Stumbled across this place while visiting from out of town. The restaurant is decorated beautifully and I was seated very quickly. My server was extremely nice and attentive I should have gotten his name. The food was delicious. I got the fajitas plate that normally comes with steak, chicken, shrimp and chorizo I think its called the Fogon. I skipped the steak. Had them add more chorizo and let me tell you, it was sooooooo good. Their margaritas are huge, I chose the Watermelon which was probably the best I've had. Chips and salsa are not my favorite but they are good. I'd definitely go back and just might before I go home. read more

El Fogon - Literally the best watermelon margarita ever. Got mines with patron. - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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It's rainy, cloudy with a bit of a gloomy over caste where you want something sizzling good to take the chill away such as tasty El Fogon Dip, Chips and a creative entree with a marinaded chicken breast topped with mole surrounded with a bed of fresh white rice, broccoli, mushrooms and colorful chopped bell peppers-- simply delicious. The wait staffer was very attentive with check backs to make sure everything was satisfactory. The relaxing atmosphere added a bit of nostalgia of an experience full of south of the boarder intrigue. read more

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I dont normally leave a review after a single visit but this restaurant is close off the interstate so it's easy for travelers to stop in and try out. There were not many people seated when we walked in around 1PM. We were greated quickly and seated. I ordered up a michelada because alot of the time you can tell how awesome the food will be by how they prepare the drinks. From my picture you can see it was an awesome drink with a soft tamarind stick. The food came out very quickly and also tasted great. I cannot wait to stop here again on a trip passing thru Des Moines. read more

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One of my go to places. Convenient location with ample parking. Reasonable prices for their food with delicious salsa. Love the margaritas as well. read more

El Fogon - Piece of menu - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

The food is always so good the staff Is very good quick and speedy service you always have a good time read more

Cute restaurant we discovered by accident. Extensive menu, many vegetarian options, excellent chips and salsa was served quickly. Excellent service. Food was fresh and plentiful. Lots of unique, unexpected options. read more

El Fogon - Burrito Verde and Enfritallatas - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Great ambiance. Gotten to take advantage of the beautiful weather and sit out on the patio. We had no wait and sat right away on a Wed night. We had great service. We were waited on, the food came out fast and tasted great. I recommend this place and the food. I had the shrimp mango and it was just the right amount of sweet kick. read more

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Every visit is 10/10. The menu is extensive but easy to navigate with the basics of tacos, fajitas, burritos, quesadillas, and even salads and a small eggs/breakfast offerings served all day. The servings are huge and for me I can make at least 2 meals from every order. The corn chips and taco shells are homemade in the restaurant. Chips served gratis at the start of a meal are always fresh and crispy. The service is outstanding- always friendly and welcoming and the wait for meals is short. Go tos of mine are the burritos- large flour shell stuffed with meats, shrimp or vegetarian style; the fajitas- so fresh; and the tacos de Barbados. The meats are so tender. There is another El Fogon in West Glen which is also excellent every time. The owner of this restaurant is so friendly and often greets guests. The restaurant is bright and colorful adding a delightful atmosphere to the incredibly delicious food. read more

I came to this restaurant late on a Thursday and they still allowed me to come in even when they were closing in 5 minutes. I ordered and quesadilla and the people were very friendly. The food has great flavor and their portions are no joke! If you are hungry, you definitely need to stop by. When I first moved to Iowa, I came to the restaurant and I had their California burrito and it is served with chicken and steak. Clearly no joke because the portion can feed a T-Rex. If you leave hungry, clearly it is your fault. The house margaritas are good and you won't be disappointed. I will definitely be back! read more

El Fogon - Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Visited this place out of a recommendation by a friend who comes here often. The interior is so colorful and decorated with decorations. They have a patio, booths, and a good amount of seating. All of the staff had masks and gloves on. Their menu is packed with options for everyone. I went with the Tacos Trapicales, which are 3 tacos with pork and pineapple. And it also came with a side of retried beans on a separate plate. I will say, the serving sizes are huge here. When I got my tacos, I was shocked with how much they were able to pack into these tacos while still keeping their shape. I was told they make their taco shells fresh every day and it shows! The put the sauce on the side, btw that makes all the difference. I would say the tacos had more veggies of cabbage, corn, and beans than meat. These tacos were so filling, I'm surprised I ate it all considering I had a tone of chips and queso. I will definitely come back to try more of their menu! You can pay at your table or up front at the cashier. I would say this place is decently priced considering how large the service size is. read more

