Coming from Arizona, I've definitely missed those authentic Mexican flavors, and El Molcajete delivered. Everything we had was incredible. The carne asada was packed with flavor, and pairing it with the bacon-wrapped shrimp took the whole plate to another level. The shrimp tacos were easily some of the best I've had--fresh, loaded with toppings, and that sauce they put on them was seriously out of this world. The service was just as impressive as the food. Everyone was attentive, welcoming, and made the entire experience enjoyable from start to finish. I honestly can't think of a single thing that was lacking. Great food, authentic flavors, phenomenal service, and an overall top-tier experience. If you're in Ankeny, definitely stop by and give El Molcajete a try. Moving here from Arizona and finding a gem like this was a huge win. My wife and I already know this is going to become one of our regular spots. Easily a 10/10 experience! Can't complain the ambiance was a nice open concept. read more

El Molcajete - Shrimp Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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This is my stepdaughter and her husband's favorite Mexican restaurant in their hometown, so we stopped in as a group of 6 on a Friday night. We were seated right away and ordered a pitcher of Skinny Margaritas. They were VERY tasty, well-prepared, and a good accompniament to our chips and salsa. They bring out both mild and spicier salsa, and of course there are options for guac and cheese sauce. For dinner we got a variety of dishes. Two of the group shared a bowl and it was enough for them with leftovers. I got the Loco Burrito, and it was easily 2 meals for me. Others got tacos and shrimp, and everyone enjoyed their dishes. Service was excellent, and the staff worked together to keep things moving right along! I believe this is an old Golden Corral Building, so there is a lot of seating, and a bar right when you walk in the door. Great food and drink!! read more

Big fan, best Mexican restaurant in Ankeny, and always a positive overall experience. Large parking lot, kind customer service, and a huge menu that they manage well. Best guacamole in town! Get their guacamole appetizer that they make it front of your table. Yummy! Great vibe here, comfy inside and outside, and their servers are solid! read more

Amazing food. The server was nice and he got us the food fast. And we sat outside. The people next to us were very chatty. read more

El Molcajete - Chipotle Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Week night margarita craving. Wanted to expand our horizons, so we knew this one was one we had not yet done before. Early enough to beat the crowds. It's nice enough that we asked to be seated outdoors at the host stand. She takes us out to the table. We are the first outside tonight. The waiter was prompt with chips and salsa. There ws 2 salsas. Mild and spicy. We did order cheese, cause why not. We ordered dinner. Hubby got the nightly special and I got a burrito. We both had house margarita. Service was good. The only thing we thought was that it was a little overpriced for what we received. 4 overall, but 3 1/2 if you take into account the bill for what we had. Not saying anything was bad, but we could get more bang for our buck elsewhere. read more

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Excellent Restaurant! Food, service and Ambience are all very good. We moved to Iowa in 2024 and had a bunch of HORRIBLE Mexican restaurant experiences. Soooo awful. We finally found 2 that have really good food! First one was Fiesta - BUT ONLY the Des Moines location. The others are Terrible. Then we found El Molcajete in Ankeny. What a gem!!! They are our go to dinner date location. read more

While all the food is very tasty, I am particularly pleased with the fresh guacamole made at table. It was so good that I decided to make it my dinner. The noise level is fairly high so I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for a date night. However the food and service make this restaurant one of our favorites. read more

Had a great time with a group of 8. Service was wonderful. Couldn't have asked for better. Every meal was tasty and the house margaritas hit the spot. Will certainly stop by next time we are in town. read more

great location for me to come for a visit. Good margaritas is what keeps me coming back. We got in early enough to claim a patio table and enjoyed the outdoors for our dinner. Food came out hot and staff was great checking in on us a few times. I also really liked that they had 2 salsa offerings as I am a fan of a little spice. I was smiling ear to ear while we had a short wait for our food. read more

El Molcajete - Cheese sauce for the win - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Plenty delicious food,good price and friendly service .you can not go wrong taking your date here

