Miguel’s

We still order here for lunch at work sometimes, and I get the grilled veggie enchiladas without cheese. They’re very tasty. Beware the sides — the beans are vegan but the rice is not!

Came here for brunch. Great calamari! Great service and coffee was awesome!
Thanks for the recommendation buddy!

Chicken tortilla soup was salty
House margarita was good.
Barbacoa flatus was alright.
Pork chops, Carne asada plate
Cheese dip chips and salsa
Thres leches cake was all pretty good.

My boyfriend and I had a late start to our Sunday and still wanted some sort of breakfast type item at noon.
We saw the long lines at the other places close by (which did not appear to offer brunch and ‘breakfast’ ended at noon) and looked at the menu and decided to give it a try, and were happy we did! We were seated right away at the outdoor patio on a great sunny San Diego day and service was prompt.
Hot fresh chips were served immediately as well as ice cold tall glasses of water. They served a damn good cheese sauce that had a hint of Jalapeño and that was delicious as well as the salsa.
I ordered the smoked bacon eggs benedict which had a delicious chipotle-​cilantro hollandaise sauce and the roasted potatoes were flavored nicely.
My boyfriend ordered the chilaquiles & grilled skirt steak and that was good as well. I liked the taste of their refried beans.
I also ordered a Zocalo Mimosa which was tasty and had refills abundant :)
I would go here again to try other items for sure. things like plantain & almond crunch toast sounded like a winner.but.felt more like the eggs benedict that day ;p

I had gotten recommendations from some friends about this place, based only on their love of the chips and queso. When my in-​laws were in town staying at the HIE Old Town, we decided to check it out.
Not disappointed. EVERYTHING was delicious, from the hot, salty chips, the queso, to my father-​in-​laws chile rellano («Best I’ve ever had» he said). Our service was great, we had a lovely table on the patio. Check this place out when you are in Old Town.

I’ve eaten here many times for lunch, dinner and happy hour over 4 years. Food is not as good as it used to be.
The best dish is carnitas conzuelas (sp), which is carnitas baked in a clay pot with layers of cheese, onions, peppers, beans, etc. like a casserole. It costs $ 17. This item is no longer on the menu but you can still order it. (The carnitas – honey braised – whether by itself or in a quesadilla – pale in comparison). This place is supposed to be famous for its carnitas.
The chips that come free to the table are served with a jalapeño creamy cheese sauce – which is pretty good!
I’ve tried most of the fried items– masa fried shrimp and calamari (good); wings (didn’t care for them), empanadas (good but pricey at $ 10 for 2). You can get a lot of these for half the price during happy hour. I’ve also had the two swordfish tacos (looked like tofu in skinny rectangle logs) that were okay; as well as the hamburger which again was just okay.
Brunch comes with a fruit plate and oj with your meal.
Fireside seating is available outside with two fire places.
Zocalo used to send $ 15 off $ 30 purchase for your bday if you signed up online. Zocalo does usually provide a complimentary dessert (crème brule) for special occasions if you let your server know.
Tiny parking lot in the back of the restaurant!

The service here is terrible! Staff and management are not courteous and do nothing to improve customer satisfaction. I have been here many times for happy hour and recently became upset by the mistreatment of the bartender and management that I got up and left. They were rude. After being a frequent customer of theirs after many years my last experience was enough to say that I will never return to their restaurant again. Customers be weary when dining here. I know I will no longer hold social or business meetings here.

Visiting my sister in SD and wanted to try a new place so we ended up here.
It was busy but not crazy busy for a Friday night so we were sat quickly. They have a great outside area but we had my two year old and it was a tad chilly so we decided inside.
Our waitress Elyse was nice, attentive and fast. It was my bday and they bought my beer!
Food: The chips and salsa were so yummy, hot and salty. We ordered the guac app and that was good. It came with a side of thicker chips but I used the basket ones, my sister loved them and ate the whole plate.
We had the chicken tortilla soup (cup) so flavorful and hot (temp wise).
My sis and I split the chimichanga. I have had my fair share of these puppies and this one was one to remember. It was all meat! No fillers just meat. We loved it. It came with rice, beans and lettuce so you could add them to your fork but they did not skimp on the meat. We ordered the green and red sauce on the side and they were both good, the red sauce was the best I have ever tasted!
Loved it will be back.

