They have a new lunch menu! We came with a large group and we all enjoyed our food. I didn't have a margarita this time, but they're always very good. Service is top notch! Also, if you enjoy eating outside, their outdoor covered patio is one of the best in the area. read more

Found the lunch buffet bland and cool to touch. Fresh food was not brought out to the buffet bar. Haven't returned since. Perhaps they have improved. read more

On Friday, April 24, 2026 myself and two other family members came to enjoy a meal and drinks as would do often. However, tonight's experience was very disappointing due to a waitress who apparently didn't want to wait on us. Upon arrival, we asked if we could sit in the bar area and was led to a dirty table. Instead of her wiping the table and removing the trash that was left behind by previous patrons, the waitress places the menus down and starts to walk away. My aunt then asked if she could remove the trash and wipe the table. The waitress looked angry, walked over to an employee who was wiping another table, took the cloth from her then proceeded to walk over to our table. She didn't bother to rinse the towel or apply more cleaner but wiped the table and walked away with an attitude. My family and I decided to leave instead of staying to see what other trifling and rude service we were in store for. When my family member called the manager, he said the waitress is nice and something must have happened to her for her to act that way. Say what?! He actually made an excuse for her nastiness towards us and thought it was ok. No thank you! We will not spend our dollars where we are mistreated. That's your job to make sure the tables are clean and to be of service. We had a very enjoyable experience with staff and food at Rio Grande! After pleasantly greeting us, the waitress said "let me make sure your table is clean" before she escorted us to a table. read more

Service is awesome and food is even better! I definitely recommend the shrimp tacos.

The food was really bland and lacked real Mexican culture. The tacos were bland on a hard shell instead of actual tortillas. My "grilled chicken " tasted like it was was fresh out the freezer and was really watery, the salsa was also sour. My margarita was ok, was supposed so be frozen but was mostly just slush. Only thing that was good was the lettuce and rice. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. The beef for the tacos had no flavor also. read more

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This place is great if you love tacos! I got the Layered Tacos which came in a set of three with beans and rice. The beans a rice were just okay. Not great but not bad. But the tacos were so delicious. The portions are large so you definitely get your money's worth. We also got the taco platter which came with 10 tacos and three types of protein. Those were amazing. I will definitely be going back for those. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Not good. Cheese dip is SPICY and it's drowning anything else on the plate with it. The other sauce option was some dark red enchilada sludge. It covered everything including the corn! The chile relleno was clearly pre-fried and inedible. Every plate was a mess. Let's talk about those nachos. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, ridiculously spicy cheese dip on chips. Basically an early 90's primavera mix. Shrimp was well seasoned and prepared. As a bonus, the bottom of the table was so gross that when my leg touched it, there was crusted food on my pants. Don't eat here. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Shrimp nachos? - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Food was very good. Service was excellent. Restaurant was nicely decorated for Christmas.

Last Sunday we decided to dine here in the early afternoon. There weren't many others there but this establishment was recommended by our son to have good food so we thought we try them and we were in the mood for Mexican cuisine. We were greeted promptly and offered their buffet or dining, we chose dining, however the buffet did look good and well stocked. We were served chips and salsa and given enough time to view the menu. I chose the California Burrito and it was stuffed! It came with fries and there were very good, hot and crispy on the outside, even the catsup was good. We were well waited on and the food was excellent, we'll be back. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - California Burrito with fries - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

This place sucks, service, food was horrible and it's expensive for no reason you don't pay for what you get. I don't recommend

I love this place! It's one of my personal go-tos of the area. Had a party of 10+ service was quick and efficient. My favorite steak fajitas were on the menu tonight and came out sizzling! On Fridays, it is karaoke night which is always a hit to start off the weekend. I highly recommend this local family owned restaurant!! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Steak fajitas with rice and beans, drinking a small frozen mango margarita - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

