Zapatista Burrito Bar in Newcastle upon Tyne

STAFF WERE SO RUDE AND AGGRESSIVE! told my friend to “deal with it” after given wrong portion size!! Get better staff service with a smile

Can be good or can be awful. Very variable. Quality of ingredients and menu design is great, staff generally useless. Need to restock irn bru!

I’ve visited a few times but yesterday’s experience has put me off from ever returning. The worker who was serving me was coughing and spluttering away whilst she was making my order. The blonde female manager saw all this but said nothing. I was absolutely disgusted but since the worker had started my order it would have been rude of me to ask someone else to take over and finish my order. I should have walked out at this point but for some reason I didn’t. Instead I paid for my order but couldn’t stomach eating it so gave it to some homeless guy. It’s disgusting that they had someone unwell working when they should have been at home. Made me realise that they probably also have people coughing away where the food is prepared. Absolutely VILE.

Burrito meal deal. I went for large but it was surprisingly too much. Burrito was tasty with meat that was tender. Fries were nice and crispy. I think it was a bit pricey. Wasn't too busy being on a bit of a side street. Plenty of seating upstairs with window view. Staff were very helpful in making sure I got what I needed and didn't try to upsell.

Excellent place for a quick healthy meal in town.

Quick filling best food in Newcastle

Have been coming here since I was at uni 10 years ago, and the quality has gone downhill that much I think I’ll have to stop coming. Food is almost always cold, chicken is chewy, chips cold and hard. Used to be the best fast food place in town.

As usual, fantastic food and excellent service with a great atmosphere. 😀

I went on a quiet rainy day and a such there weren't many people in so the atmosphere was probably not as good as when it was more full. The £10 meal deal was well worth it: I had a medium burrito, chips and a can. It was my first visit and to be honest I'm annoyed I hadn't been before.

When we heard about a burrito place opening at dalton park.. we were so excited and added it to our list of places to eat (I even gained a top badge on Facebook I was constantly having a look) so I was so excited to see one of the stores when we visited Newcastle yesterday to give it a go! (we never made it to dalton) After hyping ourselves up over a good burrito we were unfortunately very dissapointed and left feeling quite deflated by the experience. As we entered, the 2 staff members behind the counter didn't greet us and watched on as we looked confused. We finally figured it was counter service which is absolutely fine and made our way down the queue picking our toppings, abit like subway (I got chicken breast and my partner got spicy beef). We added on some salted fries to make one of them a meal and off we went upstairs to eat. Even though there was only us 2 and 3 other young lads in, there was no clean tables in sight.. we cleaned one just to sit down. Our burritos were cold.. Eventhough we watched them chuck the tortilla in a warmer for a few seconds, every other filling was cold, including the meat 🥺 Tasty, yes.. but cold none the less and after getting out of the rain were expecting a hot meal. Hoping to try the dalton one to sway our minds and see if it was a 1 off experience xox

Love popping in for something to eat before q concert.. the service is always quick. Prices are good and they have a great meal deal where you can go up to a large. Good choices of rice, beans and fillings. Nice vegetarian options. Love the spicy fries and extra hot salsa plenty of seating upstairs nice clean toilets and nice hot sauces to add to your meal

great food and the staff are always fantastic

The food is great. That said it is not always consistent in quantity when it comes to burritos. Some occasions they've not been filled enough for the cost of them it feels. (Though today I was happy with the portion size!) It was slow service and low energy today and it feels like online orders seem to take precedence over the customers who are actually in the store nowadays. If it wasn't for the freshness and quality of the food I probably wouldn't bother coming back due to everything else factored in.

As you can see from other reviews the staff are not considerate to customers. If they can't manage or they are understaffed they'll just accuse the customers of being rude.

A Quick Bite of Mexico Zapatista in Newcastle offers a tasty and convenient Mexican food fix. Their burritos are the star of the show, packed with your choice of fillings, from classic beef and chicken to vegetarian options. The tortillas are soft and pliable, holding everything together perfectly. While it's a fast-casual spot, the food is surprisingly fresh and flavorful. The atmosphere is casual and vibrant, making it a great choice for a quick lunch or a laid-back dinner. Would you like to know more about specific menu items or the atmosphere?

Brought partner, my brother and his partner here to try what I promised would be a fantastic tex mex experience. Sadly it didnt live up to expectations. They hadn’t been before, so I was excited to show them one of my favourite spots in Newcastle. Service was speedy, as is usual. They have a great range of options - with something for everyone: mild or spicy, big eats, small eats. My brother has a nut and bean allergy and the staff were accommodating of this. He had peppers and onions instead of beans. Simple. Portions are always very generous and I’m genuinely surprised they can wrap the tortillas with that many filings! We all ordered and excitedly made our way upstairs. Unfortunately, on this occasion, our food was all stone cold. The flavours were all there as the food is freshly prepared in front of you, but it was pretty unsatisfying to have a cold burrito. My brothers partner had the burrito bowl. She ate a bit of chicken that she said “wasn’t right” (eg possibly under cooked / very cold) which put her off the rest of her meal. Not ideal. They didn’t get the hype. The food is all “hot held” in their counter, served fresh. I’ve not encountered this problem before. We sort of thought that it either wasn’t working properly or had been turned off. Either way, I’m not in a hurry to go back.

