Zocalo has been our go-to for celebrations for a very long time. Big party after our wedding 10 years ago, birthdays, etc. Last night, a big group of us got together to celebrate my wife's 60th birthday and Zocalo delivered once again. Our servers were super nice, attentive, and accommodating. They really made the evening special. I had the NY Strip, which was done just right. It was between that and the scallops, which are always great. My wife had an incredible halibut special. The fish was cooked perfectly and all the other elements of our dishes were very tasty. A few in the group had the shrimp risotto which is also an excellent dish. We'll be back (many more times); not just because Zocalo holds a special place in our hearts, but also because the food is delicious, the service is impeccable, and the atmosphere fits us well. We're already looking forward to the next time! read more

We visited the restaurant from out of town on occasion of our daughter's graduation from UVA. A $90 price fixed menu with a mandatory 20% gratuity regardless of party size...that's a lot, but perhaps not excessive if the food service and ambience merits a $90 per person three course meal. In this instance, it did not. The service was remarkably slow especially for a fixed menu. The waiter repeatedly apologized for the slow service but did nothing remedy the situation. Including not refilling water glasses during the long waits. We were a party of five and only one person was happy with all three of her courses. Whether or not the customer is in alignment with the chef is often a crapshoot, that is not my principal complaint. My complaint is the ambience and the service sorely lacked from what one would it expect for $90 a plate. There were sporting events on various television screens and patrons at the bar could've been mistaken for "Larry the cable guy". Now don't get me wrong, I like Larry the cable guy as much as the next person but if I'm paying $700 for a celebratory dinner for five people I don't wanna eat next to him in a sleeveless flannel shirt and trucker hat. Couple the diminished ambience with the remarkably slow service and color me dissatisfied. Their day-to-day service may be fine but the special occasion should be avoided. We will not be going back read more

I had brunch with a group of friends and the service was very slow - we believe our server was handling many different duties at once and didn't attend to is as well as anyone could wish - so minus one star. We sat outside and did notice others receiving water and food prior to our table. While our service was not stellar, the food was pretty good. It seemed like everyone enjoyed their meals. I had the chicken sandwich and shared the pear salad. The chicken sandwich was picture worthy, so I apologize no pictures were taken. The sandwich was a messy/saucy buffalo chicken sandwich. It was fresh and crunchy where the buffalo sauce flavors were accented with pickle slices. The pear salad was pretty good too. I know the menu stated there was only going to be a pear vinaigrette, my eyes were wishing to see pear slices. The arugula was fresh and the vinaigrette had pureed pear in it. The name of this salad should be changed - maybe just call it the Zocalo Salad? read more

Very glad to post this update. We must've caught them on an off night when I wrote the original review. We've since been back several times and have enjoyed excellent food and excellent service both in-house and takeout. Zocalo''s new owners and great staff are maintaining it's well deserved reputation for excellence and I'm back to being a happy loyal customer read more

Another great restaurant on the Downtown Mall. The ambiance was warm and inviting, and the tables were spaced comfortably so you are not on top of other diners. The food was very good and clearly well prepared. The wine list was nicely varied, and the desserts were excellent and easily a highlight of the meal. Service was attentive without being intrusive. I am taking one star off for a couple of small reasons, and only because this place is clearly capable of a five star experience. The steak itself was fantastic and cooked perfectly, but the sauce fell a bit flat. It tasted closer to a BBQ style sauce than what I expected given the balance and complexity of the other dishes. There was also one other dish that was slightly underwhelming compared to the rest of the meal. It did not stand out the way the steak sauce did, and unfortunately I cannot recall the exact dish as I am writing this about two weeks after our visit. That said, it was noticeable mainly because everything else was so strong. With a bit more consistency, this would be an easy five stars on my return visit and I will return. read more

