Tasty Tacos
The shrimp tacos were called some of the best reviewers had eaten, while beef, fish and chicken tacos also receive praise.
Zoco
Business Bay
Zoco is a Mexican restaurant on the 7th floor of V Hotel Dubai in Business Bay, serving reimagined Mexican dishes alongside cocktails and other drinks. Reviews make it especially appealing for mariachi or live-music evenings, with standouts including shrimp tacos and a well-liked tres leches cake.
Reputation Score
4.2
★★★★☆
625 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Live Music
Mariachi performances, Latin beats and live bands give the restaurant a more eventful evening than a standard hotel dining room.
Attentive Service
Several diners describe warm, accommodating service, including staff who worked with the chef around a group’s vegetarian and Jain requirements.
Creative Drinks
The margarita concept and wider cocktail menu stand out, including themed drinks such as After Life served in a Dia De Los Muertos skull cup.
Relaxed Setting
Some reviews mention relaxed evenings, window views and music quiet enough to hold a conversation.
Brunch Format
The Arriba Arriba Friday brunch has table-served appetisers, buffet mains and desserts, live taco preparation and a churros trolley.
What to Eat at Zoco How we choose these items We use AI to find praise and criticism of specific foods and drinks in a selection of Google reviews. For Zoco, this list is based on 50 reviews, not every review of the restaurant. The score is positive reviews minus negative reviews. For example, two positive reviews and one negative review give +1. Each review counts once per item; neutral comments do not change the score. A zero score is not a positive recommendation. “Only neutral feedback” means there are no positive or negative votes. “Mixed feedback” means equal numbers of positive and negative votes. The quotes are examples of what people said, not every comment we counted. We use different reviews where we can. We normally show up to 10 foods and 5 drinks with non-negative scores. Items with the same score stay together. If a tied group would go past the limit, that group and the lower non-negative scores go into Honorable mentions. If an overflowing positive top tie would leave the list empty, we show up to 10 items from that tie and keep the rest in Honorable mentions. Foods and drinks with a negative score are under What to Avoid. Use this as a guide to what reviewers liked, not a guarantee that you will like it too.
These items at Zoco got the most positive mentions in user reviews. Check them out!
Food 10
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Bbq style meal Net +1
“They wait until 3 to bring out a BBQ style meal with fish and steak which was very nice but by that time you’ve eaten and had your limited desert options.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“They wait until 3 to bring out a BBQ style meal with fish and steak which was very nice but by that time you’ve eaten and had your limited desert options.”April 2018
-
Beef tacos Net +1
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”September 2021
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Black beans soup Net +1
“The food is very delicious and I usually go for the favourites, tacos and black beans soup. Plus some great fajitas.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The food is very delicious and I usually go for the favourites, tacos and black beans soup. Plus some great fajitas.”November 2019
-
Burrito Net +1
“Great food, great service! The nachos with the steak was delicious and the burrito was also very nice!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Great food, great service! The nachos with the steak was delicious and the burrito was also very nice!”October 2025
-
Cassava bread Net +1
“Only the cassava bread was really good & hot.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Only the cassava bread was really good & hot.”March 2025
-
Ceviche Net +1
“Quite nice margaritas. Delicious ceviche! However must comment on the “mexican platter dish for 2”. Not appetizing at all, full of deep fried, greasy and cheesy options. We had hard time to enjoy it. Dish lacks fresh ingredients like salad/ sliced vegetables and fresh salsas. Not worth over 200aed.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Quite nice margaritas. Delicious ceviche! However must comment on the “mexican platter dish for 2”. Not appetizing at all, full of deep fried, greasy and cheesy options. We had hard time to enjoy it. Dish lacks fresh ingredients like salad/ sliced vegetables and fresh salsas. Not worth over 200aed.”December 2019
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Chicken pastor tacos Net +1
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”November 2021
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Chicken tacos Net +1
