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    Zocalo

    4.8 (178 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Zocalo Takeout or Delivery

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    ZOCALO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Zocalo

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    Sylvia C.

    Cute little place in Isla Vista. Wasn't sure what to expect. I ordered the breakfast tamales and a strawberry mint drink. The drink was so good, but my breakfast tamales were excellent! Great home cooking- reminded me of my grandmother's food! I loved this place and would love to go back!

    Mari I.

    This is a truly authentic restaurant with delicious food and amazing staff! I loved the way the restaurant is decorated! I had the BBB Bagel and it was the best bagel I had ever tried, definitely a must try the birria tasted amazing! It also comes with a side of consome. Their chilaquiles were just as delicious had a nice spicy kick to them! I tried their horchatta matcha which was my favorite drink. It was very creamy and loved the matcha flavor. Their abuelita latte is def for the coffee lovers it was very strong and fragant.

    More rice and beans and onions in this "protein" burrito
    Emily C.

    3.7/5 I ordered the protein burrito and was very disappointed. If you're ordering a PROTEIN burrito you'd expect it to be primarily protein, but instead this was more like a RBCOP rice bean cheese onion burrito to my disappointment. There was some meat in the first few bites, but it was downhill from there. For the price point especially, I expected a lot better. I fairly rounded up my rating because this place looks like good stuff, I guess I just ordered the wrong thing unfortunately.

    QuesaBirria!
    Lunark64 N.

    Best food place, my friends and I've been obsessed with it since April of last year. At some points during the year we would go 3 times a week. 100% recommend. It's so good we even asked for photos with the cashier.

    Breakfast burrito delicious
    Neluta G.

    One of the best breakfast burritos I had, small place, they allowed us on the patio with the dogs. Everything was made to order, e got there around 10 AM when they opened. A must if you are in the area.

    Inside
    Blu M.

    Definitely one of the best places you can eat in IV! Zocalo is a reliable spot you can get tasty Mexican food and sit with friends! Super affordable and portions are HUGE! You will never leave feeling hungry. If anything, you'll leave with a to go box in hand! My boyfriend and I stopped in here the other night to get a quick late night meal. We wanted something super filling, and burritos always come to mind. We got there about 45 minutes before close, so it wasn't busy! The staff were super helpful and our food was done within 10 minutes! I got the choriqueso burrito and my boyfriend got the protein burrito. The choriqueso was so good! For starters, it was massive and weighed a ton. The flavor was there, not too salty and they did not skimp on the protein. The chorizo was super flavorful and I love that they crisped the cheese inside. Super melty but had texture at the same time! I also added guacamole to the burrito which was fantastic too. My boyfriend enjoyed his burrito as well! He got asada and birria as the protein options. I had a bite and it was super tasty!! Overall, one of the only spots in IV with good quality food that's tasty and filling! Definitely a must visit spot :)

    Enchiladas Suizas
    Bryan C.

    Cheese so unmelted, I can still see the strands of cheese. I can almost tell which brand you used. How can enchiladas have unmelted cheese? Update: they kindly offered a refund and a change of dish, I was just disappointed when I brought the plate to gf but she's happier now ! Thanks.

    Breakfast Burrito
    Jorge H.

    I ordered a breakfast burrito to go, and I was worried it might turn soggy. Surprisingly, it held its shape perfectly, even after being refrigerated for 24 hours. When I reheated it in the microwave the next day, it was still firm and not soggy at all, pretty impressive!

    The BBB
    Savvie's C.

    the food is soo yum! The guy at the counter was so nice!!! love the comforting vibe in the place too ! overall super good!

    Strawberry Mint Cooler (Sips were taken!)
    Annie L.

    I'm so glad I tried this place before I graduated!! Eating here was such a pleasant experience and if I ever visited the area again, I would make a stop here. I came by with a friend for lunch and I ordered the quesabirria and a strawberry mint agua fresca. The quesabirria came out piping hot and with more than enough consome and was delectable!! The agua fresca was also delicious and refreshing. To make the whole experience better, the workers are super sweet, friendly, and easy to talk to. There's a good amount of seating indoors and outdoors! The place is cute and I would totally recommend to others :))

    Breakfast Burrito
    Johana H.

    Stopped by to get a breakfast burrito. Really friendly staff and there was plenty of seating. I enjoyed their breakfast burrito even though it didn't bring everything I usually like in one. However, the downfall was they didn't wrap the burrito good enough and it fell apart. So I didn't get to fully enjoy it as a burrito, more like a burrito bowl. Overall though pretty good.

    Torta Mexicana

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    3 months ago

    Such awesome flavor the breakfast burrito is so bomb great vibes great people great vibes great people

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    5 months ago

    Best Mexican food in IV!!! The family who works here is super kind and the breakfast burrito is the best breakfast burrito I have ever had

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    11 months ago

    The drinks, food and service are always good! Breakfast burrito with steak is my favorite. Love this place!

