Looking for a California burrito as big as your head? Look no further. I saw a recommendation for El Zarape on Reddit and drove straight over from my hotel. So glad I did! The burrito was huge, stuffed with tons of chicken, pinto beans, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. The tortilla was perfectly chewy and crispy all at once, grilled to perfection. Ambiance? Exactly what you'd expect from a neighborhood taqueria. Order at the counter and the staff (which is very friendly) delivers the food to your table. I'm in from out of town and enjoyed getting a short glimpse of the west side neighborhood (outdoor live band karaoke next door!) but parking is a huge pain on the rear. I circled around several blocks until I finally found a 15-minute spot on a Wednesday night. Loved it! Best meal of my trip. read more

El Zarape - California burrito - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Stumbled upon this place and it's the best tacos in Santa Barbara. Absolutely delicious Carne Asada tacos spicy red sauce homemade tortillas. Love it. read more

Ordered 6 different burritos and paid over $80. All burritos lacked flavor and were very poorly wrapped. The ingredients were spilling out of the tortilla and made a mess. It was really disappointing for a restaurant that appears to be authentic. Everyone complained. Two thumbs down. read more

If you're looking for that hole in the wall Mexican restaurant, then look no further! El Zarape is the place to dine at if you're craving abuelita's home style cooked food. They offer daily specials such as caldo de res or pollo, mole rojo de pollo, menudo, pozole rojo, Carne de puerco and much more that are ready to serve. Each day is different though, so be sure to check out their IG Page: el_zarape_sb On my most recent visit I had their chicken enchiladas. I wasn't expecting 4 enchiladas, but I was happy to get my money's worth! I paid around $12 for my meal and that is a deal compared to other places in town. I was a little disappointed though with the lack of chicken inside the enchiladas. Despite that issue, they were still good. The nachos are a must here! You get a very generous serving and they are delicious. The tacos are piled with meat or seafood depending on your preference and everything is made to order. My son enjoyed his shrimp alambres. They are cooked with red and green bell peppers, onion and cheese. Now for the bad news! They have no salsa bar nor do they offer a decent tasting salsa or variety for that matter. I find this to be very odd for a Mexican restaurant that serves up good food! There is a very watered down salsa that looks like a pinkish juice and the other is too spicy. I had to go across the street to Super Cucas to get their salsa because they didn't have any on the day I came here. How bizarre! Overall, the food is great here and the prices are reasonable, but you might just need to bring your own salsa if you can't live without it lol. read more

See all

Asada sopes and chicken alambres are my favorite! The sopes are homemade. Prices are reasonable, and the staff is really nice. Mostly locals at this place. read more

OMG! this food was absolutely Delicious. Me and my family went to go eat today takeout, really affordable prices, good customer service, very kind and very clean. I recommend going here if you aren't trying to spend too much money. The food is really good for their prices! read more

This place is poorly maintained!!! We were expecting authentic food but it's not. Just another copy cat mexican food with salty meat and a dirty place. The kitchen and the restroom look like they haven't seen a good fix in ages. The service was ok but definitely not what we hoped for. read more

This was some pretty amazing Mexican food. You know I had to get my favorite carne asada tacos and they just so happened to be cooked just the way I like. These tacos are currently ranking in the top 3 best tacos I've ever eaten. The chile verde also happened to be top notch. If I were to choose between the fancy Mexican outdoor patio restaurant down the street and this little hole in the wall, I would choose El Zarape all day! read more

See all

Don't go to this nasty place!!! It got me sick the time I ate there. You'll see cockroaches running around. You can see employees in the back placing containers with food right on their very dirty floor in the back. The place and equipment are very old and one of the workers there mentioned that the owner is very cheap. I contacted the city and this shit got inspected and the city inspector notified me that they did find cockroaches. The only reason they even get one star is because there's no other option. Stay away from this shithole!! If you want good authentic Mexican food there are much better tasting options and super clean like Taqueria Cuernavaca and Taqueria Santa Barbara. read more

El Zarape - Cockroaches - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I'm happy to have found this place. There are so many places in SB to get tacos and I'm still looking for my go-to place. I ordered 2 asada and 1 al pastor. Not bad. I would come back. I loved how affordable and simple the tacos were. The only downside is that it was my first time so I guess I thought they'd put some salsa, a lime slice, napkins in the to-go bag but they didn't. I got home and realized they didn't provide any of that so I'm bummed about that. Lesson learned, though. Will definitely ask next time for salsa and lime or they could've instructed me to visit their salsa bar if they had one. read more

El Zarape - 2 asada 1 al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Fantastic tacos and fluffy tortillas! Would def recommend! As a native Californian, I've had many many tacos in my life and these make the top 5 for sure! read more

Usually good service but, this time at the beginning of the month i was charged twice she said no and I showed her on my bank statement i was charged twice. the cashier didn't know what to do so she called someone. And figured out how to delete one of transactions. Long story short I left my name and phone number for the owner or boss to call me to correct when they came in haven't received a call back yet also went in a few times a employee tried calling and no answer. I'd give this more stars if the restaurant can make this right on their end read more

