Abelardo Mexican Fresh

One of the spots I like to hit up when I'm in town. Close to…read morewhere I train so it always tastes better when you are starving. Great service and great tasting food!

6/27/26. Yelp reviews looked good but all were over 5 years old. Pulled in parking lot and wasn't…read moresure about going in because the outside looked rough!! Decided to go for it anyway. Was only one other person waiting for there to go food. Chips and salsa are $2. Chips are thick/crunchy and taste homemade. Two salsas are given, verde (hot) and roja (slightly sweet with a kick of heat at the end). I ordered a Sope with carnitas. Wife ordered Gorditas. Waited for about 25 mins. A little long considering we were the only people in there at that point. But I hoped that meant it was being made from scratch. Food arrived, it looked delicious! Both of our first bites were heaven! Sope had a thick fluffy masa cake base with the most tender roasted slightly seasoned carnitas. Topped with a soft kind of white bean, a few sliced tomatoes, a few onions, shredded cabbage and salty cotija cheese. Very filling. Wife's Gorditas were three small masa cake shells stuffed with moist shredded dark meat chicken. And the same topping as mine. We both thoroughly enjoyed our food!!Would stop back again when I town.

Decals

Exterior - please enter!

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Front door

Lina's Mexican Food

3.3(73 reviews)

1.9 mi

Looking for a late night authentic Mexican food? This is the place to be! They even have a drive…read morethrough! Seriously recommend the menudo! It's a seasoned tomato based soup with beef, tendon, and stomach. It comes with a side of toppings with onions, cilantro, chili peppers, and lime. It's savory and tangy! The portion sizes are large! So be aware of that, unless you order tacos and they are regular street taco sized. We also got steak tacos and the meat was perfectly grilled, tender, and seasoned! It's not bland and the cilantro and onions to top is perfect. Is it a first date kind of place? No. But it does have great late night bites! Will definitely come again.

I got e. Coli from eating here!!!! This place will make you sick. There are much better Mexican…read moreplaces to choose from.

Menu

Burrito meal

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Burrito meal

Toro Loco

4.5(13 reviews)

7.3 mi

I had the Tacos Alambres, and they were amazing. Great flavors, and the portions were huge. Staff…read morewas very friendly and attentive. The restaurant looks very nice, with the murals on the walls and other Mexican decorations.

Had driven by multiple times decided to stop for dinner on a Friday night and sure glad I did…read more Very attentive server with a cool setup inside of the restaurant. Our table ordered : Chrriopollo - was best I've had in metro Chicken enchilada- feedback was very good Watermelon margarita - could tell was fresh not syrup One additional observation was the meal wasn't dripping in cheese / sour cream / slop like many metro Mexican restaurant rather the flavors spoke for themselves Overall Toro Loco will be in our rotation for future stops.

Tacos and margarita

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Steak Mexicano

Fernando's Mexican Grill

4.3(118 reviews)

3.0 mi

Traveling through and thought we'd try it. Really fresh ingredients (made each tortilla for our…read moretacos while we watched). Not super fast because of this, but good.

Food is good but the service from the owners not professional. My friend and I came to grab some…read moreextra food during our lunch break. We both work at the mall. My friend bought a flour tortilla got the discount and I did not. I got a corn steak taco to add to my salad I brought from home and I stated I could not eat flour because I have allergy. The lady then proceeds to put my friends flour tortilla over my box. We both were wearing our store uniform. I didn't even get a chance to say anything about my discount because he walked away from the register as I was about to pay. I don't see myself coming back if the owners are working. Their workers are a lot friendlier and don't give us the cold shoulder for ordering sides. Just not okay because we are still paying customers at the end of the day.

Chicken torta & steak burrito

Vegan burrito is packed with goodness!

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Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

4.4(85 reviews)

7.3 mi

Locally owned & operated

Family-owned & operated

Two entrees that I love to try across the Des Moines Area are cheesy nachos with jalapeños and Al…read morePastor street tacos. Fiesta has very good nachos, but need to marinate their pork more so the "Al Pastor" street tacos are soft, tender and very tasty - my portion was a little tough even though the chopped grilled pineapple was good. The service was quick and the atmosphere on pickup was electrifying.

