The only good thing was the fajita, but definitely NOT worth $ 17.99!
If you want good seafood ceviche, try Mayan on Halsted. I forgot the full name of the restaurant, but it’s near Home Depot. It’s $ 7 for the seafood ceviche, and I get CHUNKS of seafood!
No wonder this place has horrible reviews… Wish I would have read it beforehand.

I just had lunch here with a co-​worker and a account representative. The service was top-​notch provided by Rob. The lunch special was a good deal $ 7.99 (pick two) and they had $ 5 limonadas. Yum.
They have a great space, and I look forward to checking them out again.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I wanted to grab some food outside. I was walking down Clark and noticed this place had a nice patio.
A table just opened up outside and we were seated promptly. The free chips and salsa were good. I asked the waiter about the low calorie margarita and he was able to give me a sample to try. It tasted good and I ordered a full size glass. You can order full size or half size margaritas. Unfortunately it was very weak. After you drink a huge margarita you should atleast feel something. Nope nada here.
For food I ordered a chicken, steak, and carnitas taco on a lettuce leaf. The description of the tacos said that each meat came with different types of toppings. What I got was onion, cilantro, and salsa on all 3. The steak and chicken were good, but the carnitas was so salty. I could barely eat it. I also tasted the rice and beans and they were good. The bf had this chicken stuffed with chorizo. Now that was really good. The sauce that they put over the chicken was amazing.
I woulnd’t come out my way to eat here, since the food was not mind blowing.

I had heard mixed reviews of Zapatista, but thought I would give it a whirl. We met some friends for dinner, got there pretty early since they had a little one in tow and got a table right away by the windows, which were open so that was very nice.
We started with margaritas, obviously. I tried the prickly pear one, which is low cal and low sugar, but really good! It is pink too, which I don’t mind in the least:) We had the guac and salsa to start. The salsa was good, kind of chipotle flavored. The guac was good, but nothing special.
I ordered the chicken tacos, which were really good, but put on my plate like all scattered so it was really hard to eat. My husband got the al pastor and they looked awesome as well, he enjoyed the. The couple we were with got fajitas for 2. They come in this big molcajete which is sooo hot and like boiling. It was a pretty crazy presentation! They liked them a lot.
Overall I think this is a solid mexican spot. The space is nice and big so it was easy to get a table and I like the indoor/​outdoor feel. I will definitely be back!

Went here before a show on a Friday evening. It was nice out so I was happy to score a seat on the patio. Unfortunately it was located right beside stairs that people mistakenly thought was an entrance. High traffic kind of ruined the location.
The food was nothing special. The guac was nice and fresh, but not medium as requested. My tilapia had nice flavors (smokey from the bacon with nicely cooked spinach and almonds), but was delivered cold. Drinks, especially the sangria, were weak. At $ 7.75 a glass I expected more. When I expressed this, he seemed surprised. Topping it off when some extra wine would have solved it, but they weren’t willing to do so as it’s made ahead of time. My friend said the premium margarita was strong, but $ 14 is just too pricey for a marg.
Service was spotty. Our waiter was very nice, but just not on the ball. We had to request napkins and silverware. When we requested the check, it took forever for him to come back and run it, and when he did, he reversed the amounts on the cards. We were in too much of a hurry to fix it, so we had to settle up with cash.
Overall a disappointing experience.

This isn’t a bad choice when all the other brunch places in the area have insane waits. The wait was actually much longer than I assumed based on the number of open tables, but I think they were unprepared for the day after St. Patrick’s Day madness.
The menu is unbelievably inexpensive, so you can try a bunch of Mexican breakfast items and not feel bad if a few aren’t that great.
The server was running wild because of lots of big tables, but he did the best he could in a bad situation. He was polite and kept us pretty happy. It was a long wait for breakfast too, but I think the cooks were as slammed as the waiters.
Overall it’s an OK option if the place you really want to go is too busy.

I’ve only been to Zapatista one time but it was fantastic! We had a reservation for 6 on a Saturday night for one of my friends’ bridal party.
We ordered two pitchers of margaritas and the guacamole appetizer to share. The guacamole is made to order and it was excellent! The margaritas weren’t the strongest I’ve ever had but they were decent and one pitcher was enough for each of us to get a full drink.
I ordered the talapia yucateca and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I’m still day dreaming about it. The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly. The spinach with bacon was really delicious and cooked perfectly (which can be a challenge with spinach). But the best part was the orange coconut sauce which complemented the fish perfectly. It was tangy and slightly sweet. I really wish I could get the recipe!
I don’t normally make the trek all the way to Lincoln Park especially since traffic and parking are a nightmare. But this place is well worth it. I’ll definitely be back.

