Viva Zapata's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

Great place, great ambiance. You can tell the people who work at the restaurant are happy. Fun live music, food felt authentic and fresh. Quantity is on the higher side for those who don't eat a lot. The place is better for larger groups. We had the fresh guacamole for appetizers, which was made live at the table and a Avo taco plate, which included rice and beans and a soup. Overall taste of the tacos were okay-ish. I would go back for more. Wish they had more vegetarian options.

Everything about this restaurant was great. Great service, Great food and Great atmosphere, also very clean. So far the best Mexican food we've had since living here in Las Vegas. A must try is there fried ice cream. Highly recommend. Great job . We will be back. Tried Viva Zapata's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina on a whim. Saw the good ratings . So happy we did.

This is one of the most impressive local Mexican restaurants. The service is always nothing short of spectacular, courteous, and very nice. The food is always a 10/10 and you always end up taking some home anyway because they have the best chips and salsa with beans. Plus they serve you a great fideo soup to start. Overall it is and will always be our go to spot whenever we want some great food. Shout out to our server Gerardo for the excellent service!

What an atmosphere! I was here a year ago and forgot to review!!! It was happy hour when I arrived so there was live music ! It was incredible. The place was busy.. I am not sure why I feel happy and at peace being at a a restaurant where the staff and a majority of the customers were Spanish . It’s was such a wonderful and relaxing dining experience. The food was delicious. I order the fish tacos (Tilapia) they were larger and they were delicious. I ordered the same thing a year ago. The tacos were just as great now as they were then. I should also mention 3 different people asked me how I was doing and asked if I needed anything. Definitely coming back when I have a delivery in Las Vegas. For the truck drivers. This place is in walking distance from the North Vegas Pilot truck stop.

So I’m at the truckstop and I’m hungry for Mexican food. I look on Google maps and I find this wonderful restaurant. Great prices and great food. Very friendly staff. A “must eat” at place. The enchiladas are awesome. Sat at the bar and Ms. Karen took great care of me and made me feel welcomed. I will be coming to this place regularly when I’m in town. Oh, LUNCH SPECIALS!!! Cost me $17 with tip :-)

Chips, beans and salsa were excellent. Ordered carne asada tacos. Avocado tacos. Steak tacos.and a bean burrito. The avocado tacos were delicious. Carne asada tacos needed a salsa. Other two items were not great. Really wanted to love this please but food was just okay.

Viva Zapata’s located on Craig near Pecos. Stopped in for lunch with my wife and it was okay. The staff were friendly/kind, the atmosphere felt authentic and real, but thought the food was a tad bit overpriced tbh. I really enjoyed the food, just too expensive

Didn't know this place existed. It definitely was a nice find. The service was fantastic. The pineapple margarita was really good. The food was delicious. Loved the fish tacos probably the best I have ever had. I'm not sure what my husband had but it was really really good he said. ALL the staff were super friendly and excellent. Now that we know about Via Zapata's we will most definitely be coming back again.

Cruzin through Vegas and needed some Chicken caldo soup to doctor up this spring time cold. This location is just perfect, literally right across the street from Pilot truck stop. The restaurant is very kept up and I consider it on the fancy side. The menu is a little pricey, but where isn't these days? I just love the fancy decor and the staff here. Everyone is very helpful and kind. My chicken soup ended up being delicious and had big pieces of chicken, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was very hot and hit the spot today. Thank you for providing hot, delicious, quality food to the truckers. I'll definitely be back.

The waiter was gracious but the busboy/assistant waiter was rude arrogant and sarcastic. It's been 4 years since we visited because we lived elsewhere. We thought to make this our 3 times a month restaurant again. No. We. Won't. We will find another venue, or two.

They have no drink menu. I ordered a mango margarita and got charged $24. It's $10 at Juan's. Ambience is great. Service is good. Food is mediocre.

