We've been going to Vel's Amigo's since I was a kid. I moved away but when I'm back in town I like to return. One thing that has changed, is you pay for chips and salsa now. Back then, it was a real treat when a flour chip found its way into your basket. Now you can pay an upcharge to get all flour chips. The flour chips were a lot bigger, puffier, and greasier than I remember. They are very filling, so you don't need as many of them. That being said, I prefer the corn chips. Another change is the Pancho Villa. Back in the day this burrito covered with pork and cheese took up the entire plate. Still tasty, it is much smaller these days. Even with a tamale which was pretty much what I remembered, there was a lot of space left on that plate. Service was fine. Our server was prompt and friendly. The atmosphere is a little divey. Very relaxed and comfortable. It hasn't changed dramatically from my youth. read more

Saturday afternoon after a round of golf my wife and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for in Fort Madison. it was weird from the time we sat down. The waitress came up and said we close in 4 minutes and rushed us to order our food. We finished eating and I went to pay my bill at the bar. I payed with cash and when the young girl gave back my change she did not count it out. The male (I think the manager) grabbed the money and yelled at the staff for not counting it back to me. He was very aggressive to her and to me, holding out my change and yelling here! I was taken back and said you need to calm down. He now said with a nasty tone take your money and get out. I said you are very Fing rude and turned to leave and now there was a big guy standing in my personal space trying to intimidate me. The other guy came from around the bar still yelling for me to get out even as I walked for the door. This is without a doubt the worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant. I felt very threatened by the two men and would tell all be careful going there. If they were so close to closing then why not just tell us when we walked in and we would have gladly went somewhere else. Why get mad over it. I will never go again to this place which is to bad because I have been there 100's of times before. read more

The food is basically something you'd imagine to be served in a prison. This place has a sign that says: "Mexican at its best" and that makes their food so much more embarrassing. Perhaps the worst possible place you could eat within 150 miles.. It's not Mexican and even if you called it gringo Mexican any 14 year old could make Old El Paso seasoned tacos at home that would crush this place's Mexican wanna be soul. No idea how they're open with so much better MX food two blocks down the street. Go anywhere but here for Mexican food. Only good thing was that I didn't get food poisoning afterward read more

I can see why the locals might like to go back to it once you get used to something. It seems like you don't have much to compare it to.. if you want a margarita don't waste your money. It's a sad, weak , watered down version of what they call a margarita. I know that the tamales are genuine. There's a Hispanic lady who makes them for the restaurant and she's cooking them every day in her kitchen.. but the restaurant is making a killing on them because they're charging $4.50 for each tamale. Besides that what they have in their plates is just their version of an enchilada with some strange ingredients for fillings. The rice is OK and the beef fajitas, though it is a small portion are usually juicy and flavorful. . It's just a weird little establishment, no substitutes, packaged sour cream, pico de gallo and little cups with lids. It's just they have the system that they stick to.. you locals keep on going cause like I said y'all are used to it. read more

Horrendous, the fact that they think they earned the title MEXICAN cuisine, is actually crazy, let's start with their service, the lady was okay, she never refilled my mans Mountain Dew, even when she came to the table, and she gave us the receipt and didn't come back, I ordered chicken fajitas, and they were basically unbreaded, unseasoned chicken nuggets, and oh my goodness don't get me started on that dumb " salsa " buddy, that's ketchup at this point don't even, and the pico de gallo was not it at all, trash, the idea is there, the decorations kinda make it feel Mexican, but that's not important if you ain't got flavor, very bad, and it's sad the is one of the only Mexican restaurant in fort Madison, honey I come from Texas as a Hispanic, who has been to Mexico, I should have kept my expectations low, if you ate here and you think it's the best Mexican out there, or even Mexican, you have tried the good stuff No me gusta su publicidad falsa, aprende a sazonar primero y luego tal vez llamarte restaurante mexicano thank you read more

If I had to choose between eating here again or death, then I'm choosing the pearly white gates. This is quite literally the worst Mexican restaurant I've ever been to, from the chips being cooked more than a burger to tomato sauce being passed off as salsa. It's kind of an understatement of the year to describe the embarrassment I felt from going to this "authentic Mexican restaurant." I think I would rather get food poisoning again than eat here, but then again, which one is actually worse? read more