The shrimp and calamari in masa was very delicious! The batter that the calamari was fried in was super flaky and melted in our mouth. It was $ 11 during happy hour. It is served with a lemon aoli sauce and a sweet and tangy sauce served with a half of a lemon with a lemon cover so seeds don’t go onto the calamari. I loved the little detail of the lemon cover! For those of you who are «Old School» and courageous, the calamari have tentacles on it. You don’t see that so much anymore because a lot of «foodies» think its gross. Love the fact that they are making a statement and keeping the tentacles. Good for them! My boyfriend appreciates this a lot!
We also tried the street tacos during happy hour $ 9. It comes with 3 tacos and your choice (mole, carnitas or chicken). I had the carnitas and my boyfriend had the mole tacos. The three tacos were definitely tapas style in regards to size. For those of you hearty eaters, your going to have to compensate by ordering other appetizers. The tacos had lettuce, the meat was tender and there were bits of Mexican cotija cheese and some spicy sauce on top. The tacos were accompanied with a lime saying «squeeze me, squeeze me».
I didn’t order the mango mojito like I should, but today’s weather didn’t put me in the mood. It was a May Grey day. We sat outside in the lounge area and sat next to the fireplace. They have heating lamps above for colder occasions. I think I would enjoy this place with more people. There is parking in the back. For two of us sharing the shrimp and calamari, two sets of the street tacos (6 tacos), a pepsi, an ice tea with complimentary chips and salsa and cheese jalapeño dip $ 25 during happy hour time.
Our server wasn’t spot on considering that he only had a few tables and it was slow. The bus boys were more alert and helped us out with splenda, refills, more chips and salsa. They were working hard and I appreciate that! They rock!

So this is one of the Brigantine restaurants and I find myself loving everyone of them. I thought it was a bit pricey at first, but they quality and service was worth paying for. I had the Zocolo Fajitas and was really happy with them – tasted more like a finely sliced Angus rib-​eye steak. The outside seating by the fire was really nice. Good times.

Number one reason to go to Zocalo is the bartender Domenico or ‘Doe’ as he is called. He is the greatest bartender on the planet, and this is not a title I bestow lightly. He was attentive, made great suggestions, let me try things (read booze) to see if I like it before I commit, was friendly and nice.
I ended up here during the cinco de mayo fest and I was craving potato tacos from Café Coyote and there was no wear to sit so I went to Zocalo who quite frankly got screwed… they were behind the stage and the road block and the place was empty. The service was prompt and the food was great, I had their Suiza Enchiladas. Great value for price and go see ’ Doe’. And tip him big for his sheer awesomeness.

My review is only for Happy Hour, because while I’ve wanted to eat here many times, everyone always picks OTMC or Café Coyote instead. Zocalo has a nice outdoor patio that’s perfect for outside seating on a nice afternoon or evening. Except when there happens to be an excessive amount of bees around… One landed on my Uncle’s neck and stung him, ouch.
They have a good HH deal where certain drinks and appetizers are half off or extremely cheap. The Mango Mojito and Margarita’s were very good, and Margarita’s came with a separate shaker so there was a good amount. They give you complimentary chips, salsa and this yummy cheese dip. The Coconut Shrimp Skewers and Ahi appetizers were very good. I didn’t have any of the Calamari but those who did didn’t care for it. I didn’t eat since I had just came from lunch, but most said their food was okay, although there were complaints that the Skirt Steak was very chewy. Service was also less than average. I would come back here for dinner in the future, though, but I enjoyed their Happy Hour!

Loved it. The food is really really good. I love the fare. They have a huge variety of food being that it’s Latin America and not just Mexican.
Drinks are decent. Not great. But during happy hour, who cares. Have two.
Will definitely be back

I was here for a rehearsal dinner. I’m not sure if that made our experience different or not since I was drinking and eating for free, but also there were like 75 of us there at the same time, so I just wanted to put that out there.
The bad — these margaritas were terrible. It was like drinking a glass of sour sugar that had been tinted an unnatural green. Even though it was free I had 3 sips before switching to wine. Apparently this made the waiter think I was the drunk of the wedding party because every time I’d take about 3 sips of my wine he’d return to top off my glass. The result was I got fairly intoxicated and never realized how much wine I actually drank. Good times. The other bad thing was how hot it was inside. But, I don’t think it’s their fault we were in San Diego on what was apparently the hottest weekend ever.
The good — for a group our size they were fast and professional. I never waited for anything from food to drinks. And the people serving us were really pleasant. The food was actually pretty decent, too considering we had a set menu and you know they had to prep a lot of it early to get all those plates out. The best part was actually the dessert. It was a chocolate cake with coffee gelato and strawberries. I’m not even a big fan of chocolate and I ate all of mine.
We sat outside on the patio and I thought it was a pretty nice atmosphere so chances are I would go back here again and try the regular menu if I lived in town. But, I don’t know that I’d ever gather up the courage to try another of their margaritas.

