Zendejas

I wouldn’t know what the food is like. A friend and I went there with a Groupon on on a Saturday. First, I was told my Groupon had expired, which it had not. Next I was told it was a Game Day and they didn’t honor any coupons on a Game Day. Nowhere, in my Groupon info, did it say that Game Days were of any significance. We left, I felt strongly they didn’t need my business. I cancelled my Groupon, which was my only reason for being there in the first place. I advise anyone who reads this, not to go there on a Game Day, if you have any kind of coupon. Personally, I have no intention of ever returning there.

Honestly, I was getting ready to really dislike this place. Amy and I bought a Groupon to Zendejas, and we were initially pretty excited to try it. Their website made no mention of their hours, so we decided to just show up a few weeks ago. Alas, it was 8:00pm by the time we arrived, and their kitchen had closed. The bashful young waiter regretfully shooed us away. Mostly undeterred, we tried again yesterday, but this time a little earlier. They were closed, and no schedule was listed on the door. Gah.
Today, however, we managed to arrive on time for dinner service on a day when they were open! The restaurant was dimly-​lit with cinder block walls painted in Wildcat colors. Decorations were hung sparsely in the main area, which was separated from the entrance by a strange empty space. A small stack of large speakers occupied one section of floor; big inflatable goalposts guarded another. Two TVs played Monday night football. The aesthetic was roughly what I would expect from a relatively-​clean frat house with a bar.
We took our places at one of the tables and waited while the two-​person staff scuttled about, attending to the restaurant’s other four diners. Eventually, the male waiter procured us some menus, sheepishly acknowledging that after Saturday’s football madness the great majority of the menus remained unaccounted for, and assuring us that our waitress would have our margaritas out just as soon as she got back from buying ice from the gas station next door. At this point, I was expecting the food to be both awful and poisonous.
Luckily, however, the meal turned out just fine. If you’ve been to 4^th Ave.‘s Pancho Villas Grill, I’d say the food here is a similar style at a similar price level, but with sizable steps down in both quality and quantity. Even so, it was highly edible, and I am relatively confident that we will not die of food poisoning tonight. I would certainly not recommend coming here given that there are a multitude of superior Mexican restaurants in this area. But Zendejas isn’t horrible after all: it’s just not that good.

Bad. Went twice. First time, they were out of almost everything (and the place was empty). The table was dirty and sticky. When we did finally decide on something that they actually had, the food was quick (not a good sign), and very bland. Pretty said state of affairs.
Second time we went (only because we had a groupon that was expiring), they suddenly had a sign on the door that they dont honor groupons on the weekend. Probably should have stated that on the terms of the groupon. I think this place will be going out of business soon

Not bad. Wasn’t sure what to expect. Our first trip out we found the place closed. Tried again on a different night a few weeks later and we were in luck. Had a Groupon, the only reason for trying it in the first place. I was pleasantly surprised! The food was tasty. I had the carnitas, enchilada style. Loved it. Portions were good. The other 2 people in my party were satisfied as well. Overall, a good experience!

Although the staff was very nice, the place does not feel like a restaurant. It has the feel of a college dorm-​turned café. It might be a great place to watch football and have a beer, but the food was not tasty sober! We had enchiladas that were barely edible – salty, under-​flavored, gooey and overcooked.