When you walk in the decor is all over the walls, feels very cozy to me. I had their second combination plate on their menu which included a shredded beef taco, shredded beef enchilada, shredded beef tamale and rice and beans. They bring you chips and salsa and beans out and also fideo. The fideo was blan in my wifes and i opinion. The salsa has no kick but the flavor is not too bad. The beef taco was my favorite out of the food i had. The red sauce wasn't terrible but id prefer my tamale without it next time. The tamale tasted very authentic, the sauce just overtook it for me. Everything priced out very well. The service was great, we were helped always, even if it wasnt our server, they helped each other out. Will try this place again.

Literally stumbled upon this restaurant when making a wrong turn. Best wrong turn ever. Viva Zapata's is a warm charming restaurant with great service. It was taco Tuesday after all, so I had tacos! The taco shells were just the right amount of crispy without falling apart. They were filled with flavorful white meat chicken and the fixings. The rice and beans? Like mamma makes them. They serve salsa and bean dip with their chips.Both excellent. Made my day! When in Vegas look for Viva Zapata's!

We were in town last weekend for a family memorial, and my dad had the idea for a large group of us (20+) to meet "somewhere" for a late lunch after the graveside service. Being the professional event planner of the group (who me?) I immediately volunteered for the mission of finding a place that could accommodate a large group...in less than 24 hours. I narrowed the list down to a few options, checked out their Yelp reviews, and landed on Viva Zapata's. We called and they promised they'd have our 20-person table ready and waiting by the next afternoon. And they didn't ask for a deposit or anything. Amazing! We arrived at the appointed time and, by the time everyone in the family arrived, they had a huge table set up for us. Soon, we were all seated and enjoying chips and salsa and some good drinks (much needed after what has been a stressful time). The service was amazing and the food came out fast. I got the shrimp tacos, which were "grandma's secret recipe" and were quite delicious. The mango margaritas, rimmed with a generous sprinkle of tajin, also hit the spot. I am so thankful to this restaurant and their staff for going above and beyond to make us feel welcome and feed us well. Bonus points for really cool decor - it had an old west feel and I really liked it. Thank you Zapata's!

Absolutely loved this gem. Can't believe I haven't tried them before! Went here with my work colleagues after a volunteer event. They had a very extensive lunch special menu. The guacamole was great- they make it table side. I had sautéed shrimp with butter and garlic and the portion was large and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. The server was friendly and attentive.

So glad me and my family stumbled upon this place when we were headed home to the hotel for the night while visiting Las Vegas. Food was delicious and portions were generous. The place was busy but we had good service. They serve bean dip with the chips! I can't remember the last time I went to a place that brought you out bean dip and salsa with chips. I haven't seen that since my childhood. That alone made me fall in love with this place. lol.

We stopped here on our way out of Las Vegas and it was the perfect spot for a tasty and hearty lunch. The interior is festively decorated with colorful decor and a fun ambiance. You're immediately served chips, salsa and beans, which we appreciated. I ordered a fish entree topped with onions, peppers and garlic. My partner ordered a similar steak dish. Portions are generous and flavors are tasty. Perfect stop if driving out of Vegas.

Viva Zapata's deserves 5 Stars for their service, fresh tortilla maker, food and live entertainment from Wednesday- Sunday. This is my go to Mexican Restaurant in North Las Vegas. I've tried a handful of dishes which I don't know what they are called but look at my photos. I enjoy the complimentary chips with salsa and refried beans. The chips are perfect and the salsa has a little spice to but not hot. I've been to a handful of Mexican Restaurants in Las Vegas, more so in the north area and this is by far my favorite. Great location right off of I 15 on Craig.

Dinner | $20-30 Really bad waitress! Her name was Daniella. The bus boy was doing all the work. I will not be coming back, worse part was we where here for a birthday dinner.

So we were referred to come try this little restaurant by a family member here in Vegas and let me tell you being a restaurant owner I must say this is probably hits the five star mark the service the food Quality it was delicious. I can't wait to come back and try something different with even homemade tortillas

This is my employer's favorite lunch spot. It's somewhat tucked away and easy to overlook from a distance, but the food is great, and the menu offers a wide variety of options. The prices are reasonable, the service is fast, and the staff is excellent.

The green wet burrito was fire! I had to hold the lettuce though, because that is disgusting, imo. Came into town and it was so good I had to get it again. I had a dog and a baby with me, so even took it to go and it was delicious. Wish I had one in Cali!

