My mom and I LOVE this place and it close by us too! I Love the 3 mini Chimichangas my mom get tacos and Enchiladas !

I enjoy the food here and so does my wife who typically does not care for Mexican food. It's a small, quaint place and we've always been happy with the service. I've brought two clients here and they were impressed and bring their friends now too. read more

El Zarape - Building exterior - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

The food here is mediocre at best and the cherry on top is having an aggressive restaurant owner follow you outside to your car and yell at you for not tipping while it is already dark outside. Quality- I got the fish tacos. The fried fish filets inside were not crispy. Instead they were soggy with oil and lacked any flavor. Hale street Cantina a block away does it much better. Quantity- good portion amount Atmosphere- the room has plenty of seats and has nice decor. Service- this can use some improvement. The waitress was not bad but the thing that really irked me is that the owner would always stop by and ask ,"are you done with that yet" when I am clearly not done. I did not get my water or chips refilled much during the time here. I decided not to tip and the owner decided to follow me outside to yell at me while I was walking to my car. This is unprofessional behavior and an example of what not to do when running a business. This place is classless and I am not surprised by the poor reviews it gets. read more

El Zarape - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Everything here is really good! The waitress and owner went out of their way to notify the cooks about a list of allergies at our table.

Yes, the manager can be abrupt, but the food is great! The wait staff is very friendly and helpful. Just smile at him and he warms up a bit! read more

Complementary chips were fresh, 2 salsas came with, a warmed enchilada type salsa, and a cold spicier salsa, both very good. We had regular margaritas and golden margaritas. Good. Both of us got tacos Longy style, which you cannot get anywhere else. They originated, at least in this area, at Longy's Tacos in Lombard which was on Roosevelt Rd in the 1970's. Very good. Double beans instead of rice and beans. The beans were good but over salted. Cut back on salt, they would be spectacular. Small place, about 16 tables and very nice atmosphere inside. read more

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Cozy, welcoming spot in Wheaton with great food and a family-friendly vibe. The al pastor tacos were sublime, and my 82-year-old dad tried his first enchilada and loved it! The rice and beans were perfect. We'll definitely be back. read more

Good place! Here's what I like. It's a family run business / restaurant, and the owner walks around checking on every table. I love the personal feeling of the owner talking to patrons. Speaking of Patron, they have Patron for shots and margaritas. The food was decent. Definitely not the best Mexican food I've had, but you can tell it's home cooked and good quality, and tastes good. Definitely worth checking out. I don't know why all the bad reviews, but I would go back. read more

As a proud member of the Republic of Texas I KNOW what real Mexican food needs to taste like and let me tell you... this place really does. As soon as the food touched my red, juicy lips I knew I was in for a treat. I felt like I was truly in Mexico while there as the servers used REAL Spanish language. The decorations also had me feeling immersed in the beautiful culture of Mexico. ¡Me encantan las fajitas! read more

Unassuming little place among the giants just down the street. Food always hot & delicious & always great service!

Love El Zarape! The service is incredible. Malitza (?) is the best and always anticipates your every need. Napkins? No problemo! Extra drink? She's on it. The food is delectable and very flavorful. Not sure the negative reviews but judging from their history of reviews, they incapable of being happy. Sit down, eat, drink and enjoy! read more

It was awful!! I could barely eat the food. it was also freezing in the restaurant!! The staff is rude and they do not even bring you water until you ask for it!! read more

The owner is RUDE and I will ever set foot in here ever again. Overpriced and subpar food, not worth your time.

We moved to Wheaton a couple of years ago and searched for a goto Mexican spot and finally decided to try this place right in the heart of downtown Wheaton. They impressed us with the friendliness of the staff and the food was right on point! We ordered the guacamole and the salsa,hot is best. The Premio Margarita was perfect. The chips were homemade. The Longy Tacos and chimichangas were very good and even the rice and beans were very tasty!! We found our goto Mexican food spot !! The ambience was pleasant as well. read more

The best food around. Excellent guacamole. Really nice wait staff. Been eating there for many years.

