The outside of the building is absolutely stunning with great art and decorations if it was so cold I would have eaten out here. The inside was very claustrophobic with tables all mashed together forcing you to sit shoulder to shoulder with the people around you. I ordered the torta with French fries cause I like to get a traditional Mexican dish but with an Americanized item too, I'm also a certified torta pounder. It wasn't too pricy but also not too cheap around 15 for the sandwich which tends to be around the average. Service wasn't to amazing got the order in fast and out but was forced to order the appetizer with my meal, and didn't get a refill of water until after I had already ate. I would definitely recommend as a place to eat but not necessarily the best. Personally I would wait for the summer just to eat outside. Last picture is proof of my certification. read more

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This place is very cute. The vibe check is very good, unfortunately the food is just meh. I got the Baja fish tacos. There were no chucks of fish but rather flakes and it wasn't very good. I had to ask for limes! What fish tacos do not come with limes? The service was also very bad. Our food was served and then we had to find people to help us get half of the things we ordered. Then we were overcharged by $60 on our bill. So watch your bill, make sure you are not getting overcharged. I really like the place, it's so cute and the have karaoke but food and service need to be better. read more

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So I came here against my better judgement due the reviews were pretty bad. I ordered two tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans. If I could give this meal a zero I would. Taco shells was stale and the enchiladas were hard to cut into. The taste was bad. I ate at 6pm and at 4am I woke up with massive stomach pain and throwing up everywhere for 8 hours. This was a classic case of food poisoning and it was awful. Don't come here. You will need a rod iron gut. Health dept should shut this place down. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

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The food was good.the service was great.it was so fun when everyone was singing.it was a bit loud but it was so fun!!.

We went for the lunch buffet, which was a really good deal. In queso alone, it was a good deal. Most places charge about $5.00 for the bowl you had unlimited access to at the buffet. If you eat 3 tacos, a bowl of queso ,and the dessert, that alone makes it a good deal. Especially when you get to make everything the way you want it. They have a variety of meats, hard or soft taco, nachos, sauces and toppings. I thought the chicken was the best, but the beef was still good. The sour cream is closer to table cream. Good service and nice atmosphere. It was pretty calm and laid back. We enjoyed it. Definitely on the list for lunch buffets. We will come back for sure. read more

Zapata's was an excellent choice for our family - we had excellent service and the food was terrific! Our order was met perfectly and my daughter's dairy allergy questions answered quickly! They have Hot chips and really good salsa to complete the meal! read more

Food is mediocre. Service was prompt but rushed. Ambiance was a zero - karaoke in the bar - couldn't hear a thing in the restaurant. Other Mexican restaurant choices much better. read more

Big portions, karaoke, and super sweet margaritas! I am not a Mexican food fan, so the food didn't swoon my tastebuds, but the vibe of the restaurant was awesome. There are two parts to the restaurant- one part was more bar oriented (that's where karaoke on Friday night was) and the other part was quieter, typical restaurant seating. read more

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we went to eat lunch Saturday when we arrived at the hostess station nobody was there . we waited for fifteen minutes before leaving

I give it 5 stars! We got the 10 taco platter. 3 steak, 3 lamb, 3 pork. & 1 chorizo. Steak was a little dry but with the green salsa provided it was good. The lamb and pork were my favorite so flavorful! The service was fast we were sat quickly and greeted immediately by our server! Got our drink order in got a Corona margarita on the rocks and it was strong and good! The ambiance is great honestly it's a big restaurant so much to see ! Has a great patio and the music is also top tier. Wish they had napkins on the table but that's about it! Will be back for drinks and tacos ! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

Very dark interior. Old smelling place. Service ok. Chips/salsa ok. Mango margarita good. Food awful. Microwaved tamale was a turd on one end. Cheese filled chile releno tasted like "freezer burn". Won't be going back. The other location was just as bad 20 years ago. How do these places stay open. This was my birthday lunch treat with my cousin. What a waste of her money. read more

