Has anyone been to Zapatista

I'm heading to Zapatista Thursday and would like to find out if anyone has been there? Dishes to order or avoid? Thanks for the help.

Went there about a month ago.

The wife and I split a guacamole appetizer and the mixed fajita dish, I forget what it's called exactly. The guacamole was ok, nothing great. We really enjoyed the fajita entree however. I particularly enjoyed the steak, while my wife ate the chicken and shrimp. It's served in a molcajete. Nice presentation.

My wife had a margarita - good but not as good as she's had at Frontera Grill. I enjoyed a couple of Dos XX. The atmostphere can get a bit loud but nothing too bad. Overall, a good place to meet friends for pretty good food and drinks. Definitely a better Mexican/Tex-Mex place that appeals to mainstream crowds but with decent food. Nice decor as well.

Zapatista
1307 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago

My wife and I live across the street from Zapatista's and we have been there a couple of times. While the menu is probably not to the level of sophistication of Frontera and some others, we have been pleased with our meals. The scallop appetizer is really good, as are the fajitas and tacos. After spending two years living in Wrigleyville, with nary a good margarita in sight, I was very pleased with Zapatista's. I really like the rustica version made with mezcal.

With the lack of variety in the South Loop, Zapatista's is a great addition to the neighborhood. However, I'm not sure if I would make a special trip across town for it - especially considering the crowds on the weekends. If you find yourself waiting too long, head across the street to Giocco, which is still my favorite place in the South Loop.

The quality of food is nowhere near Frontera. The wife and I went there about a month ago and I was let down. It's more in line with a Chi-Chi's or Chevy's in my opinion...luckily no one usually cares about my opinion though

Agree with the Frontera comment, but Chi Chi's???? That's just about one step above dog food.

jclifton wrote:Agree with the Frontera comment, but Chi Chi's???? That's just about one step above dog food.

Hmmm, but I've heard dogfood is edible. My one and only experience with Chi Chi's was abysmal. One of those meals where you go there because that's what the in-laws like and quickly realize you will be stopping for dinner somewhere on the way home. Ended up just trying to make the most of the very commercial chips and salsa and push the food around my plate to make it look like I ate some - like eating peas in the 3rd grade.

jclifton wrote:Agree with the Frontera comment, but Chi Chi's???? That's just about one step above dog food.

It relates in the fact there is nothing that sets it apart. Plus I hate when people try to charge me $13.95 for a taco plate. I do agree that it's not worth the drive over but if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Again I've only been there once so it's not off the list yet. My negativity also might stem from the fact that the day I was there I had been sober for exactly one week and I had to stare at all those tequlia bottles

I paid Zapatista a visit shortly after it opened.

They had an exceptional drink roster, I will give them that.

The food, though, was a disappointment.

I think that the comparison to a Chi Chi's or what have you is somewhat apt, in that many of the food items had the look, the feel, and the taste of a large-scale corporate enterprise. For example, the ceviche and a couple of the masa creations that we ordered had clearly been made well in advance, and greatly suffered by this fact: the flavours and textures of the ceviche were muted and dull; and the masa creations had a stale and oily chewiness about them.

All of that being said, I will probably pay them at least one more visit as some of what I experienced may have been due to "opening jitters."

E.M.

Needless to say, you have all scared me greatly. But I will give Zapatista a try and report back. It could be worse -- I could be going to Chi Chi's. When Dudley Nieto was at Chapulin (on Halsted, later followed by Aubriot and who knows what now), I thought the food was very good so I figure it's at least worth one try . . . we'll see. Thanks for all of the feeback!

Tonight was the night -- finally tried Zapatista. Overall, not very impressed with the food. Our waiter was ok . . . certainly friendly, but perhaps a bit pushy trying to get us to order more than we did -- in particular pushing the guacamole and salmon ceviche (Erik M.'s comments scared me away from the ceviche).

Then, the worst question: "Have you been here before?" When we answered "no," he responded way too enthusiastically, "you're gonna love it!" Remind me to answer "YESSSSS" in the future to such questions.

Started off with a pumpkin margarita -- yes, PUMPKIN! It was outstanding -- pumpkin, cinnamon, orange and chile powder and the glass was dusted with ground, toasted pumpkin seeds. This was a fantastic drink and gave me high hopes for the remainder of the meal (which were not fulfilled).

They place chips and salsa on the table immediately. The chips were awful -- tasteless, not warm and some even slightly stale. The salsa had promise with chipotle undertones but was thinned out too much to be special.

We shared the tableside guacamole -- same as the one Nieto introduced at Adobo years ago. It was very good, even though the avocados in our serving might have been slightly underripe.

My main course was the red snapper in the green pumpkinseed mole. The snapper was cooked perfectly. However, the mole was a little too heavy on the tomatillos and not as complex a green mole as I have had elsewhere in town. The snapper was one of a few specials offered on the menu. I was mildly disappointed with the menu because of the numerous been-there-done-that Tex-Mex classics such as burritos, tacos & fajitas. Sure, the preparations looked more interesting than Chi Chi's, but overall, it seemed like a dumbed-down Mexican restaurant.

I don't really have any real strong feelings one way or the other on Zapatista, but with all of the outstanding Mexican choices in Chicago, I'm not likely to return.

What's next? A Peruvian Restaurant called the Shining Path?

