Zaguan Express Latin Cafe & Bakery

They were out of Arepas at 2 pm, which is the reason we went there. Whatever it is we ended up getting was not very good. They used the same type of meat for all our 3 meals. Won’t be going back

i needed a lunch from the downtown tunnel system today and thought I would try something new. I’d passed Zaquan several times when I walk the tunnel system to get some exercise and clear my head. It looked good and i like Latin food.
So I walked a little further, passed my usual spots, to Zaquan. When I got there I found a half dozen or more patrons waiting for their food. I mistakenly thought that was a good sign. When I ordered the cashier wrote my order down on a sticky note (second missed indicator that I had made a bad choice). He handed me a plastic #22 and I stepped away from the counter.
Ten minutes pass and no one in front of me in line has received any food. I’m starting to wonder. A few orders come out but many are still waiting. At 15 minutes I think about saying something but decide to be patient. At 20 minutes he calls «17.» He looks at me «17?» I walk forward and tell him I’m 22, I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes and ask if it is coming out anytime soon. A woman who ordered after me offers that she has #19 but could #17 be her order. She’s been waiting almost as long as me. Cashier looks more befuddled than he did when I asked for an ETA.
A few more minutes pass and there is no sign of my order despite the cashier and cook shuffling through a number of discarded sticky notes. I put the plastic #22 card on the counter and say «Forget it.» The cashier shakes his head with a defeated look on his face. I feel bad for the guy. Maybe he’s in the wrong job. Maybe the owner doesn’t give him the resources or the processes to run an efficient operation (sticky notes?).
The one good thing out of this horrible experience is that the place is so inefficiently run that I hadn’t paid yet so I’m not out any money and I don’t have to argue for a refund. I can just walk.
So I can’t tell you if the food is any good or not and frankly, with that kind of wait from and «express» place I don’t care. I don’t have 20+ minutes at lunch to wait for my order.
They need to take the word «Express» out of the name.
So I walk back towards my building and get my exotic food fix from the Mediteranean place. I wait in line, get my food and pay in 5 minutes. That’s what Express looks like.
By the way, I should have checked Unilocal first because I see that I’m not the first customer who had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for an order.

I thought that this was a nice addition to the Dallas tunnel system. Sure, I would much prefer that this place be at the street-​level since I rarely go into the tunnels when I’m in downtown Dallas. Plus, since it’s in the tunnels, there’s no natural lighting or plants that would charm people like they do in the original location.
However, there’s still wi-​fi, good coffee, and more self-​serve atmosphere, which is greatly appreciated when there’s work to be done.
But anyways, this is almost exactly the same as the regular Zaguan on Oak Lawn — but with friendlier management. And with some, not all, of the same food and pastries as the original location. They have the cachitos, cachapas, arepas, golfiados — plenty to get my Venezuelan fix on. But the things that I don’t like about the original location, food wise, also applies.

The grid of underground tunnels in downtown Dallas was an eighties vogue of perhaps modernism or classist escapism.
Whatever the case, these forgotten hallways feel like corridors of cheap outlet malls, but occasionally offer a little bounty.
Café Zaguan in Oak Lawn has operated this
abbreviated outpost since 2008, which has no outside signage and is a chore to find even with instructions — go down an escalator and follow the tunnel in a certain direction until you happen to notice a small sign.
Still the work seemed worth a decent breakfast downtown, even if it was a little burnt and not as perfect tasting as the ones at the main location.
Arepas, a corn based bread to envelope fillings, in this case eggs, and capachas, an egg like omelette are offered at breakfast.
The $ 5 – 6 price tag isn’t a steal especially for the post apocalypse bunker atmosphere and with one employee running the a.m. shift, I had to wait longer that expected.
The elevated moment was the perusing of an unlit barely stocked desert and pastry case which had some meringues sitting on top but inside had a few prepackaged cake slices for around $ 2 like tres leches and chocolate.
A few hours later the tres leches slice was lovingly drenched with decent flavor.
My ham egg and cheese arepa was a bit overcooked and thus a little oily.
The cashier asked me if I was married.
«Why not?» He added. «You’re nice looking.»
Now that’s some Latin love.
Hours are, as explained by the cashier,
From around 8 — 8:30am to 2pm Monday thru Friday.
Lunch specials begin in the $ 6 range.

