Zia Taqueria

Great flavors and reasonable prices at Zia! I got the regular nachos and a bowl, both with carne asada. The meat, salsas, and toppings were very good! On the nachos, the cheese and toppings were all in the center / not distributed, so had to kind of re-engineer the thing to avoid being left with a bunch of chips at the end. For the bowl, I wasn't told that guacamole is extra, guess I should have assumed from Chipotle. I love and appreciate that they offer washable plates and silverware for eating at the restaurant – lots of places just go disposable for everything, which bums me out. Overall, great food for a reasonable price, but kind of a learning curve for a newcomer.

Great food and a quick line. They definitely need to re eval the seating arrangement. I ended up sharing a 4 seat table with a very nice woman and having a great lunch, but there are far too many large tables for a lunch spot. My burrito was stellar. The mango hot sauce was so well balanced!!!! I will likely go again today.

We came in on a road trip and hit Zia Taqueria after the D&S train. I got the Tuesday special Chile Relleno, family got tacos, quesadilla, and a super taco. Food is prepared in front of you while in line. Ingredients were fresh and had good flavor. If I'm being really picky, my Chile was a little old. It was the last one in the pan. It was still really good though. They load the food with toppings. They also have locally made specialty soda flavors at the fountain. We tried most of them. The cucumber soda needed some help, but the rest were great. Would definitely recommend. We had 13 in our party and everyone was happy.

We ordered rice bowls and they were so fresh and tasty! They had some really unique and delicious sauces and plant based options. We ate outside on the patio and the ambiance there was great. We will definitely come back when we are in town again!

“Please can I have a tiny bit more meat”equals a 16 dollar “double meat” burrito. Please try other local restaurants. Trust me you’ll be treated better, the cooks laugh while your paying knowing your getting charged extra for 6 cubes of steak btw terrible service as well never again.

Popped in here with the grandkids for a bite to eat while visiting Durango in June. The place was very busy, and smelled like something yummy was cooking! It's not a traditional sit-down and someone will take your order place. You're able to see all the deliciousness as you walk through and pick out what you want. As usual I got the nachos, and they were scrumptious! The chips were freshly made, and were light and crispy with just a hint of salt! Sometimes chips can be so overpoweringly salty as to be gross. Not these! The chicken was well cooked and flavorful, and the black beans, cilantro, white rice, and pico de gallo were basically perfect. The grandkids ordered from the children's menu, choosing a chicken burrito and cheese nachos. We also got a carne asada burrito to take to my daughter as she was working. I did not get a picture of it but she raved about it, saying it was in the top three carne asada burritos she'd ever eaten in her life. There were lots of choices for drink and we had fun mixing our flavors and tasting each one. The staff was friendly and professional while the restrooms were spotlessly clean, as was the rest of the restaurant. We enjoyed people watching while they maintained a steady stream of customers. The next time I am in Durango I will make a beeline for Zia Taqueria, just off the highway location. They also have a restaurant in historic downtown so you have two options to zip in and zip out on your travels.

The food is ok, a little bland to me ( for my taste) other than that it was prepared well and everything was very fresh. They have fountain drinks and also serve alcohol, if you want a tasty margarita. The set up for ordering your food is very much like Chipotle, cafeteria style. The service was excellent

Visitors be warned! Would do 0 if I could. We were charged extra for having rice and beans in our bowls. No where did we see this advertised and the people making them made to mention of additional $2 cost per bowl. The checkout guy didn’t provide good customer service either. In today’s economy, spending an extra $6 over 3 bowls for a small scoop of rice…is ridiculous. I hope management sees this and not only advertises the extra costs they add blindly and willingly, but provides training for their staff to educate the customers on extra costs — and if not, at least provide customer service that makes the customer whole. Would not recommend this Chipotle knock off to anyone. The food was cold, too.

Fantastic! Chipotle type set up and just as good...if not better. Southern palate approved. The Verde salsa is a must if you like it spicy hot. The server was very knowledgeable and patient. Nice patio too.

