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Zocalo

4.1 (304 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 10:30 pm
Updated 3 months ago

Zocalo Photos

Business Info

ZOCALO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Trendy
Classy
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Zocalo

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Passion Paradise: coconut rum, passion fruit, lemon, simple syrup
Chi C.

Tucked in a corner of the Downtown Mall, Zocalo served as a great Saturday dinner spot for my party of four. Despite not having a reservation, we were still seated promptly and service was attentive throughout our entire meal. There's plenty of tables for sit-down meals, and bar seating for quick bites with TVs to watch. The staff was super helpful when selecting between two options on their menu, which runs from specialty cocktails to classic Spanish-inspired dishes. I ordered the Passion Paradise for my drink, which had a great citrus base and perfect for those who enjoy more of a fruity beverage. I also tasted a few drinks my friends ordered, including a tamarind martini and a classic margarita. My personal favorite bite was their octopus, which was an excellent portion size and also well-made in terms of texture. The dish came with a paprika miso sauce that was absolutely decadent. We also shared the patatas bravas, which was their special of the day. The atmosphere and service overall made for a wonderful meal, and each plate came with a great presentation and taste.

Spicy lady
Nikki J.

A friend highly recommended Zocalo so we went for dinner. Delicious! My Sangria, wasn't good, first it was topped with sprite which I'm not used to. But it tasted like club soda - I assumed the sprite machine went out. In any case, the server happily got me a different drink. Otherwise, my second drink was pretty good. The food - oh my god! Super flavorful, everything complemented so well. And the basque cheesecake, to die for.

Here's the octopus.
Elizabeth F.

Wow! What an amazing way to start our vacation! Yay us and thank-you to the entire Zocalo team! Everyone from the host to our dinner attendant were friendly, seemed to be proud of the place and the food was impressively prepared and presented. The Spanish influence was tasted in every dish. We had the octopus, muscles, lamb meatballs and crispy Brussels sprouts with a pitcher of Sangria. It was a beautiful evening and the patio provided the perfect backdrop for the best meal we've had in a very long time.

1 pastor taco and 1 birria taco
Grace S.

Such a fun concept! I came here with some friends for food truck food and drinks. The atmosphere is lively unique. I ended up ordering tacos from a taco truck on site. They were very reasonably priced, the tortillas were fresh, the meat was delicious. They gave me a great hot sauce to use upon request. We also ordered sashimi from a Japanese food truck. The fish was fresh, cut and arranged neatly and very tasty. I ordered a margarita inside Zocalo. There were several food trucks, so there were options for anyone in our party. Also very good! Can't wait to come back here again this summer!

Vanilla crepe
Ximena D.

Amazing service! She was very nice and polite with me and my family The food was delicious my favorite was the drunken New York strip the steak juicy and it had so much flavor to it!!! And the place felt so welcoming and relaxing for me a great place for family!

Gazpacho    Yellow Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho

We have lived in Charlottesville over a decade and somehow just now made it to Zocalo. Awesome food, solid service and super good margaritas. I have since learned there is a new owner so if you previously tried it, you might want to give it another shot. First visit was with my daughter, found out the steak w/ grilled asparagus was solid, but when paired w/ manchego bread pudding- its even better. On another visit shared a salad topped w/ fried oysters, house margaritas and the gazpacho. All were outstanding. An excellent addition to Charlottesville's already long list of great restaurants.

Tuna Tartar

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3 months ago

Fantastic food and service! The food is so fresh and delicious. The pumpkin muffins are so delicious!

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8 months ago

Good food, service was great. Ambiance was frenetic I'll go back for sure. My husband really liked what he had.

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7 months ago

Please update the prices, duck is $37.00 for example. The service is nice but prejudiced for party of one.

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Broadcloth - Jefferson red rice, buttered MD crab, seared okra, Jimmy Nardello peppers

Broadcloth

(50 reviews)

I don't live in the Charlottesville area, but if I did, I'd definitely be a regular at Broadcloth,…read morewhere Chef Tucker is really doing something special at the most unassuming building you can possibly imagine. Open only 4 days a week, the menu changes each week. If you sit in the lounge or at the bar, you can do a la carte, or there are options for multi-course tasting menus where you can choose your courses for most of them. We most recently visited for our anniversary weekend, sat at the bar with Michael, and everything was just excellent. Great portions, seasoning, protein temperatures, dish compositions...you name it, we enjoyed it. I also really, really appreciate their beverage program and wine list. Their wines by the glass list is pretty extensive, and they not only feature a really good selection from around the world, but also VA wines, especially the ones they feature from their own label, made by Joy Ting. I haven't had a wine of hers I haven't liked, but we chose our own adventure this time around by choosing different wines and splitting most dishes so we could try the majority of the menu. It's a 1-2x a year place for me just because we're not local, but it's definitely worth the drive.

