When Zapata’s first arrived in Suzhou, it made an effort to be just like its older brother in Shanghai. That place has always been down and dirty, with loud music, and security guards that definitely earn their pay by making sure that the crowd behaves itself. Apparently, the residents of Suzhou just don’t have it in them to make trouble. Having said that, over the last few months Zapata’s has made changes accordingly, and those changes are going to keep coming as winter picks up. There is a new manager, a new menu, and new attitude. Zapata’s has always had some of the best specials and themed nights and that hasn’t changed. Last month on a cold afternoon, they held Suzhou’s first annual chili cook off. About a dozen teams came out to compete for the judge’s prize and the people’s prize. We are not exaggerating when we say it was the best meal available in town that day.
These days the music is rarely as loud as it is in Shanghai, but people haven’t quit dancing, and the cocktails are still the best to be had in Suzhou. Many of them just can’t be found in any other bar. You can still dance on the bar if that’s your thing, but the new Zapata’s is more family friendly, especially if you’re on the second floor with comfortable sofas and large tables that are just right for a meal with friends or family. Having said that, Zapata’s still continues to hold court over every other bar, in town, when it comes to wild parties.
We can all agree that during the sultry summer months, Zapata’s is one of the best places to catch a cool breeze. Their frozen margaritas don’t hurt either, but it’s winter time now, and it still remains a great place to sit outside because, this winter, Zapata’s is going to have outdoor heating. Now you’ll still be able to enjoy those lakeside views on the first floor patio or second floor balcony. Apart from the good drinks and setting, there is the food. Zapata’s has always had some of the best Mexican food in town, but they’ve expanded the menu. If you aren’t in the mood for Mexican food, you’ll find other dishes, but we can’t recommend the pizza enough. It sets the bar for every other pizza in town.
Right On The Water... (Jimmy) Good food... but can get pricey after you ask them to bring you more tortillas... and I don't like paying RMB25 for a small plate of 5 baby tortillas! Now their beer choices are a bit more normalized... San Miguel for RMB30 a pint... but Tsingdao at RMB30 is a bit much! RMB20 would seem correct for a decent local beer (BTW I like Tsingdao!) and pints of Euro beer like Carlsberg for RMB25 would be good... and a daily 2:1 Happy Hour would keep me there. The house music has improved with time; used to get splitting headaches listening to hard rock and trying to eat and talk at the same time! They now tend to save the loud stuff till later in the evening! Sometimes they have live music, but this is so infrequent and tends to make the place too crowded... nice views of the lake and the weekly music fountain show is 8-830pm every Friday and Saturday, so on these days you must get down there before 7pm or you will be stranded in the parking lot created by the traffic! No regular Happy Hour... so you will pay RMB500 on dinner for two and 2 drinks each... ouch! Money is not the issue but if I want to pay that I'll go someplace like Champ de Ble Bistro... where I can have an exquisite evening, 3 course Euro-style meal and desert and drinks for a lot less than RMB500!
If you like bland boring Mexican food... (panman36) Imagine you're at a picnic (a very white picnic) where they've put together a nice spread: there's tortillas, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, grated cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, refried beans and pork out of the crock pot. You grab a plate and dig in! this is what my meal at Zapata's reminded me of. It really tasted like my grandmother made my burrito. There's no spice or any semblance of Mexican food really. At 86 RMB this is a real travesty. The salsa and drinks are bad too. I can't figure out why it was so busy on a Saturday night. The fountains are nice. If you must have Mexican food in Suzhou (like me) go to Casa Zoe's. At least they know how to cook.
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