El Zocalo Restaurant

The food was good. But we got stale chips, but i always love the horchata drink. Affordable and very clean restaurant.

The food is amazing, the wait can be a little while. The dishes are pretty big and always hot the spot.

Food is very good. Five stars for food. Minus one star for service. More than 5 mins at the door before they acknowledged. People did not seem to be happy to work there. Slow service.

So I went in to get simple burrito order. When I got in there were two ladies standing by the counter who had been waiting to give their orders too. I asked how it had been for them. To which they said about 10 minutes. Then an employee stopped by the grab something from the counter. She looked at all three of us and gestured with the her index finger «one minute» then disappeared never to return. One of the ladies waiting just left. Finally about 5 minutes later a waiter noticed us and took our order. Hurray! … 30 minutes later… Still no burrito. I felt foolish to wait that long. But my family was occupied with something so I had time to spend. During those 30 minutes I saw at least 4 families come in, get seated and received their while tables food. All of those families were Hispanic. Me and the ladies that were being ignored, non Hispanics. Hmmmm. MY RECOMMENDATION: IF YOU WANT TO ACTUALLY GET YOUR FOOD HERE, BECOME HISPANIC.

This place is going down hill and rapidly… I have been coming here for years and even the original place in the mission. Most recently I came here on Monday and before going their I attempted to call multiple times but never got an answer. Since I live in the area I decided to drive over. Once inside I stood up front at the register for about 5 minutes without even being acknowledged. Once the lady did come up and ask what I needed I told her my order which was 6 papusa’s and a large container of the casimento. She told me that it was going to take 30 minutes which seemed very long even though the place was not very busy.
I walked out going over to the liquor store grabbed something to drink and killed time ended up coming back in 35 minutes later. I entered and sat down where I waited… and waited… 55 minutes after my order had been placed the woman walked up and handed me a check but still no food was out. At this point I’m contemplating just leaving but felt I had waited so long I should give them 5 more minutes she walked back out did give me a tiny break on the price for the wait I paid and left. I’d like to say I went home and it was worth the wait but it was not…
The papusa’s were great no complaints there! But the casimento was horrible… Almost like they just took some refried beans and a spoon full of rice and packaged it. I wont be going back needless to say.

Service is beyond horrible! And I saw a fat cockroach there! Disgusting and vile! Obese waitresses are so rude and disrespectful even with the language barrier!

Food is okay. Wait time for food is the worst, don’t come here starving because you will be disappointed. Staff is unfriendly never smile or even look at you when you order. Sad sad sad

Queso and Pollo con Queso are yummy and the Pina and cantaloupe Fresca are always on point. You do get better quality of food when you dine in. Wait time to get your food is worth the wait and prices are right. I did take away one star because when I order take out it’s inconsistent because sometimes the pupusas are burnt. Like it ruins the whole taste of the pupusa might as well throw it in the garbage burnt.

I took a star off only because the wait time is a little much. Yes the food is excellent and authentic but it’s a very long wait, I’m talking close to an hour just to get your food. The place could be a little cleaner in terms of wiping tables and chairs down too.
Service was good.
*The enchiladas were so good, the chicken was well marinated and the sauce was on point, I cleaned my plate
*Rice and beans were really yummy
*Papusas were really good and fluffy but weren’t the best I’ve ever had
*Chips and salsa were okay
I would definitely recommend this place but you have to know the wait is very long, don’t come here starving hungry because you will become HANGRY!

How bad do you want pupusas? If you think you’re going to want them in a couple hours, then call ahead. I just checked my phone, and I called at 4:53. I was told 30 minutes. Having been here before, I left my house in Daly City at 5:30. I was told 7 more minutes…6:17 I finally get them. Even the receipt machine took 2 – 3 minutes to print my receipt. If my wife wasn’t 7 mo preggo and wanting these, I never would have waited. You better want them bad. And btw, they’re ok. Maybe 3 ½ star worthy.

