Zapoteca Photos
Business Info
Zapoteca Popular Dishes
ZAPOTECA ATMOSPHERE
You might also consider
More like Zapoteca
Recommended Reviews - Zapoteca
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
There was no wait for a weekend lunch. Small restaurant inside plus a patio. Server was knowledgeable about the menu and our order was fast to come out. We tried totopos (chips with guac , feta , and pico de gallo) , fish tacos , and chicken enchiladas. All was cooked perfectly and tasty. Fish tacos were a little spicy. Enchiladas came with a ton of sauce.
In. Sane. This gem of an authentic Mexican restaurant is hidden at the beginning of the White Rock main drag. There is convenient (albeit a little spendy)parking across the street in a lot. Walk across and be welcomed in by mariachi music and the friendly staff. We sat outside in the covered, heated patio and it's definitely heated enough to be comfortable. None of that cold winter water wind chilling your food right away! The whole space is tiny and if you're going with more than two people, you definitely want a reservation. The drinks are super cool and inventive, with probably the best margarita I've had in years and a really inventive drink called the De La Tierra. It's sweet, tart, and dangerously delicious. We saw a few other drinks pass by the table and they all looked gorgeous and tasty. For apps, go with the ahi tuna ceviche - it was phenomenal. Like I would probably order two and just eat them all myself as a meal. Portions were pretty generous as well. I got the barbacoa, because I need to not always get the same thing when I go to a new Mexican place, and it was some of the best barbacoa I've had. It's served in a boiling stone bowl and it was till hot an hour later when we were finishing. The steak was very good, and the mole got rave reviews. I hear the chocomole was also delicious - thick and rich - but I blinked and the whole thing was gone! Definitely worth the drive across the border and I can't wait to go back to try all the other dishes!
We love that they have dishes that are rare elsewhere The food is very well prepared Highly recommended
Every year we celebrate our first date anniversary. And this year we decided to try out some Mexican food at Zapoteca. We called ahead to get a reservation. We sat inside but their patio dining was warm as well. For drinks we got the margarita and blueberry mohito. For appy we got chips and salsa and choriqueso with vegan chilorio. For mains we got the enchiladas with rainbow salsa and side of rice and beans. And the Halibut al pastor. The staff was friendly. The food was good but felt it was overpriced. $27 for enchiladas which does not include rice and beans ($7) and $2 extra for rainbow salsa is pricey.
One-line review: Decent for Mexican in the lower mainland; better than average venue. As people who spent much of our lives in California, we are particular about our Mexican food. And while there's been a lot about Vancouver to enjoy, our Mexican food experiences have been... mediocre, especially for the prices. The photos from Zapoteca looked promising, and we enjoy walking the shore in White Rock, so we thought we'd give it a chance. When we arrived, we discovered that the parking is free in White Rock starting November 1. I don't know if that's always true or if it's an attempt to draw visitors during this COVID season, but we were glad for it. A good start! Zapoteca has dining on their patio, which is a must for us; we haven't eaten inside a restaurant since at least March 2020 and given the surging coronavirus case numbers, outdoor dining (or take out and eating at home) is non-negotiable. The heaters on the patio were appreciated in November. :-) We had chicharrones de pescado (seemed a bit like a fried calamari alternative to me but pleasant) and the Carmela (a stone pot stew of beef, chicken, and chorizo -- fairly meaty and as a bonus, it stayed hot throughout our meal, even though we were dining outside on a cool day; but it was not what I was expecting. I think I envisioned grilled meats), served with a side of beans (didn't love this; thin and very smooth pintos(?) -- no discernible individual beans) and a dozen tiny corn tortillas (good but would have welcomed more). We added the jumbo tiger prawns (not big enough to be considered 'jumbo,' but I like shrimp) and later, the pico de gallo salsa (should have ordered this earlier). Taste was fine but not special, though it helped that we brought our own hot sauce. Service was fine though not memorable. I liked their set up for COVID -- dining on the patio, hand sanitizer on the table, a carafe of water (rather than the server returning repeatedly to refill), a QR code to get the menu on your phone. As someone who needs to be a little extra careful, I appreciated their obvious planning to make things safer. Bottom line: The food at the restaurant was fine, and I'd eat here again. Probably not good enough to merit a return trip before we've tried more of the many options in White Rock, always a nice place to be on a good weather day.
