Extremely slow service. Friendly waitress, but we received two meals wrong. We sent one back and got it wrong the second time and gave up. The he food wasn't great. Wouldn't go back again. read more

Las compadres fajitas had great flavor. The Micheleda was very salty but I think that the bartender was distracted by overserved ladies. I'll be back to give this place a try again. read more

Los Compadres - a drink and a bottle of beer - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Here on business and ordered fajitas they were great and still eating leftovers 2 days later! Huge portions and reasonable prices

Let me start off by saying the first time I ate here I loved it! So much so, that I had to come back after a few weeks to try something else! First time around I got chimichangas, which I'll admit, are a weakness of mine. Because UH HELLO fried burritos! Fried foods are friends in my book. Anyway, I came back and got a Chile relleno and fried ice cream. The Chile relleno was cold in the middle. I mean cold cold. Straight from the fridge cold cheese. Weird because it was batter dipped and fried? ... Allegedly. It was very disappointing for a girl who came back because she was so impressed the first time around. Were you wondering about that fried ice cream? Maybe you wanted to get it. I'd save my money if I were you. The portion size was sad, and it was rolled in crushed cornflakes fried. Not fried fried. Another disappointment. Chips and salsa and chimichangas are enough to risk coming back, but I probably won't feel as adventurous in my entree (or dessert) choices. So far I'm at 50/50, so you can decide whether it's worth the gamble! ;) read more

Very high prices for Mexican food. Salsa was pungent with chili powder so you taste it all day. Beef tip Chimichanga dinner was very spicy abut good $14.99. Enchiladas Mexicanas/beef was crumbly, needed cheese and not a lot of flavor. Lime Margarita on the rocks was not drinkable because they must have used grapefruit in it instead of lime. Very tart! No sugar on table to add to it. That cost $8.99 . Server never came back after dropping off food so we felt stuck. They charge extra 4% for cc payments. Won't go back - not good quality in food or drink. read more

We came here since the reviews say authentic Mexican food. This was definitely a lie. The food was very Americanized. The plates come out so hot from the bottom as if they microwave the plate. I have never been to a restaurant that the waiters have to use cooking mittens, really weird. The margarita I tried on the rocks and they truly use cheap liquor. I gave it a 1 since my husband said his meal was okay. I don't get to take a pic of the rest of the food, but not picture worthy. Oh also the tostada was so soggy it was gross. read more

Los Compadres - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

May 20th,2017 a group of 25 went to Los Compadres after a visitation. The service was excellent! A man came to our table and made fresh guacamole which was to die for. Great chips and salsa. I ordered the carnitas. Absolutely cooked to perfection! The taste was out of this world. Anyone who ordered a margarita got the choice of tequila poured down their throats throughout your meal. Hilarious to watch. I will be a repeat customer for sure. read more

Los Compadres - Margs and beer at Los Compadres on 5/20/17 - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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Buffet was really good! Margarita was so strong that is was tough to enjoy. Great quick lunch however! read more

Ayyyyyyyyeeeeeee, this place is my go to!!!!! The staff and the cook are amazing super heroes or something because I leave happy and full!!!! So if you like good hot food this is the place!!!! And the owner is super cool!!! Keep up the good work guys!!!! read more

Decent Mexican fare. I ordered the steak , which was cooked rare (how I like it) but the entree was sparsely seasoned. The cooks topped the steak with sauté peppers which was a nice touch. read more

Los Compadres - 12 Oz ribeye - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ordered to go. We ordered the seafood first, supposed to be fried tilapia with jumbo shrimp- it was completely devoid of flavor. Everything was soggy and unappetizing. The tortillas tasted better than any of the meat or vegetables. We ended up getting a gift certificate in lieu of a refund and tried the t bone steak. Again, it was completely bland and rubbery. It said Grilled on menu but I think it was pan cook. The staff's excuse for their flavorless food was that they "had only been open about a year," and "they were relatively new." We didn't feel like these excuses made up for the bad food. Again I just wanted my money back they won't do that. They forced me to change a meal or order a different meal it literally turned me off so I did not wanna order just wanted my money back 25$ I ordered the most expensive meal in the store failed 2 times. As a customer I don't want to see employees who are prideful and defensive of their establishment I just want them to try and make it right for their customers. I didn't feel like they tried to make it right or make me a satisfied customer, I felt like they were ganging up on me and defending their food. I don't think I'll be going back read more

Los Compadres - Fish - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

it was our friends birthday and we walked in and she immediately started off being rude. She was rude the whole time and was saying snappy stuff. We made a slight mess on our table and started cleaning it up. She gave us more napkins and said. "Here you can take these and clean your mess." After that we asked if there anything we could do for our friends birthday. she replied with "you can pay the tab and leave." For some dumb reason, we gave her a $20 tip. %100 because we didnt spend much. She didn't even acknowledge it. Rude servers. Don't go here amigos. read more

