Fun place to go with friends while drinking if it's a bit late and people still need to eat. Â The menu isn't very inspiring... bog standard Mexican food. Portion size isn't anything special either. Â Pitchers of margaritas are pretty reasonably priced though, and after a few of them, you'll appreciate that this is the kind of place where no one even notices if you get loud and a bit unruly. Â Lots of dark corners too that it easy to forget about the world outside. Â I wouldn't bother going here before 10 PM or so though.
Review Source:A few friends and I were here the other day because we were hungry around 11 pm and there aren't a wide variety of places that serve food after 11 pm downtown. Two of us got the chicken burritos and another friend had the nachos. Â I thought the burrito was tasty, came with rice and beans as well. Definitely a satisfying snack/meal for a pretty good price ($8?). My friend seemed to enjoy his nachos too. The restaurant has an interesting layout and when I first came in, I had no idea where to walk. We were eventually seated by a very nice waitress. Overall, I thought the food was good. Didn't have any drinks, so I can't attest to those.
Review Source:My wife and I found this place through Yelp and we are glad we did. Yes, it is a bit of a dive, but what a fun spot. The bar is small and darkly lit, like a good dive bar should be. We had beer, tequila and the chicken nachos, which were quite good. It may be more TexMex than anything else but it sure beats Chili's. One can't complain about the prices for food or drinks at Viva Zapata's and Kaitlin, our bartender, was very personable and attentive. We will certainly be going back.
Review Source:The food is horrible. I swear it tastes like what I would imagine very bad Mexican TV dinners, made by Italians, heated up and transferred to a plate would taste like -- although, no where near as atrocious as Su Casa.
I give it two stars because the margaritas are strong (makes the food taste better) and the employees are friendly.
Awesome nachos!!! These things were SO good! And I really liked that you could "build your own".  We had jalapeño, tomatoes, onions, black beans, beef and LOTS of cheese (see posted picture)-they were out of this world! Our waitress was terrific! Super friendly, energetic, and attentive.  I really like the atmosphere, it felt authentic.  I'll definitely be back and I can't wait to try more of their menu.
Review Source:Overall Viva Zapata is a 2.5 stars, I am rounding down for the fact that I don't think I'll be back.
The atmosphere is dark and like an old Mexican saloon which is cool except it made everything just seem kind of dirty. I'm just a bit skeptical when I cannot see how clean things really are.
Our waitress was a sweetheart, slow at moments but very sweet. She asked if we wanted chips and salsa making me wonder if they actually charge. The chips and salsa were pretty awful. Mostly because of the stale chips, I've had better from the grocery store. The salsa was okay but nothing about it seemed very homemade or fresh.
One thing I appreciated is she always made sure we liked everything in the dish and could substitute what we wanted in our dishes. The fillings are all substitutable, and you can just get different beans if you are vegetarian.
We started with the mini chimichangas for an appetizer and they were very good but had very little cheese inside them, I couldn't taste any cheese I had to look at them to see if there actually was any cheese inside. I tried their house margarita and it was pretty meh, even with their fresh squeezed lime juice.
For my entree I had a taco salad, the shell was yummy and it was STUFFED full and at 7.95 there was plenty of meat in there. Really no complaints with the taco salad although I wish I didn't use their guac as it had a funky taste.
Without good chips and margaritas there is nothing for me here, of course you need good food too but good chips, salsas and margaritas are a must at any Mexican restaurant. There are better options outside of New Haven when I want Mexican food.
With so many better Mexican restaurants in New Haven don't go to this place if you are looking for a good meal. The entrees were overcooked and rubbery (probably reheated), and just not that good. Viva Zapata is basically a dive bar. I am sure in my early twenties I enjoyed the dive bar aspect but the food really disappointed me the last time I went.
Review Source:In short, the food is just OK - worthy of 2 stars, but the atmosphere is fun and the drinks are cheap (bumping the overall experience up to 3 stars).
I got a chicken burrito, which came with rice and a choice of beans (I chose black beans). The burrito filling was ok, but heavy on the refried beans. The black beans were also just ok, and the rice was pretty dry. I think what bothered me the most, though, was the cheese. It tasted like white American cheese - I was really hoping for some Mexican cheese.