Tucked in a corner of the Downtown Mall, Zocalo served as a great Saturday dinner spot for my party of four. Despite not having a reservation, we were still seated promptly and service was attentive throughout our entire meal. There's plenty of tables for sit-down meals, and bar seating for quick bites with TVs to watch. The staff was super helpful when selecting between two options on their menu, which runs from specialty cocktails to classic Spanish-inspired dishes. I ordered the Passion Paradise for my drink, which had a great citrus base and perfect for those who enjoy more of a fruity beverage. I also tasted a few drinks my friends ordered, including a tamarind martini and a classic margarita. My personal favorite bite was their octopus, which was an excellent portion size and also well-made in terms of texture. The dish came with a paprika miso sauce that was absolutely decadent. We also shared the patatas bravas, which was their special of the day. The atmosphere and service overall made for a wonderful meal, and each plate came with a great presentation and taste. read more

See all

A friend highly recommended Zocalo so we went for dinner. Delicious! My Sangria, wasn't good, first it was topped with sprite which I'm not used to. But it tasted like club soda - I assumed the sprite machine went out. In any case, the server happily got me a different drink. Otherwise, my second drink was pretty good. The food - oh my god! Super flavorful, everything complemented so well. And the basque cheesecake, to die for. read more

See all

My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary at Zocalo and it was absolutely one of the most wonderful dining experiences we have ever had! The food was beyond delicious, the staff most courteous and friendly, the ambience perfect for our celebration! Zocalo is our new favorite restaurant in Charlottesville! We highly recommend a visit! Chef Will and staff will amaze you! Eileen and Jose Gomez read more

Such an enchanting experience, we dined under the canopy of trees and fairy lights, and enjoyed a noteworthy dinner!!! Addison was our server, and was just the right amount of attentive and friendly, making our visit feel like home. Her recommendations were spot on, pairing wine with our meal, and cocktail with dessert. This felt like a well-starred Michelin establishment, with the perfect ambience, welcoming and knowledgeable staff, and the delicious food!!! Treat yourself!!! read more

Wow! What an amazing way to start our vacation! Yay us and thank-you to the entire Zocalo team! Everyone from the host to our dinner attendant were friendly, seemed to be proud of the place and the food was impressively prepared and presented. The Spanish influence was tasted in every dish. We had the octopus, muscles, lamb meatballs and crispy Brussels sprouts with a pitcher of Sangria. It was a beautiful evening and the patio provided the perfect backdrop for the best meal we've had in a very long time. read more

Zocalo - Here's the octopus. - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Fantastic food and service! The food is so fresh and delicious. The pumpkin muffins are so delicious!

Good food, service was great. Ambiance was frenetic I'll go back for sure. My husband really liked what he had.

The food was pretty average. I feel like the tartar was more salsa than tuna. The Brussels were underwhelming. The fritters were fine. All in all. Fine. read more

Such a fun concept! I came here with some friends for food truck food and drinks. The atmosphere is lively unique. I ended up ordering tacos from a taco truck on site. They were very reasonably priced, the tortillas were fresh, the meat was delicious. They gave me a great hot sauce to use upon request. We also ordered sashimi from a Japanese food truck. The fish was fresh, cut and arranged neatly and very tasty. I ordered a margarita inside Zocalo. There were several food trucks, so there were options for anyone in our party. Also very good! Can't wait to come back here again this summer! read more

See all

Zocalo is a very very well established restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia with consistently good service food and atmosphere Have always had a wonderful meal and a nice time whenever dining here read more

Service was great, food was terrible. Like, really terrible. Nothing was fresh -- all seemed either microwaved or had been sitting around for hours and was not served at the right temperature. Overpriced and not in any way worth it. Also a rat on the patio, which wasn't their fault but still gross. read more

The ambiance and decor are lovely and the food was delicious. I was out with some friends for a girls night on the patio and we shared the kale salad and tuna tartare to start. Both appetizers were yummy! The dressing on the kale salad was especially delicious. I followed the reviews and ordered the black bean & corn relleno although it is not normally what I would choose. I am so glad I went out of my comfort zone, it was so flavorful and delicious!!! Be careful though, the filling is VERY hot and I burned my mouth. The other ladies I was with chose the duck and shrimp risotto, everyone enjoyed their meal. Overall a wonderful experience & we will be coming back. The service was good and they even let us move inside and hang out after we paid because it was pouring rain, so kind & appreciated. read more