I haven't been to Viva Zapata's in a few years or so but was over at the base for work so stopped in with a few friends for lunch. It's a fairly small place with some tables for dinning around the outside wall and a bar area on the inside with TVs. The decor is very nice and the staff is always helpful and friendly. The chips and salsa came out quickly while we looked over the lunch specials. The chips were good and the salsa had good flavor but not much heat so I asked for some Habanero salsa. The Habanero salsa delivered in both flavor and some really nice heat! I was thinking about getting some tacos but saw that they had Chile Verde which is one of my favorites so I went with that. First out was the Fideo, which comes with all meals, and it was yummy! The entrees came out fairly quick after that so I dug right in. The rice and beans were both delicious, but the Chile Verde left a lot to be desired and I was quite disappointed. The pork was cubed and looked like it wasn't cooked or stewed very long and was a bit dry and also tough. The Verde sauce was like an afterthought and basically just tomatillos without the full Chile Verde flavors and spice. We are a Mexican family and my wife cooks a lot at home so I'm a bit spoiled and have pretty high expectations but this Chile Verde is probably the least favorite of anywhere I've tried it. One of my friends got tacos and said they were great and they looked good as well. My other friend is Vegetarian so they made a Veggie enchilada and some other stuff for him and he loved it. Viva Zapata's has a great vibe and outstanding service so give them a shot if you are in the area and try for yourself.

Gave Viva Zapata's a go for a lunch in with a few coworkers. There was an hour wait but had some seating at the bar top. To start off the bring our chips with salsa and beans. There were really good. For lunch I went with the campechana. It was served cold and all ingredients were fresh. It contained oysters, shrimp, octopus and a bunch of veggies. I did have to add some ketchup for a bit more flavor. But other than that it was good.

We've been here a few times and this is absolutely one of our very favorite authentic Mexican restaurants in Las Vegas! Alex was our server at the bar and he was delightful. Karen also helped us at the bar and she's fantastic! We had a bit of a misunderstanding with our order tonight but Esau, the manager, made everything right. We love the beans, chips and salsa that we are served once seated! Tonight we tried the Queso Fundido and it was not too spicy which I LOVE! The live music tonight had a wonderful upbeat vibe! I absolutely recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning again someday soon!

First time trying it out and we were not disappointed. The food, the service, the ambiance, and specially the price during lunch is a two thumbs up. I ordered steak ala mexicana, and I really enjoyed it. Very savory and the portion is filling.

If you are looking for authentic Mexican cuisine with a Mexican atmosphere, this is the place! Lilianna was our waitress and WOW is all I know how to say. She was so attentive and overall super amazing!!! The whole place works together to ensure you have the best experience. The food is very very good and authentic. They make you feel like family! The parking lot is small and I would highly recommend you make a reservation on a Friday/Saturday night.

I went here today for lunch and was beyond pleased. They were very busy but, our server was still very attentive. Their lunch specials are vey affordable and tasty. Even full the restaurant is not loud, you can still maintain a conversation without yelling

The food here is off the charts! Foodie heaven if you love wholesome fresh in-house crafted meals. What makes this place truly remarkable and special is the story of the namesake of this restaurant. I recommend taking the time to eat IN the restaurant, look at the props, read the story on the menu, and enjoy the experience. Everything here is made in-house, and the service is compassionate, kind, and thorough. As long as you're not a narcissistic prima donna, demanding this place provide 5star obsequious treatment, you will love it. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

I happened to meet a friend for lunch, and she suggested Viva Zapata. I was happy to oblige as I love Mexican food and love even more to support locally owned restaurants. Viva Zapata did not disappoint. Everything was delicious. Their menu is extensive and when given more time, I will be returning to try more dishes. My friend and I opted for two different lunch specials. I was impressed with how generous their portions are and their price points are more than fair in this strange economy. The servers were outstanding as they were attentive and kept our beverages refilled. On 100-degree weather days, ice water is more welcome than anyone realizes. There was a nice luncheon crowd there. I will definitely be returning and soon! Thank you to the entire staff for your fantastic efforts.

