Just. Get. The. Molcajete…read more Ridiculously, fantastically, improbably delicious. Cute little place that's an unexpected gem. So happy we found it!

Always fast and delicious. They took care of our big group with ease. We sat outside and it was…read morevery nice.

Would not recommend dining in this restaurant. We were the only customers at 7pm on a Saturday…read morenight. We pulled up and saw young people surprised to see us. Our young waitress had a wine glass and drank from it quick. Then we walk in and it seemed normal. But after we ordered it was out of control with those 3 teenagers on phones and broadcasting some kind of social media interaction. They were extremely loud and obnoxious while we tried to enjoy our date. It was an expensive date. The food was delicious but the atmosphere was torture. The boss didn't seem to have control over his people. We left 10 mins after we got our food. The teens were unbearable to be around. We have teens of our own and this was our date night. Order take out. The food is good.

The food was very, very good. We ordered the bruschetta, calamari, al pastor street tacos, penne…read morealla vodka, shrimp diabla, tortellini pasta, and chocolate fudge cake-all were great! The service was very good and checked on us often. The vibe inside was good too, and it was very surprisingly vacant for how good the food was.

The second I heard about this place I drug my spouse there for date night. We were so happy to…read morefinally have an authentic place in town after so many years of nothing but bland "cafeteria Mexican" in Brookings. The prices were more than fair, the place was nicely decorated, clean and tidy, the staff were helpful and friendly, and the food was better than anything within 55 miles of the Goodwill parking lot. We tried several menu items and different sauces, not one disappointed. It was so good the next 4 date nights found us at the same table. Along the way the menu expanded even more! Guess we will just have to keep going back.

The most authentic Mexican food in Brookings. The burritos are a decent size and the carne asada…read moretacos are delicious. The staff is nice and the place is always clean.

Great food! Excellent service! The chips and dip served while you wait are spectacular. I love…read morehaving authentic Mexican up here in South Dakota!

Excellent veggie fajita. I've been disappointed at a lot of Mexican restaurants that serve this,…read morethinking (apparently) that green peppers and onions are the only vegetables available. El Tapatio fajita included broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots . And a great smoky sauce. The whole beans that accompanied were tasty, too. Nice work.

Once again Yelp pointed out another great restaurant slightly off the beaten path. El Columpio…read moremeans the swing and there are swings for seats around the windows. The swings looked like fun, but given my age and the delicious sangria I had, a regular chair was the safest choice. The place was spotless and the service was fast and friendly. And the food was delicious. I'm from Montana so my taste is probably on the mild side. The chili rellano was perfect for me. There were sauces on the table so I am sure you could season any dish to your taste. And you should have the sangria for sure.

On our way to Sioux City, my sister and I stopped by El Columpio because she wanted to try their…read morebirria, which I thought I'd seen on their Yelp review. El Columpio is situated in a free-standing structure that looks as if a previous fast-food establishment might have been there. The dining room simple and clean. We felt welcomed and the staff is very friendly. So we were expecting a place where you walk up to the counter to place your order and get a number to pick-up your order when ready (or some variation of this). We were greeted immediately and invited to sit down. I looked up at the front wall where typically the menu items and prices are listed. This turned out to be only half of what I expected. That is to say, only menu items were listed but there no prices listed, and no birria either! Their tri-fold sleeved menu didn't have birria on it either. All these observations suggest that perhaps El Columpio might have been previously-located elsewhere; and had now semi-modified their service process. So I asked about the birria and the server replied it's not on the usual menu but they have it by request, he checked his computerized menu, and said that we could get three quesa birrias for $19.95 (or just created the menu item). Our three quesa birrias came in a platter with rice and beans and a little bit of shredded iceberg lettuce. When the birria platter arrived I immediately thought it looked really greasy and only ate the interior meat portion. I also that perhaps the meat tasted more like shredded pork rather than the traditional goat meat that is usually in birria. My chef friend informed ne that such substitutions are common but we should been inform of them too. Despite our expections being a bit off, we both thought that $19.95 for this platter was excessive. My sister even said that she would have preferred going to Taco Bell than to El Columpio.

While passing through Dell Rapids during one of our little road trip adventures, my husband and I…read morestumbled upon this restaurant and decided to stop in and give it a try. One thing that immediately caught our attention was the building itself. Dell Rapids has a great deal of historic charm, and the restaurant is housed inside one of the town's older historic structures, which gives it a lot of personality before you even sit down. The atmosphere carries some of that preserved small-town character that makes these Midwest road trip discoveries enjoyable in the first place. The presentation of the food was honestly quite beautiful. The plating was polished, colorful, and thoughtfully arranged in a way that immediately raised our expectations. The dishes looked refined and carefully constructed, almost the sort of meals that make you instinctively reach for your phone to take photos before eating. Unfortunately, the actual flavors never really lived up to the visual presentation. That was the biggest disappointment for us. While everything looked appealing, most of the dishes wound up tasting fairly flat and underwhelming. Nothing was outright terrible, but very little had the depth, seasoning, or distinctiveness we were hoping for once we actually began eating. Service throughout the meal was decent enough, though the restaurant seemed somewhat overwhelmed at the time. There was a very large and extremely loud Friday gathering taking up much of the dining room and seemingly most of the staff's attention. It also appeared they may have been somewhat understaffed that afternoon, which likely contributed to the slower pacing and divided attention. Overall, the experience landed somewhere between average and slightly disappointing for us. Not actively bad, but not especially memorable either. The historic setting and attractive presentation certainly added points, but ultimately we left feeling underwhelmed by the food itself.

My friend and I often use this as our meeting spot since she lives near Brookings and I'm in Sioux…read moreFalls. We are always greeted by their friendly staff immediately upon walking in. The chips and salsa are spot-on and the food is always fast to come out, steaming hot, and tasty. It's a pretty big place with dining available on two sides. Definitely scope it out if you're near Dells (or even within 20 miles!)