Not a huge fan of the food. This is like a Chipotle-style place so you are able to customize your toppings and fillings. Apparently, they also provide complementary chips with your order which I was not offered. Luckily I still got to try the chips since my partner had the nachos. I had three tacos so I can try different meats and toppings. Not knowing what I wanted to order I took a look at the window area to decide. All of the meats looked good but they lacked flavor. I had the carne asada, the green chile pork, and the al pastor which was one of their specials. They only had one type of cheese not sure what kind it was but I would have rather passed on it since it had an odd taste. I also got three salsas on the side one for each taco. None of them were spicy or very flavorful either. I had the "hot" salsa verde, "medium" traditional Mexican red salsa, and "mild" tomatillo avocado sauce. The al pastor had the most flavor but they ran out and I was one of the first customers in that day. It was one of their specials so not regularly offered on he menu. My partner wanted to order another taco to try it but they said they didn't have anymore and it was not even noon yet so maybe I had leftovers from the day before. The green chile pork was ok but was very mild and tasted more like a stew with tomatoes in the green chile sauce. The green chile sauce lacked green chile flavor but maybe I am use to more spicy green chile coming from New Mexico. The carne asada lacked the most flavor and was disappointing but with the salsa, it made it tolerable. I was not a fan of any of the sauces with it since all were very mild. I was also not a fan of the corn tortillas they use. They have a manufactured store-bought flavor that doesn't even get toasted. My partner asked if they were freshly made the staff replied no. The tortilla chips were good so they must be made from different tortillas. The nachos lacked meat and sauce. I would prefer double meat and melted cheese on it. I do not recommend the nachos at all and would rather have something else for the price. It was also not filling for my partner he would have been better off ordering a burrito. Unfortunately, we probably wont be visiting back as there are other places in town with more authentic Mexican flavors. You also have to bus your own table and place your food in the trash and place the plates, silverware, and cups in a tray. I feel like if we are tipping the staff they should be cleaning up the tables and bussing them instead of the customer.

Some may compare Zia to Chipotle but I'd say Zia is so much better. How I wish there was a Zia back in Arizona I could visit regularly. The food here was fresh and delicious. Best of all, they offered what I really wanted: the option to order smaller portions. Zia has a baby burrito, small nachos, small quesadilla, single taco, or small bowl option as well as all of their regular sized versions of these items. I cannot begin to tell you how excited this made me since I can never finish an entire entree. In addition, every item I chose for my baby burrito tasted great - plus it came with some chips. Most importantly, prices were quite reasonable. Zia - please, please come to the Phoenix metro area!!!

Like a Chipotle, but better. Fresh ingredients made your way. Loved everything. My husband had the baby burrito. I had the Wahoo tacos. My tacos took a long time which was a little frustrating as my husband was almost done eating by the time I started. Good food takes time, though. Next time I'd order the bowl as the tacos were so full they fell apart! Excellent meal, especially for lunch. They have a patio if you have a dog.

Delicious,Fresh, and better than chipotle food. Passed by this place on my travels and the only true Mexican food worth trying in Durango.

Summary: Just another Q'doba/Chipotle -- Disappointing Remembering vividly my first enchanting experience of real Mexican food at an LA taco stand, their glorious Machaca burrito complete with fried egg, tomato, marinated beef, chiles etc., today, I packed a strong, irresistible hankering for the same thing. Upon seeing a gaggle of Durango locals spill into this place, coupled with its strong rating, I ate lunch here today. Nary a table was available, with the line reaching to the door. To my chagrin, what unfolded was a deep exercise into the world of bland, anglicized "Mexican" food utterly lacking spice, flavor or anything interesting. Ordered was a small chicken tinga quesadilla. The staff fired 35 questions at me, quite humbling, actually. Despite adding their medium salsa, mounding on every imaginable side ingredient including guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips, cabbage and more, what ensued was a boring, tasteless cornucopia of bland ingredients. What this mirrors is--for you church goers out there--when a couple decides to "make tacos." So they buy velveeta, tasteless tomatoes, onion and hamburger meat and proceed to dump this all into a store bought taco shell. This place bespeaks the lack of culinary sophistication in the middle of the country, and just how many in Durango must have never experienced sophisticated Mexican food (I know; it sounds like an oxymoron) with saturated flavors present and a skilled cook. I won't return because this food was in any way problematic. Rather I won't return because virtually any American could make better "Mexican" food of this ilk. I actually recall more pungent food at q'doba when last there.

