Food was amazing! Do not get a margarita those happen to be trash. But everything food wise was awesome! Our server was so busy had tables all across the restaurant and was still able to provide excellent care! read more

Guacamole is the best ever, lengua tacos delicious, service is fantastic even though they are short staffed

Great Mexican option for us. Everyone who has ever served us has been so kind. They have the best mole poblano sauce! They are also super kid friendly! Easy and relatively cheap eat for the entire family. The pollo loco is really yummy and so is the taco salad. The chips and salsa are delicious as well. read more

If you're going to eat food this place has food. Food for people and maybe pets. Food had texture and definitely made up of different kinds of food. I would recommend going while you are hungry to ensure you really get food in your belly. read more

The lack of people in the establishment would have been the warning!! Good was typical, boring and salty. Way overpriced for what was served. Not on our list of restaurants to return to. read more

Service was very slow. Very few customers in the restaurant at all. Order was not correct and waitress never bothered to come back to the table except to bring the check. read more

It's hot as h3ll inside. Food is not authentic whatsoever, and they make the portions huge to makeup for the lack of taste. Great waiter though read more

Worst service I have ever had! We sat down and it took 30 mins to get water then 20 more minutes to get our margaritas. There were only 3 other tables in the restaurant. The cheese dip was VERY watery... ew! When the food got to our table two of the dishes we ordered were wrong and the dishes came out slow and sporadically. We asked to talk to a manager and our server said there was no one there that was in charge. Our server, she was aloof and did not seem to care about the service or our experience. Nothing was done to compensate our horrible experience! Very disappointed because we go to the one on Emerald Isle and have always had a good experience. Won't be going back. read more

LOVEEEEE the AB location but NOT the Morehead one. Chicken nachos are the best! Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu...

I felt like I was in a cafeteria. The food was horrid. Our order was wrong when it came out, waiter went to fix it and it came back nasty...the food was slapped on our plates within minutes of reordering. It was just bad. Oh and service was not friendly either. Ended up at McDonald's for a sprite to settle my stomach. read more

Chicken Nachos are SO YUMMY! Rice and beans are on point too! It can get really busy inside so I suggest calling in a take out order if you don't have much time. Though I've had a hard time getting anyone on the phone at times. Fried Ice cream is always fun and pretty dang yummy too! Good Mexican joint that has been around for a while! read more

I have never been disappointed in a restaurant before I have even received my food! The only person who smiled at us was the girl who seated us. Usually you are greeted with a smile and chips and salsa, but not here. Our server mumbled a hello before asking for our drink order..still no chips and salsa. The sever returns with our drinks and takes our food order...still no chips and salsa. When we ask another server for them she only nods her head and walks away. So sad... the food was on point! Food 5 stars Service -100 stars read more

Went on taco Tuesday. Everything was really hectic but they got us in pretty quick and our server was also the bartender, He was a hustler! He works so fast and efficient we got our food in no time and drinks and everything was so delicious. Because we just did the taco Tuesday, it wasn't rife with all the junk like guacamole and salad and refried beans. I will say hands-down the best Mexican restaurant experience I have had in a long time! And if you read my reviews you will see I've been to quite a few because I am a connoisseur of spicy and delicious foods from south of the border. No come summer, this place will be probably too busy for me to be able to visit but it was nice to go in there and get great food and great service before it gets too busy. read more

Food is good.The salsa (which is one of the things we gage a mexican restaurant by) was good as well. Service is prompt. Only waiters here. Havent seen any waitresses when weve been there. Wait time is normal. Price range is also reasonable. They have an upstairs that gives you a nice view. This location is down by Atlantic beach.Dress is casual. I recommend just about everything with a cold Negra Modelo. Went BACK in December of '08 , and that morning it had burned to the ground! A Sad day for Atlantic Beach. But, Good news! El Zarape is moving to New Bern, N.C Yay, me....five minutes from home. read more

The service here will completely ruin your experience. The entire staff and management team are completely clueless. I've been here multiple times on trips to the beach and the service never gets better. If its possible, it actually gets worse. There is simply no organization to anything that is done here. The food is good but not worth the aggravation of bad service and wait times. Definitely avoid this place at all costs. You've been warned. read more

As of 6/23/2018, this place is NOT closed, and it is packed with people! Pretty good food and drinks! read more

The food was pretty good, but the service was horrible. I could understand if someone quit and they were suddenly short handed, but past yelp reviews mention the same issues. It took about 10 minutes before our drink and food order was taken, easily a full 30-40 minutes from the time we arrived till we got our food. Staff started loudly arguing with each other on the restaurant floor right next to customers at tables. The manager didn't have enough people on staff, and the staff he did have didn't mind yelling at him on the floor as well. Food isn't worth the wait and after adding more staff they need to learn to keep arguments away from customers ears. read more

We come here every year while in A.B. Great food, nice atmosphere, great service, and centrally located. We wat a lot of Mexican..5 stars!