El Fogon - Tacos tropicales - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

My husband and I have been curious about this place for a while so we stopped in for dinner last week. We thought it was just ok. Not bad but nothing special either. They have a wide variety of items on their menu but the menu was hard to read with the black type on colored backgrounds. They must have changed their menu recently because it looked completely different than photos that reviewers have taken before. We both decided on the make your own combo where you can pick two items and it comes with rice and beans. I got two chicken enchiladas and he got a tamale and a burrito. We thought they could use a little more spice and flavor. The rice was kind of bland. We were expecting better because of all the great reviews. Maybe if we had gotten something else we would have felt differently. We both thought that we've had better tasting Mexican food elsewhere. read more

El Fogon - Hard-to-read menu - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Extensive menu, good pricing, OK food, fair margarita, good salsa with chips. Wife and I stopped in for dinner and were quickly seated and got our drink orders in. She got a Tecate (beer) that came with a salted glass, and I got the medium margarita. The margarita was OK, but tasted a bit watery, and wasn't all that flavorful. Chips were fine, and salsa had a bit of a kick and was good. Our food came out quickly. My wife got the Fit Fajitas, which was a nice mix of chicken and fresh veggies - except the tomato, but hey, it's Iowa in the winter. I got the Super Burrito - great chorizo with ground beef, rice and beans, and a touch of salsa and cheese. It was massive, and pretty good. The chorizo was a good flavor addition. I added more salsa and it was pretty good overall. Service was pretty good - my drink came out wrong the first time, but was corrected and was fine. Our server checked in on us and go the check to us when we asked for it. Overall it was decent food at good prices...nothing that I'd go out of my way for, but OK Tex-Mex. read more

Went back again and tried another dish which is another MUST-TRY!! Tacos Tropicales 5/5- Pork, Pineapple, Grilled Peppers And Onions, House Slaw, Corn Salsa And a fresh slice of Avocado in each Taco. Three tacos with a side of beans for $12! Add some of their "Hot Salsa" on top and it is even more tasty!! LOVED this place!!! From the service to the food, it was a great experience! The Atmosphere - Your typical Mexican style decor bursting with colors and the music made our 18 month old want to shake his booty haha the establishment was clean and bright. The Service - 5/5 We had chips and salsa brought out before we all even sat down at the table! Talk about service! Our server was informative and knew the menu quite well. She had some great suggestions for those who didn't know what to order as well. The Food - Strawberry flavored Water -5/5 this is a special drink and it was so good that I ordered a cup to go! The price was $2.50 + 1 refill. But worth it!! Chips and Salsa - 4/5 Hot Salsa - 4/5 good flavor and kick Guacamole Stone - 5/5 we added Bacon and Corn for $2 more and it was worth every penny! Taquitos with Chicken - 4/5 Really tasty rolled tacos, I thought they were more a 3.5/5 but my husband said it's a 4/5 lol the chicken has great flavor and he likes to slather the guacamole on top! Cantinflas Lunch - 4/5 I asked for the cheese and enchilada sauce on the side in case the kids wouldn't like it but it was all delicious. The chicken and beef filled chimichangas were perfectly flavored and cooked! Fajita Quesadilla- 5/5 One of the best ones I've had in town! Quite flavorful and packed with meats and veggies! Would always get this! All in all, we would definitely come again! This might be our favorite Mexican spot yet! The Guacamole stone is what would keep us coming read more

Bf and I wanted to try a different Mexican place for dinner tonight. I've been here before, not him, but it's been a good 6 months or more for me. When you walk in the door there are a couple sombreros for display, and Mexican candies on the counter. The amount of seating is adequate, there is nice light music, and a variety of tv's to watch. We had the most absolute best customer service from the time we walked in to the time we left. We were greeted and seated within 5 minutes of walking in the door. Immediately we were brought chips and salsa. The menus are full of choices as well from vegetarian, burritos, enchiladas, steak, combos, etc. No sooner we ordered our food it was brought out! I believe the fastest time I've ever been served, but the food was so fresh and delicious! My bf and I ordered the same thing and thoroughly enjoyed our dinners! As you see in the pictures below the chicken and ribeyes were decent sizes and well cooked. I loved seeing such a beautiful platter of colors from the different colored peppers. The sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms were a perfect match for the flavors of this dish as well. My favorite part of Mexican food is the beans and rice. The rice was perfectly brown and the beans were truly authentic. Let's not forget the star item that came with our dishes- the made from scratch corn tortillas! These tortillas are by far the best I've had as of yet, nice and warm, not stale or hard! You will also find the most freshest guacamole ever in a stone ground bowl. read more

