Zapatista

The restaurant is closed! Their website says nothing about this, and you are still able to make reservations on Open Table. Really an inconvenience on a Saturday night. Hopefully they update things so people don’t continue to have this problem.

CLOSED as of 01÷10÷15. Called the downtown location and they confirmed. I asked them to change their outgoing message to indicate they are closed, and to take themselves off of Open Table. They said they’ll tell the owner to fix it.

Sign was taped on the main door that said restaurant was closed. No notice on their website advising of this. Reservations were still accepted on Open Table even though they were closed.

I was here with my boyfriend celebrating sweetest day. We wanted to try a new place and we were both curious about Zapatista. The restaurant is very nicely decorated.
We were seated right away and the waiter took our drink order. I ordered a margarita and mojito drink, forgot what it was called but it was amazing! They brought chips and salsa and the salsa was good.
I ordered a skirt steak dish and I was satisfied with it. It wasnt great but it wasnt bad. It did take forever to get our meal. I am glad we had the chips and salsa and the little cup of chicken broth before the meal.
I hate to say that our server was bad. He barely came to our table. He never brought us silverware, we asked for another server to bring them. We also asked for water and im pretty sure he forgot, he brought the waters after I waved him over. I dont understand why he wasn’t attentive, the other servers seemed to be checking on their tables.
Overall, I would go back for the drinks and maybe appetizers.

My parents got a Groupon here: $ 45 for $ 80 worth of food. We got several drinks, 1 starter, 3 taco plates, & 2 desserts to add up to just over $ 80.
Not the most out-​of-​this-​world Mexican, but I do live in California now so my standards are set pretty high on authenticity of the food. My parents & I were coming from Palatine & this wouldn’t have been worth the trip on its own, but since we were at the Chicago Premium Outlets, it worked out to come here & use the Groupon.
THE SERVICE:
We had a young waiter who was very energetic & enthusiastic. He had this always-​stressed-​but-​eager-​to-​please air about him that was really sweet, & I guessed he was relatively new to the job & was trying really hard to make all his tables happy but was stressed by juggling the timing of it all. We never had issues, he was just always sweating & seemed to be in a hurry, but always took the time to see how we were. The first booth we sat at had water dripping on it & they immediately were apologetic & moved us to a new table — they didnt’ seem really surprised so this seemed to be a recurring issue with that table (they should get that pipe fixed).
DRINKS
* Horchata cocktail (off-​menu) — 3 stars
pic:
We saw the table next to us get this & ordered the same thing. It’s not on the menu so I’m not sure if they requested it or it was a special we didn’t know about. The horchata flavor wasn’t as prominent as I’d hoped & it was overall too strong. My mom & I couldn’t handle this, but my bf seemed to like it.
STARTERS:
* Free chips & salsa — 3 stars
Kind of stale chips, the salsa was watery, but it worked to hold over our hunger.
* Sopesitos de Pollo (black beans, queso fresco, tomato chipotle salsa. $ 8.99) — 3 stars
The chicken was a little hard & came in small chunks. The mini sope was pretty good. They let me get 2 each of the Pollo & the Plantano when I ordered this.
* Sopesitos de Plantano (guacamole, queso fresco, mole poblano. $ 8.49) — 3.5 stars
I liked this a little better than the Pollo! I usually don’t love mole but this was pretty good & went well wit the plantains. I thought I’d like the savory one better, but they did better with this sweeter version!
pic of both:
TACOS ESPECIALES:
* Mahi Mahi (beer battered, spicy citrus coleeslaw. $ 12.99) — 3.5 stars
pic:
Probably the best of the tacos. The batter on the fish was crispy, freshly fried, great. The tortillas weren’t the most fresh & the rice/​beans were both bland & soggy.
* Camaron (garlic-​chipotle spiced shrimp, sweet corn, pico de gallo. $ 11.99) — 2 stars
pic:
Very underwhelming. The shrimp were small, definitely not fresh, not much to the texture or flavor. Combine that with the lackluster tortillas, rice & beans, & you don’t have much of a dish.
* Alambres (grilled New York strip, bacon, poblano rajas, Chihuahua cheese, tres chiles salsa, onion strings. $ 11.99) — 3 stars
pic:
Not served like the other tacos on these little taco holders. They kind of put 3 tortillas each partially on top of the other & drop all the toppings on top. This makes it really hard to eat because you have to dig out an individual tortilla & then separate out the meat/​cheese/​onions that are all tangled in a big pile. It’s almost better to just not eat as tacos but to eat the toppings with your fork. This had the more flavorful, interesting topping, but was logistically really hard to eat.
DESSERTS:
* Platanos Estilo Foster (caramelized plantains, vanilla infused tequila & ice cream. $ 6) — 3.5 stars
Definitely a fun one to get at the table: they flame the plantains right at your table side! But you have to eat it FAST. The bowl is HOT from the flame & the ice cream melts almost immediately. Within a minute you basically have plantains with warm vanilla soup.
* Carlota Zapatista (Mexican version of tiramisu. $ 6) — 3 stars
pic:
Decent tiramisu/​coffee flavor, but a little too soggy of a cake, a little messily put together.
Margaritas:

