Eh. I'm a huge fan of the west side Los Gemelos Tienda on Odana road (a definite 5 star establishment). However this downtown clone retains none of the quality of the original. Compared to it's sister restaurant, the food is bland and flavorless. If you're looking for an authentic Mexican flavor, please please please drive to the west side location. This place is nothing but a mediocre margarita trough. read more

The food here is great, wonderful Mexican food and highly authentic. There sopes are great and they have a tasty spin on there tacos. It is also very reasonably priced considering the location and the amount of food you get. One dislike I have and what prevents them from getting 4 stars is the service. I eat here a lot, about twice a week, and have noticed that if you don't tip on to go orders, which take about 2 min to prepare, the quality of the food goes way down. I always tip well (20+ %) when seated, but if you just order 2 tacos to go, is there really a need for a tip? Also Ive noticed that late night they try to screw over drunk customers. I was there recently around 1 am and ordered a sope and gordita to go and she told me it was 8.50 when it should of only been 5.50, I corrected her and she fixed it but that's not the only time this has happened to me. The very large Mexican lady at the counter is also always scowling and rude, she also is the one who tries to rip you off late night so be careful. All in all, great food, sketchy service. read more

Good, fast, authentic Mexican food. I haven't had a bad meal here. I love the chicken tostadas and gorditas. The Chorizo-Potato Gorditas are the bomb too; the potato soaks up all of that tasty chorizo grease. The portions are healthy sized when you order a meal. I'd suggest getting 2-3 gorditas/tacos/tostadas per person if you're ordering a la carte. I can't remember if the red salsa is hotter than green, but it does have more flavor. Red is Chipolte, Green is Tomatillo. Good late night or lunch food. The service is ok, but it's a Mexican hole in the wall; you should go there for the food, not the service. Los Gemelos is a staple of Madison food. read more

When we walked in we were seated quickly on Friday which was nice, but afterwards the waitress seemed to rush us and not actually pay attention to what we were asking. The food was disappointing and they did not have queso. The margaritas tasted like koolaid and only came in strawberry or lime on the rocks. The quesadillas were bad and the rest of the food was pretty average. For what we paid and what we received we were very let down. We saw a family who was seated right next to us and eventually got up and left because nobody ever came to serve their table, after 15 minutes (and this place isn't that big, nor was it that busy). You have to pay for extra sides as well as for additional baskets of chips and salsa, (when the original basket was very tiny to start). Overall our experience was one of the worst I've had at a Mexican restaurant, other than we had one young man who ran us our food and finally got us water after the 4th time of asking our server and was very friendly. I really like Mexican food, just wanted to give you a heads up you might want to go somewhere else. This was the first time I have ever left a restaurant without tipping. read more

Oh my god! This place is amazing The basic tacos and chalupas were out of this world! I would recommend getting the el pastor meat in them. They sell them individually for only 2 bucks. A good tip is to go on the weekends when they have an extended menu. I had to go with a friend to explain to me the spanish, but the soups and everything were out of this world. I would not be timid and just try it read more

SO GOOD ! That is all I really can say. The portions are good and worth the price. My belly is always satisfied after a meal there.

I had food poisoning after my second time to this restaurant. I had two steak tacos and a pork tostada. Beware.

Have walked past this place many times and it always smelled amazing, finally went in and did not regret it at all. HUGE burrito that was amazing and loads of vegetarian options. Definitely worth it read more

Can't wait for spring so I will feel comfortable about walking about that area(new to Wi & snow)& going to enjoy this place, the staff is really nice & friendly.. the food outstanding... made me think of San Diego!! The serving size was plentiful since I was really craving Mexican food! The restroom was clean too. read more

It is soooo Mexican. I have ever tried different Mexican resturants and this one is the least one I like

I love this place. What you see is what you get. Solid Mexican food, really good prices, and the service is adequate.

