The strip mall exterior doesn't do the lively interior justice. Full of bright colors, cool fixtures (and even a small patio on the side of the building), you're going to feel good walking into Zapata's. The greeter, waitress and table runner were welcoming and prompt during the weekday lunch service. The chips and salsa were fine; neither part wowed. But my El Tapatío plate was a good merging of chicken, chorizo, and pineapple. The rice and guacamole salad played their supporting roles well. Ordering from the lunch menu provided a nice value. With this place being close to work, it just may have earned itself a happy hour visit. read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - El Tapatío - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

I moved up my family a few months ago from Fort Worth, and we hadn't found a good Mexican restaurant up here so far. Me and my wife were born in San Antonio, so it's safe to say we know what good Mexican food is about. Need to start with how clean this place is. Huge points in my book for a facility having a clean environment. The server (Stephanie) was awesome, very nice, very sociable, quick to take care of the patrons. The salsa was very delicious, chips were good as well. The guac dip is something that restaurants don't seem to get sometimes, this is some good old school recipe guac dip here. I'm a sucker for fish tacos, whether it's tilapia, or cod, or even shrimp. These fish tacos were spot on, fair amount of fish, tortillas were very good, and the sauce was off to the side as I like. Love the crunch that the fried tilapia had to it, no complaints. My wife enjoyed the Tacos de Birria, and this is sometimes where people fail, with over cooking the beef. Not these, the beef was very tender, I had to sneak a piece of my wife's taco. The beans were great, the rice was great, just like back home. No question in my mind, I will bring my folks here when they come up to visit. My mom is originally from Monterrey, Mexico, and I know she would enjoy this spot. If your craving some authentic Mexican food, definitely make this a family night and enjoy the good. You can tell there is passion that goes into this food, and no doubt, we'll be coming back for more. read more

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I have eaten lunch here once a week for 10 years. Today my bill was $14.19. I paid with a $20. The waitress gave me $5 change. I asked her for the remaining 81 cents. She said "Oh, you wanted the change?" The waitress made 81 cents. The business lost $1000 a year cause I won't be back. Don't go to this restaurant. They will steal from you. read more

We go to Zapata's once a week for the past 3 years. We have always had fabulous service. Alexis and Jimmy are fantastic to talk to while there, as they definitely are the reason we go there so often. We feel they are like family after going there for so long. The employees seem to not leave and I see them converse with the owner often and it is always a positive interaction. The food is amazing. The steak there is the best I've had at any Mexican restaurant. $5.99 jumbo margaritas during happy hour is a huge plus. Only advice I would give is to do a $7.99 flavored one. The Miami Vice is a must have drink too. read more

I have been a regular at this place for at least 6 years (probably longer). This place is one of my absolute favorites. The staff are sincere and kind people who do their best to make me feel comfortable when I dine in. The booths are comfortable and they always have a good latino bop playing on the speakers at a reasonable volume. Most importantly, the food is phenomenal! Their Chipotle Chicken dish is, in my opinion, their finest dish, and their sauce also goes great on other dishes like the burritos. Not only is their dine-in experience welcoming and delicious, but so is their takeout. Their dishes travel well and taste great even after a 5-10 minute drive. The texture and consistency hold up fabulously as leftovers too. If you like mexican food, and spicy chipotle sauce in particular, I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

Food and atmosphere is amazing. Service was definitely a 10 out of 10. Food came out sizzling oh it was amazing. read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

Recently went to a restaurant called Zapata's Mexican Kitchen, and i must say, I am impressed, The food was great and very rich in flavor, and the Service was just lovely with the waiters being very nice and patient, and the speed of which my food came out makes me wonder how these cooks are working at lightspeed? The ambiance was great and the seats were clean. Would recommend this for people wanting a good Mexican meal! read more

We wanted to dine outside. The hostess/waitperson handed me two menu and two packets of flatware and just waved at me to go on We were the only ones there as far as I could see ; they were not busy. She brought two baskets of cups and two small bowls of salsa. When we ordered one order of nachos, she picked up one of the baskets of chips and took it away. We never saw her again. When the nachos arrived there was no additional plates to share even though we indicated we were sharing. I finally had to get up and go tell her I was ready to pay. She never stopped her conversation with another employee, she just punched it in on her device and held it out to me, still continuing to talk. No tip (and I'm a good tipper). Nachos were just fair with no cheese to be seen. Won't be back. read more

