What a change in menu! A different company now owns it and have downsized so much that it's lost a lot of uniqueness. They don't have a lot of Mexican such as hardshell tacos that you can order. However, we shared the Hangover nachos and there were so many that the two of us couldn't eat them--they were delicious! The guacamole was wonderful. Friends had margarita Flights and really enjoyed them. One had a steak burrito and the others had chicken tacos. They both enjoyed the food. I hope they decide to bring back more of their prior foods. You now seat yourselves and we sat quite a while before somebody came to take our order, so we just ordered our drinks and food at the same time. We sat outside and there is still a nice patio read more

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TLDR: slow service, cold food, incorrect orders, long wait times. No complementary chips & salsa. Limited menu. Buckle up. We were excited for Rita's to reopen for the season & came in for a friend's birthday. It was seat yourself which was confusing because there was a hostess stand with a table map marked up and after about 10 minutes a server finally told us to seat ourselves. We found an open table and had to wait another 5ish minutes before someone could get around to clearing it (and the table and chairs were still covered in food). We were off to a bad start but basically were invested in the mess. It took us another 10 minutes before a server came to help us and asked to take our orders to which we replied we didn't even get menus yet. They gave us single page menus (attached) with everything we were excited to have gone- no more queso flights or anything else listed still on their online menu. We eventually ordered but were told they weren't giving out waters because they were out of water glasses. Took us around 30 minutes to get our ($8) chips and salsa which is not complementary. We ordered chips and queso which was not only cold but the "cheese"'on top had solidified so it had clearly been sitting out for a while. They gave us barely any chips with either order. It was about an hour and a half from ordering when we finally got our food. At this point it was dark outside and they didn't have patio lighting so we had to shine flashlights to see our food. We asked if they had lights and the manager wasn't sure if there were lights to turn on outside their patio. Someone's burger didn't include onions. Enchiladas didn't have cheese. Everything was plain and not flavorful. Only one person had warm food. We all received our food at different times which was inconvenient. We asked for water (since we had been there for almost 2 hours) and asked for 4 and were told only people without soda could get water and our server brought us 3. Our friend with the soda said he ordered coke but it tasted like a generic soda brand. The manager ended up comping our table but the amount of issues were ridiculous. It was opening day and cinco de mayo but it shouldn't have been this bad. We watched multiple tables arrive & leave before even ordering or before getting food because the wait was crazy after seated. There was also no soap in the women's bathroom which is disgusting. read more

Rita's Cantina - Food menu - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I'm from Texas and their queso is excellente . I got that and a Classic Smashburger. Delicious! Had some queso left that went great with their tots. read more

First off, new owners what are you doing? Dropped the whole menu for some lackluster options... 3 enchiladas with nothing else for $15? One street taco for $7? Wild. Drinks are $15 a piece and are nothing special. The restaurant itself is what you'd like in a summer spot. It's a waste of time, nothing like it used to be. Won't be back until you can bring back at least the old menu and find service that can handle a table of 4 (in an empty restaurant) in a reasonable amount of time. Great idea, poorly executed. read more

The food here is so incredibly yum - the interior/exterior concept is absolutely gorgeous & super fun to do little photo ops with. Service has always been amazing every time & everyone is super knowledgeable of the menu. Modifications can be made to make your food more to your taste & I can't recommend the street corn enough!! I have returned a few other times to simply retry their drinks - I was most excited to get their margarita flight & found that none of them tasted like margs, simply flavored water. If you order any drinks that are stand alone, you can actually have an alcoholic drink it appears. That would be my only note for improving - as we ordered 3 different marg flights to test & swap & they were one of the selling points & did not live up to the hype. read more

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Stopped into Rita's for a quick margarita and be on our way. The space was bright and open with a very fun vibe. We sat at the bar and were greeted before we even hit the stools. Our orders were taken as soon as we had a chance to look at the menu and the drinks came up immediately along with a basket of chips with salsa. I enjoyed the Spicy Rita I ordered. It had a serious kick in the face heat to it that caught me off guard but I loved it. Didn't try the food but would absolutely recommend this place for a margarita. read more

