Zocalo

BBB is a little hard to eat but tasted unreal

Great food authentic Mexican cuisine fabulous music!

Great Mexican food, very impressive menu selection! The tacos were superb!

This is the only restaurant in Isla Vista that I’ve been to that I have enjoyed. I haven’t been to all of them, but they were all disappointing. Zocalo has authentic Mexican food on par with many of the best Los Angeles based Mexican restaurants. The selection is vast, ingredients fresh, and an intense focus on flavor.

The staff were very friendly and the food came fast (~5-10 mins). The Horchata (photo attached) and Mango Mint Iced Tea were excellent! I had a burrito which was also very nice, although I had to take it home to finish it because it was quite large. A very good Mexican restaurant experience overall for someone who doesn't tend to go to them.

Giorgio Nicoletti

I had dinner at Zocalo several times while I was staying in Isla Vista. The food is absolutely fantastic, everything I ate was amazing. Special mention to the Quesabirria, it quickly became my favorite Mexican food. I also loved their Horchata. Prices are very fair, and service is spot on. Do come here! It's worth it.

Will Heo

Seriously their quesabirria is so amazing I can't get enough of it. Dip it in their consomé, which is other worldly btw, and you get the perfect bite. The only downside is your fingers are gonna smell like birria the rest of your day. Oh, I totally forgot about their horchata latte. I'm telling you, if you haven't made up your mind about what to get for dinner and you haven't tried their their quesabirria yet, then you now know what you should get tonight.

Brandi Calderon

I ordered the pozole and it’s by far the best I’ve ever tried And I’ve had some good pozole but this tops them all 🤩🤩💣Very flavorful and I highly recommend. I don’t ever leave reviews but it was to good to not.

CHRISTIAN GABRIEL DOS SANTOS

Their BBB Bagel is the best Bagel I’ve had in my life. Just go get one now!

Natiely Lopez

Visiting our old neighborhood and walking down Embarcadero Del Mar we found this little gem. This building was not here 25 years ago but now that it is, the businesses here are family owned, unlike the corporate businesses that were here before. Loved the Charro Burrito and Mazapán Latte 😍😍😍! Such a great and relaxing atmosphere. Must stop by and try this food!

ashley zhou

WOW the food here was amazing. the tacos were so flavorful and delicious, and the rice and beans were also super good. i also got a cup of horchata which tasted so good. the only thing was that the ceviche was a bit too sour for my taste. still, this place was great. service was amazing too. definitely recommend!

Kelly Dias

Some of the best food and customer service I’ve ever seen in Isla Vista in the 3 years I’ve been here!! I got the Chilaquiles, the Norteño burrito, and the Horchata Latte, all made fresh and were SO DELICIOUS. This place is a hidden gem!! Thank you guys for being so genuine and amazing — I will definitely be back for more!

Jonathan Santamaria

Great food authentic Mexican cuisine fabulous music!

Antonio

Very kind workers. Everybody was welcoming and made sure you were attended to the moment you came through the doors! They have vegan options too! From what I was told, anything on the menu could be veganized (add vegan chorizo, remove creme, remove cheese, etc) with the only exception of the rice. That was made with chicken broth. They were super kind to let me know from the start! To be honest, it is a wonderful place to stop by if you want to eat some very great comfort food with wonderful service! Will be coming back again! 5/5😁😁 Also, they do have restrooms! They speak English and Spanish by the way! 😁

Yan Lei

delicious!! the service was fast and friendly. i’ve been yearning for good mexican food accessible in IV and this was my dream come true! i got a horchata and a birria burrito and coming from south san diego, i would say that these taste like home to me :) the food was filling but not overwhelming. the decoration was pretty too. they also called me senorita which was super sweet hehe please support them so they can stay in iv!

Ryan Longacre

BBB is a little hard to eat but tasted unreal

Sara Kaiden

Super hard to find a place where the food, drinks and latte are incredible and a great price! One of my new favorite places I have found! Especially for breakfast!

Olga Liakhovich

Great Mexican food, very impressive menu selection! The tacos were superb!

In from out of town and was craving quality tacos and we found this place via Google. Tasty tacos, fresh (!) ingredients, friendly (!) staff, clean atmosphere. Highly recommend!!

Food is excellent. The service is superb. Vibe is lively. The abuleita mocha was just what I needed on a cold windy day. I didn't think I can get authentic Mexican in Santa Barbara but this place hit it!

Misael P Mtz

Great place to eat Mexican food... Great flavors an the recipies are authentic from Mexico. Quesabirrias are the best.

Alice Rivera

Food is excellent. The service is superb. Vibe is lively. The abuleita mocha was just what I needed on a cold windy day. I didn't think I can get authentic Mexican in Santa Barbara but this place hit it!

Rob Mathison

In from out of town and was craving quality tacos and we found this place via Google. Tasty tacos, fresh (!) ingredients, friendly (!) staff, clean atmosphere. Highly recommend!!

Stephanie Jaime

Taste authentic. Reasonable prices. It's small. I had to clean the table due to people leaving trash on the tables. But the trash can is there so we can throw away our own waste. Other than that it's good.

This place has more of a boutique/coffee house style that serves great authentic Mexican food. Seating area is very small and they do not have any alcoholic beverages, otherwise I would have given it a five-star. I'd go back! Good portions and good prices.

A new Mexican place on the block. Ordered a protein burrito. It was quite large with beans and rice on the inside. Overall, it's good, but I didn't quite like two things: it was a tad dry and wrapped in food paper instead of foil (which retains heat better, if you take a half of it home).

Steve Spain

This place has more of a boutique/coffee house style that serves great authentic Mexican food. Seating area is very small and they do not have any alcoholic beverages, otherwise I would have given it a five-star. I'd go back! Good portions and good prices.

Tanner Cassidy

Pretty good food and reasonable prices. Staff is really nice, but I found ordering kind of difficult since they don't have any posted menus (only printouts). Seating inside is plentiful but not super comfortable.

After reading lots of good review I decided to experience the authentic Mexican food at Zocalo, but it disappointed me. It was crowded. We waited about 10 minutes to place our orders. Table was full of food crumbs. I had to ask for cleaning. Someone came to clean after 15 minute. There were no napkins, spoons or cup for water, but the restaurant offers self-service. Every time you have to ask for a napkin/cup/ spoon. Food was just bland. I feel like this place is overrated. Surely not coming back.

Mou Halder

After reading lots of good review I decided to experience the authentic Mexican food at Zocalo, but it disappointed me. It was crowded. We waited about 10 minutes to place our orders. Table was full of food crumbs. I had to ask for cleaning. Someone came to clean after 15 minute. There were no napkins, spoons or cup for water, but the restaurant offers self-service. Every time you have to ask for a napkin/cup/ spoon. Food was just bland. I feel like this place is overrated. Surely not coming back.