It seems many reviewers may be visiting los gemelos after a few too many joints. This was the driest food i have ever ate. The only good thing about Los Gemelos was that the door was easy to find. read more

Pretty decent food considering good Mexican food in Madison is lacking. I would say the West side version has better food than the downtown restaurant. The food is a little expensive, but again probably the best Mexican food you can find in downtown Madison. The tortas, tostadas, and tacos are good. Sometimes the staff is a little crabby. read more

Los Gemelos might finally be the eatery to stick in this East Gilman location that briefly housed one of those forgettable chain calzone joints. In its place is a colorful yet no-nonsense big city-style taqueria - think Chicago, San Francisco and so on. Walk up to the counter and put in your order with the friendly female proprietor. Choose from a full menu of options, including quesadillas, tamales, burritos and so on, or stick with the classic steak, or carne asada, taco, served traditional-style with onion and cilantro. The tacos come delivered to you, in the late hours, in a paper bag; find your seat, remove and unroll the little bundles of joy and - wait! Be sure to apply what appears to be house-made salsa (I recommend the green sauce), then enjoy. For a couple of bucks per taco, you will be hard-pressed to find a tastier, less expensive and higher-quality product in the downtown area, particularly in the post-dinner hours. On my visit to Los Gemelos, I appreciated the friendly staff who were clearly still working out some of the kinks (the boss lady was trying to get her younger employees to get with the program, and openly "redirected" their attentions when they seemed to be lagging on their duties). The boss also wasn't shy about running a tight ship in the dining room, chiding some college-age kids when they started getting too boisterous and obnoxious - I had to laugh, and I surely appreciated knowing that any drunken rowdiness would have her to contend with. For this kind of authentic inexpensive Mexican fare, one usually has to travel down to the South Park St. area for Guadalajara or (the, in my opinion, better El Pastor). Los Gemelos brings quick and tasty Mexican food downtown. I wish them luck as they develop their fan base and deal with running the tight ship in the heart of studentville. read more

The quesadillas are amazing. Same with their hot sauces. They have specials Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I hear they treat their servers pretty bad, though. read more

okayyishh.. Not a lot of variety for vegetarian. Have had much better mexican food!

My boyfriend really like this spot, they have authentic mexican food. I found it to be a little greasy and not as flavorful, but I've had a lot of American-Mexican food, so maybe I'm using that as a template to judge other Mexican cuisine. They sometimes have taco Tuesday on the Hooked App, so we occasionally take advantage of that deal. All in all not my go to, but it's still decent. read more

Great food, and salsas. Terrible service!! It used to be the place I went to often but the past 4 times the employees have been rude and became stingy with salsa. If you want to dine in or enjoy salsa go to a different Mexican restaurant. read more

Second best burrito in Madison, WI to Tex Tubbs. They're HUGE, so don't bother getting sides or anything like that. I always got chicken or beef. It's a very authentic place, easy to walk to if you live in town and I never had a bad experience with their burritos. This was definitely one of my go to places in Madison. Enjoy. read more

Left feeling ill after a dinner with three friends. It was not simple food poisoning; it tasted bad, and the two other compatriots who attended felt worse than I did! We ate an assortment of different foods, indicating that it was not a simple issue of "don't get beef" or something along those lines. The staff seemed annoyed at our presence. The atmosphere is ugly. Perhaps it was a bad night for them, but the other two times I attended are effectively wiped from my memory apart from a half-decent horchata. read more

Really great. Will certainly be back. The tacos were fantastic.

Hidden gem. Authentic and delicious Mexican food. They are incredibly fast. You can't go wrong with the sopes ( lots of fresh avocado) or the chorizo tostadas. The guacamole is great too! Love this place. read more

I go here for the delicious chicken and steak tacos, 2 dollars a taco. I even like the rice and beans. The female staff are cute too. Lol.

I love this place.. I have been here twice. And I have been to lots of mexican places in Madison. But to me it is the best of them. Would highly recommend read more

No frills/fancy eats here. Just good solid tacos which taste authentic. The chips and salsa are a nice add as well. I tried one each of the steak, pork and chicken. All of them hit the spot - would recommend for those that want something quick and effective if you are out and about. read more

Great place, 4.5 stars! I had 2 carne al pastor tacos and a potato+chorizo gordita, all of which were excellent. The tables, floor, and walls were all super clean; the service was quick and friendly; chips and salsa were free; and the prices were good. Having only been here once, I'm not ready to say it beats out Tacqueria Guadalajara but it's definitely in the same league. read more

