General Zapata’s

Honestly. How this place remains in business is only because people walk in by accident, or really don’t care what they it.
If you are looking for Mexican, please know this isn’t it.
I wish service was redeeming, but no such luck.

Very surprised by the negative comments. Food was good, very good. BOGO nights are a good value. Service was friendly and attentive. Interior is small, but not unpleasant. If I lived here, I was give them weekly business.

To start off this place gives you ok portions but the prices are ridiculous. $ 5.75 for a taco? And if I want to add cheese that’s extra and if I want to add sour cream that’s extra too? I’m from San Diego so I know authentic Mexican food and this place was just alright, nothing special. I ate in the restaurant and its tiny and there are seats right in front of the bathroom, so this place needs a better set up or more space. Our waiter was really nice tho

Placed an order for their Superbowl special for a 6:00pm pickup… Got to the place at 5:50 and we’re currently still waiting for our food at 6:30pm, aka the start of the game. If you’re going to have a Superbowl promotion, and if i’m going to place an order for 6:00pm, I expect to get my food at 6:00pm. Not over half an hour after the fact. It’s a shame because their tacos are actually quite okay. It’s too bad they don’t know how to run a business.

My first time there, and I will be back. My husband and I went for the BOGO Tacos. You buy one and get the second for a dollar. The tacos were full and delicious. The Spanish rice brought me back to my childhood when my neighbor would make it. Can’t wait to go back and try more of the menu.

This is a good place for Taco’s.
I will hold my opinion about the wait staff because they were new and it was their first week working here, so as far as that goes they did a good job of waiting on us and bringing us our food. The Tacos are AWESOME!!!
The place is very small inside so you might want to order take out if you have a large party.
The Only reason I am giving it 2 stars and not more is the prices.
It’s way too expensive for what you get. Our bill was over $ 50.00 for two platters and one soft drink. I could have spent just as much at Chili’s and had two beers with the same amount of food, the ONLY difference was that the food is better at Zapata’s then a chain restaurant.
I love the Taco’s and that is all I can say about General Zapata’s

Terrible food, and not authentic! I talked my husband (who is 100% Mexican, from Mexico) into going here with me and I had to hear it all week from him! We had the enchiladas that weren’t enchiladas. The long wait time I could deal with if the food was worth waiting for but sadly it wasn’t. My husband then replied to me if I wanted knock off Mexican food we could’ve just stayed home and you could’ve cooked for me. (I’m Irish) so with all that being said if you want authentic, DON’T go to Zapata’s also it’s was $ 65.00 for 2 platters and a couple sodas. Now if you look at their menu 2 platters and a couple of sodas should not cost $ 65, on the receipt there was like 10 different charges for things and I was too frustrated and pissed off to go back in for an explanation.

Understand what this place is and it’s great.
Think of this place as a unique inexpensive taco/​Mexican joint.
Service can take a while
You are packed in like sardines, not necessarily the best place for intimate conversations.
but if you enjoy the simpleness of it. General Zapata is great.

What a horrible experience. I called my order in and the woman that took my order was so not friendly. I asked for the Tamales combination platter. Upon pickup, I walked in and was stared at for a few seconds with a blank stare on the cashiers face until I finally spoke up and said I’m picking up. I’m talking cricket sounds before I said anything. I was in and out fairly quickly but once home, my husband and I were so turned off with what was thrown into the styrofoam containers. The combination platters come with rice and beans. First off, the place is supposed to be Mexican but the rice served was rice I typically make in a Puerto Rican meal. I was fine with that. What I wasn’t fine with was the burnt taste and the fact that the rice was obviously old and reheated. It was not fresh by any means. The beans were even worse. It’s like they were dumped out of a can and into the container. I’m a fan of retried beans, but would prefer good tasting beans with fresh rice. The star of the dish, the tamales, were about as big as my middle finger. I feel cheated. I wouldn’t even call this a decent Mexican meal. I think it is insulting to Mexicans and I’m not Mexican. I’d call it a crappy Mexican rip off with serving sizes meant for a toddler, who wouldn’t even eat it for how horrible it was. I will not be returning. Like EVER.

