I was greeted and seated upon entry. I was surprised to learn the restaurant has been family-owned and operating for over 40 years. My server was very attentive and excellent with assisting me maneuver the extensive menu. The menu has tons of variety. I wanted nachos but it was cool out so I also ordered the chicken soup. The 1/ 2 order of supreme nachos was plenty for me and I took the chicken soup with me! Everything was made to order! Fresh, hot and tasty! The dining area is very cozy and inviting! I definitely plan to visit when I'm in the area again! read more

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WOW!! THIS FOOD IS REALLY REALLY GOOD!! I WOULD FIGHT A GORILLA FOR ANOTHER BITE!! Had Camarones a la Diabla, great taste, seasoned very well but not spicy! Whoch is still really good!! And I had Camarones Zapata, and DAMN!! This is really delicious!!! Service was fast and ambiance was great also!! This is a hidden GEM!! read more

Cool lively Mexi pad came highly recommended from local Latino friend; Been a staple of the Rome Broad St netherworld for decades I understand. :) Lively place with many tables encircled by 3 wides playing random shows. Waitstaff very kind, helpful, and speedy; Truly hardworking; making Sure u v happy. Menu was quite expansive, actually enormous- Dozens of Seafood, Steak Entrees, Pollo dishes, Veggie Plates, Fajitas, Enchiladas, Tacos, Etc.. Etc.. .. Dishes I've tried were right on and tasty. If u in a mood to eat a bit lighter on the evening; Highly recommend the Crispy Chicken Salad. Hit the spot. Will certainly be back when in a Mexi mood in the Rome area. read more

The parking spots might be difficult to find in the weekend or holiday. But we came by on a Tuesday afternoon so there's still plenty of street parking close to the restaurant. My boyfriend is a loyal eater of this family restaurant since he was a kid growing up. So, when he show me around his hometown, this is our option for dinner. They have a good variety of dishes in the menu and the price is affordable. It seems that many of diners are frequent customers, so the ambience does have that family business vibe when the servers know almost everyone. Our server is friendly and very accommodative with my request for the simple fish tacos. We had cheese dip, quesadilla lucas, fish taco (grilled tilapia), and pineapple juice drink. The dishes taste fresh of the stove. The grilled fish are still burning hot when being served but I like it that way. They cooked the fish well too, tender, and not too burned. I will definitely come back here the next time I have the chance to be in town. Side note: their menu photos in Yelp are uploaded from the business owner, so it's properly sized and clear for menu reference, which I really appreciate. read more

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Food and services good. Ambience is casual. Almost too casual. But have never been disappointed in the food--well prepared and authentic Mexican food. read more

Service was fast and friendly . No blaring music a plus. I ordered a draft beer that came in a chilled mug..bonus. Poblano steak dish was very good!! I will be back! read more

The service is so amazing! Everyone is so sweet and wonderful, I love it! The food is also amazing. The onions in this enchilada were so incredible. Would definitely come again! read more

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant - Shrimp enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Rome, Georgia

The food was amazing and the workers are super friendly. service was fast and efficient. The inside is beautiful with decorations that make the inside appear as a house!! super cool read more

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Surprisingly, I was really impressed. I always say that the way you know if a Mexican restaurant is good is by the taste of their beans and rice and let me tell you, they were sooo tasty. Customer service was amazing. My server was really attentive and down to earth. The Agua de Mango (mango water) was amazingly tasty. It tasted really fresh. Not sure if it was fresh but it tasted fresh LOL. My favorite thing about the drink was that it came in a frozen beer mug so it really kept the drink cold. The plate that I ordered was Pollo asado. It sounded yummy so I thought I'd give it a try. Like I mentioned previously the rice and beans were great and the side salad was great but I wasn't too much of a fan of the chicken. The chicken was a little too dry for my liking. Id definitely eat here again and give a different plate a try. read more

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This is undoubtedly the best Mexican I've ever had and I eat Mexican all over the country. The salsa was balanced perfectly. We guacamole had a fantastic brightness that just was chefs kiss. We had the loco rice and man the steak and chicken was cooked to perfection. They add pico to their loco rice. Made the meal stand out. We live in Calhoun but we will be back to this location often. For the record we also got some good off menu salsa from the restaurant running Uncle our name for him, but he was awesome and ran all over the restaurant making sure everybody was good. If you live within a 50 mile radius of this place you have to try it. read more

I ate here and I usually get a taco salad and a Horchata. I loved the food. I always take it to go because I like to eat at home because I stay by myself I don't really have anybody to go out and meet with but they're so quick with their orders and they get it to you so fast when you come in, they're willing to help anybody that comes with anything that they have going on and I really appreciate that. I would totally eat here again. read more

Excellent food, service, portions and drinks. The rest of these words are only here so that there's enough words to post the first sentence. Just give this place a try. read more

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Love EL Z!!' Always friendly service and the food is wodnerful! Our go to Mexican every time.