I have to say Raul and his lovely wife did an incredible job catering our Baby Reveal party yesterday!!! They arrived right on time.. They were extremely organized and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS! I can't say enough good things about this team and their food!! Look no further if you are going to have a big party! I wish I could give MORE than 5 stars!! Thank you so much to you both for all you did for us yesterday!! Such a blessing!! read more

Great spot. They always have four dishes simmering in pans. Those are the best bets. Get here before noon for lunch to beat the rush. By 12 the line is out the door. And for good reason! read more

WORST MEXICAN FOOD EVER!! Do not let these white people in the reviews try to convince you to pay for overpriced and BAD food. In my 26 years of life I have never been to a place with BAD salsa. This place is a disgrace to Mexican food. Tacos (asada) were fine (NO SALSA AVAILABLE BC IT SUCKED) Burrito tasted strange.,, very strange and sad... read more

Alright so I know when it comes to Santa Barbara tacos there's always going to be an argument. Typically ending with a battle between #TeamLilys or #TeamMonys. But I'm telling you, El Zarape belongs in this conversation. Is it slightly more expensive per taco than the others? Yes. But they make it so worth while. These guys absolutely load you up with meat so that those $3 you pay per taco are worth every dang penny. My favorite is the Verde Pork and the Carnitas. Also if the have Birria, get it. Absolutely incredible. I would recommend this place a thousand times over. Especially if you live on or near the Westside then go here, I promise you'll have a new favorite spot read more

I had the Pasilla Breakfast Burrito (special for burrito week) and thought it was pretty good although a little on the plain side flavor wise. But, they have some decently spicy and tasty salsa that took care of that and I am satisfied for sure. It was quite hearty too as I had more than half left for a second breakfast in a few hours. And, it seemed like the ingredients were fresh and I was left feeling great and satisfied. I will be back for sure to try some other menu items and update. read more

El Zarape - Pasilla Breakfast Burrito Week Special - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

El Zarape catered our wedding in October and we could not have enjoyed working with Raul and his team more. From the very beginning he was so helpful and really helped us to think about aspects of our wedding that we hadn't thought of. He is so knowledgeable and his experience with weddings was a huge asset. He was communicative, organized, and so easy to work with. Even our wedding coordinator commented on how great they were to work with the day of the wedding. If you're considering them for catering, wedding or not, I highly recommend! They took care of everything and even had staff available to help with some of the venue clean-up at the end of the night. Now the food? Amazing. The tacos were so good! We got so many comments from our guests on how good the food was (especially the guac) and we couldn't agree more. There were so many options for people during cocktail hour and dinner and we loved how quickly our guests were able to get their food and get back to the fun. 10/10 and we can't wait to go to El Zarape and enjoy some more food. Thanks for everything! read more

Fabulous casual taqueria with delicious handmade tortillas. No-nonsense in its approach, El Zarape has amazing tacos at a great price with quick service. Definitely with a visit! read more

Delicious food, great customer service, great prices and hospitality! We will be back on the next family trip. My dad said, "I haven't had such delicious Mexican food in a long time!" I recommend the Quesabirrias; they are delicious! Thank you. read more

Ordered food for our sons first birthday, Raul made the process very easy. Food was amazing! Family was so happy to be able to take home leftovers after the party! No food went to waste! I have eaten here with my in-laws regularly and am never disappointed. I'm vegetarian and they are very vegetarian friendly, which is not the case in a lot of Mexican restaurants. They are happy to cook my food in a separate skillet off the grill so no meat accidentally gets into my food. The red enchiladas are the bomb. Green salsa is delicious! read more

Underrated and under visited location. You will feel much at home here. The burritos are some of the best in town and there are rotating entrees for combo plates. Skip the line of more popular restaurants and give El Zarape a shot. read more

El Zarape - Burrito love - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We are so incredibly happy that we hired Raul and El Zarape to cater our wedding. From the very first phone call, Raul was professional, helpful, clear, kind, and accommodating. He was engaged and interested in the vision of our event so that he and his team could provide the elements to make that vision become a reality. He worked with us to create exactly the catering experience we were looking for: from fine-tuning delicious appetizers and margarita recipes, to providing bartending services, to giving us guidance on bar supply needs, to helping us with setup and teardown. They were also accommodating with dietary restrictions. He was on time and well prepared, and his staff were professional and kind to our guests. After the wedding, we have gotten many comments on how excellent the food was, and we agree! Working with El Zarape meant that both the food and the catering service at our wedding was better than we could have hoped for. read more

I feel cheated. I ordered a California burrito And I got a massive bean burrito garnished with a minimal amount of Asada. California burritos aren't supposed to even have beans in them. What they did was the equivalent of stealing. I gave it two stars because they do cater a Party for work every year, and the food is good when they do that. read more