I lived in Southern California for 15 years so perhaps I'm a Mexican food snob. I was tentative in giving Mexican food a go in the UK. Unfortunately, this isn't it. I'm not sure they'd serve this food in a Mexican prison, to be honest. The taco meat lacked seasoning, was watery, the lettuce and tomatoes seemed old, and the salsa was quite bland. The people working there were great. I feel rather bad for them. I've given the service 5 stars, food 1 star, and the atmosphere 3 stars as I'm quite indifferent to it.

It was nice and quiet at the time I visited, staff were nice but looked really over-worked and tired (was hot as hell as well) The burritos were absolutely fantastic 😍 .. will be popping back again if I'm ever going past that way :)

Ordered from here many times and it’s always hit or miss. Missing ingredient or items, but this time they added onions (both white and red) which I didn’t ask for as i have an intolerance. I tried to get as many out as possible as I wasn’t offered a replacement but now i’m ill as I obviously couldn’t get them all out:)) When they have got the order right it’s great but that’s only about 50% of the time, so I think this time I won’t be returning this time.

Ordered from here many times and it’s always hit or miss. Missing ingredient or items, but this time they added onions (both white and red) which I didn’t ask for as i have an intolerance. I tried to get as many out as possible as I wasn’t offered a replacement but now i’m ill as I obviously couldn’t get them all out:)) When they have got the order right it’s great but that’s only about 50% of the time, so I think this time I won’t be returning

My order was 45 minutes late & Was stone cold.

Always a good burrito. Kids ate for free during half term holiday

Food is good but rice is always undercooked

My food has not been delivered

Love this place but food was cold

Really enjoyed the food here last night. Great value for money, we got loads of food. Feels a bit wasteful to be charging extra for certain items though.

Feels like it's been on a steady decline since deliveroo and Uber eats have started to take priority. Service is fairly hit or miss but the food is generally quite good.

Quality fast Mexican food. Think Subway transformed to Mexico. Filling and tasty. Lots of additional seating upstairs.

Dips were missing, food was very cold. Shop said not their fault and it was down to just eat

Great food but will consistently send the wrong order or not at all.

Was lovely and tasty but had items missing

Really good food, I had a combination of the loaded fries and burritos. It was unreal. If you are in the area and fancy Mexican style food, please call in. There is a seating area downstairs and another larger area upstairs. The venue is clean and looks cared for.

Food was ready 15 minutea after the order was placed, it took 2 hours and at least 2 drivers to pick up the order and deliver it. Restaurant staff were amazing, Just Eat drivers ruined this order.

I have spent 1 year in the US and I had a lot of burritos.. I ordered a medium and that was the heaviest burrito I have ever had. I will digest it in 20 hours at least. The atmosphere was good tho

Hour and a half was abit long but if it was busy that’s my bad food was amazing though best fajita av ever had

Stand in queue waiting to order whilst staff prepare deliveroo orders in front of you and don’t make eye contact with customers in the restaurant. Get to eat with a wooden fork. Food adequate and tasty enough at the price. I won’t need to visit again

To whoever wrote that little note, it really made my day 🤣🤣. Let's just say I'm a hungry boi 😏.

absolutely delicious as always!

They got half the order wrong. Wrong Dips sents a buerorio, wheres the spice dips and salad ?

One of our friend recommends us, so visited this place we ordered Burrito which was very tasty, this filling was just perfect. The person who served us was very nice and we loved the atmosphere of the place very positive vibe.

Really nice food and great quality

Price is good x”,staff are friendly,would definitely recommend it

I got a random text message to rate this place a 5 star in reward for amazon gift card Therefore if you are planning to go the reviews might be fake So decide carefully if you want to eat at a place that has signed up for fake reviews

There was no halloumi in my burrito ☹️ could you refund the difference please as I paid for it, thanks in advance

it was over 2 and a half hours late or even more the restaurant delivered the food and the delivery info was not working ordered at 2:45 delivered at 5:30