I had dinner at Zapatista in the South Loop last weekend. I had read mixed reviews about this place and thought I would give it a try.

We lucked out and were able to park right across the street in a tight spot and avoid the $10 valet. Parking can be at a premium in this area. We had a reservation and were seated immediately.

The waiter came quickly and we ordered the house margaritas. They came in large tumblers and were good, not too strong. The guacamole prepared tableside was recommended so we went with it. A girl came by with the cart and prepared it to order. The guacamole was served with warm chips and a smoky salsa that reminded me a bit of the Frontera salsa you can buy in the jars. (I like that salsa so it is not an insult.) The guacamole was good if a bit of a small portion for three people. The bowl made it look like a lot more.

On to the entrees. I ordered a taco platter that allowed you to choose 3 different tacos and came with rice and beans. The tacos were good, if a bit bland. The fish taco was the best of the bunch. My companions ordered the combo fajitas (shrimp, steak and chicken) which came in a large lava rock dish (I can’t remember the exact name) to keep them warm. The vegetables and cheese were also warm in the dish rather than being on the side. This made for some messy fajitas with everything melted together. Warm flour tortillas and a dish of beans came with them. I didn’t try the fajitas, but was assured they were good. Portions were a bit skimpy of the three meats. It was billed as shareable, but two big eaters would have went home hungry.

The dessert list didn’t excite us at all, so we headed to the Chicago Chocolate Company on Randolph for sweets afterwards.

I would give Zapatista an okay rating. If I lived in the neighborhood I would probably go back. The prices were fair and the service was good (except for the bus people taking away our plates before we were finished!)

I was planning to go there with my new friend but with these reveiws I have made different plans.

I love this site thanks.

What's next? A Peruvian Restaurant called the Shining Path?

Naming a restaurant "Zapatista" is the 2005 equivalent of naming it, in 1975, "Che Guacamole's."

Mike G wrote:

What's next? A Peruvian Restaurant called the Shining Path?

Naming a restaurant "Zapatista" is the 2005 equivalent of naming it, in 1975, "Che Guacamole's."

Perhaps "Hat Dance" -- oh wait . . . didn't Lettuce Entertain You already do that . . . and now it's Nacional 27???

BR wrote:Needless to say, you have all scared me greatly. But I will give Zapatista a try and report back. It could be worse -- I could be going to Chi Chi's. When Dudley Nieto was at Chapulin (on Halsted, later followed by Aubriot and who knows what now), I thought the food was very good so I figure it's at least worth one try . . . we'll see. Thanks for all of the feeback!

BR and others:

Is Dudley Nieto affiliated with Zapatista? The mention of him in the above post caught my eye and I read through the whole thread looking for further mention of him but did not find it.

I know he is a well know figure with a good (or great?) reputation BUT I had also heard that he was somehow affiliated with another, now (mercifully) defunct Mexican place in the South Loop, Lindas Margueritas, which produced the most incredibly bland Mexicanoid food I have ever encountered. Just wondering about the history of Mr. Nieto in the Chicago food scene, for it seems he has been involved in places of rather disparate quality.

TIA for further info...

Antonius

I understand that Nieto is the executive chef. I don't know of all his past ventures, although I know he was at Frontera Grill once upon a time, and he was the chef at Chapulin on Halsted and Adobo Grill. I was very impressed with those restaurants when he was chef at each.

Thus, his presence at Zapatista encouraged me to give it a try, but I came away unimpressed. I wouldn't care if the food was Tex-Mex and less than authentic Mexican (or even just "Tex") if it was well executed. But I was just not impressed.

I am not sure if Nieto is/was ahead of his time, or if he is just good at self-promotion and plying the press.

I took a one night class from him through Francis Parker School when he first opened Chapulin. The class was o.k., but not impressive. We had dinner there the next week, again, o.k. but not impressive. It seems whenever I have seen his name since, the restaurant closes soon...o.k., maybe he is not so good at the press thing.

Never thought I'd be starting an LTH post like this, but: I ate at Zapatista last night for a celebratory dinner for work. I thought that maybe the proximity to Opera might bode well...I was so wrong. This was a really disappointing meal, with parts that were just awful.

The caesar salad has to be among the worst 10 things I've ever eaten. In an effort to be "authentic" or something, Parmesan is replaced by queso fresco, which is exactly as bad as you're thinking. The dressing had no tang, no bite, no flavor. I was eating a plate of damp lettuce.

My carne asada tapenquena was serviceable, but nothing special, and really not as good as you'd get at Arturo's. Drinks were fine, but, oddly, they don't have horchata...when asked why, the waiter said that they couldn't have it with a kitchen full of Mexicans, it'd be gone in 20 minutes! Ha ha! They've really addressed that problem with a menu of middling food.

Funny to see your posting. I looked this place up and saw the last post was in 2005. I had a gift certificate I received from work and it expired today. So, I had to use it. I just got take out and ordered fajitas for 2...beef, chicken, and shrimp, shrimp enchiladas, and beef enchiladas. The fajitas were bland, the beef was tough, the chicken dry, but the shrimp was cooked fine. The fajitas needed seasoning and not overcooked. The shrimp and beef enchiladas were okay. I would not have eaten here if I didn't have a gift certificate. I don't live far and would just make the drive to Pilsen if I wanted some whatever this place is. Looks like not much has changed since it opened. I had to wait 5 mins before anybody paid attention to me at the concierge/take out counter.