Rita's Cantina - Spicy Rita - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This was fine. The cheese dip and pork were the best part. I didn't like the chicken at all. The shrimp was a little too fishy flavored which sounds odd but it is what it is. Guac had too much lime. read more

Rita's Cantina - Pork taco was good. Others, not so much. - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Love the outdoor seating and overall vibe of the place. Staff is super friendly and drinks are always good read more

Rita's Cantina - Marg flight - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Good food. Good service. Nice ambience. But...and I don't know if this is the restaurant's fault or just the circumstances (construction?) at the moment but as we sat on the patio there would occasionally be a putrid raw sewage smell come through. It was bad but not enough to ruin our night. Just something to think about. I'm hoping their owner/management will chime in here to explain as stuff happens and I don't want to blame them necessarily. read more

Would give no stars if that was an option. So bad, where do you begin. Only one option for non meat eater. Shrimp taco was horrible, everything is bad, bad, bad! Shit your doors. read more

The best part of this place is the patio. I think I've only sat at their patio whenever I visited. It's normally busy and we usually have had to wait for like 30 minutes before getting seated. Their margarita flights are fun to try. They also seem to have a rotating menu that changes throughout. I had tacos with sweet corn rice and that was pretty tasty. read more

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I talked this place up to so many people and couldn't wait for it to open for the season. Went today and was extremely disappointed. The menu was super tiny and we were told they were under new ownership so everything was new. The restaurant was empty and the service was terrible. Took 10 minutes to get drinks and didn't get our appetizer until our food. The food was COLD and had no flavor. So sad to see one of my favorite places in Des Moines go under. I will definitely not be going back. read more

So much bad. This used to be good, now menu sucks, food is bland, service is not trained, drinks are not good, never got appetizer.

Friday at 5pm seems to be a great time to slip in with out waiting. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the summer weather. The waitress was great. She checked on us and we never had to wait to get service. The margarita flights are amazing!! They're so beautifully presented!! I am not a margarita person but this place really sold me on margaritas. The queso flight is what brought me in the door though. I love it. The variety is fun to try and they're all delicious! I ordered the rice bowl and the sauce is amazing. I could eat it every day. I don't think I can try other entrees (on future visits) because I would be disappointed if I didn't get the rice bowl! The ice cream taco is so fun and yummy!!! It was perfect for a hot summer day on the patio. It's not the usual ice cream taco from an ice cream truck. It looks like it was definitely crafted here! I want to come back for the churro tower! I want to devour it!!!! I'm starting a summer 2022 bucket list and that's the only thing that will be on it. read more

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This place is walking distance from our place and the first time we went to Rita's we were not impressed. Today we decided to give it a second try and it was good. We got the birriatacos they were pretty good. We got the flight of margaritas, they were decent had to ask for an extra shot! The queso was a little to watery for my liking not sure if it was from the toppings or the meat. Our server was super nice. It was little awkward when we asked to be seated inside and the girl upfront told us there was a wait which was completely fine. So we asked if we could sit outside till a table became available and she told us no. Hence ended up sitting outside in 98 temp! Parking is very limited we actually ended up parking on the street on the other side because it was full. It's a very popular place and I'm sure people from des moine love this place but it was a bit disappointing. read more

Rita's Cantina - Birria Taco Plate Shrimp Taco Plate Queso Flight - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I Ordered carne asada tacos & rice ... yummy It was very tasty and seasoned very well. The service was good and staff friendly and helpful, the place was great with outdoor seating & bar stools inside, I felt comfortable trying to figure out what to drink & eat!! Recommend visiting. read more

Rita's Cantina - Yuzu Margarita Flight! chips & salsa at bar! - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This is not the place to go have lunch or dinner, they do not care if their food is bad because they stay busy no matter how tasteless the food is, or how hard the rice is or how burnt the meat. Now if you want to have a cocktail, drink all you want, they got good drinks, but when you wait 45 mins to be seated and then a other 27 mins for food to taste like crap and all they can say is sorry and give you the bill for the food you couldn't eat. Y'all don't waste your time or money on this fake Mexican food. read more