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    Zocalo Reviews in Other Languages

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    901 Embarcadero del Mar, isla Vista

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    Los Agaves

    Los Agaves

    4.0
    (637 reviews)
    1.4 mi
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    Los Agaves is a Santa Barbara staple and I've never had a bad meal here. It's a casual but not too…read morecasual place with lots of outdoor seating and situated in the courtyard of Camino Real. The line always moves fast and the food comes out quickly too. What compelled me to write this review was because I had a delicious pescado a la diabla, which was a daily special. The fish was a huge portion -- a whole filet with a delicious spicy sauce, perfectly cooked and flaky. The rice and beans are always great, perfectly seasoned and cooked. I also had a passionfruit margarita which was big and well balanced. The salsa bar is very good; the habanero salsa is really tasty but their old version without cream was one of the best salsa I ever had and I'm so sad they don't offer it anymore. It was legitimately spicy. I always love coming here with my friends after a movie so we can discuss the flick over some great mexican food.

    Coming from the Bay Area, I definitely had pretty high expectations for Mexican food and Los Agaves…read morewas rather impressive! My friends and I came on a busy Taco Tuesday. You order and pay at the register, grab a number, seat yourself, and your food (along with complimentary chips) is brought to your table. There were plenty of indoor and outdoor seating options. Everything else is self-serve, including drinks and salsa/toppings. Their salsa bar had a great variety and I honestly loved every salsa I tried! You can't go wrong with whatever you choose, but I recommend the avocado salsa. My friend and I swapped a taco from each of our plates, so I was able to try their tacos al pastor and tacos del mar with halibut. The al pastor was particularly flavorful and well marinated, and to my surprise, I enjoyed the pineapple bits in the taco. The halibut tasted fresh and the chipotle sauce on top paired nicely. I also love a good side of rice and beans and I can't even put my finger on it, but it was just so tasty. It got pretty busy during the dinner rush and I was seated right along the order line, but nothing too disruptive to our dining experience. Overall, the food was solid, the staff was friendly, the service was quick, and the vibes were upscale-casual and lively.

    Photos
    Salsa bar!
    Salsa bar!
    Burrito CaliforniaCalifornia
    Burrito CaliforniaCalifornia
    Agaves Burrito

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    La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant

    La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant

    4.2
    (93 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    The food is amazing. The service is excellent and comes with a smile! We started with chips and…read moresalsa, from the salsa bar. My dad ate the chilaquiles with steak and it was delicious. The Menudo was outstanding. I got all the fixings and my MIL got it with limes. The old world charm, on a Sunday morning... perfection! To the cook, thank you!

    We came here on a 4th of July early evening to grab a quick dinner. The space is a bit run down and…read moreold. Also it was sort of dog friendly with their outside patio. The spot was empty but we figured it was probably due to the holidays. We got chips and salsa then looked at the menu. The chips and salsa were NOT good. the chips were very stale and the salsa tasted watered down. I knew instantly I didn't want to eat here plus the pricing was quite steep. However, I gave it a chance... but we were waiting for over 10-20 min at this point waiting for the waitress to come by. We were confused given the spot was empty, she couldn't be that busy. My husband went in and saw her talking to somebody else. Guess we were forgotten. My husband got the chimichanga to go which came with rice and beans on the side. Overall a decent meal, it wasn't much food. His rice and beans were OK, I got Mexican food elsewhere for cheaper and the rice/beans tasted much better.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    Enchiladas
    Enchiladas
    2 crispy tacos combination, one of carnitas and shredded beef beans & rice.

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    2 crispy tacos combination, one of carnitas and shredded beef beans & rice.
    FB Isla Vista

    FB Isla Vista

    4.1
    (1.5k reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    born and raised santa barbara so there are certain things you learn early…read more you drive down the 101, take that turn toward isla vista, and something shifts. air changes a little. priorities adjust. time becomes more of a suggestion and then there's freebirds the original one on embarcadero del norte sitting there like it's seen everything because it has i've walked in there wearing flip flops, still sandy, hair doing whatever the ocean decided, salt drying on my face, no shower, no plan, just following the internal signal that says burrito and that's when it works best these burritos operate differently in that state. they're bigger. warmer. more correct. like the whole system is calibrated specifically for post-surf decision making line is long. always has been. mix of people who know exactly what they're doing and people about to learn something important foil everywhere. tortillas moving fast. someone at the front making a choice that will define the next hour of their life guy behind the counter was dialed. didn't catch the name but i'm pretty sure it was barron sawyer. had that calm confidence like he's built a few thousand of these and understands the assignment at a deeper level you step up and it's muscle memory rice, beans, meat, things start stacking, someone folds it like it's a practiced skill passed down over time and then you walk out sun still out. flip flops still on. burrito in hand like a completed mission you take that first bite and everything aligns for a second this place has been around 30 years and it makes sense because it isn't trying to be anything else it already figured it out five stars if you know you know

    I used to come to freebirds all the time in highschool - nearly 15 years ago- and it was the best,…read moresuper tasty and always hit the spot. I recently returned and got exactly what I used to get and was disappointed in the lack of seasoning/flavor in general. I saw someone else comment that chipotle has more flavor and I'm inclined to agree-especially when it comes to the chicken. Service is always friendly and fast and I always want to support a local business over a national chain, but I'm sad to say I don't know if I'll be returning after spending $25 for a bland experience.

    Photos
    FB Isla Vista
    Chicken Nachos
    Chicken Nachos
    Interior

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    Interior

    Zocalo - mexican - Updated August 2026

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