We had a great dinner and great margarita's here last night. The steak tacos were awesome, the chicken taco salad was very tasty and the Chef's Special - enchiladas were great. Our server was very attentive too. read more

Great molé! Definitely a nice place to grab a burrito if you are in Wheaton. They have excellent Al Pastor too. I could eat another one now!! read more

El Zarape - Molé steak fajita burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

We had a great experience here for a family dinner. The drinks were good, we all loved our food! The mole on the enchiladas was delicious and I have zero complaints about service. I was a bit concerned after reading reviews that we'd have an encounter with the man people mention in other reviews, but that was not our experience at all. I hope that means that they read the reviews and aren't doing that anymore, because I want this place to continue to succeed because it's so delicious! I do think they should upgrade their restroom, as you have to throw toilet paper into the garbage can, and that's not ideal. Overall great experience and will be back for sure! read more

El Zarape - Enchiladas Mexicanas! Amazing mole - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

This is a regular stop for us, never had bad meal and drinks are well made and fresh. Staff have been with them for several years are well trained and able to anticipate table needs. The decor is mostly Mexican, but changes for every holiday, with wall hangings, curtains and others, neat, clean and welcoming. Manager/owner is usually present. And aware of service and food and has adjusted orders to meet special requests. Highly recommend. It has it own parking lot. read more

Food is delicious and there is a wide range of options. Deciding what you want to order is not overwhelming but there is definitely a variety that can fit your cravings. The service is quick, even when it is busy on a Friday night at 6 o'clock. The ambiance is intimate. This place is great! read more

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I paid 15 dollars for nachos and this is what I get!? People just go down the road to Hale street cantina at least for nachos. read more

El Zarape - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Shout out to el zarape....had a wonderful dinner Saturday night...service, food and margaritas were delish! Definitely will be back! 10 stars! read more

Great food! Portion sizes are on the larger size. The hot and mild salsa are equally great. What I really like is the consistency. We come here several times a year and can honestly say that we know what to expect. This may sound corny but they even decorate for the holidays. read more

I have been coming here for years. The staff and owner are superb. never had a bad meal. honestly drive past at least 5 Mexican restaurants as this is the best. cute decor, excellent service and great food. hats off to chef, servers and owner Have something to add. I was here one summer day a few years ago and had a window seat and saw a homeless person sleeping on bench by train station. partly thru meal I saw the woman get up and walk in. She was served the complimentary chips. I was getting ready to pay for my meal at register...I offered to the owner that I could pay for hers. Was told that not to worry she was taken care of. I see that some people had negative on owner and don't know if the restaurant covered or someone beat me to it...but total respect to owner and this restaurant For always going above and beyond. Love this place always. read more

Food and service ~ a classic with also excellent primo margaritas! Great location in downtown Wheaton.

Food is the worsts of the worsts ever !!! Manager don't care about the guest never checks on service !!!! read more

TERRIBLE service. 2 hairs on my food. was cold. there was spiderwebs all over the underneath of the table. servers were rude, owner was worse read more

We ordered take out from El Zarape this evening. Our (4) items, along with any applicable sales tax, should have cost roughly $43. Upon our arrival, we were charged a WHOPPING $76. The 'gentleman' at the front register claimed at times and denied at times he was the manager. When I asked him to explain the discrepancy, he produced a laminated menu. I immediately noticed half the items we ordered weren't even on the menu he provided, which means he or someone else just 'made up' a price for half our order. He went on to accuse us of forging the menu in the photos below and vehemently denied that they ever had a carry-out menu. We asked for a refund only in the amount of the discrepancy above, and that's when this employee got beyond rude. His comment to my wife and I verbatim was "You gotta lot of balls pulling up here in a $90k car and demanding any kind of refund". We will be notifying everyone in the neighborhood about these people (we're local). They are disrespectful in the extreme and thieves to boot. We notified the police and they are investigating. There are SO many better restaurants in the area. Do yourself a favor... go somewhere, anywhere else but here! read more