When we have our Grandson (7 year old) with us we order the molcajete and share it family style at the table. Alsolutely delicious and plenty for the 3 of us. just ask for extra plates to share the meal. El Molcajete has become our favorite Mexican restaurant in Ankeny. When we don't have our grandson with us I order the Choripollo and love it. The staff are friendly and quick to replenish your chips and salsa. read more

Love the outdoor patio. The yummy house margarita is served in a shaker, which is super fun. The servers are always very kind. One of our favorites in Ankeny! read more

excellent service! chicken enchiladas are my favorit. their queso is addicting! I coulid eat 2 bowls alone. My sons enchilada soup was large and delicious. read more

Solid three, closer to a 3.5. My server, Erick was attentive and checked in regularly. The salsa served with the chips was heavy on spice and light on vegetables, which I can appreciate. It kind of reminded me of the old "hot sauce" you used to find at Diamond Dave's restaurants in the area. I was in the restaurant about 45 minutes prior to close, which may explain a couple things. Some if the rice was hard, as if it had been in a chafing dish all day. Same for the tortillas in the enchiladas, though the chicken was just fine. Green sauce was zippy without being overpowering. I'll try again earlier in the day and update appropriately. read more

El Molcajete - Rice/Beans - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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The service was AMAZING. Everyone was incredibly personable. I know I can be a nightmare of a customer with my modifications & that of my husband as he has a more sensitive stomach. We ate everything & couldn't find anything to dislike. The food was amazing, the restaurant was busy, but, we could hear each other & our server took time to chat with us as well. Our server made our drinks himself & I was bewildered. The best friends I have ever had, they were delicious. I got myself a mojito & my husband loved their margaritas. Our server even gave us a round of shots on the house. We absolutely loved loved loved our experience & will be coming back. read more

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We love going out for Mexican and we have been on the hunt for a good place here in Ankeny, since there are so many! It is easy to find, plenty of parking, has patio seating, a bar, and feels very open inside. Service was quick and excellent. Large menu of food, drinks, and desserts to choose from. We started with the most important, queso. We both agreed it tasted like our favorite. My chicken tortilla soup was piping hot and I loved that it didn't have a lot of veggies :) Overall, a good Mexican spot, but nothing too crazy! I can see us returning in the future. read more

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Had a lunch at El Mocajete in Ankeny this past Friday, and it was like meals we've come to expect from here ... AWESOME. We arrived just as the noon rush was winding down, but the place was still pretty full. We were seated immediately, and within a minute, chips and two minds of salsa had arrived at the table. TAKE NOTE ... for an additional charge, you can have guacamole made fresh at your table. Our waiter arrived quickly, took our order, and before the basket of chips were gone, our meal had arrived. My wife had the Fiesta Burrito, and I had the Seafood Burrito (pictured.) Both were excellent. We've dined here many times, and have found the place clean, with the entire staff friendly. And yeah, even the restrooms were pretty clean, and if you read other reviews of mine, you know I consider this important, especially on a busy day when many people may be using the facilities. 5 stars for El Molcajete ! read more

El Molcajete - AWESOME Seafood Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

I haven't tried every Mexican restaurant in the Des Moines area but this my favorite of the places I've tried. This place has all your favorite Mexican dishes and some items that are not so common. Two of my favorites are Mariscos Monterrey and Tacos Al Carbon. You can even have your guacamole made fresh at your table. Check out their website for a look at the menu. https://elmolcajeteiowa.com/ The waitstaff is friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to please. The bar has some really good Mexican beers and some great tequila. Try the Don Julio 70 - no salt or lime needed! read more

Staff was very friendly! Food was pretty average but still good. Drinks were good but not too strong read more

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Get the homemade guacamole! They make it right in from if you. Really cool experience! Clean inside.