If I could give it a zero I would super dry tried to charge me 6$ for a cup of white cheese the salsa I got had this terrible smell to it but I thought it was just there stuff they use but ever since I ate there my belly has had the worst pains and have nothing but water coming out never in my life has my belly hurt so bad from food do not eat here.. read more

The chips were stale the serving was okay. The food was okay at best just not as good as mostt Mexican spots I've went to

Nice decor , excellent service! Chips & salsa immediately. Drinks within 5 minutes. Great margaritas! Medium was huge. Husband ordered carnitas- marinated & topped with onions. He loved it on soft shells with lettuce , tomato & sour cream. I ordered chicken enchilada & beef toastada. It was topped with ground beef, grated white cheese & lettuce. Just ok. Enchilada was topped with red sauce instead of white cheese sauce, which normally comes on chicken enchiladas. Just ok- I topped with cheese dip & ate it. Cheese dip , chips, salsa & margarita were very good. We eat here every time we come to the area for a race weekend. Overall pretty good! read more

Ate lunch here recently. Seated quickly, the chips and salsa showed up quickly, and right after came our waitress. She was super friendly. My friend and I both had loaded nachos. Nachos with ground beef, shredded chicken and refried beans, Tomatoes, onions, melted cheese and sour cream. Very good, lots of toppings. Would return and if you like Mexican, stop in. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Dining room - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

Zapatas has the best salsa! I've been going here for years and have tried other places but always come back here. We also love the margaritas and the waiters are always so nice! Highly recommend!! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

Great family owned restaurant. Been in business 24 years. Have a lunch buffet everyday 11-2 and takes reservations for big groups. read more

Too bad the food isn't as impressive as the decor. Service was great! Food......bleh. We won't be back.

The food is good and the service by Yoli is great!! The restaurant is decorated in a Mexican style decor. read more

Always a must when coming to the St . Louis area . Which this is in Collinsville . Food is alway great you get a lot . And the sweet tea is very good . Nice inside and service is always good also so a must. We eat here every time we come to the area. read more

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This is a place I think that gets often overlooked because it's sort of out-of-the-way, but it's worth a trip! We ate there for lunch on a Sunday and they were moderately busy, but still service was prompt and the food was hot and fresh. They have a $9.99 Lunch special seven days a week. I got 2 street tacos, One fish and one adobo chicken. They were delicious. She got a tortilla and and enchilada, both chicken and they we're good as well (we always share)! The restaurant always seems clean and they are good about removing dirty dishes from your table (I hate it when a place just leaves dirty dishes in your face, on the table). The waiter was friendly and attentive. Will be back! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Chicken tostada and chicken enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

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I understand now why this place has 2.5 stars. Shoutout to Yoli the bartender. She's the sunshine in this place. She and the beer being cold are the only reasons I gave 1 stars. Peter was another bright spot in this place. He was extremely friendly, courteous and professional. The little guy in the kid size polo shirt (I think his name is Tony) seems to have a little man complex. . I ask him to turn to the Lakers game on ABC and he told me that he didn't know what that channel was and just handed me the remote. Seems as if everyone is the bartender. Stay away from this place. read more

Zapatas has the best fajita nachos hands down! Their street tacos Mexican style are also a winner. The corn shells are grilled just right and the fillings, especially carnitas and barbacoa, are perfection. The enchiladas verdes is also top notch. Pretty much everything is amazing including the staff! read more

best queso! favorite outdoor patio, service is great! yoli is amazing! atmosphere is a vibe!

