Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill

So sad to see this place go! Apparently this location is locking their doors at 9pm on the 29^th of August, according to the employee we know that works there.
We love this location especially, when we need our Tejas fix and we have no trips to AZ planned. Hopefully they are able to rework the budget and keep this location, but because they catered so much to the «happy hour» market they were losing out on about $ 600,000 a year that they should have been making.
If you get a chance to get in there in the next 2 weeks, make sure to try a patron fruzion and a Tejas Trio (chips, salsa, guacamole, and cheese dip). I will look forward to our future trips to Scottsdale even more now. Thanks for all the good times Z’Tejas South Coast Plaza!

This place has seriously gone down hill — overpriced and completely tasteless. I gave it a 2 only for the service which was very nice and the cornbread which was pretty good. Don’t waste your time.

I’ve been shopping at the South Coast Plaza for years and never knew about this place… I had my doubts but it was surprisingly very good.
They start you off with a cornbread in a skillet… do you need me to tell you anything more? UGH I love cornbread…
First experience the waiter told me that my dish would not be spicy… but it was. I am pretty sensitive and was also healing from a sickness I called the plague, so it might have just been me.
Second experience was not so good. When my friend did not get her dish because they forgot… but they comped her meal so it was ok.
I rate it higher because the service is friendly and I would definately visit again.

I always love meeting up with old friends for happy hour at Z’Tejas. When the weather is not too hot, ask to sit on the patio.
I met up with a bunch of friends last night and we always come to the same conclusion: Why don’t we meet for happy hour more often at Z’Tejas? They have a great patio, good drinks, tasty food and wonderful happy hour prices.
We went appetizer crazy last night. Here are a few things we tried out:
— Z’Stick Margarita — yum my favorite but one drink is plenty
— Cornbread — hot out of the oven, delicious and FREE
— Catfish Beignets — another favorite of mine — it comes with a jalapeño tartar sauce
— Tejas Trio — includes guacamole, chile con queso and salsa
— Street Tacos — beef sirloin, avocado, chipotle cream sauce — tasty!
— Smoked chicken quesadilla — it is served with more of the delicious guacamole!
— Grilled Shrimp & Guacamole Tostada Bites
Everyone enjoyed their food & drinks and agreed that we should meet here more often!

Happy hour seven days a week? Yes please! I came here in a Sunday at 4 and was pleasantly surprised that they had happy hour! My boyfriend and I only came for some drinks since it was hot out. I ended up getting the chambord and 6^th street frozen margarita. They were $ 6 each! Both were really good but I like the 6^th street margarita better cause it’s just a classic one. My boyfriend got a few beers. I believe the import beer were $ 4.50 each. This place is a must try for happy hour.

Latest visit was pretty mediocre. Food is not very good.
Came here for happy hour on date night, and I noticed that their prices have gone up quite a bit and most items are now $ 7 or more. We ordered some appetizers on the happy hour menu and then an entrée on the regular menu to share. Besides the cornbread everything was not very good. We ordered a salad and it was drenched in salad dressing and I almost choked on it because the dressing was so heavy and thick. I would definitely give the food 1 star.
Our waitress was pretty nice and she was very helpful. Our drinks were refilled regularly and she came back to check on us.
Based on the food alone, I will not come back.

Food and service were ok.
I was really annoyed at the hostess who seated us next to the entrance to the restrooms when there were plenty of tables elsewhere.

Bland salsas. Watered down drinks.
$ 20 for 2 margaritas with chips & salsa during happy hour? Nope.
I’ve had better ‘mexican’ at Acapulco.

They have a complimentary cornbread, which is a very decent size. It was good, altho not Southern style. Our food came out pretty fast and they’re delish! I had the Spinach Quesadilla and i love it! You can taste all the yummy ingredients. It melts in your mouth!
We went there during happy hour! Order their Margarita Flight (you get to choose 3). It’s sooo worth the $ 9! Pretty good mix!
The only minus point that night is the pasta that my boyfriend ordered. Taste was good but it was overcooked. :(
Our server was friendly and attentive.

This place looked better from the menu displayed in the mall.
The cornbread is really dense, and wasn’t cooked fully.
It’s also the type that isn’t sweet, but at the same time isn’t really corn flavored (it was confusing).
The cornbread was served as a replacement to their lack of muffins for brunch (they have two types).
My cornbread plate had old food on it.
I ordered the chicken breakfast enchiladas.
He ordered a spinach omelette.
My enchiladas were served in a stack, which was a neat take on a dish.
The flavor really fell however with the red sauce, it was really not exciting and below mild.
The excitement came with the chipotle paste on top of the eggs, and that was really good.
The chicken inside of the enchiladas however were large chunks, gummy, and fatty at times.
I love chicken, but I lost my appetite halfway in.
He devoured his omelette, but said that he wanted more flavor to his dish too.
Service was okay for the few minutes we were there.
I feel like we were asked how our food was before we ate, to avoid hearing how it actually was as we ate it (our waitress never appeared again after, except for the bill).
I don’t want to return.
I know this isn’t TeX Mex.

