This place is either a big hit or a complete miss. The quality is erratic. I went on Sunday afternoon today and had the chile rellenos. The food came out lukewarm (not hot) and the quality was not that great. On the other hand I was there 2 weeks ago on sunday and had the chile verde it was wonderful. Go figure. The coffee is good. read more

Great menudo. Good service. Happy people. Great ambience. Definitely will be coming back!

We were told about this place and the bottomless pozole, and man, were we glad we came. Danny was our waiter with impeccable customer service. He made several recommendations and was so helpful while we poured through the menu. I opted for the pozole verde and my husband got the menudo. Before the food came out we were already had! The chips and salsa were the bomb. We inquired about the chips and the red appearance, we were told about the spices that were used and we were brought another basket of fried, crispy goodness. Our soups came in huge bowls and were on point. Mine needed some more spice but was super good. My husband's menudo needed some oomph, but nothing a little salt and salsa couldn't fix. Needless to say, we will be back! And kudos to Danny who's warmth and customer service are well beyond his years. Good job young man! read more

This a local staple if you are looking for some good local food. The service is great. My personal favorite is the green pozole. And don't forget the beans and chips. read more

First off, we got here early on a Sunday morning (early as in before the church goers were out of church). It took a while to be acknowledged and seated even though there was plenty of open tables and no wait. Anyways, I like to make my own choice when it comes to what to eat. Everything on the menu sounded good, even pancakes; but my dad brought me here raving about the pozole verde so that's what I ordered. Coffee probably doesn't pair the best with pozole, but I really wanted some. And I was really happy to learn that it was no ordinary coffee, but cafe de olla! So yummy. The pozole verde (served only on Saturday and Sunday) was so simple, yet so delicious. And the bowls were endless! I will definitely come back and order it again! P.S. homemade tortillas and fresh guac made to order FTW! read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

I have been going to Zapiens for about 4 years now. Food is great. Service is good. It is very busy. Lots of locals, including myself. Celebrated my birthday recently with my family and they loved the menudo and posole. That's a compliment because mom's is the best. read more

I stopped coming here. So i decided to give the another try on Friday 9/102021 for dinner DISSAPOINTED. I order albodigas and the meat was hard and had a bad flavor. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Caldo de Albondigas. Not good at all - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

REDEMPTION IS THE WORD OF THE DAY. THE OWNER MARCO IS AMAZING!!! After my last visit I vowed never to return but Marco was determined to make it right. He went above and beyond for my team and in the process won back 13 customers. We will be coming back and telling everyone else to go there as well. Marco, you did more than we could have ever expected and we truly appreciate what you did. Our meeting was made even more special because of you and your staff. Thank you thank you a thousand times thank you. read more

Amazing food and catering! I really enjoyed how fresh all of the produce and vegetables were and how kind the owner and staff was when they catered a recent event I attended. Very authentic rice and beans. The rice was just right, with bright tomato flavor, fluffy and not sticky, and the right color. The beans were rich, but not too Larry. I will definitely be using them for any event I have in the future where I'm selecting the caterer! Thanks Marco, keep up the good work! read more

Excellent Food! Loved the French toast! Staff was friendly with a relaxed atmosphere! There are other menu items that I'm looking forward to trying! Will be back soon! read more

This place hands down has the worst service ever. I walked out before placing an order because I could no longer wait to be ignored. I would never attempt to eat here again and would NEVER recommend anyone to eat here. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill in Pico Rivera is a quaint Mexican restaurant nestled in a strip mall off of Rosemead Blvd. It's family owned and the Executive Chef Marco Zapien has tremendous cooking skills. You can often find Chef Marco conducting cooking demonstrations throughout the year. We attended one where Chef Marco prepared all dishes with New Mexico's HATCH green chiles. Superb! Every year they roast and sell Hatch chiles. You don't want to miss out. The food is standard Mexican American cuisine -- from burritos, tacos, taquitos to chile colorado and chile verde. Personally, I enjoyed the chile verde. Come for breakfast and you won't be disappointed. They have all the traditional Mexican favorites, from chorizo con huevos to huevos rancheros. The prices at Zapien's Salsa Grill are a tad steep in comparison to other local Mexican restaurants in the Pico Rivera area. Just be prepared and you won't be upset. Plenty of parking in front of the restaurant. Nice, friendly service. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Hanging with Chef Marco Zapien at his restaurant in Pico Rivera. Now, this guy can cook! - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

Delicious!!!!! The freshly made, freshly seasoned chips you get before your meal are sooo good If you like beans like me I recommend the chipotle bean dip to start off ! Micheladas are good, they put a lot of ice soooo CHUG jk I prefer the green chilaquiles Ask for a piece of carne asada to complete your meal read more

