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3.5 We visited on a Sunday for dinner and had a lovely server. We ordered chips & queso, quesa birria tacos, and street tacos with asada. The chips appeared homemade and were well-seasoned with a thick white queso (also a huge serving!). The quesa birria was flavorful but the meat was a bit on the dry side; I loved the dipping sauce. The street tacos were on the bland side but added flavor with the salsa and queso. Overall, it was a good meal but not stand out!
What a nice place to get some tacos! While this location is small and might be hard to find a spot to sit sometimes it is worth the stop or to order take out as several others were taking advantage of. Staff was very attentive to our needs and were quick with everything including our food. We had a Birria tacos which was fantastic, and the hot salsa was hot. If you like a little spice in your life, I suggest getting that.
Hands down the best tacos I have ever had. Kevin was an amazing server!! Will recommend to all of my friends!
Absolutely love this hidden gem! Choriqueso is amazing as well as the guac. The chips have this lovely seasoning. My girl absolutely loves the birria tacos. I've tried just about everything, but pictured below is the asada fries. I loved the sauce drizzled on top! Fries nice I crispy. They have soda & alcohol options, mainly seltzers. Get the salsa trio! Also the churros & caramel are bomb! Friendly staff, very small inside but still cute.
Came here with some co-workers on a work trip based on some of the reviews. It is an incredibly small place with only about 5 tables for 4 people and 3 tables for 2 people. We came early and I'm glad we did, because before we were done there was already a wait. They also seemed like they did a killer takeout business. Service was attentive and very kind. It was taco Tuesday and we were hoping to grab margaritas. Flame doesn't have a full bar, but they do have bottled beers and some bottled cocktail type drinks. They have a canned margarita (Cayman Jack) which was pretty good! We started with some queso dip and guac. The chips were really yummy and seemed like they just came out of an oven or deep fryer (not sure how they make them). The queso was good, but a bit runny/thin for my taste. The guac was fantastic... simple, not overly complicated, just the way I like it. I ordered three tacos, and I love that you can get them a la carte. I got an asada, chicken, and ground beef taco. All were very good. The chicken was surprisingly flavorful and not dry at all. The asada meat was the tiniest bit dry, but the flavoring was so incredible that it didn't matter. The meat in each taco was delightful. Overall, this was a very good spot for food and tacos.
HUGE fan of Arturo's whether it's the Taqueria, the Cantina, or the truck! I could go on and on about the specific dishes, but honestly... It's all FIRE! It doesn't matter what you get everything is going to be good. I have yet to be disappointed in anything I have ordered from any location associated with Flame. The mango shrimp (Carribean), birria and al pastor tacos... The quesadillas... You just can't go wrong. And don't miss out on the Machete!
Your cell phone might ring with a flavor alert when you set foot into this place. You are about to experience a food adventure. Don't worry, in this adventure you won't be chased by elephants, or Nazis, or Nazi elephants . Just think of it as an adventure for your taste buds. Let's just say they will be happy- even if you do end up being chased by Nazi elephants. Which again, is probably unlikely. Probably. Outside is sort of a nondescript strip mall feel. Inside is small and homey with a few chairs. You can order at the counter and they will bring you your food. Service is very friendly. I guess this business started as a food truck? Makes sense because much of the menu has a little decadent spin on many traditional items. I doubt you could make a bad choice. I actually had the "Costena" burrito- which was on Special. This should be an every day menu item, as it was incredibly delicious. I mean, smack you in the face good. Saucy, cheesy, spicy, sweet: it covered every base. It was a monster of el pastor, jalapeños, pineapple, queso, cilantro rice and who knows what else. It could be made of thumbtacks and I would gladly eat it again. Definitely make this place a priority for you to check out. Enjoy the adventure.
The brisket in my birria tacos was cooked to perfection. The tortillas were cooked nicely as well. Salsa had good zip and the seasoning on the chips is reminiscent of "fuzzy dust". The corn is loaded with crema and cheese. Server was friendly and checked in often. This place would be a 5+ if they had horchata.
