Our cruise ship docked in Burlington for the day so Momma and I trucked into town for something with a bit more flair than ship board fare. Coming from California we were missing some authentic Mexican food so we gave Lindo Mexico a try. GOOD CHOICE! You know when you walk in the restaurant to the smell of the food and your stomach starts to growl and your mouth starts to water? Yeah. Cute place with some killer specials. Breakfast served all day. Momma had the pork enchilada plate special with red sauce. Wonderful. Clearly homemade refried beans and rice. I ordered chilaquiles plate with red sauce. Some of the best I've had. Great place. Go. Eat. Enjoy. read more

For Iowa, it's pretty good. We're never disappointed with the food. Could it be spicier? Yea, but it's Iowa. Great wait staff when we've been here. They do not take credit cards - cash only. Bummer. So be prepared. read more

When I saw the other reviews for this place, I assumed I was in for a treat. Having (at the time) the best ratings for mexican food in Burlington, I had hoped that my stay here at Lindo would be wonderful. Unfortunately my experience was the exact opposite. For starters, the chips were incredibly hard. Despite this, I just assumed that was their style and I would move onto my dinner and it would still be great. I ordered the carne asada, something I'm all too familiar with. I love everything about carne asada; how tender it is, how tasty it is, and overall I love experiencing the different ways people choose to prepare it. After eating all of the hard chips, we weren't asked for a refill on them, and after that we didn't see much of the waitresses. (Although they did fill my water) After getting my food, I looked down on the grossest piece of meat I think I have ever seen. The (excuse for) carne asada was black; Completely dry; and smelled horrible. I can't even describe how unlike carne asada this was. It looked more like fried pork. The meat was completely and absolutely dried, and was flaking. It was near impossible to cut, even with a knife, and if you scraped the knife over it, it could be loudly heard. It was covered in long, stringy fat, and the parts of meat that weren't fat were almost indistinguishable from the fat. Despite being completely let down on this, I decided to just suck it up and write this place off as a bad experience. I used the beans, lettuce, and rice, along with the tortillas to just make a few burritos and figured I could at least spare the dish. After my second tortilla I scooped the remaining rice and beans up to prepare my third one. It was at this time that I saw a gnarled black hair on my fork (I have brown hair and was wayyyyy far away from my dish, as I was leaning back) It was at this moment that I decided I was no longer just "sucking it up". I was going to write a review. I was (and still am) amazed at the reviews for this place. The only thing this leads me to believe is most of this was written by friends and family. Below are the two photos I snapped. This was using flash lighting, and no filters are added. As you can see from the carne asada, its completely black. I apologize for the bad carne asada picture, it was the second one I took and I felt uncomfortable flashing a camera inside the restaurant. http://i.imgur.com/5lo3FYo.jpg http://i.imgur.com/iFC7maL.jpg read more

Lindo Mexico - First experience with lindo, and it will be my last. - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Iowa

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They had great chips salsa and rice but the lemonade was a bit too sweet I'm sorry to say. But it's still the best Mexican food in town and they are very friendly people! I'll come back for my enchilada and chimi fix for sure! read more

Lindo Mexico - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Iowa

The only word to describe Lindo Mexico is "Beuno". The free chips were crisp and crunchy and the salsa delish. I had Heuvos Ranchero Chirizo which was about as perfect a meal as I've ever had. The flavor was amazing! The best part? Jarritos soda in a glass bottle made from real cane sugar. The Coke was also in a glass bottle with cane sugar. At the end of the meal free dessert chips! Great service and a really clean place which is a must! Check it out read more

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Best authentic Mexican food I've had this side of the border. I highly recommend steak tacos with corn tortillas. read more

Local hole-in-the-wall advertising authentic Mexican food. The salsa was watery, and the food was ok but nothing what I expected. The owner was a sweet lady though which is why I gave it an extra star. The waitress didn't have a clue about the menu and had no recommendations. read more

Best authentic mexican food in town. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. Yummy! Cash or check only read more

Been going here since they opened! Great food! I always recommend the soup! Soooo amazing!! The chimichanga is always a crowd pleaser! Quick service and amazing food! read more

Good tex mex. I generally prefer authentic taquerias - this is not that, but I was happily surprised here. The rice and beans were simple but delicious, as was the cheese enchilada. Taco was pretty solid too. Overall, half Americanized tex-mex, but done well, especially for rural Iowa. read more

