Updated review: I usually call in to order breakfast burritos so I can just go and pick them up. But last time I called, the phone was off the hook. My mom said she would just go down there and order. She said the place was very busy, and she waited 25 minutes for two breakfast burritos. Don't get me wrong, the food is excellent, buy my question is, if the establishment is aware of how popular its breakfast burritos are, then why not have them hot and ready to go? Why not have additional staff in the morning so they can power through the orders and still satisfy the customers? What about a automated ordering system by phone or online? read more

Good food. Whenever I'm in the mood for some good Mexican food this is the place I go to. Great food and service.

Delicious food and great customer service, really liked that they accommodate how I wanted my food. Thank you

Awesome carne asada tacos. My friends and I like to come here regularly for lunch. One friend who moved up from the San Diego area, says El Zarape serves the best street tacos in town. It is always busy but the wait for food is quick. Staff are very kind and helpful. Looking forward to trying more items on the menu! read more

all I need in life is me and a special quesadilla Basically a fried cheese calzón or empanada - it's delicious . You can add meat in it but I truly think it takes away from the cheesy delicious experience read more

Great customer service and the food, OMG delicious always!!! The menudo delicious and jr. zarape burritos!!! Highly recommend!!!

Back in the day this use to be the place to eat, and be seen come lunch time. But that was high school. Now that I am older, and a mommy in search of a good deal, I've noticed that El Zarape is expensive. I can't feed my family of 5 for under $50.00, more like $65.00 and that's with the kids sharing a special quesadilla between 2 of them. I do however like that if you are a regular they know your name and what you drink. Good place to catch up with friends, and be seen in Imperial. You might run in to your neighbor, or your elementary school teacher. Everyone eats here. Good service, sometimes a wait due to not enough seating. Prices OK. Excellent food though. :) read more

My co-worker turned me onto this place... a good find if you are working in El Centro/Imperial area just north of the Airport. You can always gauge a good place when it is packed during lunch hours with locals. And they are welcoming even for a non-hispanic guy like myself. Lots of good authentic Mexican soups to choose from. I enjoy their pollo asado burritos... very tasty, and their chips and salsa are quite good and refilled often. If you like real authentic mexican food, I don't think you will be disappointed. read more

They are terrible at answering calls. They say they're understaffed and nobody can pick up the phone! Resolution hire more personnel! Problem solved. I won't be going back! Taking my business to Johnnys read more

This place is AMAZING. Every time I come to Imperial i have to eat here. The prices change frequently but the food quality is so great it doesnt really make any difference. Best thing to eat in my opinion is the Taco plate or the California Burrito. Family owned and operated. The staff is friendly and willing to make anything for you as long as they have it in their kitchen. read more

Awful service, long wait times for 2 orders of food (50 minutes) despite not being that busy, people getting favored over my orders, and rude staff. Never coming back again.. read more

Super good food here. Food is authentic and customer service is always good here. I wish they were open more often.

While conducting business in El Centro, CA we finally came time to drive back to Yuma, AZ. But we were hungry, and having had past the lunch hour we figured that we can go searching for a place to have an early dinner at. A kind and friendly lady that we met told us that a good place to eat in town was El Zarape Restaurant in Imperial, CA. As usual, I went online to see the reviews on Yelp.com and not only were the pictures of the dishes appealing but so were the many good reviews that other folks that had frequent the establishment had to state. We got there just before the foot traffic started to pick up, and the vehicle traffic too. Our waiter, Rogelio was very kind and quick. He sat us down and after a light talk, I went straight for food-talk! I asked him, what do you recommend? He suggested many great looking dishes from the menu but I was hungry, very hungry, and since a few weeks before had been my birthday and I didn't treat myself to something nice, I said to myself, "Manny, go for it!!" Yup, I had the steak and shrimp, and a tall glass of fresh Jamaica agua fresca (Hibiscus Flower non-carbonated non-alcoholic soft drink with a similar taste to cranberry juice). My girl friend, being the Chile-relleno lover that she is had that plate, but she also wanted some shrimp and so she ordered a small shrimp cocktail. Folks, let me tell you...this place just has it RIGHT ON THE SPOT! The steak was a bit on the tough side but it was seasoned just right and cooked just the way mom used to make it back home. The shrimps on my plate, and the shrimps on the cocktail were fresh, and seasoned just right! After being to many restaurants all over the world, and thanks to Uncle Sam, I've tasted enough shrimps to know when they are canned, frozen, or low quality. Not here baby! They were fresh and tasty! By the time we finished eating our meal a good number of customers had made their way inside to the restaurant and the mood picked up a notch to feel from sort of a romantic setting to that of a busy Acapulco's restaurant in Los Angeles, CA might feel like. Daisy and I talked a bit more with Rogelio our waiter, and we departed very very very satisfied and happy in having had had such a wonderful and positive experience in this little gem! Definitely would recommend El Zarape Restaurant to everyone. read more

Delicious authentic Mexican food. I've had many different menu items and they're all great. The wait is pretty long, but worth it!

One of the best Mexican food spots in the Imperial Valley. Their chips and salsa are always a great start to the meal. Their special quesadillas are always tops. If you are a fan of seafood, you have got to get a shrimp special quesadilla! Another special item that must be tried is their Bea's Taco with crisped cheese on the tortilla. To top it all off, their servers are always super friendly and provide excellent service. read more

Way over priced food. Two dozen of floutas for $36!??? Its corn totillas with strands of rump roast people. Ive had fillet mignon dinner for TWO across the Street for less!! And thats with drinks. Robbery. read more

The service was great and the special quesadilla they custom cooked for me was terrific! It's a good spot!