One of the worst meals I have ever had. There were two tables and it took an hour and half. The enchiladas are terrible and extremely overpriced. The tacos are ok but very greasy. Rice is overlooked and dry. Refried beans are probably the best thing on the menu.

Don’t no why bad reviews always had a good meal and good service. Reminds me very much of the old place good tacos and enchiladas. My wife and me go a least once a month Never had a bad meal Good part about the place is it is family owned

Be ready to wait a while as it’s a bit slow and seating is minimal. Hope you like fried as a lot of otherwise healthy food is surrounded by it.
What started off as a good experience quickly faded. Waited a long time for the first item to arrive. They dis provide some really yummy deep fried nacho chips and delicious salsa during the wait though.
First item up, the quesadilla was fresh and tasty, it was served in a deep fried shell and with a minimal amount of lettuce and tomato. Ok, a little too much grease but no biggie. On to the tacos.
Oh no, déjà vu. A deep fried shell, which at this point was overwhelming the taste of everything. Lots of meat but again needing more lettuce and tomatoes. Had a hard time finishing everything due to all the grease in the shells.
Don’t think we’ll be back.

Zapata’s is getting a bum rap. All the reviews sound like they are expecting Taco Bell or Chipotle (or, lol, On the Border). Sorry, if that’s all you know about Mexican food, you shouldnt be commenting. But what can we expect — much like we cannot get a good slice of pizza in Houston or a good Tapatia in Bethlehem, we can’t get reviewers that know the difference around here either.
Zapata’s makes good food. Their taco’s are especially good; I like their fish tacos most. Interesting note: Taco shells here are crispy, and while they do get a bit softer after the meat and veggies go into the taco, they don’t crack and become useless, like they do elsewhere. And the big pile of fresh cold veggies over hot fish and crispy, substantial shell, combines the way it should. You can’t get that at Taco Bell, son.
Their meats are unseasoned or underseasoned probably with the expectation that you are going to add salsa to it. Probably some imbecile complained that it was too spicy and they just leave the heat out. So add salsa; thats what it’s there for. Duh.
Service is not slow. It’s just not a fast food restaurant. And they’re great for takeout — their taco’s don’t get soggy after 15 seconds.

I have been here a few times and truly enjoyed it. Although I have been there when people have had bad experiences in front of me, either complaining about the food being cold or way overpriced. The service is normally very slow. I was just here on Tuesday and the person I was with ordered a chicken taco well when the chicken taco came out there was very very little to none chicken in it. So I asked the waitress can we have some more chicken for the taco, she replied and said we don’t have any more chicken that was all the little bit that we had left. They offered no other explanation or to substitute a taco. I’m not too sure if I’m going to be returning to this place.

I wish I could give a negative 5, that’s what this place deserves. The worst experience ever. Beware! To start off, called in order, rude lady said it would be a half hour, we took our time and after an hour, we still had to wait for our food. Then she overcharged us, for two tacos we didn’t order and she didn’t give us. Also left out one of our little tiny rice cups. Refused to give us our money back when I called to tell her she messed up our order. Very very rude. Basically called us liars. Said we can come get our tacos. I don’t think so. Oh and the food, barely edible. The only thing that was semi ok was the pastellilos, should be for 3 dollars. Taco was soggy and disgusting. Lettuce was brown and rotting, and a tiny little spoonful. Rice was dry, hard and tasted like it was made in the morning. And again a tiny little portion. Way overpriced. Horrible horrible horrible. Stay away read the other reviews. Don’t know how they stay in business. My husband and I lost our appetite after the experience and threw food out. $ 48 worth of food. Well, guess ya win some and ya lose some. This lady should be ashamed of herself. I will tell everyone I know how horrible this place is. I’m sure the owner could care less, customer service is non existent here. See pics I posted. Disgusting slop.