I like that Zia's offers healthy food options and that you can pick the ingredients. It is always busy so we usually order online. 90% of the time the food is not ready when we arrive at the estimated pick up time. Usually I get there and wait another 10mins after its supposed to be done while they help walk-ins first, even after I go to the register to tell them I'm waiting. Over half the staff are rude and try to rush you thru, like its an inconvenience to help you and then have the audacity to expect a tip for unfriendly shit service and cold food. I haven't gone to Zia's north much, but the few times I did staff seemed friendlier and more competent than the south location, but the online ordering issue was present at both locations, might as well just wait in line. I would think it would be way easier for them to have your food prepped when there was a printed list right in front of them and they don't have to process the payment but I feel like they intentionally put online orders to the back of the line. If I were the owner I would fire half if not more of the south crew and offer lower starting pay to match their competency and courtsey. I'll give them another chance, but if I have to wait for my next online order I will give up on them completely and tell everyone in Durango I know to go elsewhere. Anybody that is local to Durango knows that word of mouth goes a long way here.

Food is bland, went during my lunch and it was packed and they made my food super quick. Carne,rice and the guac could all be way better. (Yes I tried sauces. It did not make it much better) It's kind of like Qdoba or chipotle just not half as good.

I love Zia! This place has the best food! You could make a million different food combinations. The service is also great you are welcomed the second you arrive. The ambience is very light and friendly. Great spot to walk to if you live near by!

Who would of thought the some of the best fish tacos would be found in Durango! Go straight to the Wahoo tacos and feel the bliss!!!!

This place was recommended by two coworkers so we had to try it during our stay in Durango! There's two locations - one is north of the historic downtown Durango and one is south closer to the Durango Mall. This is similar to a chipotle where you customize your burrito, bowl etc but this is a farm to table establishment. I ordered the bowl with carne asada meat! The meat was great, options included adding beans, salsas, some veggies, sauce, etc. We also shared nachos which were great and well made by the staff. All staff were friendly and great at giving suggestions. I would definitely return next time I'm in Durango.

Drive thru Durango after hiking a 14er. So pretty hungry. We were looking for a chipotle . None which surprised us.? Found Zia. It's a similar style. Food was real good and hit the spot!! Thanks for fueling us. Off to the Wilson group for 3 more mountains

Wonderful tacos. Salsas are fresh and good. Afternoons long line to get in. I base my review on food. Service was not friendly. Order and choose meat, etc. staff was inpatient and wasn't really seeming to want to give good service. Hopefully this will change because the food is great!

We used Zia Taqueria catering crew for our wedding and I have never had so many compliments on the food. Every single guest said the same thing, 'this is amazing, it might be the best food we have ever had at a wedding'. We ordered barbacoa, Sinaloa chicken, steak and grilled veggies. Every single one of the items was perfect. For starters, they sent a crew to our location (15 minutes outside of town), we had a ceremony that ended at 6pm and dinner was to be served at 715ish. The crew arrived at 6:10 ready to rock and roll. All we had to do was tell them where to set up and off to the races they went. The two catering individuals, James and Gabby were so kind to all of our guests and really made the experience happen during dinner. The food - it was incredible, enough said... and the sals verde is absolutely hot. The fresh salsas they brought were magnificent. I can't give enough accolades to the entire team over there. Thank you so much.

The veggie bowl was fresh but the menu pricing is misleading. I was charged for meat even though I ordered none. They charge grilled vegetables as meat. What a misleading menu. The cashier was very rude.

I really liked Zia Taqueria! The prices are low and the food is really good! I got the small pork quesadilla and was very pleased with my choice. It filled me up, tasted fresh, and had a lot of flavor! I would recommend this place to anyone in Durango looking for cheap, good Mexican food.

This place is veryyyyy spendy for basically just being a Chipotle. I ordered a chicken burrito and a chicken sweet potato bowl with guac and somewhere along the way it became a burrituh or whatever they call it without me knowing and I paid almost $30. It was flavorless and so spicy that I was in tears. Their flavor is spiceyness. It was not worth it at all, I should have just ordered burritos to go from a different Mexican restaurant. The staff was also so unfriendly and it was hard to hear them when they were asking me questions about the order which I think led to me getting something I didn't really want. I would have liked to know if something was gonna be an extra charge. The one thing I will give them is I really liked the sweet potatoes. They are the only thing that got me through the bowl.

