Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    El Rodeo

    3.0 (58 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    El Rodeo Photos

    Business Info

    EL RODEO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - El Rodeo

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Shrimp fajita. Lots of shrimp
    Kristyn M.

    It's been years since I visited. 1:30 on a Friday afternoon and this place was on the down hill side of busy. Met my group here. Table of five. They were already a couple beers in. The waiter was over right away to help. The place seemed a little empty for a Friday. We all ordered right up. Lots of food all the way around. I ordered the shrimp fajita to share. It's a good thing that I did cause it was a good quantity of food. The waiter came back once or twice. The food was filling and everyone at the table was satisfied with their meals. The food was okay. Still slow for a lunch afternoon which is weird. Regardless we were well taken care of.

    Taquitos Mexicanos on special
    Ken U.

    Been my favorite go-to lunch spot near my work. The service is attentive and quick, the food is decent, and the prices are exceptional! There's plenty of seating, lots of booths, and a separate bar area. I can't say much about the bar, having only gone for lunch, but if the service and prices match my lunch experience, than it won't disappoint.

    Choripollo with no beans and an extra side of rice
    Jacob T.

    Best Mexican food in central Iowa. Plenty of seating, good customer service, fair prices. Two dishes with no drinks came out to just $22! Food is served within 20 minutes of ordering if not in a rush. Ask for their spicy salsa to go alongside the free chips, it's the best spicy salsa in central Iowa!

    Tamale

    Omg the food here was soooo good. I have been seeing this business recommended on several different platforms so when a friend suggested meeting here for dinner I was looking forward to giving them a try. We were seated promptly the waiter was prompt and attentive as well. We ordered the Patron margaritas and both thought they were really good. I ordered a tamale and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived with sauce and meat on top, I love tamales but usually they aren't served with sauce and they should be because these were the best tamales I've had. The sauce gives it the perfect ratio of flavors no hot sauce needed! The choripollo dish had great flavor, a nice white sauce and was cooked perfectly. I have to agree with what the locals are saying, for good Mexican cuisine in the Des Moines area give El Rodeo a try.

    Fajitas del rodeo
    D B.

    Had the fajitas del rodeo, shrimp chorizo chicken and carne asada. It was GREAT! The hot salsa is fantastic too. We had a party of 15, and everyone was happy. Beware the kooky reviews complaining about the steaks or shrimp that's not deveined. This is a Mexican restaurant! Get a chimi or fajitas or something like that. This is a very good spot for greasy Mexican grub. We love it

    Opinionated I.

    Really great salsas... Ask for the spicy if you're ready to sweat. chips were served warm. Jalapenos toreados are excellent and $1.99. The fajitas are a huge serving with lots of peppers and tomatoes. Not too many onions like others tend to favor. Lots of shrimp in the fajitas jalisco. Flour tortillas are 3 per order and nothing special. Thick but soft. Not grilled and thin, served piping hot like at some others. I'm going to start noting the tortillas around town. Some are really fresh and grilled fresh. Here at el rodeo the star is the corn tortilla. Served piping hot, strong and held together well but not too thick. Served 5 per order. We had excellent service. June 2017.

    Raw chicken strip found in side salad

    See all

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Meg S.
    13
    13
    3

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    20 years ago

    I liked the food. My main rating point is the salsa, which I didn't think was that great, but others might really like it.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C F.
    0
    10
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Service was terrible. The food made me sick. The place is dated and dirty. Definitely don't bring kids here.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan I.
    16
    2
    0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sam S.
    111
    15
    1

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of DJ S.
    0
    21
    0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    The service was prompt, correct, and my order came out quickly. The food was delicious.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - El Rodeo

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mexican 5,650 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Hidalgo Mexican Bar and Grill - Seafood Enchiladas

