El Zarape Authentic Mexican Cuisine

Great local place. Have been coming for 20 years. Very friendly wait staff and fast kitchen. Super margaritas. Love the ceviche and fish tacos. All-you-want chips and 2 kinds of salsa. (not pico de gallo). Prices are *not* high!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I've brought consultants here and they loved it. Recently I brought my toughest critic: my wife who usually doesn't like Mexican food. She loves the food here! Nice cozy place in DT Wheaton.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went there for dinner on a Monday evening recently. It has been probably 13-14 years since the last time we ate here. It has an impressive length of time at this location. Many years ago I thought they would expand or find a larger space, but surprisingly they have not. Interestingly they charge $3 for the standard basket of chips and salsa. I am used to those being no extra charge at similar Mexican restaurants (I am sure the cost is built into the entree and drink prices). However at El Zarape you will pay for them, and the prices of the entrees and drinks is pretty much in line with similar restaurants if not slightly higher. So in general you will pay more for a meal here. We ordered one coke, a beer, 2 dinners, and a basket of chips and it was about $55. The dinners were good and tasted fresh. Service was great, but the restaurant was for the most part empty. I think only one other table was occupied. I drive right by the restaurant at least 4 times a week and I know it is popular and crowded on the traditional eat out nights like Friday's and Saturday's. Overall it is a nice place for dinner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This has turned into our Friday night spot. Food is consistently amazing and brought out so fast. The margaritas are always delicious. No frills just really great Mexican food. We really appreciate this place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Treated my respectful kids like turkeys. They wanted separate checks. I guess that's not a thing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 1

Wife ordered beefsteak La mexicana there were like 5 tiny pieces of steak in it there was more steak in my steak taco also hers was loaded with mushrooms which wasn’t in the description. One and done terrible. The queso tasted like it was made with powdered cheese weird flavor and grainy.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

Wonderful and authentically polite service, food is absolutely delicious, and the atmosphere is nice and cozy!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We come here frequently, good food and great margaritas

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very nice little Mexican restaurant. The staff was very friendly. We will go back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food here is ok. The owner here is an unpleasant man to deal with. We had a slight confusion with our order. Nothing that requires the owners inability to maintain his professionalism. Our waitress this evening also echoed the same thought to us about management’s inability to maintain composure. Having the news on while we ere eating dinner makes this a not so enjoyable dinning experience. Chips and salsa were delivered to our table. We did not order them. We enjoyed and ate the chips and salsa and to our surprise we were charged for chips and salsa. Lack of transparency here. This restaurant is not operating as 1 Team.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

This was my first and last visit to this restaurant. While dinning here we were hurried by the staff to pay our bill and move on. The bill was delivered to our table 5 minutes after are meals were delivered to our table. We had not even had an opportunity to order desert. On 3 separate occasions the owner and the waitress both tried to collect the payment for the bill as I was putting a fork in my mouth. We were still eating and my friend and I were still chatting. Lack of professionalism from the management this evening. The best thing an employee could have done for us this evening is to ask us, “can I get you anything else this evening?” Having the News On The TV is another unattractive characteristic of this restaurant. Politics doesn’t belong in eating. It is time to reevaluate customer service at this restaurant beginning with the owner’s lack of professionalism. Chips and salsa are expensive here while neighboring restaurants chips and salsa are free.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

We stop here twice a month on average for lunch. Never crowded, The owner always comes by to greet you and chat for a moment. Good margaritas and very good food. The servers are always friendly and polite

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Just happened: I had been to this restaurant once before and genuinely enjoyed the food, so I was planning to return today for Cinco de Mayo. Before going in, I decided to call and ask if they had any specials. To my shock, the person who answered the phone said, “No one has specials for Cinco de Mayo,” and when I responded with a polite “Oh, okay,” he followed up by calling me a “cheap ass” and hung up.

This level of disrespect is absolutely unacceptable. I was sitting in their parking lot, ready to dine in again, but after that phone call, I immediately left. I will never set foot in this establishment again, and I advise others to think twice about supporting a business that treats potential customers with such hostility.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

The food is pretty nice. The one waitress is nice. The decorations are nice. So why the overall 2 stars? The owner. He really sours the whole operation with his attitude. We don't go there anymore because of it.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4