The historic decor centered around the theme of Zapata was visually intriguing, and the menu options were immense. One of our party of four doesn't like Mexican food so he brought in pizza to eat. The waiter told him he couldn't eat with us and needed to eat outside. Tacky. We protested and he asked the manager who authorized our son to eat "just this once." We were grateful for the approval but the fact that it was even an issue with three paying guests left a bad taste in my mouth. The air temperature in the restaurant was chilly and two of our party had to don sweatshirts to stay warm. I ordered a tasty shrimp dish off of the lunch menu (see photo). Five stars for the food, four stars for the ambiance, three stars for the service.

Great authentic Mexican food! I loved my margarita and my enchiladas suizas Will definitely come again next time I'm in Vegas

Great service, amazing staff. A variety of delectable entrees. The chips, salsa and bean dip provided upon seating leads into a cup of delicious fideo (wish it was a bowl). Ordered the Al Pastor Tacos and the large margarita. All delicious and wanting more.

Viva Zapata is a Mexican restaurant, bar, and gaming type of place. They started us off with complimentary chips, salsa, and bean dip. Today maybe someone slipped with the salt in the salsa...It was as salty as those extra thin pretzels. I tried the chipotle caesar salad with chicken. They gave me a generous amount of moist chicken breast that was good and the dressing was good. For my taste the sweet soft corn cake was good but didn't go well with the salad. Something crunchy and savory would be a better choice. My husband tried the steak picado. The steak came out tender but this steak had little flavor to it. We plan to try again because this restaurant offers a lot of seafood and mole dishes that might be better. Service was excellent. Three stars is a positive review on Yelp and translates to A-OK.

I love this place and I go here quite often for one specific dish to the point they know my order, and I'm hoping this is just a two time fluke, but the first time none of the shrimp were cleaned and every single one had the poo vein in it. And now the shrimp are half the size that they usually are and I'm paying $4 per extra shrimp and would assume it would go by weight as it usually works in the industry, and than to see that they are half the size, I say u-20(20 per lb) compared to the u-15 they usually have but it just kinda sticks with me when my bill is $50 just for my meal.

It's really hard to mess up fajitas but this place accomplished that. Absolutely no flavor whatsoever, tasted as if they just threw the meat on the grill. It wasn't marinated or seasoned. Neither of us could even finish it. Margaritas were pretty good but they were $25!! Never returning

Be careful & take a picture of your receipt. Left a $9.77 tip (more than 10%) on horrible service & got changed to $19.77. Person that took our order didn't seem to want to be working there got our drinks with no straws asked for napkins which we never got & the place was not that busy. Food was ok. I will dispute with my bank. Hope this business talks to their employees about not being crooks & changing peoples tip quantities. Everyone pictures of your receipts. Evidence is always key on situations like these. Good day everyone.

We came for Mother's Day to enjoy the mariachi and food, but after waiting over 30 minutes for the mariachi to come to our table like they did for others, we were informed by the manager, Jose and Lorenzo, that they wouldn't be visiting tables and would only perform in the designated area by the entrance. It was a disappointing experience overall.

The food is not only delicious but also authentically made that reminds me my home town, the experience was truly exceptional. Highly recommended.

I don't know where to start other than this has been my favorite Mexican place for the last 10 years. Not only is the food amazing and it is always hot and fresh but all their employees are super friendly and welcoming and always open to my special requests, which I cannot share on here because then I'll never get it lol. The manager Jose and Silvia has become good friends and every time we visit they always make sure that we are taken care of and always ask me if they (servers) have been made aware of my special request. The lighting is a little too dim for my liking but it sets for a relaxing environment. You can choose to sit close to the bar and enjoy the sporting events on tv or you can sit in the outer area and enjoy the live singer, which I believe comes nights on weekends. My favorite dishes are the wet burrito with my special tortilla, the creama y rajas tacos, or the green sauce chicken enchiladas. My boyfriend always orders the fajitas or the fajitas burritos and it's always been consistently good... BUT... here is the BEST part, they have the BEST salsa in Las Vegas and even on this planet I don't care what anyone says lol. Once you taste their salsa it's hard to compare it to any other. It looks like what sets it up apart is roasting their peppers or tomatoes but whatever it is can't even explain it but it's so good it so addicting and it'll have you asking seconds or comi Jung back just for the chips and salsa. Thank you Viva Zapatas and staff for always welcoming me and Josh like family and always making sure we are comfortable and taken care of. I'm constantly recommending this place and everyone that's tried it feels the same. PS earlier today we tried new dishes and browsed through Yelp to see if anyone had updated the pics of the food we wanted to try but there went any. So here is an updated review to reflect the new dishes and to give a shout out to Silvia for being awesome.