I waffled between 2 and 3 stars; our experience was good overall even if the restaurant is just so-​so, so I went with 3.
We had a Groupon: $ 13 for 2 combo entrees and 2 well drinks, which, any way you cut it, is a great deal. Even with an almost 20% tip on the value of the meal, we spent $ 18 for dinner and drinks.
The décor of Zendejas is «we tried to try.» There’s a plant in one corner. Some things that might have been decorations were on the floor. The tables and chairs look like your typical cheap eats décor. There were 2 TVs, one playing a game, and the other playing an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, which they switched to a game just as I was getting into it. There are also 2 posters of the football player after whom the place is named.
The place was empty (6:30 pm on a Tuesday) which doesn’t seem like a good sign for a campus place (one other couple came in while we were there). We were greeted warmly and told to sit anywhere. A small basket of chips came out immediately. They were not bad – warm, at least – although i thought they were too thin and my fiancé thought they needed salt.
The salsa came out a few minutes later, borne by a man who gave off an owner/​manager vibe and apologized, even before setting it down, that it was really spicy, that he had made it for himself and he would make us some mild if we liked. However, I thought it had the perfect amount of heat. He seemed impressed that I liked salsa. It wasn’t really spicy at all. I guess there are a lot of out-​of-​state students who don’t know what chiles taste like? He offered some suggestions off the menu without being prompted.
Our drinks arrived quickly. My fiancé enjoyed his margarita. I didn’t care for my gin and tonic but maybe I just didn’t want a gin and tonic.
I ordered the chile rellenos and my fiancé ordered the green carnitas. The food came out surprisingly fast. My relleno was pretty tasty, as much as you could possibly expect from this tier of restaurant. The beans were a bit bland but I poured the rest of the salsa on top. There was a tiny spoonful of lettuce on the side. My fiancé really enjoyed his carnitas and felt they were just right. His came with a tortilla and some sour cream, and he got possessive when I tried the sour cream. It was VERY thick.
I only had a 20 and when I asked for change to leave a tip, the guy at the bar said he didn’t have any 5s. I asked for some 1s, and he went in the back and finally gave me a 10, a 5, and some 1s.
Basically, if you’re on campus and don’t feel like walking more than a few feet and you want to sit down in a very low-​key atmosphere and have a drink with some mid-​grade Mexican food while watching whatever game is on, this is the place. I doubt I’ll eat here again, but it wasn’t bad.

We tried the red chile carnitas, the green chile carnitas enchiladas and the carne asada soft tacos. super super supper… the carne asada was tender and PEPPERED strongly… the salsa (first way you judge a mexican restaurant) was really great. The margs were delicious, especially Max’s special chamoy/​tamarindo margarita. Who knows how consistent the drinks can be, I think he put a little special love into mine… the «well» drinks might be bartender’s choice, so if you want a whiskey coke, it might be a glass of Jameson and not quite «well» liquor… but i’m not making any promises. (insert wink)
even the (non larded) beans and rice were scraped clean. all good… giant flour tortillas homemade by a Phoenician… and shipped down just for Max.
only missing one star for the UA dive atmosphere… good for some, not for everyone…
Max Zendajas #13 is one heck of a guy!

This is just plain bad Mexican food. Their only claim to fame seems to be that they finally have a liquor license. I tried it because of a Groupon offer. What is it? Do places that are otherwise failures list with Groupon to try to get custoners?

calling zendeja’s mediocre would be generous. My friend and I walked in, were seated at a dirty table, and picked a menu up off the floor. After they cleaned the table, we each ordered a Negra Modelo which was served in a solo cup. For dinner we ordered the chicken mole burrito. The mole tasted like it came from a can or a jar. Its brown color was the only semblence it had of actual mole. Additionally, the burrito was mostly tortilla. It had some scraps of chicken inside, including a big, gross piece of skin. Neither of us were impressed, but at least it’s cheap so we couldn;t be too mad.

Not a bad place, but it obviously caters to palettes unaccustomed to spicy food. I had a carnitas with salsa verde special, which came with beans, rice, and a flour tortilla. It was pretty good and fairly savory, but not remotely spicy. When I asked for hot sauce, the server looked confused and brought out some pureed tomato salsa that was pretty bland and also not remotely spicy. When I asked again, I was brought a bottle of Tabasco, which didn’t really suit the meal and was apparently all they had. I don’t know about you, but i like hot peppers and hot sauce with Mexican food. They should make some hot sauces available, maybe even make their own and perhaps, provide some roasted jalapeños as well.

Chile rellenos in the Tucson Area rated according to the Homeland Security Advisory System with three word descriptors.
Zendejas #13: a deconstructed burrito. Orange
See photos.

Zendejas #13 just opened and it is just south of the stadium on 6^th street. Drove by and thought I would check it out, and it was a great experience. It has all the essentials of a small Mexican restaurant. Huge water cups, spicy salsa and free chips. Everything is cheap. Average meal was under 5 bucks and it was authentic dank.
They dont have their liquor license yet, but it is a cool little place that will be great for group parties once they get going. They are still very early in their existence but I would definitely recommend checking it out.