In summary: very poor service and long wait for food that isn’t all that great.
They advertise a breakfast deal which is coffee and pastry for $ 3 but they’re never open in the morning when they say they are. I’ve gone as late as 8:30am only to find their doors still closed.

Food was really good with reasonable prices. Great service by staff. Not too crowded during lunch, tables were easily to find. Definitely will return.

Where else can you get a cachapa? Melted cheese & beef wondrousness in a corn turnover, topped with (optional, but you shouldn’t miss it) salsa, served with plantain chips & a delicious dessert selection (relative to downtown, fast, options). The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is the sometimes-​challenging ordering process — but it’s worth it.

This place is great. It’s just counter service, nothing fancy, but the food is really tasty, and it’s one of the few places in the area where I’ve been able to get good vegetarian food (although they have plenty for carnivores!).
I’ve had the Arepa and the Cachapa with veggies, eggs and cheese. They also have a vegan option with beans, rice and fried plantains, which I have not yet tried. The Cachapa is on the sweet side and very filling; the Arepa is not sweet, a bit greasy, but yummy. I have gotten the fried plantains as sides both times, because I just like fried plantains, but there are other sides as well, including beans and rice and salad.
The guanābana juice is really tasty – not to sweet, and they make it as a sort of smoothie mixed with a bit of ice. Very refreshing. Ted sez check it out. :)

I try not to write reviews after the first time I visit an establishment. However, the past visit to Zaguan’s Express is probably my first and last visit.
When my friend and I got to Zaguan around noon on a Friday, the tunnels weren’t nearly as crowded as we had anticipated. I ignorantly thought that we may be able to have an hour for lunch instead of waiting 30 minutes, eating for 15 minutes and then rushing back to work.
I ordered an arepa with chicken and vegetables. My friend ordered a sandwich. The chef took down our orders via pen on yellow sticky notes then handed them off to the cashier. I went to her promptly to pay and then to patiently wait for my food.
10 minute pass… I’m not too worried and I’m already sipping on water. I’m catching up with my friend and am not concerned at all.
20 minutes pass… I’m still just hanging out but I notice that food orders for folks who were behind me in line are coming out. I’m still not worried.
30 minutes pass… Now I’m getting antsy. The chef and cashier notice that I’m still waiting and ask what the orders for my friend and I were. When we repeated our orders, the magical sticky notes that had our orders on them initially were missing in action. The chef then starts making our food.
5 minutes pass… A patron repeatedly asks the cashier if she can pay but the cashier is either not paying attention or ignoring her.
It took nearly 35 minutes for us to get our food. All we got from the staff was an empty «sorry» as we retrieved our white to go boxes. I had hoped the food would be super delicious and tasty to make up for the wait but it was… It was okay.
The arepas had really great flavors. There was a nice heat that was complimented by their salsa. However, I wasn’t blown away. My friend said that his sandwich had a lot of flavor as well but that the beef was chewy and that he thought it was over cooked.
I really wanted to like Zaguan’s even if this isn’t their infamous Oak Lawn location. But this is not worth the wait or the confusion when you have to wait over half of your lunch hour just for food.