Good portions, cheap prices, big space, nice staff.. what more can you ask for?! More authentic than TexMex which was a nice surprise. Huge menu with every option you can think of. The hand made guacamole was delicious! read more

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant - Modelo Michelada - Mexican Near Me - Rome, Georgia

If you love authentic chiles poblanos, tlapeño soup, or tamales, they have them and they're affordable and absolutely delicious

When your menu states "skirt steak" in a burrito, you need to have "skirt steak " in it. What was on mine was sirloin with a lot of gristle in meaning it's a very low quality "sirloin steak". False advertising is a sin in the restaurant industry. Change your menus if you're going to give people the old "bait and switch". The food lacked flavor, substance, honestly Taco Bell is better. Service was good but all the meat was overcooked so that means they cook their food night(s) before and then reheat it on the flat grill. Which causes the overcooking. I know this because I worked in many Mexican restaurants and understand the tricks of the trade. Two suggestions give people what is listed in your menu is and STOP precooking the meat, quality of expediency. read more

El Zarape Mexican restaurant has been a go to of mine on Broad Street for many years. I was able to find a parking spot right in the front today so I was able to have lunch there. It's been a while since I've eaten there and I was hoping that the lunch would be as good as usual. I was very disappointed. I ordered the lunch fajita Texana and it was burnt, everything was burnt I was shocked at how terrible it tasted. I will not be dining there again, as there are so many better Mexican restaurants here in Rome. read more

Food is spectacular!! Great service! Love going here. Enjoy here every time we go here. Great place to enjoy a good meal. read more

Steak fajita was extremely bland. No seasoning and no salt. Texas margarita was seemingly wo alcohol. Cheese dip was not spicy. Had jalapeño in it but not able to taste. The price of the items was reasonable. However I would rather pay more for good and spicy steak meat. And drinks that have flavor and alcohol. Sat outside and service was fair. Somewhat slow and place was fairly empty. read more

Nice place in downtown Rome! Service was great, our waitress was always making sure that we had what we needed. Their guacamole is a 10. I also ordered the Molcahete and it was delicious, filled with chicken, beef and shrimp. We will be back for sure! read more

Great food. Great atmosphere. The place is surprisingly large inside. Tony was an amazing host having fun with the people dining in and with the staff. Staff was very friendly and attentive. Would recommend. read more

Always great service and delicious food. Definitely recommend if you love authentic Mexican food.

Best Mexican food I've ever had. Reasonable prices, amazing service, and some very good cheese dip. I will only eat here when I am in Rome from now on. read more

After a few disappointing trips to Las Palmas (hit and miss service and random charges for unordered drinks and side items) and realizing that it is impossible to get in and out of Mi Alazon in under 90 minutes, I decided to take my show on the road to El Zarape. EZ was my regular Mexican place back in my undergrad days. It's been a Broad St. staple for years. Here's the skinny on The Rope: * Service - among Mexican restaurants in Rome, I feel that El Zarape reigns supreme. The servers are attentive, friendly, and helpful. I've been there several times and so far, I have no complaints. The restaurant is family-owned, and you will see the same faces over and over. This is a great thing as the friendly owner will always come great you and sometimes treat you to a free dessert to make you smile. * Food - about average. I'm a fan of the Annette's Special, a burrito served with chicken or steak and chorizo, peppers, and mushrooms. Because this is the South, the entire thing is then covered in queso and served with rice and beans. Both the rice and beans taste like they came out of a bag and can respectively, so they lose some points there. The burrito, though, is yummy. The tortillas definitely aren't homemade, but if you want homemade Mexican in Rome you have to go to Mi Alazon and be prepared to spend all night trying to get your server's attention. I also recommend the chiles poblanos. You can ask for them to be stuffed with grilled chicken, and that really adds some good flavor to the dish. I tried to poblanos Jason (deep fried poblano peppers) and didn't like them - I just didn't care for whatever batter they used and that kinda ruined it for me. My friend, however, gets them every time, so I can't say conclusively that it's just a bad dish. Gotta mention the chips and salsa. They're boring. The chips are fine but the salsa is bland, and it's served in a large community bowl. This is something Las Palmas gets right by giving each diner their own small bowl. * Price - about in line with other Mexican restaurants. Dinner entrees range from $8-12 depending on what you want to get. They have cheap domestic beer specials, but if you're a snob like mio they don't really have specials on the good stuff. They do have a frequent customer card where every seventh (or is it eighth? Whatever, I'm too lazy to go check my purse) meal earns you a free cheese dip or drink. That's a nice bonus. All in all, it is not a perfect restaurant but it is very solid. If you're looking for reliable food in a friendly atmosphere that won't break the bank, try El Zarape. Just don't expect the food itself to completely blow you away. read more