Very good happy hour beers. Also very long wait for food after we ordered. 30-40 min plus. My soup came out cold, Waitress didn't check back on us for a while so by then I just decided to send it back. Nice waitress, the warm food that my family got was good. I would probably not come back to this establishment. 2 stars! read more

Stopped in for lunch while out running errands. This was my first visit. The food tastes like your average Mexican restaurant. The food was not bad, except it did look like someone tore a few bites out of my quesadilla shell, which if not you would think they would of at least not served it that way. I might go back if I'm in the area but it won't be my first pick. read more

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Stopped in for Dinner, we had several in our party, our server was very accommodating. We ordered drinks, they were never empty as our server kept us up on refills. I ordered the Fajitas, they were plentiful with beef, chicken, and shrimp. The shrimp were well cooked although slightly tough. The chicken had good flavor and was very tender. The side dishes were good as well. Overall this is a solid place for Mexican cuisine. read more

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Zapatas is another okay Mexican restaurant. It's similar to many others around here. They have the same kind of margaritas. Food is also much the same if you've been to any Mexican restaurant not Taco Bell. There's no denying it's still a good time. I had a house margarita. It's about $7 for the regular size. This is about the same tasting as any mixed margarita can taste. It's still good enough to knock back. You have to try hard to mess up a margarita. I had the chips and guacamole. It's about $3 to get a side of guacamole. This is a good compliment to just salsa. I would come here again. If around the area and wanting some Mexican. Just not good enough to make a trip out to. read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - Margarita With Chips And Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

They promised me steak and a had a handful of bornt ground beef, Overall everything was burnt and there was no chicken in my combo meal, i ordered the 3 meat steak shrimp and chicken and got a handful of ground beef it was a disaster burnt and sucked. read more

Been coming to this place for a while now. It wasn't too busy, but the service was lacking some. I ordered the white claw (mango flavored) margarita, which is a great combo! Chips and salsa are always a must. The salsa was Mild. I ordered the chimichanga with the ground beef, refried beans, and rice. All were delicious. The chimichanga had a crispy outside with beef and cheese on the inside with warm creamy cheese sauce drizzled on top. read more

I thought this restaurant was tasty and very good. I went with friends for lunch and we all ordered something different. I had scrambled eggs with chorizo, rice and refried beans. It was very tasty and perfect amount of food (3eggs). The chips and salsa were good as well. Service was excellent and looking forward to going back! read more

Good food and great service! We are going to miss sitting on the patio in the upcoming months. Everything on the menu we have tried is exceptional good. I especially like the Pollo Loco. It's delicious. The fajitas are very good as well. They give chips and salsa at the table and the margaritas are good. read more

Came in for dinner since they got rid of the all you can eat tacos on Wednesday evenings. I wish they'd bring that back. Tried something different and it was very good. This place is good! read more

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The bestie and I have been trying out lots of local Mexican restaurants and this one might be our favorite. I'm bummed that summer is over, because we really enjoyed sitting on their large patio. The margs were good and I loved the skinny one I tried. Fish tacos were good, and I really liked the lengthy list of sides I could substitute my entree's sides with. The jalapeño corn was super spicy, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you like a lot of heat. My friend really liked her chimichangas too. Service was really good. read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - Fish tacos and side of jalapeño corn - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

This place was great. Seated on the patio and ordered and received food in less than 25 minutes. My husband had the chicken fajita and i had the vegetarian quesadilla with a side of rajas poblanas (surprisingly tasty-like a cuppa soup). Both our dinners were good. We will definitely be back. read more

We've given this place too many chances. Worst Mexican food ever. Over priced, quality and quantity lacking.

