As much as I travel, eating at the airport is not a favorite but more of a necessity. This time it was a necessity and the service and the food were wonderful. It has the airport bar vibe yet it was cool. My food was good, the service was on point and it was busy. And on this day, people were kind. It was a stop I'd make again. read more

Zona Cocina - Mahi Mahi - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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If you need a quick bite in Concourse F and want something other than fast food, this spot is an okay option, but I would not actively recommend it unless you have limited choices. Truly, the highlight of our visit was the service, which felt welcoming amid hectic travel. Our server was personable and attentive. We ordered, ate, and boarded our plane in under an hour. While I'm unsure if it's the same speed each time, the swift service during our visit was much appreciated. The restaurant was relatively clean & there were plenty of seating options for both large + small parties to sit and grab a bite. Full transparency, I can't say the food (quality, flavor, presentation & value) drove me crazy -- it was an okay meal. - Kids Grilled Cheese & fries (2/5) Eh... It's a grilled cheese. The sandwich itself was okay. The fries weren't anything to write home about, other than to mention they were severely under-seasoned and not fresh, hand-cut fries. - Kids tacos (2) with rice and beans (2/5). This dish needs a little love, especially in its presentation. Although it's a kids' meal, it would've been great to have the option to add fresh veggies (pico, guac, or salsa) or substitute the flour tortilla for corn ones. Visually, it wasn't too appealing, and I can't say that the flavor outdid the presentation. - Chicken Tinga Enchiladas (2/5) I'm a big enchilada and chicken tinga fan, but this dish also needs help. The beans (which are not the traditional bean type used in this cuisine) were bland and severely underseasoned. The rice also lacked flavor. The bland, chicken tinga inside the enchiladas leaned more toward a buffalo flavor than a traditional tinga cooked in guajillo sauce. The dish had no spice level at all. The presentation felt a little flat and thrown together. It appeared the cheese on top of the enchiladas was melted on a salamander rather than baked with the rest of the enchiladas, as this dish is traditionally prepared. The tortilla itself was difficult to cut, and everything fell apart once you got a good portion. - Carne Asada Burrito (3/5) This was probably the best of all dishes, both in value and presentation. The burrito was filling, the beef well-seasoned, and it wasn't falling apart when eating. It was good, but not over-the-top fantastic. If they revised their presentations, recipes, made some tweaks to better reflect what they perceive as a fair value for their dishes, I do believe Zona Cocina could have potential as a strong eatery in this neck of the airport. As it is now, I'm glad we tried it, but I wouldn't likely return. read more

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While waiting for our flight, we noticed this fun bar and restaurant. Zona Cocina is a Tex-Mex restaurant located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). They had a wide variety of items on their menu: tacos, fajitas, burritos, and nachos, with options for gluten-free diets, too! I had the steak bowl and it was packed with fresh ingredients and was delicious. My husband had the tacos and fried and it was great! Highly recommended the time you're waiting at the MSP airport! read more

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I was disappointed by what I witnessed while visiting. I overheard members of management and a bartender openly mocking and speaking negatively about a coworker who had called in due to a migraine, referring to them as a "drama queen." As someone who suffers from migraines, I can say firsthand that they are not "just headaches." Migraines are a legitimate neurological condition that can cause debilitating pain, nausea, vomiting, vision changes, and sensitivity to light and sound. They can make it impossible to work safely or effectively. Belittling someone for experiencing a medical condition demonstrates a concerning lack of empathy and professionalism. What made the situation even more disappointing was that the bartender continued speaking negatively about multiple other staff members throughout the conversation. A workplace where employees are criticized behind their backs--especially in front of customers--creates an unhealthy culture and reflects poorly on management. Ironically, the bartender criticizing others wasn't exactly setting the standard for excellence himself. From what I observed, there were several areas where his own service and professionalism could have benefited from additional training. It's difficult to take criticism of others seriously when it comes from someone who also has room for improvement. Leadership sets the tone for a workplace. Employees deserve respect, particularly when they're dealing with legitimate health conditions, and customers should never be put in the position of overhearing management and staff gossiping about coworkers. I hope management takes this as constructive feedback and works toward creating a more respectful, supportive, and professional environment for both employees and guests. read more

This is one of the better food options at the airport. And it's probably the best bar. The bartender was on the ball, taking care of a bar full of patrons as well as doing food orders. read more

