EL ZOCALO MEXICAN RESTAURANT

EL ZOCALO MEXICAN RESTAURANT is trending the right way. After earlier inspections that drew violations, its recent DBPR history has been improving — and it currently holds a B at 83/100.

Its latest visit (February 11, 2026) logged 1 high-priority, 2 intermediate, and 3 basic violations. Diners rate it 4.4 across 2,772 reviews. By health score it's safer than 24% of Seminole County restaurants we grade. Menus here flag vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and other dietary options.

Trend: improving · B (83/100) · safer than 24% of Seminole County restaurants we grade

Get directions Call (321) 363-4111

Restaurant details

Health grade
B (83/100)
Violations
6 total — 1 high-priority, 2 intermediate, 3 basic
Address
406 S SANFORD AVE, Sanford, FL
Cuisine
Mexican
Categories
Mexican restaurant
Price
$10–30
Rating
4.4 stars (2772 reviews)
Seats
150
Phone
(321) 363-4111
Website
Official website
Photo of EL ZOCALO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Photo: El Zocalo Mexican Restaurant - Sanford

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.4 Community-sourced rating 2,772 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

Reviews here split hard: 15 five-star against 2 one-star, with little in between. Service tends to be raised approvingly here, averaging 4.4 stars.

If you had to pick one number to represent this corpus it would be 5, the most frequently given rating (15 reviews). One subject never comes up here: freshness. 16 of 19 rated reviews are four stars or higher; 3 are two or lower.

The inspection lands in between as well: DBPR graded this kitchen a B (83/100), citing 1 high-priority, 2 intermediate, and 3 basic violations. DBPR last walked in on February 11, 2026. Its inspection trajectory is upward over the records we hold. Ranked against Seminole County, it is safer than 24% of the restaurants we score. The citations behind that grade include handwashing.

Nothing here pulls in opposite directions — an unusually clean read. Everything above is computed from the 19 reviews reproduced below.

Our own analysis of 19 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 28, 2026

    Great food and thank you for allowing us to bring in our 8 week old fur baby after being told at Lelos BBQ that she was not allowed in. We kept her in the carrier and enjoyed a great meal.

  • June 28, 2026

    This place is great. Food is full of flavor. Its become one of my go to in sanford . Drinks are a bit high but made well. Portions are good.

  • June 24, 2026

    The health department should pay a visit to this establishment. There were flies everywhere in the kitchen, sitting on the dough, buckets of food everywhere, a visible can of raid in the sink area.

  • June 21, 2026

    Decided to eat here on a whim and the food, service and atmosphere didn't disappoint! I had Chiles En Nogada and it was absolutely amazing!

  • June 20, 2026

    Fantastic food! The meat was very well flavored and I will definitely be stopping by again

  • June 17, 2026

    Great time…Fernando rocked some amazing skinny jalepeño Margaritas! Awesome ambience.

  • June 13, 2026

    I moved to Sanford last year with my family and El zocalo has been our favorite go to Mexican restaurant. The food has been consistently delicious every single time! We love getting the skirt steak burrito and birria tacos. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, the restaurant itself is cute and clean, and even has live music at times. I recommend El Zocalo to anyone that’s looking for a great Mexican food spot.

  • June 10, 2026

    The Zocalo is the best establishment in Sanford. Period. I have been a resident of the city for 47 years. I have frequented most all restaurants and venues in the area. The customer service is bar none. The attention to detail is excellent. The food is absolutely amazing. Perfect execution, presentation, and fantastic flavor on every item I have ever ordered. This is at minimum a biweekly family dinner visit. Not only does it never disappoint, it is truthfully the most consistently fantastic experience in the city!

  • June 9, 2026

    Food is delicious, service amazing and drinks always on point especially the Margaritas!!

  • June 6, 2026

    Buenisimo

  • June 4, 2026

    Got a chicken bowl, was bland and not seasoned. Very little amount of guacamole and beans.

  • June 4, 2026

    Buen ambiente

  • June 4, 2026

    I took my husband here for his 26th birthday and it was a wonderful experience. The staff are so kind and welcoming! We ordered the enchiladas and the flavor was amazing! The service was 10/10! Loved the music and atmosphere as well!

  • June 4, 2026

    La comida es buena, pero como abundante, por eso coloque, cuatro estrellas en la comida, pero es excelente.

  • May 17, 2026

    You can put a little bit more sour cream on your fajitus.

  • May 16, 2026

    Amazing experience they make you feel like you are the only one in the restraunt great drinks and food. Waitress was very attentive and made sure all of our requests were taken care of immediately. Totally worth the money would recommend to anyone.

  • May 15, 2026

    On Sunday May 10th, we went to the lounge area to have drinks and appetizers. We observed other families there celebrating Mother’s Day; we were there for 30 minutes then a kids baseball team came in. It was fine for 15 minutes until the kids got their food and drinks and started having a food fight! We pointed it out to one of the severs that they were having a food fight, the server went up to one of the parents and told them the kids are throwing their food so the parent went to the kids and told them to stop. They did for about 5 minutes and then they started again 😒 we also observed that they thought it was funny to leave the restroom door open while other kids from their team was using the restroom, while their parents ate and drank oblivious to what their kids were doing!!! Plus other families started hurrying up and leaving cause the baseball team and their parents wouldn’t stop their kids from continuing throwing food and the parents kept using foul language in their regular conversation like hello people are trying to enjoy their time with their family and kids for Mother’s Day!!! We eventually couldn’t do it anymore so we cashed out and went to Brewlando to enjoy the rest of the day. And this is my second encounter with this baseball team running around acting like they own the restaurant. I love this restaurant but they need to start having consideration of their other customers/families while trying to enjoy themselves and who comes in

  • May 15, 2026

    Pero la musica deve de ser actualizada es lo mismo hay mucha musica nueva mejor

  • May 14, 2026

    Great food, great prices

Overall Score

74 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 30/40
    Grade B
  • Dietary transparency 20/20
    7 options listed
  • Community rating 18/20
    4.4★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 6/10
    Improving, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
11 AM to 9 PM
Tuesday
11 AM to 10 PM
Wednesday
11 AM to 9 PM
Thursday
11 AM to 10 PM
Friday
11 AM to 10 PM
Saturday
11 AM to 10 PM
Sunday
11 AM to 9 PM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. February 11, 2026 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    1 high-priority · 2 intermediate · 3 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
    • 21 — Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
  2. September 29, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    3 high-priority · 5 intermediate · 6 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 06 — Potentially hazardous foods properly thawed
    • 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage
    • 10 — In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
    • 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided (×3)
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
    • 41 — Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used
    • 53 — Food manager certification; employee food-safety training

Safer options nearby

Higher-graded restaurants close to EL ZOCALO MEXICAN RESTAURANT, by Florida DBPR grade:

  • MANIKIN LOUNGE

    4.4★ nearby

  • THROWBACKS

    4.4★ nearby

  • ELLENS WINE ROOM

    4.5★ nearby

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: February 11, 2026