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As one of Shanghai's most popular bars, Zapata's holds court over the entire Hengshan Lu nightlife scene from their fantastic outdoor terrace and multiple venue complex. Usually packed any given night of the week, especially their Wednesday ladies night, crowds groove to commercial rock, pop, and hip-hop hits while bartenders poor free tequila shots into the mouths of anyone willing to dance on top of the bar. A Tex-Mex menu rounds out the bar's theme.
Went there for a good place to eat outside, not expecting much from the food. However it turned out that the quality of the food was quite decent. The portions though were quite small given the prices they charge. It was 55 kuai for a skimpy nachos and 100 yuan for what they called their 'monster' burrito... they might as well have billed it as their 'baby' burrito. It was good though, and probably better for my diet :p
Very nice party, really good music - until I wanted to get a cold Jaegermeister. I requested "a cold one" specificially, received two cold glasses and my friend and I drank the shots - as is the custom with shots in one draught without checking the temperature. The stuff inside the glasses was warm. A Jaegermeister goes for 45 Yuan there. So I requested a replacement, but they would only offer one new lukewarm drink. So I asked for the bar manager, it was a russian. He told me that because I drank the shots I would have to pay for them. I asked him "would you want to drink your wodka warm?" - he just smiled at me. I asked for his manager. He says "now you go out"". They grabbed me, took me out and said " I don't want to see your fucking face in this place anymore". My friend did ask what happened, they said "we have to put him out" but gave no reason. I only said we wanted just like to get a cold drink and was not fighting the throwing-out. They hurt my arm badly while throwing me out. I am not a wussy and have the DJ as a friend, I just wanted to tell you what could happen if you ask for a cold drink there. Mind you, my friends and I already spent about 2000 Yuan there, and we were wanting to spent the rest of the night there. The russian I had to deal with is a bad example for the service and needs urgent replacement. As soon as I get his name I wil let you know. Please tell everybody you know about this. If you have any questions pls call: 150-2100-3783. My name is Alex.
Very nice party, really good music - until I wanted to get a cold Jaegermeister. I requested "a cold one" specificially, received two cold glasses and my friend and I drank the shots - as is the custom with bshots in one draught. The stuff inside the glasses was warm. A Jaegermeister goes for 45 Yuan there. I requested a replacement, but they would only offer one new lukewarm drink. So I asked for the manager, it was a russian. I asked him "would you want to drink your wodka warm?" - he just smiled at me. I asked for his manager. He says "now you go out"". They grabbed me, took me out and said " I don't want to see your fucking face in this place anymore". My friend did ask what happened, they said "we have to put him out" but gave no reason. I only said we would just like to get a cold drink and was not fighting the throwing out. They hurt my arm badly while throwing me out. I am not a wussy and have the DJ as a friend, I just wanted to tell you what happens if you ask for a cold drink there. Mind you, I already spent about 2000 Yuan there, and were wanting to spent the rest of the night there.
The russian I had to deal with is a bad example for the service and needs replacement. Please tell everybody you know about this. If you have any questions pls call: 150-2100-3783
Zapatas is so sweet... Typical Thursday night in town ohhhhh what should I do? That's pretty easy it's spelled Z.A.P.A.T.A.'S. As always Zapatas rocks on ladies night. As someone that is more than well seasoned this place is a must see if you are looking for a rocking time. The Kingman and I set and all time flight record at Zapatas. What I like about Zapatas is the it is what it is, a great place to party and converse with a wide range of people. This place offers everything from excellent music to an outside patio with more than enough bars to meet the average person's needs. Needless to say Ladies night brings everyone to ZAPATAS. Lots and lots of women of all types. If you are looking for a good time and just want to lay back and cut loose this is the place. One prerequisite leave your bad attitude at home. If you are looking to get wild and crazy Zapatas is the ticket. Just be prepared for most anything including dodging the crazy dudes dancing on the bar top. My advice is lay back, chill out, stop over analyzing and enjoy a cool Corona. It's not Mexico but as close to Cancun during spring break as you are likely to see in Shanghai. Kingman, your dance moves brought back the good old days.
they cant pour drinks. I had to argue with the bar bitch about whether my order of Vodka and Lemondade, should have....vodka and lemonade, OR vodka topped up with fuck.en lime cordial.
when I asked for her to re-make them, she threw the drinks in the sink and gave me my money back. WTF is that??????????????