El Fogon - Ribeye, chicken, beans and rice - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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I had to try this place after I saw that they serve elotes (Mexican street corn). It did not disappoint! I really enjoyed this place. The service was great. Chips and salsa were perfect and they kept refilling chips for us. We had tacos and the burrito verde. Everything tasted amazing! Large portions. The dessert was my favorite part. Sweet plantains with cinnamon ice cream! The margarita was a little too sweet with an overbearing lime flavor. Other than that, everything was delicious! read more

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Food is awesome and the service is right on. Even if there is a wait they work you in fast

During this coronavirus crisis and after hearing a lot about this place, I finally got to try El Fogon. Their menu has a little something for all tastes. I will have to update the review to include service and decor but the experience of ordering was pretty straightforward, and the food was excellent. The beans were flavorful and the chicken and beef mini chimichangas were juicy and well-balanced. I usually think a lot of restaurants don't put effort in their seasoning but El Fogon takes good care in making its flavor profiles more complex, without getting too crazy. The salsa to accompany the homemade chips was lovely and very fresh, I may be spoiled for other salsas. The price point is a bit higher than at other Mexican places but the food matches in quality, so it's certainly worth it. I hope to visit El Fogon in person very soon! read more

El Fogon - Cantinflas lunch special with beans and mini chimichangas. - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Best salsa ever. Zucchini boats out of this world! Highly recommended, delightful decor and music, ambiance too .. read more

El Fogon - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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To me, what separates this place from other Mexican restaurants in metro DM area is their 3 dishes of Carnitas, Chile Verde, and Chile Colorado. Sauces have very deep, intricate flavors and those house-made tortillas are so fresh, so perfect. I suppose that requires me to try their mole? Okay, consider it done! read more

Damn good. It looks and feels just like all the cheap Mexican places strung across the Des Moines area, except the food is just so much better. The bar is better, the preparation and presentation is better, and the homemade tortillas are mucho good. The staff is also great and this place gets it right! read more

We walked in the door and immediately saw a guacamole making area with a sign above saying hand made tortillas. we ordered the guacamole which was amazing! We practically licked the bowl! There are a ton of vegetarian options! Lots of Mexican specialties on the menu. The server was very attentive and the food was delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

El Fogon - Homemade guacamole! - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Great service and solid food. Huge menu with seemingly endless options. The commentary chips and salsa were great. The salsa had just the right amount of kick. The shrimp ceviche was almost perfect. Pretty large portion for the price and it had a perfect blend of heat and citrus, but the mango took it down a notch. They looked and tasted like canned mango. Fresh mango would've made it a perfect dish. I also ordered the vegetarian zucchini boats ... I was going for a lighter meal with ceviche and veggies. Wow was this a surprising dish. Tons of flavor and perfectly cooked ... not one soggy vegetable on the plate. Oh, and it was huge. I would have been perfectly happy and full with just that dish. I was thinking I would need both to be full, I was completely wrong and so full. I highly recommend El Fogon! read more

El Fogon - Shrimp Ceviche - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Been here a couple of times. The service has been good on both occasions. My kiddo loves it as they have crayons and an activity/picture to color as well. They also seated us right next to the lady making fresh handmade tortillas. I mean... talk about dinner and live entertainment. We were watching her make the fresh tortillas by take a bit of the masa (dough) ball, pressing it in a tortilla press and then transferring it to a hot grill to cook up. For drinks I've had the El Fogon margarita - it was delicious and the non-alcoholic limonada - served in a clay mug - excellent. The quesadillas are great and so are the enchiladas. I've not had anything else off the menu but the tortillas are amazing. I love how the veggies inside the quesadilla were seasoned and cooked and not just raw. They have lots of vegetarian options. read more

El Fogon - Margarita Fogon shaker comes in a bar shaker! - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

This place is a hidden gem! The food and drinks are really good. As you walk in, you'll see two little booths with windows where they make fresh guacamole and hand made tortillas in front of you. There are a lot of options for vegetarians, and the guacamole is amazing!!! I ordered the Huevos Divorciados (vegetarian), and it was really good. The service is good as well. read more