What to actually say about Zapitista… The service was good. I went on a Wednesday, so I enjoyed a couple of the $ 5 sangrias. Location is ideal… the décor is alright… The food however, was okay. Being that I’m from a Tex-​Mex state (Texas), I would definitely have to say I’ve had better.
As with most Mexican/​Latin/​South American restaurants, we did start off with chips and salsa once we were immediately seated. Also, we ordered a side of guacamole for trying. The guacamole is made fresh to order. I think it would have been a better experience if it was made table-​side to order, but that’s just wishful thinking. The guacamole is available in three heats — original, mild, and spicy. Surprising the mild was what I would have considered spicy. I’m scared to know what the spicy actually tastes like.
My entrée order was the vegetarianas enchiladas, which was served with rice and beans. They were good and your typical veggie enchiladas, nothing outstanding or surprisingly flavorful about them. I took one bite of the rice and beans, and found that I could do without eating them.
My sister ordered the Camaron (shrimp) fajitas. AND oh my!!! they still had the tails on them. Who wants to make their fajitas and have to remove shrimp tails, as if putting together a fajitas to eat is not a little messy to begin with.
Overall, I don’t have to visit this Zapitista again, unless someone just wants to grab a drink and chit chat. I’ll be sure to eat beforehand.

Seriously good Mexican food. I have been to this location a few times now, and especially love how big it is. I am more accustomed to the South Loop location since it’s right by work, but I was even more happy to find this larger one right by my apartment!
They always seem to have some kind of fabulous promotion through Groupon and Google Offers, but they also have some great daily specials. I came here on a few dates, and at the end of our meal was surprised with a complimentary glass of Cava and dessert for their Thursdays ‘date night’ special. So cute.
I have tried a majority of the menu since I’ve been here so often, but my favorite item would have to be their Fajitas de Molcajete which comes served sizzling (literally) in a 500 degree lava stone bowl. It’s such a fun and delicious experience, and is definitely enough for two! Again, I can’t say enough good things about Zapatista, so come here ASAP to try it for yourself!

Great Mexican food in Lincoln Park!
I went here with my girlfriend and we used a Groupon for 2 margaritas, 1 order of guacamole, and 2 entrees.
They blend their margaritas in-​house and they are very good. I got the mango margarita and my girlfriend got the strawberry and both actually had real chunks of fruit in them.
We got the spicy guacamole which had some zing to it and was very good.
For my main entrée I got the Carne Asada Enchiladas (Suiza style) with a creamy Chipolte Sauce. The meat was sooooo good, I loved the Carne Asada.
The food was all very good, but I’m glad we had the Groupon because Zapatista is pretty expensive for Mexican food. If you see a deal for this place you need to give it a try for sure!

We had a really fabulous lunch here a few weekends ago and I am looking forward to returning and trying more of their delicious food.
The thing that really stood out was the most amazing Queso Fundido that I’ve ever been served. It was cooked in a stone bowl and the cheese crisped near the outside of the container adding tons of flavor to the dish.
My least favorite thing was their special bloody mary /​beer drink. The place a full beer bottle upside down in a bloody mary glass and the beer kind of slowly diffuses into the drink. While it looks cool, I wasn’t too fond of the combination and it was a little awkward.

Had the off menu special last night — Puerco. Seared pork tenderloin w/​poblano mashed potatoes. EXCELLENT! The custom made guacamole is also very, very good and is a big quantity for 2 people — probably too big BUT delicious.
The place was packed. I’m glad we made a reservation. One of my top picks for Mexican hands down.
The margaritas are also delicious!

Zapatista is a huge space and it was maybe 10% full on the Monday night I dined in.
The menu had some non traditional things that sounded great but on Monday’s they have a special of $ 5 Margaritas and $ 5 taco plates. I got a frozen raspberry margarita and it was not only strong but had little seeds in it which makes me feel like it is not just a mix! The taco plate affords you your choice of two tacos along with beans and rice or their spiced fries. I choose the fries at our servers recommendation and they might have been the worst fries ever, not fully cooked. Luckily I had already filled up on their delicious complementary chips and salsa. The tacos were good but nothing fabulous. All in all I would go back for the specials on Monday but the food wasn’t good enough to make me go back and pay twice as much!

This place was very delicious. I loved the classical Mexican theme of this restaurant. I was here to meet one of my friends and he chose this place. I was impressed by this choice. We had some mojitos to start. We also had chips and salsa as an appetizer with some medium spicy gucamole. It was so good because the gucamole was made fresh on the spot.
Let me tell you, their drinks are A+ quality. They were really spot on. I think that I would love to go for their happy hour whenever it may be.
Our main course was the Pollo alla Maria. I love the presentation and the taste of the dish. It consisted of chicken breast that was stuffed with chile and chorizo. It was served with a side of rice and beans and the string beans were on top of the stuffed chicken.
I would even be tempted to eat here for lunch if possible. It also appears from their website that they have multiple locations so I will be checking those out in the near future.