    Hidalgo Mexican Bar and Grill

    4.3(86 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    My daughter told me about this place because she and her friends like to come for margaritas. I…read morelike new places so we decided to give it a shot. Plain and simple, I like this place. It's nothing fancy. Friendly and fast service. It had Mexican music playing on the speakers but it was more of a pop/rock Mexican, not the typical music you usually hear in establishments like this. I enjoyed it. Great Mexican beer on tap for what I thought was reasonable prices. Chips and salsa are good. You have to get the Hildago Molcajete. Huge, temperature hot, layers of different stuff, fantastic. Plenty of leftovers. True molcajete served in the stone bowl. No restaurant is cheap anymore. But this place is pretty reasonably priced, and I thought the food is as good as any other local Mexican restaurant

    Back again! Plenty of parking outside on an early afternoon…read more We stopped back for another company lunch. This time I checked out the lunch menu. I found what will probably be my go to going forward. We were seated close to the bar. This was also a little closer to the kitchen and were attended to right away. The chips and salsa hit the table right away and we ordered up the guacamole and the queso. Everyone is always really nice and helpful. TVs on over the bar and music plays. I ordered the Huevos con Chorizo this time. Two scrambled eggs with chorizo, Mexican sausage, served with rice and beans. I had them hold the beans. Food came fast again. I was doing the happy food dance my eggs were so good. Once again, an all around great experience. 3 times out of 3 so far.

    Photos
    Hidalgo Mexican Bar and Grill - Looking into bar

    Looking into bar

    Hidalgo Mexican Bar and Grill - Chili colorado

    Chili colorado

    Hidalgo Mexican Bar and Grill - Artwork

    See all

    Artwork

    Amigo Mexican Restaurant - Fried Ice cream

    Amigo Mexican Restaurant

    4.1(43 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    We have always wanted to try this place and after finally doing so we are sorry we waited this…read morelong! The gist: exceptional service, warm and flavorful food; energetic ambiance with colors and music, full bar. Extras to know: on the last day of January the restaurant was comfortably warm. I am always cold and typically eat with my coat on but could enjoy tonight's meal without it. Upon arrival we were seated and immediately brought large glasses of water: I love not having to ask AND having a large glass and chips and salsa. The. Hips were typical Mexican restaurant chips; the salsa suited my preference with a bit of sweetness and cilantro. Our server was friendly and 'just right' attentive, allowing us to enjoy our meal while making sure we had drinks. The food came quickly in chilled glasses: the only thing keeping this meal from perfect is actually not so bad- the chipped glasses melted a bit and left a small glass rim puddle- I will ask for a coaster next time. And there WILL be a next time. The menu is extensive and creative with a nod to Iowa in some of the dishes (example: Iowa burrito) Prices totally reasonable for the amount of food. I enjoyed 1/3 of the pollo chorro (grilled chicken breast with chorizo) topped with melted cheese. Delicious combination. Sides of rice, refried beans and lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream in a mini taco shell. The dish came with a warm flour tortilla. Hubby had the Burrito Texano with steak, chicken and shrimp stuffed in a huge tortilla smothered in green sauce and cheese: we stayed for him to finish- he could not NOT eat it all it was so good. Family friendly, beer and margarita friendly, customer friendly, and food coma guaranteed. This is my personal favorite in town!

    Stopped in on a Saturday evening. We had a table top of 7…read moreand we were able to get a seat right away. We had to wait for a last couple people before we put in our food order. The atmosphere was laid back and nice. It was not that busy yet so the waitress was paying attention to us. When we put in our order my husband ordered the Chori Pollo. He had never had it before. Chicken and chorizo together in the same meal. It was like he discovered sliced bread he was so excited to try it. He really enjoyed it. It came with flour tortillas and he thought it was really good. I ordered the Polo Loco which was chicken and cheese sauce with rice, guacamole and lettuce. The flavor and everything was good. I think I was a little bummed out how flat they beat the chicken down. It does make it cook fast and even, but seemed to be a little dry. Someone at the table ordered fried ice cream and loved every second of it. Overall everyone at the table was happy. No one left hungry. The waitress got busy and we had to leave so we had to get up and go pay without waiting for a ticket, but other than that the over all experience was good. I think we might come back as there were some menu items that we had not seen before and would like to try in the future.

    Photos
    Amigo Mexican Restaurant
    Amigo Mexican Restaurant
    Amigo Mexican Restaurant

    See all

    El Rodeo - mexican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...