Hands down the best food in iowa. I think their tortillas are fresh now? Both the corn and flour. The corn tortilla changed recently and it seems fresh now? The chicken and beef meat is so good. read more

El Michoacano - Carne asada tacos with I think fresh corn tortillas- perfection - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Amazing authentic Mexican food! I am so happy there is a vegan option for every item on the menu!! It's such a great feeling to not have limited options and to actually experience all the traditional styles with different vegan alternatives. They also have meat options, so everyone in your group has something to choose from -- love that. I really wish more restaurants would adopt this method! Everything I've tried so far has been phenomenal: * Vegan soyrizo Mexi-gyro: 12/10 * Vegan enchiladas: 10/10 * Vegan flautas: 10/10 * Vegan tacos * Cactus: 4/10 * Soyrizo: 6/10 (I don't love tacos in general so that's not on them) * Vegan asada fries: 10/10 The customer service is great, the items are affordably priced, and the staff is clearly very hardworking. You can tell they're passionate about what they do and it really shows in the quality of the food. I'd LOVE to see a location open closer to where I live in Pleasant Hill or Altoona, but that's just me being selfish because the food is that good. read more

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My favorite places just expanded and newly renovate. Same amazing food best tacos in town if not the world no lie, no one does tacos like they do perfection everytime. Service as always been great and now they have a beautiful refreshed look to go with it. read more

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Great small tacos and burritos. Friendly service. A local favorite apparently. Order from counter seat wherever. Have ice cream and frozen treats but didn't try those. read more

I'm in Iowa and found this gem of a place. I love vegan mexican food especially when its taco shop quality. They got the vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and all the fixings. There salsas are also flavorful. The michoacano burrito was BOMb! The service was excellent. The food was delicious and the ambience was like the taco shops I grew up with in San Diego. A must go for vegan mexican cravings when in Ohio. This is definitely in my top 5 Vegan Mexican food stops in the US. read more

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Absolutely, hands down the best Flautas I have ever eaten!! Service is FAST and very FRIENDLY. Do not walk there, run! (So you can have the ice cream, too!) What a hidden GEM! DSM, you rock! read more

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We shared the flautas and the sopes on patio. The food was fresh and fast, and the service was kind and helpful. Fun little hole in the wall that I wasn't expecting to enjoy this much! read more

El Michoacano - Sope Pollo Flauta Pollo Jarritos - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Love the handmade tortillas, they give the tacos a more authentic flavor. Service was good, and since it's counter service, you can relax and stay as long as you'd like without feeling rushed. The restaurant also has a clean, modern look after the remodel. read more

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Used to love the food. It's been awhile since I've eaten here, but the food was just bland. No flavor. Very disappointed in today's lunch.

20 stars!!! Omg I want that vegan quesabirria everyday of my life! No joke this was the best Mexican food I've had since going vegan 9 years ago. Also got the vegan horchata and I'm in heaven right now!! I can die happy after that meal read more

El Michoacano - Vegan asada burrito, vegan empanadas, vegan quesabirria, chips guac and salsa - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I ordered takeout. There was no language barrier in our communication. The staff working the counter recognized my order and we completed the transaction easily Tipping was easy too. I ordered the Quesabirria Tacos and they were perfect. The titular were crispy yet tender. The beef melted in my mouth. The au jus was flavorful and not salty. They included a spiced radish, a sautéed jalapeno, and 3 different hot sauces. It was excellent and I'll be back to try more read more

Fast, fresh, and delicious! We had flautists and burritos and they were visually appealing, loaded with toppings and delicious. I'll be back to try the ice cream flavors as well! Great neighborhood gem! read more

A truly overwhelming -- in a good way -- amount of vegan options, which is not something you encounter all that often in Iowa. (If you're online and struggling to find this, there's an entire separate page for the vegan menu!) We tried one each of the different vegan tacos as well as their specialty burrito and a side of esquites. Everything was delicious! read more

Great authentic tacos and burritos. Carne asada nachos good too. Friendly and fast service.

The Quessabirria was insanely delicious, and the service at the counter was good. The ambience is a small family restaurant and I enjoyed it, it was relaxing and a great time. also literally every bite is a cheese pull, and not because theres too much cheese, but because its hand crafted to perfection. read more

They have vegan options! It's a very authentic taqueria and it's something I've been missing since I've gone vegan. It has filled the void Food was delicious and service was nice. read more

El Michoacano - Vegan Sopes Pastor Torta Deluxe Vegan Asada Taco - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Had three vegan tacos and enjoyed them all! I would say the most flavorful was the "pastor" made with soy. We also had a side of guacamole and chips. The guacamole was so fresh and chunky we would highly recommend you don't pass that up! We were just passing through Des Moines and were glad we found this place. read more