Was in Des Moines over the weekend and ordered shrimp tacos and fish tacos and fresh guacamole!!!…read moreSo so great!!!

Pineapple Glow Margarita

Iowa Harvest Taco Salad (Locally sourced beef from Ory Brother's Beef in Earlham, IA)

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Smash Burger Tacos (Locally sourced beef from Ory Brother's Beef in Earlham, IA)

Bar Nico

4.5(65 reviews)

0.8 mi

Bar Nico had a couple of very nice appetizers and two very good drinks. I tried the Ceviche…read moreSangria and Nico Chip and Salsa appetizers. The ceviche had a very nice spicy heat to it and some other nice flavors to go along with it. The chips and salsa came out warm with four different types of salsa. All the salsas had a nice taste. I did however end up mixing the salsas together. . I also tried the smokey old fashioned and the pineapple margarita. Both drinks had great flavor and the old fashioned even had a bite. Nice job.

I am currently in Spain for the second time this year and let me just say that the chocolate and…read moregluten-free churros that I had at Bar Nico in Des Moines, Iowa of all places were the best I've had - far better than any of the chocolate I've ever had in Spain hands down. I honestly don't know how this place is in business with their incredibly affordable Happy Hour. We nearly got one of everything because it was in the $5-7 range for each dish. Even their normal prices are fantastic for meals. We definitely enjoyed the chicken wings and I loved the black squid ink tortillas that were part of the chimichangas. We loved basically everything we ordered and it was so nice that the entire menu was naturally gluten-free as a celiac. I live in Vegas and have talked about flying back to Iowa specifically so that we can eat here again, that's how much we liked it. Service was fast and polite, the ambiance felt moody and cool. Visited: November 2025

Basque Cheesecake

Coconut Cream Flan

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Nico's Chips & Salsa

Casa Agave Mexican Cuisine

4.2(25 reviews)

6.2 mi

casa agave is very underrated. the salsa is perfect and the…read morebirria ramen was massive plus is came with a birria taco as well. the staff was so kind and provided fast and polite service. the restaurant is very spacious and the music was at a perfect volume. no complaints!

We've been looking for a New Mexican place. I feel many just opened in our area so have Casa Agave…read morea try. This place is usually busy, but quick and attentive. There's a bar you can sit it or tables. Mexican music is on the radio and TVs. They bring chips and salsa and we ordered the queso dip. Always delicious and huge. My son got the seafood and rice. It's a lot but he can eat it. I think I'll get the pineapple fajitas every time. Made two more meals for me as leftovers. So good and delicious. I'll be back and you should too!!!

Birria Tacos

Pitcher of margaritas

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Pollo con cameron (chicken with shrimp), rice, beans, and salad.

Ta'Chido Cantina

2.7(6 reviews)

1.4 mi

This place is a joke . Went in to eat and get a margarita walk through the front door nobody was…read morearound sat there for 10 minutes some guy showed up and accused of breaking in because they was closed on Mondays . Sure as hell won't go back there again . Who leaves the front door unlocked and then he uses somebody of breaking in a business . He asked do we always walk right in on a business and I said hell yeah we do if it's a business and the door is unlocked you walk in

Stopped in at the spur of the moment during Happy Hour on Saturday. Happy hour specials were…read moreamazing. The margaritas on the happy hour menu weren't very tasty, so we switched to long island iced tea. The Carne Asada Fries were delicious. Our waitress was pulling double duty as bartender too and absolutely crushing it!!!

Mexican Street Corn

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Faustinos Taqueria

4.7(37 reviews)

4.9 mi

My last review was two years ago. The parking is good and accessible. Its a family owned place and…read morethe staff are friendly and always helpful. They still make their own salsas of differing heat and flavors. Its a all day taco spot .Their Birra is homemade and excellent as well as all their taco fillings being homemadeand fresh. Their chips are homemade and served warm. They make a wonderful homemade hibiscus tea. They also have Jarrittos pop. Its a cheerful place with wonderful murals.

