Viva Zapata — Restaurant in Westport

I'm in awe of Viva Zapata. How does this place stay open? The food is just not good, the service (at best) inconsistent, and the bar is uninspiring. But they've hung in there for decades (at least the 18 years we've been in town) so they must be doing something right for someone....just not us.

We love Mexican food, we love good margaritas, we love great service and for us, Viva misses on all three.

The vibe is local so if you grew up in town and are friends with someone who works there, you might actually enjoy the place. There's really nothing wrong with a local spot...look at the Black Duck....they do a fantastic job of taking care of their long-time regulars but making anyone feel welcome. Viva Zapata hasn't figured that balance out....ever. The bar is tiny but I feel guilty for inconveniencing the bartender by asking for a beer.

Ultimately it comes down to the food and the food at Viva Zapata is o.k. to terrible. It feels microwaved and appears as one mass on the plate, the only way to differentiate what you are eating is, perhaps, by texture. Otherwise the flavors all bleed into one with the predominate flavors of refried beans, aged prepared rice and cheese. The prices seem to reflect a higher level/standard of cuisine than what we experienced.

We've lived in town for just about 18 years and find ourselves at Viva every 2 or 3 years; each time leaving with the same question...."why did we think it would get better?" The only consistency has been that it has been a consistently disappointing experience. But again, I add with awe and wonder, that they've hung in there for decades so they must be doing something right for someone.

If you're reading this review and looking for a place to eat in that area of town, there are so many better options that are within walking distance of...

still as good as ever, pricy but worth it, especially when you know they're raising the price mostly to stay afloat. Worth it at probably 1.2x the price. tip more to make up the difference.

you'll need to destroy town property values to find a better deal in Westport for a similar level of craft, and god knows the town needs it. Pay the 20$. buy the fajitas. if you can't eat gluten they'll sub in corn tortilla no problem. Get the fajitas.

Great outdoor seating. Giant open-top patio with seating where your can eavesdrop easily but still have plenty of elbow room. Heat lamps, table umbrellas. They've been doing this for like fifty years now, they know what's up.

cyclists: no bike parking, all the street signs are wobbly because the town doesn't believe in paying for things like proper sign bedding. if the restaurant to the left still has outdoor seating, there are concrete barriers you can run a chain through and then U lock to it. slim pickings otherwise. You might be able to find somewhere to lock over where bridge market used to be, the railings near the bridge.

final say: casual restaurant-dining you could wear a suit to if you just came from the train station, but I'll definitely give you the side eye. Have seen at least one municipal meeting happen here in the past ten years. Town staple, regional stop, a thing someone I know remembered and came back to after being gone for ten years.

you can get more for the price in one of the nearby cities, but you can't really get better until maybe that venezuelan place in norwalk on the stamford side with a similar vibe about really caring about their food. the fajita chicken is just as confusingly moist and tender as it was like fifteen years ago i promise it's worth...

I never leave reviews but this was so bad, I felt the need to echo what so many others have said here. Came here for an early Mother’s Day dinner as it was one of mine and my wife’s favorites many (10+) years ago, and I thought it would be nice to bring our kids there. The place wasn’t that busy, yet it took an inordinately long time to get our drinks, and then guacamole which never showed up, followed by our meals which took a long time also. Our meals were just ok, not the Viva’s that we remembered. My son (6) got a cheeseburger, which admittedly looked delicious, only to find out that we were charged 18.75 for an adult meal. When we questioned this, our waiter was incredibly rude and said “well that’s what you ordered.” Why the heck would I order an adult meal for a 6 year old? And then he acted like he was bending over backwards to correct his error. Mind you, this was after asking twice for our check, only to go in to ask a third time to be told “oh yeah, he’s coming.”

Folks, the terrible reviews are spot on. Sad because this was truly one of our favorites...