My daughter and I took an uber here for lunch since our car was being worked on. We waited 10 minutes to be seated. When we arrived at table our drink order was taken and we headed to the buffet. It took a long time for our drinks and extra napkins to arrive. They're probably short staffed like everywhere else. To be fair the food was delicious but I like the Collinsville location's buffet better. It seems like the Collinsville restaurant has a bigger selection of buffet items. read more

Came here and was say down immediately and with a smile. Was brung fresh and fast & it was delicious! I love the authentic vibes that i felt sitting in there. I will for sure be back! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - street corn - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Great food. Friday night karaoke was good. DJ was nice. Music was a little loud but when asked to turn it down he complied and was kind about it. read more

Lunch buffet every week day starts at 11. I get there early and enjoy first pick if everything. Service is quick and attentive. The Ambiance is that of a typical Mexican restaurant with a bar. Buffet, Fountain Coke and tip $25. Not cheap, but I eat a lot. read more

There was plenty of parking at this location which is right off IL 159. We ordered Strawberry Daiquiris, my son had a Virginia mango Daiquiri. Food was delicious. We got the queso with our chips. We ordered the fajitas for 2. Our fajitas had steak, chicKen ad shrimp. We didn't have any leftovers, we usually do. I was so happy with our waiter and service. It wasn't too busy and they had karaoke. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Virginia mango daiquiri. He loved ot - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

No more lunch menu, one menu all day and night. This may be the only Mexican restaurant that I have been to that doesn't have lunch specials. Food is still solid. read more

The food was really good, loved the margarita, but during Covid they were under staffed so service was slow. Our server was friendly and sweet, just seriously overworked. That won't stop me from coming back, there was lots of Interesting stuff on the menu that I still want to try. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Cadillac Margarita - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Conveniently off the Interstate and by several hotels this restaurant has ample parking and easy access. Out for an evening meal we decided to try out this facility before checking Yelp reviews. No doubt a big mistake. The restaurant is a tired old restaurant in need of a major remodel. Ceiling tiles falling in, landscaping in bad repair, light poles rusting and extremely bird feces covered windows the restaurant could improve its image some with a little paint and elbow grease. The food was at best, fair, and the service was slow and appeared understaffed. The food was fair with portions of protein being skimpy. On a positive note the restaurant offers tons of seating and though I came in with just my wife, looks like they could handle large parties. read more

The lunch buffet is great. I have not eaten off the main menu. The lunch buffet has a cornbread casserole that will make it worth it just for that one item. The buffet is a little bland spice wise and I wish they had bowls out so you could still do chips and salsa. I am sure the regular menu has a better spice pallet. I have lived in the area for two months and been three times. Good food! read more

Really impressed! The menu pulled us in, but we decided on the buffet. It was fresh and delicious. Totally worth it. Service was friendly and attentive. See ya next time read more

This was sincerely disappointing. The staff seemed overwhelmed despite having what appeared to be a normal dinner crowd (no wait, and open tables). The food took a long time. And, when it came, it was not impressive. The chips and salsa were the best part of the meal, and they were average at best. I had the fajita taco salad. It was small, and lacked any sort of sour cream or guacamole. So, imagine a super dry steak salad in a huge taco salad shell and you'd be pretty close. My wife had the cheese quesadilla. It was not impressive. Kids had chicken strips and fries. It was below average. Plus, the ketchup was off brand. In short, I do not recommend this restaurant. There are much better places to eat in Fairview Heights. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

went for the buffet . husband and son ate the remaining chicken. did not refill any meat dishes for the 45 minutes we were there. cost 15$ for the buffet and I only got rice and beans with chips. WASTE OF MONEY. $70 for two adults and a child buffet. read more

Some of the best food and service I've had in a while! The staff were super nice and fast on their feet!