Let me start off with the positive about this place. The food is tasty and so is their cafe de olla which is why i give this place 3 stars. The service on the other hand is not very good. It took a while for the waitress to come over to take our order for drinks. The Chile verde wasn't available for certain dishes but available for others. Hmmm. The staff was all over the place. We were almost finished with our food by the time the tortillas came and had to hunt down our server for refills. read more

Was at a birthday this weekend, catered by the Salsa Grill and was FLOORED by how DELICIOUS every dish was! The enchiladas and chicken fajitas were out of this world, Mexican Rice was fluffy and perfectly seasoned, the Chipotle Beans were some of the BEST I've ever had. I've never had Chipotle beans before. What a TREAT!!! Seasoned to perfection with just a touch of heat. PHENOMENAL. And those seasoned tortilla chips were perfectly crisp & perfectly flavorful. The salsa, again, some of THE BEST I've ever had!!! Which is crucial since it's in the name!! read more

This place is good. They have some good house made chips and salsa. They have a variety of dishes such as sopes and salads. The service was good and the decor was nice . The sopes were good and filling, so I couldn't finish it . The horchata was ok. read more

Salsa Grill has really improved their service. The waitresses are very accommodating. Our favorite waitress is Bertha, she knows us by name. She is great. They food is amazing. This is our go to on the weekends. read more

1st impression: 5 Stars nice family environment with relaxing Jazz music offered through the restaurant. Menu: 5 stars Great selections & love the fact everything is made with quality ingredients. What I ate: 5 stars We order the enchiladas, Chile rellenos and pozole. The salsa and chips are super addicting be careful lol. Would I return & recommend: 5 stars Yes and Yes. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

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Wow the worst Mexican food I have tasted in years. The food here is cooked with absolutely no spices, has no flavor. The sauces taste like they came from a can and also flavorless. If you can imagine being served Mexican food in a hospital then you have a good idea of what you're in for at this place. If your taste palette is blown out and you have major digestive issues I highly recommend this place. For the cherry on top bad service. I had to flag down the waitress, and by flag down I mean yell for, for my 3 ice tea refills. Save your money find another place. read more

Holy Molly, this place is awesome! The Chipotle Bean dip as an appetizer is so delicious and just the way my grandmother would make it. The tortilla chips are seasoned and they keep them coming until the end of the meal. The guacamole is freshly made with only the ingredients you want; only real avocados are used no bottled avocado sauce in this place. My very picky daughters loved the food as well as I did. Service was good and parking was plentiful. I recommend it if you are looking for delicious authentic Mexican food. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

Food is great they have a few custom plates or twist in your typical foods but mole is outstanding. Great vibe and atmosphere.

The 4 stars are definitely for the great food. However, Jess, the owner, is an a absolute ASSHOLE!! The way he treats and yells at his wonderful staff is totally uncalled for. I personally told him the food is great , what was terrible was his treatment of his staff. His reply, "I'm not going to change for any son of a bitch!" He said quite a bit more but due to the content, which was degrading to women, I'll leave it at that. -20 stars for Jess the Schmuck !!!! read more

love this place the pozole is my go to, I love that they have a bottomless option which I never get because one bowl is enough for me ,I also always order the mole dip with chicken and paired with the homemade chips , well they are delicious read more

It's rare to find a place that has both good food and great service. Our server was Bertha, she was awesome. Everyone was very friendly and polite. The food!! From the tortilla chips to the pozole it was all really good. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Pozole, enchiladas el sol con mole, tortilla chips, and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

Amazing everything a must try!! A true gem in Pico Rivera my breakfast favorite is the bolillo French toast delicious

Great food, never disappointed!! Friendly service by the staff. This place is a Gem. I will definitely be back again soon.

I ate here for the first time two days ago. It was a small private party and we had a buffet. I cannot say enough about how much I loved this place! The presentation of the food was beautiful and the food was delicious!!!!! We had Carne Asada, Carnitas, Chile verde along with the usual rice and beans. There was also a delicious salad with cilantro dressing, a beautiful fruit tray and warm tortillas. They partitioned off the restaurant for privacy. Servers were very attentive, ESPECIALLY Genesis! I will be making a special trip from Orange County to eat here again. read more

Came in today for the first time and was not greeted.. Once I was seated I waited for like 15 min to even get a hello or even get my drink order . I ordered the albondigas and the meat was taugh and the soup did not have no flavor. In the soup of albondigas we also found pieces of chicken and beef. I had to add salsa and lime and salt to give it flavor. The waitress hardly came around to refill our drinks. We had to ask her to leave the pitcher of water because they were taking to long to refill. I dont think I'll come here again. Service was not good or the food read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

This food is spot on delicious. The workers there are very friendly and helpful. My usual is the enchiladas but I tried the hard shell beef tacos, we usually take the food home since covid and the shells were still crispy when we got home read more

