What the actual heck is going on at this restaurant? My photo shows a table full of rows of waters just sitting there waiting to be used. Rowssss of water just sitting out. They keep their tortilla chips in a trash can and the lady seating people lets her children sit there and put their hands into the trash can chips. I'm actually repulsed than anything from this restaurant went into my mouth. Disgusting read more

El Zacatecano - Full waters.. tables of it that they actually grab and serve. - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

The food there was cold and soggy. When I went inside to pickup my order they got almost all the food wrong. Finally this place looked so trashy and was right next to a run down place. So overall the ambiance food and service was below par at most and this place deserves a 1 star review. read more

We love this place, and have been coming here for years. Fantastic service and food, very tasty and reasonably priced for a resort restaurant. My favorites are the Cadillac Margarita and the fajitas. Strong second is spinach quesadilla as an entree. Other people in my family love the Carne Asada quesadilla as an entree. Nice warm chips and smoky salsa. For us, no Copper trip is complete without a meal here. When we were there the other night, there was a table that was talking pretty loudly and dropping f-bombs, right next to a family of little kids. I was really impressed to see an employee very courteously ask them to keep it down. They complied, and a great evening was had by all. read more

The menu clearly says burritos come with rice and beans, implying they come with a side of rice and beans. Pictures on Yelp even show burritos with sides of rice and beans. When I inquired if burritos are still served with rice and beans I was told they are inside....I live at Copper and from time to time I come into El Zacatecano and always leave in a bad mood. For some reason I keep thinking they'd change. But it just keeps getting worse and worse. Overall I wouldn't suggest you eat here unless you are on the verge of starvation. read more

El Zacatecano - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

Diner beware! We sat down and our fumbly waitress asked if we wanted our chips with guacamole or queso. We presumed because she asked, it was included. (Wrong! $8.00 for watery, tasteless pathetic sort of cheese). the night was cold.... So we ordered a chili rellanos ($5.99) and side of green chili, (also another $5.99) expecting what any Mexican, tex max diner, ever, expects as a pork or chicken based green chili stew. out came a sad, oily rellanos and a tiny bowl of a red type salsa. What? The waitress got a total attitude when I asked her where my green chili was. "That is green chili" she said. And when I asked if I was being charged $5.99 for it, she snarked a "no"... the check came and we saw we were charges $8 for the "queso" someone do something! Educate the owner what Mexican food should be, even in an expensive Colorado resort. Never again. Go to Taco Bell in frisco and spare yourself the money and pain of Zacaatecano, read more

Looking for anything else besides the most mediocre pulled pork sandwich on every mountain ever? Then, El Zacatecano is your place. Debatably the only real food in this whole town and maybe one of the most underrated Mexican restaurants in all of Colorado. Service is absolutely outstanding and genuinely kind. Being in this place makes you feel like family and every marg is the warmest hug of them all. read more

Good atmosphere but the food was blah. The salsa is a weird black bean salsa. Fajitas were bland and but margaritas are as big as your head. If you actually like Mexican food, I'd skip this place read more

I've never complained on a restaurant in 40 years of my life ... but this place absolutely blows my mind how they stay open, much less through hard times as these. Being from the south I know what good Mexican food taste like & don't expect it in Colorado... I gave up 7 years ago. But damn this place serves the worst food I've ever had! The 1st time I tried drinks , appetizers, entrees and just paid & threw out my food. The staff is awesome and friendly though. I went by just tonight and ordered 2 large margaritas to go. She charged me $67.50 for two drinks . I watched her make them and it just came out of a pre made batch. They must be desperate if they charge $30 dollars a drink after hours at restaurant. I live at copper and get the prices are high but goddamn!! Well tequila and shit food?!.. never ever again & it's my fault for giving them a second chance read more

Very fast service. Quick waiter Loved the unique deep fried Chile Relleno on the medium combination plate

Terrible service terrible food. Our entire party got sick after eating here. Missed a whole day of excursions because everyone was too sick to get out of bed the next day. I've had bad food before but this is the worst I've ever had and expensive for what you get. Ordered a fajitas for 2 back home would feed my family of 4 (two young kids) could've finished it by myself and still been hungry but after trying everyone's food at my table I stopped eating because of the terrible after taste and just incompetence of service never once got a refill of water was told we couldn't get ice because it was COVID protocol even though as I'm sitting there I watched them make several drinks with ice. Just horrible all around can't imagine they'll be in business once a health inspector visits. read more

Horrible service was food poisoning. I will not be back. Too many other good options in Copper Mountain for me to choose this place.