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Street tacos - chorizo and steak served with fresh corn tortilla and onion and cilantro They make their tortillas fresh -- someone is out front making then while you eat. Salsa served in bottle with fresh chips - fresh chips and hot salsa. Staff was nice to bring us even hotter sauce for us that love spicy. Queso - thicker than other places, but very good. Guac - fresh and flavorful Churro - cannot beat a good fried churro. Overall good service and good. Will come back soon! read more

Updated review. We used to be avid fans of El Fogon for a great take out dinner during Covid. Recently (since their second location opened), portions and quality has gone down hill. We got our usual dishes, so we were comparing the same dishes. It's a shame as the food was once so great. Now, meh. read more

El Fogon, one of many Mexican restaurants in the Des Moines area. i know technically it's West Des Moines and there are lots of cities interconnected in the metro area but i still think of the whole area as Des Moines (don't hate me). Back to El Fogon, once again i had the Chili Colorado, i am on a mission to find the best in Des Moines. It's good, but, can i ask an honest question, do they all share the same recipe? Ah! It's such a struggle for me being a SoCal kid and having expectations, unmet expectations at this point. (See my previous reviews on yelp from other places) my sister had the La Martina Enchiladas, she enjoyed them ate most of her plate (the food, not the actual plate) . . . She suffers from my same issue however and that is comparing them to the restaurant we frequented as kids with the family. Now here are our takeaways from El Fogon, the atmosphere is great very fun, love the mariachi music. We watched the drinks come out of the bar and they don't mess around! The food is good, especially the home made corn tortillas. We enjoyed it and you will too! read more

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I have been meaning to stop in here for a while as I see cars in the parking lot all the time. The decor hasn't changed much from the last couple of occupants, guessing it hadn't changed much since the original occupants. But we aren't here for the decor; we are here for the food. We ordered the Tequila shrimp jalapeno and the Carne en mole. The shrimp was very good with great flavor, could have been a little fresher, and the rice and corn sides were refreshing. I was on the fence with the Carne en mole or the Chile Verde, and per the waiter I went with the Carne en mole. To my surprise, I absolutely did not like it at all, the steak is in a guajillo sauce, it reminds me of like a tangy BBQ like sauce, I guess I should have asked for clarification before I ordered. I ended up sending it back and ordering the Chile Verde. I felt horrible, I have never sent something back before because I couldn't eat it. I eat everything. The staff was very accommodating and switched my order right away. The Chile Verde's sauce was a little tangier than I expected but overall a decent dish. We will be back for the Tequila Shrimp Jalapeno and the service, but I will have to continue to explore their menu. read more

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I didn't take any photos of the food dishes but rest assured IT WAS GREAT! MY first time. My husbands second. He had shrimp chimichanga as well as cheese fries. I had the basic chicken chimichanga. All were excellent!!! Guacamole was fresh tasting along with the salsa. We each had a medium margarita which was too big for me. Staff was very nice, polite and attentive. The restaurant is very clean. HIGHLY recommend this place. read more

The food is good and the drinks are good. The service is great, very friendly . The atmosphere is good.

Loved it!! It was all so very good! This is what I had everything was just awesome!! Okay, I usually taste the beans and rice, I know the "overlooked foods" and if they have been made with care and taste authentic it is an automatic four star for me. If they care keeping it authentic you know the entree will be excellent! The beans were awesome and rice needs a bit of work but loved the beans so much I didn't care! The Pineapple Freitas was incredible. The crab if for real and this west coast gal loved it!!! You have got to hit this place it's awesome!! read more

El Fogon - Mexican Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I think I found my new favorite Mexican restaurant! We don't normally venture to this part of town but after seeing good reviews on my feed, I checked out the vibrant menu online and decided to give it a try. We made our way there on a snowy Saturday night. The parking lot was rather full, especially with the added snow banks. We made our way inside and were instantly greeted and led to a booth for the four of us (2 adults, 1 kid, 1 baby). I noticed there's an area to hang your coats which is nice. A bar and fireplace are to the left, kitchen straight ahead, and more seating to the right. There were a few tables open but not many. Another lady brought over chips and salsa and our waiter (the third person to come to our table) came and took our drinks order right away. The menu is really vibrant and large. I found myself finding many items I wanted to try as the descriptions sounded yummy. I liked that the dishes weren't just your typical Mexican fare but had added flavorful ingredients. Our daughter wanted the kid's corn dog and french fries (and milk). I went with the Shrimpchiladas and my husband had the Super Burrito. Our food came out one by one. Our daughter's first, which is appreciated. We let her start eating right away and she devoured her corn dog. The french fries were great! Really crispy and yummy. They were better than most restaurants serve. My dish came out next and I waited for my husband's to be delivered. His came out within five mins. Visually, I was really pleased as the rice was different than your standard Mexican fare as was the coleslaw included. The Shrimpchiladas were really good! Tons of shrimp and mushrooms inside. All coated with spicy cheese sauce. Sooo good! The rice was also very good and soft, not crispy like some rice at Mexican restaurants. The coleslaw wasn't really for me. My husband enjoyed his burrito but it could have been mixed together better. Our daughter was in love with all the skeleton decor and took us around the restaurant to make sure we found them all. Really like this place! read more

