Zanz Mexican Restaurant

08/20/2026

Classics never go out of style 😎

08/05/2026

Meet John.

Every year for the past 40 years, he’s made the nearly 700 mile motorcycle ride from Kentucky to Mankato.

We asked if he had family here.

He smiled and said yes… but they know Zanz comes first. 🌯🏍️

John will be stopping in each day this week, so if you see him, be sure to say hello. He’s become part of the Zanz tradition just as much as we’ve become part of his.

Thanks for making us your first stop every year, John. Ride safe, and we’ll see you again next summer. ❤️

07/30/2026

Interested in some history?

Grateful to be here thanks to generations of loyal fans ❤️

The old Zantigo started life in Minneapolis in 1969 under a completely different name, Zapata, founded by Marno McDermott, who'd go on to co-found another Mexican chain, Chi-Chi's, a few years later. Zapata built its identity around Mexican revolutionary imagery, the name itself a nod to Emiliano Zapata, though after years of complaints from Mexican-American activist groups over that branding, the chain quietly rebranded.

Heublein, the corporate parent of KFC at the time, bought Zapata in 1974, and by 1976 had renamed the whole operation Zantigo, expanding it aggressively across the Midwest through the late 70s and into the 80s. The chain grew to more than 80 locations, becoming a genuine late-night fixture for a full generation of Minnesotans, the kind of place teenagers and college kids ended up after bars closed, chasing the chain's signature Chilito, a simple flour tortilla folded around chili sauce and melted cheese that inspired the kind of loyalty most fast food never manages.

The corporate math that killed it had nothing to do with the food. PepsiCo bought KFC's parent company RJR Nabisco in 1986, and since PepsiCo already owned Taco Bell, a direct Mexican fast food competitor, Zantigo's fate was sealed almost immediately. Most of the roughly 80 remaining locations were either shuttered or converted straight into Taco Bells by 1988, and in a genuinely strange twist, some old Zantigo buildings were actually in better physical shape than nearby Taco Bells, so it was the Taco Bell building that got closed instead in those cases.

One location slipped through the corporate cleanup entirely. The Zantigo in Mankato, a college town where the restaurant did huge business as a post-bar destination, kept operating, but since PepsiCo now controlled the Zantigo name, it had to rebrand under a new one, Zanz, same building, same menu, same Chilito, just a different sign out front. It's still running today, largely unchanged, arguably the most complete surviving piece of the original Zapata-Zantigo interior left anywhere.

The real Zantigo name came back to life in 1999, when former Zantigo managers Don and Kevin Kaelble bought the rights and reopened locations across the Twin Cities, rebuilding the classic menu almost item for item. One of their locations even sits in an original 1970s Zantigo building that had spent the 80s and 90s disguised as a Taco Bell before flipping back. More than fifty years after Marno McDermott opened a small Mexican restaurant under a revolutionary's name, the Chilito is still the top seller, proof that Minnesota never actually stopped wanting it, even during the decade it was legally forced to disappear.

06/03/2026

Family has always been part of the recipe at Zanz.

Since our family purchased the restaurant in 1987, we’ve had parents, children, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews all spend time behind the counter.

This summer marks a special milestone.

Please help us welcome Eithen to the Zanz team. Eithen represents the third generation of our family to work at the restaurant.

Even more special, he’s working alongside his grandmother, Chrissy Simmonds, who continues to be a familiar face here at Zanz.

Seeing multiple generations of the same family working together under one roof is a reminder of what Zanz has always been about. We’re more than a restaurant. We’re a family business, and after nearly 40 years, that tradition continues.

Welcome aboard, Eithen. We’re glad you’re here. 🌯❤️

05/29/2026

Looking for evening hours and a little extra cash?

We’re hiring for night shifts at Zanz!

🕓 Hours: Approximately 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
🌯 Fast paced, fun environment
🤝 Join a local business that’s been part of Mankato for nearly 40 years

Apply online:
www.ZanzMexicanRestaurant.com/jobs

05/05/2026

It’s Cinco de Mayo AND Chilito Tuesday 🤯 We’re rolling! Get here before we sell out 🌯

04/24/2026

There are few better sights (or smells) than fresh chips & cheese from Zanz. 🤤

04/01/2026

🚨 Big news… introducing Zanz+ 🚨

For just $39.99/month, you get:
🌯 1 Chilito every day
⚡ Skip-the-line access
🧀 Exclusive menu perks

Your other subscriptions could never.