Everything is amazing evrry time. They have never messed up an order in 4 years I've been going almost every other wrek. read more

El Michoacano - Carne Asada Nacos, delicious! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I love this local place!! It's so friendly & cozy inside. You order at the counter, and they are super helpful with vegan requests. In fact, they have an extensive vegan menu! I'm obsessed with vegan food, and this place makes my dreams of vegan Mexican food come true! read more

This place is a hidden gem! Tacos and ice cream! The series here is top not hospitality. The atmosphere is exactly what you want when looking for the hidden gems. They even took time to explain each variation of the tacos. I recommend this place to all people, even the special diet, vegan or vegetarian options are great. Highly recommend this place, if I was a local I'd be a regular read more

El Michoacano - Vegan tacos - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This place deserves attention from true Mexican food lovers, the tacos are second to none and everything else I've ordered is very good. The staff are always so friendly to me even though sometimes we cannot understand each other, and there bathroom is always clean. I am so thankful that we have this gem in our neighborhood and I will continue supporting it. read more

This food is amazing! Great flavor. Variety of options to choose from. Highly recommend.

El Michocano is so great! During the pandemic, they were a place a prioritized giving my business so they wouldn't struggle. I've tried many of their food items - carne asada fries, flautas, burritos and tacos. My favorite thing to get there are the Michocano Tacos. They have shredded beef and onions in them. The meat is marinated in some sort of spice stuff that makes it so so good! In the summer, I also like to stop by and get some ice cream. They have many different flavors and a few ice cream treats as well. They also have a ton of vegan items for your vegan/vegetarian friends. If you haven't been here already, make it a point to stop in. read more

El Michoacano - Michicano Tacos - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Amazing food with both vegan and vegetarian options - not just for carnivores. Fresh flavors! Will be back!

El servicio fue espectacular!! Las enchiladas veganas y la bebida de flor de jamaica fue lo que comí y me encantó!! read more

This is honestly the best food in iowa. A secret gem if you will. the meat they use; steak, chicken is great quality and perfectly seasoned. Wish they made home made tortillas for the tacos and Quesadilla, they would make national news for the flavor of so. Their salsas are amazing. The hot green is my favorite salsa I've ever had. Yum! The favs we love the most , enchiladas, flautas. Asada Tacos, chicken tacos , and the steak quesadillas. We've tried many other dishes as well and everything is great. Don't forget some ice cream before you go. They also make the best ice cream in iowa. read more

DELICIOUS *VEGAN* options! A whole separate vegan menu up at the front with extremely reasonable prices. The vegan asada burrito was flavorful and full of different textures from the creamy vegan cheese and crispy lettuce. Filling but surprisingly cheap. All sorts of frozen treats up front too. The frozen chocolate covered banana was fun--covered in rich chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. Can't wait to try the ice creams and creamy drinks. There was a bit of a language barrier, but the servers were so patient with me as I tried to explain what I wanted. No, it's not much to look at out front, but it's absolutely worth stopping by. Just look inside and your perspective will change. read more

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I love going to hole in the wall authentic places. This one has potential but has some work to do. Tacos are mini tacos and 3 was not enough to satisfy me. The "guacamole" on the side was absolute liquid. Flavors were really good, otherwise. The enchiladas were very dry...so dry in fact that the plastic dinnerware that was given made it difficult to cut through them. They need to serve meals with real dinnerware anyway... not plastic. We were eating on the premises. Their menu is very varied. I would have liked to see a taco platter with beans and rice on the side. Instead tacos are all ala carte. The people behind the counter are friendly. read more

Literally the tastiest fucking torta I've ever had. Holy shiit. On top of that you can get all the agua freshas like wut! This place is the shiyat read more

I come here every time I'm in town. I come for their vegan options. I'm not sure why this place is not packed with customers. I think local folks are missing out. Their food is very delicious. Go for the tacos, and return for anything else. All I've tried was super delicious. I just wish they had vegan horchata and vegan ice cream. read more

Best Mexican food around. The home cooked meal and the sides are the best. Fresh ingredients.

This place is amazing. Everything on the menu can be made vegan and so I was overwhelmed a bit as I've never experienced that as an a vegan at a Mexican joint. It's small but clean and the employees are super nice and informative of their options. We left full and happy!! read more

El Michoacano - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This is not so hidden gem in Chicago. We love their milk-based paletas. It's a nice quick dessert bite to eat if you're looking for something simple and enjoyable. Great place to casually hangout with friends without breaking the bank. read more

I went there twice just to confirm that this is the best food I've had in a long, long time. I got the Asada Mexi-Gyro with crinkle fries both times. Best crinkle fires I've ever had!! The food will blow you away, I can't express to you how good this place is. Go there NOW!! read more