What a hidden gem! Tucked away in a strip mall in a quiet Beaverdale neighborhood, it's easy to…read moreoverlook. I stopped for a quick lunch on a Tuesday. Taco Tuesday specials so I was able to get 2 fully loaded delicious tacos for $7. The meal included a few bites of potatoes and onions (just enough) and a small basket of chips. Great deal and good food. Only one note: they do not have any free items to drink. Bottled water is available for purchase.

When you walk in and where you order.

Sauces. Loved all of them

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Vampiro taco! So good!

Coa Cantina

3.9(63 reviews)

0.8 mi

My cousin recommended this place for margaritas. I was talking about licking tajin on the rim of my…read morecup and she brought me here. Nice vibe when we walked in, bar side was dark yet intimate. The patio was nice and well lit, weather was nice so it was perfect to sit outside. I heard there's an upstairs dining area but was closed when we were there. I checked out the food menu and looks delicious, however we already ate dinner and was there for drinks. I'll have to come back to try the food next time.

Drinks good. Spent $87.00 on margarita and Asul tequila . 2 drinks. Obvious the bartender hates…read moremen.

Admiring the grass wall

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Best Paloma in Des Moines

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2 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Jerrod G.

132

28

6

2 years ago

Sooooo GOOOD, a must have if you're in the area for sure:) can't wait to be back in town hopefully just for them!

Riley H.

0

4

0

4 years ago

The food here was bussin and the waiter named Jesus M was super cool.

Abelardo Mexican Fresh - mexican - Updated September 2026

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Tasty Tacos

3.5

(122 reviews)

This place is what I would consider, along with my associates, a great fine dining establishment…read more The original flower tacos are like gods gift to this earth along with their chips and queso. The chips and queso was a genuinely life changing experience. The service was top tier and unmatched to other places. Tim 10/10 would recommend to a Victorian era child

The taco I had was not for me. It is definitely an acquired taste. I am glad I only ordered one…read more I did like that the flour taco shell was freshly fried. I didn't care for the beans in my taco. I would have asked they be removed if I had known. It isn't listed on the menu that they are in the taco. They must have given me the spicy salsa. Or their mild is spicy. Not sure but it wasn't worth the effort to ask since the employees were focused on doing closing chores. The queso tastes straight up like melted American cheese. It isn't worth the calories. No razzamatazz in that queso. They don't advertise that it does have it either. The environment wasn't overly welcoming. The crew was more concerned with getting their side work done and it was two hours before closing. Parts of the lobby were shut down. It is fast food so ambiance is not a big factor to the experience for this genre in general.

Lina's Mexican Food

3.3

(73 reviews)

Looking for a late night authentic Mexican food? This is the place to be! They even have a drive…read morethrough! Seriously recommend the menudo! It's a seasoned tomato based soup with beef, tendon, and stomach. It comes with a side of toppings with onions, cilantro, chili peppers, and lime. It's savory and tangy! The portion sizes are large! So be aware of that, unless you order tacos and they are regular street taco sized. We also got steak tacos and the meat was perfectly grilled, tender, and seasoned! It's not bland and the cilantro and onions to top is perfect. Is it a first date kind of place? No. But it does have great late night bites! Will definitely come again.

I got e. Coli from eating here!!!! This place will make you sick. There are much better Mexican…read moreplaces to choose from.

Tacos Mariana's

4.2

(196 reviews)

One of the spots I like to hit up when I'm in town. Close to…read morewhere I train so it always tastes better when you are starving. Great service and great tasting food!