Great food and service! Love the outdoor patio in the summer/fall months! The menu has many selections to choose from! We also enjoy getting two kinds of salsa with the chips too! read more

El Molcajete - Tostada and Chimichanga with rice & beans - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

We'd heard such great things about this place we had to come in and try ourselves. They have a huge menu with a large variety of options. Now typically this is a red flag for me in that the group may not be able to execute on everything, but wow we're we wrong to judge! We got a variety of items to get a sampling of the menu and each bite was perfectly seasoned. Be aware portions are big so easy to turn a meal into two! My only complaint would be with the enchilada and sauce take over on my plate, the tortilla tasted a bit too raw for my liking but that could have been due to the excess sauce. read more

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New to Ankeny and only open a few weeks. I thought my food was good and had no complaints. My husband said he enjoyed his food and we both thought the chips and salsa were good. I just don't think this beats our go to in the metro. Our waiter was Luis and he was terrific! Very friendly and knowledgable and good about refills. I did not care for sitting directly underneath the blaring speaker. We both had a difficult time hearing and it's not due to age. I thought the booths were beautiful as well. I would return to try their extensive margarita menu as well. read more

El Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

It's a tex-mex kinda place for the locals. Plentiful food choices. Look, I got the mojacete and it was enough for two or three people. Seriously, it could feed family of four that has two kids. Kids fill up on chips anyhow. What do they know? Otherwise, service and everything else was OK. It gets busy at dinner, even when it's 4 degrees outside, so come early. read more

Outstanding service and amazing food! Had a great waiter who was very helpful and fun. First visit and he was patient and helpful in making suggestions. Chips and salsa were a great start and a big part of how i rate Mexican restaurants. We ordered a variety of seafood options and they were all great! Flavorful sauces and good levels of spice. Shrimp prepared correctly and the beans and rice were amazing as well. Went back a 2nd time during our visit to Ankeny and 2nd time was just as good. We made sure to get the same waiter. My daughter loves octopus and hopes to find something that was mostly or entirely octopus. Waiter really tried to make that happen for us but the octopus they have us already combined with other stuff for soups and such. But he made a real effort to try and get us a custom item off of the menu. I respect people and places who go above and beyond and this place certainly did that for us on 2 occasions. Thanks!! :) read more

Favorite restaurant in town! Food is excellent and service friendly. Always take my folks when they come into town because it's family-friendly. read more

Stopped in for a quick drink and our second round of this incredibly fresh Guacamole. First of all it is prepared fresh for you and is enough to happily feed a small army. Do not confuse this with their standard, get the fresh made its worth every cent!!!! read more

El Molcajete - Fresh Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Walked in on a Friday night and were seated quickly, but told the food might take a half hour or more. It's a mexican restaurant, we figured margaritas would make that time go fast. However, there wasn't a need. It took no more time than normal the server was friendly and fast. The food was delicious and they were able to send the rest of the margarita to go! Great Experience. read more

El Molcajete - Enchiladas fajitas and margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

It was just ok, nothing stood out. Service was great. I thought it was a tad expensive for the quality.

One of the better Mexican stops in ankeny. We stopped in last weekend in hopes to find our new favorite Mexican restaurant in Ankeny and overall we weren't blown away but we also were not disappointed. The salsa was delicious, it has a kick to it but it was packed with flavor, definitely the best salsa I've had in Iowa. The Queso was also very good, on the thicker side, which I prefer. For our meals I had a Chicken Burrito and my Husband had chicken enchiladas; we both agreed that the chicken was on the bland side but all together with their sauces it tasted good, but nothing to write home about. Service was good, we got there right when they opened so there were only a few other people there. read more

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This place is a winner. We all had the Molcajete and an order of Ceviche. I am an absolute sucker for Molcajete and ceviche and it is something that I have eaten all across Mexico. They nailed it. Aside from bit having the more traditional cactus and the cheese, everything else was dead on. The steak, chicken and the chorizo all was seasoned and prepared perfectly. The ceviche was amazing. Just The right balance of sweet acidity and cilantro. Fresh and a perfect warm day starter. The only problem I have with this place is that I don't live closer to it. However I work right down the road. It was worth the nearly hour drive from Winterset. We will be back!! read more

Very bland and overpriced for what came out on the plate. Service was very slow as well. It was very hot and stuffy for being 95 degrees outside on this particular day. read more

