Zocalo

I was very pleased with the food, drinks and service at this restaurant. We started with the Vella jack cheese fritters. These were perfectly cooked, very savory although it seemed like they were swimming in the sauce. I had the blackberry lemonade with bourbon and would recommend it as a lightly sweet drink. For the main course I had the duck breast and I thought it was very delicious, though I would have liked it just a little less rare in the middle. Our waiter was prompt and friendly. I’d highly recommend trying this place.

Just had a magical Valentine’s Day dinner here with my fiancé. The ambiance was exactly what I like in a restaurant — big band music, soft lighting, exposed brick. Our server was friendly and attentive. Everything we tried was delicious.
We started with a shared plate of cheese fritters, which really work well as a two or even-​three person dish. For the mains, I had the corn and bean relleno and my fiancé had the salmon. My meal was maybe just a hair too spicy, but it was otherwise absolutely amazing. I savored each bite, and the portion was so large I still have half left over for lunch tomorrow. My fiancé said his salmon was just the right size, and he really enjoyed the sauce. For dessert we shared the Mexican chocolate bread pudding, which had a subtle zip, but wasn’t overly sweet.
Overall, for a special occasion, I couldn’t recommend this place highly enough. The only negative is that they don’t validate parking!

Went here for restaurant week at the end of January. Got a reservation for 4 people on Saturday night with no problems. They had a few options for appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I got a meatball appetizer thing, which had some Mexican tasting spice to it like taco meat, the flank steak with yucca fries, and churros with chocolate sauce for dessert. The meatball thing was ok, but it was not hot anymore by the time it reaches our table so I had to eat it luke warm because I didn’t want to send it back. The flank steak was really good and the yucca fries would have been ok, but they put some kind of lemony cream thing over the yucca fries and it did not taste good to me. The churros to end it were super good. The atmosphere was good, service was fine, just my only complaints were the Luke warm meatballs and the weird combination of lemon flavor on the yucca frites.

My group and I came here for the restaurant week special. Between my date and I we ordered the Charred Carrot Soup, Nova Scotia Salmon Tartare, Ancho Chili — Honey Glazed Salmon, Churrasco Flank Steak, Miss Donna’s Bread Pudding, and the Passion Fruit Semifrio. Of course we also tried everything our friends ordered, so just go ahead and assume Churros were part of that list!
The dishes that I enjoyed most would be the Tartare, Flank Steak, and the Churros. The Flank Steak was tenderly prepared, the meat was perfectly cooked at a medium, and the underlying hints of lime with garnish was a welcome delight to the earthy undertones of the cut. The Tartare was a handful serving of diced Salmon mixed with what I believe was cucumber relish and served with a countable amount of chips. It was surprisingly refreshing. Ah, least we forget the dessert? The Churros were heavier in density then the typical street vendor’s, but as my guests and I noted, we appreciated the almost cake like weight of it and the sugary exterior!
The atmosphere was great for a lively Saturday night since the layout of the room was partitioned only by tables and booths which allowed diners to see the entire room from any vantage point. The service was good and we had ample water refills which was greatly appreciated.

Wow! What a great dinner. Had the pleasure of dining here during Chville’s Restaurant Week. I would go back for a bowl of the kale salad! The flavors were fantastic. I ordered the pork chop, which I rarely order out, but it was a great choice tonight with very enjoyable and flavorful brussel sprouts and mashed sweet potatoes as sides. Save room for the bread pudding with a vanilla-​bourbon sauce. I’m not a huge fan of bread pudding but this won me over on the first bite! Moscow mule fans will enjoy the Zocalo Burro cocktail! Friendly staff ensured this is a place I would recommend!

Went here for dinner on a Saturday during the off season in January with my wife. Had the duck and my wife had the scallops. Both dishes were perfectly cooked and unique. Great service and reasonable prices considering the quality of the food.

This place is GREAT! My Brother and Sister in law got married on Thanksgiving weekend and held their reception dinner here. The Food was amazing, the atmosphere perfect– a privet space in the back on a stage. Our waitress Beth was Awesome –supper attentive and on spot all night catering 16 of us and our orders perfectly and timely! Could not have asked for a better waitress — Thanks Beth!
Beth performance was do in part by the supper helpfull and freidly/​acomidating Bar Manager Amanda –who made sure our party wanted for nothing and our drinks were in our hands and never empty! Thanks Amanda!
Now onto the food… all I can say is WOW! The chief was on his game! The food form appetizers and topas, to the main entrees were absolutely mouth watering and amazing!
The food and the staff here truely made the evening magical and we highly recommend, Zocalo for your events or just dinner!
Great place with great food– and an amazing staff!

This review would have been 4 or 5 stars, but I almost swallowed a fish scale that was in my entrée. Sadly, that tainted the rest of the meal for me. There was no compensation for having a huge fish scale in my dinner (at first I thought it was a finger nail!), but only a mediocre apology, if that. The waitress felt bad, but the manager never came by to address my concern and they definitely did not even offer compensation. Understandably, fish scales are a part of the animal, but I would equate that to finding a feather in a chicken dish. If you are paying almost $ 30 for an entrée, it should be properly cleaned, with no question.
I’m really disappointed because the mussels were excellent and the grouper entrée was really tasty as well. However, finding a fish scale in my mouth makes me question the level of care that they put into their food preparation and the sanitation level of their kitchen.

