Several weeks back we went here for lunch while on a weekender trip at the coast. The place was very spacious and clean inside. We were there on a day that was not very busy so we almost had the place to ourselves. We took a table by the window overlooking the water, very nice. Our waitress was very friendly, helpful, and even a bit playful. We like that. Chips and salsa - chips were average but the salsa was pretty darn good Appetizer: Jalapeno poppers - definitely above average. Seemed like they might have even been homemade. The jalapenos even had some kick to them. A lot of places serve poppers that don't even have any heat. These had a kick - and what's the point of a popper without a kick? Both of us had quesadillas, he had veggie, I had chicken. Both were tasty and a good value for the price. His veggie ones seemed actually more loaded than the chicken ones, made me wish I'd ordered them. Pitcher of beer - domestic - fairly priced and served good and cold. All in all a very nice meal and we would definitely go back when in the area. read more

The best Mexican cook in the world works here!! Wait staff also 2nd to none!! The food is awesome, atmosphere just fantastic!! All around an awesome place - - been there many times too so not just a one time good experience. read more

All the El Zarape's do OK mexican. VERY FAST SERVICE! That is really what brings us back. You will have food very soon and the price is great. We prefer the one next to Sears though. read more

just there last week. great food, terrific quantities, good service. not just tex mex but more authentic recipes available too. note that the phone number is incorrect but the address is right - south of the bridge, on the east side of the road. read more

Food is great. Way better than Plaza Mexico in Morehead. The reason it gets 2 stars is because customer service is terrible compared to Plaza Mexico. It was super hot in there and it took forever to get my tortillas that they forgot in the first place. Also we stood for a while for anyone to even come and seat us. Great food, horrible service. read more

Had two great meals here. Great salsa, good service, fine entrees.

Extremely poor service. I've eaten here on more than one occasion but I won't return. You shrug off the 1st bad experience, but two in a row did them in. Look elsewhere for a meal on the island. read more

The food at this restaurant was decent. Unfortunately, we had waited so long and had such poor service that the overall experience was pretty terrible. First, we sat at our table for a long time without menus. Finally, we were able to order drinks, and our server was very quick to get out chips, but we had finished the chips before we even ordered because he was so slow. The poor service continued when the food took so long we were ready to get up and leave. The server finally stopped by to see how our meal was when we were almost done. We made the mistake of not asking for the check then and we waited forever longer to get it. Quote from my 3 year old... "Can we leave now? I'm all done"...In reality we hadn't even gotten our food yet! The whole experience took 2 hours...for Mexican food!!? No thanks! read more

This is a tradition place for us when we go to the beach... Food is excellent and the place is clean.

Amazing food and service! My husband and I are Very picky with Mexican food. This place knocked it out of the park! The portion sizes are BIG and very flavorful! read more

Went outside for a cigarette. Some of the staff was too. Overheard them talking bad about the customers, especially the tourists. Heard them talk about how they got back on us by not washing their hands after going the the restroom, how they lick their fingers before serving us our plates and drinks, how the dishwasher spits in the rinse water, and how they intentions drop the utensils. Don't worry folks. I've already called the board of health. read more

We arrived a little before 5:30 pm on a Friday evening, seated immediately, quickly greeted with chips and salsa. Waiter was very 'authentic' and made an honest attempt to be helpful. The restaurant filed quickly and the waiter became somewhat scarce. Waited as much as 10 minutes for a new round of drinks. Food was good, and portions were large. read more

I was told I would not find a good Mexican restaurant in the area but was pleasantly surprised. The food here is authentic, very tasty.

El Zarape is my favorite place to order combo fajitas- beef, chicken, shrimp - even over our restaurants where I live in the DFW area. I was so looking forward to enjoying carry out at my sisters house - even before I arrived in NC. Unfortunately, the food was very marginal. The vegetables seemed to be straight from the frig and not cooked. The salsa tasted like a lot of chili powder had been used and there was no cilantro. I was told I had to choose between rice and beans, so I ordered beans and a side of rice. One container had beans And rice - so the side of rice wasn't necessary. I know what this meal is supposed to be like from ordering many times before - but if I'd been dining in, I would have sent it back. Sorry El Z's ... please be better next time I visit! read more

Awesome salsa and exceptional service! Really appreciated the Mothers Day discount too.