I will always recommend Zia to anyone I meet!! The salsa is super yummy and i eat here at least once a week

So delicious! Excellent Wahoo over a salad bowl with a tasty mango salsa that had just the right spicy level. The guys who made it were sweet, smiling and helpful. The gal at the cash register seemed cranky and short. It wasn't busy. Sorry she was having a bad day.

Love this place! The tacos are just big enough to fill me up and a great value for $3.50!

Visiting Durango, my husband had hankering for Mexican food. Checked Yelp and since we were very close by taking River Walk we went. What a disappointment! Chili Rellano special of the day was greasy with burnt cheese on top. The Wahoo grilled fish tacos had the corn tortillas falling apart and fish was so overcooked and dried out. Worst ever. I did tell this to one of the employees behind the counter when we left.

Consistent, delicious, and affordable food with solid staff. Doesn't matter which team is working, I always have a great experience and am usually greeted by name. There are a few other establishments in the running, but Zia (especially South) is the best place to eat in Durango for many reasons. Pro tip: Order ahead online.

Food is delicious and fresh! You can usually get through the line fairly quickly. There are plenty of choices for lunch and dinner. The prices are very reasonable.

No flavor whatsoever. There was a long line and it was over priced. I had high hopes for this place bc I love Mexican food but the lack of flavor had me feeling like I was eating air. The horchata was very chalky, I poured it out after I left and the chalky stuff was stuck on the bottom of my cup.

It was my first time there. It did not seem friendly. The food was just okay and very limited. Not sure I will go again.

Tamales are HUGE! Rice and beans on the side rounded out nicely, and all for less than $9. Great lunch place in DGO

My experiences here are a long ways from the 4 & 5 stars I've read in these reviews. Been here a few times, basically because it's close to the bmx track. My choice this time was the Carne Asada quesadilla. In other words, overcooked cubes of beef melted with a glob of cheese folded in a very slightly toasted tortilla. Unfortunately for a lot this Mexican food place, my standards for Mexican cuisine were established in Arizona. I don't know if Zia would make it there.

Casual and comfortable. The the super nachos where great because you can choose your meat and toppings.

The food was bland and the rice wasn't cooked properly. Paid over 50.00 for 3 meals and it was an extremely disappointing experience. If effort was put into properly seasoning the ingredients, it would definitely be worth going to.

In Dallas, we have Chipotle...an awesome restaurant with incredible bowls and burritos. And in Durango, they have Zia Taqueria, truly worthy of a 5-star review! The person helping us fill our bowls was very patient and informative. He helped ensure we got exactly what we wanted in the way we wanted it...vegan! For my bowl, that meant a hearty bed of arugula, followed by brown rice, black beans, seasoned and crispy tofu, onions, pico, and cilantro. My wife had about the same but added grilled veggies! And not only was the food outstanding, but the restaurant was very clean, neat, and orderly. Families were there enjoying the environment! Great food! To boot, they honored this military veteran with a discount! Eat here -- you'll be delighted.

The food was good and they had Jamaica that was very good too. My favorite part was the free sticker :) Horrible service, first the lady who took my family's order was rude and I think she doesn't know how to smile, then a man who worked there ask me if my dog was a service dog (she is and is wearing her vest). That is totally disrespectful and in fact against the law! He said, "excuse me I have to ask is he a service dog?" In fact you don't have to ask it's against federal law to ask. :) As we were eating it has a hostile atmosphere, you could tell the customers were uncomfortable from the rude workers.

One of my favorite places in Durango! The fried fish tacos are the best. This spot is very affordable, delicious, clean, and efficient. I will always dine here when I'm visiting. I felt safe dining here during covid.

Food is really good. Very efficient service. You make your order then walk down the line and they give you choices of what you want on your main choice. When things warm up you can sit and eat outside.

I was going to Great Sand Dunes National Park from Mesa Verde National Park with my husband and stopped at this place to have a quick lunch. The food was good, prices were reasonable and service was quick.