I'm in Charlottesville for business and met a colleague here for a work dinner. For a Saturday night the inside dining area was a bit empty, but I think the patio was busier. We split the cheese fritters, kale salad, spicy tuna tartare appetizers and the salmon entree. Everything was amazing! Presentation was lovely and each dish had a lot of flavor and good textures. My only complaint about the whole meal is that the salmon was cooked well done. I guess I should have asked for it medium, but I assume at nicer restaurants that's a given for salmon. Hope I can come back on another work trip and try some more dishes--everything on the menu sounded delicious. read more

Amazing service! She was very nice and polite with me and my family The food was delicious my favorite was the drunken New York strip the steak juicy and it had so much flavor to it!!! And the place felt so welcoming and relaxing for me a great place for family! read more

See all

Four of us had an excellent experience. The atmosphere as charming-- nice lighting and a fire nearby. All our meals were delicious including tuna tartar, duck, key lime chicken, and chile relleno atop smoky grits. Yummy desserts especially sorbets and an excellent warm churro. The staff were extremely kind and helpful. We left very happy. read more

Please update the prices, duck is $37.00 for example. The service is nice but prejudiced for party of one.

Overdue to revisit. I love it here. Food is great. Drinks are great. Staff operates like a functional family. lol Very good vibes. I'm looking at the picture and salivating. Will be reordering that, and whatever new masterpiece the bartender mixes up. At this point, I trust that I'll enjoy what's put in front of me. I've yet to be disappointed. read more

Zocalo - Tuna Tartar - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Zocalo has suffered neglect and needs a thorough cleaning inside. Now I know why more people eat outside Food is covered in mystery with sauces and spices to hide quality. Will not return read more

We have lived in Charlottesville over a decade and somehow just now made it to Zocalo. Awesome food, solid service and super good margaritas. I have since learned there is a new owner so if you previously tried it, you might want to give it another shot. First visit was with my daughter, found out the steak w/ grilled asparagus was solid, but when paired w/ manchego bread pudding- its even better. On another visit shared a salad topped w/ fried oysters, house margaritas and the gazpacho. All were outstanding. An excellent addition to Charlottesville's already long list of great restaurants. read more

Zocalo - Gazpacho Yellow Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I'd highly recommend this place. We had our special dinner here as we liked the menu here best. 1. Reservations: recommended They have both outdoor and indoor sitting. Inside is quite dark, which is not what I like but it can create this rather intimate feeling. 2. Food - great We loved our dinner and dessert here a lot. - Spicy tuna tartare: great! Looks so beautiful and it does have a little kick to it but not very spicy - The scallops were perfectly done. The plantain was a surprise and it tasted amazing - Drunken steak: comes medium rare and was good - chocolate lava cake for dessert was a perfect finish 3. Drinks Old fashioned comes with some mezcal and makes the taste weird. I totally didn't like it. Classic mojito was great, very refreshing 4. Service - polite, swift and professional 5. Parking- a bit of a walk is needed. I love it, so it was great for us. read more

See all

Wow! First time and now under new ownership. Food was outstanding. Nice menu with various options. Server was attentive to dietary restrictions and was informative with the menu. The layout and lovely decor added to the experience of the meal. Patio dining space is huge and festive at night. A must try or try again with the new owner Will! read more

See all

Zocalo has great food but it's a little pricey. The Shrimp risotto could use a little more shrimp and risotto. The duck is perfect. The drinks could use a slightly larger glass. Quantity and quality should both count, don't sacrifice one for another read more

Came for a date night with my husband and enjoyed our variety of appetizers and entrees. Super easy to book (and then change) our reservation online. Service was great and the restaurant has a cozy, easy-going vibe. read more

Many of us went here for an anniversary dinner and appetizers were fantastic and dinner was excellent!!!!! The Chef even came out to wish them a Happy Anniversary!!! Great service too. Carol D. read more

I stopped in for drinks one evening while walking the Downtown Mall area and I did this because the outside was rather energetic and packed, I opted to sit inside at the bar though. The bartender was friendly and made small talk while taking my order. Aside from that, I didn't see him much during my stay, as he was focused on another couple at the bar where the lady was asking many questions about various drinks and how they're made. I tried a caipirinha for my drink and their Spicy Tuna Tartare as a snack. The Tuna came out quickly and it was just ok... not a lot of flavor and definitely not spicy. The drink was decent, but tasted like it had simple syrup instead of sugar, a caipirinha is supposed to have sugar in it. The rest of the menu looked interesting, but I wasn't quite feeling being there, so I decided to cash out and head somewhere better for dinner. read more

