Zapatista! It's Just Fun to Say

Zapatista…it rolls of the tongue nicely and is simply just fun to say…Zapatista. We’ve walked by this lively Mexican restaurant at 1307 S. Wabash well over a 1,000 times and for some reason never went in. We’ve heard good things and judging by the vibe oozing from inside it was finally time to try out this local spot.

It was an impromptu Friday night evening with some friends and thankfully we had no issues getting a reservation at 8pm. When we got to the restaurant it was impossible not to notice the buzz inside. The main dining area was full and the bar was packed. The lighting throughout the place was low and the walls were relatively plan (or at least that's what we remembered).

If you read our review about La Cantina (another solid Mexican spot in the Sloop), you probably remember we love guacamole. So once the waiter came we put in a quick order for the green stuff. The girls went with margaritas and the men went for standard Mexican beer. I personally opted for Dos Equis solely because I’m a sucker for great marketing (and the most interesting man in the world drinks that stuff…stay thirsty my friends). The margaritas were strong and seemed to be well received by the ladies.

The house salsa was ok and had a kick, but honestly wasn’t anything to write home about. The guac on the other hand was great! They had one of those rolling guac stations where the staff makes it right in front of you (although they didn’t actually make it at our table for some reason). It was obviously very fresh, but unfortunately the serving size was relatively small.

Onto the main courses; a Pork Chop, Quesadillas, a Burrito and Tacos. Besides messing up the Burrito order (we asked for no beans) the food came relatively promptly. The results were mixed though. The Pork Chop and Quesadilla got good reviews but the other two were just mediocre. All in all it was a solid experience and something we would definitely recommend (especially if you’re a fan of “Americanized” Mexican).

We will probably head back at some point, but next time we definitely want to sit outside.