Good food. Good service. Your second Marg is a penny! 4 stars because they line the rim with table salt. It's weird and not an appropriate margarita read more

Food and service could improve. The dish's did not have enough meat in it and the service was interrupted by the manager who wanted to make sure we stayed with the menu and no deviations! It comes down to-- either you want the business and to make the customer happy or you don't! read more

Server She did not say her name. But they hardly ever do here. There used be good wait staff. But that went away after the pandemic. Generally if the server fails to introduce themselves, it's an indication of the quality of service to expect. When servers introduce themselves, that usually means they take pride in what they're doing. This is very true in Arkansas. The server ignored my empty cup for over 15 minutes before the manager refilled it. Ambiance Typical tex mex restaurant with servers that don't listen Food It's usually the only reason we visit here Overall The food is the best part. It's DEFINITELY NOT THE SERVERS. The server is terrible. Yet everytime we visit she's here. Military Yes with id read more

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Overall this meal was ok. Stay away from their guacamole and never ever order the Poblano & Jalapeño Queso, it was trash. The queso isn't queso, it's an unseasoned blob of cheese that should never be put even on a kids menu. To top it off when I called to let the manager know that I had issues with my meal he made excuses and said that the reason the guacamole was dark was because of the time it spent under a heat lamp and that the queso sometimes gets cold and becomes a blob and that he could replace it if I drove back to the restaurant. The lack of effort on the managers part when I called was horrendous. Excuses don't really work for me. I give them a one star rating. Unimpressed read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - This is their Poblano & Jalapeño Queso. Order at your own risk - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

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Very good food at good prices. Pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff. Plenty of seating and good margaritas. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Poblano cheese dip - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

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Loved going in and just enjoying a quiet environment with inexpensive but delicious guacamole and margaritas. The staff are friendly! read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Good cheap margaritas and great table side guacamole! - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Had a great time here tonight! Very friendly service from the moment we walked in the door. Food was very good, had the enchiladas habaneras. Very nice place to eat and enjoy a couple drinks. Thank you to the staff! read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Enchiladas habaneras - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Zapata's is the second Mexican restaurant I visited while staying in Fort Smith AR and I would definitely recommend them to anyone in search of authentic Mexican cuisine. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Flameada Fajita - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Overall the experience was fine. Service was really good. Our server was friendly and prompt. The restaurant was clean and the decor inviting. The food was just ok. Nothing exceptional. The white queso dip was probably my favorite part of the meal. The spinach enchiladas were good but not the best I've ever had. If I was in the mood for Mexican food I'd probably go back but I won't be making any special trips here. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Passing through the state, amazing & authentic Mexican food, great customer service.. The drinks are STRONG and perfect. Try the chipotle steak meal. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Eh. The bathroom was disgusting. The service was terrible. They were painting when we were there eating! The server forgot about our food & was inattentive the whole meal. & the woman checking us out acted so begrudged to do her job. read more

My husband & I moved to AR Nov 2017 from So. California. We've had a hard time finding good Mexican food here. I don't know why every one pours this weird cheesy sauce on everything! Anyway we tried Zapata's in Fort Smith. The decor is pretty cool, it has TONS of seating, we came in for lunch on a Sunday & there was a lot of people waiting a head of us but the 3 of us were seated in 15 mins, not bad! They have nice bar with a lot of TV's. The bathroom decor could be a little nicer. The staff was very nice. Taylor made our guacamole at the table & it was DELICIOUS!! The chips & salsa they provide is very good. All three of us order the 3 port tamales with the roasted tomato sauce ( you can have the cheesy sauce ). They tamales were sooooooo good! They aren't super big, but it was enough for us. The roasted tomato sauce is Smokey like, kinda boring to me. So we just dipped the tamales in the guacamole & salsa that came with the chip. And Now, why isn't it 5 stars? it was because the 3rd order of tamales weren't going to be ready till 15 mins AFTER our other tamales were served to us. So my mom canceled her order of tamales & they brought her some tacos real quick, but those were just meat & lettuce, very boring. BUT the waiters felt bad & were very eager to please so we WILL BE BACK & will recommend this place. It's a new place so there will be hiccups. We understand. I'll be back and I'm sure the review will be a 5! read more

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I have been ordering food from Zapata's for probably over a year now. They are almost always amazing. The one time they delivered the wrong order the owner personally called me to not only refund me, but made it fresh and personally delivered the right order for me the next day read more

