I decided to take a little afternoon drive today in search of some truly exciting Mexican cuisine, and I must say, this Des Moines gem was a total triumph! The location is incredibly convenient, and the interior is so wonderfully spacious it truly feels a cut above your average dining spot. I was lucky enough to snag a darling table right by the window, and the waitress was just a sweetheart, ensuring everything was perfectly swept and sparkling for me. I decided on the Chori Pollo, and at her lovely suggestion, I added the Tamales to my order as well and I am so glad I did! The timing was impeccable; my dish arrived exactly 20 minutes after I sat down. The crispy Tamales were an absolute dream, and the Chori Pollo was so decadent I simply couldn't resist every bite. I was beyond satisfied with my lunch and made sure to leave a little something extra for the wonderful service. I will most certainly be returning for another visit soon! read more

Los Laureles - Tamales + Chori Pollo = Chimichanga plate perfect - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Ordered online and said food would be ready at 9:15pm, got there and went inside. I left at 9:45pm. Got home and ate. They ignored me and my girlfriends special instructions AND THE FOOD WAS BLAND (salt would go a long way) but that's not the worst of it. We order Quaso dip with our chips and we got SHREDDED CHEESE INSTEAD????? Best part of my order was the salsa and the pico. read more

Los Laureles - Quaso was literally just shredded cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

they took forever to bring our foods, food was cold and the service was bad! J read more

Open later than most on weekends which is so convenient! Food is always great. I judge by the Chile relleno.. lol.. if I hate it I won't eat anything else from a restaurant. I've eaten here for years and always better than any other last night spot read more

What a find! Growing up in California we miss having good authentic Mexican food. We were so happy to find Los Laureles.

We celebrated a family birthday and had a great time. We enjoyed the outside dining when the weather allowed! The food and service were good. read more

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For a Mexican restaurant it was above average I would say. I was quite surprised in my meal. I got the Seasoned chicken salad and it wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was still good. Seasoned chicken over Spanish rice, topped with mozzarella cheese. I thought the whole thing would be on lettuce, but the lettuce was on the side, topped with sour cream and guacamole. It was. A decent sized portion and I didn't finish it all. I wish the chips were warm though. The salsa was okay and the Churros didn't have much sugar or cinnamon on them. Overall, it was okay! read more

Los Laureles - Seasoned Chicken salad - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Everyone needs to try this. Been coming here for years and never had a complaint. I typically always go for the tacos, but you really can't wrong on this menu. When I'm feeling it the Chori Pollo always hits the spot. GO! read more

Los Laureles - Chori Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Asked if the booth by the window was available as their were plates still on it and the waitress said" no it's not clean and I don't know when it will be" I ordered the Mole Mexicano dinner and I got half a plate of mole the chicken was mushy ( I'm sure it set in the sauce for days and was tasteless.) It was apparent the plate had been heated in a microwave as the beans were stuck to the plates at the sides. I asked the waitress if I can get a piece of chicken to go with the mole' and she said "no that's how it comes, " I said "then sorry I don't want it" and she said "to bad you still have to pay for it," I asked to speak to the cook she said while smirking you can talk to the owner Now I have been coming here since it opened in the 90s I know the food here and also can prepare authentic Mexican food as I was taught in Aguascalientes Mexico. It would be nice if they are authentic to actually serve it but the owner just wanted to argue that it has always been that way I WOULDN'T ORDER IT IF IT HAD Oh and miraculously the waitresses cleaned the table! after I told the manager they had set their the entire time dirty between two waitresses (3 tables with guests including us) it only took a minute! This is the last time I will go and I will not recommend them to anyone, their are so many more Mexican restaurants around to choose from where you get great food and great service What a disappointment it used to be so awesome coming here The menu reads Mole Mexicana Boneless chicken covered with dark mole sauce. NOT SHREDDED ! Oh and here's what my fiancé chicken fajita quesadilla looked like as well read more

Los Laureles - Mole Mexicano - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Fantastic food! My husband and I went there a while ago and had Absolutely the rudest waitress I've ever experienced in the Midwest. Not sure what her name was, but she was in her 30s, long nails, long hair, flat bootie. When my husband asked for sugar for his iced tea, it took her 25 minutes to bring and she threw Sweet and Low at him. He politely said could she just bring just regular sugar, she got an attitude. Never in my life, have I ever seen something like that happen. Not sure who p*ssed in her Cheerios that day, but it was Bad. The older lady waitress saw what was going on and apologized and took over our table. read more

I have been here several times throughout the year and service has been decent each time. You select your own seats and someone will be out with two/three different salsas and chips. Parking near this location is very tight and cramped. Beware if you have a big SUV. What I usually order: White cheese dip - 4/5 definitely very good! Chorizo tacos - authentic tacos with onion, cilantro, lime and radishes. One of my faves in town. I love that they cook the pork very crispy! 5/5 Really haven't ordered anything bad here. Plus side they are open late. read more

I eat at Los Laureles quite frequently. I feel it's one of the best Mexican restaurants in Des Moines. I would highly recommend it!