Ehhh, the food here was ummm....not good. everything was very bland had no flavor what so ever...except for the chips and fresh salsa. I had ordered the combination, the chalupa, enchilada, and tamale with beans and rice. The chalupa was the only average taco, I think it was the crunchyness of the shell that was good. Other than that the meat was very bland. I had to put salsa on it. The enchilada was not good at all. the corn tortilla was hard, not as soft as it should of been, I took a couple bites and the rest went to waste. The tamale was full of corn dough and no meat at all...how disappointing. very bland and dry. Rice had no flavor, as well as the beans. I asked my dining partner what he thought of his meal and he had the same reaction as I did. I thought it may have been my palate..... The service was average, nothing extremely over the top and not poor. Food came out room temp. I'm sure everything was premade considering it took less than 5 mins to come out. As long as Zapatas has been around, I'm disappointed in their food. read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Top notch margs! I recommend the yellow marg, it has REDBULL! They also have great street tacos for $3.50/per taco and tons of other good food. I really like Pollo Loco here. I always have had great service and fresh chips and salsa! read more

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I've lived in Belleville for three years and never got around to trying this place. Lately I've been on a Mexican food kick and tried Zapata's on a whim. It was absolutely delicious. The server was very nice and pleasant. I got a little ahead of myself and ordered a large peach daiquiri... I had no idea just how big it was. Either way, my husband and I were both pleasantly surprised and will definitely be returning! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Large peach daiquiri - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

So today @6:24pm 12/15/23 My wife and I pull in from off the high way to eat and all I can say is horrible idea stopping here. It took over 15min to get our drinks (1 beer and 1 soda) then we get our food ( steaks fajitas and Carnitas tacos street corn rice.) The steak fajitas come out non-sizzling and everything else was cold everything worst Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. read more

Food is very average. Manager at this location whose name is Charlie is not customer friendly . Food is over priced for the quality and quantity that you receive. The food is bland with no seasoning and the lunch buffet is overpriced. I do not recommend this restaurant . read more

Today, the manager of Zapata's got right in my face and said "c'mon" when I asked why my drink went from $7 to $10. He then said I was drunk, though I had one drink. My fiancé witnessed this, as did other customers. I felt intimidated and in danger. Please...stay away from Zapata's...this was an unbelievable experience. I intend to seek legal counsel asap. I was embarrassed and intimidated. I can provide details. read more

The food is amazing! The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Went in on a Tuesday night when most places would just phone it in but not here it was fantastic. Highly recommend. One small criticism they need to do something about the ungodly draft from the door when customers come in and out. read more

I live in the same neighborhood as Zapata's and on the weekends they are really busy. I have no idea why? Ordered a grilled chicken Quesadilla and there was nothing "grilled" about it. Not good! It was a large group at that time as well and 3 of us did not eat our lunch. Some friends wanted to go Christmas Eve afternoon. I begrudindly accepted. They didn't even bring chips and salsa out to our 10 top. I understand they have a "buffet", but all of us did not order off the buffet. We had to ask for chips and we got one basket. I will never step foot in this place again. It use to be good when it was down by Schnucks...not anymore! read more

I have been here on multiple occasions. This was the first place I went when patios started to open up after stay at home restrictions began being lifted. It did not have a wait, and they had a pretty nice area set up in the parking lot to accommodate patrons. Despite all the hoops they had to jump through to meet servicing requirements due to the virus, service was great as usual. I belong to a volunteer organization that often holds their meetings in one of their small meeting rooms of the restaurant. This is a great restaurant for that sort of thing. We typically have 10-16 guests. We always call days in advance to reserve a back room or more private seating area and they always accommodate us very well. The only reason why I give them three stars is because their food is just okay compared to the other Mexican restaurants in the area. Im always happy being invited here for dinner or attending one of my meetings here because I've never had bad food or service, but I've never found anything really wonderful on their menu either. The salsa is good, their margaritas are good too, but this place is never at the top of my list when it's my turn to pick the Mexican restaurant. If you come here wanting Mexican, I think you'll be generally happy because service is good and the atmosphere is nice, but I don't think you'll be wowed by their food. I will be back again and will sample something new and I hope I'll be able to change my opinion. read more

Food was good, but we asked for more napkins 4 times to 2 different people and we never did get more napkins. My husband had to go to the restroom and get paper towels. read more

