Zapata Tacos & Tequila Bar

Zapata is not your standard Mexican restaurant. Situated in a historic brick building on Jones Street in downtown Norcross, this was one of Georgia's first dedicated tequila bars. The agave program is legit: 20-plus tequilas and mezcals, margaritas made with 100% agave azul blanco, fresh-squeezed lime, orange liqueur, and agave nectar. The El Mejor margarita is our pick. The food draws from Guadalajara and surrounding cities rather than Tex-Mex shortcuts: signature Chihuahua Molcajetes served in volcanic stone, proper street-style tacos, and a Thursday night live music series that fills the outdoor deck. This place has character.

There was a time when a manager here took a personal interest in wine and stocked a short but genuinely interesting list. Nothing extravagant, but a few thoughtful picks that gave wine drinkers something to work with alongside the mole and the carne asada. A Verdejo or an Albarino here, a Garnacha there, maybe a Malbec that actually paired with the food. Those days are over. Current management has moved on, and the wine selection has shrunk to a handful of uninspired options that feel like they were ordered from whatever the distributor had on discount. The bones of a wine program are technically still there. The ambition is not.

Zapata lands on the Lazy List because the wine program used to be better, which makes the current state harder to excuse. This is a restaurant with a world-class agave bar, a food menu that goes beyond the ordinary, live music, and an outdoor deck that practically begs for a cold glass of Albariño on a summer evening. The tequila and margarita programs prove the bar team can curate when they want to. Wine just fell off the priority list. Order the El Mejor margarita, enjoy the Molcajete, and save your wine cravings for another stop on the Norcross strip.