¡WOW! I'm visiting from Southern Utah and my friends who live in Ankeny suggest we try the New Mexican restaurant in town. In Southern Utah we have our fair share of legit Mexican restaurants, so I'd like to think I have an idea of good Mexican food. Either way, we were seated quickly and our server was very polite and helpful when we had questions about their menu. Our chips & salsa, drinks, & Queen dip all came promptly. You could taste that their salsa was freshly homemade and their chips were freshly baked. I decided to go with their combo special to try a couple of different items that piqued my palate. I believe my first choice was a chalupa because I've always wondered what an actual non-Taco Bell chalupa would be like & my second choice was a chicken enchilada. I was originally debating between the fish taco & mole enchiladas plate. They let me upgrade my enchilada so I could have my mole for a very reasonable price. I wasn't expecting much from the chalupa since I was ordering it more for novelty reasons, but it was still very delicious. However, the chicken mole enchilada was AMAZING! The mole sauce flavor was bold, aromatic, & just plain tasty! I convinced my friends to try and and they loved it too & they were hesitant to try it to start with. We also saw some excellent looking dishes being served to other tables. A bacon wrapped shrimp entree with all the yummy sides. The manager dropped by our table to check on us and answered a bunch of our questions and he was extremely informational and hospitable. I know my friends will keep coming here after I leave and I am already looking forward to coming back here on my next visit to Ankeny! read more

El Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Had to visit since I saw good reviews and I love Mexican food. Husband had the Chile Colorado and couldn't stop eating it. I had roasted mixed fajitas and they had a great flavor with plenty of meat including 5 shrimp. Fajitas were different because the onions didnt have a char on them but the flavor was very good. I wasn't in love with the salsa flavor but my husband liked it. Guacamole was above average but rice and beans were normal Mexican fair. If it weren't for my husbands love of the meal, I would have given it a 3. read more

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My girlfriends and I just happened to pass the full parking lot at dinner time and figured that was a good sign and the reviews further suggest this would be a good pick for dinner. We were not disappointed! From the sweet smiling lady who made our delicious tableside guacamole, to the kind and courteous waiter with the perfectly timed service, to their amazing signature molcajete bowl and the tasty taco salad, fresh margaritas and finishing up with the super sopapillas. To top it off, all of the staff wished us a good evening as we left happy and full. We highly recommend!! read more

Street Steak Tacos my go to, first time here. Excellent taste including delicious guacamole along with black beans and rice. Santiago our server informative and pleasant. When we walked in we knew based on the decor it was going to be a great experience. read more

Food and service were good. We will eat there again. I had the Street Tacos (Al Pastor) and wife had taco salad. She also got a Pina Colada with strawberry and and that was good as well. read more

This is my favorite Mexican place in Ankeny. They have a dish that I have not seen anywhere else. It's called the naked bowl. Let me count the ways of how healthy and delicious this is : it comes with rice and black beans (a much better choice than refried beans). It comes with sautéed veggies (spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, onions and colored bell peppers). They are cooked perfectly! And they have a taste I cannot replicate at home. And on top a naked chicken breast. It's not breaded, not covered in cheese or sauce and has the most delicious flavor of the grill. This dish is consistently excellent. read more

Food 1 Do not get what we requested. They don't speak English well enough so they pretend they know what you are saying. Hated my food. Gave it away! Did not reorder because half of our party was not served their meals for 45 minutes after rest were done. Dos not apologize because they forgot it and they did not fix the order. I Gave my food away. Service 1 Very poor service.. Language communication problem... No priorities. Waited almost an hour before the food was ready. Then another 45 minutes for food they forgot. We were starving and with younger kids along. Ambiance 2 Sun blinding us in the eyes at our table in afternoon early evening .. music so loud it was hard to hear anyone of us. Tried to talk to several wait staff and were repetitively ignored. read more

We eat Mexican food on a weekly basis and have tried literally every Mexican restaurant in a 20 mile radius. El Molcajete is the best hands down. This is the most authentic and well done of any of our normal places. The roasted salsa is done exactly how it is done in Mexico, veggies are all roasted on a comal then blended. The Verde salsa is as good as any that I have had in Mexico. There is a normal table salsa for the typical Gringa but the roasted is the real deal. Tacos are all done perfectly, the best are either the birria or the al pastor. read more