This place is the bomb! My husband and I stopped in for dinner and we thought the food was wonderful and flavorful. The place is small but cozy. There were about seven or eight tables in there. The service is excellent and the staff is super friendly. The server who waited on us had to take an extremely long carry out order on the phone right after she seated us so we didn't get our drinks or menus right away. After she got off the phone she apologized profusely for the long wait. She said the customer was ordering 20 things and so it took awhile. We could tell she felt really bad about it so it wasn't a big deal to us. She gave us a free order of chips and all their salsas, which were delicious. The chips were seasoned and looked homemade. They're the best chips I've ever had. We both got the street tacos. You get three tacos with the choice of three different meats or shrimp. I chose asada and adobo chicken in my tacos and my husband got the same two meats that I got plus chorizo. The tacos tasted so authentic and had so much flavor. Plus, their salsas were really good, too. They have three different salsas to choose from, ranging from mild, to super hot. I liked the fire roasted salsa the best. I love how their menu has unique sounding items. They don't have the cookie cutter combination platters that every other Mexican restaurant in town has. Everything on the menu sounded good. I want to come back and try them all. This is definitely our favorite Mexican restaurant now.
Great service. Clean storefront. Delicious food. We thought this would be an actual food truck but it's not. Not mad!
1 month ago
21 days ago
2 years ago
First visit to this very cozy brick and mortar. Previous reviews were food truck reviews. There is maybe enough seating for about 20 bodies in here. Here with a table top of 6. Lots of questions with our group and the young waitress is kind and helpful. She brings waters and then had to go through the list of drinks because they are not printed on anything. We got a Trio for the table. Trio is chips and salsa (mild and hot) queso and guacamole. The chips were thick and crunchy. When we ran low she filled us back up. We got our orders in. Quesa Birria Tacos for hubby and I to share. Only 3 Tacos but we knew we were going to share a light meal. I had not had them before. The aus just sauce for a taco blew my mind. I like Angus beef and dipping sauce. Who doesn't? They were really good. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. The kitchen here is smaller and when asked about a specialty item we were informed that the Ankeny location had it but the kitchen here couldn't accommodate. I want to come back and try more. I had the flame burger from the food truck years ago and I think I would do that again too. read more
3.5 We visited on a Sunday for dinner and had a lovely server. We ordered chips & queso, quesa birria tacos, and street tacos with asada. The chips appeared homemade and were well-seasoned with a thick white queso (also a huge serving!). The quesa birria was flavorful but the meat was a bit on the dry side; I loved the dipping sauce. The street tacos were on the bland side but added flavor with the salsa and queso. Overall, it was a good meal but not stand out! read more
6 months ago
What a nice place to get some tacos! While this location is small and might be hard to find a spot to sit sometimes it is worth the stop or to order take out as several others were taking advantage of. Staff was very attentive to our needs and were quick with everything including our food. We had a Birria tacos which was fantastic, and the hot salsa was hot. If you like a little spice in your life, I suggest getting that. read more
1 year ago
Hands down the best tacos I have ever had. Kevin was an amazing server!! Will recommend to all of my friends! read more
5 months ago
2 years ago
Absolutely love this hidden gem! Choriqueso is amazing as well as the guac. The chips have this lovely seasoning. My girl absolutely loves the birria tacos. I've tried just about everything, but pictured below is the asada fries. I loved the sauce drizzled on top! Fries nice I crispy. They have soda & alcohol options, mainly seltzers. Get the salsa trio! Also the churros & caramel are bomb! Friendly staff, very small inside but still cute. read more
4 years ago
Came here with some co-workers on a work trip based on some of the reviews. It is an incredibly small place with only about 5 tables for 4 people and 3 tables for 2 people. We came early and I'm glad we did, because before we were done there was already a wait. They also seemed like they did a killer takeout business. Service was attentive and very kind. It was taco Tuesday and we were hoping to grab margaritas. Flame doesn't have a full bar, but they do have bottled beers and some bottled cocktail type drinks. They have a canned margarita (Cayman Jack) which was pretty good! We started with some queso dip and guac. The chips were really yummy and seemed like they just came out of an oven or deep fryer (not sure how they make them). The queso was good, but a bit runny/thin for my taste. The guac was fantastic... simple, not overly complicated, just the way I like it. I ordered three tacos, and I love that you can get them a la carte. I got an asada, chicken, and ground beef taco. All were very good. The chicken was surprisingly flavorful and not dry at all. The asada meat was the tiniest bit dry, but the flavoring was so incredible that it didn't matter. The meat in each taco was delightful. Overall, this was a very good spot for food and tacos. read more
