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    El Chapin - Wake Forest

    4.7 (40 reviews)
    Closed • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Ceviche De Camaron
    John E.

    We live in North Raleigh, so it's about a 25-minute drive to Wake Forest. The upside is that once you're there, shopping and dining are all close together--making it a convenient outing. After running errands, we drove just six minutes to El Chapin, a Guatemalan restaurant. Forget Tex-Mex--this is a completely different Latin cuisine experience. The two of us spent $76 (including tax and tip), but we intentionally ordered extra to take home leftovers. Parking was easy, right out front, and the restaurant itself is spacious. Since we arrived just a few minutes after opening, we had the place to ourselves at first and were seated immediately. Service was prompt and very helpful--the server even suggested we might have ordered too much food (he was right, but we didn't mind!). Here's what we tried: Plato Chorizo y Longaniza - a sausage platter with salad, rice, refried black beans, and two delicious housemade corn tortillas. Pollo Adobado - marinated chicken with rice, salad, refried black beans and two housemade corn tortillas . Ceviche de Camarón - fresh and tangy, though light on shrimp, which tasted a bit tough Fried Plantains - perfectly done, sweet, and satisfying. Plus, I had an unsweetened iced tea with lemon. The highlights for me were the flavorful rice (with vegetables mixed in, including carrots and squash), the marinated chicken, and the sausages. The plantains were also excellent. The ceviche had great flavor but could've used more shrimp. The only miss for me was the salad--generous in portion but iceberg-based, so a bit bland. Overall, the food was fresh, flavorful, not heavy or greasy, and we left with enough for another one or two meals. We'll definitely be back.

    Chorizo sausage
    Don P.

    I will concede that I was intimidated by the menu. But I will never make that mistake again. Wife and I decided to do all appetizers with beans/rice and plantains. That was a quantity of unexpected proportions. So much food at such a good value. And it all was so good. Also don't pass up the salsa bar. Would highly advise sharing. The entrees are monstrous. We will definitely be going back again (plantains were awesome also).

    Chiles Rellenos
    Isabella Hannah Z.

    I love the food, service, and ambiance it's so good every time. The quality and pricing is amazing

    Seafood soup
    Liliana R.

    I've been to the one in Durham many times and love it, I was expecting to like this one as much as that one but.... Seafood soup was flavorless, I ordered the chapin chuletas and too salty. Service on the other hand was great!!!!!! Oh and mojito was good :-)

    Ceviche (in tomato sauce, so a little different)
    Peter B.

    This is the first Guatemalan restaurant I have visited in Wake Forest and it doesn't disappoint. The staff was incredibly kind and patient with a table full of folks who were tasting the cuisine for the first time. The food was terrific. We got a good variety of dishes across the diners and everything was quite solid. Thr salsa bar had a variety, including some spicy options. The pupusas were the best my family has ever had, and we eat them every month or so. Tortilla chips don't seem to be a Gautemalan thing, so while the salsas are amazing, don't expect all you can eat chips and salsa! Definitely recommend!

    Steak with rice beans and salad
    Ariana T.

    This place was great. As soon as we walked in we were immediately greeted. The menu had many options. The food came out and it looked phenomenal. The portion sizes are big, come hungry. I had chorizo sausages with rice beans and a salad. Hubby got steak with the same sides. Our toddler got corn dogs and french fries. The food was amazing. Even the rice. Yes, the rice. It was so flavorful. The beans as well. The steak and sausages were flavorful. You can tell hard work and talent went into preparing these meals. They also have a store inside and we tried Guatemalan snacks. We will be back.

    Granjero Breakfast
    Rachel W.

    Incredible experience. Fantastic service, amazing food, good vibes. We came for breakfast and will definitely be back. They even hand squeezed our orange juice to order.

    Chicken Asada

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    26 days ago

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    21 days ago

    Great food. Server was super helpful in giving menu advice. Authentic treats and drinks.

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    9 days ago

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    29 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    We have lived in Central America and the food transported us back there! Garnaches, tostados, rellenos! Excellent!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    My husband and I stopped in for lunch. I had the Pollo Dorado and the food tasted great! The chicken soup is delicious!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    I've never had Guatemalan before so this was a great introduction! Authentic Central American cuisine with fair prices and friendly service.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Ehhh , my marg didn't taste like there was any alcohol and our service was super slow and not friendly

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    3 years ago

    A cozy Guatemalan restaurant with a good variety of excellent dishes. Service was helpful and quick.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food is very good. The food is Guatemalan. We tried multiple Appetizers and loved the. The food is fresh.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best customer service and the food is AMAZING! Definitely coming more often and making to go orders for my family and myself.