I had dinner here last night (Jan. 12) with a group of 7 other people. We all knew they had just opened two days earlier. I was pleasantly surprised how well they did. Everyone enjoyed their meals.
I’m coming back to this four months later… sorry! Guess that means it’s time to go back and check it out and see how they’re doing now that they’ve been open for a few months.

I love the décor of this place but the food and service need improvement. We were seated right away, it wasn’t very crowded but it took about 5 – 10 minutes for someone to come over and take our drink order.
The menus were very strange. There was a paper menu which included food and a big menu that had drinks and specials… I think, it was not explained to us.
We asked the waiter to explain the different kind of sauces for the enchiladas and there was a communication issue because every sauce sounded the same… cream sauce. Not sure if the waiter didn’t explain it right or we didn’t understand it.
The food overall was just okay and didn’t have much flavor. The salsa was watery and the enchiladas had no flavor. The beans and rice weren’t bad but nothing outstanding.
I’m not sure if they were missing a busboy or it’s just their policy to have the waiters bus their own tables but we were finished with our meal and were waiting a while for our waiter. We looked over and he was clearing off a large party a few tables over. He cleared everything on the table and wiped it down. Seemed strange.
I doubt I’ll be back.

Food was excellent. Prices are a little higher, but the portion size and quality make up for the cost. First experience was with a groupon, but went back without a groupon. Staff are extremely friendly and do what it takes to make sure you have great service. I would recommend the barbacoa enchiladas or the fajitas.
Since our first visit they have changed the menu and reduced the price point.

Food was ok, service was really bad.
It took almost 10 min to order, they got my order wrong, drinks were consistently empty… and I asked for a salt shaker twice and still didn’t get it!
Would likely not return here for food…

WHY DOES THIS PLACE ONLY HAVE 2 ½ STARS?!? I crave Zapatista every other day! Their lunch combo is the best and is very reasonably priced. Dinner is a little pricier but totally worth it. This isn’t authentic Mexican (you should head to Aurora for that) but it’s a yummy, trendy more modern take on Mexican. Perfect for a date night with drinks, the sangria is to die for! The atmosphere is upper scale and the service is always great. Get the Groupon for a good deal!