My friend and I were going to ABT’s Sleeping Beauty performance and needed a place close by to eat a quick dinner. Din Tai Fung had an absurb 2 hour wait so we meandered about trying to pick a restaurant. We settled on Z’Tejas because there was no wait and the menu looked decent.
We weren’t too hungry and just decided to get the street taco appetizer. Our waiter was quick and attentive but a little on the quiet side. He set the cornbread on the table and walked away without a word and my friend leaned in to ask me, «Our waiter isn’t very vocal is he?» I laughed and nodded.
The street taco appetizer came out really fast. Each order came with 4 corn tortilla tacos — seared beef topped with avocado and Cotija cheese. It was just the right amount. The tacos were fresh and delicious. Thank goodness for the cornbread though. Without it, we probably wouldn’t have been full enough.

If you must, only come here for happy hour drinks and appetizers, otherwise, this place ain’t the shiznit.
My fam came here for the little bro’s birthday and our waitress didn’t remember to take away our menus after taking all our orders, so when she brought out our food (don’t know why she failed to see the 80 scattered menus literally all over our table?!) we had to put our menus on the ground. Lol menus were all over the ground, at the side of our chairs, along the wall, and beneath our feet. Even by the end of our meal, no one ever took our menus away. It was silly.
The food runner boy who helped drop off dishes was nice, and so was the busser that we had to flag down at the end to get us to go boxes (once the waitress got her check, she was gone forever).
The food was nothing to talk about, I feel like my own family cooks better Mexican food (and we’re Asian, lol). Just basic, kinda bland, Americanized, one-​note food. Don’t think I’d ever come back, even if it was free.

Solid food, solid customer service but the prices are a tad on the higher side, but I imagine the rent for their location at South Coast Plaza is a tad on the higher side too!
I’ve been to Z’Tejas numerous times over the last 10 years and I’ve always been happy with my food, which is Mexican, with some southwest flavor added. I love their cornbread, baked fresh in a small cast iron skillet.
This particular time I was meeting up for some HH drinks and apps with some old friends. Chambord Frozen Margarita, pretty good, heavy pour and plenty to drink.
I also had the Tejas Trio, which consisted of fresh & hot chips, served with salsa (nothing remarkable in my opinion), a terrific queso cheese dip and chunky, but still smooth fresh guacamole.
Z’Tejas offers both indoor/​outdoor dining, complete with heat lamps, it’s a large restaurant with nice décor. They offer a fairly expansive menu ranging from appetizers of street tacos, quesadillas and catfish beignets to numerous entrées of salads, enchiladas and some pasta dishes, like the «Diablo» which I’ve had before and it packs a bit of heat with linguine, a spicy cream sauce, cotija cheese, jalapenos and I added jerk chicken.
HH pricing was pretty reasonable and it was another enjoyable experience. Good times sharing with good friends.

FREE Cornbread! I’ve never eaten cornbread with Mexican food, but after eating some spicy salsa, the cornbread does help to neutralize it. I appreciated it :) Yum yum. It’s a really nice size and about a 10″ diameter, nicely cooked, and an unusually large steak knife to cut the cornbread. I ended up using my regular dull butter knife. but that’s besides the point.
Let’s start with the incredible fast service. My friend and I came here the Friday after Christmas. As the SCP mall was super crowded, there was a steady flow of customers filing into Z’Tejas.
Atmosphere: Nice, pretty quiet, suitable for a good conversation
Dress: Business casual or casual
Service: Fast and Accurate
Cleanliness: Good
Bathroom: Large deep stainless sinks
Order:
Tejas Trio — Happy Hour (HH) Menu $
Street Tacos — HH Menu price $ 8
Mango Steak Salad — $ 14+
Our waitress «S» was very friendly and helpful with feeding our stomachs in a promptly manner. She immediately came out with our waters and the yummy cornbread! When I saw it on the menu and raved about how much I love cornbread, our waitress replies, «Yup, it’s coming right up!»
I also made a slight request on my order of street tacos. I asked for ½ steak and ½ chicken. It comes with 4 tacos. The steak was cooked to perfection! It was one of the most juiciest pieces of steak I’ve eaten on a taco. The chicken was also roasted and a bit crispy on the outside. The waitress mentioned that people come to this restaurant just to order the street tacos. They were very delicious! The big pieces of avocado was a great touch. As street tacos are known for being a bit smaller tortilla size, so essentially 4 street tacos could be about the same size and portion as 2 regular tacos. The street tacos also came with a salsa verde which was the best salsa sauce on the table. I will definitely be back for those street tacos!
The Tejas Trio was a trio of queso fondue that had a smoky, bbq like flavor. It had a big «Z» on the top. Our large basket of yellow corn tortilla chips were also complemented with salsa fresca (a bit watery in taste, very mild in taste), and guacamole (which had pieces of tomato and pepper, but prepared in house). I wasn’t impressed with either of the trio. :(
The Mango Steak Salad had the same steak slices as the street tacos. It was very juicy. On a bed of lettuce and pieces of cajun flavored walnuts, the salad came with a mango dressing. It was a very large salad and a good price for the quality.
Our appetizer, entrée, and cornbread came right after the other. There was barely any time in between each dish. I expected to wait longer, but also appreciated the very fast service.