Rita's Cantina - Don't eat this.... - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

BEST FOOD IVE EVER TASTED service is immaculate love the aesthetic of this place like i've never tasted anything this good before. this is special, amazing!!!!' read more

Rita's Cantina - Quesabirria - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

One of my favorite places to go for drinks and appetizers in Des Moines. I always order the queso flight for the table and it's a crowd pleaser. I love the margarita flights too, they have really great flavor choices. The inside seating area is pretty small, but I like sitting on the patio when it's nice out anyways. Very cute place. read more

I have been to Rita's Cantina several times and I have mixed reviews. I want to love this place so bad because the outdoor vibe in the summer is so fun. I have never been during the winter months but when it is warm, it is all outdoor seating or completely open air on the inside - the inside is not very big, the main draw is outdoor seating. Also to note, parking is limited and you will likely have to find a spot on the street. So my favorite part about this place is the flights! - They have a flight of queso (yes it is heaven!) and multiple flights of margaritas. They also have a very extensive drink menu. My mom got the tropical flight and I got the garden margarita. All were very good! I actually haven't been very impressed with the entrees and food. I have been sick and my appetite is messed up so take this with a grain of salt. I got three tacos (shrimp, chicken, fish). The sauce on the tacos was very spicy and they were overload with pico in my opinion. Overall, I think this is a fun spot to get drinks and appetizers. But maybe I will give the food another try. read more

Rita's Cantina - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I am writing this review on behalf of my kind-hearted wife who was not going to say what needed to be said. She went to dinner here on May 4th for dinner with friends. Kelsy, the woman doing a poor impersonation of a waitress for my wife and her friends, proceeded to do the following: - She forgot to bring water to the table for an extended period, and after it came glasses were left empty. It's 80 degrees, and one of these friends is pregnant (with twins!) - She forgot to bring other ordered drinks to the table. She remembered she forgot when paying the checks, but that is not the time to ask if the drink is still wanted. - When Kelsy does remember to bring a drink that was specifically ordered to not have a tajin rim, it had a tajin rim. - When corn queso is ordered, she brought just the chips. No corn queso. - When chorizo was ordered as the preferred meat for a meal, it came with chicken. - It gets worse, when my wife called out that it was chicken and asked if she would still be charged for the chorizo, Kelsy said no. When my wife looked at the email reciept after the fact, guess what was on there? There were other things but this will have to do for a second-hand review. If you read this and by some miracle Kelsy hasn't been fired yet, please reduce your tip by $2+ for the sake of the chorizo that never was. read more

The food and drinks here are as exceptional as our waitress! We ordered the huge margaritas and started with the traditional lime, blood orange and the Yuzu. All of them were amazing. We also had the queso flight. Where has this been all my life?! The additions to the queso were perfectly matched and delicious! There is plenty of outdoor seating and spending the day on a sunny evening with a drink in hand is the way to do it! read more

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2.5/5 Great atmosphere, but not so great quality of food or drinks. Vibrant colors, ample seating, and a fun location make Rita's the perfect stop for some average (maybe even below) texmex. I came on a Wednesday night and the wait was about 45minutes. However, the wait could probably be decreased if they improved their handling of turnover of the tables. At any given point, there were at least two tables that had not been cleaned and no one was in sight to do them. Since i just moved to town, I was solo and waited for a bar seat. When it came time to seat me the hostess seated me at an unused seat and the bartender immeadiately told me I could not sit there. Bartender was nice and I totally get the 6ft rule and spacing with covid..but why was I sat there to begin with by the hostess? For drinks, I ordered a frozen strawberry marg. Bartender told me if would be pretty liquidy since they could not keep it cold enough (maybe you need to invest in another machine cause it was not that hot outside). But I still got it. Maybe being frozen wouldve changed my thoughts but...barely tasted any strawberry and they added the tequila to the bottom and then slushee the frozen on top of it. So ensure you mix your drinks first! Tequila tasted pretty bad mixed with the marg..not complimentary at all. Queso flight? Not too bad. Flavors are mild but still distinct. Definitely recommend trying it out!! Fajita burrito? Well first off they dont offer more than basic quesadillas so i had to get my go to in burrito form. Ummm, just dont get it. Rice tasted like microwaved rice. Beans were watery and incosistent. Burrito? More like tortilla with some weird spices, alot of rice (that you already have on your plate), and some flavorless chicken peppers and onions. i ate half and think I ate 3/4 tortilla and rice. Will I be back? It is convenient and fun for a social gathering, so probably. But ill probably just stick with appetizers. read more