We went with high expectations based on strong reviews but alas the experience was uniformly disappointing. The food was subpar and the prices exorbitant. We get it, it's a resort setting but the post dinner gastro distress for both of us lasted well into the evening of the day after. And we thought Montezuma's revenge was a Mexico thing. read more

This place was overall amazing! The staff is very friendly and attentive. Me and my mom split a margarita and he did half salt on one rim (I like no salt, she likes salt) so nice that he picked up on that! The food was super yummy and filling and the prices are fair. 5/5 stars, I'd give it more if I could! Do yourself a favor, too, and order the margarita natural. read more

El Zacatecano - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

I have a theory about most Mexican restaurants in Colorado. It is that most of them use the same supplier as 3 Marquitas. And as a result it all tastes about the same. El Zacatecano fits that description. It's serviceable Mexican, if you're at Copper Mountain & your hungry it's fine. But it's no better or worse than the majority of slightly better than fast food Mexican restaurants throughout Colorado. The biggest differentiator is the friendly staff who went out of their way to make sure we were happy. read more

OK, I read the reviews and thought - eh, this probably won't be great, but I'm tired and there's no food in the condo to speak of. Well, it was actually quite good. It wasn't terribly busy when we went in, so that may have helped, but service was prompt and friendly, the margaritas were good (definitely recommend the spicy one if you like jalapeños) and the food was generous and fresh. It's not cutting edge Mexican, more like Mexican for Americans I imagine, but no complaints. Tortillas seemed house-made, beans and vegetables were fresh, and the only meat we ordered was chorizo which was good, so I can't speak to any other meat. The salsa that came with the complimentary chips is a bit different, more smoky and kind of runny, but others might like it. Given the limited options at Copper, it was pretty good. Maybe avoid very busy times from what I see in other reviews, especially given the staffing challenges these days. read more

We were staying in East Village on a snowy night so didn't want to drive to a restaurant "off campus." Called to order takeout. Eventually. First time we called, we were put on hold and after 10 minutes finally hung up. Called again, ordered chicken quesadillas and carnitas de pollo with black beans. We picked up our order and brought it back to our room. 1) Instead of black beans I was given refried beans. The chicken was very salty. 2) We were not given any plasticware or napkins. I had to eat my meal with a "spoon" that I crafted from the foil the tortillas were wrapped in. 3) The quesadillas were average and unremarkable but fine. 4) Portion sizes were generous. Very expensive for the meal overall. read more

This is the place for an authentic and hearty Mexican meal after skiing. It is great for families.

Nothing special , tap became pricey: paid $75 for two beers two burritos and cheese dip

What a strange experience. The service was pretty abysmal. It was like pulling teeth to get our server to bring us anything. Although many times our server was behind the bar talking to friends or blatantly on her phone. We weren't up charged for anything despite other reviews. The cheese dip was tasty but the carnitas de pollo was drenched in soy sauce which I found sort of strange given that it was a Mexican restaurant. My friend enjoyed her steak tacos and the Cadillac margarita was good and strong. read more

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants. The current owner bought this restaurant last year and has made some great changes. The food is amazing. The pork carnitas are delicious, but so are the other dishes. Portion sizes are good and most dishes can be shared. Service is quick and the owner is always around and very friendly. We are up at copper several times in the winter and summer, and always make it a point to eat here. Try it, you won't be disappointed. read more

We arrived at the restaurant and friends were already there and invited to join them. We had asked for chip and salsa which we would have gotten at our own table and they charged us. They will not do separate checks which is a pain. They don't care because we are a bunch of tourists and will not be back. The food is ok and nothing special. Will not go back. read more

We had a wonderful experience here! Margs were very good, we always add a sidecar of tequila because, well just because we love tequila. Allison our server was prompt and very nice. I had the shrimp fajitas and my friend had the suiza enchiladas, both super yummy. The salsa with the chips is oh so good. read more

El Zacatecano - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

This place has fresh Mexican food and we found excellent choices for ourselves and our child. We enjoyed the margarita natural.

Great Mexican food for a ski resort. For those inclined to consider ordering the Large margarita, be aware that it will be 3-4x the Medium or as large as your head. Enjoy! read more

El Zacatecano - Warning! Large size margaritas are as big as your head! - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

Party of 4 adults had a wonderful dinner here. Excellent margs; I had 2 blackberry margs because they are so delicious. All meals were great. Their pork tastes better than in any other Mexican restaurant we've dined. Large portions full of fresh flavors. The salsa is unique and so tasty (not too hot). Wish we lived closer to enjoy this place more often. We highly recommend. read more

Was a little worried given some of the reviews but this place was great! My review is calibrated against other similar Mexican restaurants not high end tapas, taquerias, or taco stands. With that criteria this place was really good! Like other Mexican restaurants they give the chips and salsa when you sit down but the menu does say the second basket of chips is $5 (I'm sure to deter the 1 beer 2 baskets of chips people). Their salsa was really good, almost more of a pico with fire roasted veggies. Their queso dip was also different, maybe a little on the watery side but it did have pico in it which was really good and different. We also had tortilla soup and a burrito. Both were really good and everything seemed fresh and not just popped in the microwave to heat up - you know you've had those microwaved rice and beans at a Mexican restaurant! Like many of these types of restaurants the servings were huge and we can home with about half of our meal. The food was delicious so we are looking foreword to these leftovers! The pricing is a bit more expensive than the standard Mexican restaurant but, it is a ski resort. However, it is one of the less expensive restaurants at Copper. read more