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This place is festive and authentic. The food is great and the atmosphere is very family friendly. The fresh guacamole was huge and definitely best for four people, I think it'll be a bit too big for just two. But it comes in a rock bowl shaped with a cow! It's so cute and tasty, with the fresh limes, cilantro, onions, and avocados. Every bite was perfection that made you crave more. The dip was chunky and not overly smashed so you get a bite of every ingredient. We got the potatoe burrito, the carne asada, zucchini boat, and the fresh fried red snapper! All were perfectly seasoned and tasty. The red snapper is my favorite dish and will definitely order it multiple times! A whole fried batter less fish cooked perfectly flakey and seasoned with savory spices. It's to die for if you're a seafood, fresh made, wholesome person! read more

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That guacamole appetizer though.... Seriously it is well worth the price! They seem to cater to people who have allergy issues or food preferances even when it comes to oil sensitivities, gluten, vegetarian and vegan. There Margaritas are bomb, the salsa was great and they hand make there tortillas! I wouldn't say it is the most authentic Mexican restaurant in Des Moines but it is a vegetarians dream place with well over 10 items to choose from on the menu. I have an issue with cheese and asked if they could make a potato chimichanga for me (even though it wasn't on the menu) and they did without any question. The atmosphere is very inviting and it seems to always be busy. read more

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Was invited to this resturant by our daughter. It was Friday evening and was seated promptly Was waited on fairly quickly the pre order chips and salsa was full of mostly broken chips so not the best we have ever had. The waitress was friendly and took our order in appropriate amout of time. The food arrived in a mishmash, 3 orders came out, then few minutes later 2 more orders came out. Then the rest came out a couple minutes later. Except for one order that came a minute later. The food was very average there are lots more Mexican resturants that have a better tasting menu. Plus the waitress never came back to check on us. The drinks were fine and served right away but all in all I would look somewhere else for Mexican food. read more

My favorite Mexican food! Everything is made from scratch and amazingly flavorful. The building is clean. The atmosphere is great. Very lively. Margaritas tatse awesome! Good and friendly service. They are very attentive to making sure our drinks are full and chips get refilled. I have no complaints! I will return many a time read more

I was excited to try this place because I had heard such good things. However, we were very unimpressed. We sat on the patio which was nice. We ordered margaritas which were not good at all and tasted very watered down. The service was very slow. The food was okay, Not bad by any means, but nothing to write home about. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

You can watch them make their own Guacamole and tortillas. Just what we were hoping for for dinner and fast and good service.

Fast, quality service! A favorite place to enjoy lunch or dinner. Lots of healthy options!

We got to the restaurant just before noon on Sunday. I was craving nachos and we had a gift certificate. It was pretty empty and we were seated right away. We immediately got chips and salsa. Good flavor on the salsa, but pretty standard. The chips were hot, slightly oily, but fresh and crisp. We ordered waters and the supreme nachos. The nachos came quickly. Lots of fresh toppings, ground beef, and a good queso sauce. Definitely satisfied the craving. We added a side of guacamole which was very fresh and had a garlic bite. It complimented the nachos well. We ordered three of the street tacos. The steak taco was good, pretty basic. It came with a really good green verde sauce. The chicken was grilled and was okay. It came with a chili sauce that I was glad I tested first. It was clear-your-sinuses hot! The chorizo was good. It had a spicy and sweet flavor. I was pretty full and didn't finish this one. Service was very good. The prices were reasonable. The two of us spent the whole $25 gift certificate and left a $6 tip. As we were leaving I noticed people on the patio. We weren't given that option, but we'd ask for it when the weather is nice. Overall, great nachos, good service and okay tacos. Worth the visit for the nachos! read more

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