I was excited to find this restaurant so close to my office, especially since I used to live in Latin America and have missed platanos. I quickly became disappointed when I realized what ‘Express’ truly means… terrible service, food made halfass, and more importantly food that made me sick. I am severely lactose intolerant, and made it clear I did not want any cheese in my Arepa. Halfway through the meal I realized that salty mixture hidden within the avocado and veggies was most definitely cheese. Not just a sprinkling of cheese, but entire chunks. The food was meh, but for it’s location I expected it. I didn’t plan on writing anything until my stomach yelled at me to let people know. I am only writing this review now because of how badly that cheesy mistake is making me feel today.
Also, they have a vegetarian plate, but the beans have bacon. My co-​worker who has been vegetarian her whole life quickly became disappointed as well. Moral of the story: AVOID IF YOU HAVE ANY DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Let me start by saying I have been to both location here in Dallas. I am also a Venezuelan born and raised and know what this food is suppose to taste like.
Up until my last visit at the Oak Lawn location I have been satisfied. The service was mediocre but as a Venezuelan I am used to bad service from Venezuelan businesses. On the last visit I ordered my favorite, the reins pepiada arepa. It looked disgusting. The avocado was so old it was almost black. I mentioned this to the staff (all of whom were not Venezuelan) said that it was normal. I left without eating.
Today I decided to give this location downtown a try. Again I ordered a reina arepa. It was even worse. Not simply bad compared to what I’m used to, it wasn’t even edible. Reina’s are pretty much chicken salad with avocado. Here the chicken was in large chunks, instead of mayo, the base was made with sour cream with a light green coloring to make it look like guacamole. The staff once again was dismissive and argumentative. Again, I left without eating (I’m writing this from Quiznos next door).
I have had other things at Zaguan that are quite good but it is so inconsistent that I can’t give them but one star. I like the owner, he is very kind but he has some work to do here. A lot of work.

As I did in my last review, I’m gonna get the bad stuff out of the way. This place is small. It’s got maybe a half-​dozen tables and a very small bar area. It’s out of the way if you aren’t along either the DART line or near a building connecting to the tunnels. and I swear I ordered beef and not chicken that one time.
But that said, if you ARE in the area, give this place a whirl. Specifically, I recommend the cachapa, a sweet corn turnover stuffed with beef and cheese. If you’re up for a sweet afterward, their alfajores – shortbread cookies sandwiching dulce de leche, guava paste, or enough chocolate to look like king kong next to a tiny Keebler cookie – are likewise excellent. Their other offering historically have been all right, but always left me feeling, «but it’s not a *cachapa*.»
If the baked goods interest you, be sure to drop by their Oak Lawn location. They have good stuff here, but the offerings are more diverse there.
But try here first, if it’s more convenient. It usually is for me, and I never regret coming.

Worst atmosphere, food, service for the price of anywhere I have ever eaten in Dallas.
We were totally ripped off. $ 58 for Arepas for 2 people and one beer and one Margarita. The place was freezing cold and had a «dive» type aura but for a dive one would expect to pay «dive» prices.

I was so surprised when my dear friend and I finally got to try Zaguan! I’ve passed this location a million times on my way to Kuai and Beyond the Box but never took a moment to look at their menu. We both got the #1 and couldn’t have been happier. The portions are fresh, huge, and flavorful! Even the rice, which looked like it may have been bland, was savory and delicious. Great value for the food and price!

This is a great little place for lunch when you’re in the city centre. The dining area is quite small but there is ample dining space outside which is usually crowded with tower employees.
First had food from Zaguan at the international fest and really enjoyed it. Visited the Oaklawn location a few times. One of my favourites is the sweet corn tortilla chicken and cheese chachapa! Absolutely wonderful! Great served with black beans, a salad or plantain chips. Around $ 8 for a combo meal. Check it out if you’re around.