Stopped by Vel's Amigos while in town for the rodeo. The place was slammed and only staffed by two waitresses but they where moving. We were still sat right away, had chips and drinks, and our order in within 15mins. Well done. For the chips the homemade flour are worth the $4 Standouts on our meal were the tamale and chili rellano, with an honorable mention to the enchiladas. Any of the corn stuff, chips and hard tacos were not great. But over all very good service, solid portions for the price, and a few wins. read more

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If blandness is your flavor of choice, this place is for you. If margaritas made from one of those syrupy mixes sounds good, this place is for you. If low cost is more important to you than good food, this place is for you. When Taco John's and Taco Bell are better choices, you know this cannot be good. This place makes me fantasize about opening my own restaurant next door and putting Ft Madison out of it's food misery. read more

Let's start with kind of good... Service. It was ok, but still had to ask for things and assistance. Food... best thing was the flour chips and queso. Otherwise, be very aware of what you order. Take a hard look at the back of the menu for things on the front are not what they say. Example... Cheese enchiladas are not cheese enchiladas. They are primarily potato and has peas in it. It had very little cheese within it. Beans... lacked depth. Rice... lacked any other flavor than rice. Salsa with the chips tasted more like tomato sauce only. The corn chips were very "bitey". They are clearly just a bagged chip, but just a strong lime (not the fruit) bite. Plus, you have to pay for these unlike most Mexican restaurants. Atmosphere... well the outside looked great and well kept. Inside... chairs were hard, mismatch tables and fast food style booths. Not really a whole sit down restaurant feel. Not a fan to watch them prep for closing by taking chairs and flipping them seat down on the tables. All I can hope is the tables are re-cleaned after the chairs are put back down. Seemed to popular and very busy, but just not good, and definately not worth the $80+ spent for four people in which we maybe ate half the food cause. read more

Ayayay... talk about NO bueno. My fiancé took us to this restaurant, having shared fond memories of its yesteryears and being his mother's favorite Mexican restaurant. Having been raised by a Mexican mother, I am accustomed to good, bad, and decent Mexican food. Amigo's created another category, TERRIBLE. Not only was the waitstaff forgettable, but the food was unforgettable. Especially since now, less than 10 minutes later, I'm having stomach pains. If I hadn't been hungry, having not eaten anything up until that point, I would've chosen differently. There's NO WAY the food was prepared fresh. Everything looked overcooked, most likely in a microwave. The ground beef in my chile relleno was dark (burnt) and dry, and the beans tasted about as good as the ones from a can. If you want Mexican food that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, go here. Otherwise steer clear. read more

Vel's Amigo's - Entrance of restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Fort Madison, Iowa

This is probably one of your best dining options in Fort Madison. They've got veggie fajitas if you're a vegetarian so that's good. The beans were pretty dry and the veggies were served on the plate instead of the piping hot skillet you normally get so there wasn't as much food as you would expect. The rice was probably my favorite part, very flavorful. The corn chips were nice and the salsa was very mild but tasty. Really like the wall decor, but I would call the overall appearance of the place rather "white washed". It's good food, but it doesn't measure up to the places you'd find just a little ways north in Burlington. read more

Vel's Amigo's - Veggie fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Fort Madison, Iowa

This is Iowan Mexican. The 150 year history of Mexican immigrants to our area to work with the railroads brought Mexican food to me as a child and I grew up eating this. Yes there are potatoes and sometimes peas on the enchiladas and I LOVE them. You will too. Great pork tamales, the best salsa, service that is so fast it's amazing. That's for the carry out during Covid, I'm glad you survived it. My three sons come back from across the country and always want your food. My brother craves it too. Thanks for being there for us. read more

Obviously my opinion is biased because I worked here off & on for years but it tastes exactly like mexican food from the MIDWEST should taste! It's not exactly authentic Mexican cuisine but it is delicious & consistent. I love Amigos, the salsa, enchiladas and soft shells tacos will always be my favorite read more

Not among the greatest Mexican restaurants even by rural Iowa standards. Enchiladas were soggy and lackluster with little flavor. I did not know Mexican food could be made so bland. Honestly dude, I've had hospital food that is more spicy and flavorful. I'd recommend if you must eat here to bring your own bottle of hot sauce because they don't seem to have. Oh, and the salsa is no better - it's like they use Ragu spaghetti sauce. It's that bland. The chips were ok but not having good salsa makes it kind of pointless. Why I keep hoping this place improves? Friends have recommended it, but whenever we try it disappoints. read more

