It’s no secret that Mexican cuisine is one of my favorite types of food to eat. My dad lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and every time I visit, I make sure to hit up all the quality, family owned eateries in Coconino County.
Thankfully, I’ve found a few restaurants locally that can match the undeniable taste of Mexican cuisine here locally.
Living in St. Clairsville, Tlaquepaque is my hands-down favorite on this side of the river. But seeing as I spend a decent amount of time on the West Virginia side of the Ohio, I need a go-to place in the Mountain State.
I’ve heard good things about a few places in Weirton that are on my to-try list, but so far, you can’t beat El Zocalo Mexican Restaurant on Mount de Chantal Road in Wheeling.
More than once I’ve walked through the doors and immediately greeted with a friendly face and quality service. Not once has the service been subpar. I can easily same the same for the food. And I know I’m not the only one. I’ve picked up food at El Zocalo more than a few times delivering food for DoorDash. It’s always busy.
The other night, we had to go to Wheeling to catch my daughter’s soccer game, and shot down to El Zocalo for a post-match late-ish dinner.
It was greater than an hour before closing time, which is good, because I refuse to enter a sit-down restaurant less than 60 minutes before close. I’m not doing that to the wait staff or the cooks in the kitchen.
I ordered a Tecate as I’m really starting to enjoy Mexican-made beers. Still no Estrella to be found, so my quest continues. But I do like Tecate, so it works.
I ordered pork carnitas, which come with rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. She wasn’t super hungry, so an order of rice with queso sauce mixed in did the trick.
Plus, we were both ready to chow down on some ‘chips y salsa’ before our meal arrived. Honestly, that’s half the fun is the chips and salsa, but you can’t overdue it, lest you have no room.
Rice and cheese sauce, a large helping 
Chips y salsa, minus the salsa. It was out of the frame.
The Food
This wasn’t the first time I ordered carnitas at El Zocalo, and it won’t be the last. The pork is tender and tasty. Your order also comes with three smaller tortilla shells, so lining it with the pork, guac, rice, and topping it with pico, folding it up and eating it at once is an excellent combination of flavors.
Plus there’s always food left over after you’ve exhausted all of your tortillas. Safe to say, my stomach was feeling full post feast.
She enjoyed her rice and half-wished she would have gotten the chicken with the meal as she usually does. But again, we’ll be back, so that’ll have to come the next time through.
There are a number of items I want to try on the menu, but when your go-to meal is so good, it’s hard to switch. But I’ll eventually get around to it.
Safe to say, El Zocalo is a worthwhile trip and gets my full fat-guy recommendation.
For more information, visit El Zocalo on Facebook or at its Website.