Broadcloth continues to be my favorite restaurant in Charlottesville. I've been able to have a few…read moremeals here now and each one is amazing. I recently learned their outside seating/patio is dog friendly (dog cannot be in your lap), which I love even more. Can't wait to eat here again!

C & O Restaurant - Vanilla Crème Brulee with Raspberries

C & O Restaurant

(319 reviews)

$$$

Intimate restaurant, in what feels like a restored barn, with absolutely amazing food…read more I came here with my fiance for valentines day, and we had a fantastic experience. Everything was to notch, from our very friendly and attentive server to all 3 courses of the pre-fix valentines day menu.

Celebrated Valentine's Day here with my husband and it was EVERYTHING. We each chose something…read moredifferent and shared each dish. The restaurant was dark and moody creating a perfect romantic atmosphere. Our server was attentive and helpful. 1st course: Butter Poached Maine Lobster- melts in your mouth. Perfect consistency. The secret sauce made it perfect. The flavors were complex and I couldn't figure out what they put in it to make the sauce because they all blended so well. Roasted Maine Scallops: I have never cared for scallops. These had the best texture - the perfect amount of fluffy and firm. They were buttery and delicious. The capers topped on it added a little something extra without overwhelming the flavor of the scallop. 2nd course: Steak Chinois: steak was tender and cooked to perfection (went medium) the ginger sauce gave it so much flavor. The potato's were smooth and savory and melded well with the steak. The flavors combined complimented each other so well. Grilled Double Rack of Lamb: was very tender too. My first bite had too much red sauce and was a bit overwhelming after having just finished the steak chinois. However, I mixed with the potatoes and lightly dipped in red sauce and then the flavor was an explosion in my mouth. 3rd course: Vanilla crème brûlée with rasberries- literally perfect. Can't even put into words. You must get it. Bittersweet chocolate Brioche bread pudding -bread was warm, raspberries were cold, and pudding was an added extra. *chefs kiss.

The Jervey - Onion Soup

The Jervey

(14 reviews)

Good not great, but it could be. That was my impression after dining at The Jervey this evening…read more The space is inviting, though it can be a bit noisy, and there seemed to be an issue with the overhead lights dimming periodically in the dining room. Our water was brought out quickly and our drink order was taken at the same time. The young man was quick and friendly, but he wasn't our server. It was a bit busy, but our server arrived soon enough, and we ordered the tuna tartare and the rolls. Both were tasty, and we both enjoyed the spicy tuna. After we had finished our appetizers, our order was eventually taken, and not long after, our food arrived. We both enjoyed our entrees. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the scallops were as well. The sides were fine, with lobster Mac and cheese being the standout. Overall, I think what we found lacking was atmosphere and personality. While everyone we interacted with was pleasant enough, it didn't feel like the fine dining experience advertised on the website. There was no asking if we had any questions about the menu, no highlighting of dishes, or specials of any sort. It just felt like they were serving top notch food in an average chain restaurant playing dress-up atmosphere. The elements are there for The Jervey to be amazing, but right now they just aren't there yet, in my opinion. I will definitely go back and enjoy the food again, that's for sure.

we wanted to try a new place in cville and we saw this as an option…read more i have a couple of gripes with this place: 1. we didn't have a reservation because open table or resy didn't have an option at 4pm but we thought if we went when they opened they would have some tables set aside from walkins. we were sat in this weird long table facing the bar sitting next to each other and the entire time we were there, not a single table was occupied even though they were saved for reservations. I would understand if this place was super busy and these tables were actually reserved but not a single table was occupied in the hour we were there. they sat families and babies at the bar even though there were open tables 2. the food was pretty good! however for a burger, to charge $20+ and for it to not come with fries is a little annoying. they served it on a plate that was huge and would look like it would be a great place for a portion/side of fries 3. for the vibe of this place, the desserts were too basic and expensive, they were serving milk and cookies and an ice cream sundae the service was great we liked our server a lot though and it's a pretty space

Zocalo - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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