Today was a little chaotic but we' eventually fed ourselves so it all worked out! Caleb and I wanted to have a little lunch date to go see the new Guardian’s of the Galaxy movie and decided we would get lunch first, so far so good. We discussed getting some DiBella’s since it’s one of our go to’s whenever we get close to Ithaca and it travels well. While Caleb did want Dibella’s he didn’t feel like sitting in there for lunch so we eventually decided we would go after the movie to grab some subs for dinner. This still left us open for lunch and I threw Ithaca Bakery in to the ring but was hesitant to go get sandwiches for lunch when we would be eating subs for lunch. I like a little more variety in my meals for a day. Instead Caleb suggested we just hop over to Friendly’s. We’ve never been there together and it’s one of those chains we joke about going to but have never actually committed to. Well, it turns out the joke was on us because the location we were planning on going to by The Shops at Ithaca Mall has turned into a bank! So we were driving around parking lots debating just going to Ithaca Bakery when Caleb decided to pull the tigger and head to the mall food court! (Basically).
LOCATION: 40 CATHERWOOD RD., ITHACA, NY 14850 (next to food court)
That’s how we ended up in Zocalo, a Mexican restaurant in the mall that we always pass by shrouded in mystery. Zocalo is dimly lit and can get very busy, from what we’ve noticed when we’ve walked by in the past. The wait staff felt very indifferent to us and just customers in general, a very hands off approach to the dining experience and not welcoming in the least bit. Still, this doesn’t affect the food so it’s minor in the scheme of things and while indifferent, they weren’t rude which is the real deal breaker. The waiter brought over warm tortilla chips and salsa immediately too which is ideal honestly. A great snack to get while we ponder the menu.
Caleb went back and forth a little but landed on ordering the Chimichanga, an item I’ve never gotten for the shear fact that I have no idea what it is. A sauce covered burrito? Close. Turns out it’s a burrito (chicken for Caleb) that’s covered in queso which also came with a small side of lettuce and tomato (I wouldn’t quite call it a salad) as well as rice and beans. Pretty standard sides. I, of course, went with tacos. Now, unlike Village Taqueria, this place doesn’t sell them individually so I had to go with one type, choosing between chicken, steak, or their Al pastor. I went with the Al Pastor Street tacos which comes with pork marinated in pineapple, achiote and annato then grilled and served in corn tortillas and topped with onion and cilantro. This also came with a side of rice and beans. Also, to my surprised I got 4 tacos. The tortillas are a little smaller than typical but four tacos felt like a little bit of a challenge that I was willing to take.
Overall, the tacos were pretty good. I made it through all four enjoyably and was pretty full in a good way. I did get a little bit of flavor fatigue and I would’ve had more fun trying one of each taco they had to offer instead of getting 4 of one type. I was also too full to have any of the rice and beans but Caleb let me know that they weren’t great and were overly salted so I didn’t miss out on that at all. Not a bad choice for lunch but also not great. During the meal we agreed that it’s not a place we would crave enough to go back but it is a convenient spot so we wouldn’t knock it either. I think just being able to pick various tacos means I would prefer Village Taqueria over Zocalo.