Great food. We ordered take out. It was fast and still hot when we got it home. There was WAY too much of it. :) We enjoyed every bite and even had leftovers. Thanks. read more

Was in Fort Madison for the first time with my future wife since this is where she grow and she raved that we had to go to Vel's Amigo's since this was one of her favorite restaurants when she used to live there. We ordered the Flour Tortilla Chips to start (you have to pay extra for any type of chips). These were really good and wish other Mexican restaurants did this and I wouldn't mine paying for it. For my meal I ordered the Plato Supremo since I figured I had to try everything since I problem will never be back in town. The first thing I noticed was that the Cheese Enchilada was different from any Cheese Enchilada. It has cheese in it but also potatoes and peas which I have never seen before but wasn't all that bad. The Pork Enchilada was also good for would I expected. The tacos on the other hand were not great the beef in them was very dry and didn't have a lot of flavor/seasoning. The rice and bean also looked and tasted like they have been sitting out for quite awhile. All and all this was the most interesting Mexican Restaurant I have ever been to but hey I guess they do things differently in Iowa. read more

Vel's Amigo's - Plato Supremo. - Mexican Near Me - Fort Madison, Iowa

Wasn't bad but nothing was good. I got a tostado, beef burrito and pork enchilada. First off the salsa with the Alaska and chips they gave us literally tasted like spicy tomato juice no real flavor. The beef in the burrito was just cooked ground beef no seasoning, this is honestly ridiculous you think a Mexican restaurant could get some taco seasoning from one of THREE grocery store on the street. The rice if you would call it that wasn't even in grains it was just a flavorless soft puffs, just buy some ricearoni (The stuff that comes in a red box) and cook that up. All to say not mad just disappointed it's not hard to make good Mexican food. Step it up "Amigos" read more

The best most amazing Mexican food!! We drove 85 miles one way to eat here!! I am addicted to their poncho villa and my husband is totally hooked on their tacos!! Fried flour chips and the churros are a must. This place is definitely worth the trip!! read more

I've been going here for as long as I can remember. The food is good, drinks cold, and staff friendly. The owner Andrea is a great person. Stop by and try it out! read more

After going back to this place over the past few years , I've come to realize their fare is more genuine than their local competitors. I don't mind paying for chips, I used to. The beef fajitas are really good, not a pile of thin, stringy meat like other "mexican" style restaurants. And I know the tamales are homemade. I met the lady who makes them. Staff is always pleasant and efficient. read more

This is my absolute favorite place to go whenever I'm home. Usually my parents will take me on our way home from the Amtrak station, so I'll see the inside of Vel's before I see the inside of their house! If you're looking for real authentic Mexican food, this is probably not the place for you. If you're looking for authentic Southeast Iowa Mexican food, you've found it. The softshell tacos are made with fried flour tortillas. What I always order (cheese enchiladas) is amazing. The enchiladas are filled with potatoes and peas and covered with cheddar cheese. I always pour a bunch of the hot sauce on top - we usually have to ask them to bring a second bowl to our table. The only thing I don't like is that they charge you for a basket of chips. However, the chips are really good. Your basket will contain mostly corn chips, with a few of the coveted flour chips mixed in. My parents usually let me eat most of the flour chips since they go there about once a week and I only go there every few months. :) If you go to the takeout location of Vel's down the street you can get an entire order of the flour chips, but I think it's more fun if you have to search for them. If you happen to find yourself near Fort Madison, you should definitely give Vel's a try. read more

Vel's Amigo's - Cheese enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Fort Madison, Iowa