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My friends and I have been wanting to try Rita's for awhile, every time we drive past it's always packed! We finally went on a Thursday night, about a 45 minute wait for 3 of us, they said this was pretty typical. This wasn't really an issue for us, they had tables set up in the parking lot and bar service so it went by pretty quickly. It looked like they were understaffed, 2 tables sat empty and dirty for upwards of 15 minutes. This was a bit frustrating considering we were hungry and waiting. When we were finally seated, service was great! Free chips and salsa when we sat down, the salsa was delicious! We each started with a margarita flight. I got the East Village Rocks and both my friends got the Fiesta Rocks. Absolutely amazing and can't beat the $12 price! They were strong, but not overpowering. Honestly probably some of the better margaritas I've had, and all of the flavors in each flight were delicious (personal fav was Habanero and Blackberry). As for food, I got the chicken chimichanga. I would definitely recommend it! The chicken inside was juicy and flavorful, everything seemed really fresh. It had white queso on top which was also delicious. My friend got the steak fajita burrito and loved his meal as well! He subbed beans out for corn, which tasted kind of like cornbread. Unexpected, but good! Lastly, my boyfriend got the beef tacos. He really liked them although said they had too much cheese (but I'm discrediting that bc there's no such thing). Everyone rated their meal a solid 4-4.5/5. Overall, highly recommend. I would go back just for the margarita flight! The food was also delicious, and I'm looking forward to trying something new next time. I'm not sure what they'll do come cold weather, because 3/4 of the restaurant is outside. Until then, I can't wait to enjoy their drinks and food on their awesome patio. Thanks Rita's! read more

Rita's Cantina - Beef Tacos - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I'm so grateful that Rita's Cantina is offering convenient curbside pickup! They have a very cute patio as well. The food is pretty good; I like the concept of the queso flight! The chorizo tacos were yummy! The chimichanga and enchilada were fine. The margaritas to go are not great, though. Again, the flight concept sounds amazing. But every single one I got was burnt; absolutely no flavor except low quality tequila. This includes wild berry, yuzu, blood orange, and watermelon. What a shame. I will be probably try again when the patio isn't super packed! read more

Came here on a Saturday evening and it was busy but no wait. I love the vibe. I felt like I was in Florida on vacation. Our server was wonderful. I had a margarita on tap with no flavor added and it was really yummy and strong. My husband tried the mango and yuzu flavors and the yuzu was his favorite. The chips were so so but the salsa was great. I also had shrimp tacos which were very tasty but not amazing. I thought this place was great fun. Definetly want to go back. read more

Rita's Cantina - Margarita on tap - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Went for a day date, my wife wanted to try the margarita flight. She enjoyed the flight and was feeling pretty good. The food was surprisingly good, we went for the drinks and the food was a added plus! Great patio and atmosphere. We will be back. read more

The food here is always fresh and well seasoned! We seem to get to meet new staff every time we go, but they are knowledgeable and friendly! The walls are decorated in a fun way. Having the overhead doors open is awesome and love the overall feel. The flight of queso is as fun as the various margarita flights! read more

Vibe: Super fun, Mexican, margaritaville-esque type of feel. Almost felt like I was on vacation! Located right off the bike trail too. Huge patio outdoor area with large, bright colored umbrellas. They have a garage door opening up to extend the inside out. Seating was tables, bar, and patio. Everything is just themed so fun and on point -- even the bright pink bathroom doors said muchachos/muchachas. Drinks: Margarita flights!! Only $12 and you can choose between frozen or on the rocks. They also offer all the specialty Mexican beer and other fun drinks like the corona-rita. Food: They serve chips and salsa before your meal and I loved their thick chips so it doesn't break when you dip into the salsa or queso (they also do flights of queso!). I ordered the fajita burrito and loved it. Steak was super tender. Sauce was creamy. Everyone else ordered tacos and you get two with a meal and were a decent size. read more