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On a long travel day wherein I had already been awake 6 hours, my body was ready for lunch, and the thought of anything sweet or "breakfasty" disgusted me. But at 8:30 AM in Minnesota, my options were beyond limited. So, when I stumbled upon Zona Cocina, I was thrilled to see that while, they too only served breakfast at this hour, there were several savory and filling options. I ordered the Burrito Especial, which, despite the eggs and bacon inside, could easily pass for lunch food. It was warm, it was huge, it was flavorful, and both the tortilla outside and the potatoes inside were somehow crisp despite the presence of other wet fillings. It was served with a "fire-roasted red salsa," which, much to my delight, was very spicy and had a nice depth of umami. If they sold jars of this, I would have brought one home with me. It also came with a side of fruit, which I actually wasn't expecting (it says so on the menu, I just missed that part I suppose), but was excited to eat. Pretty good fruit cup -- not overly loaded down with cheap fillers like cantaloupe. -1 star from the review only because there was mold on several pieces of fruit, although I unfortunately didn't notice this until the end. Restaurant was clean and servers were attentive but not overbearing. read more

Zona Cocina - Burrito especial - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

This restaurant in Terminal 1 concourse F was pretty delicious. I opted for mahi mahi and shrimp taco combo with the esquitas(corn). Carrie was friendly and attentive. It was fairly busy and the drinks were flowing for the drinkers. read more

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I had the chicken fajitas. Huge plates with average amount of food on them. Included small portion of chicken with onions and bell peppers plus 3 tortillas and rice and beans. Plus all the Tex Mex fixing like tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. $16. read more

Zona Cocina - Chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Kept walking by this spot bc the chips and queso was calling out to me. The queso was a bit salty in comparison to other dips I've had. The taco was MESSY. I was wondering why I got utensils with my meal. It would have tasted better in a hard shell I think. Server was okay. Took a while to take my order but she came back to check on me after I got my meal. read more

Zona Cocina - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Best food I've ever had at an airport. The chicken tinga enchiladas were amazing. Mary was decent. 10 out of 10 would come back. read more

Zona Cocina - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Excellent experience for an airport restaurant. The service was friendly and good prices. The food, chicken quesadilla, had lots of chicken and was freshly made. read more

Annie was our bartender Monday morning and was amazing!! She is upbeat, friendly and gave us the perfect amount of attention. We had drinks and breakfast. We had the chipotle eggs Benedict, a screwdriver and a regular Bloody Mary. The drinks and food were served quickly. The food was hot and the hollandaise was especially delicious! We will definitely return next time we are at MSP. read more

Really nice place I stopped in to have some breakfast during my layover. The hostess/server was just the nicest person. She made it feel like a neighborhood place instead of an airport diner. I got the full breakfast and it came out in no time. You can pay using the QR code on the receipt, so it's easy to get in and out to catch your flight. read more

Zona Cocina - Breakfast - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

For airport food and drinks - I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered a couple margaritas during my layover ($12 each I believe) and the steak fajitas ($21). Margaritas were delicious and the fajitas were super flavorful, with very fresh toppings. Overall, comparable to a Mexican restaurant I wouldn't expect to see at an airport. Definitely higher quality than typical airport food, and reasonable prices. read more

Zona Cocina - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Restaurant was clean, food was served quickly. My husband was happy w his breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and potatoes. I was less impressed with my breakfast burrito (it's meat [ham, sausage, or bacon], scrambled eggs, cheese, and sour cream in a tortilla w salsa on the side. The burrito was not great for a few reasons: even though the tortilla is browned on the outside it was cold, that paired w the sour cream and cheese inside, made the eggs and meat barely above room temperature. It almost seemed like the burrito was made before and reheated. If we ever pass through this airport again, and ate here, I'd pass on the burrito and get a generic breakfast. read more

Zona Cocina - a plate of breakfast food - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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We sat at the bar for a meal as we waited for our flight. The barman was very personable and ran the whole bar quite efficiently. The drink choices are fairly standard. They do have an acceptable variety of beers. The food is really quite tasty for an airport bar. I had the pork tacos. The tacos could have used a little more spiciness. My wife had a cup of chili. It was the smallest cup I've ever seen. But I'm sure it was a cup, just not filled to the top. Overall a good place to waste some time at the airport. read more

Zona Cocina - Pork carnitas tacos - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

We ate dinner here during our short layover in Minneapolis, and while there were a few disappointments, it was overall a pretty solid spot for TexMex airport food. They are located in the F gate area and have a long bar with two seating areas on either side. Lots of the seating was closed off and not being used, and they were very understaffed. Our server got to us as soon as she could, and despite her situation, she was pretty pleasant with us. We couldn't order chips at all because they didn't have enough to get through the night, which is a little wild for a Mexican restaurant. They did have margaritas, tho so we enjoyed their strawberry margarita. Their menu has gf designations for gluten-free, which was great, and our server was additionally savvy of cross contamination and warned us against the crispy taco shells. My celiac sister and I enjoyed the soft corn tacos with a yummy spicy ground beef and a burrito bowl. The hangry husband of mine was satisfied with his chimichanga. Overall, it wasn't a bad place to spend some time. If you can find seating, and if they have chips to go with your margaritas. read more