This is your average local Mexican restaurant. We got a chicken chimichanga, the rice was dry but the chimichanga was actually good. The chicken flauta was delicious, it was just a bit too greasy for me. The chicken quesadilla was also just ok. The beef burrito was really good the chicken was also just ok. This place overall was just ok. Nothing too special. The service was great, the food couldn't carry its weight. read more

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Good service and one of the best burritos I've ever had. The complimentary chips and salsa are a nice touch, and our glasses stayed filled the entire visit. The taco salad was very good, but I'm stuck on the build your own burrito in future visits. Place was a tad chilly, so I urge someone to dress warm or wear a jacket if visiting during the cold months. read more

Always are favorite go to place, the take out is fast and always ready. We had the el amigo and that is by far the best meal I ever had at a Mexican Restaurant. My wife lives the pick two. The kicker is the frozen margaritas and how them taste great and are still slushee when you get them home. read more

Been here a few times over the years. Went last week and got Tacos El Pastor. Hardly any meat. I would have had poured all three tacos into to make what you get at other restaurants in the area! What a complete ripoff. No way I will ever walk into this place again. read more

We LOVE Zapatas! The service here is always exceptional! The food and drinks are great too! The queso fundido is nice and thick and served with warm tortillas (my fave), the complimentary chips and salsa are always nice too as the chips are always piping hot and fresh and the salsa seems to be homemade and chunky, the meal portions are large and filling, and the margs are never short of tequila! My husband and I have been here many times during Happy Hour! We really enjoy sitting on the patio. It is a little small, but it is a nice atmosphere! My favorite dish here is the shrimp fajita quesadilla! It is a huge portion and is SOOO AGOOD! I also enjoy the camarones a la diabla which is basically spicy shrimp over rice! This is more convenient if you're trying to eat light! When paying, several servers have noticed the USAA logo on my debit card and have given me a 10% discount for being a veteran which is always appreciated! We will continue to frequent Zapatas as the delicious food and tasty margaritas are hard to pass up! Thank you! Also, you get 3% cash back through Yelp! read more

This lunch seemed to snowball, with no end in sight. Service was decent. Our waitress was polite. The food was not good. I'm all for independent restaurants, but that's void, here. We specifically picked this place, assuming the service would be fast (as are most Mexican restaurants). Wrong. It took 30 minutes to get our food out. Five adults, and the place was NOT busy at all. We all got standard lunch menu items, no special add-ins or substitutions. I ordered their Al Pastor tacos ($8.50, if I remember correctly). Second strike. Horrible. The marinated pork is served in crumbled ground beef form. Different than usual, but no biggy. Unfortunately, the protein tasted like cheap sloppy joes. Seriously, I kid you not. Smelled like sloppy joes, too. I even double-checked with the food runner that it was pork. Absolutely too much seasoning. I couldn't taste the pork at all. Sad. I reluctantly ate one of the 3 tacos, simply to settle my growling tummy. We all got our checks, credit cards placed inside the black book, only to find out their credit card machine was down. We asked to speak with the manager seeing as none of us were able to pay with cash. Third strike: The manager was on his way into work. Since we were unable to talk with him, and we had to leave (we had 15 minutes to get back to school before PM preschool kids arrived), we all pulled together our last couple of dollars for a tip for the waitress. She excused us, knowing it was not our fault. As we piled into the car, everyone's stomach was sick. And, ps, the decor is darker tones, none of the welcoming, airy, colorful accents. Felt like we were in some time warp between a bar and grill with a few Mexican touches. It just felt... odd. read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - Al Pastor Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

Went to Zapatas for dinner, because the restaurant we were going to go to, wasn't available (carry out only). The menus were dirty, which was off-putting and upsetting. The meal was good enough, but it was not the best. The chips and salsa was very yummy, a nice spicy salsa! I got the fish tacos, and my husband got the beef tacos. I was disappointed to see the tacos were flour tortillas and not corn tortillas. I also felt like the fish might've been frozen. It was not very fresh. My husband liked his beef tacos, had no complaints. Service was incredible, our waiter was very attentive! Just water to drink, two dinner entrees, and tip, it was a total of $35. I don't see myself ever returning. read more

Here's the problem: when a customer orders a dish with a hard corn tortilla TO GO, it shouldn't be packed in a foil dish with a plastic cover on it. The hot temperature turns the hard tortilla into mush and it made my taco entirely UNEDIBLE! Also, the chicken taco had zero seasoning in it.... and I do mean zero. Taco Bell tacos are WAY better! Sad. read more