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Since it being Taco Tuesday- I thought I'd try this place out for takeout! When looking at the menu, I was highly disappointed there were no lunch specials and every appeared to be geared to more of a dinner type fare pricing/portions. After reviewing the menu - I decided to give the cheese enchiladas a whirl. Overall, they were just ok. The beans and rice were bland. Chips and Salsa were alright - again, nothing notable to mention. Overall, I can't justify the price for lunch time. Hopefully they will continue to evolve as a restaurant and have a lunch menu/specials. read more

Rita's Cantina - Cheese Enchiladas with Rice and Beans - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Great food, flavorful and the service was FAST. Servers are super attentive and always checking in which is great. The patio is clean and a great vibe. read more

Last night was my first visit to Rita's after hearing all of the buzz! Unfortunately I was let down by the food and margarita flight. East Village Flight - Habanero was AMAZING, however the other three flavors were heavy on the syrup. Queso Flight - plenty of queso, however the flavors were lacking. This was more of a personal preference for me. There was no spice or heat. The queso was a basic yellow queso taste, while I'm more partial towards a white queso. Carnitas Tacos - Disappointing. The tortilla shell itself was extremely dry. The pork was also dry and I had to drench the taco in queso to fit my liking. The rice and refried beans were bland as well. Overall, I would go again, but only for the habanero margarita. read more

Rita's Cantina - East Village Rocks Flight - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

More like 3.5. Friend group wanted to go and Happy Hour included Fridays so we went. Margaritas were good. Friends got margarita flight and found out late that it's not included in happy hour discounts. The food menu is limited, but queso flight appetizer was good with spicy and Birria the best. Taquitos and chicken enchilada appetizers also good. Service was great/ friendly and helpful. We ate outside on a perfect night. Group was able to talk without music being too loud. Recommend, but know it's limited in offerings. read more

This place has the best margaritas!! Also we got an appetizer called Tomalito trio and it was so good! Aside from that Queso was ok but chips were a little stale but I will definitely go back. Their margaritas flights are amazing!! read more

Rita's Cantina - Margaritas fight! - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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My family went there for the first time recently and had a great time on the patio. The patio was cute, the service was great, and the food delicious! Try the loaded queso! read more

Rita's is a local Mexican stop with mostly outside seating. Food is mediocre at best, but drinks are poured very strong. On a hot summer day a couple happy hour margaritas really hits the spot. Staff has been friendly and this had become a welcome treat in our neighborhood. read more

Rita's Cantina - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The marg flights seem fun and crazy. You will not remember them. The lime margaritas are great. Everything else is fun but there is more than too much tequila. In a good way. Enjoy Rita's cantina you will get very drunk. read more

Rita's Cantina - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Giving this a 4 for the margarita flight and nothing else as the food is probably only a 2.5. The flight is an interesting concept and VERY tasty. The food on the other hand was pretty sub par. Enchiladas were hard and sauce was a little bland. The pico was really good and the shining spot in the meal. I'd go back to have another flight of margs and try their queso flights, but wouldn't eat an enchilada. read more

Rita's Cantina - Classic Enchilada - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

First time being at this establishment and we were very surprised of the quality of Tex-Mex food at Rita's Cantina Michaela was our waitress that was very attentive and friendly and very helpful on suggesting the great margaritas and, burrito bowls they were the best we have had since our stay inear Tucson Arizona last Winter read more

Omg, this place has great outdoor seating which is very important right now. We met the manager and she was delightful and our server was extremely attentive. They have queso flights how can that be wrong, right? They also have Margarita flights too. We might have indulged in the queso and I was not able to touch my entree taco salad. They did not have a box that would fit the shell in it so they made me a whole new salad with a shallower bowl. Seriously who does that? It was over the top service! If you want to try a new place that the staff are wearing masks this is the place to go. They really know how to make you feel special. read more