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It was our 1st time at Zona Cocina and WOW! Drinks were good, food was great, and Annie our bartender was amazing!! We will definitely be back. read more

Had to wait for a delta flight and they were right here. So I tried it. Got the fajita and they weren't half bad. The bar backs kept my Diet Coke full and I must of had 5-6 of them. Made my 3 hour delayed flight go by better. It was one of the better things that happened with my flight from hell. Thanks!! read more

Brandon the bartender was great! Made our extra long wait fun The food was good - Brandon made a tasty recommendation! read more

Zona Cocina - Brandon the bartender! - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Amazing Tex Mex in this airport location. I will definitely eat here again. The taco are spot on! read more

Zona Cocina - Tacos, corn margarita & Blue Moon! - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

I ordered the shrimp tostada. I was so pleasantly surprised. The shrimp were cooked perfect and the was just the perfect amount of hot and crunch. Service was fast and friendly and I like that it was close to my gate so I didn't have to walk far I'd come here again. My server was my server Mikralem. She was so personable and made the suggestion of what I should try. Thanks Mikralem it was delic. read more

Zona Cocina - Ummm empty plate of their Shrimp Tostada. - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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We had a good experience here while waiting for our flight. Seats were readily available, we chose to sit near the bar facing the concourse so we could observe other arriving and departing Delta travelers and be near our gate. Service was quick and friendly and our server didn't hesitate to suggest the nachos when we asked. The nachos with chicken were actually very tasty and enough to split for the two of us. I would definitely stop in here again between flights for a quick bite and drink in a relaxed atmosphere. read more

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If you are from Texas and used to decent Tex-Mex I would avoid this place. I was missing home on my wait for the flight back to Dallas and now I miss it even more. I ordered the chips and salsa, and a two taco combo with one side. The salsa was the only decent thing I ate. The Mahi Mahi taco smelled horrible when it was brought to my table, definitely not fresh. Everything was bland and overpriced for the portions. My server was very nice and attentive so I did appreciate that. Overall, can't say I'll be coming back. read more

Sit-down restaurant, but very limited menu: burritos, tacos, and fajitas is basically it. The fajitas, meat cooked with onions and peppers, and the other stuff on the side, was actually pretty good. This is quite tolerable for airport food. read more

The worst tacos I have ever had. Tortillas and fillings were cold. The soup was congealed, as if it had been sitting around for a looong time. The black beans had an off smell. The service staff was friendly, but that could not make up for the terrible food. Was very disappointed given all these glowing reviews by others. Definitely avoid next time you are at MSP. read more

Brandon was amazing and made a delayed layover very enjoyable. The music was on point today. Brightened up my day. I can't wait to come back though MSP to hang out here again. read more

Zona Cocina - Burrito in a bowl with chips. - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Food was very tasty first time dining here. I would definitely come back fast service.

Sat down at the bar since there really wasn't anywhere else to sit. OMG, the bartender (black dude) is hilarious. Need comic relief, you'll definitely want to come here. As we sat there and I ate my microscopic "cup" of enchilada soup (tasty), the person next to me couldn't figure out how to pay as her Apple pay wasn't working or maybe they don't take Apple pay. Whatever, she didn't have any money, nor other credit cards. Somehow, she had "packed" all of her cards, including the debit card (so that atm option was out) in her checked luggage. OK, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt... maybe she decided to gate check a carry-on with all of her money/cards. She did have an accent and might have been foreign and didn't understand the "rules" of paying in America. She was starting to sweat bullets as next the manager came to talk to her. I was waiting for her to step behind the bar to work off her meal or to see airport security or perhaps even a dine and dash. Later, I did ask the bartender if he gets many customers with the "I packed my money" excuse. Nope, it's a new one. Well, after quite a bit of back and forth and more sweat, she finally suggested venmoing her money to someone who could then pay her bill. All of the people in her immediate vicinity went no eye contact, (I was actually quite busy trying to get the last few drops out of my itsy bitsy cup.) Luckily, a waitress stepped in and the woman finally managed to pay for her meal. This whole incident gave a lot of new material to our bartender. Come for the food and drinks (several beers on draft) or for the entertainment at the bar (if he's on), just don't forget to bring along credit cards or cash. For payment, though, they don't take jewelry, kidneys, blood, or Apple pay. Minus one star for the size of that "cup." Next time I'll order the bowl. read more