It was horrible and the food was so cold! And one of the waitress was rude she was not in mood to see us and this place is very dirty. And the nerve to give us cold food and give us attitude! I will never come back here again. read more

The place appeared dirty which was unsettling for me. Los Laureles came highly recommended, however very disappointed. Not a fan of even the chips and salsa. I would suggest a big deep cleaning. read more

Went here for the first time the other day the service itself was good, I ordered tamales and they were super dry the meat was very chewy definitely would never order them again read more

Absolutely phenomenal. It felt like I was having a Sunday dinner at my abuela y abuelo's house. Everything was perfect. The service, the food, the atmosphere, the prices. Nothing was wrong and everything was right. It is a place worth checking out and seeing for yourself. read more

Went there for dinner on Saturday night. Didn't have to wait which is always a good start when your hungry. Came out with both the spicy and mild salsa with chips, which was another win! Order queso which was very runny like milk. The chimichanga platter was good but food is very bland. Sady same thing for the lime margarita. Nothing special. I am a fan of them able to give me said of fried jalapenos. Will go back of I am near by but don't make a trip out the area for them. read more

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Margaritas are weak and taste very watery. The salsa is also very runny and liquid in nature. I wasn't very impressed. I'll probably be going to a different Mexican restaurant next time until they improve read more

Eat here If you like cold, tasteless, bland, flavorless Asada, that's grey. The Tacos were flavorless, meat was chewy and tasted like it was boiled then put in a tortilla. All you could taste were onions. Burrito was cold, had no rice, soggy from the lettuce, no beans. Took one bite and threw all of it in the trash. Horrible Food. The Chips aren't homemade, they look to be a cheap store brand, very stale and greasy. Do not eat here if you actually know what REAL Mexican food tastes like. Wasn't even mad about wasting the money, annoying that I drove all the way there and when I finally eat it, it's horrible. Don't take my word for it? Get the Asada Tacos and Asada Burrito and see for yourself. I personally haven't tried any of their other dishes but judging by how bad the meat was, I can only imagine. I don't write reviews for anything, but this one takes the cake for worst Mexican food I've ever had. read more

Very good have went there for years.chips and salsas free great food fajitas burritos tacos..

This was my first time here and I will definitely be back. It was after a night of going out and we were HUNGRY! My friend suggested this place as it was open late and has really good tacos. I was a little worried about late night restaurants as the food are normal not that great but it did not disappoint. Parking lot is plentiful but can get packed so just be aware of the rush times. It wasn't too busy when we got there and someone came to take our order right away. You automatically get chips and salsa with your meal. The salsa was good but not spicy. We did ask for spicy sauce on the side -it had a nice spice kick but did not have any flavor depth to it. The trick my friend told me was to mix the salsa and spicy sauce together to get a good flavorful salsa-he was right. So if you want spicy sauce don't forget to mix the regular salsa and spicy sauce together. I ended up ordering 2 tongue and 2 steak tacos from the a-la-carte menu. It was yummy authentic tacos!! The meat was tender, corn tortilla was fresh, and veggies nice and crisp. If you are looking for a place to eat at 2 am you should definitely swing by here! read more

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Have been eating at this restaurant for years and have tried all the other Mexican restaurants in town and surrounding area one of the few that offer Pozole, and a great variety of sea food options. Staff is also ways help full and very attentive. Great Place read more

Excellent tacos and burritos, perfectly tender carnitas. Seafood is excellent as well. read more

Very clean restaurant. Staff friendly and checked in often. Refilled drinks & chips/salsa. Staff are bilingual! Large portions! We tried the fajita tacos and shrimp enchiladas. The fajita tacos was very flavorful. The shrimp was grilled inside enchiladas served on a hot plate over grilled onions. read more

Los Laureles - Taco Fajita $7.99, Shrimp Enchilladas $10.99 - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Truly my favorite restaurant in Des Moines! They have never disappointed. They are open really late for on your way home after a night out.

NOOOO EAT THERE... They have cockroach in the food, I stoped to eat there because I found cockroaches in my food

Love this authentic restaurant! It's such a nice change from some of the commercialized Mexican restaurants in Des Moines area. I have been here twice, once during the week and once on a weekend. The parking lot can be a little tricky as it is an "L" shape and shared with several other business in the strip. The chips are delicious, salsas are fresh and the food is yummy. They have a huge outdoor patio, open in the warmer moths which adds some additional seating. It's not a fancy place but the food is good and the staff is friendly. I highly recommend this place next time your craving Mexican food. read more

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SO happy to find this place for a cheap and tasty lunch on the way out of town. Especially after going to that terrible Dos Rios place for lunch the day before. Totally basic and totally fresh Mexican food. Menu is comprehensive with a focus on seafood and offering even brains tacos. I'm vegetarian so I passed on those, but had plenty of choices there, too. Service was friendly, food came fast, and prices were great. YUHM! Heads up! It's seat yourself and you just go up to the counter when you're done to pay. Don't stand and wait, and then sit and wait like the first timers we were! ;) read more