Friendly service from start to finish of our meal. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they not only serve you homemade red sauce but also a portion of refried beans with your chips! Another neat thing that brought me childhood memories was the "sopita de fideo" that they bring as a pre-meal side. I got the chicken in pipian verde sauce and although it was delicious it was missing the pumpkin seeds & clanipa leaf. My food was still delicious and I would like to come back and try another item from their menu. My husband got two red enchiladas and two beef tamales and he enjoyed both.

I enjoyed another fine dinner here with Diane and a relative. This time it was not on Cinco de Mayo, so was not as festive as before. But the food and service were just as good. A complimentary Bean Dip was excellent slathered onto Tortilla Chips, well augmented by salsas, fresh Guacamole prepared tableside, and a gooey, luscious Queso Fundido, which is Diane's new favorite Mexican dish. Two Shredded Beef Tacos heavily topped with Shredded Cheese for me were excellent, and Diane enjoyed her Shrimp Quesadilla, while our guest liked her Cheese Enchilada. Booth seating was comfortable, and the ambiance reminiscent of native Mexico.

Complimentary chips, salsa and refried beans was nice. Tamale was delicious, I ordered the #20 and enjoyed the Chile relleno, chicken enchilada with sour cream and tamale. My boyfriend got the chicken taco, enchilada and tostada plate. He enjoyed it aside from the tostada being placed on top of the wet enchilada which made it soggy and made it fall apart. Plates include soap de fideo which was delicious. We ordered watermelon margaritas which we loved. A runner dropped our food but we had finished our first drink and had no water or anything else to drink with the food. A few minutes later a server came by and we ordered waters and margaritas. About five minutes later she came with the glasses of water but no margaritas. We were at least halfway done with our plates and waited about fifteen minutes before we got the second drinks which was kind of a drag. So food was good, service lacking in timeliness but they were nice. Would go again.

I love the place and surely it gets busy at lunch so make sure be there few hours early. Food is great I've been going here a few times now and staff are great!

Had the mole enchiladas which were not good no flavor. Waited more than one hour for our food. Tacos were bland as well. Won't be back

Great food! It's all really great! The shrimp cocktail is AMAZINg! A must get-everyone! Child friendly

Food is always tasty and most dinner options are served with a starter soup that's included and hand made flour and corn tortillas. Service is excellent! We dine here at just about every other week. The ambiance is inviting and there is always music playing, which makes dinner more enjoyable.

The reviews were fantastic and we had high hopes but it was disappointing. Even the people waiting raved about how good the food is. Maybe we ordered the wrong food and drinks. Unfortunately the food and drinks were not great. We shared the appetizer platter and i got watermelon margarita that was 17 dollars and tasted like cough syrup and didn't even give me a buz. What we ordered wasn't great and wouldn't order it again. If lived in the area, I'd give them another try but order differently.

Once tried this place many years ago but was on that side of town and lunch was still on our list after running errands so we thought we'd give it a try. Like I said it was just after the lunch rush crowd but the place was still pretty packed. We were surprised we got a table without a wait. There is a large bar but we were able to grab a table. The complementary chips and salsa came to the table but we ordered an appetizer as well. We had the sopitos which includes 6 small handmade corn tortillas lightly fried and filled with steak, beans, onions, cilantro, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. The corn shells were fried but still maintained a soft center with a crispy edge. The steak was shredded, tangy and tender. The toppings were plentiful especially the cheese. For my entree I had carnitas "cuartel". I like pork and will usually get pork when eating out. The pork was cut into thin slices, was tangy and had some fat despite it was supposed to be lean pork. It was a little chewy. IIt was served with toreados, (only half of one) green sauce and guacamole. I f

Sad, so sad! The food took forever to get our food and then it was cold!!!! The place was hot. Was not a pleasant experience.