When I am not in the mood, to drive into the city for pupusas. This is the closet and most convenient place to get so so grub. I would make it a point to come more often but I think the customer service drives me away. Again, the food overall is not bad but the service is way to slow! I’d rather take the extra get in my car and drive to my fave spot (s) in the city.
Pro’s:
Close to where I live and work
Parking lot
Pupusas are worth consuming.
Con’s
Wait time on the food (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
None of the wait staff smiles
The «Curtido» is not cut nicely, its thick and needs more vinegar
The salsa and chips need an upgrade. The salsa is tomato broth with cilantro in it. The chips are ehhhhh, not good. I’ve had better bagged tortilla chips.
Sorry, El Zocalo. See ya in like 3 years.

I don’t know why this cute dinner is getting so many negative reviews…
today I was going UPS and had a lot drop offs and printing stuff, and I need to get back to work soon so I decided to eat here right next to UPS.
The service was great, the seats and table are clean, prices are very reasonable. I ordered a T-​bone lunch that comes with rice, bean paste, salad, chips and cheese stuff. First of all, the portion is huge, second, steak is perfectly cooked and well seasoned. As a Chinese I don’t usually go for Mexican food, but this restaurant really match my appetite
Will definitely come again. Ignore bad reviews Unilocalers.

Came to Zocalo on a Sunday afternoon, checked in at 3.30, was told there would be a wait of 7 minutes. Okay that’s weird! So we waited my family and I of 4. It was 3.50 and we still had not gotten a table. Okie dokie.
A few minutes went by we were told to go sit in the back at the empty table, our waitress came, took our order. Brought our drinks, my husband got a dirty cup. At about 4.25pm, still waiting for our food having places our ordered the waitress came back to let me know they didn’t have the plate I ordered! After 25 minutes of waiting, she barley told me that! So I ordered something else.
It was 4.45pm the food was not at our table yet, about 5 minutes later the waitress brought me my chicken soup just to come back 3 minutes later and tell me it wasnt my soup, I was ready to eat from it too!!! soo hungry! She took the plate and just gave it to the correct customer?
By then it was 5 and we finally got our food! 10 minutes apart from each gut got our food. Never once did the waitress come to ask if we were fine.
We ate it took our about 15 minutes, then we waited again for our check. No one came, I got up went to the cashier area, no one was there. But right next to it was a bar looking area with 3 waitress just sitting and eating. One even looked at me various time, still no acknowledgement I would get helped. Finally I walked up to the ladies, told them I wanted to pay my bill and one got up and rang me up. By then it was 5.30−5.40pm.
The place was not that full, it was dungy, lacked hospitality for their customers. Never again are we returning to this place. Ive gone to other restaurants where they cook the similar kinds of food and dont take as long. I will just stick to eating in the Mission/​Excelsior areas if I ever feel like having homemade chicken soup.

The pupusas are amazing, it is a long wait but better to call your order in good way to end 2015 cozy at home and enjoying this delicious pupusas. I would recommend this place just be ready for the wait, might need a bit of an upgrade but overall good service.

Food poisoning!!! Ordered take out papusas, my cousin, my friend, myself at some, and got sick. I didn’t know my friends got sick, nor did I think my upset tummy was from the food. Next day, myself and my dog ate some leftovers (that had been store properly in the frig), and we both got very very ill. I ended up in the ER, my dog ended up at the vet. Text my cousin and friend, they informed me that they also got very ill from the food.
DO NOT EAT THERE!!! When I called to ask for a manager, I was told «there is not one», well who is in charge? «All of us». WTF?!? So I made the aware of what happened and they don’t care at all. I have never been so sick in my life, vomiting for hours straight, my poor dog was also so sick. DO NOT EAT THERE! Horrible service and now poisoning food!