See all

This restaurant is wonderful! The food was fantastic and the service was amazing. The atmosphere has such a cool vibe, we can't wait to go back. We tried the Pulpo (octopus) and loved it!! The fritters never disappoint and I LOVE the seared duck. Everyone in our group loved their meals! Thanks Zocolo for such a great evening! read more

DJ sucks. Went on a Saturday. Bartenders and security are FANTASTIC. Preston and Anna are AMAZING!!! Jemel and Saun are the best! Unfortunate because DJ won't take requests because "he's not a wedding DJ". He's rude and doesn't listen to the crowd read more

This restaurant is an excellent example of a venue with great "bones" but horrible management. The staff tries hard but you can tell that their training and operational processes make McDonald's look like a Michelin 3 star. Examples include delayed/missing orders, desserts that fell through because their sorbet melted, and mussels that gave us food poisoning. We also paid 3x the other better restaurants in town. Stay away! read more

Chef Wilfredo. Sorry bud you suck as a business person. We are so upset. Drove an hour an a half from Fredericksburg, va to zocalo. Called on our way and made reservations for two at 6:00 pm. Upon arrival they could not find us on the reservations and told us that we needed to sit for an hour an a half while waiting for an available seat. The owner chef Wilfredo can stay behind the kitchen because he has no place managing a restaurant. There was not a floor manager or anyone to help make a common sense decision. Ended going across the street for a burger. read more

We enjoyed a meal from the tapas menu as well as the regular dinner menu tonight, with mojitos that reflected the charming Latin atmosphere of the restaurant. The pulpo and the pumpkin soup, tuna tostadas and shrimp dishes were all excellently prepared and beautifully presented. Highly recommend! read more

We had reservations for Valentine's Day at Zocolo. We had an early dinner when they first opened at 5pm. We had only eaten there once during restaurant week a few years ago. We were excited to try their regular menu. When we were seated we saw they had a special 3-course dinner menu along with their regular menu offerings. We both decided the 3 course meal was the way to go. The first course was Tangier oysters. They were shucked and served well with a vinaigrette. They tasted great, very smooth going down. The second course was a little out of my comfort zone. I went with the "Chicken" and Waffles which was actually fried quail. It was my first time eating quail. It had a nice taste, albeit more difficult to eat. The corn based waffle with the chocolate mole was very filling. The dessert course was a lava cake that had the flavor of a spice cake. It was listed as a "molten" lava cake. The cake was very tasty although there was no lava. It had the molten down because it was served HOT! Overall we had a great meal. Service was attentive even with a large party near us. We parked in the lot right outside the downtown mall which made it an easy in and out. We will return to actually try the "real" menu soon! read more

See all

probé al menos 3 diferentes tipos de comida y todo estaba delicioso al igual que las bebidas, tienen un buen servicio y el ambiente es muy acogedor. definitivamente regresare. tienen que probarlo! read more

Stopped by for cocktails and appetizers. We had the mussels and a drink. Decent mussels but they charges for the extra two pieces of bread which seemed weird but whatever. read more

Zocalo - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Food was excellent. Server was professional and friendly but did not understand why the request to have a quieter corner was refused. The rest of the restaurant had many empty tables with tea lights and no customers. Thankfully the tables around cleared after mid- meal. read more

Zocalo on a Thursday was a bit quiet, but the service was good. We've been here a lot over the years and the place once was very popular. The food is consistent which is why we like to return. They have had the same core dishes for a while. There was a seasonal special as well as large cocktail and drink menu. We got the chicken, pork tenderloin, and some sides. Get the cheese fritters which are a classic. The chicken was great and on the spicy side (however, everything is a too spicy and overshadowing the foods flavor). The drinks were good however the crushed ice was odd. The restaurant did not have regular ice. Honestly just turning up the lights a little would help this place. read more

See all