Now most of the time this venue is a great place to have some good drinks. Mondays is pretty much free for all, theres free beer for men 10 till 11, and girls drinks for god knows how long. However i'd just like to share with you ppl the abomination and disgusting treatment I received tonight, just as a warning to all us ex pats. At the end of a good night, every body had to go downstairs to the main area (not counting the fact the roof is leeking in several places which is a bit dubious.) The bouncers (without telling ANYBODY) took all our jackets downstairs and dumped them in the clock room (OK) one of my friends jacket was missing and we thought (after a few drinks) that they might have misplaced one of them (there was about 20 of us). So my friend is looking for her jacket... nowhere to be found so we ask, if she can look upstairs to make sure the bouncer didn't accidentally misplace it (accidents happen!) On her return I saw her being manhandled very violently by a bouncer and being thrust upon the ground floor without any success. However the manner the bouncer took was extremely excessive, in which I told him so. Now before I go any further I will say that this was NOT a Chinese national. He was foreign and took very unkindly to the way I expressed his treatment of my female friend (YES, I called him a wanker for DRAGGING her down the stairs in such a way, it was late everybody had booze in their stomachs). He reacted so disproportionately it was unbelievable.
I come from London where if a bouncer thinks u have done wrong then your out. Fair enough. Co operate with them then everything is generally cool (regardless if you are right or wrong). I was man handled so aggressively that my left hand is killing me, regardless of the fact that I said "OK i will leave with no trouble" I am not a violent person. I had no trouble with the Chinese bouncers except the one non-Chinese who mis-heard me in a very loud club(haven't we all). To all those people coming to Zapatas I give the warning: No matter how right you are, some bouncers (not the Chinese in this case, they where just doing their job, following their orders etc..) will treat u like u had killed Mother Teresa, JFK and their mother. I thought they were gonna kill me (was such the aggressive manner they took, on orders probably from the non chinese bouncer); Just because you are in the right don't mean anything to some people of that frame of mind (i'd love to call him god know what but that is inappropriate for this webzine) JUST BE CAREFUL COS THERE COULD BE A SOCIOPATH bouncing for the club u go to. anyhow I got kicked out (The chinese bouncers were cool) and the other bouncer was screaming blue murder at me. JUst a friendly reminder that we are in a foreign country and to be careful. Peace to all, hope u have a good night at Zapatas :-)
woah -something terrible has happend at zapatas.I always enjoyed the mexican food but last time i was really shocked.Instead of sour cream they gave me whipped sweet cream fit for apple pie.Rice just flavoured with chilli powder wich rendered it tasteless and general other big let downs.They also have resorted to a chinese welcoming crew at the door.Something terrible has happened at zapatas...care to fill me in?
I think the alcohols are fakes at Zapata's... why do I ALWAYS have a terrible headache every time I go there, even with a single drink? Moreover it's filed with ridiculous pretentious teeny girls... errr... No, thank you.
I attended the Salsa beginner lesson they offer for free. The instructor did a good job in entertaining the whole crowd, only problem was that more and more people joined and no space was left at all.
I went there together with my girlfriend, but after a short while the instructor started to mix the couples so that every three minutes you hold a new acquaintance in your arms while you are trying to keep up with the commands of the instructor.
after ca. 90 minutes the course was finished and the pros entered the area.
It was quite fun but I do not think that I will attend the course a second time as it will be always the same steps they teach. Nevertheless, it is absolutely worth trying and a good approach to explore your own dancing fever
My friend told me this was the best mexican food in town. I've now disowned this friend. If this is real mexican food, then my new business plan is to start smuggling real mexicans into shanghai to get it right.
Brazil vs Austrailia World Cup at Zapatas, Sunday June 18, 2006.
I came to China after living in Brazil and have made the return trip a couple times over the past few years, to while away lazy days and nights wandering the streets of Rio, Ipanema, Leblon, Zona Sul just as I do here in Shanghai, a bit lost, but mostly looking for a good place to party with some great music and cool people. On Friday nights in Rio I'd visit the street party at Lapa. It was described to me as the birthplace of Samba music. Everything is very raw there, especially the energy, and rhythm is literally everywhere. Lapa has this kind of pulse, or heartbeat that is awash with the beats and rhythms of Samba - its all very fantastic and completely uncontrived.
I also went to Maracana to watch a Flamengo futebol match. Maracana is a massive stadium and the day we went the crowd on hand was nowhere near capacity. Actually, It was probly around 10-15 percent full. The place was basically empty, OK? It didn't matter, because the few people that were there were the core Flamengo fans and they made more noise than I can remember a crowd ever making. If Maracana is this loud now, I wonder how loud and festive it is when its full of people? Nossa! They chant "Mennnngo, Mennnngo!" and have a sort of batteria/drum team that sounds a lot like cannon fire. Boom boom boom, and people dance in the aisles, on their chairs, everywhere. Incredible. Flamengo won. Again, the rhythms and celebrations are all very raw, and becomes clear that the Brazillians are very rich with music heritage and the festivities simply amplify the music that pulses through their veins. Its pure passion, and it's a damn beautiful thing. Beleza!