Came here for happy hour on a Monday evening because Seasons 52 had a private party at the bar that night and couldn’t seat us outside for 45 minutes (despite having seating outside).
Happy hour is at the bar or small tables in front of the bar.
Free CORNBREAD comes in a hot skillet — pretty big portion with some sort of honey butter. It was a little dry but it’s free!
~~~ CATFISH BEIGNETS ~~~ These were pretty much fried catfish sticks. Not impressed.
~~~ CHILE PORK VERDE ~~~ YUM!!! Super soft pork and the chili verde sauce was so delicious! Comes with tortillas and black beans. Messy to try and make a taco of it all, though.
Service was great & I was surprised that these two dishes plus cornbread were so filling! I definitely had food coma on the way back home!

First of all, it’s not authentic — it’s just flavors inspired by Mexico and more of a texmex, southwestern type of thing.
I was nearby for a spa appointment a friend had arranged for me as a part of my birthday and we decided to come by here afterward for dinner. It was probably the only place that wasn’t crowded given the holiday rush this time of year.
We were seated within about ten minutes and our waitress was fantastic and attentive.
The evening started with the complimentary corn bread. I love that this corn bread actually has pieces of corn in it vs just being a bread. It’s moist and flavorful and calmed our grumbling tummies while we waited on our entrees.
I decided to try the wild mushroom enchilada. I’m no vegetarian but this looked really good and I love mushrooms. As expected it was very flavorful. It came with a tangy smoky sauce, a side of rice, and black beans. I like that the rice wasn’t the standard dull mexican rice with no flavor — this one was mixed with veggies and some sort of sauce. Overall a great meal.
The night ended with a surprise amaretto cheesecake for my birthday that once again my friend generously arranged.

Have you ever found yourself at South Coast wanting to kill and/​or needing a drink after hearing countless babies cry/​enduring one too many crazy women during a sale/​dealing with the horrible parking?
If you’re like me, and those scenarios make you want to drown yourself in alcohol, go to Z’Tejas. They have happy hour every freaking day of the week and the prices are SHOCKINGLY reasonable. If you want a snack with your alcohol, get the Z’Tejas trio.
Go grab a (or a few) $ 5 margaritas to get a little tipsy, eat some chips and guac, and carry on with your shopping without killing anyone. You’re welcome.

It’s a bit waiting during dinner time. You get free corn bread as appetizer and it’s the best corn bread I’ve ever had, highly recommended. It’s warm and a little moist with actual corns in it.
My chicken fajita is good. The chicken were grilled and flavored right with tasty guacamole sauce. My friends street taco is ok.
The food is served very fast, almost feels like right away.
We ordered one pineapple juice which is in a small glass filled with ice, not happy with that.
In short, fast service and good corn bread,

When I am shopping at South Coast and get hunger pain from shopping I go here to drink away my spending woes.
Their drinks are decently made and I can’t complain about their skinny strawberry mojito. I always order their tableside guacamole… something about the cotija and pumpkin seeds in their guac’ that I like a lot! Their salsa is «meh». Nothing spectacular and their hot salsa is no where hot and I am very weak when it comes to hot anything, so that should tell you something about their salsa! My friend ordered the street tacos and said they were tasty but was overcooked on the meat.
They do have selections on low cal meals and are pretty good. I’ve tried their fish and it isn’t bad. I wasn’t too impressed with their baked seafood enchilada, I felt it was a bit heavy on the cream and over seasoned stuffings.
I do enjoy the fact that they have outside patio seating to catch some fresh air from shopping and enjoy some warmth.
The service has always been consistent. Servers do not go out of their way to be awesome but they are attentive so I can’t really complain about their service.

As far as chain restaurants go, Z Tejas suffices in good quality food. I wouldn’t say it is authentic by any means, but if your palate is average and not all that adventurous, the food here might please.
Tried a bunch of stuff off the new spring menu and really liked the tacos and the chicken. Did not care for the «paella» as it tasted nothing like paella.
Margaritas are a good choice to kick things off and what I like the most is that you can get a flight so you can have the option to taste a few.
Service is good and attentive.