1:30 am on a Friday or Saturday night and you are sick of pizza by the slice. Well go get some Mexican! This place is open till 3 am. You can get great Mexican food at 2 am that's not off a truck! That right there is enough to give it 5 stars. Plus the three amazing salsas they bring out to start. Oh and you can buy the salsas to go they are about $5 for a big old tub. The reason I give them 5 stars is for their Huevos rancheros the best in DeMo!!! The best I have ever had in my life time! Go....Go now!!!! Stop reading go eat Huevos rancheros now!!!! read more

My family and I have been going to Los Laures since I was a kid. My favorite now as an adult is the Siete Mares and a bottle of Modelo Especial! read more

Los Laureles - Modelo, Huachinago, and Siete Mares with my mom =) - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I think this is the Best Mexican restaurant in Des Moines. I tried Pollo, Carne Asada, Pastor, and Carnitas all were great! I was really happy that all four items were quality, which isn't always a given to nail the recipes down in my experience. read more

Some friends and I went here last week for lunch. Okay, so we usually go here like once a week...it may be a problem. The servers are very friendly and the food is great. Very good authentic Mexican food. We almost always get the fajitas. They're fab. I definitely recommend adding jalapeños (if you like spice). The reason I'm really writing this is because (well, besides I never have and I love it) I had a margarita here for the first time. I just had my son. so, I haven't drank in about a year. We got the Los laurales special margaritas. Let me tell you, these do not skimp on the tequila! They are delicious. However, I only drank half of mine because I didn't want to end up on the floor. Definitely recommend this place read more

I went on a slow night to this restaurant and was a bit disappointed. This may have just been an off night for them because I have heard good things about this place. First off, we were the only customers in the restaurant during our meal there. The staff was nice, but after taking our order and giving us the food, they disappeared and it was only when we had to find them to pay the bill is when we saw then again. The food was a bit bland as well, their menu options looked standard for Mexican restaurants. I would possibly try this place again to see if they were just having an off night. read more

This place is awesome! So much more than Combo # 23 with taco, burrito, rice and refried beans, etc (you know, the same combos that you can get anywhere, regardless of what neighborhood, town, city, or state you're in)! The refried beans had.....and I am not making this up..............flavor! Simply amazing! At most mexican restaurants in this area, chorizo is considered exotic. Here, they had tongue on two different entrees! They had menudo, which they so cutely referred to parenthetically as "insides soup". Adorable. I guess that's another way of saying tripe (stomach), if you though menudo was just the name of a boy band that Ricky Martin was in back in the 80's. Didn't get to try the tripe, but the tongue tacos were very good. Kudos for freshly made tortillas, both flour and corn. The chicken on my wife's fajitas was both flavorful and juicy. The aforementioned refried beans (now with flavor!) and rice were excellent sides. My chicken adobo was much more subtle than I would typically expect to find in a mexican restaurant. I did add some pepper sauce to it, but I'm a little crazy too. Highly affordable, tasty mexican food. Give it a try. read more

Driving through town I didn't know where to eat, so I checked on yelp for a point of reference. Authentic, yummy fresh chicken tacos. That's my picture I took of the three tacos there. So good! Flavorful stewed chicken in a red chili sauce and done like when I visited family friends in Mexico. Also great service. For six dollars, you get three tacos which are filling and an agua fresca-that's a lemonade or horchata. Glad I stopped here! read more

We were greeted and seated quickly and kindly! Very helpful with questions about the menu, and we had delicious food and margaritas. Will definitely come back! read more

I have no idea what everyone who reviewed this place is thinking. My girlfriend and I ate here as we passed through Des Moines as we noticed that it is well reviewed on Yelp. However, when we got there we were very unimpressed. The neighborhood is pretty shady, the building is run down, the decor inside is awkward with very dirty bathrooms. Then there was the food...probably among the worst Mexican food either of us have ever eaten. We ordered the guacamole and we were served (for over 5 dollars) a very small scoop of SEA GREEN crap that tasted nothing even remotely similar to avocados and was honestly quite revolting. The dishes we each got tasted nothing better then quality of taco bell, but without the flavor. Mind you I am in no way a Taco Bell fan (I actually only eat it like once a year or so), but would much prefer to eat there than this Los Laureles on any day of the week. Bottom line if you want good mexican food then go ANYWHERE else for food. read more

Excellent restaurant. I had the Monday lunch special: Chimichanga. Since I was on vacation I started with a margarita, which was excellent. The service was also excellent. read more

Absolutely fantastic authentic Mexican. A little off the beaten path and was nice and quiet on a Saturday night. Fresh salsa and a guacamole salsa were great lead ups to the main course. Lots of food for a decent price. If you're in Des Moines, we highly recommend making a stop. Yum! read more

I ordered dinner for delivery and all I received was chips. None of the other items ordered or even salsa for the chips. Worst part though, no refund or new order sent. I don't care if your food is good if we do not get it. I will never eat there again and I will make sure no one I know does either. read more