Excellent food and service. Everyone at our table was happy with their food. It was very busy for a Thursday night. Delicious salsa with the chips. read more

The staff is fabulous and work very hard!! The food is 'different' from any other Mexican food I have had. Pricey here $$$ ($40.00 for two adults, dinner) read more

Missed the mark on multiple levels... Our family arrived and waited 20 minutes only to then be told to just go upstairs - no escort, no designated table... Then the menu did not reflect the items or the prices of the one online. We then waited another 30 minutes to then get our food which was mostly forgettable - the exception being a cheese quesadilla. The taco salad was really soupy, the jerk chicken dish was bone dry and the chili rellenos were not Chili Rellenos by anybody's definition... Go somewhere else for Mexican or better yet seafood. read more

Was there 2 years ago and wanted to give them a good review. At the time the service was great but I just did take out. The food was also top notch and was a welcome surprise to find on the beach. I would go again if I didn't live in orlando now. read more

Very very tasty Mexican food. Huge portions. The guacamole was made fresh daily. Great service, fast service, I got the Chori-Pollo, which is chorizo and grilled chicken. read more

It's a Mexican restaurant in eastern NC, so it's what you would probably expect. The food is pretty good (but not as good as my favorite Mexican place back home). The service is fast. Good ritas. We come every year. read more

Not the best service I have had while visiting the beach for the week. Waited over an hour for our food out of peak hours and also had our waitress walk past our table plenty of times and not even helped. Not to mention we got charged $40 extra dollars that wasn't on our order. The food was very cold like they just pulled it out of the freezer. read more

This place deserves a high ranking. The food and presentation is always solid, and while there isnt anything over-the-top, there also isn't any premium added to price for location... which is unlike everything else on the island. If you want a real deal, try the Fish Fajitas. Probably close to a full pound of tuna. Delicious and different. read more

My family and I love getting Mexican food on vacation because we are always having seafood. They are very quick with service and take very good care of you and your family! read more

My family of 6 went for lunch on a Wednesday. The food was excellent! Very fair prices. Not very busy about 12:30. However, service was slow and not too great about checking back for refills or if we needed anything else. Overall, would definitely return, food more than made up for slow service! read more

i love it here, along with the 7 other people that were here. our waitress was super nice and friendly which makes me believe she's a virgo. the food was absolutely amazing and smothered with cheese, which no other restaurant does. the inside is also absolutely gorgeous and stunning. the nachos were also pretty good and the salsa was even a bit spicy which makes this restaurant different from all the other places. it's a bit crowded and there may be a wait, but it's worth it since patience is key. i would come here again, 10/10. change of plans, we've asked for a box twice and it's been taking a while, and we've also been waiting for our check for about 10 minutes. i get it's busy but cmon now. There needs to be more workers since it was slow. read more

The food was excellent, but our waitress was unpleasant, bordering on surly.

Everything is pretty good here. Quick service. Not a fan of the tacos, but the other dishes are very good. Highly recommend this place!

Great food, quick service. Only draw back is there isn't a lot of parking. While I love spicy salsa, my kids do not. So we asked so some mild and we received some sauce in a bowl instead. Apparently they do not make mild salsa. read more

First off, when we walked in there was nobody there to seat us and waited a good 10 minutes to be seated. After we got seated we got left with no menus. After about another 10 minutes of waiting we finally got our orders taken for our drinks and it also took a while for them to come out. After he took our order, we waited at least 45 minutes to get our food when in previous visits it usually takes no longer than 15-20 minutes. Still after we got our food we had no silverware and it took him about 5 minutes to bring us some. They were understaffed for the amount of customers. It was a disappointment. read more

Needed something different from the several days of all seafood. The chips n salsa are good and spicy. They have all the usual Mexican foods and an extensive seafood menu. A must! read more

One word: UNDERSTAFFED :Horrible wait, I understand for the beach traffic but the fact that they scratched by party of 8 off the list after we had been waiting 1hr and hadn't been seated is ridiculous. What a shame...... because the food it pretty good! read more

Great & quick service, great food, great prices. This is, by far, my favorite Mexican restaurant - & I even lived in southern CA for awhile. The steak quesadillas are THE best!! read more

The chips taste burnt (try changing the fry oil every few weeks) and after 40 min still no food. We were one of five tables in here. Slowest Mexican joint on the east coast. When the food finally came it was bad and over service was worse. Save your money read more

Food came out fast, it was cheap. Which is a plus. But the chicken was not entirely cooked. It looked normal, and as I was chewing it, it became gummy. Also the waiter never came back to ask how our meals were or refill our drinks. He came back at the end, and gave us our tab then asked if we needed a refill. I was very disappointed and we won't be returning. read more

Good margaritas for the price. Short wait on a Friday night, though the service was a little slow. My food (enchiladas with mole sauce) was very good! read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE! Flies everywhere, dead & alive. The service was incredibly slow. Waited almost 20 minutes just to get our drinks. When our order came 3 out of 4 were wrong, didn't get to tell our waiter for another 20 minutes because never came by to check on us. Ticket wasn't even discounted despite everything that went wrong. Will not be going back. read more

Terrible food and service. First they gave me the wrong food, and argued with me over it! Both the manager and waitress were so incredibly rude and would not do anything to make it right. So rude and food tasted like dog chow. All ppl in our party could not eat their food. It was that bad. And over priced. Taco Bell beats this place. read more

El Zarape has good burritos but remember, they tend to get busy especially on weekends. We had to wait 30 minutes to get a seat during the fourth. Regardless, I feel that the wait was worth the effort and I enjoyed my burrito deluxe. We also had an awesome waiter. read more

Great food , always busy. Typical Mexican fair. Smiling staff. Taco Tuesday is great!