This my favorite Mexican restaurant. We have been here many times and it has been great. Tonight not so much. The salsa has changed. It used to be homemade but tonight I am sure it came from a food service. I asked the service and she said it was the same. Not true. Other Than that it was fine. read more

Worst service ever! Ordered the beef quesadilla. It looked like cat barf on the inside so I sent it back- and I never send back food. I asked for a plain cheese quesadilla instead and it was so salty that someone in the kitchen had to have dumped a bunch of salt in it. I ate about half before I ran out of water. The waitress took my water glass away from the table to refill it, which I found to be shady. Sure enough when she came back with my glass my metal straw was upside down in the glass, so there was no way I was going to have anything to do with any of it. Now I'm home, boiling my metal straw, the brush, and the straw holder because who knows what the waitress did with my straw before putting back in the glass upside down. I will never, ever go back there. read more

First thing I noticed after being seated was the prices of the entrées Service was ok food came out quickly but the food was average at best A medium margarita was very big in size but was also nine dollars in price and it was awful tasted like grapefruit juice.go figure with the expensive food and drink prices probably will not go back when there is a lot better choice right down the street at Cancun Mexican Grill I know the cost of everything is going up give them a break they're just trying to stay in business blah blah blah there are plenty of places out there with reasonably priced drinks and food that is very good Los compadres is not one of them read more

The service was horrible literally the worst I have had. They sat us then didn't come back to take our order for 20 minutes. We had the menus closed and clearly waiting. Then when they took our order I had the beginning fajitas with corn tortillas I am gluten free so I need the corn tortillas. The meals came out and they were flour tortillas. So I had to go over to the bar were all the servers were talking to have them fix it because they weren't paying attention and were clearly not coming back to check if it was ok.when it came to pay I had to flag someone down and ask for the check. And then had to go up to the bar again to get their attention to pay. Let me say I am normally pretty easy going. But this was just ridiculous. Never will return. read more

Not a lot to look at from the outside but don't judge this book by its cover Or you will miss out on a treat. Los Compadres Mexican restaurant delivers on taste, atmosphere and service. From the rate the margaritas were flying off bar I would say they have to be top notch and out of this world. The place was packed and everyone was enjoying their time and food together. I took a seat at the bar and was promptly invited to a cold Negra Modello on tap. At the same time that my cold beer appeared so did a bowl of fresh chips and salsa always with smiles making me feel very welcome. The menu is very extensive and it was difficult to decide but I decided on the Mole de Polo and guacamole made table side fresh. The mole sauce was amazing and the chicken was tender and flavorful. I ordered the small bowl of guacamole but had more than enough to take some home with me at the end of my meal. I will definitely return to Los Compadres. read more

Los Compadres - Mole de Polo. What a treat! Had to stop myself from eating to snap a pic. - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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I'm very confused at other reviews touting the authentic Mexican food here. I've been here twice and the only authentic food I've received is the table-side guacamole that you can get on the weekends. And to be sure, it is definitely worth coming for! But that's it. Our entres have not been good either time we've been. This last time I got the Burrito Supremo. Tortilla was not authentic. I've only been to a couple places that make their own tortillas so I can't exactly hold that against them. The beef tips tasted like crockpot roast beef cut into pieces and the shredded chicken tasted like "jerky stuff" shredded beef jerky. It is clear that both proteins are cooked in bulk and reheated. Ordered guacamole (not the table side guacamole, mind you), and paid $3.99 for tomatoes and chopped onion with a tablespoon or two of very runny (sauce-like consistency) avocado on it. Seriously. Our first time I ordered the mole. I had never had it before, and hated it. My wife, who has been to Mexico and has two Hispanic brother-in-laws, tasted it and assured me that that was not what good mole tasted like (it had to much chocolate). Very disappointed. Only came back the second time because the table side guacamole was so delicious the first time, but we found out they don't do it during week days on our trip tonight, so that wasn't an option. All the sides are the typical same ol' basic refried beans and rice I've gotten at most every other Mexican restaurant I've eaten at. I only tried this place because of other reviews talking about how authentic and how delicious it is. It's just not true. Won't be back a third time. read more

Awesome place to come if you are craving Mexican food. I got the chicken chimichangas and my girlfriend got a quesadilla. Fresh made guac at the table....also delicious. Margaritas we will be back. read more

Los Compadres - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I love the guacamole when they make it right at your table. Soooo yummy! Restrooms could use a more regular cleaning. Dropped review from 4 down to 2 stars. Although food was good, service was less than stellar with us having to go to the bar to ask him for things. But the clincher was the margaritas. Although they were large, we did not request virgin margs. And we were certainly not charged for the non-alcoholic version. Very disappointed. You're slipping guys. Yes the gringos can tell when there isn't booze in it. Especially on an empty stomach. read more

