Casa Zaragoza — Restaurant in Madison

Convincing my husband to go to a Mexican restaurant around here is a difficult sell…he grew up in California in the Bay Area…so he was surrounded by excellent Mexican food his entire life. Whereas my first introduction to Mexican was my mom making tacos in the 70s…ground beef mixed with one of those taco seasoning packets, Old El Paso hard shells, shredded cheddar, iceberg lettuce, & diced tomatoes. I LOVED that meal as a kid. I grew up in the U.P….& there were definitely no Mexican restaurants there until the 80s…& then it was Taco John’s. So, I’m much less picky than he is. So when I gave my husband 3 choices of new to us restaurants to try…I was thrilled he picked this one.

The first thing I noticed was their spacious covered patio…the outside is so cute…it beckons you to come inside. The menu is overwhelming. I prefer a page or two. My ADHD just cannot concentrate long enough to look at it all. I had decided to only focus on the page with Chef’s & House Special’s…but then I discovered they had combinations…& that made it an easy choice for me. I chose the Zaragoza Combo & picked a grilled chicken burrito with melted cheese & burrito sauce on top, a carnitas taco Mexican style (onions & cilantro) in a corn shell with green sauce, & a chicken tamal…corn dough wrapped around shredded chicken in a green sauce. David ordered Taquitos Mexicanos (four rolled & deep fried corn tortillas with chicken topped with sour cream, guacamole, & spicy molacjete sauce served with lettuce & pico de gallo). But first…a margarita to share & some cheese dip (house recipe), guacamole (made to order), & sour cream to go with the house made tortilla chips already on the table, with salsa. They bring these chips to you warm, which is what prompted me to ask if they made them. They do!

Damn! That margarita was STRONG! I wasn’t sure I liked it at first…but it grew on me as I drank it & I was grateful I had David to share it with. I can typically handle 2 or 3 cocktails when we go out…without feeling much of anything. I definitely felt the effects of this margarita. And I learned that these babies are 1/2 price on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4-7. Now you can’t un-know that information…do with it what you will.

We went through 2 baskets of chips & I liked their cheese dip so much I considered ordering more…but that was just the margarita talking. Excellent guacamole too…that’s so easy to mess up…a very generous serving…& a flavor bomb. David was a fan of everything we were served! I was quite pleased with my choices & even ate every bite of the rice & beans. It was all delectable. The only thing I didn’t care for was the tamale…it had the least amount of chicken I’ve ever had in a tamale & the only flavor came from the mole. But! That was minor compared to all the deliciousness that surrounded us.

And then of course we ordered dessert…Tres Leches & a Chimichanga Cheesecake. That tres leches cake…YUM! Jackie, the owner’s daughter, told us they get it from the bakery down the street, Los Atlantes. I’d never even heard of that place! In addition to the whipped cream…there was also a strawberry gel layer…so good. What a fabulous meal!

Casa Zaragoza is now tied with El Sabor de Puebla as our favorite Mexican...

Considering they opened up a week ago I was expecting a longer wait time. But when I tell you the drinks and food came out expeditiously I was happy with everything from the food, drinks, and service. And this was on a Friday night with a full restaurant and party going on in back. The margaritas are tasty and you can have them with or without alcohol (for the sober/non drinking folks). The Tres Amigos dish was fantastic and will probably be my new favorite there. Tacos were as they should be and quite hearty with the option of getting them American or Mexican style. And the servers here are so friendly and offer great suggestions for what to order. The menu is extensive so there is plenty to choose from and try out. I really hope folks give this NEW business some grace because there are always growing pains with opening. But the food and service is worth it and this soon to be Madison staple will meet and exceed your expectations. Give them a try for lunch or dinner, you won’t be...

Was here this weekend and won't be back. Terrible service. After taking our drink order they had to return and correct what was ordered. They returned with chips and salsa once while we waited for our server to return to take our food order after many minutes of waiting. And then waited some more for food that never arrived. Watched several tables come in and have food arrive while nothing was coming our way. At our second round of drinks our server said our food was coming out soon. Finally asked some other staff about it to find out they had lost track of the order. Left after 90 minutes when it got to that point. No checking up by a Manager or the owner who was there. You would think the server would be more aware one of her tables was not getting their food when an hour came and went. The Margaritas were super sour and we weren't charged for the half finished drinks. Many other places to go to in the area and not have...