Finished a hike in the nearby hills and was hungry for some Mexican. Google recommended this place and when I pulled up to park, was gravely disappointed with the exterior. But, gotta admit, it's very Mexican for the area. I parked right against the chainlink fence to keep my dog cool in the shade. It was past 5pm on a Monday night and daylight was waning. The place is small. You see the kitchen as soon as you walk in. You take a right turn into the dining area. The place looks old, but it was clean when I came by. The place wasn't very busy when I first walked in, but my entrance must have started the dinner rush. I sat against the window to have a clear view of my car. I ordered chicken enchiladas and it came out quickly. I also got a bowl of salty pasta soup. Service was prompt. My meal didn't look very appealing, but it wasn't bad. Just really salty for my taste. The chicken had some gristle in it. The beans were runny and on the salty side. But in the end, I ate it all because I was hungry. The meal was also very affordable for $12.99. read more

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Honestly, I think the food here is amazing. It is quick and it is quality. Not only that, but You save her every dish with a bite and it just feels authentic and they literally serve you your food less than about six or five minutes so if you're looking for a restaurant that is has good authentic Mexican food yet it is quick and has quality then I suggest this place if you are close to it in Nogales Arizona. read more

I love coming here to eat, I definitely recommend this place for anyone interested in eating some bomb menudo. You have the option of getting chica or grande for portions. It comes with some toasty warm slices of pan birote that is a must when eating menudo the customer service is fast and you're seated quickly as long as there's tables available bc this place can get packed. Its common to see folks park their cars next door in case the main gets full. The soda is always crispy read more

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Very clean, colorful restaurant. Friendly service. Food was excellent. Have been there several times, always good. read more

Drifting thru Nogales after taking care of business I felt the need for tacos. I thought about walking across the border to hit something on the south. Then I drove past El Zarape. This was good . Nothing special in the way of ambiance but the food was spot on. read more

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Zarape is the place to have breakfast at in Nogales AZ Their menudo is the best (don't tell my mom)!!! Service is fast, prices are ok, parking lot is kind of small but you can easily find extra spots right next to their building. I've also tried the machaca, ham and eggs as well as the breakfast burrito! The place seems small but they do have capacity! read more

Food was great and the service was fast. Only bad part, the parking lot is really small and tight. read more

El Zarape - Chilaquiles with egg. - Mexican Near Me - Nogales, Arizona

Unfortunately, the food is mediocre. Prices are not cheap. Service was adequate. Very difficult to park at this restaurant. Very small area for parking. read more

I eat here a lot, two of my favorites here are the red chile burrito and BP special. The BP (Border Patrol) special is three mini bean and cheese burritos for a dollar and not on the menu. Typically I have them add machaca, a dried beef to the burrito as well but this increases the price. The red chile burrito has a great flavor, is not soggy, and not super spicy; its very mild. They also have the Mexico style lemonade that is made with limes, this is super refreshing on a warm day. Definatrly a recommended local spot to get great food at a reasonable price. read more

El Zarape used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant, unfortunately, something has changed. Sadly the food quality is not as good as it used to be. read more

On our recent trip to Nogales we looked for the restaurant where we ate on our last visit but, unfortunately it was closed. So just down the street we found this place and it turned out to be a good find. We arrived after the lunch crowd left so we had no trouble finding a comfortable booth. Our server came right away and took our drink order. She was back quickly to take our food order. We decided to order two combinations and then share. I ordered the chile relleno, taco dorado and enchilada. My wife got the chimichanga, gordita, and quesadilla. Both were served with a nice portion of rice, a salad and a hot homemade salsa. We shared and both had enough to satisfy our hunger. Everything was delicious and the hot salsa added enough spice to give it a great flavor. If you like authentic Mexican food rather than the pretend Tex-Mex this is a great place to eat. We will return for sure soon and hope they do not close in the meantime. read more

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We had a plate of Birria and a plate with chimichangas. The plate of birria didn't even taste like real birria, and the chimichanga plate seemed to be from a previous day. I was really expecting to have a full belly when I got out but I left starving. read more

Driving down to Nogales for a lunch with stops at the Dove of the Desert and Tumacacori Mission makes for a nice day. We stayed on the American side, got to see that hulking border fence up close and personal and read from fellow Yelpers that the El Zarape is a good place to eat. First impressions: Friendly service, noisy, full of locals (a good sign indeed), in need of floor sweeping, rather high prices for the type of restaurant it is, and dominant aroma was grease. On the food side, the cheese enchiladas and chili rellenos were very good. We had to pay extra for salsa and got no chips. That was surprising. Would we go again? Probably. But it would be fun to try out a couple other places. read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Nogales, Arizona