“I recommend trying the guacamole, chicken tacos & the snapper ceviche from the salad station, and leave space for the churros trolley .... yes they’re passed around on a trolley throughout the brunch.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I recommend trying the guacamole, chicken tacos & the snapper ceviche from the salad station, and leave space for the churros trolley .... yes they’re passed around on a trolley throughout the brunch.”September 2019
-
Chili con carne Net +1
“I ordered the Chili con carne it was so yummy I ended up ordering it the next 4 nights I went there.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered the Chili con carne it was so yummy I ended up ordering it the next 4 nights I went there.”January 2019
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Donut Net +1
“- Churros - Everyone loves it, but this one is on a different level. Crunchy, light tasting for me best paired with their dulce de leche, not too sweet just right amount of sweetness, same goes with their donut, i can eat it even without any sauce, lil crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“- Churros - Everyone loves it, but this one is on a different level. Crunchy, light tasting for me best paired with their dulce de leche, not too sweet just right amount of sweetness, same goes with their donut, i can eat it even without any sauce, lil crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.”July 2019
Honorable mentions (13)
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Fidoe Net +1
“Fidoe (noodles with black ink and calamari) is a must try.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Fidoe (noodles with black ink and calamari) is a must try.”February 2018
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Fish tacos Net +1
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”September 2021
-
Guac - bandera Net +1
“What we ordered: Guac - Bandera – Like Mama used to make it! Salad - Mexican Fajita Salad with Chicken Quesadillas with Beef El Loco drink”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“What we ordered: Guac - Bandera – Like Mama used to make it! Salad - Mexican Fajita Salad with Chicken Quesadillas with Beef El Loco drink”August 2021
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Ifthar set menu Net +1
“We had the Ifthar set menu and it was really delicious.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We had the Ifthar set menu and it was really delicious.”May 2021
-
Nachos with the steak Net +1
“Great food, great service! The nachos with the steak was delicious and the burrito was also very nice!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Great food, great service! The nachos with the steak was delicious and the burrito was also very nice!”October 2025
-
Octopus tostada Net +1
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“All dishes we tried were very good. I loved the tacos! I had the beef, shrimp, fish tacos! Also tried the octopus tostada which was awesome.”September 2021
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Roast chicken Net +1
“It was very good food, especially the roast chicken was very yummy.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“It was very good food, especially the roast chicken was very yummy.”March 2019
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Snapper ceviche Net +1
“I recommend trying the guacamole, chicken tacos & the snapper ceviche from the salad station, and leave space for the churros trolley .... yes they’re passed around on a trolley throughout the brunch.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I recommend trying the guacamole, chicken tacos & the snapper ceviche from the salad station, and leave space for the churros trolley .... yes they’re passed around on a trolley throughout the brunch.”September 2019
-
Spicy tuna guacamole Net +1
“The flavour of the spicy tuna guacamole was very good, and like nothing we’ve ever tasted before.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The flavour of the spicy tuna guacamole was very good, and like nothing we’ve ever tasted before.”November 2024
-
Sweet potato fries Net +1
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”November 2021
-
Their own guacamole Net +1
“- Fresh nachos with their own guacamole - Nice crunchy nachos with their unique tasting guacamole as you can also taste the sourness from the lemon aside from the avocado.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“- Fresh nachos with their own guacamole - Nice crunchy nachos with their unique tasting guacamole as you can also taste the sourness from the lemon aside from the avocado.”July 2019
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Tres leches cake Net +1
“But the tres leches cake was phenomenal”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“But the tres leches cake was phenomenal”July 2025
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Vegetarian quesadillas Net +1
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Food: I’ve got no words! We tried their guacamole - loco, everybody’s favourite., vegetarian quesadillas, sweet potato fries, and chicken pastor tacos. All of them were out of the world! 🤩”November 2021
Drinks 2
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Berry cocktail Net +1