This place is great! Food is delicious and the tequila flows! Waiter was friendly and actually seemed to really enjoy his job. Someone came around and poured more tequila in my already delicious margarita. Atmosphere is fun and jumping. If you are passing through or staying the night make this a definite place to visit!! read more

My son and I were visiting relatives in CR and we craved Mexican food. We're from Los Angeles, so we were really hesitant about getting Mexican food in the land of bland food. Our instincts were right and we should have passed. My son ordered enchiladas with mole sauce and it was pretty good. I got the seafood enchiladas. They tasted really fishy and I asked the waitress if they were made with imitation crab. She didn't know, but told me how much she liked them. I asked her to check with the kitchen. She came back to take my son's dessert order and said that it was imitation crab, yet again she said how much she liked them even though she'd never had real crab. I told her that they were NOT good and she didn't say anything and quickly went away. When she came back to bring the check, I asked her to talk to her manager about adjusting the bill, given that the menu didn't say anything about the fake crab and I barely touched them. She did get the manager to remove the charge, but I felt like she should have offered me something else or taken care of the charge without me having to ask. As we walked to the door, the waitress passed right by us and didn't say a word, such as, "thank you" or "come back again", etc. read more

I have to admit I cringed when my midwest based family suggested a Mexican food restaurant for dinner when I was visiting over the holidays. I truly believe that good Mexican food cannot be found outside of Mexico, AZ & CA, but Los Compadres was legit for Iowa. As we walked into the restaurant I could see it was packed. That was a good sign. I saw my cousin's husband's plate- it was Chili Verde and it looked like the food from home- another good sign. The margarita (Raspberry) was smooth and packed a punch- great sign! I couldn't decipher where the owners were from, but clearly they knew their Mexican food. My server, not so much. He didn't understand any of the Spanish I spoke, and when I asked for carne asada he asked "beef or chicken?" I also asked him for water 3 times without ever receiving any. The food was good, but clearly toned down for midwest tastes. Needs more spices and heat to the salsa to be good. Trick of Mexican restaurants-- they always have a hotter, secret salsa available in kitchen if you ask for it. Compadres hot salsa came out fresh and hot-- you could taste the Habanero. If you like Mexican food and are in Iowa, this is the closest you can get to it without leaving the state and heading to the SW. I definitely recommend it. read more

The wait staff was really great. Very friendly, and helpful. I ordered 2 burritos (1 beef, 1 chicken), they were both pretty good. The refried beans were flavorful and hot, the rice was tasty. My wife got steak tacos, and they were not the best. They tasted very bland and boring. The atmosphere is a bit dark for our tastes, I wish it was better lit. It was priced very well, though. I think they were just really off their game with the taco beef tips on the day we went. I'll be back and am looking to upgrade my rating. read more

I disagree with the previous reviewer; though I have only eaten here once, both my dining companion and I really enjoyed our meals. Of course, neither of us thought it would be a good idea to order seafood in Iowa, so... I had some vegetarian cheese enchiladas with a tomatillo salsa that were really tasty. Fresh from the kitchen I found them to be too cheesy, but when I reheated the leftovers the next day, they were absolutely excellent. My friend ordered their special, which was some kind of chicken dish, which she absolutely, positively loved. I don't eat chicken, so I will just have to take her word for it that it rocked. Their chips and salsa are fantastic, too. The salsa is really fresh tasty, not too salty or painfully spicy. The chips are good, too. I could make a meal out of the chips and salsa, but I don't need to since their actual meals are pretty tasty. read more

Loved the food.. And great margaritas.. BUT.. You need to watch your bill and know what you are getting... They give free Tequila shots for a reason.. My date and I had the exact same entre.. The portions were plenty and the food was good... The cost for each 13.99. So we also had a specialty margarita with Chambord.. No price.. Then we each had a raspberry margarita.. Just plain old margarita.. Don't get me wrong.. The drinks were great as well.. But.. When I got my bill it just said 2 2 2. ... Then. 72.00 Bill... Our food was 30.00 with tax... or close.. We had 4 medium margaritas... So that's about 10 dollars a drink... For 2 people who by no means parties it up... That's pretty steep.. IMHO for Mexican food. read more

The competition in CR among Mex restaurants is getting hotter than a tamale. Btw, I never have like tamales. Probably only because haven't had a good one yet. Los Compadres has raised the ante with fresh cooking and some good ol' friendly service. We shared a platter of Fajitas Vallarta on a Lenten Friday night. It had a nice seafood combo of shrimp, crab, scallops, topped with a tilapia fillet. The veggies were fresh and nicely seasoned. Even the beans and rice were freshly prepared and wonderful. Our server Claudia was cheerful and very efficient checking in with us often even though she was quite busy. I think we found a new Mex favorite! read more