Great food, margs and prices! Drinks are strong but don't taste like it! I got a burrito a la carte and it was big enough to be an entree! Definitely will be back! They also have a nice patio that I will be coming back to test out :) read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Delicious strawberry margs! - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Came in with a large party and they quickly put together a couple tables for us! They had some margarita specials, delicious. Would recommend a tradition lime margarita, frozen. Chips and salsa was solid, not the best or worst I have ever had. I had the enchiladas famosas for dinner. I would order again. My friend had a burrito and got it covered in the cheese sauce. That looked really good too. Overall some pretty standard Mexican fare. Service was fine, not stellar. Then again I was with a big party with people coming in and out. Would visit again as this location is near my work and can handle groups! read more

Zapata's Mexican Restaurant - Frozen raspberry margarita! - Bars Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Having a ruff day, stopped here at Zapata's for a drink. The actual building has had multiple restaurant over the past 2 years. Not sure if Zapata's will last or not. This is a very large restaurant with a dining area, banquet room and bar area. A few TVs and game slot machines. Walking in, there's a sign that says "wait to be seated". I waited.. waited.. waited and I waited. After about 5 mins of standing there looking like I was lost, I decided to just seat myself at the bar. Wasn't too sure if anyone worked here or not. I mean there was a hiring sign on the front door. No one behind the bar, no hostess, no waitress or bus person from what I could see. There were customers seating down eating; but no employees (maybe they were all on break). Finally, a guy asks have you been helped? Nope, no I have not! He radios someone from his secret service ear piece and about 3 mins later the bartender appears. She brought chips and salsa with her. Their special for today (Friday afternoon) was Margarita for $8.00. That's not considered a special in my book. I ordered a Island Girl! Very happily the bartender says "Oh, I've never made this before" while looking at the menu. So, I'm not too sure if it was made right or not. I looked through the menu but decided not to order any food. My drink was okay! I finally saw a bus person... seems they only had 3 employees working! At the end of the day... TBD since I didn't eat anything. I'll come back for food and update my review later. read more

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When my wife and I came out here in May,2017 for our house hunting trip, we passed this place daily. We were still in the midst of our very odd "can't have Mexican together" phase. (Someone needs to explain what was going on there with us; we ate everything else). Anyway, when we got back here in July, we passed it everyday going back and forth from hotel to new house, 2- 3 times a day. From the outside at 40 mph...it seemed like a run of the mill strip mall chain restaurant. Nothing bad, but nothing particularly worth investigating either. Well the stars aligned (we had broken the Mexican ban with a trip to Casa Azteca in O'Fallon). We were passing by after a day of milling around the new house waiting for household delivery. It was 1330...we were hungry, traffic paused enough to stop us near the entry to the parking lot. Soooooo...in we went. What a charming little place. The lunch buffet was still going so we just had that. A nice variety of traditional Tex-Mex things, a few chicken dishes, fresh salsa, polenta (wife was in heaven) and even churro for dessert. We will definitely be back. I'd like to try the menu if the buffet offerings were that tasty. The service is friendly and it looked clean. We had no issues. If you are looking for a State Dinner at Los Pinos....not going to find it here. If you are "special" and must be coddled through life, likely not going to find that anywhere. If you want decent food at a decent price with a nice , if "canned" atmosphere, stop in. read more

Literally our favorite place to go! Having lived in California for over 25 years then moving out here I was so discouraged by Mexican restaurants I have gone to - just horrible until I went to Zapatas - they just get it! Their street tacos are legit! Everything on their menu is extremely authentic, the Margaritas will definitely sneak up on you and all their waitstaff is attentive everything. Been going here for several years and NEVER had a meal that wasn't awesome or poor service! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!! read more

What a major disappointment: bbq quesadillas were served in a puddle of orange super saturated grease.. this item is potentially Heart Stopping Stupid, our fajitas were surprisingly good but priced so high they HAD TO BE GOOD , the sides were standard SISCO fare except our beans had a tooth breaking rock contained within ; the attitude was " Oh well ... things happen " . There is so much better Mexican food in the area .....this place should be considered ONLY. after White Castle binge ‼‼‼‼ read more