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    3 years ago

    Delicious food and a great atmosphere! Had the steak skewers, and they were amazing. Can't wait to go back!

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    3 years ago

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    Mamacita

    Mamacita

    4.3(28 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    •$$

    Really REALLY good Mexican food at this spot in Gateway Commons. It was packed on a Weds night,…read morealways a good sign! Menu is straighforward, all of the usual Mexican fare is listed. Tried the Fajita Quesadilla. A beautiful and well stuffed quesadilla is grilled then quartered for the plate. Served with rice and shredded lettuce, guac, pico and sour cream. The portion is big, it's served piping hot within minutes. Margaritas are cold and well mixed - not too strong, not too weak. Shout out to Luis, who took care of us. He is super-attentive, charming, funny and pleasant and does a great job. As an example - we split our entree... and without being asked he brought an extra plate. This might not seem like a big deal, but somehow this nearly never happens unless we ask. Great work, Luis - thank you! This may well turn out to be our go-to Mexican spot in town. GO!

    All Mamacitas are not the same! A few weeks ago I reviewed…read morethe Mamacitas on Capital Blvd - good food and drink with underwhelming service and atmosphere. So we tried the one in Heritage Commons - COMPLETE GAME CHANGER! The food and drink was even better because the staff was friendly, engaging and efficient - and the decor and ambiance wa-a-aay more pleasing and comfortable. I got the exact same things - margarita, wings, and carne asada burrito - the tastiness and presentation of the margarita made my eyes roll back in ecstasy - and the food was delish. I've seen other Yelper's reviews, mostly positive, and gotta tell ya: GO EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF - you won't be disappointed. Very affordable, relaxing and unpretentious - the robot server was a nice surprise and perfect accent. GO. SOON.

    Photos
    Mamacita - Front of Mamacita's Heritage; awesome jalapeño margarita, cool robo server, tasty burrito and amazing staff members.

    Front of Mamacita's Heritage; awesome jalapeño margarita, cool robo server, tasty burrito and amazing staff members.

    Mamacita
    Mamacita - House Margarita

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    House Margarita

    Encore Ristorante - Espresso Cheesecake

    Encore Ristorante

    4.6(42 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    Food, service and atmosphere was all 5star. Good value for the money. Will be back soon!! Thank…read moreyou!

    This place lived up to the ratings. And, we give it 5 stars…read more Everything went so perfectly. Our waiter, Peyton, took the best care of us. When he brought the bread and oil, he was able to take balsamic vinegar and draw the number 25 on the dish (we are soon to celebrate 25 years of marriage). Our 1st course was a plate of Crustini, prosciutto, provolone, burrata and balsamic marinated tomatoes. No problem finishing that. The atmosphere of this place is semi-casual. We were tucked in a little corner of a semi-private room, but could hear the patrons around us. Yet, it was not bothersome. For entrees, we both got pasta. My husband ordered the spinach noodled lasagna, which he told me was great. He couldn't finish his portion. As for me, I got the chicken parmesan with spaghetti. You can tell they used San Marzano tomatoes in their sauce. So good. I too, could not finish, so we get to eat this again. Make a reservation so you don't take a chance as a walk-in or bar patron. We loved that they said our name when we arrived at the proper time. Our waiter told us that the owner is from The Bronx, but he traveled to Bologna, Italy, and gets inspired by the dishes he tried there. Menu changes daily. We love that he went and treated us to some special treats (the dessert was a Limoncello tart. The top of the custard was bruleed, and it was served with tiny spoons and a dollop of real whipped cream. The plate was sauced with raspberry puree. Oh, the bottom was a crunch crust to add texture and flavor. Last thing, my Moscato D'Asti was imported from Italy. I like the pear flavor that comes through while drinking this chilled, bubbly wine. I hope you go there and try someone from the new menu. It will be nice to go again.

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    Encore Ristorante
    Encore Ristorante - Roll with balsamic reduction in olive oil

    Roll with balsamic reduction in olive oil

    Encore Ristorante - Braised short rib and gnocchi

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    Braised short rib and gnocchi

    The Heritage Grille & Wine Barrel - Carpaccio

    The Heritage Grille & Wine Barrel

    4.1(59 reviews)
    1.5 mi

    I really enjoyed this restaurant. The food lived up to my expectations. The fried duck ravioli was…read morepretty good. It had a solid crunch out the outside and it was still flavorful and rich on the inside. The steak was exceptional. Perfectly booked medium rare throughout with a perfect sear. The cheesecake was the only thing I was a little disappointed by. It was good, but it wasn't cheesecake. It was pretty much just cake with a tiny bit of cheese filling. The service was good. Our server and the manager were pretty attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. The ambiance was nice, your typical upscale steakhouse. I didn't get a chance to go into the speak easy but from what I saw it seemed like it'd be a really fun place to grab a drink