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My husband and I have been here three times in the lobby waiting for 5 to 15 minutes to be seated for lunch or dinner. Not a busy place. Dirty tables everywhere. Never even saw a host or wait person or greeter or anyone. I'm amazed they are still open... read more

Met here for late lunch on cinco de mayo Salsa was delicious! A variety ordered from the menu was all served hot and flavorful. 4/5 for worn menus and seating. Eric was our server and was very courteous and prompt. read more

They could not have cared less if we were there or not. Started off ok with friendly server... then completely went off of the rails. Never saw him again. Delivery boy brought me my dish and it wasn't how I ordered it - he rolled his eyes and said well that's usually how it comes. I let it go because I could see it was going to be a big thing. Never received refills, more chips, or even got checked on. We were sitting outside and my wife even went inside and asked for more drinks. They never came. After we tracked down someone to take our money we got out. I hope this is not the new norm for the service industry in our country. It was more of an attitude thing than being short staffed... there were plenty workers there ignoring us. Food was just ok. read more

Great food, excellent service, a fun evening! The margaritas were delicious as well... Thanks

Here before theater. Very busy and crowded with happy people. Food could be better prepared Street tacos: meat black on one side. Fish tacos a bit short on fish. Cheese dip ok. Margarita good. Service was fast. Josie was server and gets 4 stars. read more

Everything! Best Mexican in Rome! Been going there for about 35 yrs and never had a bad meal or experience!

Had a nice dinner. Even though we came kind of late for dinner, we got a nice service. Food was tasty and fresh. The portions were pretty big, we even took leftovers home. read more

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Pretty good food here good environment and kind staff. We waited about 4 minutes at the front for staff to come so we could pay. Food portions were a little small. read more

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Rome, Georgia

My husband and I had our first date here, we have both been coming for over 30 years but tonight was the last. Friday night about 9pm we arrived and ordered, an employee named Noelle (spelling?) possibly a family. Ember not sure, male was sitting out side with 5 other individuals. They were so loud and rude I finally went in and complained. They obviously said something to at least some of them. We hurriedly finished as we could not even hear each other talk. One of the employees friends, a young woman smarted off to us, I stopped and shared with them what they had done to our dinner. The employee sat there, said nothing, no apology. Carlos & Hermelinda I'm sorry but we can't come back, this was not acceptable, whoever Noelle is he felt comfortable sitting outside with these rude individuals and being so loud he ran off good customers. read more

"The Blanket" would get a solid four stars from me but that self serve salsa bar bumped it up to five stars. I tried two of the several salsas and they were excellent. One was very chunky with lots of cilantro and a great after bite. I loved it. The other was a more watery greenish colored salsa and very good too. I ordered the special of the night which was shrimp with peppers and pineapple. It was delicious. Good service from a very friendly server. read more

Jerry T, you are out of your mind. Why on earth would anybody keep moving. I read this and believed her review until tonight. We ate here and LOVED it. Super authentic, amazingly fresh. Very good service. Can't find anything I didn't like about this place :) read more

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant - Carne asada tacos. They were great !!!! - Mexican Near Me - Rome, Georgia

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Food Poisoning all three of us still trying to recover. Ate there on Saturday 1/9/202. we all ate different things but we all had rice/beans and shared cheese dip and salsa. food poisoning going on 13 hours!!!' not worth it the 40$ spent. 1 plate burrito/chalupa- chicken 2 plate ground beef burrito 3 plate chicken and ground beef read more

Amazing food, but even better service. You can't find better anywhere else! I've been eating here since it opened when I was just a teenager and it was the place to be. Others may have came to Rome, but El Zarape will always be the OG & the best! read more

El Zarape has the best people and the best food. This is my favorite Mexican restaurant ever. The people are so sweet and take good care of their customers. I've never had a bad experience. read more

To go portions are not what I expected. $9 for a shrimp quesadilla with not even a shred of lettuce nearby. No sour cream? Maybe my expectations are too high for takeout? Maybe dining in is different? Regardless, just something to keep in mind. read more

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Rome, Georgia

I love this place. Super friendly staff. Management. Great food. Really respected in the community. Never had a bad experience there. I have met the owners and I am so impressed with how they treat each other and their customers. Food is great. A few spaces to sit outside are nice. Keep doing what you do. I love El Z. read more