Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on November 4, 2022.
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Zorros closed in November 2022.
Zorros opened in Mt. Lebanon in late 2019 with a focus on cuisine from Latin America with an emphasis on dishes from the Dominican.
I visited this one for lunch with hopes of snagging one of the restaurant's entrees with a few trusted appetizers but ended up being won over by their lunch specials in order to try more food for less- and I don't regret it in the slightest.
Empanadas, Plantains, and More at Zorros
Despite having a fairly attractive list of appetizers and soups, I went with two of my favorites for my first visit to Zorros- empanadas and sweet plantains.
The sweet plantains came in an order of about seven (for $7) and were perfectly caramelized to bring out the sweetness of the ripe fruit out in every bite. It is worth highlighting this because these are quite sweet and may be a bit sweeter than most people expect, even those who enjoy sweet plantains. As such, this one is recommended to share with a table as it is almost impossible to eat the entire plate in a single sitting (I tried).
The empanadas at zorros are priced based on serving size and feature an array of different fillings. I went for two (just about $7 as well) and filled one with beef and one with cheese. While the filling itself was pretty basic and quite literally just those ingredients, the size and the crispy fried exterior of the empanada more than made up for it for an order we'll get with almost every meal here.
Don't forget to ask for a side of their housemade hot sauce. This one is smoky and has a nice kick to it that will heat up your mouth without being too overwhelming, and is a perfect accompaniment to the empanadas (even more so than the chimichurri sauce that comes with it)!
Don't Miss the Lunch Specials at Zorros
Prior to visiting this one, my intent was to order a main dish like their pollo guisado (seared chicken breast), bacalao (salted cod), or the bistec encebollado (flat iron steak) to put their Latin inspired dishes to the test. But after arriving I couldn't help but be drawn to their lunch specials.
Information on the daily specials and hours are not published readily on their website, and only a bit on social media, but during my visit included options like two empanadas plus a side or a half Cuban sandwich and side for roughly half price. So instead of spending about $16 for a whole Cuban sandwich and fries, a half order was just $8. Suffice it to say, my desire to order an entree was halted in order to check out this deal (this will have to wait for a return trip).
It did not disappoint.
The main reason for this is because a half Cuban sandwich, on its own right, is huge. In fact, for a lunch plate on its own this is all you need and the appetizers I ordered were a (wonderful) excess and resulted in a fairly large meal of leftovers the next day. Their Cuban sandwich follows a fairly traditional mold with slow-roasted pork, smoked ham, mustard, pickles, and swiss, and the assembled sandwich is pressed to give it a nice crispness on the outside.
What I really liked about this one was that all of the ingredients were balanced in their quantities, as this is a sandwich that does not do well when things are out of proportion. Getting all the ingredients in every bite makes for a solid Cuban in our book, and we'd definitely consider ordering it again- after we try out the entrees at least.
Overall, Zorros is a welcomed addition to Mt. Lebanon. The Latin-inspired flavors here are much needed in our local dining scene, and it is really hard to beat some of the prices this one offers for a sit-down restaurant- lunch specials or not.
After posting this we did get some feedback that these prices are expensive for Dominican/Latin American fare, which is a fair statement. We do wish there were more options for this kind of food to compare prices in the city, and our assessment on price is more on a general meal sentiment than based on the specific style of cuisine. If/when we have more of a reference point within the metro area, we will update this accordingly!
Now we just need to get back in to try out their entrees to look at that side of the menu!
Zorros was located at 1573 McFarland Road in Mt Lebanon and closed in November 2022.
Looking for more food from the Caribbean and other Latin American spots? Check out The Colombian Spot, Cilantro and Ajo, or Totopo!