My boyfriend and I came here around 8 pm on a Sunday and the place was pretty slow, yet there were tons of servers. I saw at least 6. We were seated at a nice booth table… but things went a but downhill after that.
First off, we opened the menus to see a bunch if salsa sticking the pages together. Great. And then we weren’t ID’d for drinks. I’m always ID’d, so it was a bit odd. Then my boyfriend ordered a micheleda which came with a big piece of plastic inside the glass. He gave the drink to the first waiter we saw and our waiter stopped by to ask how things were, noticing there was only one drink on the table. They took care of it, though, and the waiter apologized and brought a fresh one.
Our server also proved to not know the menu well, if at all, which is always disappointing. I asked what he would recommend in the appetizer section of the menu, and he first had to look at the menu, then said «ummmmm» for a good while. After about 30 seconds I just asked if the empanadas are baked or fried. He said baked. We ordered them. He came back and said they’re actually fried. We canceled the order.
We ended up sharing the queso fundido (which was alright and HUGE, easily an appetizer for at least 4 people), and the calamari, which was nothing special and I certainly wouldn’t order again.
After just two appetizers and a drink each, we decided to leave. I sincerely doubt we will return.
Oh, and I went with the margarita with coconut. Way too sweet and not a fresh tasting margarita, which I was hoping for.

Came here for lunch on a weekday. Zapatista is just an okay place; I prefer the authentic Mexican restaurants.
The service was pretty standard and our waitress was friendly. We were in and out in about 40 minutes, which is perfect for a workday.
I got the chile relleno which had WAY too much breading. I actually was peeling the breading off to eat it! On the menu, all the veggies in the stuffed chile pepper sounded delicious, however it turned out to be bland and disappointing.
Chips and salsa were just okay. My beau said his tacos were just okay too. Everything was pretty pricey though for what it was. My lunch was $ 30 with a margarita.
Go down the street to the Mexican place on Ogden instead of Zapatista. They have a wonderful lunch buffet!

I came for lunch and had the freshly made guacamole and an enchilada /​taco lunch combo. The food was excellent; the best Mexican food I’ve had so far in Chicago. All ingredients appeared to be fresh, especially the guacamole which was made to order.
I could taste the individual spices in my dishes, and they were presented in an awful and authentic manner. The patio are is especially attractive, and really put me in the mood for Mexican cuisine. The tortillas are a real treat and appeared to be home made whether corn or flour.3 me

We’ve noticed lately that a lot of new places opening up in this little cubby hole that came about in the area that the new ramp created. We’ll need to come by this area more often to start checking them all out! We stopped by Z’s with my parents while they visited for the holiday weekend.
My mom and I shared the ensalada de revolución which included grilled marinated chicken breast, chopped greens, tomato, onion, cucumber, jicama, corn, avocado, queso fresco, pumpkin seed-​honey mustard vinaigrette for $ 12.99. It was a great salad and it was a nice combination of ingredients.
I also ordered a side of fried plantains for $ 4.25. They were perfectly ripened and nicely sauteed. They were a great side and dessert for that matter!
My dad had the carne asada grilled steak, creamy chipotle salsa for $ 16.25. He said it was really good! He finished it off and was quite content.
The boy had the Fajitas de Molcajete carne asada skirt steak for $ 19.99. At first, he was taken aback by the price, but then he was happy that I told him to get it anyway! He said that they were the best fajitas he has ever had! This is a lot coming from him!
We struggled pretty significantly with the language barrier. I didn’t think this should be an issue at this point in trying to put an order in. We had to ask for corrected items a few times. It would be great if the service could get better because the food is really good.

This is a Mexican Restaurant that makes you think is trendy and gourmet, but I think they missed this mark.
I ordered the Carnation Asada Enchiladas with spicy fries. It had an odd smokey taste. I got mine with cheese, but if I didn’t I think it would have just been rolled up tortillas with steak inside. I didn’t think it hag anything else to it. Would have been really dry with the greasyness of the cheese
They pimped out their spicy fries and made it sound like it was something more then regular fries, which they just aren’t.
The service wasn’t bad. Nothing special to note.
My wife however liked her burrito with rice and beans.
I don’t feel a need to visit here again, as regular Mexican food is not as expensive as this.
This is like the PF Changs of Mexican without it really aging the extra taste.