I'd definitely go back for some drinks, and I'd eat if I were there, but I wouldn't make a special trip for the food.
I've never eaten at Viva's, but I have been a number of time for drinks. Â Based on that experience, I'd say it's fun, but definitely skippable. Â The atmosphere is comfortable and divey, and I like the plentiful seating and cozy feel of the back room. Â I enjoy myself when I'm there, but it's never my idea to go.
The margaritas are watery and not very tasty, but I will say that if you gulp them back at a pace of a glass every couple of minutes for say, ten minutes, even with all the ice you'll end up dizzy and delighted. Â So, I guess, Viva Zapata.
"Mexican food" in New Haven...
...that's like saying there's good Chinese food in Alaska - don't count on it!
Stopped in for pitchers of sangria, margaritas and platters of nachos. If you're stuck at Yale and you're from the West Coast, this is the best of Mexico that you're going to get until Thanksgiving or Christmas break..if you're from anywhere but the West Coast, please don't use Viva's as a frame of reference of Mexican food - it really is better than this.
Dark...divey...with a drunk man sleeping in a chair upon our arrival. Classy...
...but what do you care? Come here with your friends! DON'T bring your parents !
Not sure why others are writing reviews of Vivas food, because its definitely a bar not a restaurant...
Basically super super cheap margarita, sangria, and beer pitchers... not-very-authentic nachos which are delicious and exactly what you crave at the end of the night. Â Back room is amazing to reserve for parties and has long tables ideal for flip cup. Â Typical New Haven (Yale?) tables to carve names into, some incredibly nice bubbly staff (some are strangely rude), and a fun juke box. Â If you tip well I can guarantee you'll end up with some free shots...
Basically, Viva Zapata was known to us as "the bar we could go to even though we weren't 21 yet." I don't know if things have changed since then, seeing as how I've been drinking legally for the past 9 years, but otherwise the place is pretty much the same as it ever was.
Viva's serves average food which seemingly exists solely for the purpose of saying, "yes, we do have food" just in case someone is hungry so they don't leave the bar. Otherwise, it's pretty much just a random dive for people who are serious about their alcohol intake.
Honestly, if you're drinking here, you're doing so because you want to drink. You're not coming here for entertainment. Bar games, karaoke, trying to get laid... these are not things that interest you if you are spending your night at Viva's.
So why three stars? Well, there's something to be said for a place that's been around as long as Viva's has and doesn't rely on gimmicks (other than letting underage kids drink there). I don't go there often, maybe once or twice a year, but I know that when I do go, I don't have to worry about large crowds of obnoxious idiots, and can sit at a table and have a conversation while tossing down a few cold ones and a shot or two.
Viva's really isn't anything special, but that's fine by me. The world needs places like this.
*** COMPLETELY RANDOM SIDE STORY***
When I was 21, I came to Viva's with a friend. I was going to college in Philadelphia at the time and was home on Christmas break. I started talking with our incredibly hot blonde server and discovered that she was from Philly. I told her I was going to Saint Joe's and she asked if I knew this guy named "M". Â Well, M just happened to be my roommate and is one of my best friends that I had met while I was at school. Turns out she was an ex-girlfriend of his from high school. Even funnier, just before I left for break, M had told me about her and how he wondered how she was doing since they had lost touch over the years. Needless to say we were all pretty shocked at such a crazy coincidence. Life's pretty strange sometimes...
Near the laundromat where we were doing laundry, we walked down the street so hungry we almost ate detergent. Â My BF pointed at this place obviously attracted by the seemingly "authentic" look. Â I don't think writing "Che" on your awning gives the automatic thumbs up on the authentic meter. Â He was in, but I, however, had my doubts.
You walk in, and it is dimily lit. Â There is a bar up front where some regulars are seated chatting it up with the bubbly bartender, who was also our waitress. Â We ordered a meal and it was a huge disappointment. Â That is because we were looking for authentic tacos, however. Â While I finished my meal, my boyfriend barely ate his food because his expectations were higher than mine.
A person may love this place if they have some good ol' tales to tell to the person who's keepin' the drinks a'comin. Â Then you can feed your drunk self with some drunk food. Â Don't eat here sober, that's what I've got to say. Â The service was excellent. Â The bartender was an awesome multitasker.
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