    Ate dinner on Sunday evening at the Heritage Grill in the Wine Bar area. The food and service was…read moretop notch. The beef short ribs was perfectly composed with a savory sauce and truffle mash. My wife had a wedge salad and the sautéed shrimp. She is gluten free and the server verified with the chef to make sure he was right on what had gluten and what was gluten free. For semester we had a flourless tort. I would suggest this place for a nicer meal with gluten free options. The Wine Barrel side is more casual, which was nice for us because we wanted a good meal but also wanted to watch the NFL playoff game.

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    The Heritage Grille & Wine Barrel - Martini by the fire table

    Martini by the fire table

    The Heritage Grille & Wine Barrel - Dining room

    Dining room

    The Heritage Grille & Wine Barrel - Sea Scallop Risotto

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    Sea Scallop Risotto

    Cape Fear Seafood Company - Hush Puppy Basket

    Cape Fear Seafood Company

    4.1(125 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    •$$

    Before moving to TN, my best friend and I had our final lunch together at Cape Fear Seafood Company…read moreat the same location she introduced me to the company when we first met. It was a bittersweet moment and I'm glad we chose Cape Fear. Kelly was our waitress and she was outstanding, truly making my last meal at Cape Fear a special one (being that they're a very small chain in NC, I'm unsure if I'll ever be back). The drinks were constantly filled and her service was one of the best I have ever had at any restaurant. I ordered a bunch of food, knowing it would be my last time ever having their risotto, clam chowder, and hushpuppies, along with their delicious fried seafood platter. I had told Kelly I was moving so she made it a spectacular visit and went above and beyond. I will miss Cape Fear. It reminds me of The Hamptons. It's casual but classy. It was a fantastic meal with phenomenal service with an amazing friend. Truly, what could be better?

    Zero stars. I could…read morebe wrong, but I believe this is the first "terrible" review I've left on Yelp. We just left this "restaurant" after horrible service before even finalizing our entree orders. This was our first time trying it, and we were excited because we love all kinds of seafood. The restaurant was not very busy. The waitress was friendly and helpful at first. We ordered a mini-crab cake appetizer, which was brought out promptly. At that point we began placing our entree orders. My wife ordered a flounder basket. I then ordered the shrimp taco meal. My order was to come with 2 tacos. So, I made a simple request: one with grilled shrimp and one with fried shrimp (since they serve both). I then received a lengthy, stammering explanation of how "they" don't let them do that. I offered to pay the higher of the two prices and explained, since it was our first time there, I was hoping to try different options. However, she maintained this could not be done. So, I requested to speak with a manager. She seemed surprised, but said, " okay," and went to the back. For the next 5 minutes, I waited (a bit annoyed, since I was hungry and knew our order was not even in process). After a little more than 5 minutes, she came back and said, "you can still talk to a manager if you would like, but they asked me to explain ..." Then she went into an explanation that didn't make a lot of sense. I also, at this point was not interested in explanations. It was clear to me that this restaurant has no interest in accommodating even the simplest of customers requests. I asked her for our check and told her we would finish our appetizer, pay, and leave. She told me she could get the manager, but at that point, I told her there was no need. It was clear to me the manager tried to avoid having the initial discussion in the first place, hoping the waitress could get me to accept the answer and move on. We paid and left. I'm usually a very generous tipper (maybe even too generous sometimes). I try to error in the direction of more, but less. My wife is the same, having worked in the service industry, including waitressing for many years. In this case, I left no tip, and wrote a brief explanation on the merchant receipt. I had noticed some of the "don't recommend" reviews on Yelp prior to checking it out, but sometimes I view those as one-offs. In this case, I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the reviews indicating they will never be back. Even if ultimately I could not get what I requested, and was even still unconvinced as to a legitimate reason, had this been handled with even a modicum of respect for a paying customer, I likely would have refrained from reviewing at all, instead of this negative review. At no point during this situation was I rude, loud, argumentative, or inappropriate in any way. When a manager doesn't care, that attitude permeates the business. As for the mini crab-cakes, they were okay, but not what I would have expected for the price.

    Photos
    Cape Fear Seafood Company
    Cape Fear Seafood Company - Coleslaw and hush puppies

    Coleslaw and hush puppies

    Cape Fear Seafood Company

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    El Chapin - Wake Forest - cocktailbars - Updated September 2026

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