I went after work with a small group of people. It wasn't very busy but we still had to ask for a drink menu and waters from our waiter James. I ordered the enchiladas combo dinner and margarita. The waiter continued to pressure me into getting the largest margarita on the menu. I insisted I'm not a big drinker. I originally asked for a small ("cactus" size" margarita but after going back and forth with the waiter I asked for the next size up, which I believe is a large. To my surprise he brought out a jumbo margarita, which I drank 1/5 of it because it was so big. I ordered the fried ice cream and told him I would be splitting it with my friend. The fried ice cream was terrible. The outer layer was crunched up corn flake cereal. It was probably the most unauthentic dish I've ever eaten! When I received my bill I was surprised to see that James put the entire fried ice cream on my bill instead of splitting it with my friend. When we mentioned it, he just stared at me. He also charged me for the jumbo margarita that I did not order. This was my first visit and I will not be back. read more

Meh. I had Fajitas and the cast iron skillet was cool enough to pick up. Half the fun of Fajitas is listening to the sizzle as it comes to the table. Wife ordered Chardonnay and got Pinot Grigio. The Tapatio was meh. The beans and rice side were old old old. Rice was dried out and beans were yuck. Server sees a man with whiskers and didn't bring extra napkins. Server then disappeared after loudly chatting up a female server. I'll pass. read more

The food is good, but the service and people working their hardest is what makes this place a must. Comfort food and solid service. Thumbs up for sure. read more

Stopped in for lunch. Tasty food, pleasant staff, and clean environment. We will be back.

Book club, ocean enchiladas, and margaritas on patio. What better way to spend a steamy Tuesday summer evening? Perfection!

Amazing here 2nd time but the food is awesome the charre Beans are the best I have had sense I lived in Texas.. our waiter Mohamed A. Was great awesome personally... we will be back!!!! Thanks !! read more

Zapata's Mexican Kitchen - These beans are the best in Columbus.. reminds me of Texas... - Mexican Near Me - Pickerington, Ohio

Was excited to try this place tonight. Got our chips and salsa right away, salsa seemed to be 90% water, looked around and everyone else's seemed to be the same. Menus had someone/previous customer's salsa smashed/dripped in it. Sat for about 35 minutes until someone took our drink order (didn't leave knowing businesses are struggling with staffing but everyone around us seemed to have great service). We were not given a drink menu and couldn't find one online on the website either. Food was pricey for the portions we were given especially for competing restaurants in the area. read more

Love this place!!! Mi favorito!!!! Taco salad is my go to!!! But love the rajas pablanos and adelitas too!

I've been here twice in the past couple months and it is likely to become my favorite place on the east side of town. It is clean, not too loud, and has comfortable seating areas woth plenty of lighting. The food is pretty good and exactly what I expect of Mexican food in Ohio. I find the salsa to be a little too mild (I prefer a bit of heat) but the cheese dip is pretty good. Last time I tried enchiladas and enjoyed them. Tonight I had the steak fajitas and they were good. The portion of the fajitas was so large, it can easily be split between two people. Beyond the food, though, is amazing service. I had the same server both times (Mohamed) and he is attentive, friendly, and willing to go the extra step for his patrons. Tonight I watched him chat with families and play with kiddos. He made sure I had everything I needed, made recommendations, and let me try the cheese dip since I had never had it. I definitely recommend checking out this place. read more

Best granddaughter burritos. Build your own. Only thing is the up charges will like you. read more

Reasonable prices and great Margaritas. They have all you can eat tacos on Wednesdays which is a great deal! Any day of the week, their Zapatas Steak Tacos are amazing and only $9.75. The service is decent and usually pretty quick. The only time I've had a less than desirable experience was when I tried their Zapatas Grill special which includes a little but of everything. It was a lot of food and it all was just "okay", however the service was lacking as well which could have been part of it. All in all, a solid 4/5 stars and we definitely go back! read more

This isn't good food. It's average at best. I wouldn't come back. I have tried all over this city and if you want some real good Mexican food, go get cultured, make some friends and hope they invite you over for dinner one day. There is a decent one waaaayyy up by Dublin I go to from time to time I'd better just stick to them. Tried to give some local stuff by me a shot and 256 just has crappy restaurants all up and down it. read more