Treated several customers to lunch and was a little concerned beforehand based on some of the reviews. The service levels and food quality were excellent. Proves again- not all reviews are created equally. You won't be disappointed! read more

I had breakfast alone but the staff always makes me feel like family. I love the house coffee and they brought me complimentary pan dulce while I waited for my food. I always get the Mark Z breakfast enchiladas but today I tried the Huevos Divorciados. Two eggs with Chile Verde and Chile Colorado. I love this place and the employees too! read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Huevos Divorciados - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

It hurts to give this review but here we go: WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE TODAY. My wife and I went to enjoy some soups since they're bottomless. We've gone a few times and have had great experiences but today was just horrible. Everything started well. The first waitress was extremely helpful. She got our order, our drinks, very wonderful lady (taller waitress). We finished our soups (I had albóndigas and my wife had the green Pozole. Both were amazing). Then, the other waitress came out. She literally spent about 15 mins (I timed her) talking to the couple in the next table without coming to see if we needed anything. We made eye contact more than 5 times and she just kept on having her conversation. By the time she stopped comadriando, we asked for refills. She looked at her watch and said "I'm not sure if we'll have anymore left". Ummm, maybe if you hadn't talked for 15 mins straight, you'd know if they had some left. Anyway, they did end up having some and we got our refills. We asked for drink refills. She never brought them. Another waiter came by and we asked him twice, he never brought him. Finally we asked him again and 30 mins after the initial ask for drinks, we finally got them. As good as the food was, we could not leave a tip with such horrible service. I don't understand how it got so bad today especially when they usually do so well. Very saddening. read more

If you love Mexican cuisine and are familiar with the Montebello/Pico Rivera area, it's no mystery that there is an over abundance of Mexican fast food & traditional dine in restaurants. Zapien's Salsa Grill and Taqueria is one of those hidden gems in the city of Pico Rivera. To begin with, you'll easily pass on by this restaurant due to it's location as one of the corner businesses in a medium sized strip mall off Rosemead Blvd, a high traffic street. Once you've passed by this restaurant after making several U-turns and pull into the driveway, you'll be pleased to know that parking is hardly a situation here. Zapien's occupies two storefronts with two dining areas that sort of seem dichotomized. The main dining area looks to be capable of accommodating larger parties. Lunch specials menu is given to you with the standard dinner menu. Specials are reasonably priced and are all priced at $9, which includes your entree, soup and soda*. Chips, Salsa, Bean Dip: 4/5 After your order is received by the wait staff, you are served complimentary freshly fried chips with salsa and bean dip. If you are not served bean dip, simply request it. The remarkable characteristic of Zapien's chips is, although fried, they taste baked. As a matter of fact, the paper lining the chip basket barely exhibits signs of grease! Also, the chips are tossed is some sort of red powder, possibly paprika but certainly not cayenne. Their bean dip is a nicely added touch. I haven't had bean dip in ages, and that was a can of Frito-Lay Bean Dip. Dionicio Morales' Favorite: Chile Verde: 3.5/5 This is one of the items on the Lunch Specials menu. I am always in pursuit of an awesome green chile. Zapien's was a little better than average. I found it very salty. The serving size of this dish is rather generous, with sizable chunks of tender pork. Served with your choice of flour or corn tortillas. Carnitas Pancho: 4.25/5 This is not on the Lunch Special menu. As I pursue awesome chile verde, similarly I hunt down outstanding carnitas. Carnitas should possess moist flavorful pork meat shrouded by a pleasant crispy exterior. These were very impressive and tasty! Being a dinner portion, it is a safe assumption that your serving will be large...and it was! Although I thoroughly enjoyed each bite, these still do not compare to Los Cinco Puntos' carnitas. Served with your choice of flour or corn tortillas. Staff is friendly and fairly available, also making occasional rounds to ensure your needs are tended to. Zapien's is a phenomenal option when in the Pico Rivera area, especially if you do not want to wait in the super long line at La Barca Jalisco. *Although the lunch menu states "soda", I've managed to order horchata and jamaica at no additional fee. read more

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Way back in the day (about 10 years ago) my family and I would come here for dinner every Friday night. Bertha was always our waitress and we always had a great meal. As we all got older, Friday nights were no longer La Salsa nights, and for some reason, I hadn't gone to La Salsa in 9 years. My parents have gone every now and then. Enter last weekend when my aunt and uncle want to take us out to brunch. We needed a place that could accommodate 11 and had tasty Mexican, as they live in the Valley and claim there aren't any great Mexican places out there. My parents offer up La Salsa. We get there and who is there to greet me? Bertha! What's crazy is she still remembered me. Perusing their menu it was so difficult to decide because there are so many great things on the menu. I finally succumbed to the Enchiladas en Mole because I remembered that their mole was fantastic and rivaled my grandfather's. Hubby was double excited because they have a meal called Decisions, Decisions for those that can't decide between Menudo and Pozole. They give you a medium sized bowl of each! Everyone else enjoyed their meal and some of us even got to take some home to enjoy again. Now that hubby knows about this place, something tells me we'll be going back soon. read more