HUGE fan of Arturo's whether it's the Taqueria, the Cantina, or the truck! I could go on and on about the specific dishes, but honestly... It's all FIRE! It doesn't matter what you get everything is going to be good. I have yet to be disappointed in anything I have ordered from any location associated with Flame. The mango shrimp (Carribean), birria and al pastor tacos... The quesadillas... You just can't go wrong. And don't miss out on the Machete! read more
Your cell phone might ring with a flavor alert when you set foot into this place. You are about to experience a food adventure. Don't worry, in this adventure you won't be chased by elephants, or Nazis, or Nazi elephants . Just think of it as an adventure for your taste buds. Let's just say they will be happy- even if you do end up being chased by Nazi elephants. Which again, is probably unlikely. Probably. Outside is sort of a nondescript strip mall feel. Inside is small and homey with a few chairs. You can order at the counter and they will bring you your food. Service is very friendly. I guess this business started as a food truck? Makes sense because much of the menu has a little decadent spin on many traditional items. I doubt you could make a bad choice. I actually had the "Costena" burrito- which was on Special. This should be an every day menu item, as it was incredibly delicious. I mean, smack you in the face good. Saucy, cheesy, spicy, sweet: it covered every base. It was a monster of el pastor, jalapeños, pineapple, queso, cilantro rice and who knows what else. It could be made of thumbtacks and I would gladly eat it again. Definitely make this place a priority for you to check out. Enjoy the adventure. read more
The brisket in my birria tacos was cooked to perfection. The tortillas were cooked nicely as well. Salsa had good zip and the seasoning on the chips is reminiscent of "fuzzy dust". The corn is loaded with crema and cheese. Server was friendly and checked in often. This place would be a 5+ if they had horchata. read more
5 years ago
This place is the bomb! My husband and I stopped in for dinner and we thought the food was wonderful and flavorful. The place is small but cozy. There were about seven or eight tables in there. The service is excellent and the staff is super friendly. The server who waited on us had to take an extremely long carry out order on the phone right after she seated us so we didn't get our drinks or menus right away. After she got off the phone she apologized profusely for the long wait. She said the customer was ordering 20 things and so it took awhile. We could tell she felt really bad about it so it wasn't a big deal to us. She gave us a free order of chips and all their salsas, which were delicious. The chips were seasoned and looked homemade. They're the best chips I've ever had. We both got the street tacos. You get three tacos with the choice of three different meats or shrimp. I chose asada and adobo chicken in my tacos and my husband got the same two meats that I got plus chorizo. The tacos tasted so authentic and had so much flavor. Plus, their salsas were really good, too. They have three different salsas to choose from, ranging from mild, to super hot. I liked the fire roasted salsa the best. I love how their menu has unique sounding items. They don't have the cookie cutter combination platters that every other Mexican restaurant in town has. Everything on the menu sounded good. I want to come back and try them all. This is definitely our favorite Mexican restaurant now. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Great service. Clean storefront. Delicious food. We thought this would be an actual food truck but it's not. Not mad! read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
6 years ago
Flame the Taqueria - located in Johnston on Merle Hay Rd, a former taco truck turned brick 'n mortar place. Huaraches: this was surprisingly (to me) my favorite dish. Something about the smashed flatbread-like dough, then piled high with steak and toppings, just appealed to my palate. It reminded me of a hardened version of naan, but made with beans. Ok I sound ridiculous right now comparing huaraches to naan because they're not even remotely the same kind of bread, but just something about the flat but thick dough with toppings I seemed to really like. Overall presentation and combination of flavors hit spot on. Shrimp tacos: no mango salsa for the allergic-to-them chica over here, but we subbed their "hottest" hot sauce instead. Hot and spicy, I wouldn't call it really hot but it had a nice kick . It kicked my guy's rear but I used quite a bit. I liked the cream sauce drizzled over the shrimp on this dish, whatever it was. Added a nice touch and flavor to the plump and sweet shrimp. El Pastor: pork tacos were my least favorite but still delicious, piled with marinated pork and pineapple pico. Chips: "regular hot salsa" or their version of salsa verde (not at all spicy), and queso are a là carte; don't expect a free-for-all basket of chips here. Queso was good, chips are thicker than others, which I liked and disliked. Liked because they were delicious and made for a sturdy vehicle by which to shove more queso in my mouth, disliked because I filled up really fast on em. Julia's sweet tooth: cream cheese wrapped in dough, fried and topped with sugar and caramel. Not our favorite item but it's not for everyone. Overall, I really liked it. I will say I feel it is definitely more like taco truck food and I think the experience outside a food truck would've been even better. Not bad, I really liked our entrees, and it's just an observation. Inside dining is TINYYYY...maybe 5 tables total? No social distancing possible in here but staff all wore masks. I saw SEVERAL carryouts, which was awesome except it meant the dining room (.00000005 inches from the front and only entrance/exit) was freezing cold. Next time I think I would prefer this food as carryout, why I cannot pinpoint. Something is appealing to me about the idea of eating their hauraches and tacos on my couch, watching a good movie. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
