El Zarape

My husband and I loved this place. He ordered the chiles rellenos and I the healthy salad. The margarita was as delicious as our entrees.
Staff were courteous and fast.
We were simply passing through Ft. Smith and found this gem on Unilocal.Lucky for us!

The restaurant had an atmosphere that is a step above from the usual Mexican joints in the area. The restaurant is very lovely inside. I ordered the tamarindo margarita that had a wonderful and unique taste initially, but was overly sweet the more I drank. I ordered grilled fish tacos with corn tortillas that tasted alright. The best part of the meal was the pineapple salsa served with the fish tacos. The chips and salsa was very good.

Great food and excellent service. Wife had the Zarape special from lunch menu, and I had enchilada supremos. The presentation was attractive, ambience nice and staff attentive.

Don’t go there on Friday or Saturday. They will pressure you to eat and to leave the place to take care of the next client. You can’t even enjoy your food. Food is ok. They forgot about us for 25 mins. No salsa or chips until we asked. Not going back. If they take care of you fast, there is no need to pressure you to leave. SORRY

I have had a margarita or two in my life… even some in Mexico, and I have to say this place has the best margarita I have ever had. (I used migrano tequila) so that aside I must say the food was exceptional also! I had a tamale, a beef enchilada, and a taco. All were very tasty. I will definitely return. My bf had the fajitas with shrimp and the shrimp tasted very fresh. Highly recommend. Ask for Brian, he made the margarita.

Best Mexican food we’ve found in town!
Staff’s friendly and welcoming. Our servers have always been ready with jokes and recommendations.
Favorite thing so far is the Molcajete: a great mix of meat and veggies (and cactus!) served in a bubbling cauldron.

A friend took me to El Zarape on one of my previous visits to Fort Smith. Now, I try to go any time I’m here on business. The sopes are awesome, but this time I got the chili verde. Great choice! Simple, but delicious meal. The pork was served with an awesome chili verde sauce, beans and rice. I got corn tortillas instead of flour.
The chips and salsa are great and I love their table side guacamole.
My waiter this time was over the top nice! Great for a solo diner in town in business. Nice to chat with someone!

The food was authentic, the environment wasn’t. Booths and tables, some customers eating though it was late in the afternoon. They had Halloween decorations everywhere. The food was inexpensive, and the prices were very reasonable. The portions were large and the service was good. Bathrooms were clean. Not a place for healthy eating. Lots of cheeses, creams and heavy sauces; refried foods and deep fried chips (all delicious if you aren’t health conscious and don’t care about your weight). Free parking in the lot. Pay as you leave, not at your table. Very friendly customer service.

Since its recent renovations, El Zarape has become the top notch place to eat when seeking south of the border entrees and drinks! The costumer service is always on point. The food is as authentic as possible, and they will accommodate to your needs. If you’re in Ft. Smith, skip the usual place and definitely grab a bite (and drink) here.

I’ve ate here several times now. First of all, exceptional service and the hospitality is above and beyond. The way the dishes are presented is very appealing to the eye. Now when it comes to the food, I will have to say the food is decently portioned or even more than expected at times. As a Mexican, the food does lack authenticity but I totally understand since it has to satisfy the majority. The food, to be honest, is about the same I can get anywhere else in the area. But the ambiance and service is what makes me come back! I tried the tortilla soup today. It was delicious but a bit too salty. It was way bigger than expected so at the end, I was satisfied! Definitely try anything with shrimp while you’re here!

The one thing I miss since moving from California is a good Molcahete dish. The big stone bowl filled with beef, chicken, cactus and onions. This place did not disappoint! Service is superb and I’ll definitely be going back to try their other dishes. Ask for Antonio when you go and he’ll hook you up with some deliciously spicy hot sauce. Beware though as I eat sriracha like ketchup and this sauce made my nose run and brought on the sweats! Hands down, the best Mexican food I’ve had in the six years we’ve been living here. Quit reading this review and go!!! Now!!!
Well, part two I guess. Went back to El Zarape tonight with our boys. Needless to say, they LOVED it!!! I highly recommend you also try the Zarape special single. I have no idea how big the double is but can confidently say the single could feed two. Antonio, now Tony to us, was again great and helpful as always. He made the flour tortillas in the morning and served us three helpings by the time we left!!! Just awesome food and people.

Pretty much the best Mexican in the area. Not exactly authentic Mexican because they have to keep up with the Southern palate. But it’s good.

Excellent service. Excellent presentation. Excellent margaritas. Oh, and the food was great too! The homemade tortillas I could sit and eat by themselves but I especially enjoyed my meal… I wish I could remember what it was called– just look for the dish that is served with cactus and enjoy! I will be returning to try more!

So excited to try such a highly rated Mexican restaurant. I ordered the shrimp burrito with chipolte cream sauce, looked gorgeous but so salty it was inedible even mixing the rice in with it, beans were not good either. My husband ordered the chile releno which was a huge soggy awful tasting thing. We have never ever called our server over and said we can’t eat this — it is terrible. But we did. The food was pretty, chips and salsa very good, our server was wonderful and did not charge us, but we were embarrassed and will not be back. Too bad because we live within walking distance.

I can say that hands down the service is superb. I have not been to a restaurant that made me feel more at home than this place. Salsa is good but not great. The food is good and the stuffed jalapeños are. Stuffed with chicken and are outstanding. It is a mistake to not come here. Don’t miss it.

Best experience EVER! Food was Delicious. Service was AHHH — Mazing. As soon as my family and I walked in it was Only Good Vibes. We will be returning.

Not sure about the other reviews or previous place that was el zarape… But this place is great. It is very clean and up to date. It has a nice bar area with 5 TV’s, Customer service was on point, The food was great. Came in on accident, grand opening is actually tomorrow. I wouldn’t be surprise is in a few weeks it will have 5 stars on Unilocal..