Just grabbed some to-go as my kids requested the competitor we have in Denver. Can Zia come to metro Denver? I had one of the BEST burritos I've ever had. I got the pulled pork with minimal additions and it was great!

Me and my husband were passing through the town and stopped for some lunch here. Had really high hopes. Out of 20 states that we've been I can say, that this is the worst Mexican we've tried so far. Staff is careless, "beef" burrito didn't have any beef in it. And this soupy mess that they called "ground beef" looked, at the very least, suspicious. Prices in menu are different from actual prices. Never ever coming back! Honestly, we would be better off eating at Taco Bell.

The establishment is like a Chipotle. You build your own entree. But that's where the similarities end. I read great reviews on Yelp but was extremely disappointed. There were so many flies in the restaurant it was unsanitary. We ordered a vegetarian burrito that was gross, the chicken rings was decent, the beans and rice were the worst ones ever had. The Spanish rice has texture, tomato sauce, flavor or taste, the barbacoa burrote was inedible, even the lemonade was awful. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy.

Fresh, fast, customizable Mexican cuisine. One of the most convenient and healthy spots for a good lunch or dinner! Vegan and vegetarian options, but no plant based proteins such as Beyond Meat (yet?:) ). As a vegan I got the salad bowl with Mexican brown rice, back beans, grilled veggies, lettuce, and fix-ins of onion, pico de gallo, mild salsa, and onion. I was told the fix-ins would be on the side but they were mixed in, so I had to do some rearranging, but no big deal! The flavors in some dishes could use some more herbs or spices for other individuals' liking, but the flavors are fresh nonetheless-- no denying. :)

Terrible service tonight--order was ready 30 minutes after estimated time (online order). When I did get my order, they had added mango habanero salsa when I specifically had indicated NO mango habanero salsa on the fish tacos. The tortillas on the tacos basically crumbled to bits, and they left out the guac ordered for the burrito. Maybe it was just an off-night...regardless, it was super disappointing.

This place has great food. They also are very educated about Celiac Gluten-Free and will immediately remove their gloves, wash hands, put on fresh gloves, and grab your toppings from an uncontaminated bin. Thank you!!

This place is maybe a step up from Chipotle, of which I personally don't care for. Small portions for the cost - the potato bowl was gross, but my son liked his burrito.

My friend ordered online and I picked up the food on my drive into Durango. Great that you can order online. I chose the Burrito with Baja fish and mango salsa. Pretty tasty. they also have baby burrito option, which I should have chosen as the regular burrito was quite filling. There was a patio, which seemed fairly nice. They serve beers and margaritas, but I didn't partake since I was picking up take out.

Good local food but y would you let a sick girl work on the food line. Sneezes and coughs on my quesadilla was not one of the toppings I wanted !!!

Ok, so this place is a little upscale for a real "taqueria," but the flavors are amazing. I tried the asada, barbacoa, tinga, and yucatan. The staff is great and all the fixings are spread out for you to choose from. Very reasonably priced as well. If you get a chance, give this place a try.

Have been here a few times and really love the food. I fear they have changed their chip supplier or have had their chips changed out on them recently as in the past two or three months. The new ones are quite salty still good but they have quite a bit of salt flavor when I get the nachos. I think I am going to try switching it up next visit.

Had some food from Zia brought home yesterday, burritos and chips and salsa. The traditional red salsa had three human hairs in it. Very turned off by this place and will not come back anytime soon. Zia, practice some quality control. If that means your crew wears hairnets I think that is fair, if not a standard practice in food preparation.

Beef and chicken are the same price? A baby burrito for those that can't ever finish a full one? Why is there no Zia Taqueria on the front range. We dropped by here on a road trip from Denver to Page, Arizona and it was the perfect spot to grab a quick bite. There is a nice patio with a bomb view. Perfect place to kick back with a margarita/beer and just chill. Awesome atmosphere, awesome food.

The nachos were so good. But the drinks were different( except the root beer.)The tables were not clean . It is hard to throw away the trash. The menu was in the right position. The service was ok. The booths were uncomfortable. (Reviewed by my 8yr. old niece, Taylor)

Exceeded my expectations.fresh ingredients combined as you order. Chicken enchiladas (Monday special) were superb. Wonderful tortilla chips and salsa.