Salmon was good but a little fishy smell. Is fresh salmon supposed to smell a little fishy? The salad part of the Salmon Summer Salad was just ruined because they put the dressing on top of the croutons which made them half soggy.
The kids were happy with their pasta and vegetables.
The Shrimp Ranchero looked good and my wife didn’t complain.
The atmosphere is open and not too loud. There are a couple fireplaces in the front porch seating area that add a nice touch. Hostesses are friendly enough. The waiter was a bit aloof but not rude.

Love their empanadas. I also enjoyed their Sangria. Next time I’ll try their short ribs. I also like the ambiance.

I first tried Zocalo when my friend had her rehearsal dinner here. It was by far, the best rehearsal dinner I have been to. The food was so good that my boyfriend and I have gone back several times and going back is no easy feat considering we live an hour away. Every time since that we have been in SD we have stopped by.
There cheese dip with the chips is very tastey, but its hard to go wrong with melted cheese and fried tortillas. What I really loved was the steak. I had the filet mignon and it was delicious. It was served with a whole head of roasted garlic that you can put on the steak. They also have a good selection of wine.
I will be back in August when I visit SD again.

I came here for an early Saturday lunch with my mom. It was pretty dead, which was nice since all the other places down the street seemed about to burst at the seams with their long waiting lines. This place however, was empty. What gives?
People would pass by, take a look at this place and move on *shrugs shoulders*
My mom and I both ordered the barbacoa flauntas (as if we aren’t enough alike already). When we got them, the meat was actually barbacoa! The only reason we were surprised was because when they say its barbacoa its not always barbacoa, mostly because its a pretty time consuming way to cook the meat. They were good and my tummy was left satisfied.
Although, I have to admit my favorite item was their top shelf margarita with pomegranite (its the first one listed under the margarita section). It was delish and it made me quite happy as I sipped it… I am craving it now as I write this :[

We tried Zocalo because of an article that raved about the happy hour menu. On Monday’s, it starts at 4:00p and goes all night. We tried the nachos to start, which would’ve been very good (they’re topped with refried black beans, guac, sour cream and lots of cheese) but they didn’t distribute it very well. I hate that in a nacho! We also had the fish and carnitas tacos, which for $ 2.75 a piece, were pretty tasty. The fish severely needed salt and more spice, but overall decent.
The kicker of this place (and why I only gave it 2 stars) is that the server asked if we wanted to add beans/​rice, WITHOUT TELLING us the price. Guess how much for beans/​rice? $ 6.00!!! It nearly doubled the cost of our meal and the BEANS AND RICE HAVE NO FLAVOR. Literally, NO FLAVOR. If they had been decent, I wouldn’t be whining, but if you’re going to charge someone nearly twice what your actual meal costs, you should really have the courtesy to tell them. As a former server, I would never do that when the add-​on is that signficant, let alone the fact that it was tasteless. We should have said something to him, but I think we were both so shocked and pissed that we were at a loss. So instead, I am taking it out on here.
DON’T ORDER THE BEANS AND RICE. Or better yet, DO ORDER AND THEN YELL AT YOUR CRAPPY SERVER for not telling you it costs 6 fricken dollars for a pile of POO!!!

My friend used to work at the Brig and I loved loved loved it there, so I decided to try Zocalo on the way back to the LBC.
I came here during an uncrowded lunch and sat on the patio. Greeted right away by my server I was, in minutes, presented with a well-​garnished bloody mary. It was all looks though, hand-​shaken, it seemed, but without enough hot spice for my taste.
Zocalo’s menu was wacky chock full of all kinds of interesting dishes. I wanted to sample them all but I settled for the wild greens salad and the Argentinean empanadas. Two of the empanadas had wild mushroom in them and the other two had spinach, fennel, and corn.
This was perfect for a light lunch and service was fantastic.
I’ll come back when I get the next itch to mix with the tourists. I give this place 4 stars for now. For next time, I’ll try the other things I had my eyeballs on, the lobster bisque and macadamia nut encrusted mahi mahi. And I’ll see how they fare when the restaurant is bursting at the seams busy.

Luckily I did not received any of the bad service that I saw from the other reviews… but it does make me question whether I would go back.
The food was pretty good. I had a shrimp quesadilla — and while the corn tortilla they used was unusually thick and kind of heavy — the flavor was yum. I especially liked the cheese dip they offered with their chips and salsa.
I went with a group of coworkers, and I think it’s an appropriate place for a lunch meeting. Fancy, but not too fancy and flavors that most people enjoy.