Best thing we ordered was a unanimous vote on their "costillitas de maiz", or deep fried corn "ribs". Absolutely delicious. Chicharrones de calamar was also good! The dressing dips it came with were so interesting, one of jalapeño and one of pineapple. Grand madame, the potatoes were so nice and crispy on the outside. Our waitress was nice, but we didn't have our waters taken care of so much. There were only two other parties in the restaurant, and it was not busy. The overall vibes were cozy and chill.
This quaint, beachfront location is a flavor powerhouse. The elote ribs and totopos platter are super fresh with vibrant flavors. You won't find a better piña colada in the the Lower Mainland. It's super creamy and topped with a delicious dehydrated pineapple wedge. The molcajetes were packed with meat and veggies. Each one has a different, incredibly mouth watering sauce. If you ever get the chance to do brunch here, DO IT. The friendly staff will bring you unreal coffee in a french press with condensed milk on the side. Their chilaquiles roja with barbacoa is next level. I love that everything is made fresh to order, straight to your table. Zapoteca is an easy Top 3 for Mexican.
Loved this place. I've been craving tru legit Mexican food and wow. This place turned it UP!!!! I love a good horchata, its not winter yet but I was super excited to try it here. Its always a test to know if the roots are deep in the food and drink. And I was wooooowwwwwweeeed. This horchata was bomb. I ordered the Barbacoa because why not? I didnt know what to do with so much meat... it was delicious... but I wished I had veges or something... I liked the pickled onion and the sauce.. uh my lips were numb but the waitress warned me so now I'm warning all of yall. It was delicious though! But I felt the portion of meat was too much for the wraps? But I loved it... but I didn't.... heh Anywho to end the night obviously had to get dessert.. so i got a flan.. it was quite cheesy but delicious.. was expecting more of a creme Brule.. but didn't disappoint I guess... If u venture out to white rock please come to this Mexican restaurant - the pheromones are too good to not eat here. :D
Came here with some friends on Saturday night and had an awesome time. The place isn't big but it was packed and had a great vibe. To drink we all had margaritas of course, which were delicious and very authentic. Our server was also awesome, very personable and gave us great service even though she was very busy. Wish I got her name to give her a shoutout! To eat, we had the ceviche to start, enchiladas and the carnitas. All I can say was wow, zero complaints, everything was super fresh, flavourful and most importantly for me at a Mexican restaurant, it was authentic!! Not to mention very filling, so we definitely left full! Overall, this was a great experience and I wish we tried this place sooner! 9.1/10
So lucky to have a gem like this place across from East Beach in White Rock. Zapoteca is a small Mexican restaurant that makes up for it with their big bold flavours. It gets very busy here especially during peak dinner hours so reservations are highly recommended. Luckily if you come with friends, you can order a variety of dishes to try! The main highlight for me are the share plates called Molcajetes. The Queso Fundido is the one that, once you try it, it then becomes a staple dish you order each time you visit. It says to share for two guests, but you can share it with more people, or just have it by yourself :P I have tried other dishes, but this is the only one that I can remember because it's that good. Service- can be a mix, but also be mindful that it does get very busy here. The few times I've been, the servers were great and attentive. Seating- as it's small, it can get pretty cramped. On a hot summer day, it might not feel the best, but luckily the beach is just across the street! Parking is also easy to find and very accessible.
Make reservations if you can! This authentic Mexican restaurant is always a neighbourhood favourite and was packed even when we showed up around 8:30 pm on a Friday night! They've also extended the restaurant to include enclosed & heated patio dining. *MUST TRY* Barbacoa (5/5) - $25 Taste: This was delightfully served with the stewed beef & pork presented in a hot stone bowl. On the side, they provided corn tortillas and man, by far some of the JUICIEST tacos I've had! I would scoop a little bit of the meat stew combination onto my tortilla, add a bit of pickled onion & hot sauce, and every bite would be dripping with the juices from the meat. Absolutely scrumptious! Portion Size: 8 corn tortillas - sharing size for 2 Totopos (3/5) - $15 Taste: A good side appetizer to go with the meal - essentially chips with guac & salsa. It wasn't bad, but nothing crazy special that you couldn't make yourself at home. Portion Size: Sharing size for 2 [Value for Money] Between two people I'd share a starter & a traditional or 2 traditionals (for the hungrier appetites) for the best bang for your buck! I would say that this is a mid range price point but a great spot to try some sit-down Mexican food!
I ordered fish tacos and my husband ordered the steak burrito. It took awhile for our food to arrive but when it did, the presentation was beautiful! You could tell the chef took the good care to serve a delicious dish. 6 stars based on the first bite. This is a restaurant that serves quality versus quantity. The server was helpful regarding the menu. My tacos had a bit of a bite from the marinated cabbage. The steak in the burrito was tender and favorable. We did not have trouble getting a table but I suspect it will be a wait in the summer.