I depend on Yelp for helping me choose restaurants. El Zarape was surprisingly much better than its reviews. They definitely satisfied our grandsons need for a taco fix. Upon entering we were greeted by smiling, friendly waite staff. The menu was very deep in terms of choices. Our grandsons have very specific requirements for their taco order and received their tacos exactly as ordered. We grandparents ordered shrimp dishes and were extremely pleased. I rarely give five stars on first visit but our experience warranted it. read more

The salsa was not good, the service was great though! Overall, the food was awful and super salty. My wife got the beef tip chimi and neither one of us could eat it. Ummm.... We will not return. We love Mexican food and eat it at least once or twice a week, so on vacation we like to try new local places. This one is a dud... read more

Great food and drinks at a fabulous price. Something for everyone. Great for families and friends. Not completly authentic, but a great MX meal when you have a craving read more

El Zarape - Yummy cold magaritas! - Mexican Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Good food and good service! Nothing overly amazing but a full house is a good endorsement. Staff was friendly and took good care of us. Would eat here again. read more

We had a great experience with El Zarape. Food was delicious, aside from the tortilla for my fajitas. Very busy but was able to get bar seating immediately. Our bartender Myra was awesome! Definitely a place to go. read more

I went to El Zarape tonight and was more than happy with the food. I am a very fussy eater and even more when it comes to Mexican food....the food was amazing and there was more than any one person can eat. I highly recommend this restaurant for Mexican. Now the bad...the parking stinks...there are not enough spots to support a restaurant of that size. We had to wait for a parking spot since there is no where else nearby to park. We waited for about 40 minutes and then we were put right near the bar...which was very crowded with young, very loud teenagers. Overall it was a good meal. read more

The only reason I didn't give this place 1 star is that the margaritas were fabulous. The service was sub par. The food was just bad. Two of us arrived and ordered. A few minutes after we ordered, the table next to us was seated. They were served before we were, even though our food was nothing out of the ordinary. But I guess it takes a long time to completely burn the food they served us. The waitress seemed uninterested. I'd come back for the margaritas but nothing more. read more

The food was great. The waitresses were very nice. If you look for that as a main attraction, then you have the right place. The problem was the food had many mistakes. My brother had his drink taken for a refill and we had to remind the wait staff multiple times for his drink to be refilled. They were very apologetic and accidentally brought out 2 for him. They gave me refried beans with my enchilada (which was delicious.). I can't really complain about this place that much. I guess I'm being a little too critical. 7/10 would recommend. Loved the beachside views. read more

Not sure whats going on... Been coming here for years for the great food and service has slways been fine. Been sitting here for 2hrs, no word as to what is going on, a real shame. Something about a cook not showing up, but it seems more than that. Dissapointed because I have always liked this place. Hope they turn it around. :( - Thankfully the food was good. read more

I stopped by the restaurant after diving that afternoon. I waited a good twenty-minutes to get seated, and another 45-minutes to get my food. When it arrived, the chicken seemed dry and the re-fried beans lacked taste. Next time I come down for diving, I will probably try another place. The salsa for the complimentary chips was awesome, though!!! read more

Do not eat here. Wait times are longer than they say, service is slow. Was told they were making cheese dip and it came out cold and clumpy. After waiting on food we were told they were out of rice. When food came out it was mediocre at best! read more

The service was horrible had to wait 30 minutes to be seated when there were others open. The food was ok but very over priced spent 60$ for Fajitas an appetizer portion of beef nachos and 2 quesadillas. Was not a good experience. read more

Large portions, great sweet tea, great cheese dip, great wait staff. Overall would return for my Mexican desires while on vacation.

I stopped in on a Tuesday night with a party of three. While waiting on the host/hostess I couldnt help but notice plenty of empty tables and booths. Much to our surprise we were told it'd be a 30 minute wait. We inquired about sitting at the bar but were informed that wasn't possible so we were given a buzzer and rudily dismissed. While sitting on the porch outside we observed a couple walk in and then come out with a buzzer. After about ten minutes their buzzer went off and they went inside. The young man was kind enough to come back out and inform us they were seated in a booth. Apparently he had heard our conversation about empty booths and not being allowed to sit at the bar. When we went inside to ask how people that arrived after us wete seated before us the hostess became combative. We kindly returned their buzzer and took our patronage elsewhere. Never again! read more

20 min wait to be seated with almost noone in the seating area by 6pm. Seating stashed in the corner. Needs a curtain to cover the junk in the corner. Looked to be under staffed. Staff is running everywhere to get stuff done. Service was so slow. Food was barely warm... over an hour to get our food. They offered to remake but we couldn't wait another hour read more

Tonight was my first time going and I will be back! My mom and I agree that this is our new favorite Mexican restaurant. Food was so good, our waiter was also the bartender and he had a great attitude and the service was great! read more

great portions for good prices, delicious, excellent attentive and kind service. drinks were incredible - pina colada and frozen margs so tasty! short staffed but still showed us an amazing time for an amazing meal. can't recommend higher! read more

horrible fucking service. no sherley temples either. i didn't get a drink for 15 min after being seated and the drink was way to cold. the lights are dim asf and these damn little kids bother me. fuck em read more

Food was excellent. Margaritas were great. They have a great selection for those of us who like to stick to a vegetarian diet. The service was a bit lacking, but that's just one experience. Eat here! read more

This place is amazing!!! The staff ensures all our needs were met. We come here each time we are at the beach. Come hungry.... The portions are huge and the price is perfect. The entire family always loves it...we will definitely be back.. read more

El Zarape - The burrito was bigger than an arm. . And amazing!! - Mexican Near Me - Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Great food. Service was quick and attentive. Huge menu with a large variety of Mexican foods. Carne asada was amazing. Last year we stopped by. For their great pitchers of margaritas. Will definitely come back. read more

Food was very good. Atmosphere was very good. The service was not very good (they apologized and claimed it was busy, which it was).