DELICOUS every time! The margaritas are delicious as well! I definitely recommend it. Can be very crowded on the weekends but well worth the wait . read more

I am a regular at the Zapatas in Collinsville on Tuesday and Friday nights. Brooke and Jordan are awesome! The food is good and Brooke will hook you up with whatever drink you need at the bar! It is an awesome place for Gatherings and parties. I am going to a birthday party there this Saturday night! I highly recommend the Mexican dip with pico! read more

Disappointed. Night Manager (11/06/20). Extremely rude. Waited for over 30minutes to not even get even get our drinks or food to-go. Asked for the manager, she informed us they shouldn't even be open due to COVID...? Then, an hour later, gave us a $2.37 discount on our food. We laughed and said nope. We gave our food back and asked for a full refund. She couldn't process it and gave us the restaurant phone number to call the next day. Long story short.... go to Ramon's. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Have no idea what her name actually is. She wrote it. Still don't understand. - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

That was some of the worse Mexican food I've eaten. The tamale was rock hard and the margarita had no flavor or alcohol. The staff were friendly but not enough of them. I wish I'd checked the ratings before going there to eat. Don't eat or drink there! read more

Food is very average and the management of this restaurant is very poor. Manager whose name is Charlie is very rude and not customer friendly. Prices are too high for the quality and quantity of what you get. read more

When I am in Illinois and in the mood for some Mexican food, I make sure to come here. I only get 1 thing off of their menu and it's been the same for years: the layered tacos. An order comes with 3 double layered soft and crunchy tortillas and I get it with shredded beef. In additional to your usual Mexican food sides, they add some sweet corn casserole and it is so delicious. I am getting hungry just thinking about it! Their margaritas are also pretty good. I don't always have them when I come in but I've had them a couple of times and they get the seal of approval. Service? Well, they've always been good for me for years now. Cleanliness? Yes, they do take care of their restaurant inside and out. I wouldn't hesitate coming back here. In fact, I look forward to when I can come back and dine at Zapatas. Until next time! read more

The food is average Mexican cuisine. our waitress ( I forgot her name, but was a attractive Caucasian) was impeccable. She took care of our party of our party of 25, delivered the plates to the right people with only one mistake ( which was the kitchens fault for not reading the ticket correctly). As for as management/ownership is a different story. We had 7:00 reservations on a Saturday evening and was seated at 6:30 due to abundance of seating. This was a birthday celebration for our Grand kids ages 7 and 4 with 25 family. It took 2 hours 10 minutes for everyone to get there food and eat which brings us to 8:40 (the cutting of the cake). As the cake was being served and we were getting ready to open gifts the waitress came and informed us that Management wants us to leave because we were the last customers and he wants to close early (8:50 and they supposively close at 10:00). Zapata's made over over $500 before drinks (bar and soft drinks) and the automatic 18% gratuity which is another $90 the automatically add on ( which our waitress probably has to share with the Other 3 dead beats didn't help her at all). This was the first time in a while my family has been here because a past experience and will definitely be our Last. Recommendation for our waitress that evening find a different restaurant because you are to good the management/ownership at Zapata's and let them ruin your reputation. read more

We went for mothers day, had a large party. 5 out of the 16 of us got sick from eating their food as well as they charged my card 46.30 with their added gratuity which its fine, then i get a updated email from my bank that they updated the amount to 53.94 which i did not authorize! read more

Who doesn't love all-you-can-eat Mexican food? There's not very many of those places in the STL area that I know of. Of course, when it comes to buffets, the quality of the food is questionable. But, in this case, sometimes you just can't expect it to be perfect. There were a reasonable amount of items on the buffet, including salad, nachos, make your own tacos (hard and soft), burritos, taco salads, and a few other items. The corn cake rocked! I walked out a happy man, getting my money's worth in food (haha). They do have a regular menu here, too. Somehow I'm getting the idea people come here more for the buffet. Service was great. read more

Can't say enough nice things about this place- service was amazing! Food was delicious and unbelievable fast, hot and fresh! The decor is beautiful and I love the vibrant colored sculptures and paintings. I highly recommend to everyone! read more