“- For the drinks I highly recommend their berry cocktail, refreshing and appetizing at the same time, i prefer a little less of sweetsness tho to make it so perfect.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“- For the drinks I highly recommend their berry cocktail, refreshing and appetizing at the same time, i prefer a little less of sweetsness tho to make it so perfect.”July 2019
-
Classic margarita Net +1
“Drinks: I had a classic margarita which was good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Drinks: I had a classic margarita which was good.”November 2021
What to Avoid (5)
Food 3
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Beef tataki Net −1
“In addition, the beef tataki dish was minuscule, with tiny rolled up beef curls.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“In addition, the beef tataki dish was minuscule, with tiny rolled up beef curls.”November 2024
-
Mexican platter dish for 2 Net −1
“Quite nice margaritas. Delicious ceviche! However must comment on the “mexican platter dish for 2”. Not appetizing at all, full of deep fried, greasy and cheesy options. We had hard time to enjoy it. Dish lacks fresh ingredients like salad/ sliced vegetables and fresh salsas. Not worth over 200aed.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“Quite nice margaritas. Delicious ceviche! However must comment on the “mexican platter dish for 2”. Not appetizing at all, full of deep fried, greasy and cheesy options. We had hard time to enjoy it. Dish lacks fresh ingredients like salad/ sliced vegetables and fresh salsas. Not worth over 200aed.”December 2019
-
Tortilla chips Net −1
“The tortilla chips was not even warm.”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The tortilla chips was not even warm.”March 2025
Drinks 2
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Martini Net −1
“The place with the bartender who has no idea how to make a martini !”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“The place with the bartender who has no idea how to make a martini !”November 2025
-
Virgin passion fruit margarita Net −1
“My friends ordered the virgin passion fruit margarita. It tasked me more mango than passion fruit which was a disappointment. Otherwise, all good!”
Positive 0Negative 1
Critical review excerpts
“My friends ordered the virgin passion fruit margarita. It tasked me more mango than passion fruit which was a disappointment. Otherwise, all good!”November 2021
Tips for a Better Visit
Try Tuesday. Ask whether the Taco Tuesday deal is running: one reviewer reported tacos for 10dhs and margaritas for 35.
Check Promotions. Before paying, ask whether a credit-card promotion is available; a reviewer said discounts made the visit more worthwhile.
Use Valet. For drivers, valet parking was reported as available outside the restaurant.
Save Dessert. Leave room for dessert, especially the tres leches cake, which one diner described as phenomenal.
Plan the visit
Practical details
V Hotel, Al Habtoor City - 260 Sheikh Zayed Rd - 7th Floor
Business Bay, Dubai
Common Concerns
Mixed Authenticity
Some diners found the food more Tex-Mex than Mexican, with over-sauced dishes and flavours they considered inauthentic.
Small Starters
One review found the guacamole and beef tataki portions unusually small for an above-average-priced restaurant.
Uneven Cocktails
Reviews mention a poor margarita, a failed martini and mezcal being unavailable on one visit.
Slow Service
Service has sometimes taken too long, including a group meal where food arrived cold and late despite few occupied tables.
Loud Nights
Live music and performances can become loud enough to make conversation difficult, although other visits found the volume comfortable.
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Zoco is a Mexican restaurant on the seventh floor of V Hotel Dubai in Business Bay, suited to dinners where drinks and entertainment matter as much as the meal. You can order tacos, quesadillas, guacamole and fajitas, or visit for the Arriba Arriba Friday brunch, which has buffet-style mains and desserts, live taco preparation and a churros trolley. Food is uneven by reviewer account.
Shrimp tacos, chicken pastor tacos, steak nachos, quesadillas and tres leches cake have all earned specific praise, while other diners found the cooking more Tex-Mex than Mexican or criticised cold food, ready-made sauces and small starters. The safest approach is to ask about current dishes and portion sizes rather than assume every plate will land equally well. The setting can shift considerably.
Mariachi, Latin music and live bands create a lively party atmosphere, but one family found a performance too loud for conversation; other guests found the music perfectly balanced. Cocktails are often well received, though margaritas and martinis have also drawn criticism, and mezcal was unavailable on one visit. Ask about Taco Tuesday or card promotions before ordering.
Valet parking has been mentioned, and the restaurant can accommodate dietary requests, though a large vegetarian group reported a slow, disappointing meal.