Was my late sister's favorite Mexican restaurant so I get a little sad when I go back here without her. The food is consistently good, the service is consistently...well, neglectful. The servers are all nice, they just kind of forget to ever come back. That's OK, if you know what to expect, then you don't get upset. It's still one of the best places to eat in the valley with the machaca burrito and special quesadilla being my favorite meal. Try their albondigas too. Yum! read more

Great food and atmosphere, Always looking forward to eating here. Service is helpful, timely and courteous. read more

El Zarape Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

You HAVE to eat here if your in Imperial. I live a hour and a half away, will come back here whenever I'm in town. read more

El Zarape Restaurant - The best thing I've ever eaten! - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

If I could give this place negative stars I would. I HATE that I ever gave them another chance. Ordered food to go because you get ignored while you're in the restaurant. Was given 20 minute wait, came to pick up order and it was NEVER started they said "sorry were busy you'll have to wait 20 more minutes." Absolutely disgusting food. Their salsa is the only decent thing they have that is beyond overpriced with their chips tasting like every other thing they fry in old oil. The whole staff is incompetent, no apology no compensation nothing. read more

Really authentic Mexican food. I really love the place. It has different types of beer and the guacamole was the best in the Imperial Valley

This place is my favorite in the Valley. Great customer service. The food is always so good.

This spot used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Valley. I ordered my food at 5:30pm and went in at 6 to pick it up as they advised the food would be ready in 30 minutes. However, once I arrived I had to wait another 1.5 hrs to get my food. It was disappointing to see other people who ordered after me (at the restaurant) getting their food. They were very unorganized. I want to be understanding as many restaurants are now opening up and servers and cooks are adjusting to this new normal, but if you are at capacity and can't take new customers or can't accommodate to pre-orders please be transparent and kind about the situation. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth as the servers were just ignoring me and rolling their eyes. Treat people with respect! After a situation like that, it would be nice to receive at least an apology, but all I got was "here you go". Disappointed and won't be coming back. read more

Love the salsa here very amazing!!! And give a lot unlike Chingones who only give a little bit!

Good authentic aMexican food. They have the best caldos around.like albóndigas, caldo de pollo, and caldo de res.

I love this place, it's probably my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Valley. The Chile Rellenos are really good here so is the Carne Asada. read more

The food is not great anymore and the price keeps rising I paid 14 bucks for a burrito and a drink told me it would be ready in 20 mins 36 mins later it was read more

I've been eating here for 26 years.. .the food and service has never let me down.....now my son eats here and loves the food as well. The CAB is the shitz as well as th quesadillas. The salsa is awesome and you cantnpass up the guacamole. read more

So I fancy myself a chips and salsa connoisseur and I have to say that this place is the bomb when it comes to great salsa and home-made chips! Sure, their other food, like their carne asada plates and their special quesadilla's and whatnot are great, but I've always held the belief that if you can't make a good batch of chips and salsa, the rest of the food will probably follow suit. So yes, Zarape gets my recommendation. They have become a bit pricey, but when you think about the fact that most fast food junkstops try to extract at least $7-8 from you per meal, the price becomes easier to justify. read more

El Zarape is our favorite place (so far) to go for sit-down Mexican food in the Imperial Valley . - Food & drink: we had some of the basics-- enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos. All were quite good. Their chips were clearly fresh-made and the salsa was very good too. "Jim's Burrito" was a standout. We got the aguas frescas to drink, which were decent but not great. - Service: very good; we did not wait long for our food and everyone was friendly. - Atmosphere: nothing extraordinary, but fine, especially by Imperial Valley standards. Interior is cheerfully-painted and reasonably comfortable. - Pricing: reasonable and fair. Our bill for a family of four was $40 (not including tip). So many Imperial Valley restaurants are overpriced with unpleasant atmosphere (multiple TVs showing multiple random shows with top-40 music playing over it all; it seems like status here is tied to the number of flat-screens you can get onto your walls-- who goes out to eat to watch TV, let alone some stranger's choice of TV with the sound off?). It is always a relief to find another restaurant that serves good food in a decent atmosphere with reasonable pricing. read more

Recommended by the locals and well worth a visit. I stopped by and had the lunch special. Very good food and service was great even during the busy lunch hour. read more

way too much HYPE from the locals ranting and raving about this joint with SO MANY mexican restaurants in town that all have genuine flavor dont go in on thursday-sunday night unless you are prepared to wait at least 20-30 minutes for a table its a small place with about 12 tables. best bet is to go 2-4pm if you want a table and your food quickly. A tad too pricey for my taste $10-13 plate.. when mexico is about 15 min away and you can get the same food for half the price. read more

I ordered the special quesadilla with carne asada and a side or rice and beans. I'm usually only a fan of my Mom's mexican food, but this plate was SO GOOD! I ate the whole thing. I've actually been thinking about it everyday since, but that's probably my inner fat girl. I will be back! read more

I'm a regular there and the only reason I'm giving them 4 stars is because they are a little bit pricey. I continue to go back because I love the food and it's work paying the extra cash for. You have to try their Zarape Burrito Jr it's excellent! Also they have the best chips and salsa in town! I'd deffintely reccomend this place for authentic Mexican food. I cannot wait to go back and have my fix! read more

Food was very cold after long wait, and talk about expensive, Im going to a steakhouse instead of lettuce in a corn tortilla same price. Not recommended read more

Born and raised in Imperial and I love it. I have been coming here since I can remember and still go. Their salsa is a must with chips.

Nice, clean little restaurant in the middle of Imperial. Good service, good chips and salsa, good tacos.

Food is good and service is quick. Nothing to amazing. * if you decideto get the Zarape burritto it is huge! The make a smaller size also called the junior burrito. read more

Wow, all I can say is $18 for a carne Asada burrito plate???? Ridiculous Other food is good though. Don't know why they are holding carne Asada for ransom though. read more