What a great local restaurant. We always get good service and good food! I have to say this is surprisingly clean food, free of extra salt and fat which I've often experience at other Taquerias. read more

What a fabulous experience working with Raul and his team! We started organizing an event two years ago and due to the pandemic only got to enjoy it this past weekend. We hosted a rehearsal dinner at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara for 80 guests and Raul's team was so nice and professional and the food was beyond delicious! I highly recommend the quesadilla station with hand pressed tortillas, the ceviche and the taco bar! Also the Horchata - I truly think it's the best I have had. The rentals, table colors and decor he organized for the party were fantastic as well. We had a great time. Definitely call Raul for your next event, you won't regret it! read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

My personal favorite breakfast burrito option in Santa Barbara. Amazing ingredients, tortilla and salsa options. Highly recommend!

I made a large order recently, after hearing from my son how good the tacos are at El Zarape, and they were absolutely delicious! Everything from the veggie tacos to the carnitas (and asada, chicken, rajas, salsas and more) was fresh and perfectly seasoned, with generous portions all around. A special shout out for the carnitas--juicy and flavorful--some of the best we've ever had! It wasn't an easy order given the time constraints, but Raul made it happen and everything was beautifully packaged to go right on time. Near the corner of San Andres and Micheltorena, in the heart of the Westside (you probably have driven by it many times), El Zarape is authentic and amazing---Go!! read more

So delicious! Been looking for authentic Mexican flavors that don't have dried out meat like all of the other restaurants that are so popular around here. Meat was juicy and tender and portions were very big. Ordered their taco specials of Carnitas and Adobada. Also, please don't complain during a pandemic about irrelevant things like language and support your local authentic businesses. read more

This food comparing to LA is 0 I don't know what Santa Barbara standards are but the food was bad, I ordered El Pastor taco and beef torta. Pastor taco didn't have any flavor, like eating a regular taco. My beef torta " no beans" was saggy and semi wet " no crunchy bread" more than half of the beef in torta was fat. I would rather eating Taco Bell then from this place. Sorry :| read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

We came to Santa Barbara for the day and we stopped at about 3 other Mexican restaurants before going with this location. The food and service were really good and the price was reasonable. read more

Raul catered our neighborhood party and did an exceptional job. He was on-time and was very receptive to customizing to our party's needs. The food was excellent quality & reasonably priced. We would not hesitate you use him in the future. Thank you so much for all your help with this event! read more

Honest and authentic. As soon as I walked in, I felt good about my decision. Got the carnitas plate with a flour tortilla and a fried jalepeno (chile toreado) on the side. -Carnitas was just the way I love it - oily and crispy. -Beans and rice were simply authentic and delicious. -Flour tortilla was perfect. -Chile toreado, good but undercooked by my standards. Tap water wasn't great. No worries, next time I will bring my own water. Order at the counter and wait with your given number. read more

Loved the food the chef cooked for us This was my second visit here and it was great We got 2 burritos of Asada and 1 taco everything was freshly made and really hot just the way I love my food Esme was great definitely great customer service The only downside is that they don't serve chips that would be great if they decided to do that in the future read more

So damn good that I had to take a pic as soon as I bit into the burrito! Great customer service and authenticity of the food was beyond exceptional. 5 stars!!!! We both had a super burrito with Carne Asada and AL pastor mixed. Try it!!! And carne tacos read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I found this place by accident... I thought I was grabbing a burger at Burger Express. We were renting a house for the weekend around the corner, and were on a mission to find some burgers. We turned the corner onto San Andreas, and lo and behold (what we thought) burgers! As I walked up to the door I was a bit confused. The specials listed Mexican dishes. The place is a little walk-up and order, but they have ample seating in the next room. They DO sell burgers, but with the food on display and what I could smell cooking I opted for El Zarape's Mexican food (same establishment/building as Burger Express). I ordered a sope because I can never pass one up. A carne asada one, with everything on it. Delicious. I added their habanero salsa. Delicious. The food here is legit, has tons of flavor and meat is cooked perfectly. Food is fresh and definitely hand/homemade. read more

This place is great! It's definitely a hole in the wall kind of restaurant that serves authentic Mexican food. We saw reviews on yelp and decided to give it a try. They are known (won awards and been on news) for their breakfast burritos! We got a chorizo, potato and cheese burrito and a classic carne asada burrito and was IMPRESSED. Both burritos are large enough to keep you happy and full. We used our axxess card and got BOGO. Friendly staff and fast service, this just might become my go to Mexican spot! - J read more

Need some real California Mexican food? This is the spot. Everything is incredible. My mouth waters thinking of the carnitas.

Torta HUGE Taco de Asada HUUUGE !!! Not expensive at all. Little Hole in the Wall. Nothing Fancy but you will get Full. read more

Yeah...it's some of the best Mexican food in town. Tortas, alambres, menudo...all freshly made and served with a smile. read more