Went to check out the new recreational cannabis dispensary down the street but it had a huge line in the cold weather so I opted to pop in for a little Mexican instead. Ordered the arroz con pollo. Meh. Chicken tasted ok but the rice was mushy. This place is huge, reminds me of Casa Gallardo back in the day but the food quality is a cut below that so I can't justify returning. Diet Pepsi was well carbonated and the service was decent. Pricing higher than it should be. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

I went to dinner this evening and the parking lot was so packed and I was thinking it was going to be a long wait - but it was not - they were accommodating a 50th class reunion - we got right in and was sat quickly. The hostess was super friendly and sat us in a booth as requested. Even though they were not super busy on one side - I felt a great vibe from this place. The decor is great. My server was amazing - didn't catch her name - but friendly, nice and concerned about my children and their needs. Dinner was great ! I ordered the pollo loco and my husband the carnitas and both were delicious. I read the reviews before we came but I was not impressed but the building looks fun from the outside and I wanted to try and im glad we did - o the salsa! They have the best salsa I ever had - you have to try this place ! DO NOT FOEGET TO ORDER A CADILLAC MARGARITA- HANDS DOWN THE BEST - read more

I had to download yelp JUST to leave a review here. This man really had the audacity to run out the door just to tell people they shouldn't go out to eat if they cannot tip more. Now here is this thing... I normally tip very generously, DEPENDING UPON MY SERVICE. We had to wait for approx 5-10 just to be greeted by the said server. Wasn't a problem, and was just fine with waiting. Turn around, and was brought one basket of chips. Again, fine. They were hard, and cold. (Not the servers fault) our 3 drinks were NOT refilled, even though he had been to the table and past, seen the empty cups, and neglected to fill them. I had to ask for my drink to be refilled before receiving another water to wash down the dry chips. Servers says he will refill the Chips, walked past the table 2-3 additional times before actually brining another thing of chips. By time the refill of chips got there, the cheese dip I paid extra for was cold and clumpy. (Again, dismissed the issue) Despite the neglect of the server, I still decided to tip him $5 as we were there for approx 45 mins in a very very slow period. (The recommended tip was only $11) so I feel for the shitty ass service that was received by this said server, that was more then generous. & yes, I know they survive off tips, but customer service goes a long way. I wouldn't be able to go to work and be a bitch to people & not personable & expect to make a tip. Be more friendly, & don't chase your customers out the door. Be grateful you got anything. read more

Located in Collinsville, Illinois Zapata's is a pretty good Mexican restaurant. It typically doesn't have a wait to be seated and you can choose inside or outside dinning. I recommend the California burrito. It a huge burrito and comes with fries. I always substitute beans for the fries though. Another good option is the special fajitas. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

Run, don't walk!! AWAY!!! Margaritas taste like Kool-Aid with a hint of cheap mouthwash! Tortillas are worse than the store bought. Building is older and more tired than Phyllis Diller! Service was good but only because he was still new! Mango chicken could have been Mango Purina Chow for all I know. But seriously, it was bad! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Here I am suffering through my mouthwash flavored margarita! - Mexican Near Me - Collinsville, Illinois

Honestly, this place is just 'ok'. When you want faster service, go to Carrisillo's in Collinsville (re-opening at the Orchards Marketplace soon) or La Fonda in Glen Carbon. The service is VERY slow, the food is more expensive than the smaller restaurants. The chips just aren't the same. The portions aren't what you would expect them to be at an "authentic Mexican restaurant". I like to have leftovers for work the next day. ;) It's just 'ok'. I can't give you a lot more than that. For those of you who really like those thin, crispy warm chips - this isn't the place to go. Their white queso earns them the stars but like Rebecca B. said in her review, no restaurant may be judged on just cheese. We're Americans... We would judge an entire country based on their cheese. Yeah.. Don't lie, you know we would. When you go to Wisconsin, you ask "How's the cheese? har har har"...and don't pretend like you don't. That being said, the cheeses here offered it a three star versus the two star it was going to get... because honestly, we would choose Chevy's for Mexican over this place and that my friend, is a travesty. read more