The place is beautifully decorated and they have absolutely phenomenal fajitas. The fajitas come out festively bubbling in a hot lava stone molcajete with peppers and mounds of melted cheese with all of the essential accompaniments.
My only complaint is finding meat in shrimp fajitas. These were served to a person with a history of having an allergic reaction to various meat proteins. Luckily, no allergic reaction occurred, but this could have been really, really serious.
We will try it again, and if all goes well, I will update with a higher rating.

Okay, seriously what’s with all the lousy reviews? Maybe I’m a bit more forgiving, but I really liked this place! The fiancé and future MIL stopped here Wednesday night after visiting a possible reception venue. Despite the packed parking lot, the restaurant wasn’t packed to the gills, but I’d say about 80% full.
We were seated immediately, and our waiter was quick to greet us and ask if we were first timers and if this was a special occasion. Future MIL said yes it was our first time and we were celebrating an engagement. After congratulating us, our waiter (I unfortunately have forgotten his name) took our drink order and gave us time to look over the menu. We were brought chips and salsa, which we all devoured immediately. The salsa was delicious; it had a nice smoky flavor and the chips were warm/​hot, and had a great crunch.
We opted to skip an appetizer and instead order our entrees. The fiancé and future MIL both chose burritos suiza style; one chose carnitas and the other carne asada. I knew I wasn’t that hungry, so I went with the Tinga de Pollo tacos, which are topped with onion and cilantro. We all chose the rice and beans as our sides rather than the spicy fries. I love spicy and I love fries, but I didn’t see fries and tacos going together (not that night, at least).
Our food arrived promptly. IMO, I thought my food was portioned right. The beans were great, and the rice was perfect. Just rice; no silly vegetables mixed in where they don’t belong. Fiancé and future MIL weren’t too thrilled with their food, but they said it was because there seemed to be more filling than the meat they chose. My tacos, on the other hand had a plentiful amount of chicken in them.
We were wrapping things up when the sneaky, sneaky waiter came back with a Tres Leches Cake, which was toasted coconut, chocolate ganache, strawberry salsa and whipped cream in honor of our engagement. Oh my goodness, it was a beautiful thing. I can’t eat stuff like this without getting ill, but I did take a small bite to be polite. It was heavenly.
The ambiance is quite cozy, however it wasn’t great for food-​taking pictures. And yeah, I’m not one of those to use my flash and make people thinking I’m one of those «Food Porn Insta-​grammers.» So I dealt with the dark pictures, and I apologize to those of you who try to view them. It’s difficult to see.
I have no problems returning here. I had a great first experience and I can’t wait to try other menu items.

In spite of the mixed reviews for this place, we had a pretty good experience here (although it may be due to the scarcity of any really good Mexican restaurants in our own area). Not the best Mexican cuisine we’ve ever tasted, but certainly not the worst.
We had a TravelZoo voucher, which seemed to predetermine our margaritas and appetizer because our server, Jenna, did not ask us what we wanted but just brought out two Margaritas de la Casa (made with El Jimador blue agave tequila) and a platter of mini chicken flautas served with mole verde and two types of salad. It would have been nice to have some choice in the matter because I was wondering how good their made-​to-​order guacamole was, but we’re not overly picky and the platter was tasty, so no major complaints. (The mole verde and the chopped Famosa salad with black beans, corn, bleu cheese crumbles, tortilla strips, and honey-​lime-​chipotle dressing were notable.)
We were allowed to choose our entrees so we went with their specialty, the fajitas. They have a fajitas-​for-​two deal which allows you to share two types of fillings, which was great since I wanted shrimp and the hubby wanted steak. The fillings (which also included cheese, chiles poblano, grilled onions and roasted red peppers) were served in a hot lava-​stone molcajete, and also included the usual accompaniments of lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, Mexican rice, beans, and both flour and corn tortillas. Portions were large and the fillings were cooked to our taste, so again no complaints.
We also got a complimentary dessert (Tres Leches Cake with chocolate ganache and strawberry salsa, topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut) since it was a birthday celebration, which is always a plus.
There was only a five-​minute wait for our table, which was good considering it was a Friday night; service was fine; and the atmosphere was lively (although the lighting was a little too dim). This location also has a nice outdoor patio with a fireplace, which would be good for al fresco dining. The only major drawback was that their prices seemed a bit steep (which is about par for the course for Naperville), so I was glad we had the voucher deal.
I don’t know if we’d make a special trip out here, but we’ll probably visit Zapatista again the next time we’re in the area.