Reviews are largely positive. People highlight the authentic and flavorful food, especially tacos and ceviche, and enjoy the inventive drinks. The inviting ambiance and friendly service are also appreciated.
Read the full review summary in the app
3 years ago
My boss and I was in Canada on a work trip. We decided that we were going to go and visit by the water and we came across this restaurant which was nice because the other restaurant that was on the Strip had served fish and we wanted to have some mexican food. I ordered the nachos and my boss had ordered the tacos and everything was really flavorful the drinks was nicely balanced the meal was nicely balanced it had just the right spice I would definitely recommend locals to go and visit there and eat because the food was really good. When we told other people about it they had went there for dinner and said that they highly enjoyed the food as well read more
5 years ago
How have I not been to this restaurant sooner?! The cocktails are so delicious and the food is even better! I'm usually pretty stomach sensitive to Mexican food however when I ate here there was no problems. The service was incredible and prices are reasonable. Looking forward to coming back. read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
6 years ago
White Rock is one of my favourite places and among our favourite restos is Zapoteca. We love Mexican and they have excellent Mexican dishes in huge servings. I had their fish tacos, the family had asada tacos and quesadillas plus we had nachos to start. Everything was excellent and my son also loved their mock tails. Perfectly situated near the beachfront, courteous and helpful staff plus excellent Mexican food, we will come back for more. read more
6 years ago
An awesome little place on the beach! Service is absolutely perfect. Our waitress was friendly and on top of everything! They had proper covid protocols in place, we sat in to eat it was lovely. Food is great, not the bestest Mexican cuisine I've had, but certainly amazing for lil white rock! We ordered: margaritas (SO GOOD), strawberry limeade drink (non alcoholic, tarte taste ),the nacho platter (amazing, lots of toppings to go around. A good serving of food), and shrimp tacos (3 tacos and were a lil spicy with lots of cabbage...). All in all I would come back. It's a great hole In the wall. read more
7 years ago
The best tacos I've ever had. Everything was so flavourful even down to the Lemonade. Fast service. Nice atmosphere! read more
5 years ago
Not super authentic tasting. The horchata was a bit watered down. The ceviche was pretty good but there are definitely better tasting ones elsewhere. The tostaditas comes with a dark salsa drizzled on top which I've never had before but I personally didn't like the taste of it and in my opinion it didn't go too well with the dish. It was also super spicy, my friend who can usually handle really spicy foods also said it was a bit too much. Understanding that spice is expected with Mexican food but this was a bit more than the regular spicy so they should add that to the description in their menu as a heads up. The best dish of the night was their barbacoa - the flavours and tortillas on the side were good, hot, and fresh. Patio was nice and warm in the winter. read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
8 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
5 years ago
3 years ago
8 years ago
8 years ago
Amazingly delish! Loved this quaint lil place. I recommend the Carmela! It was filled with the best flavors and could feed 3-4 people. The margarita was so tasty and you could tell it was made fresh and not from a mix. The food is so clean tasting and fresh! I highly recommend you try this place for some authentic Mexican food! read more
8 years ago
Perfect location with a cute patio. The chicken tacos were amazing! Staff was friendly and quick. My husband loved the pork tacos as well. Would definitely be back for some more amazing fresh Mexican! read more
8 years ago
4 years ago
5 years ago
8 years ago
Business owner information
Jesse S.
Thanks Jane we appreciate it :)
5 years ago
7 years ago
Great Mexican food and drinks! The tacos were incredible and some of the best nachos around. They use authentic ingredients and pay attention to the small details in the food which makes a huge difference! The service was excellent. Yes it is not the cheapest place around, but considering the area and the quality of the food I personally think it's worth the price! read more
8 years ago
Authentic, great friendly service and nice vibe. No wonder is busy every night. Service was so fast can't wait for next visit. read more
7 years ago
6 years ago
5 years ago
8 years ago
7 years ago
9 years ago
Dropped by for lunch, and we are so happy we did. Delicious, authentic food. Quick service and quality ingredients to make delicious dishes. Will be back for sure! read more
4 years ago
6 years ago
More info about Zapoteca
15495 Marine Drive
White Rock, BC V4B 1C9
Canada
Directions
(604) 536-6677
Call Now
Visit Website
https://zapoteca.com
Full menu
Hours
Food & Alcohol
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Other Amenities
From the Business
More Info
Health Score