The night before, I was having a great steak dinner at Sasha's (lose the damn butter knives though!) and we were told that there'd be a great night of World Cup action the next day at Zapatas when Brazil meets Austrailia. Ok, pencil it in. I'm not really all that into places where men dance on the bar though, so it looks like I'm gonna have to make an exception to go watch the Brazil match at Zapatas.
What an exception.
We arrived early, hours before the match, and there were already some Brazillian style festivities in the courtyard. I remember seeing those gorgeous Samba dancers from the Carnaval party earlier this year... They really lit up the place, and talk about corpo quente (hot body!)! Opa! I don't know her name, but she's great, and she sure can move -- A true Rainha de Carnaval here in Shanghai. Yes, the Brasileiras were out in force that night. Brazil went on to win the match, but to me the outcome was more or less inconsequential because *being there* brought me back just for a moment to Rio de Janeiro and the parties at Lapa and Maracana -- the rhythm of Samba, the loud and festive spirit, complete with plenty of smiles and that unmistakeable Brazillian passion.
Passion: Get some!
As Brazil moves through the World Cup into the next round, look for the Shanghai Brazillians to turn up the heat with their passion for the game. When I lived in Rio my girlfriend took time to explain something to me about the Brazillian mentality. She said that there's basically 2 national pastimes that are actually borderline obsessions in Brazil: Futebol, and bunda (ass!). How could you not love that?!!
Anyways, I'm not sure which other bars if any will be offering up Brazil theme nights during their matches. Bring on the passion! I'm thinking about Brazillian BBQ, maybe some feijoada, choppes, and Forro or Pagodge music, and of course all the Brazillian party people. If you know if or where this is happening would you *puhlease* invite me. 'brigado vc, tchau, abracos beijooo...
what ever it is = they must be doing something right. Unlike most other spots in SH, it has the ladies on ladies-night. And the men accordingly. Every week, month after month, for more then 2 years now this place is repeating the oldest trick in the F&B industry. And people still go. Sure, reading the above statements from the women makes you think all the men there are horny drunk dogs. Which is spot-on. But as long as the girls are there, so will the dogs. BTW; the food is good. Good enough to occasionally plan dinner there. Serving a shot of tequilla with the mains is shear brilliance. Now we're talking!
I had a great time...the salsa night was actually decent. The music they played was pretty current..played great hits..NOt like salsa in Colombia...but i heard the salsa scene is gettin better..Really fun to go to..the drinks are a little weak
We only went to Zapata's for one reason: MEXICAN FOOD. The most difficult part for us was actually getting into Zapata's. There was a big gate with a sign on it that said to use the other entrance through Sasha's Restaurant. So we had to walk through a restaurant fool of people and then through the back patio area and finally we got to Zapata's. We were the only customers there on a Saturday afternoon but we figured it was because it was so difficult to actually get to. But the food was worth it. My friend and I were craving nachos and once again, they don't compare to the Mexican food back home but it at least it wasn't the local Chinese food. I ordered the beef taco and enchilada combo and it came with rice and beans and was delicious!! They are very generous with the salsa and sour cream too. The price wasn't too bad either.
it's true, man.
zapata's is the magnet for italian and german twats looking for a piece of cheap ass. i had a good time laughing in there, truly pathetic!
One of the cool things about Zapata鈥檚 is that all kinds of different people go there. It鈥檚 a great place to unwind- hanging out in the garden, getting plastered in the patio bar or cutting loose dancing on the bar, there鈥檚 something for everyone. Regarding the post above I have to say I could make a lot of generalizations about you as well. How you are antisocial because maybe you were mistreated as a child or scorned by men because you are so jaded. The fact is that well over a thousand people go to Zapata鈥檚 on ladies night and weekends. If you are correct at all about these guys you met, it is a very small part of what goes on there. Next time why don't you go to a dyke bar and complain about men. You'll probably find lots of interesting people like yourself. Oops, did I make an unfair accusation about you?
I went to zapatas for the first time last week and ervrybody was telling me how cool it was... the truth is, that it seems as if all german expats and internships meet there just to feel part of something big. every single one of them at that place is a total looser, having no friends from where they are originally from and now -in the big city- gaining some self respect out of the anonymity, and pretending to be one of the 'cool' guys although in class they were always bullied nerds.
Look at the way they dance and ull kno im rite...
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