Zaperoco Internacional — Restaurant in Lehi

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Read Before You Eat Here

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience at this restaurant was unacceptable from start to finish. Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong:

Poor Customer Service: When I was placing my order, the cashier answered a personal phone call on her cell phone and made me wait until she finished her conversation before continuing with my order. Very unprofessional.

Hygiene Concerns: While waiting, I saw a staff member come out of the kitchen wearing gloves, open a fridge, grab a drink, and walk back into the kitchen—still wearing the same gloves. There’s no way to know if he changed them before handling food again, and based on what I saw, I highly doubt it.

Unacceptable Wait Time: It took 30 to 40 minutes to get a simple order: 5 tequeños, 2 empanadas, and 1 tequeyoyo. These items are pre-prepped and just need to be fried. There were only 6 customers in the restaurant, and I saw at least 3 employees working. There’s no reason for such a delay.

Terrible Food Quality: The food was a complete letdown. The tequeños were under-fried, the empanadas had no flavor, and the tequeyoyo was so bland I had to double-check if it even had filling. It was one of the worst meals I’ve had in a long time.

Final Thoughts: I spent around $30, and honestly, it was the worst food investment I’ve ever made. For those prices, you'd expect at least decent quality, if not something close to restaurant standards worth revisiting. Sadly, this place didn’t come close.

Be aware before dining here. I won’t be...

If a Zebra had no stripes would it still be a Zebra? Listen, I want to leave a better review but if we don’t hold them accountable then nothing will change and it will be unfortunate to not be interested in coming back. I’ve eaten here a handful of times and every time I’ve left with a belly full of delicious food, but a bad taste in the mouth. The customer service is atrocious. You’ll be met with smiles and friendly greetings. And then get 40-60 minutes to wonder if that’s all they have to serve. Do not get me wrong the food tastes great and it looks 10x better than the tables and chairs you’ll be eating on. But that is if you don’t change your mind by the time they remember to inform you that the items you ordered are actually not available.. I enjoyed the empanadas the one time it wasn’t soaking wet with grease. The Patacone’s are big and the Arepas are why I’ve given them 5 chances. But nothing has changed and they’ve made it clear they are not invested in getting 5 star reviews. If this is the taste of Venezuela, then perhaps I should be praying for their country too. But I digress. I recommend spending your $50 on the ingredients yourself and invest your time learning how to make and experience what they clearly...

We were looking for Venezuelan food on Google and found Zaperoco. I'm so glad that we decided to try it out! Everything from the service to the food was perfect! Our waitress knew everything about the foods and was very patient with us explaining all the dishes. We love empanadas so we decided to try all the flavors. The chicken was fresh and seasoned perfectly. The potatoes just melts in your mouth and the beef was perfectly cooked. We then tried the plantain with Venezuelan cheese on top and my 8 year old was obsessed and ate the whole thing. Lastly, we tried their traditional pabellon and we were also pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was! The rice and beans were cooked perfect and the meat was delicous. Wow we cannot wait to go back and try more items from the menu. The inside is really cute and they even have a stage so it would be fun to go there when there is a live performance. Thank you again for being so nice to my kiddos and explaining everything to us on your menu. If you are in the area please add Zaperoco food to your Utah food...