Thought a hole in the wall place would be great. I was wrong. Service was horrible to start. Food came fairly quick. Food was terrible. I ordered the chicken taco. Boiled bland chicken in a fried flour tortilla with a little lettuce. Said something about it and was treated like crap. Buddy ordered a burrito. He couldnt eat it either. He said it tasted like canned meat and beans with no seasoning. Very disappointed.

Okay. Here’s the thing about Zapatas: If you walk in knowing exactly what you’re going to get, you’ll have a good time. If not, you might get a little annoyed.
The server I’ve had both times I’ve gone is very pleasant, but stretched far too thin. She waits on a full house alone (what? who thought this was a good idea?) meaning that it might take 20 minutes from the time you sit down to get a soda or wine glass for your wine. Bring a book.
The real reason worth going here is Taco Tuesday. Your second chicken or beef taco is only $ 1. The tacos are huge, and the taco shells are fantastic. Admittedly, the meat is a tad plain (not a lot happening in the seasoning department), but the meat is perfectly cooked, you get a LOT of it, and the tomatoes and lettuce are super fresh. I think they’re pretty tasty, especially when you add the (presumably homemade?) sauce from the bottle on the table. Yum.

Do you like waiting? go here and you’ll be waiting… a while
i must admit i only ever get take out thoug, but can the service really be any better if you are dining-​in?
Great sauce tho :)
likeable chili, i just dont like waiting forever
85% chance their credit card machine is down, so be prepared

I’ve tried this place twice and have been disappointed both times. I had high hopes for this place, but sadly, it hasn’t lived up to my expectations.
First, the service: slow and inattentive. I was there for a sit-​in lunch and the waitress barely mustered the strength to come around to our table. It was as if we were a bother to her. The second time I went in, it was to pick up a to-​go order. The hostess told me my food was coming right up (after I waited 30 minutes for a plain burrito), then she disappeared into the kitchen for 10 minutes. When she came back out, she ignored me for 5 more minutes before going back into the kitchen and finally coming out with my food 5 minutes later. The whole ordeal took way longer than it should have.
Now, the food: it’s overpriced and too plain for that price. I was appalled to see that one taco cost somewhere close to $ 6. The waitress told me that the taco was big. Well, it wasn’t that big and it wasn’t delicious. The second time around, I ordered a bean burrito, but only received a plain one. I didn’t open it until I returned to work and I didn’t feel like driving back to wait another 50 minutes. I wouldn’t have been so p.o.‘ed if that one burrito wasn’t so expensive.
Uh, General Suckpata.

I haven’t been living in the valley for at least a year now and so many things have changed in Southside Bethlehem. This restaurant took me by surprise and I stopped in since I was craving some Mexican food and the excitement of trying a new place hit me.
We were seated in a vacant dining room and the vibe coming off the waitress didn’t seem good. Kinda felt like she didn’t really wanna be there. We ordered and I got the chorizo burrito which someone else at my table ordered too. Two others ordered a chicken quesadilla and cheesesteak burrito.
I was hoping there were gunna be some tortillas or something along those lines… but nothing was served…
The entrees came out and I was pretty stoked for this chorizo burrito. Then, the waitress served me and my friend cheese burritos…
I never/​rarely send anything back at a restaurant, but maybe I should have at that point. No one else was dining and I didn’t wanna be a pain, plus, the waitress already looked irritated for some reason. Maybe I must have said cheese instead of chorizo? I’ll never know for sure. I do know that we were all under the impression I ordered a chorizo burrito, so I must have said it correctly!
Anyway, the cheese burrito was in front of me and I might as well enjoy what I do have in front of me. It tasted good, but really was nothing to write home about. It was filled with jack cheese and topped with tomatoes and lettuce.
I should have just gone with my gut and gone down the street further. I’m looking at you La Lupita, you know what’s up.