I would actually give the food at this place a ⁴⁄₅. The pupusas are great even as take out.
My main problem with this place is the customer service. Whenever I order food here over the phone they say 25 minutes when it really means an hour or more.
Also they are very rude to non-​native language speakers. I’ve waited in line for like 10 minutes before for my turn to pay only for the cashier woman to take the person behind me’s order and then forgetting about me entirely until I say something. Quite frankly its ridiculous and my family has been coming here since I was in high school.
I never ever want to pick up food here again. Which sucks, because the food is actually good. The staff has just ruined it for me.
Customer Service: ⁰⁄₅
Food: ⁴⁄₅

The food here is always good, but the wait time is long. I always complained that «it shouldn’t take long to cook two pupusas!» But then with possible lack of staff, the food still comes out hot and delicious. Then I think to myself, that I don’t know shit about making pupusas so the process of making like 100+ for so many customers (and with different fillings) is time consuming. Also if the pupusas come out delicious every. single. time. then the cook is doing something right and that is putting attention to what goes in the food rather than mass producing shitty product. So when coming here, be patient and you will be rewarded with a lovely dinner that you won’t forget.
So why four stars? The restaraunt can get pretty warm (75 degrees maybe) and for a Daly City resident, I get uncomfortable easily. Also the tables were a bit sticky or the tables weren’t properly wiped down when we sat down at our table

These were some seriously delicious pupusas! I came for lunch and the place was full. The food was excellent and the service was good.
The only reason I gave this four stars was something about the atmosphere feeling a bit «diner“ish — somewhere between a taqueria and a restaurant. The sign said Please Wait to Be Seated so I waited only to be told to seat myself yet there was no clean table ready and a poor server had to rush to clean one for me.
But, that said the delicious food made up for the strange initial impression, and I would return for more.

I’ve been here a few times because I do like their food.
The first time I came here it was with friends for a sit-​down dinner. They recommended the Papusas so I tried the chicken and cheese. They were really good! However, the wait time for anything at all is ridiculous.
Second time I had their food I ordered their seafood enchiladas and they were also good!
I have also came here to pick up food multiple times, each time supposed to be a wait time of 20 – 30 mins. It’s always an extremely long wait. I waited with a friend one time for almost 2 HOURS to pick up only TWO PAPUSA PLATES. I was really mad it took so long, but there was also nothing else in the area we wanted to eat that night.
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This is a review for today. Called in at 11:07 am to pick up two papusa orders. Said it would take 30 mins. It’s now 11:50 and no order yet. Man at the desk didn’t acknowledge me until I went to the desk to ask if my order was ready. It was ready, surprisingly. So l left. Papusas are always good :) the horchata has too much cinnamon for my liking, but still drinkable.
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I guess if you have time to kill them come here. But if not, then don’t expect to come here and leave right after.

It was just a typical day. I was doing laundry, hungry and grumpy at the same time. I decided, as a time killer, to search for pupusas on Unilocal.
I was expecting everything to be closed and far away, when I see a place less than a mile away. I did not believe it! I’ve driven through that area many times and I did not expect any place with pupusas to be there.
I instantly called them to make sure the time on Unilocal for business hours was correct. I ran back inside the laundromat to see how much time I had left on the washing machine, 22 minutes! I jumped in my car and drove to this address. I was stunned… I could not believe I was so close to a pupusas place. I looked thru the menu like a hawk. I decided to order 2 bean pupusas to go. I waited for a little while, smiling and pacing thru the lobby… I looked at some of the reviews and most of them complained about the waiting time, so I decided to go back to the laundromat and check on my clothes… the washing machine was off. I smiled because I said to myself that I would NOT be one of those that holds the machines.
I loaded everything in the dryer and added an extra quarter just to make sure I had a little extra time to go back and get my pupusas! Please keep in mind that it has been MONTHS since I had one.
I drove back to the restaurant, waited a little longer and my order was up: 2 bean pupusas, curtido and salsa roja. I got back to the laundromat’s parking lot. I opened the passenger door and I took a bite of one of those pupusas! My heart starting pounding in satisfaction of the delicious pupusas that I just opened the curtido and wrapped the pupusas around it in that dark parking lot.
After I finished, I went back inside the laundromat, feeling dirty for what I had done in the parking lot, & I started to fold my undies and socks…