Task 30 - Zocalo (BackBay, Boston)

(30) Eat in 10 New restaurants (4/20)

Restaurant: Zocalo Cocina Mexicana

Rating: 4-Stars

This past weekend we celebrated the Birthday of a friend at Zocalo in Back Bay.

Reservations: With a large group of 8 we thought it would be best to make reservations when dining in Backbay. After repeated calls with the phone simply disconnecting each time and the website being down we were convinced the restaurant might have closed for good. After one last phone call late into the evening we reached the hostess and attempted to make a reservation but were told that they do not take reservations between 6 and 9 pm on weekends. We made one for 9 and gambled that we could get in early. Upon arrival at 8 we found out that they could in fact take us right away in the downstairs dining room. The downstairs dining room was small and cozy and dimly lit. 0 Star’s.

As a faithful yelp user I will admit I did check out the reviews prior to going and as a result it swayed what I chose to order.  We started with the tableside guacamole and the house margaritas. For the entrée we had the steak fajitas. I have rated each course below with +/- a star.

Appetizer: The guacamole was amazing and seemed to have vanished quickly. Ordering a second was necessary for a large group. Each order seemed to have satisfied the appetite of 4 people. I would highly recommend. +1 Star

The Drinks: The house margarita’s were also amazing although the glasses were not filled to the top and there was an over abundance of ice. They too disappeared after 2-3 sips. Our second round of margaritas with different glasses was a bigger success. They were definitely larger and not as overly iced as the previous round. +1 Star

Entrée’s:  Dan and I split the steak fajitas since we ate a late lunch and they were very tasty. The steak was very tender and melted in my mouth. There was definitely more than enough for us both to share but like every restaurant they didn’t give us enough tortilla’s and we had to ask for more. +1 Star

Desert:  A few people at the table had mistakes with their entrée’s although they were quickly rectified but the waiter brought over two complimentary deserts to make up for it. They did not disappoint and were devoured in short order. +1 Star

All in all I would recommend Zocalo to others with no warnings based on all reviewed items I rank Zocalo 4-Stars.