Zona Cocina - Smallest cup of soup I've ever had! Lol - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Zona Cocina is located inside the St Paul Minnesota airport , near the F gates. There is a very large bar area as well as low too table and a cool "people watching" high top section that faces outward. The decor is fun and there are lots of TVs at the bar to enjoy a game while waiting. They have a large menu and a full bar including draft beer. I will start by saying that I'm giving four stars mainly for service as the food was just ok in my opinion. I'm from California so my idea of Mexican food is a bit different and I found the food to be a little flavorless . We ordered chips and salsa with guacamole, enchilada soup and a burrito. We also ordered draft beer and skinny margaritas . The enchilada soup was my favorite item but it wasn't a soup texture, it reminded me of chili. Either way, it was good! The guacamole was extremely lacking in flavor - just tasted like mashed up avocado. I added salt from my margarita glass rim and squeezed fresh lime juice in - then it tasted pretty good. The red salsa was a smoky flavor and again needed some salt but wasn't bad . Again, the service was great. We had three separate waiters/waitresses and all were very pleasant. Our flight was delayed six times and we sat there all day with them. read more

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Grabbed a quick cocktail while at the MSP airport. They are using QR code menus. We bellied up to the bar and the bartender made our cocktails fast. Majority of the signature cocktails were tequila based. My hubby wasn't in love with tequila so got a fruitier drink. I got a Paloma. It was super salty, but we drank and didn't stay long. Thanks for the quick service! read more

Rating adjusted to reflect airport standards. Otherwise, this would probably be one star. Review based on brunch / breakfast menu. Food: Passable. Had the breakfast burrito but experienced the same "sogginess" other reviewers have noted about their meals. Also, temperature of various components varied wildly. The eggs were warmish. Bacon hot. And others cold to room temperature. Drink: Bloody Mary mix was watered down and almost brown. Forgettable and I didn't even finish it. The garnishes were anemic at best. Service: Neither here nor there. Overall: Recommend Stonearch or HiLo for breakfast instead or Qdoba for Mexican on the go. This was a sad experience read more

Only criticism is the name. You're in Minnesota and when you approach the main sign says tequila bar. I past it but ended going back after not finding anything else exciting. Pros: very quick no nonsense service, exactly what you need in an airport. Good food, Benedict was great. Not over priced for an airport. Cons: I was happy. read more

Zona Cocina - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Had a long layover and wanted to sit back and relax This is the place if you're in the F terminal. Seat yourself. Plenty of seats. Quick service. Cold drinks. Decent food. We just had chips and queso to kill time - chips are pretty "okay" queso was pretty amazing. They have draft and can/bottle beer. Menu is a scan at the table thing. I couldn't access WiFi within the restaurant, but I think people closer to the airport main walkway could. Not sure what a hospitality fee is read more

Zona Cocina - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Let's Go Brandon!! Excellent service Brandon. Great food. Good atmosphere. Will definitely go back if in the airport again. read more

The bagel breakfast sandwich with sausage is very average. The yogurt and granola had way too much oat granola in it. I'd pass on both of these. Good vibe, clean, fast service read more

I'm waiting for my plane and decided to stop here at this location to have a cocktail which will allow me to sleep the entire way back to my destination, as cocktails make me sleepy. Anyway , I decided on going with Bailey's on ice after she/waitress suggested! I felt cheated, but then again, it was in the airport. The 2 sips... literally 2 sips, were$7.00. I mean, Lady come on, I don't drink but REALLY!!! I still tipped her because she was nice. Anyway that's all... no more comments! Next time I'll ask for ice and bring a pucker with me. Lol read more

Zona Cocina - I wanted to ask her "Am I being punked"!!! - Mexican Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minn. For an airport restaurant, this place can't be beat. Sure the pricing is a bit high, but not unreasonable like most of the other places to eat here are. Easy seat your self entry, scan the QR for the menu. The friendly and personable waiter arrives quickly, and your food arrives shortly thereafter. The fajita wrap with grilled chicken was my choice, it was the best value item on the menu at $14. And was plenty to eat.My sister had the Tex-Mex Beef tacos (3) at $13 plus $2.50 for a side of guacamole. The wrap was delicious and moist inside. The chicken grilled nicely, the spicing was perfect. For some reason it comes with a side of fries, so I did eat a few of those also. The tacos were great, and came with the usual rice and beans. The corn tortillas are crispy fried and the beef was a well spiced hamburger. There was some jalapeños in there too which gave them a bit of fire. To quote Arnold: "Ill Be Back". read more

Diners beware at Zona Cocina. Ordered the chicken enchilada soup which was pretty good. The issue came with the Nuevo León Salad Bowl with diced chicken breast. About halfway through I got a sharp bone stuck in the roof of my mouth. Picked around my salad and found another broken bone too. Needless to say I didn't eat anything more, just in case more were in it. I told the waitress, and no offer to make a new salad or comp me anything for the bone stabbing. If you don't mind losing a bit of blood with your lunch, this may be the restaurant for you. read more

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Rude staff. I understand coming in 20 minutes before close and ordering a beer and asking if the kitchen is still open can really put you out but simply saying you are closing soon should be enough. read more