6/27/26. Yelp reviews looked good but all were over 5 years old. Pulled in parking lot and wasn't…read moresure about going in because the outside looked rough!! Decided to go for it anyway. Was only one other person waiting for there to go food. Chips and salsa are $2. Chips are thick/crunchy and taste homemade. Two salsas are given, verde (hot) and roja (slightly sweet with a kick of heat at the end). I ordered a Sope with carnitas. Wife ordered Gorditas. Waited for about 25 mins. A little long considering we were the only people in there at that point. But I hoped that meant it was being made from scratch. Food arrived, it looked delicious! Both of our first bites were heaven! Sope had a thick fluffy masa cake base with the most tender roasted slightly seasoned carnitas. Topped with a soft kind of white bean, a few sliced tomatoes, a few onions, shredded cabbage and salty cotija cheese. Very filling. Wife's Gorditas were three small masa cake shells stuffed with moist shredded dark meat chicken. And the same topping as mine. We both thoroughly enjoyed our food!!Would stop back again when I town.

Los Laureles

3.6

(99 reviews)

Ordered online and said food would be ready at 9:15pm, got there and went inside. I left at 9:45pm…read more Got home and ate. They ignored me and my girlfriends special instructions AND THE FOOD WAS BLAND (salt would go a long way) but that's not the worst of it. We order Quaso dip with our chips and we got SHREDDED CHEESE INSTEAD????? Best part of my order was the salsa and the pico.

Open later than most on weekends which is so convenient! Food is always great. I judge by the Chile…read morerelleno.. lol.. if I hate it I won't eat anything else from a restaurant. I've eaten here for years and always better than any other last night spot

Taco Casa

3.3

(77 reviews)

I was so excited to come back here because this was one of my favorite childhood restaurants. I…read morehadn't been in years and decided to order my usual, even buying two because I remembered how much I loved them. Unfortunately, I had no idea the ownership and ingredients had changed. The food tasted nothing like it used to and was honestly disappointing. I ended up throwing one away and giving the other to someone else because I couldn't eat it. What made the experience even worse was that after I explained the issue, no one offered to remake my order, provide a refund, or offer any kind of solution. I understand recipes and ownership can change over time, but customer service shouldn't. Sadly, this visit didn't live up to the memories I had, and I don't see myself coming back.

About a year(ish) ago Taco Casa changed ownership and went through a remodel…read more If you're not familiar with Taco Casa... It's been around for about a hundred years. It's located in the triangle at MLK and Douglas. And it's easily one of the most divisive restaurants in the metro. People either LOVE Taco Casa or they HATE it. Lol They gave me a reminder of how much I miss this place. In the past this used to be regular stop for me. I've eaten hundreds if not a thousand chicken soft tacos with onion... But I've neglected it since the ownership change. Any military veteran will probably tell you... "NEVER wash my coffee cup!" When you knock off the primer (the stain) it ruins the taste the coffee. I'd heard about the staffing changes and the remodel and couldn't help but think... How can you do all that and not compromise some of the flavor? I don't do change well. There are certain expectations. It's like Waffle House. If I walk into a Waffle House and don't get "Hey Honey!" or "What can I get you Sweetheart?" by a server that's missing a few teeth and who can fit into something smaller than a size 18... I'm out. Well... Everything I'd heard was true. The place looked great! The rotunda has been remodeled. No more raggedy booths it's all low and high top tables now. I bet it doesn't even leak any more... They have a brand new point of sale system and a fountain soda machine just to the Left of the front counter. The menu board is electronic...not plastic with modular letters and numbers. Even though the hot sauces taste the same it's no longer serve yourself from the squeeze bottles in the ice bucket. They give the red and green to you in individual cups. No more chili dogs and they've added fajitas and a couple other items to the menu. I ordered two chicken soft tacos with onion and a large Coke. $17 and change before tip. They offer a 15% discount for military and veterans now... I didn't notice this signage until after our transaction had been completed. No biggie. I'll remember it next time. That's a great thing for the owners to offer especially being just downhill from the VA Hospital! The wait seemed much shorter than many of my previous trips. They called my name and I went up and took my tray and headed to a table. The moment of truth... Did taking the primer off ruin the taste? Other than getting sour cream that I didn't ask for... They were delicious! And I don't mind sour cream so that's all good. The chicken still has that shredded texture I love. The cheese melts in your mouth and accentuates the taste. Add the green! And they were wet! Some people probably don't like how much they drip, but it's part of the Taco Casa experience! With the chicken you have to do the lean like eating a proper Italian Beef that's been dipped. You eat completely over the tray so you don't open your shirt up as collateral damage... But they were OH SO good! Same great taste. The only thing I regret is that it's been a year+ since my last visit to Taco Casa. Now I'll level with you on something. The ONLY thing I normally eat here is the chicken items. Under the old ownership there was something about the ground beef grind/texture that I didn't care for. BUT other people really like some of those ground beef items. I didn't try a beef item today. That may have changed under the new ownership. But you're on your own. I will say you can't go wrong with the chicken soft tacos...! Oh and I forgot to mention... If $17 seems expensive for two soft tacos and a large Coke. Those tacos are about the size of a swaddled newborn baby. One would be more than enough for most people. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551371055892 https://www.clover.com/online-ordering/taco-casa-des-moines