Great place for lunch! We stopped in for a late lunch and got a nice meal.
Chips: have a little heft and texture — stoneground perhaps? good.
Salsa: very nice flavor — spicy, a little sweet and a hint of smoke. great.
I got a fish taco & tinga de pollo enchilada with rice & beans (
). my fish taco (pescado) was definitely not baja style, which is what i am used to back home in San Diego. instead, it was grilled fish served with the spicy pickled carrots & onions. good, though perhaps a little small. the tinga enchilada was great — shredded chicken inside, a thick sauce not quite unlike a poblano mole sauce. refried black beans were topnotch, while the rice was just so-​so — perhaps a little too wet.
my wife got a carnitas taco, which looked like a classic street taco with tasty carnitas, and a barbacoa enchilada, in a green sauce. also good stuff. instead of beans & rice, she got the spicy fries, which were pretty tasty. (
)
overall, good service throughout, although getting our check took a little while. most mexican restaurants (esp chains like El Torito or Acapulco) tend to give giant platters of food, so it was a bit of a surprise to have rather minimal platter — the taco and enchilada were both smaller than average, as was the serving of rice and beans — but quality over quantity!
i definitely want to come back!

I’m not impressed.
First, if the waitress could peel her eyes away from my engagement ring and actually talk to me, that would be much appreciated. Next, don’t try to foist the more expensive margarita, the more expensive beer and the more expensive entrees on us. I mean really, come on. We order what we wanted – not something to puff up your tab.
The food was bland. We ordered our guacamole spicy and it was mild, at best. I had to ask for a side of jalapenos to do my own spicing. My veggie tacos were uninventive and contained only peppers and I think some form of carrot with a hot (as in temperature) salsa on top. The black beans looked and tasted like they were from last week. The rice was as dry as the Sahara and tasted like plain white rice.
The margarita was decent.
I was only able to finish one small taco and took the other two home. When we asked for a few more chips (since we ordered guacamole), the server gave us a «you don’t really need any more chips» kind of look.
I won’t be coming back unless the chef learns to use spices and the waitress gets some sensitivity training.

This review is dedicated to Kevin, the most wonderful server I’ve ever had at any restaurant ever. He deserves a raise and a promotion. And no, I don’t know him.
My friend and I had our regular dinner/​drinks night at this newly opened Zapatista location in Lincoln Park in the old Emilio’s space. Great large seating area, pleasant décor, vibrant atmosphere. Maybe it was the thought of margaritas that made me happy before I even sat down. And margaritas we ordered. Giant ones, the size of my head, okay, slightly smaller, about one and a half glasses worth. They were the «Million Dollar Margaritas» and they were almost worth that much – nice and strong.
Not a bad way to kick off Restaurant Week… we ordered:
Guacamole – excellent
Shrimp empanadas – skip it
Carne asada ala tampiquena (grilled skirt steak, tres quesos enchilada, guacamole, refried black beans) – a bit charred, but otherwise delicious
Tuna tacos – my friend gave it his seal of approval
For dessert:
Tres leches cake – skip it
Chocolate tamal – get it, delicious
So back to our server Kevin – absolutely gracious, knowledgeable, patient, even as the night went on and we got more buzzed and slightly more obnoxious and asked him a thousand and one questions. Well, it wasn’t me, it was mostly my friend, he has many dietary restrictions. But we both had a very enjoyable experience and left feeling happy, well taken care of, relaxed, and full.

This rating is based purely on a brunch visit, so take it with a chunky grain of salt on the rim of your margarita glass.
Brunch was good! And cheap! Their brunch entrees are only $ 5 a pop, at least for now. My huevos de la revolucion were tasty, and a good sized portion. Of course you get to start with free chips & salsa. Which we did, and got a couple refills. Hey, there were five of us!
To wash down my $ 5 entrée, I enjoyed a $ 5 Bloody Mary (with Coronita)! This was probably the spiciest brunch I’ve had in awhile. Good thing the water refills kept coming!
The space is nice. The service was fairly good; it did take awhile for drinks to come out, and it wasn’t that busy. One person’s order was wrong (eggs not cooked as requested) but it was corrected within a few minutes.
I’d come back for brunch, or to check out another meal. Unfortunately dinner is NOT $ 5. Oh well, you can’t win them all. Or as they might say in Mexico: No puedes ganar todos. Or something like that.

I’m glad to see they’ve made good use of the old Emilios spot. Mexican restaurants are always welcome in my neighborhood. In fact, the more the merrier. My friend is a fan of their sister restaurant in the South Loop so we tried it out for lunch last week.
The food is a good price and tasty as well. Our waitress was friendly but not real helpful when it came to choices. Sitting by the window is nice so you can view Clark Street and passerbys.
The space is pretty huge and I like what they’ve done to it. I can see myself becoming quite the regular here, especially since it’s cold out and I live one block away.
I tried this blended Mojito drink which was very interesting, I look forward to trying some of the other drinks. All in all, not bad.