Looking at the other reviews, almost all the negative ones come from out of towners. It's hilarious and telling all at the same time. The telling part is almost everybody says they are up for a culinary adventure - they want to find the unique, the hyper-local, the places you won't find anywhere else... and then expect to be treated according to a rigid, universal code of service while having utterly original dishes that cleave precisely to their preconceptions of what a restaurant should offer. Deviate from those preconceptions and the snarky one-stars rain from the sky. The hilarious part is the negative reviewers seem to think the restaurant (or anybody, for that matter) will give a hot damn about their review. Look folks, know this: Vel's has been doing the same thing for about 30 years. I ate there when my drivers license was still warm from the lamination machine and ate there last weekend for a late 44th birthday lunch. Other than prices (& the still-controversial addition of a taco salad in the late 80s) the menu has not changed. It's not high end Latin cuisine, there are no tacos de lengua, no carne, no mole. Vel's has the standard Mexican dishes white people were comfortable with in the 80s, adjusted to the Midwestern palate. Dishes are very lightly seasoned and their salsa is so mild you could drink it on a hot day and feel refreshed. And they've done very well with that formula. Before you brand this opinion as one from an ignorant hick who, as another reviewer put it, "has no idea what real Mexican food is," I love finding trucks & taquerias that have great tacos de cabeza & carnitas. I even make my own - there's a couple packages of cheek meat in my freezer right now. So maybe tilt that upturned nose back to horizontal and understand that we know this isn't what you call "real Mexican" and we like it anyway. (Strangely enough, the same folks who voice disdain over 'inauthentic' food also pitch a fit when they get 'authentic' service, but that's another rant altogether) Menudo, rebocado, horchatas... that's not Vel's. Never has been and as long as the current owners are still there, it never will be. UPDATE: Vel's has new ownership and is still Vel's!!!! See update 2. Leaving the old review, in brackets. [Which is the point of this whole spiel: Vel's is for sale because the current owners want to retire. It's impossible to tell what Vel's will be after the sale but odds are it won't be the same. Not necessarily worse, not necessarily better, but almost certainly different - maybe completely different. If you've ever found a certain comfort in knowing you could roll down old 61 anytime (except Tuesdays) and stuff yourself with a #6, the clock is ticking.] [I'll keep saying adios with at least some carry out every time I'm back in FM, knowing that soon it will be the last time. Thanks for everything, Vel's Amigos, and happy trails.] UPDATE: Had a late 45th birthday lunch yesterday at Vel's. Ordered a #6 and tried to finish it, which was a mistake (trying to finish it that is, not ordering it). Vel's is still doing their thing and I enjoyed it as much as any meal I've had there over the last 3 decades. UPDATE 2 (from visit June 22 2018): Had an early 46th birthday lunch at Vel's under the new ownership. Other than relocating the ugly behemoth HVAC stuff near the bar (which needed to be done), it looked, felt, smelled, sounded like, and tasted just like the Vel's Amigos I grew up with. Maybe some other changes took place, to be honest I didn't look closely - I was grateful to come back home to Vel's again. I hope the new owners continue to upgrade the place while still embracing and carrying its heritage forward. read more

They make you pay for chips. They give you a bowl of salsa and then ask if you want to buy chips. What the hell is that. This place is like Taco Bell except Taco Bell is better. It's not Mexican at all. Like absolutely no flavor. The service sucks. They should shut this place down. Or change the name of the business. read more

This is our first time here. The food was ok not spectacular. Warm pop in a can instead, of fountain. The atmosphere was very noisy. Hard to hear the server or each other. Didn't taste, as good as other Mexican restaurants I've been too. The, staff was very friendly. I would have chosen a different Mexican restaurant if I would have known ahead of time. read more

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Vel's definitely isn't the Mexican food I am used to living in Arizona, but it had some good points. First of all, this is one of the least expensive restaurants I have ever eaten at. You really could feed a family of four for about $20 total. They give you a choice of flour or corn chips (if you want any at all). Definitely go for the flour- you can tell they are very fresh and good quality. We also tried the White Queso and it was the best pick of the whole meal! I ordered the cheese enchiladas.. which ended up being more of potato enchiladas. And they had peas. Yep peas. And no enchilada sauce. Like I said it's not what I'm used to. Overall- if I could do it again I would do an tostada with the flour tortilla or possibly nachos with flour chips. If I was visiting Iowa again I'm not sure I would drop by but if you live close by it might be worth trying out. read more

One of the worst presentations of 'Mexican Food' I have ever experienced. Granted the prices are quite low but REALLY?! The guacamole and sour cream were both served in squeeze packets. Pico was served in a to go container with a lid and dated (it was a few days old). The rice was dry and bland and looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp all day! I've come to expect more from a restaurant that serves food on a porcelain dish... This place might as well be using paper plates. I love a good "hole in the wall" place to go eat but this one let me down... So if you're looking to save a buck at the expense of good food, then this is your spot. read more

What a joke. We were first disappointed that they did not take cards but had an on-site ATM. The ATM had a whopping $3 fee but the machine did not work. The waitress gave us a free bowl of salsa and asked if we would like chips with the salsa for $1.25. I noticed the menu did not contain a fajita quesadilla like every other Mexican restaurant in the world and then noticed that there was not a single Mexican in the joint. Should've bolted then. We declined to pay for chips and were told the food would be out very soon. I left to go gas up my car and get cash back from a local Caseys and still had a few minutes before the food arrived. Worst Mexican food I can remember eating. The beans were somehow crunchy and the horsemeat for steak had to have been very old. Whatever marinade they used was also horrible. My coworker and I spent some considerable time on the toilet immediately after eating and would only recommend the joint to our worst of enemies. read more