Just had an amazing fried avocado tonight. wonderful! Excellent visit, extremely quick service. Highly recommend. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Yes, I already cut it up, couldn't take a picture till I had started on it but yes it was worth it. - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Seven us met for dinner, 1 from Hawaii, 2 from Texas and 4 from California.... (2 of this group are natives of Arkansas). 5+ stars for service - Tyler "T" was fantastic, personable, helpful and knowledgeable of the menu and made excellent suggestions. Our favorites: Spinach Artichoke dip, grilled jalapeños and grilled onions, steamed/sautéed veggies (in butter and garlic), Chef's sautéed Shrimp, Spinach Enchiladas, the Chile Verde and the Pollo Longo. Underline and bold the Pollo Longo. ;) Our least favorite: stuffed jalapeños (my dad likes the cheese inside more melted) and the Taco Salad which was a little bland (we forgot our family favorite hot sauce which my brother usually takes everywhere). Other pluses: Homemade Tortillas, poblano rice, take out available, delivery through WAITR (great if you are staying in a local hotel and don't want to go out), a bar, watch a game and even a kid's menu. Oh and thankfully, they are open on Sunday! I was surprised by the not so good reviews, but my cousin mentioned that most locals don't like 'flavor' and since she is a local I will take her word for it. May have to stop in again before our trip is over! read more

Finally! We moved from California and I am shocked when I read reviews about "authentic Mexican food" around the valley. 99% of it is "cheese sauce" and hamburger meat. Disgusting. This place is actually different. It is very similar to the food we had back in CA. Now, it is not as authentic as a certain orange-painted slice of torta heaven in the old downtown area, but it isn't trying to be. It is a nice, sit down place with decent prices and really good food. We also had really good service. If you are like me, and you know what real Mexican food is supposed to be, and are appalled that the reviews for so many other places in the area say they are amazing, but are really disappointing, then this is your place. read more

Super BASIC. I judge by the chips, and this place has the worst chips. Straight out of a cheap bag of Restaraunt Chips from warehouse like Sams, BJ's or Costco. Tried this place out twice, definitely won't go back a third. read more

Great food. Love the atmosphere. Flameda fajitas are very good. Frozen strawberry margaritas are a must. Good chips and salsa. Friendly service. read more

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Got a Togo order. Ordered the poblano and jalapeño queso. Waiter menu didn't say it was a fundido. We thought it was a dip, but it came as a coagulated chunk of cold, greasy cheese with huge peppers in it so hot we couldn't eat it. Also ordered the Pollo Cazuelita. Description below in pic. Was not braised at all, grilled fajita chicken strips dry as could be with grilled tomatoes and pablano strips. And it was covered with another chunk of coagulated cheese, which is not in the description. It had about a 1/2 inch of standing grease in the bottom. So disgusting I could not eat it. We threw away our entire dinner. Money waisted. read more

Zapata's Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Went there Friday evening at about 5 pm. Outstanding service and the food Was plentiful. Could not eat it all. Margarita was best I have had since moving to area. Buy large and get small for a penny. If you like salsa hot ask for hot . Just be careful how much you add to their mild. Wonderful. Definitely our go to place from now on. read more

Not the biggest fan of this place. Food mediocre, dishware had spots of food on plates and in glasses. I hate to leave a bad review because what makes the place great is the staff. Quick, responsive, and very kind. read more

Place has 0 flavor shrimp ceviche is not a ceviche it's a cocktail and agua Fresca is dull no flavor main dish was just flavor less good service just. No flavor step up the flavor and aguas read more

This place has quickly became my favorite Mexican food in the fort. Been there three times and headed back this evening. All three times, the service has been fantastic and the food is delicious. So far I have ordered the Enchiladas Habaneras, the Cimichanga, Queso, and my favorite the Fajitas Flameada. I always have liked Fajitas but thought they should be served with cheese. This one is...and BACON. Lots of BACON. With the meal comes choice of flour or corn tortillas. I ordered the corn. As a tip, if you want to try something different in a margarita ask the bartender for a Jalapeno margarita. It's not on the menu but they do a great job. Expect a little spice because unlike other Jalapeno margaritas I've had, this one is made with ground up peppers (instead of slices). This adds a nice kick and stronger flavor to the drink. And then of course, every margarita comes with a second regular margarita for only $.01. read more

Visited at 2:30 on a Friday. Wait staff was horrible. Had to ask for silverware napkins refills our cheese dip then my wraps for my fajitas. Food was not impressive instead of refried beans they brought out beans and weenies?!? Acted like I was crazy when I said something. Will not go back. I had been previously with good experiences this was horrible. Food and service. read more

I've decided to expand my search for Mexican good and here I am. The surrounding area were filled with American television broadcasts, which is expected to be in a big restaurant size like this. I ordered their Zapata special and they are tasty. Overall, it may have the average round of an authentic Mexican place, but their food is sure great. read more

Decorations is nice as far as food it was just ok nothing out of the ordinary. I got the fajitas and I wasn't a fan.

