Taqueria El Zarape

Just wanted to share my love for El Zarape in Joliet! It's become my go-to spot. I haven't tried everything on the menu, but their tacos and tortas are amazing. Seriously, they're so generous with the meat – way more than other Mexican places I've been to. And the best part? The meat is super lean! It's a little pricier than some other restaurants, but you definitely get what you pay for in terms of quality. One small thing – the restaurant could use a little sprucing up. The booths aren't the comfiest, and maybe not the best for those of us with a bit more… *comfortable* seating preferences. Because of that, I usually just order for pickup. But the food is totally worth it!

Enchilada mole- with onions (not good) Firstly the cook was microwaving the rice when I arrived. Mole wasn’t fresh tasted old. Portion was small and no beans came with. Phoned in order took 10 minutes. Good location maybe try cooking fresh food.

My first stop at this Taco Ria here's my experience. The service was friendly the premises were clean. But now the important stuff the food the taco meat which was the carne asada was very unique with the flavor. Very good mild spice tender meat with tender potatoes cilantro and onion is how the carne asada steak taco is served. I have the taco dinner with a side of beans and rice. All of the food was fresh and quite tasty the tacos were very generously proportioned. My only suggestion for improvement here would be to make the beans and rice portion larger. the serving was a bit small, and also they need to get better at preparing the flour tortillas. I ordered my dinner with flour tortillas they were tough and chewy but not so bad it ruined the meal. Definitely give this place a try the food's good and I think you'll want to come back they also serve breakfast and are open late on certain nights as well. In the coal covid time of take out only, I would suggest a put it together when you get home take out package. in other words give you the meat and your tortillas separately with the toppings separately and then when you get home you can put it all together yourself since you cannot dine in as of November 2020.

Get the corn in the cup and add the red sauce they provide. It adds a spicy and smokey flavor to your pallet! Perfect pairing. A nice family service. Best pastor tacos I’ve ever had in town.

First time here today ordered 3 chicken and 1 steak taco . It was amazing meat was tender potatoes was a flavorful and an amazing add on to the tacos . I will be returning more often . Oh food was fresh !!!

The quality of food is not good. Chips and the torta bread tasted old. Guacamole was okay. The asada was grey, and lacked flavor. They charged $2.50 for chips where other places give them for free. The steak was chewy. The waitress was nice but I do not recommend this place.

Amazing tacos. I got the Al Pastor taco dinner with chips and salsa to go. Meat was so tender and flavorful. And they gave me a really large portion of chips to go, appreciated that. Clearly a family run business, love to support that. Definitely worth giving a shot, I will for sure be back

The only place where they sell Semitas around this area. I’m only giving 5 stars ⭐️ to the food and beverages because it’s delicious 😋 the place does need a little bit of entertainment.. it’s not bad but it would be core cozy.. I do recommend that you pre order before arriving because it does take a little to get your food.. other than that everything is perfect...

Prices are not the same as their menu, they need to update their things! 6 dollars for a taco?

Taqueria El Zarape is a fantastic place for tacos and other Mexican favorites I'm the Joliet, Illinois area. This is a no-frills, mom-and-pop type taco place that is pretty humble and possesses little to no ambiance, but I have always maintained that the best Mexican food does not come from a high end type restaurants with incredible ambiance, but rather the best Mexican food comes from these little hole-in-the-wall type joints. Taqueria El Zarape just reinforces this long-standing theory of mine. Taqueria El Zarape offers a great menu, but I went with the tacos and the tacos were definitely a great choice here at Taqueria El Zarape. The tacos are definitely stellar and something that I would definitely recommend. All in all, Taqueria El Zarape is a great choice if you are in Joliet, Illinois and are in the mood for Mexican food. If you do go and are a fan of tacos, you cannot go wrong with the tacos here.

Torta, rice beans and a can of coke $17.50 Ouch!!! Won't be back food average c rating

So a few things, first of all, they charge me twice for a cup of coffee when they were offering everybody else in the restaurant

Came here for lunch with my mom bc we were in the area. My mom had a meatless burrito, which she liked. I had a chicken sope with rice and beans. The food tasted ok, but there was so little of it. My sope was like 2in across, and there was like a tbsp of rice and a tbsp of beans on my plate. I did get a small Jamaica as well. Our bill was $30, which was a bit of a surprise. Turns out they charged us $2 per water bottle. We didn't ask for bottled water, it was just given to us instead of a cup of water. The "god loves us" blaring music also didn't help. This place is a rip off and def not worth the price. Don't recommend.

This is my local. Best al pastor in town. (period). A 3 taco dinner does me well. Tacos are generous. Pineapple please. Tortas and cimetas are spot on. I have been liking the bean and cheese gorditas lately and I love the huaraches! I need to come for breakfast some day. The red salsa is Abol chiles I believe. Hot, smoky, rich. The green is milder, not Serrano hot, hot and no avocado, just Chile and tomatillo and love. This is a great family owned restaurant. Wonderful children, respectful friendly family. They are also very Christian in values if this matters to you. ***Sunshine 2- You are totally off. Not the same staff, interior or exterior of the Joliet establishment. You need to update that post! *** ******^^^^^^********^^^^^******^^^^^^**** Also, check out Valles Produce just behind. Great tamales and pork stew. Also, get a micro or domestic at Stang Kellys!

