Quick Take
While Zolina Zeravica is aiming to keep what’s made Tortilla Flats a local fave, the longtime employee-turned-owner has given the Soquel Mexican restaurant a colorful paint job and has added new cocktails and tequila tastings to the menu.
This story was originally featured in this week’s Lily Belli on Food newsletter. Be first the first to hear about food and drink news in Santa Cruz County — sign up for Lily’s email newsletter here and text alerts here.
For over 40 years, Tortilla Flats has been serving up enchiladas, margaritas and more in Soquel Village. It’s an institution. When longtime employee Zolina Zeravica took the restaurant over, preserving its culture was important to her — but it also needed a little bit of an upgrade.
“I’m trying to put my heart and soul into it,” said Zeravica, who had worked at Tortilla Flats for over 25 years before she took over the business and the building in 2022 (with help from her parents).
After navigating through COVID-19 and this winter’s storms, now she’s putting her focus on balancing keeping things the same while also putting her own spin on the restaurant. Recently, the restaurant’s exterior got a new paint job and now sports a colorful mural by artist brothers Kays and Adel Larbi, who also painted the mural on Live Oak Supermarket.
“It’s definitely been a lot more work … it’s a whole new ballgame,” said Zeravica of her transition from server to co-owner/manager. “My goal is to stay open, provide patio service and [serve] the same menu, to keep this favorite Soquel spot open for everyone.”
To help bring more people in, she’s also adding new cocktails and events to the table. That includes a new monthly tequila tasting series. This month, she’ll host representatives from Patron for an intimate tasting of three high-end tequilas with 10 guests on June 20. The tasting runs $40-50 per person, and includes chips and salsa, with an informational session about the tequilas. The restaurant hosted its first tequila tasting earlier this year and will be doing one every third Tuesday of the month, Zeravica said. Interested in checking one out? Call the restaurant at 831-476-1754 to sign up.