This is the same owners of a El zarape they got in a fight he opened up his own restaurant took his people with him and their food sucks service sucks I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes Mexican food because it's not so tortilla with sauce on it throw some cheese call it Mexican food took forever to get her food and all the waiters would flirt with the women I never apologize for their mess-ups read more

Loved our experience at Zapata's. From the time we walked in to the time we left, we received wonderful customer service. Our waiter was fantastic and very attentive. Our food was wonderful and tasty. The salsa and chips were just the way we enjoy them. We will definitely return when we are in-town again! read more

Service, food, and establishment itself are all one of the worst I have ever experienced. Went in for a quick lunch and ended up taking over an hour because of the terrible service. Fajitas are bland, gross, tastes like dog food. Inedible. Everything was cold. It even looks gross. I knew immediately I had made a bad choice for lunch. No one brought our check or even asked how things were for 30 minutes after we had our food and finished. Had my card waiting on the table to be taken for 15 minutes and no one came by. People who think this is good food and service are from Fort Smith and have never experienced anything worth while and would think dog food was delicious if it was served to them. When you walk in, the place seems nice, but if you take a closer look, the walls are filthy, the floors tiles are all broken apart, the bathrooms are filthy, and I saw 2 bugs while I was there. It even smells dirty and like old cigarette smoke inside. Service is terrible, I heard from a friend that one of the bartenders was harassing her and asking for her information. Not a good place. Terrible food, terrible service, do not go. read more

This place is just like El Zarape! Even the kid's menu is EXACTLY the same. On top of that, it took forever to get our food which was terrible because it was the exact same food I could have gotten somewhere else. The waiters didn't even apologize for how long we had to wait. There's nothing special about this restaurant. The manager said he'd make up for it but he didn't actually do anything. Don't waste your time or money! read more

Not a good experience. Waited 45 minutes for food to arrive, and when it did it was the wrong dish. Extremely unhelpful service made Zapata's super frustrating. I highly recommend going some place else for Mexican food. read more

American style Mexican food. Staff needs a little positive encouragement and needs to be attentive to all customers not just the young single women. Would not return was hoping for authentic received gringo inspired dish. read more

A large group of us went for a special occasion. We were happy at every step of our dining experience. We passed food around and all of it was fantastic. The chips and salsa were never empty and neither were our drinks. Everyone was friendly and enthusiastic. A must if you visit Fort Smith. read more

These guys are excellent! We love the food and the service is excellent. Try the street tacos or the fish tacos!

Seriously, it was a LONG wait for food. We went thru 3 baskets on chips and those were not delivered rapidly either. Food very similar to El Zarape. Servers do hustle. The hold up appears to be in the kitchen. The place is huge; so, I suspect the kitchen is understaffed. Irritating to be forced to pay at the register as well. How much more trouble would it be to have pay at the table? Booths are comfortable with generous space. But, after church on Sunday it was packed. It was loud with crying kids. Space formerly a Chinese buffet. Here is strictly order from the menu. read more

Formally in the Lin's Garden Building. I thought if they took on this size of a building they must be good. As it turns out,they were good and even better than that. Everything about his place is great. The food is very Californian Mexican but not foo froo, GOOD FOOD! I got the seafood nachos and the shrimp enchilada, Zapatas is the new king of Mexican in Fort Smith! read more

Amazing food!!! Stopped as a pit stop for food on a road trip. Amazing service! Highly recommend the enchiladas sueza

Went here for a friends birthday, was excited about penny margaritas until we found out they taste like Gatorade. Also didn't get my food until everyone was done eating. Ended up being the toughest shrimp I've ever dealt with. read more

I had the seafood Fajitas and I must say I was impressed. My spouse had the Smoked shrimp enchiladas they were amazing as well. We will go back to explore with there menu more. Thanks for the wonderful experience! read more

Really excited to find this place. A restaurant that has not tweaked their menu to the USA palate. Great Mexican Seafood dishes. Reminded us of the food we use to get when we lived on the US/ MEXICO border . I cant wait to go back.... read more