Extremely disappointed in the food and service here. The rice was very dry. The chicken was dry as well. With myself being Mexican, this was a horrible attempt at my country's food. I would never come here again or recommend ANYBODY to come here. I would rather eat Tacobell than this place. read more

Started things off by sitting at my table in a mostly empty restaurant for 10 mins before the waiter meandered over. Chips were decent, as others said the salsa has no spice and really no flavor, think zesty tomato paste. I ordered the number 2. Rice on the side was dry and hard, cheese enchiladas were actually potato and peas enchiladas with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top, but the tacos I got were fantastic, meat had good flavor and the veggies were crisp and cool. They also happen to serve cold beer, so that's definitely a plus for them. Overall i have to say it's definitely not Mexican food (Arizona resident), but it's not necessarily bad either. read more

Vel's Amigos is awesome.... except for Elsie Cardona. She's horrible. Everyone else that works there's does a great job and the food is good, but again. Elsie is a horrible waitress and shouldn't even be allowed to work there. read more

I ate there for the first time since the new owners took it over. It was AMAZING. The chips were outstanding,good service. We are lucky to have such a good Mexican restaurant in this town. read more

This is the most pathetic attempt at Mexican food I have ever had. They don't allow for any substitutions, and you can't even leave things off - - which is a red flag for OUR MEALS ARE PREPARED (AND POSSIBLY FROZEN) AHEAD OF TIME & NOT MADE FRESH TO ORDER. Just about everything is mediocre at best. I have had just about everything on the menu at least once, as I have a (crazy) family member who is obsessed with this place. Tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, rice... all mediocre. The chips aren't even warm. Yet another red flag for a horrendous Mexican restaurant - room temperature chips. Get a friggin' heat lamp and at least attempt to fool me into thinking you lazy SOB's made the chips in house! This sorry excuse for a restaurant doesn't even have margaritas. In fact, no liquor license, so no liquor of any kind at all. This garbage might impress Fort Madisonites, but as someone who has ventured beyond the town borders and had delicious Mexican food, this swill just doesn't cut it. Also - they don't accept anything other than cash. No checks or credit cards! Just what kind of business are they running... The only reason they are getting 1 star and not 0 is because 1) the system won't let me select 0 starts, and (2) their apple-filled churros are actually quite tasty read more

If by best Mexican around they mean worse then this would get 5 stars... Bland. Choppy. Fake Mexican.

I am a fan of food and a legit fan of mexican food. I dig this spot for reals yo. Their burritos are tight to deaf and are even big enough to satisfy my appetite. Even though I take down some chips and guac before hand. This is a must for a true mexican grubber. Only looses one star because their salsa isnt hot enough. I like it hot, habanero hot. Keep on truckin! read more

Food is really good. Prices are better than reasonable. Love the flour chips especially with cheese sauce.

I really like to give good reviews and we aren't really picky but one in our group said the salsa tasted like tomato sauce and that's about right. They asked if we wanted both corn and four tortilla chips and salsa. Chips & salsa are normally free and no mention was made of a charge until the bill came. The food was awful, nothing like the picture of freshly fried tortilla for your taco. Their taco shells were worse than Taco Bell. I had a chili relleno that was a really tough egg sort of wrap around ground beef-no sauce. I asked them about it because that is not a chili relleno! No chili stuffed with cheese dipped in a nice egg batter with sauce over it. It was inedible. The cheese enchilada was mostly diced potato but at least It didn't taste bad-not very good though. It wasn't expensive but $30.00 for a bad meal for 2 is not acceptable. I just hate wasting money like that and paying for a bad meal! read more

Cheese enchiladas are awesome and the tamales! Also get the ex hot sauce if you like it hotter!!

Been eating here since I was a kid. Everyone is great. You can not substitute things is the only problem. But every place has their rules.

I love Amigo's. Fast and friendly. Locally owned and clean! Skip Young

One of my favorite places! Have moved out of town and look forward to eating here everytime I am back. Food is consistent and yummy. try the cheese enchilada, tacos and flour chips. read more