I have to admit, I'm not a picky eater. I'm also not one to gravitate toward trend or tradition in terms of food. I am not one of those critics that seek authenticity, sub-genre fusion, chic flavor and/or presentation. My approach to food 99% of the time is, "I should probably eat something before I pass out" (or) "This is sustenance that will keep me alive". I wanted to make this clear before I move forward because, although I do prefer 'authentic' Mexican food moreso than 'Tex-Mex' or other terminology. I don't want you to get the impression that you should eat here because if it's locale flavor or that I have a palette for what "real Mexican". I have no idea. You should eat here because this is - simply - satisfying and delicious!! Everything tastes, looks, and smells fresh! THE FOOD I ordered chorizo (my preference when I can find it) sopes. I have never had sopes or heard of them. I was recommended them due to my love of tamales. If you do not know what they are, sopes are essentially small discs made of the similar tamale maize and the toppings are layered on top. When I got them, I thought of...'an open-faced tamale with a similar size/shape of eggs benedict. They were wonderful! I will also say they were incredibly fair-priced. SERVICE There isn't much to rate in terms of service. This is an order-at-cashier establishment. The cashier was courteous and (with me) patient. I had never been there before and their menu is fairly extensive with items I was not accustomed to ordering. ***THEY DO TAKE CARD*** Our food arrived in a timely manner, the chef came out at the end to help close up shop. He was also very friendly and thanked us for stopping by. Overall, this was an excellent quick dinner! My favorite place to eat at home is a taco truck and this place almost made me feel a bit at home (longer menu) with its flavor and feel. I can't wait to recommend it to my family that resides in the area. HIGHLY. RECOMMEND! read more

My go to spot for tacos!! Everything here is amazing!! Great prices and all made fresh to order!

This place is such a blessing for the Beaverdale/Windsor Heights area. Their food is not only authentic Mexican fare (they even have cactus and yucca on the menu), they have a full, separate menu with all of their vegan friendly options. I'm usually skeptical about the vegan status in most Mexican restaurants I've gone to since becoming vegan because traditional Mexican food often uses lard and chicken stock, but the owner's daughter is a vegan herself and helped develop the menu! From their website: "My 13-year-old daughter is the reason for our vegan food initiative. She became vegan, but still wanted to enjoy our cultural food, therefore I decided to substitute 100% vegan ingredients as the alternative for meat/dairy. The food was later experienced with a couple customers, which turned out to satisfy them. Ever since then, we have had food options for Vegans. That is why at Ice Cream El Michoacano we pride ourselves in having an inclusive menu so everyone can enjoy!" - Gerardo Perez Everything I've tried here is flavorful, freshly made, and the portions are generous, especially if you get a burrito. Speaking of burritos, you need to try their own style called the Michacano burrito. It has vegan mayo, ground vegan "beef", rice, radishes, lettuce, and vegan cheese with house made hot sauces! I also recommend the adobada burrito with soy chorizo, the enchiladas, and empanadas. They also have house made popcicles with vegan options, just ask the cashier what flavors are vegan that day. I love that they fry up a jalapeño with each order, just make sure to eat it with your food so the spice level doesn't overwhelm your palette! Just a heads up, this is not a place you go for ambience, it's a local casual food spot with minimal seating, but it's clean and the people who work there are friendly. It can be challenging to order pickup because of language barriers, depending on who's working, so learning a few Spanish phrases for ordering is highly recommended. No judgement, I'm impressed by anyone who can speak more than one language at all, and they are always friendly and patient if they don't understand something. read more

Love this place! One of the best spots to get tacos. Love that they're also very inclusive and have a whole vegan menu, unlike 99% of other Mexican restaurants. Staff is friendly, bathroom and dining area is always clean, and it's a very relaxed atmosphere. Good place to come with friends and family read more

This is the type of restaurant where you don't really come for the customer service but the food. The younger cashier/hostess/bus girl seemed like she didn't want to be there. But maybe it was just a bad day for her, who knows. They have amazing food! I had the al pastor & carnitas tacos with a melon drink. My boyfriend ordered the al pastor burrito and horchata. I wasn't a fan of their horchata, it was too cinnamon-ny for me. But I love their melon drink! Both our meals cost us a total of $21. They have a variety of drinks, dessert and food. Can't wait to try more of it! read more

El Michoacano - Melón - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Ice Cream El Michoacana has a large menu filled with enchiladas, street tacos, burritos, nachos, cuban, ice cream/popsicle, elote, etc. They offered samples of all the ice cream and fresh made drinks. Both young ladies working the register were extremely helpful and happy to answer questions. We had the enchiladas, nachos, elote, and two fruit popsicle. I would recommend the enchiladas and nachos, but were filled with flavor. The elote was heavy on the lime side. The popsicle were poor quality; although, my expectation may be higher because I'm used to homemade fruit popsicles. I would come again to try other items on the menu. read more