Visited the Durham branch last year and was concerned to see that, despite the very obvious waterfall coming from the wall mounted air-conditioning unit and the very hazardous wet floor at the top of the stairs, the staff hadn't noticed. All of this directly in front of the counter and in plain sight. When the food was served, it wasn't even lukewarm. Staff advised that there was nothing they could do about it as they had no control over the heating facilities meant to keep the food warm. Refunded after having to subsequently call the branch to see where the refund was. So we tried the branch near the central station later in the year. Dingy, dark ordering area with people queuing and apathetic, slow service. We walked. Fast forward to today, and a visit to Ridley Place resulted in my being served about three tablespoons of lukewarm chilli on a pile of half undercooked, half raw and all cold rice. £7.90 for an inedible child's portion of mediocre chilli. My partner's quesadilla was, essentially, a folded wrap with some nondescript tomatoey mush plastered on it. Imagine a slightly seasoned tin of tomato soup with sweet potato mash thrown into it, painted onto a wrap. The place was empty and as cold as the food. It was also grimy with dirty tables, and the only cheery thing about it was the South American playlist coming from the cobweb covered speakers. We've witnessed an incredibly disappointing decline in Zapatista in recent times. The food has been objectively bad, served in a distinctly uncared for environment. There are far better places to grab this type of food in town these days. I'd strongly advise people to give this place a miss until they refocus on the basics. Hugely disappointing.

Lovely food, burrito bowls are gf 😋

It says delivered but it wasn't. I didn't get a call

Zapatista do tremendous food which never disappoints. Today, the food was no exception but the delivery time was diabolical. This is no fault of Zapatista, but an issue with Just Eat. Quoted 35-40 minutes. Delivery time increased a bit, which was fine, but didn’t end up arriving until 1hr 30 after placing the order. Food was delicious though - fresh and hot. Will not put me off using Zapatista again but will not be using Just Eat.

Top food from Zaps as usual. Exceptionally poor delivery time from Just Eat. Delivery person not assigned by Just Eat until nearly 45mins after delivery time. Don't let Just Eat spoil your Zaps food though.

Stuffed full fajita with tasty food

Burritos and fries came stone cold, needed to heat them in the oven. Ordered just after 7 didn’t eat anything until 9, waiting for them to reheat

Great burrito as usual from Zaps. Delivery quicker than 1st stated.

Had a nice hearty burrito for £8 I'd say the price is ok for the taste, they also have a good selection of fillings for customisation

As someone whose had a real Californian burrito none in the UK can compare. Paying to have guacamole is not normal!

They offer various meal deals. One is called "student" and is listed next to "medium" and "large". That could just be the name of the deal (in the same way I don't necessarily expect I have to be large to buy a large deal), but you indeed may need to show your ID to prove you're a student (e.g. if the staff member thinks you look old). I felt profiled. And in the end, the food really wasn't worth the money or the awkwardness. There are better options for burritos close by. Certainly not coming back.

According to the restaurant driver was nowhere to be seen despite apparently being at restaurant

The food was cold as the driver put the wrong address down in his sat nav

£35 on cold soggy tacos, we’ll over a hour late. Definitely last time I’m ordering from here. Wish I could upload pictures. Soggy horrible mess. I’m not happy.

Very unpleasant. As others have said the food is just very bad quality and cold.

Horrifying hygiene and meat in the vegetarian/vegan filling. As we were waiting to be served, I noticed the spoon from the shredded beef was in the sweet potato compartment. I pointed it out to a member of staff and she put the spoon further in, before realising why I was asking if it was veggy. Once she realised she took it out and apologised, but didn’t remove the filling from sale. It’s horrifying that people believing they’re following their cultural/religious beliefs are actually eating something they are unable to. The member of staff was really nice and attentive to our needs however and our food was nice. On the way out, I went to the ladies and had to u turn out of there. There was what looked like excrement on the changing side and blood all over the toilet seat. It’s a shame as I’ve eaten in the metrocentre branch a few times and it’s always great, but this was shoddy and felt really unclean. Please do better.

My son took me there and I did enjoy my enchiladas.... plenty cheese .. yummy!

Food quantity was very low, particularly considering it was double chilli. Driver said it was hard to get to the location in a car, I drive to this location on a daily basis. He clearly went the wrong way and had to take a long detour to get back.

Food was tasty once reheated but arrived cold and didn’t get sauce with churros. Also delivery boy seems more concerned wjth his phone than actually doing his job

I wish it was a bit warmer, otherwise nice

Very late and very hungry people. Arrived over an hour late

I watched my driver cycle away, then placed the delivery as 'delivered'.

Claims order was delivered and it wasn’t

Driver went awol and only delivered half the food order after we contacted the store and they confirmed they sent the food off over an hour prior to my call

Have visited here before and had great customer service. The last time, the lady serving talked us through the menu/ options and informed us of offers etc. and food was lovely.Went last night for food before a show and was really disappointed. The young girl serving was quite uninterested. No chilli con carne left. No fries ready so would have had to wait. Had to pay extra for a handful of jalapeños, when asked about things she was quite rude. Then visited the facilities only to be told they were being cleaned so unable to use them, instead being sent to a disabled toilet. Deliveroo drivers in and out the staff seemed more interested in that than the handful of paying customer. Won’t be back in a hurry sadly.

