Zarco Restaurant

So although the wait time was extra long… the food was worth the wait. The servers were very understanding and apologetic and even gave us complementary mussels. On top of that, at the end of our dinner, they even gave us a discount on our overall bill. We will be back again for sure… THANKS!

Food was delicious!!! Tiradito de la Casa and Chamorro de borrego were excellent!!! The only downside at the moment was the lack of wine choices and availability, hopefully this improves in the near future.

Wow, what a mixed experience we had last night– 6 of us made reservations to try out this new, well reviewed restaurant. Happy to think the South Bay might get another good restaurant-​we have so few that aren’t chains. The place is very small and nicely decorated with an industrial chic vibe. It took about 15 minutes for us to get a menu and I mean «a» menu. We had to pass it around until another one freed up-​and we had reservations– they knew we were coming. We took a look at the wine list and ordered two bottles. About a half hour later we were told the wine we ordered wasn’t available. We ordered another. Finally we begged them to at least bring the bottle they did have. Then asked again in 20 minutes if we could get the other bottle. We ordered our hors d’ouvres and entrees to save some time. Then the real fun started as some people had their salads come before the hors d’ouvres…then some got an entrée and some got an hors d’ouvre, and some got nothing… we had to ask for some of the missing items… It just went on and on. Two people made the mistake of asking for dessert… which presumably was already made and just had to be plated… the brownie and ice cream finally made it to the table and we asked about the bread pudding… three times and finally gave up. We then asked for the checks and after waiting some more we got them only to find out that each couple’s bill was mixed up and wrong… yikes! The sad thing is that the food is pretty darn good– the portions are kind of stingy for the price-​this is not a bargain restaurant. I hope they can fix their service issues. I would love to try some of their other menu items. This is a small place and it shouldn’t be that difficult to take a reservation, have the table ready, take an order and deliver foods in the order they should come. Wine should be on the table 5 minutes after it’s ordered in a place this size– not 40 minutes after. Not sure if we can risk the frustration and give it another try. What a shame.

the food was very good, small in portions, l but very good, and different. Unfortunately the service was some of the worst I’ve ever had anywhere. The poor waitress was obviously overmatched and out of her league. The orders were mixed, we did not get our wine, and ha to ask for water several times. By the time the checks finally arrived, they too were so messed up I just (over)paid and left. This could be a very good restaurant, but they really need to get some better wait-​service, especially on a Saturday night, and for the prices the charge.

I had been there on a recommendation of a friend that thus wine bar/​restaurant was worth trying. This little jewel in downtown Chula Vista is very much welcomed. The interior seem quaint at first glance but with further inspection it was really a rustic interpretation of the Ensenada wine country. The theme used a lot of the items represented by wine such as cork, wine bottles, barrels and etc to fashion them into furniture, lighting and décor.
The first time we tried the tostada cerviche and the three assorted tacos for the appetizer. The tosada was was delicious, the flavors balanced which made for anticipation of the main course which I ordered the lamb shank. Not typically a lamb person though with this dish I became one. The lamb was very tender and flavorful and the portion was perfect. Desert was decadent and maybe too rich for me but my table did not think so. We had a chocolate brownie with chocolate gelato.
Because of the great experience we decided to. book the whole restaurant for our company’s Christmas dinner/​party. We had about 30 guests and it fit perfectly. …Just to say we had more of the delicious food on the menu and everyone I had asked that night enjoyed their meals, service and wine.

Drove down the 805 in excitement after reading a delightful puff piece about the establishment in the November Old Globe’s Theater Program.
The hours in the article and Zarco’s rudimentary website both stated Tuesday through Sunday — 4pm to 10pm. Alas, I arrived at 8pm Tuesday night to find the restaurant blacked out. This is a restaurant nightmare and a sure death sentence over time.
If you are in the area and wishing to try your luck, I’d advise contacting the restaurant prior at (619)934−5700, or just head on over to Romesco’s Mexiterranean Bistro for an honest Baja inspired meal.

Just had the best pork belly tacos with hand made corn tortillas! Just amazing! I recommend taco Tuesday, only $ 7 for 2 gourmet tacos. As a treat chef Flor’s youngest sold us chia lemonade for only $ 1.

great to see a joint like this in south bay. great place to relax with a bottle or 2 and enjoy great appetizers. note (while the food seems a bit expensive the wine list make up the difference with reasonable priced bottles)

This is a great restaurant. Fabulous «real» Mexican food, mostly seafood. We tried a number of dishes, including their whole fried fish. All of it was wonderful… especially when accompanied by the great selection of Mexican wine. We live in San Diego but will go back as often as possible.

Fresh and delicious! We shared the appetizer special, Tostada Costilla (short rib perfection!), and the Ensalada de Alga (crisp and refreshing!). The Mr. had the Chamorro de Borrego (lamb shank), served with a corn tamal (amazing!), and I had the Arroz a la Montana (like paella, but different and awesome!). All washed down with Mexican wine. An excellent date night. Go for a special occasion, and take your time, savor every bite.

A very generous, hope things get better 3 star. Ma read a newspaper article that mentioned Zarco and the top chef. Physically, it is a visual delight. The chairs and pillows and light fixtures… Be sure to look around! We were the only ones there, so can’t comment on the service. Admittedly, we went in with high expectations. Left feeling disappointed.

Whoa ! I was soo impressed with this restaurant. I noticed it was new to the area, so we decided to try it out. We were all happy with our orders, I ordered the chamorro de Borrego and it was next level flavor. However aside from the food being amazing, it was the service that had us speechless. Our servers name was Adrian, and this gentlemen provided top notch service. I was impressed with how attentive he was. And his attitude was amazing. I regret not asking for the manager so I could tell her how great the staff was. Hopefully he or she reads this and gives him the credit he deserves

Great wine tasting event last night with cava Mariel. Delicious tapas and good people. Will be back often.

OK, first things first, this review is not disinterested. To varying degrees, I know most of the people involved with this restaurant from the head chef, to her sous chef, to the wine supplier. So as much as I would like to say that I am giving this review with my usual objective viewpoint, this may not be so on this review.
I’ve given it four stars because I hold off the fifth star for my absolute favorite spots. This could become one of those favorite spots. The restaurant is in an area of town that needs more culinary development. Chula Vista has a few good spots but could have so much more. Hopefully Zarco will fit the bill.
I went on a Saturday afternoon with my wife and my parents. We ordered pretty much everything from the menu and the specials. The tiradito and the ceviche were both very fresh and the tiradito sauce was especially good, not overpowering the fish, but giving it just the right kick. We had the jamon iberico (hey I know the guy that supplies that one too), which is pricey but very good.
We then had the chile relleno special stuffed with tuna pibil, this was the favorite at the table. The octopus was also very good. The slow cooked pork belly was a little too rich for my taste, but that is more to do with the product, not the preparation, which was excellent.
The menu seems like it is still a little bit in flux, but that is not a bad thing, I think. They are working out their issues from just having opened and yet they are already serving excellent dishes. Will definitely be going back.

I went during opening week and I have to say everything I tried is amazing! This restaurant is long overdue. We tried the fish of the day, the jamon iberico, the octopus, the dessert. All delicious. We also had one of our favorite wines from Baja form Las Nubes (We had not seen in in San Diego in any other restaurant). Our new favorite place for sure