My husband won a gift card so we decided to stop in. As stated by prior reviews, the place is very small. To me this is not a good or a bad thing, I'm just not a huge fan of being crowded in. Next time I will definitely order takeout. The service was friendly and fast, but we were never checked on after we got our food. While we were eating a family of 13 came in and crowded the place. There were already 5 people eating when they arrived. It was almost impossible to get out of the restaurant due to this family being allowed to block the entrance by arranging the remaining tables to suit themselves & request more chairs! It may have been a good idea for employees to request this family wait until they could accommodate them better but it is what it is. My husband & I ordered the chips & guacamole as a starter. The chips were okay, deep fried tortillas that weren't really seasoned. I know it's going to sound naive but when did restaurants start charging for chips? The guacamole was good but not outstanding. I don't think I would pay 8 dollars to have it again. We both ordered the birria tacos. I will say the meat was juicy, the tortillas were perfectly crispy and cheese wonderfully melted. I just wished the consommé was a little more flavorful. I was hoping to be bowled over but I was kind of underwhelmed. I just wished for a little more seasoning & a little more complexity. My husband loved it so we will order again, but to me it was a bit overpriced. read more
Holy crap incredible. First off, our server was WONDERFUL. She had us giggly all night & her commentary had us feeling extremely welcome. The food is next level. I have never been a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, however, the husband is a LARGE fan. I LOVED EVERYTHING. The salsa is a bit spicy for me, however I couldn't stop eating it. The chips come out warm & are slightly seasoned (we judge heavily on good chips & salsa) my husband was fawning over the cooking of his tacos & I couldn't eat enough of my burrito. I had avocado added to mine & ordered extra chipotle sauce on the side. The restaraunt was very small & I loved it. Very much so a hole in the wall & also the place I would love to come back & try every dish at. read more
4 years ago
I have only taken food to go so far and it has been so delicious each time. The sauces are amazing with the birria tacos. I ask for the green one to pair with them. The staff was super friendly in the short time I was there too! Will definitely continue to stop in for tacos. Don't skip the cilantro rice!! read more
Husband liked it more than I did. I had the huaraches with chicken and he had the burrito bowl with chicken and chorizo. Husband and I agree that the chicken was not flavorful. The chips were good but we added salt. Guac had chunks and was great. Chorizo made all the difference in flavor. I will go back and try other food. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
Party of 4. $36. This is the third time they've had their truck in our development, but the first time I've had it! Follow them on Facebook! I ordered online to pick up at the truck. Everything was ready to go when I arrived. California burger was out of this world delicious! Cajun fries, uh yes, please. I'm not sure what the Flame sauce is or if I've ever had pickled red onions before, but I highly recommend you try both! I'm pretty stingy with five star ratings, but this truck's easy online ordering, friendly staff, quick pick up....it's just perfect! Jeeze, I'm getting hungry just writing about it! read more
5 years ago
The food is great tasting and very authentic! My favorite part was the hand made, fresh chips and salsa! They offer a variety of levels of spicy, perfect for every one! My fiancé loves birria tacos and consomé, but he doesn't just like any-- these have been his favorite! The asada fries are also a must order! One thing that was a bummer was that they did not offer fountain drinks, and therefor no refills are offered. Although they don't offer fountain drinks they do have a wide variety of authentic Mexican drinks! Give this place a try! Truly recommend- great food and amazing, speedy service! read more
4 years ago
This place is absolutely delicious. It may be a little hole in the wall but you will not taste it on your plate, the food is amazing, the service is impeccable. Will definitely be going there every time I visit Johnston! read more
3 years ago
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More info about Flame The Taqueria
5765 Merle Hay Rd
Johnston, IA 50131
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(515) 723-8934
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