Hungry Chicks Review of LaZapatista

Hungry Chicks Review of LaZapatista

Date Posted: March 24 2008

Written By: Chicago Jazz Magazine

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Hungry Chicks Dining Club
LaZapatista—the South Loop

The Hungry Chicks is a group of Chicago ladies who love food, but who have very diverse tastes and lifestyles. One is a vegetarian looking for meat-free dishes, one is a Pilates instructor looking for healthy dishes, one is gluten-sensitive, looking to avoid foods made with wheat gluten, and a mainstream chick who is not looking for any particular type of dish other than extraordinary food presented with excellent service. We are not the easiest group to accommodate, but a review from the Hungry Chicks can help your finicky group find the best places to dine in Chicago.

Our first evening we ventured out to La Zapatista, a Mexican restaurant, nestled in the middle of Chicago's hot South Loop, at 1307 S. Wabash. The restaurant is named after Emiliano Zapata and his followers, the Zapatistas. The Zapatistas fought for freedom, equal rights, fair wages and the opportunity to own their own land during the Mexican Revolution early in the twentieth century. The theme is incorporated into the menu with offerings such as the Chopped Revolucion, a chicken breast salad, and the Revelucion Margarita.

Zapatista's entrance is very open and inviting, with a long stone bar to the left, where we waited for our table and sampled some of our favorite drinks, Mojitos and Margaritas. It is recommended that you enlist the bartender to help you navigate through the extensive selection of tequilas (more than fifty!), which covers the back of the restaurant's menu. The drinks were the perfect start to a great evening, and the perfect end to a long week.

We had reservations and were quickly seated in the back room decorated with beautiful heavy glass, star-shaped lights hanging from the restaurant's lofted ceilings. The high ceilings created an airy feeling but also amplified the sound, so the back room was a bit loud and stifled conversation. In fact, our server brought out the wrong entrée, because she could not hear our order. In the back room some of the tables for two were way too close to each other and definitely a breach of personal space. Other areas of the restaurant had tables that looked comfortably spaced and acceptable noise levels.

After being seated we agreed upon the made-to-order guacamole, which is served in a heavy black lava bowl. It was absolutely fantastic! Unfortunately, we all overdid this excellent starter and left no room for the decadent desserts, so be careful not to do the same.

Our gluten-free Hungry Chick ordered the Seafood Salad and was worried if it would be enough to eat. She was pleasantly surprised at the generous serving! The scallops topping the salad were cooked perfectly, but the ancho chili viniagrette was not to her liking so she switched to the creamy cilantro, which was an ideal match. Our vegetarian ordered the Grilled Vegetable Burrito, another hearty portion, which was filled with grilled vegetables, romaine lettuce, black beans, sour cream and pico de gallo—a perfect blend. Our Pilates instructor originally ordered the Tilapia Fajitas, but instead received the Tilapia En Chile Guajillo, because the server could not hear her, but she was not disappointed. The tilapia fillet served with sweet potato fries and creamy chipotle was amazing and all cooked perfectly. Our last hungry chick ordered the Chipotle Chicken Tacos with tinga poblano, tomato, onion, garlic and roasted tomatillo-cascabel salsa, a sublime combination.

Our experience at La Zapatista was wonderful. The service was attentive, the restaurant and restrooms were clean, the food was great and the portions were plentiful. As noted above, the noise in the back room was a bit loud, but not to the volume where it interfered with our conversation. Hungry Chick standouts include the Mojitos, Margaritas and the guacamole. There is valet and street parking available and the Red, Green and Orange Lines (Roosevelt) are only a block-and-a-half away.

•CJM

La Zapatista
1307 S. Wabash
Chicago
312-435-1307
Price: $$
Just minutes from the following jazz venues:
Cuatro—2030 S. Wabash
M Lounge—1520 S. Wabash
Piano Forte—410 S. Michigan
Symphony Center—220 Michigan
Velvet Lounge—67 E. Cermak

The heavy black lava bowl creates an inviting presentation.

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