Where Amy Ate – Zapatista, Newcastle

It’s been a while since I did a Where Amy Ate post, mainly because the only places I eat out in are Costa or Cafe Nero ha. However today I was invited down to Newcastle to meet up with Rachel, Sian & Vicki as all the ladies like good food, I knew I was going to get a decent meal in a great restaurant. We had originally planned to go to the Fat Hippo for burgers however they don’t let you book a table during the day and when we arrived it was a 20 minute wait for a table then a 40 minute wait for food! No thank you! It’s such a shame that Quandoo isn’t available in Newcastle yet as it’s such a fantastic tool for ensure restaurants have a table for you before you arrive! So we made our way to the new burrito bar, Zapatista. If you’ve ever been to America, you’ll know of Chipotle which is basically the same concept of Zapatista. If not, I can only describe it as the Subway of Mexican food… and holy crap it’s good.

Although Zapatista is known for it’s burritos, what with it being a burrito bar, I decided to go for nachos as I had Little Miss with me and she “usually” likes nachos. Like with Subway, there is a big counter that you walk along choosing your toppings & fillings as you go. There are set prices and things each one includes then at the end you can add extras like lettuce, cheese etc. I decided to go for nachos, topped with cheese sauce, sweet pulled pork, mild salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. That plus, an ice tea and juice for LM came to just over £8! Which I don’t think is too extravagant for a meal. Despite “only” being nachos, I was so full that I could barely finish it. The photo doesn’t do the portion size justice really, it was a huge serving. The pork was delicious, so moist and sweet and the salsa and guac were incredibly fresh.

The place itself was very relaxed and more cafe like than restaurant. However that worked incredibly well with having Little Miss. We ate downstairs where it was quiet and it was very spacious meaning if she needed to move around the people at our table without knocking anyone down she could (I’m not saying she ran around, she just liked to sit on knees, especially Rachel’s!) The decor was FANTASTIC! Very modern, hip and the right amount of geeky.. I’m talking about the HUGE Marvel mural that covered two walls. LM loved it as she recognised Iron Man & Spider Man. It was also very clean, definitely something of importance anywhere but more so when you have a small child.

Zapatista also offers vegetarian options and you can purchase alcohol. You can also take away which is especially great as it’s right next two Central Station. I know I’ll be choosing this place over Starbucks, Gregs or Subway in the future when I need something to eat on the go!  Zapatista, I will be back!

Have you tried Zapatista? Is a Mexican Subway your thing?