My family is on vacation in the mountains, and we stopped to eat here the day we arrived at the resort. The food was delicious! I ordered chicken, cheese, and rice. After a long day of traveling, it was a great day to end the day. The venue is gorgeous, for it was right outside our room and not a walk at all! My only issue was the pricing. It was almost $20 for chicken, cheese, and rice. Of course, I am quite aware this was resort pricing, but it still seemed excessive. read more

A local bartender recommended this place. Food was average at best (carnitas tacos recommend by staff) but service was horrible. No one here but still took 20 minutes to get someone's attention to order a drink and I ended up serving myself chips and salsa from their serving station because my 2 requests went ignored. Meh. read more

UPDATED: Now that the dust has settled I want to update my review of this restaurant. We came here to celebrate an engagement. First, the restaurant gave us what appeared to be complimentary shots and then CHARGED US FOR THEM. Second, my friend chipped a glass lightly tapping it with a knife and cut herself. Instead of apologizing or offering to give her a new glass (or a band aid), they ignored the incident and later added a $30 charge to the bill. They tried to get us to sign and pay for dinner using the POS system that only shows you the total amount. Luckily we looked at the receipt and saw all the unexpected charges. We tried to argue them but they refused to take the charges off. We can debate who's fault the broken glass is but at the end of the day the way the restaurant handled the situation is truly unacceptable. They tried to sneak extra charges into our bill and hoped no one would notice. Please do not come here and support a restaurant that treats customers so poorly. Oh and the final kicker, 2 people in our group got food poisoning read more

Despite signs up indicating you'll be fined if you exit through the wrong door, covid precautions were pretty lax. Multiple staff were not wearing masks, my silverware was dirty, and one staff member left the bathroom without washing his hands. All pretty gross and enough for me to not go back (and caution others from going). I noticed other reviews don't mention this so maybe it was an off night. I hate posting something negative while restaurants are trying to survive but my experience was pretty bad. read more

Had the Fajitas Copper for dinner & loved it. Service attentive & atmosphere very comfortable on the quiet side of Central Village.

Extremely disappointed. Service was terrible. Food was cheaply made. For the money, not worth it at all. On top of it, one of the few restaurants that don't offer the copper season pass discount read more

This spot is a hidden gem at Copper! We came here on a cold winter's day where 4 runs in we just needed a marg and warm cozy spot. El Zacatecano was just the ticket. From the natural margarita, to the warm chips and flavorful spicy salsa, the RADICAL chile relleno, we enjoyed our cozy lunch so much. Prices were right, our server was so friendly, and the food was truly excellent. At Denver prices to boot! We will be back. Count us in! read more

Food and service was absolutely amazing. We were a big loud group and they really took care of us. We all fell in love with Claudio -- all hail Claudio!!! read more

El Zacatecano - Claudio, table, margarita - Mexican Near Me - Copper Mountain, Colorado

We were in Copper for a weekend and this place came recommended by a local. Service was good, although admittedly the server talked us into margaritas that were way larger than we actually wanted (our fault for letting him talk us into it, I suppose). Food was just OK. Not a single person in our family really liked the lunch entrees, although you can't really say they were terrible. My chile relleno was undercooked (with cheese not even melted inside), my husband's combo plate was bland, kids only ate half of their meals. The only thing that we actually enjoyed was the salsa. For a $100 lunch for a family, this was absolutely NOT worth the stop. read more

Unfortunately our experience was mediocre. I got the taco salad and it was bland and full of grease from the taco meat. Salsa was not good. Only bright spot was the service which was good. Avoid this place! read more

We love this family spot and are proud to support it during the pandemic. Went during lunch and grabbed a fajita burrito to go for back at the condo. As always, a ton of food and tasted fresh. You cannot go wrong at this place unless you order the giant margarita and try and finish in one sitting. It is a lot and has kept us off the mountain for first tracks. Other than that there are no complaints and the casual vibe is always appreciated. read more

I am an huge Mexican food fan. I have traveled the world, including to Mexico, and tried many different styles of Mexican food. Without a doubt, El Zacatecano has the BEST Mexican food I have ever eaten. Everything we had was fresh, crisp, the perfecto amount of spicy, and extremely tasty. It started with the Salsa (which they give to you for free), then the guacamole, then the brrutob, the mushroom appetizer. Everything! And the service was outstanding to! The owner was serving.. always a good sign. Don't miss this gem if you are in Copper Mountain! read more

Just plain and simple Mexican food with great atmosphere. Get there early! Very popular!

Wow-fajitas for two was bursting with flavor and more food than we could take down. Good margaritas too. Thank you for a fun family dinner.