Los Compadres - Fajitas Vallarta (recommended) with shrimp, scallops, crab and a lightly fried tilapia fillet on top. - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Being from California I have struggled to find any Mexican food that I care for here in CR. I was introduced to Los Compadres by a coworker from Texas. So far I have tried the Chile Verde and the Chili Relleno. Both were very good and much better than most of the local alternatives. As for the service it was exemplary for this type of restaurant. As mentioned in other reviews the owners are engaging and very attentive to their customers. Bon profit! read more

I love everything about this place. From the table side guac to the amazing salsa. There was even a guy going around topping off tequila! 5/5 stars!! read more

Good meat in the quesadillas, tacos, and carne Asada plate. The steak in the tacos were very generous and flavorful, but there was no pico for the tacos, just lettuce and tomato. The Queso dip was very good, but we went through 2 baskets, among the 4 of us, of chips very slowly before our meal came, so pace yourself and wait patiently for your meal. Was disappointed they didn't have horchata on the hot 90 degree day we went, but overall decent experience. I will have to come back and try the lunch buffet sometime. read more

Los Compadres - Compadres quesasadilla with steak, chorizo and shrimp! Yum! - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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We had a 6 top, 3 adult 3 children. Thursday night, so not really slamming busy. My son received his EXTEMELY greasy chicken tenders and his opinion HORRIBLE fries, I received just my fajita meat, no tortillas, no sides nothing. Then comes my daughters tacos, which she said were disgusting. 10 minutes later I FINALLY received my tortillas and toppings and my other daughters order. 10 minutes after that my cousin and husband FINALLY received their order. I didn't even eat, walked out with 2 of my children. There was no order in delivering our meals, several others received their meals in between us. We will NEVER go back to this place again!! read more

This was one of the best Mexican restaurants I've been too! Service was excellent, food tastes great, and the portions were big enough for two. Meals come with endless chips and salsa. I definitely recommend this restaurant to those who love Mexican cuisine. read more

Yum! Best Mexican in CR! Fajita burrito was as big as the plate! Stuffed with chicken beans rice! Large queso a little high priced at $7.50 a bowl, should be about half that. Otherwise prices are reasonable and food is delicious read more

Visiting on business trip and have to say do not order the chimichangas. They over-fried it and there was no seasoning to the meat. I basically picked through my meal. The only thing good was the guacamole. I had high hopes but was disappointed. read more

Margarita was very good and huge. Service was very fast and the servers were very attentive. read more

Los Compadres - Mexican Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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Great food. Big portions. Friendly staff. The guacamole made at the table is delicious!

The guacamole is made right in front of you so guaranteed fresh. You can choose how much of what you want mixed in as they have all the ingredients on a cart. Service was excellent on the night I went though communicating with staff can be a tiny bit challenging. The burrito I had was descent. It cost more and didn't taste as good as one I had at the compitition a 1/4 mile away. There could be other items here that I'm completely missing out on but I'm just passing through. read more

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Went here for a work lunch and it's not very good for a larger group of people. We were crammed back in a dark corner and it was very congested, but they were very busy and now I know why. The food was so fresh and delicious and the buffet is such a good value! I will most definitely be frequenting this establish again and again! read more

Just left Los Compadres & I left extremely happy w a food baby! We went on a Saturday night at 8pm. My family of myself, boyfriend & two children ate for under 50 bucks - which is normal for us on a night out. I had a raspberry margarita & it was primooo! Soo good. Of course there was free chips & salsa, which never disappoints. I ate shrimp fajitas. The portion was huge, great flavor & the shrimp were a rly good size (who doesn't love big shrimp?!).. I had half of my food left to take home for hangover food :D The kids menu was satisfying for my kids who will not eat Mexican food - one had mini corn dogs, the other had chicken strips. Our waiter was perfect. He wasn't overly-attentive & annoying like some waiters can be. He answered our questions patiently, refilled our drinks before they were gone & was very polite. He also brought a bottle of tequila around & put a free shot in my margarita! Hello?! Amazing much?! If you're a sports lover, they had some tv's around the place which to us is definitely a bonus. Where we're from, the Mexican restaurants have zero tvs. The atmosphere was great. I literally have no complaints. Love this restaurant. It was our first time here & we will definitely be going back!! read more

I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT!!! Get the Jose Special!!! You won't be disappointed! Heck, get anything and you won't be disappointed! Hopefully Francisco is bartending so you get extra tequila. Fresh guacamole is amazing and fun to watch read more