Absolutely recommend!!! I live out of the area and normally go to Montebello to visit my parents. We usually go out to eat in the general vicinity and was recommended this spot by my brother and I was not disappointed one bit. The food was absolutely amazing from the chips and salsa they served us right away, the bean dip and guacamole to the hand made tortillas......If it wasn't an impressive way to start I ordered coffee and was blown away. The bottomless menudo, the chorizo plate and pancakes all were delicious. I will no longer be eating anywhere when I'm in town and I look forward to trying their Mole. Customer service was excellent and the birthday capirotada was the best I've ever tasted. You definitely need to try it read more

I have been stalking them on social media since the beginning of the pandemic and really admired the special offers of free toilet paper, uncooked beans and rice with a food purchase. Finally we decided to make the drive to enjoy their delicious looking food in their outdoor seating area. You would have thought we were regulars by the warm and friendly greeting at our arrival. We started off with mango margaritas, the chipotle chorizo bean dip (a steal at $1!), the guacamole, and our server brought us free samples of the Chile Colorado and Chile verde! The perfectly seasoned chips along with the amazing dips could have satisfied our appetites alone. We shared the El Patron special with steak, shrimp, chicken, chorizo, smoked jalapeños, green onions, and perfectly cooked queso fresco. We didn't want to stop eating but tapped out. It was enough food to feed a family of 4. The left overs provided an additional two meals. We will definitely be back. read more

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Didn't like albondiga soup !! To salty for my liking!but everything I tasted so far pretty good 8-10

Everything I have ever eaten from this place was awesome. They have some of the best Horchata around and they just keep refiling you over and over its great. Mole is the best I have ever had, if you want great mexican food without the long lines or the happy birthday singing waiters at other places then go here you will not be disappointed, if you like salads they have an awesome chicken Cesar salad, this place can and may be your best sit down mexican food restaurant ever seriously. plus they always start you off with some really good chips, salsa and beans to dip and munch while you decide on what to fit in your bellys. read more

Zapien's Salsa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Pico Rivera, California

I tried the green pozole and menudo. The menudo was bland, no heat, and nothing spectacular for the flavor, and way too much hominy. I recommend Naomi's in Norwalk for better flavor. Or make it yourself. The green pozole had excellent flavor but the chicken meat had the distinct flavor of freezer burn, like the meat was old or frozen or last weeks leftovers. The soup alone was flavorful, but too much hominy. I recommend the salsa and chips when they first sit you down. And if you come early enough, they serve slices of pan dulce with your coffee. read more

Haven't been here in a while but we were in the area and decided to stop in. The food here is always delicious and the chips, salsa and chipotle beans are great. But one thing was the same as always, terrible table side service. It started when we arrived, the waitress greeted us and said she would get us a table. She then turned to another lady near the kitchen and was jsut talking away with not a care in the world. I kept looking at her and she didn't care so I took a seat in the waiting area and finally one of the chips/salsa boys asked us to come in and sit down. There was only two other occupied tables. We sat and waited a good 10 minutes before anyone came to the table and took our drink order. Our drinks came and I tried to ask for some chips/salsa and bean dip but the server turned and ran before I could speak. I flagged down a server and asked for chips/salsa and bean dip, he came back with chips/salsa but no bean dip. He went back and got the dip. By this time our waitress was done with her and her comadres conversation and asked if we were ready to order, I bit my tongue. We ordered two menudos a chili verde burrito and a PLAIN quesadilla for my granddaughter. Over 15 minutes later the chili verde burrito came out but no one elses food. We waited and finally the quesadilla came out, half of it was covered in beans and rice. I told the server I ordered a PLAIN quesadilla and he said that's how it comes and turned and left. The waitress came by and I told her about the quesadilla and she said she would take it back and talk to the chef. She had a server come out to say they were making another quesadilla and that they don't make quesadillas a la carte. The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Still no menudo on the table even though two tables next to us that came after us were served their hot menudo already. Finally the server brought out the menudos and the quesadilla. We finished our meal asked for boxes and left. Couldn't wait to get out of there. It seems that if you are a local repeat customer you get the red carpet but if you're not you're a bother. This was one of the most unpleasent breakfast at a mexican restaurant I have ever had. I am a food critic and mystery diner who has years of restaurant experience and most definately will not be back here again. read more