Fernando's Mexican Grill

4.3

(118 reviews)

Traveling through and thought we'd try it. Really fresh ingredients (made each tortilla for our…read moretacos while we watched). Not super fast because of this, but good.

Food is good but the service from the owners not professional. My friend and I came to grab some…read moreextra food during our lunch break. We both work at the mall. My friend bought a flour tortilla got the discount and I did not. I got a corn steak taco to add to my salad I brought from home and I stated I could not eat flour because I have allergy. The lady then proceeds to put my friends flour tortilla over my box. We both were wearing our store uniform. I didn't even get a chance to say anything about my discount because he walked away from the register as I was about to pay. I don't see myself coming back if the owners are working. Their workers are a lot friendlier and don't give us the cold shoulder for ordering sides. Just not okay because we are still paying customers at the end of the day.

Pancheros Mexican Grill - West Des Moines

4.1

(54 reviews)

Greetings all who is reading my excerpt it is Thaddeus once again. I have come to give my honest…read morerating for this fine establishment. If you recall my first rating, you can recall I was not very happy with my time. With great joy and happiness I can say for sure, that this was one of the best experiences I've ever had at a restaurant. This is due to the idea and the concept of shrimp in this establishment, me and my contemporary, Fredrick, had a great time consuming this fine food. The service was quick and good as always, the ambiance was just what I was looking for on this fine cool Monday afternoon. In conclusion this fine establishment has made up for its last transgression against me 10/10 would come again. Thaddeus

Chicken, Pork or Beef are great options for your Bowl that is loaded with rice with plenty of tasty…read moresides to select. As you enter you are greeted with HOLA! The wrap around windows in the seating area is spacious and comfortable with a quiet view of the scenic green space and traffic.

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant

3.1

(66 reviews)

My husband, mother in law, and myself ended up leaving after 45 minutes and only received drinks,…read morechips, salsa, and cheese dip. Needless to say we paid a little over $12 and left. Very disappointed

We've been wanting to try this out for a while, and I must say, the pricing is extremely lovely and…read morefor the mass amount of food it was great! Our service was super friendly and food came out hot and fast. We both ordered margaritas, and their mango habanero is not for the faint of heart! Enjoyed our experience thoroughly and would recommend again!! Ambiance and decor is a little outdated, and our seats were a lil sticky, but I can look past that!!

Pueblo Viejo

3.6

(77 reviews)

Solid place. Design leads to casual Mexican atmosphere…read more We were seated immediately, drinks and food were served very promptly...Great service! Seafood Chimichanga and Asada Burrito were both good and very reasonably priced for such a good portion.

Best authenic mexican food and ABSOLUTELY BEST MARGARITA'S! Fast service, also! Booths are great…read morefor great evening experience! Ambiance is great with mexican art and music!

Viva la Bamba

3.4

(64 reviews)