This restaurant has become one of our favorites! Always a warm welcome from Jeremy, lovely atmosphere and exceptional service! What I truly appreciate about this restaurant is the consistency! What a wonderful dinning experience!
On one occasion celebrating our 33^rd wedding anniversary as always the dinner was excellent. But what also added to our unforgettable evening was our waiter. The young man had impeccable service. We have celebrated a few wedding anniversaries at Zocalo and we look forward to many more.
Consistency is a KEY to exceptional service! We are from Alexandria Va and when we go back to visit we always tell family and friends we found «A fine place to dine». Thanks Zocalo. hats of to Jeremy aswell.

Amazing food and great service! The chile relleno was a work of art. The fritters were perfection. It’s obvious a lot of thought went into the creation of these dishes. Everyone should try this place!

Very interesting menu; seems to be American/​Latin fusion. Interior has a really cool industrial theme. We sat at the concrete bar.
The duck entrée was very tasty. Priced reasonably for the Charlottesville pedestrian mall.
The service was good until the very end when we had a hard time getting the bartender to notice we were done and ready for the check.
The place was absolutely packed, so that says something as well.
Overall, a nice restaurant that I’d recommend and visit again.

A little bit of attitude from the host about not having a reservation when the restaurant was empty, but otherwise a great experience. We had the scallops, the salmon and the pork chop. All were delicious and well presented. We shared the sorbet for desert which was fun matching them to the cocktail they mimic.
Definitely a great meal in terms of taste and atmosphere.

First time here to open the weekend getaway in Charlottesville. Food, ambiance, and service were pretty much top notch.
I liked that the fact that they asked if the patron would like some bread to begin their meal. Why waste, if the patrons aren’t interested? We sure were and devoured the bread which came piping hot from the oven. Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.
As appetizers, we got the mussels and the cheese fritters. The mussels were among the best I have ever had and I eat a lot of lot of mussels. The broth had very complex notes of spices and heat. I didn’t know what to do with the grilled tortilla though. It doesn’t help in sopping up the yummy broth. The fritters lived up to their promise — crispy shell holding a gooey inside. The sauce was spicy as well with bold notes of paprika.
I got the duck breast and my companion got the steak. I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce for the steak, but the polenta fries that came with the steaks hit the spot. Seems like Zocalo does a good job with its fried foods! My duck breast was simply amazing! The skin was crispy with the fat under it rendered away. The meat was tender. The sauce was sweet and spicy which complemented both the bacon chards and the duck. The manchego bread pudding was not my fave, but it’s a personal preference. The bottom got soggy because of the sauce. I ate the crispy top and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Would definitely go back given the opportunity! A truly memorable meal and highly recommended if you are looking for a casual-​ish dinner that you are going to have fond memories of for a long time!

First time eating here on Friday 7 Aug. Dined with friends who are locals and were familiar with the restaurant.
Haven’t given many 5 star ratings, but this place deserved it. Ate on the outside patio. Service was excellent, although I think it’s kind of cheap to make bread «complimentary upon request». Other than the bread everything was excellent
Tuna tartar appetizer was to die for. Entrée’s of duck, steak, and salmon (can’t remember the fourth) where excellently prepared with unusual but equally tasteful sides accompanying each main course.
The selection of wines were mostly all from South America, but the red blend that we chose was very, very nice.
While enjoying all of this great food, we were entertained by street jugglers performing on the mall right outside the restaurant. Walked inside. The atmosphere was very inviting and it looked like it would have been just as pleasant to dine inside as out
Great experience and would definitely recommend this establishment to anyone.

Is it possible to have a bad meal at Zocalo… I don’t think so. Wife’s birthday dinner featured Chipotle Pork Tenderloin for two of us, Salmon for the wife, and Chicken for the boys. Every thing was great. Service excellent, a little loud inside, too windy outside where we normally sit. If you haven’t been to Zocalo, do your self a favor the next time you’re on the Downtown Mall.

Visited this place twice — once on a double date and another time for a girls’ night during Restaurant Week. Both visits had it’s pluses and minuses. This review is based on my most recent visit during RW for the $ 36-​prefixed menu.
App:
*Roasted Carrot Soup — My fav part of the whole meal because it was so concentrated with flavor and very fresh.
Entrée:
*Yellow Tomato Cioppino — Very light broth and didn’t taste as much of the salsa verde but the seafood was a good portion.
Dessert:
*Coconut Flan — Disappointing as I’ve made flan with my family growing up (Filipino version). This was cloyingly sweet and didn’t have the hit of spice I craved from the menu description of «chili coconut flakes» that would have balanced it.
Besides the lack of spice/​flavor on some dishes (something I wouldn’t expect in Latin food), I’m also docking stars because
a) I distinctly remember that the restaurant ran out of basic ingredients (like bread) the first time I visited.
b) Service took too long (granted it was a weekend during RW) but we felt a bit ignored when we tried to get lemon or straws for our waters, or the bill at the end.

Came here for the Zy​.De​.Co. night and the food was great! They had a different menu, but for 50 $ I was able to get nearly everything on the menu and it was enough to split between my boyfriend and me. The only problem was that the music was WAYYY too loud, I couldn’t hear the waitress or even myself talk. Besides that, service was fine, nothing spectacular.

The tuna tartare is so so good!
Great atmosphere, really tasty and nicely presented food, and good service.
It is a little pricey, but in my opinion it is the best meal you will get in C’ville for the price. That is just the way prices for good food work here.