El Zarape - Photos of el Zarape's Carry-Out Menu which we were told does not exist. - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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The worst restaurant I have been too. Walked in to grab a drink, asked to use the restroom and the owner responded with "You need to pay to to use the bathroom". I have yet to even set my belongings down at a table when he decided to jump at me with the demand. Extremely rude while he sits at the table watching his workers struggle. Apparently this guy is a huge ass to everyone that comes in. Based on the reviews this is not the first time he has acted this way with customers. Will never return here. read more

Owner is rude and harasses customers coming into the shopping area. Guy doesn't deserve our money. Many other good restaurants in the neighborhood. Time to support the restaurants that care. read more

Great service and food. Nice holiday decorations c. The dry yytttyygfffddddddfffddddfdddf

I LOVE this place ! The food is always delicious the service is fast and the drinks are great! I have been here a few times and always recommend it to anyone in the area read more

We have been here many times. The food is consistently very good. Last night it was unusually excellent! Steak Chimichangas and guacamole phenomenal. Pork tacos dinner with beans and rice excellent. The beans are unusually tasty. Sitting inside is jothing special but the workers are very personable and efficient. We will be back. read more

I would give this place no stars if I could. A man working there was extremely rude and wouldn't let my friend and I just use the bathroom. He LITERALLY said to us, "you have to buy something if you wanna use the pisser". Excuse me? Is business that bad where I have to buy a taco in order to use the bathroom because I'm human and humans need to pee? And "pisser"? Never ate here and honestly never will after this experience. read more

Parked outside and was about to go in when a manager ran outside and said if we're not going to come in he would tow my car. Didn't even have a moment to walk in before we were met with hostility. Decided to leave instead of giving it a try which is too bad because it looked cool outside :/ UPDATE: Went back inside to try the food, thinking maybe we judged too harshly, and met AGAIN with hostility, with 4+ open tables we were sat by the manager who met us outside at the bar (which was covered 1/2 with glasses) saying there was no where else to sit. We decided to leave yet again, and when explaining why we were leaving excuses came out of thin air, also with the statement "I deal with this middle class entitlement all the time." We all grew up in the ghettos of Aurora. Would NEVER come back. I have worked in the restaurant business for a long time and understand when people are being high maintenance. This was not the case, but of terrible management. It costs $0.00 to be nice. read more

El Zarape - Hostile rude manager - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

When me and my family came into this place it looked nice. The only bad thing we saw was that there was a ton of extra charges since it is a small business. When it was restroom time, you can't flush toilet paper down the toilet. They need to upgrade there restrooms badly. Very expensive prices I have to say. The food was ok at best but I have seen better Mexican than this. Also it cost $3.50 just to get another thing of chips, your allowed to have the first one for free but then the second one cost money. This is not good because chips are the best part of the meal sometimes! But other than that I would say it's not the place to go if you want Mexican. You only get one refill on soft drinks. read more

El Zarape - Drink - Mexican Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

We've been customers of El Zarape for many years. Unfortunately, we were treated quite rudely last night. Tried to call and make a carryout order and the manager's response was "No, we're too busy, call back in 20 minutes". Huh? What kind of way is that to speak to a customer. How about saying "we're really busy, so it's going to be a bit of a wait" or something like that. They've lost our business. We went to Javi's instead- quicker service, better prices, nicer staff. read more

0 stars!! Forced to check 1 star to post! It's sad when you walk in to a restaurant to order food to go, plan to have a margarita while waiting and have the owner tell you "Our kitchen is too busy for you!" I guess there is a first for everything!! read more

If able I would leave zero stars.Manager needs to learn how to treat customers.Very condescending & rude to say the least.Food is decent but myself and a few others are done with the way this guy is able to ruin dinner...Adios El Zarape read more

Stopped in for the first time last night with my girlfriend. This is one of her favorite spots, so I was excited to try it out. She got three tacos combo and I got a pastor taco, beef enchilada, and a chicken flauta combo. Food was excellent-very flavorful! Both meals came with rice and beans, as well as complimentary chips and salsa. We will definitely be back. read more