They seem to be trying. Cold chips. Godita was just cheese and meat. Potato in my taco. Not impressed

The food is super good, especially the tacos and fresh water!!! Muy rica comida y aquas frescas!!! Lo recommendo mucho!

Came here on a Wednesday night and it was empty. It was a family owned businesses and you can take it in the food because it tasted authentic rather than processed. The service was exceptional and we had one of the daughters wait out table and she was really sweet. I got a pambosa and we got guacamole and chips for the table. The food was so good that all three of us still kept eating though we were full. I would recommend their food anyday

OMG!!!! The chips and salsa is mind blowing. They fry the chips when you order them. They come out all hot and smell so good. There are two salsa's, a green one that is hot, and a red one that is hotter. The young lady's that are the two servers are great. I have had nothing bad from here. I recommend you to eat everything. Only cans of soda. If they had a fountain dispenser I would give them 5 stars.

Taqueria El Zarape was so good! Loved the steak tacos. We hope to see them compete for title of Best Taco in Chicago and a $25,000 Grand Prize Taco Fanomicon Sept. 02 & 03, 2017 @ The Arena Live Chicago #tacofanomicon

Seemed very authentic! Very nice family working. Close to home so will probably stop by again

New restaurant where Cheli's Chili used to occupy. Got a Cubana Torta and a steak burrito dinner to go. Regretted not getting al pastor in something when I saw the rotating spit where they trim their pork from. Still, the steak burrito was very good, cooked just right. Rice and beans weren't anything to write about. Most have their own take on the Cubana torta as there's had eggs, chorizo, ham, lettuce, tomato, hot dogs, onions, and chipotle peppers. Wasn't bad but I've had better, wished they would had a least added milanesa (breaded steak) in the mix as everybody does. Would like to go back as they were like 4-5 additional items I wanted to try. Cash Only

During my first encounter at Taqueria el Zarape, I was greeted by smiling staff and quick service. I ordered a steak burrito with specifications, as well as a quesadilla. The quesadilla was good, but was on a corn tortilla which was somewhat weird for me. The burrito was made to order and correct. It was on the smaller side in appearance, but packed to the brim. I couldn't even finish it. The steak was flavorful and a good cut; I didn't have any chewy pieces. In regards to their sauces, both were delicious and spicy, although I personally preferred the green. I definitely plan to go back in the future for another burrito and to try other meals!

Delicious cemitas like Puebla, Mexico... My favorite: cemita de milaneza de res. I Dont like the Cemita de milaneza de pollo not really good. Very thin milaneza.

Got the pambazo it was ehhh was expecting it to be spicy without the salsa, tacos of carne asada were bland and the burrito is the only reason I will give 3 stars.

This is a great restaurant with excellent food. Everything I've had is delicious! My husband and I love the chips they give, they're refreshingly different than most places. The service is great as well. Totally recommend it.

Food was very good they could work on the service. It seemed like we waited forever for a few tacos. I gave them two stars because of the restrooms OMG did anyone hear of soap and a mop? I honestly don't think they've ever cleaned them...makes me wonder about the kitchen???

Food was pretty good they load everything up on the tacos and Hurraches; def not what I'm used to but it was still good none the less!!! I'm just really spoiled when it comes to Mexican food so that's why I didn't give it a higher rating!

This is a great place to grab menudo on the weekends only. They have great tortas too, and basically anything normally found at any other Mexican cuisine. Highly recommend it!

Best tacos al pastor you can get in Joliet!! also the size of them are about 1.5x larger than most places.

This place is great. You might have to wait a little longer than you would expect but it is Well worth the wait. The tamales are excellent and I'm not a big tamale fan. Tacos are top notch especially the pork and steak. The chips are fresh fried when you say you want chips and salsa. Definitely a place I will visit several time a month.

This place tasted good and had plenty of room filled with mostly locals from Joliet's Hispanic population. the place had good Tortas and burritos and was pretty impressed with the place as the outside didn't look like it might be really this good. a nice family runned restaurant. I just wished more of these places offered soda fountains instead of the usual can in a pop in a freezer.

This new restaurant to the St Pats Area has good food. They prepare their own dishes from scratch including the chips and hot sauces. They are a nice family that plays Christian music to their patrons. It's a unique refreshing change.

Tried their rajas sopes and some tacos. I had canned pop as well. Prices are very high and food is bland. I wasn't very impressed with the service or food. Too bad because I live right near it. I went as soon as it was opened and it was pretty empty and cold. They need to brighten up the place and play music.

Really good food no doubt about it but the wait has been not so pleasant. Whether you eat there or call in for carry out expect to wait an additional 40 minutes from the 20 minute wait time you're given over the phone. Dined in on a Tuesday night being the only ones there and still waited about 45 minutes to get our food.

They take way too long to make the food and bring it to you. I've even had friends leave because they were tired of waiting!