Very good chicken enchiladas for this Mexican restaurant that I find has a typical little Mexican restaurant atmosphere. Very empty when I went at about 5pm, but still welcoming for someone eating on their own. Of course Mexican soccer on the TV. Found this through Yelp...thanks y'all. read more

Great new addition to campus. We judge a Mexican restaurant by its chips and salsa - they were great! We had the carne asada gorditas and tacos, both were delish. Chicken tacos were also great! The beans and rice weren't the best but not that big of a deal. Two ate for $12 read more

Decent inexpensive Mexican restaurant. Not particularly special. The food was okay and arrived quickly. This place will feed you if you are hungry and don't have a lot of money in your pocket. read more

Great, cheap food on state street. The most authentic Mexican food in town, and friendly staff.

We went there around 12am looking to eat just a few tacos and nachos. The staff was the rudest I've ever experienced at a restaurant. I don't know if it was because it was late at night or what but they shouldn't be open until 3am if they are going to be rude to their customers. When we sat down at our table, a middle aged woman on the staff literally yelled at us "you cant sit here at night" and then told us we had two options of tables where we could sit. They were out of basically everything which was hard for me to believe since all we wanted were some chips in the end. I am disappointed because going to Los Gemelos during the day was a totally different experience. I will not be returning to this restaurant. read more

Long story short: terrible service, try the restaurants I listed at the bottom instead. Absolutely horrible service today. I want to be clear that I am talking about the location downtown, not the Los Gemelos on the westside (which I always have a great time at). We showed up before 8pm and ordered from a middle aged woman at the counter. It was a party of 5 and only tables of 4 were available, so we asked the waiter if he could pull up the chair. He cheerfully grabbed one for us. After sitting down for approximately 1 minute, the middle aged woman comes up and bluntly says "You cannot pull up chairs. You cannot be blocking the aisles". We were already starting to stand up as I said "Oh I'm sorry! The waiter grabbed the chair for us and said it was fine" but before I could get half of my words out, she cut me off in an even ruder tone "You cannot pull up chairs." We end up moving to a table towards the back of the restaurant. After about 10 minutes of nothing, we wave a waiter over and ask for waters and chips and salsa. The waiter says "We don't have chips" and leaves to get water (at the west side location, we've always been offered chips). Maybe 5 more minutes go by and he comes back with a pitcher of water and, I kid you not, a stack of styrofoam side cups that are the size of shot glasses (to-go cups with lids meant to hold salsa, guacamole, etc). Apparently at approx 8pm, they stop giving out cups, both reusable or plastic? When the food arrives another 15 minutes later, it is bagged up in to-go boxes. "We are closing soon so everything is to go." The restaurant does not close for another 30 minutes or so and yet they are already preparing to close and too lazy to do dishes. Not only that, half of the food is cold, the fried gorditas are soggy, and 2 of our 5 orders are wrong (they put the wrong meat on two of the tacos and forgot sides like cilantro and lime). We finish eating well before closing time and after putting all of our garbage back into the to go bags, we ask if the waiter could toss this in the trash. Instead, we are asked to find a garbage can outside because "the trash cans are pretty full already". Needless to say, I will not be returning. I highly recommend the Los Gemelos on the west side or El Pastor instead. read more

Fantastic and truly authentic Mexican place right of State St. Eat here and be very happy.

Definately a good taco fix. Not the holy grail but very very decent.

The perfect hole in the wall place! If you want great, authentic, fresh food, this is the kind of place you go!

Great State Street location. Newly renovated (looks fantastic)! The food is authentic and fresh and for the price, it's unbeatable.

It was way better than I thought it would be. It's not High Dining, but it's definitely authentic Mexican and very delicious.

Ordered chile rellenos. They were above average. Rice was average. My wife order Suiza Enchiladas and they were tasty. Overall the food was not to Texas standards, but substantially better than I expected. read more

Pretty good food for a cheap price. Although if don't really expect much in terms of customer service (it's not a fancy restaurant) I've never had any issues with the servers or food taking too long. Pretty nice place for a quick meal. read more

Poor experience (great waiter though). Ordered chicken enchiladas, got salty cheese enchiladas. Asked to be compensated for error, so staff called management who evidently said no. We will not be back. read more