Okay, I'll try to keep this short and sweet. The food is tasty...home made goodness. I could do without the cook's attitude though. When he'd address me, he'd speak in broken English, slower as though he were talking to a child, and in a condescending manner. Jerk. I may not look Messican, but Spanish was my first language! Anyway, our server was very slow and aloof, but nice. The 5yr old clearing the tables was the cutest thing ever. I guess there are no child labor laws in AZ ;) My friends and I ordered the Beef Birria, Red Menudo, and a Grilled steak plate. Our food arrived before our drinks, my tortillas came warm, but on an open plate with nothing to cover them. Cold corn tortillas are not very tasty...they turn into leather! My friends enjoyed their food, as did I - flavorwise - though my friend and I both agreed that our menudo and birria dishes could have been heated a bit more thoroughly. My guess is, the food is probably heated via a microwave.........just like you'd do at home :P All in all, we had 3 entrees, 3 drinks, and 2 desserts, all for under $30 and we left stuffed. Would I go there again? Sure. The food is tasty and inexpensive...I'll just refrain from speaking to the cook. read more

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Small, quite and quaint place. Delicious food. Service was excellent. The place was clean and you could see yourself in the glass . Small menu was my only complaint. read more

El Zarape - Delicious - Mexican Near Me - Nogales, Arizona

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I was on a business trip and asked a local for a good place to eat and he recommended this restaurant. First of all if you're looking for a fancy place this ain't it. But if you're looking for good authentic Mexican food good service good prices!!! Bingo!!! The machaca breakfast was excellent the coffee on spot the flour tortillas thin just how I like them. I felt like I was in Mexico eating breakfast. The menudo was white usually all places it's red. I never leave Yelp reviews but what did it for me was when I asked about the soup of the day!!! It was not tortilla or abondiga soup but coditos (elbow) ok they are not playing I felt like I was in my kitchen with mom making tortillas. I was raised in Yuma Az so I know authentic Mexican food born in Durango Mexico. I would recommend to get there early because parking is a bitch but worth it. The atmosphere is authentic with the majority of people eating there are every day locals addressed by name. The waitresses are beautiful hardworking young ladies. Makes u proud to be Mexican. If I ever drive through the I10 again I will go south 1 hour out of my way to eat there again. I know people talk about it being dirty! I say shut up give it a shot make your own decision. read more

Service started off good but they switched servers and went downhill, the portions are ok! Really liked the Chile rellenos but my parents order the fish filet and it came out burned, both plates, no chips and salsa are served, and I don't know if it was the owner's little girl in the place that was a brat, kept going inside the kitchen, they gave her an iPad but she was licking her fingers and the salt shaker of the table they were at! Nobody checked on us after the food was delivered, no refills ordered and didn't even asked how it was when we went to pay! I wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend if u want a peaceful time and don't order the fish read more

It was 4 am in the ER and it was time to eat. Where can you get a decent meal at 4 am? El Zarape. They even came and delivered to the staff working at Holy Cross, SWEET! Now, I cannot say I have had "actual" Mexican food. I have never had 'tacos de lingua' (tongue tacos) or 'tacos de cabeza' (tacos of head meat) but they have all of these things at this restaurant- and they looked really good! For my first exposure I went classic- Chicken and cheese enchildadas, DELICIOUS!! I tried to go back for lunch on my day off but the parking lot was PACKED and I couldn't find parking :( If you're near the border, go to El Zarape. The food is glorious and it's right in the center of the historic downtown (right next to the creepy wall). read more

My favorite place to eat in Nogales. They are very personable, quick, never empty but always have an empty table or two. I like everything I've ever ordered here but I prefer the machaca chimichangas for lunch or dinner. Their salsa has lots of flavor and is a mix of many different peppers. On the spicy side if you are not accustomed to this, I encourage you to only try a little at first, I always add more. They are affordable for those of us on a smaller budget. Definitely recommend!! read more

Two times I came here food was amazing, third time, ehhh. Once, a blogger said "You can tell a good restaurant by how many people are in it" Well, this may not always be true but it was fresh in our minds when we saw the PACKED parking lot when trying to find a place to eat in Nogales. We went. What a good choice! We had Camerones Diablo, Cheese and Bean Quesadilla (Authetic, heavenly) Bean and Cheese Burro, Cheese Enchilada Bean Tostada Chicken Tostada Oh I love El Zarape. Always friendly. Our food last time was definitely not the same as the first two times, the beans were even different. I will be back to try it one more time. I love love loved it! read more

Birria. That is all. :) My brother introduced me to this joint when we were in town from Rio Rico and in need of a hangover cure. Mission accomplished! I'd never had birria before, but I got to try my brother's - SO GOOD. The "Mexican" restaurants at home don't have this delicious concoction. Grr. I had the two-burrito plate and I was not disappointed - I could only eat ONE! Inexpensive, tasty, quick, and oh-so-filling. I'm sad we came here on my last day in Arizona - I guess it gives me something to look forward to on my next trip to the desert. Delicioso! read more