So I’m writing this review with a few things in mind:
1. Mago stands as the best «Mexican-​ish» food the ‘burbs has to offer and all other new places that boast similar qualities and flavors are measured to that standard.
2. I grew up in Southern California where Mexican food is not only a staple, but on every corner.
3. We had a Google Offer making the dining experience a smidge cheaper, thankfully.
Let’s just get to the basics here. The great things we loved:
— tons of outdoor seating in a nice ambiance and quiet.
— live music that was far enough away to enjoy it.
— fantastic roasted tomato salsa served with an enormous mound of chips
— the food was fairly good. Tasted like a great fast-​casual place (La Salsa) in So. Cal.
— veggies were crunchy, tasty.
— so says our server, the beans AND rice are vegetarian. Not sure if he lied…
— Pacifico on tap? Shuddup!
— to-​go containers were compartmentalized! You can take the salsa home without it mushing up your leftovers! Small but awesome.
The not so great:
— The $ 9 guacamole was both small and under-​ripe. AND it was NOT tableside.
— Still talking overpriced guac, we asked for spicy and there was not a single hint of spice or pepper in the whole thing. This may be the Midwest, but when I say spicy, at least add a damn pepper.
— Pricey beers at $ 7.50/draft
— Not the cheapest joint… but we knew that.
— Husband has been twice and HATED the salmon on his first visit and loved the barbacoa enchiladas on his second visit. Stick to Mexican.
— Service was slow. Nice, but slow. That’s not a reason to give up on the joint, but it took a solid 30 minutes from our meal ending to walking out the door. And we ordered no dessert or anything. The guy must have been busy?

Hmmm… A three-​star probably sums it up well enough.
Food wasn’t terrible. Some things were good. Some things were NOT good. Some things were mediocre.
First off, I’ve eaten black beans straight out of a can that tasted better than the ones they serve us. Someone needs to clue their kitchen staff in on the fact that indeed Mother Nature does not season her beans straight from the ground. They really do require adding at least some salt. –this coming from a person who does not own a salt shaker.
The chips were warm, but definitely not fresh. The equivalent of warmed up Frito-​Lays. If you’re not going to make your own, fine, but I am sure there has to be better pre-​made tortilla chips out there. Even truly bad Mexican restaurants have fresh chips.
I was amused by the hostess. There were a plethora of tables open but we had to sit in the bar because she said there were too many reservations coming in. There continued to be empty tables throughout our entire meal, as we sat and ate in the bar. They essentially do not want to seat you unless you have a reservation for just the fear of a lack of seating. This was highly amusing.
I had the shrimp tacos (Cameron). Two of them were very good. Shrimp was not overcooked. One taco was in a stale corn tortilla that I struggled to even bite through though. My husband, who also ordered tacos (al pastora) He found them to be okay. In his words, he «didn’t hate them». Guac was fresh which is good. Not pureed like baby food. Salsa had good flavor. A little watery, but that is just a personal preference, I suppose.
Yes, it is a step above places like Chevy’s. –but is that truly a compliment? Having lived in TX, I think I have concluded that besides Rick Bayless, a person will not find a great Mexican restaurant in the entire state of IL.
I’d possibly eat there again… if the surrounding restaurants on Freedom Dr had exceptionally long waits and I was too hungry to go further and too hungry to mind the above mentioned issues.
Food didn’t stand out but I did receive free entertainment provided by the 60 yr old man sitting next to me as he drooled over and practically fell out of his chair for every pretty female in the establishment… as he sat right next to his wife.
Zapatista = Prepare to not be blown away, but possibly not hate it either.