Food was soggy and cold. They package the drinks with food so if you want a fighting chance of it being luke warm don't order a drink.

Nice food, small portions for price but all in al enjoyed it

Nor.aky lovldy but today Stone cold to point couldn't eat it

Used to be my favourite place to eat in Newcastle by a country mile, until they got greedy. £14 for nachos and a drink (takeout), asked for a little more cheese sauce, as wasn’t having guacamole or beans or peppers & onions, so rather than substitute, they still charge more. I remember when you used to get 3 times as much for around £8 all in, there’s inflation and then there’s just being greedy. The last few times I’ve been in, they spend all of their time fulfilling orders for online services like Deliveroo, a couple of times it’s just been me and my wife and we’ve walked out because they’ve not bothered to serve or even acknowledge. The quality of food has remained somewhat the same, good, but, there’s no way it costs anywhere near the prices they charge to put the stuff together. Which is a shame, I really used to live this place.

IMO the best place in Newcastle for Tex Mex food. Whether it's a burrito or a quesadilla, it's always nice and tasty. They make it fresh to order so you can have it exactly as you want too, and there is plenty of choice for ingredients. The pulled pork is a particular favourite of mine, it's always seasoned well and juicy rather than dry. Topped off with their creamy Monterey Jack cheese and any combo is a winner.

Just disappointed by the food it was luke warm and the wraps just mushy. Fajitas needed more seasoning as was a bit bland burritos were better seasoned meat but overall just disappointing

Edit: 17/8/23 Two burritos made at the same time, for the same order are so drastically different in size despite both being the large ones. One was two inches shorter and far less full than the other. Still tasty, but this sort of inconsistent construction leaves you guessing everytime, and it's quite frustrating. Possibly one of the best burritos you can get. If you can handle your heat I'd strongly suggest going for their own Zapata salsa, as it pairs brilliantly with the beef or pork filling. Getting the large burrito is an absolute must if you're hungry as the regular feels a little bit bite sized for me personally. The reasoning for the 4* food comes down to only consistency of the person making it and some are at a higher standard than others. (No picture Included as nobody wants to see the food with a bite mark!)

Burrito was tasty and warm my seasoned fries were cold such a disappointment sauces were ok but potion size was poor

Food was freezing and they missed out my tortilla chips but gave me all of the sauces? What am I meant to dip into them? Ridiculous won’t be ordering again. Wouldn’t waste your money if I was you.

Subway but for burritos - have been coming here for years and always received excellent service and top notch food.

The food was cold due to the delivery man being at the wrong address. He called to say he was outside my house, I told him he was in the wrong street and he hung up on me. I called him back and gave him directions but he argued that I had put an incorrect address down when ordering. My app shows my address not the house in a different street.

Original delivery time was 19.05 order came at 19.25

Great food, lovely atmosphere and very friendly staff!

Pretty small for a large burrito that's nearly a tenner and I've had nicer ones elsewhere.

Absolutely sensational food, always fresh and delicious, I recommend this place to everyone I MEET big up zaps

Amazing burrito - 100% would order again when we're next in the area!!

Food quality was really nice, however food was stone cold by the time it arrived

Fast delivery and decent sized portions

Delivery was changed 3 times and was over an hour late from the original estimated time frame. Very disappointed

Really liked the food, a little pricey for what it is. Would still go again though.

I liked it, quick service, good food. Now I just have to master eating a burrito 😂

Food was not good, also swapped out one of our orders for something completely different

I liked their food specifically buritto.. one of my favorite wraps.. they also have student deal .. staffs are more friendly..

Absolutely lovely food. Burrito was amazing! We went pre-gig at the O2 and it was just roubd the corner. The person who served us was so friendly and helpful. Would definitely visit again.

Quality has went massively downhill - super disappointing. Ordered a both naked burrito and a burrito and the fillings were over cooked with a mushy texture.

Was missing items, I’ve requested a refund but that’s not what I wanted because now I’m going to have to order more food from somewhere else and pay there delivery fees

Really really good and quick customer care and food

It's not as good as it used to be..

This was the first time I've ordered from Zap, and I was incredibly disappointed. The burrito I ordered was inedible. I tasted like someone had taken a handful of salt and dumped it in. I'm someone who likes a lot of salt, and this was so salty after a few mouthfuls I couldn't eat it. It went in the bin. Total waste of money. I really had high hopes. 😞

Can't go wrong with a Zapatista delivery! Absolutely delicious food. Thank you