Based on other reviews I must have been there on a bad day. Horrible food. The beans were burned and the rice was undercooked and had no flavor. The "jam" taco was awful. That's right a jam taco. They jammed shredded beef in a taco shell with no cheese, lettuce or tomatoes. The chili relleno was soggy and tiny. The beef enchilada was okay, but nothing to write home about. read more

Authentic and tasty Mexican food at a fair price. Found them on Yelp and we decided to give it a go for Sunday lunch. I had a beef enchilada combo with beans and rice. My wife had a beef burrito. She asked for ground beef instead of shredded beef. Both of our meals had a good amount of food for the money. The staff are friendly and the service was efficient and fast. There are several Mexican restaurants in Nogales and all are of the down home variety. That is one of the joys of going for Mexican Food in Nogales read more

If I can give it zero stars I would. The cashier was super rude. One of the worst experiences I've ever had in a Mexican restaurant. The waitresses and cashiers are all over the place so they're restaurant isn't running as smoothly as it should. They'll definitely try to mop your fit as you order too. Word of advice don't Mop while people are entering and exiting or ordering in your tiny entrance. Definitely won't come back because of the incompetence and rudeness shown by the cashier. Go to rancho grande or paricutin at least if you're in the mood for Mexican food. read more

When in Nogales, you have to stop and eat here. Its a small hole in the wall restaurant but huge on flavor with reasonable prices. Remember to ask what the special of the day is...you will not be dissapointed. read more

Great place. Exactly what I was in the mod for. Great recommendation and service from the staff. Very authentic. read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Nogales, Arizona

The food was good. My only criticism.... no chips and salsa. That's one of my favorite things about Mexican restaurants so it was a little disappointing to not have that.... but other than this, the place was ok and the food was good. read more

no costumer service. Called to place an order and they left me 10 minutes on hold, I could hear background conversations--when they attended to my call they told me that I was lucky to be placed on hold for ten minutes as they were really busy. There are a lot of options available that offer Good customer service and that want business. read more

Meh... had good reviews on Google and tried it. Service was good but portions were pretty bad. Ordered the birria with egg, was mostly caldo, not very much meat. Won't return! read more

Went on a Saturday and found parking early. Nice little hidden place. Food came in on good time. I try not to be negative so we will just call it constructive criticism. The waitress could have been a little more attentive. Once she served the food she never came back to check on us. I wanted something else but got tired of waiting for her. Food was great. read more

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Our favorite breakfast spot in Nogales. The chilaquiles con machca are amazing. Lunches are also great and the mole special on Wednesdays is worth the trip! The restaurant is nothing fancy, just a great down home Mexican dive. Happy to have it be my regular Sunday morning diner read more

We came here for breakfast the morning after landing in AZ. I ordered the simple chorizo con huevos and it was so authentic and good. The beans were some of the best I had the fresh juice just quenched your thirst and hit the spot! read more

This is the spot to eat without going over into Mexico for authentic food. It was shady on the exterior and the interior wasn't any better. But never judge a book by the cover. The Chili Rellenos were amazing but the refried beans seemed to have come from a can. read more

This used to be one of my favorite places unfortunately it was very disappointing we waited more than 20 minutes to get coffee when we got the food it was warm I had to get my own coffee because I asked the very young waitress she told me they wanted busy after the meal we asked for water and the young man also said he was very busy that is not a good business practice they should understand that word of mouth in this days is very important they are popular now but if they continue with that attitude things can change staff needs to be trained owner take note and hire professionals to keep your business current. read more

Read other reviews and drove into the parking lot. The place looked a little rough so headed out to find another place. After not being able to find anything open we headed back. Soooo glad we did. It was authentic and very good! read more

Nice authentic Mexican food. Gotta be early though that parking lot gets packed pretty fast!

Zarape is ok food. The place is small, run down, and dirty. When you leave the place you will smell like a deep fryer. Additionally, their parking lot is so small that I wouldn't expect to park in it. It is not in the downtown of Nogales as one reviewer mentioned, it is several miles north and across the street from the Denny's restaurant. There are several other very good Mexican restaurants in Nogales that are much cleaner, smell less like a deep fryer, and will serve you the same "quality" food ingredients found in much of Nogales. read more

Came after viewing yelp reviews. Food was delicious! Cooks very energetic and eagar to please. Menudo hit the spot. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town. read more

Even though I do agree that the food is good here, the service is awful. The waitresses take your order and don't care to come back to see if you need anything else. A few times I have been here, the waitresses are sitting at a table having breakfast/lunch and on their phones instead of serving their customers first. Good Mexican food but not worth the trouble. It is a better restaurant to order out from. read more

If you get down to this area and looking for a great mexican meal for a great price.. This is the spot!