Yelp Review 2023 #48: I've been going to this Mexican restaurant since the day we moved to Las Vegas nearly two decades ago. Don't let the location fool you. It's by a gas station and smog check station by the Losee freeway exit. The food is delicious and worth the drive if you're from the far end of town. Queso Fundido: Hot melted cheese with chorizo to add some heat and flavor. It comes with fresh, hot homemade flour tortillas wrapped in foil to keep them warm. You can use the tortilla to scoop out the cheese for the most incredible cheese pull (do people still do cheese pulls?) or you can use silverware. If you're lactose intolerant like me, this is worth the pain and discomfort! 5/5 Fresh Guacamole: They make it table side. They bring all the ingredients including a fresh avocado. Plus the molcajete and tejolote (mortar and pestle). So, you can customize it if needed. Guaranteed fresh! 5/5 Taquitos/ Flautas: I like mine with chicken. The shell isn't hard but crunchy. The chicken is juicy. It's got cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. You can them as an appetizer or an entree with rice and beans. 5/5 Everything I've tried has been good and Yelp apparently has a character limit. As far as entrees, I've tried several items such as steak cilantro, steak ranchero, Milanesa con papas, sopes, tacos (pastor, pulpo, pescado, carne asada), tacos dorado, camarones Al mojo de ajo, chicken enchilada, and wash it down with horchata. They give you warm chips and dips. If you order an entree, they'll give you fideo soup. Service is always great. Be prepared to wait up to an hour during peak hours. Also, this is a good spot to celebrate Cinco de Mayo - they have a mariachi which my friend is a part of.

Excellent food, great fun music atmosphere, fantastic service! So many choices and all are soooo good, very tough to make decision, unique choices for seafood dishes. Chips, salsa and bean dip to start! We are stuffed. You can't go wrong with any choice.

Great food, fast service, and beautiful ambience. We come here for lunch about once a month and really like the food here. This last time it just seemed like the wait staff was rushing us.

It's well keep and reasonable. The decor is relaxing and genuine. I ordered the fajitas, guacamole, and queso. My entire entree was accompanied by chips, salsa, refried beans and corn tortillas. The guacamole is mix table side and to you're likening of mild or hot. The queso is defined knowing that it's hard to find. The fajitas were chicken, steak and pork. It's not much published or advertised but, it's a gem. Full bar with items on tap and the service is humble. I'd recommend local and tourist to visit

Part bar, part gaming, part restaurant. The restaurant is nice despite their lack of space for parking. It can get quite busy during lunchtime. They have quite a large menu to choose from. The portions are large. Their burritos are massive! I ordered tacos al pastor. The tacos hardly had any flavor. I felt like I was eating a tortilla with sour pineapple. It was really disappointing. The soup is good to me but tastes like chef boyardee ravioli that has been watered down and the noodles were shredded. The soup was the best part of the meal for me. It actually had the most favor. The prices are a bit on the higher side, but they do offer larger portions. Service was great as far as how long it took to get our food. When it came time to pay, it took a bit to get our checks back. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing and should try something different next time. Overall, a nice place to meet with friends and grab a drink or gamble a bit if you wish.

I had a nice lunch with coworkers here after an event in the area. We had a party of 7 and although the place was busy for lunch, we didn't have to wait. The restaurant has festive Mexican decor. They have a lunch specials menu with lots of selections and a beverage is included with the entree. Their guacamole is delicious, which they make table side. I went with the Camarones a La Diabla Lunch Special and enjoyed it. It was the good lunch portion. We let our server know it was our coworkers birthday. They brought out churros with whipped cream and 5 employees sang Happy Birthday in Spanish, while he blew out the candles. Friendly service. Parking was full, some spots in back. It's the opposite end of town for me but if I'm in the area I would definitely make it a point to return.

What an awesome place to visit on a road trip into town. Got here after 6 hours of driving and weren't disappointed. Servers were super friendly and absolutely worth the wait. Did I mention it was an accident we ended up here. It was great. Thank you for feeding us