This is one of those places that you go to where you think you’ve found something great that not that many people know about. The food is actually quite good and not your standard fare. The Arepas and Cachapa’s are quite good, but the portions tend to be pretty small for the price on a number of things. All of their baked good that I have had have been wonderful. The reason that I can’t give them more than 2 stars is that their service is just so unbelievably awful. We usually go on a weekend morning for breakfast and they are always understaffed. It takes forever to get a waiter to the table, then they don’t speak much English so they are very very timid. Then it take forever to get the coffee. However, you better be ready to order when they drop it of (assuming that they brought everyone’s coffee together). If the waiter leaves after coffee you could be another 20 minutes before you see them again. The rule here is if there is a waiter by your table ask for EVERYTHING you could possibly need, extra salt, more silverware, ketchup… whatever…we ask for a pot of coffee at the table since we never know if we will see the waiter again.
We are no longer patrons after our fiasco 2 weeks ago. Over the course of an hour friends trickled in and there wound up being 6 of us at the table eventually. We ordered separately and at different times, but they added gratuity to every ticket, but they did it in a sneaky way and then inconsistently… some people got 19% and some were up to 24% and they couldn’t explain how they calculated it and they wouldn’t remove it and then everyone went into we can’t speak English mode. I promise most of the times I’ve been the service didn’t deserve 5% but I still tip 20% because I’ve worked in restaurants. We finally just paid it and left, but that will be my last time there.
Bottom Line: Food is good, Service is beyond horrible. If you’re going order something out of the pastry case and get coffee to go. Of course those same servers are cashiers so you might still be there a while.

Specializing in dishes and baked goods from South America, Zaguan boasts delicious food and unique pastries. It is a Dallas must-​go.
There is everything to like about Zaguan’s food. It is well made, original, and satisfying. On your first trip, go for breakfast, this is where they really shine. Whether you want a light breakfast, or something more substantial, you will not be disappointed. We love the small ham and cheese filled pastries called cachitos. Crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, they are comfort food incarnate. One of our favorite breakfasts around is Zaguan’s croissant sandwich. This is a house made buttery, flaky croissant with egg, ham, and cheese. One of these can really serve as both breakfast and lunch. Pair your food with some of the best coffee you can get in Dallas. The cappuccino is as good as we’ve had in Italy; it will expose Starbucks coffee as the warmed-​over gutter water that it is.
Once you fall in love with their breakfast, you’ll want to come back for lunch. The holy of holies of the Zaguan menu is the cachapa. This is a corn based crêpe filled with stewed beef and cheese. The grilled sweetness of the corn contrasts with the salty richness of the beef and cheese to form a perfect symphony of flavor. This is mind-​altering good. If you can ever resist the cachapa, Zaguan also has great sandwiches on house made breads that are almost as good. If you’re really hungry, get the fried cheese pastries as an appetizer; super-​yummy! One disappointment, however, was the arepa. This is shredded beef on a grilled flatbread. While it sounded good, it ended up being bland. If you’re not drinking coffee, try the iced tea. It has a strong herbal spice lemony flavor to it that really sets it apart from standard tea.
If you still haven’t had enough get a pastry for dessert. There is a huge selection of Latin pastries available and all are good. Our favorite is the Alfajores. These are intense vanilla cookies sandwiching dulce de leche, with a mound of powdered sugar on top. Amazing.
One problem we’ve consistently run into here is service. it is often inattentive and slow. Ask for several salsas if you use them because you’ll run out quickly and you don’t know when you’ll get more.

Wonderful shredded beef sandwich with sweet onions and peppers. You have a choice of plantain chips or black beans with sandwich and it depends on my mood as to which one if my favorite.
The best part of Zaguan is the pastry case– the Dulce de leche with cheese pastel is my favorite.

Good alternative for lunch when on business in downtown Dallas.
It’s part of the underground system. Zaguan has a Cuban/​Latin menu that offers some nice alternatives. It’s still a plate lunch type meal, but the meat is tasty and fresh.

I don’t really have a frame of reference for Latin food. The only other place I can compare is Cuba Libre and I don’t consider them to be authentic.
I’ve tried this place two times and had mixed opinions on both ocassions. This first time I tried the arepas and liked my meal. I got the pulled pork as my meat and it came with plaintain chips with the lunch portion. Only thing bad is that the portions were pretty small compared to the price (over $ 7).
My second time around I got the arroz con pollo. Now I haven’t had many arroz con pollo dishes in my life but I always pictured the rice to be fluffy and served with a slow cooked chicken quarters. Zaguan’s rice was a little mushy and they served chicken breast. It was like a latin version of chicken fried rice to me.
This place is ok and I would go here again if I were in the mood for something different other than asian or sandwiches.