I'm truly disappointed in this restaurant. I have been wanting to go for the longest time, but they seem to try and make it as difficult for the customer as possible. Close at 8PM, only accept cash or check, no alcohol, and they are set up as if they are fancy enough to serve EVERYTHING a la carte. Ok, I'll start with the good. The restaurant is quaint and nice. The salsa is very good and fresh. Unfortunately, the "good" list ends here. Now for the not so good. For a restaurant that acts as if it's better than the other local restaurants by closing so early, claiming to be authentic, and not accepting cash, let me dispel that myth -- it's is no better than any other Mexican place in town. I expected them to have some authentic specials, and when o asked I was told "no, we don't really do specials". So, as I'm perusing the menu I start to notice it is literally no different than any generic restaurant. This was kind of a downer, but I stayed optimistic and ordered the plato cancun. This dish had tilapia, shrimp, onions, cilantro, and butter, accompanied with beans and rice. Please see my pictures above for reference. You are only given lettuce as an accompaniment, no sour cream - that's extra, if you want a second TINY bowl of salsa - extra, hot sauce - extra, cilantro-extra, cheese - WAY EXTRA, ranchero sauce - extra. The place is basically a la carte, which would be fine if it was fine dining, this place most certainly isn't that. On to my food. As I said earlier, the salsa was great, the chips, however, were old and had been sitting under a heat lamp (see picture) I have been searching high and low for good fish and shrimp tacos in Burlington. Lindo Mexico doesn't even offer fish or shrimp tacos, but what I got basically compared. I figured with the onions and cilantro the fish and shrimp would have some flavor - it did not. The shrimp were not cooked with the onion and cilantro and were quite dry, and if I liked a little fish with my butter, this dish would've been great. The fish was literally soggy, and dripping with butter. The onions were cooked clear, and very little of them were given. After completion of my meal there was a large pool of butter still left over from my fish (see picture). It upsets me that this place did not live up to my expectations, but I will at Least give it one more chance before swearing it off. If you are looking for something authentic, drive to Iowa City. If you just like generic Mexican, that doesn't offer any queso, and you don't mind being nickel and dimed, I'm sure their basic dishes are on par with cash fiesta and others in town. I gave it one star because it claims to be authentic, does not think customer first, and my experience was not the best. I heard one waiter tell a guest that she was not allowed to take back his food even when she wrote down the wrong order for him. They are understaffed, I waited 8 minutes to pay my bill at the front, and there was no line. All in all it seems to be poorly managed, but I'll update this post on my next visit. read more

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Do I rate this restaurant on a relative scale to what it is, or an absolute scale for what I like best? Unfortunately, I haven't been able to eat at other restaurants in the area to know if I'd rate this higher due to lack of better options. The good: * Owned and operated by Mexican natives * Mexican cokes and Jaras for sale * Fresh salsa with cilantro and homemade tortilla chips * Service was prompt and efficient. The just ok: * Typical Mexican cafe food: enchiladas plate served with iceberg lettuce, beans, Spanish rice * Sauces on main dishes were runny I was happy to support a family run business and something other than hamburgers and bar food in Burlington. Maybe if I tried other places in Burlington, this would be the best there is, but compared to all restaurants I've ever been to, Mexico Lindo was just ok. read more

Great food, and the woman who owns the place is delightful. I would give them 5 stars if only they took credit cards. The cash only bit is a pain for Their customers. read more

Good service. Very nice owners. Definitely the best Mexican food within 300 miles. There isn't a bad thing on the menu. All fresh ingredients. The cook/owner takes a great deal of pride with the food he prepares. read more

They have the most authentic Mexican food in Burlington. The prices can't be beat! Be forwarned, they no longer take checks or debit/credit cards. Cash only. read more

I have never had a bad experience here and I have grown up eating Lindo Mexico. The best Mexican food in town! The fajitas are the best I've ever had. Great atmosphere and the owner Maria is always working and although her accent is somewhat hard to understand you can tell she is passionate about her food. Get the lemonade, fresh made everyday. All and all, the best Mexican food I've had around southeast Iowa. read more

This is the "real deal;" great Mexican food at a reasonable price. Try the pollo al vino; it is a meal in itself.