Our meal was as delicious as it is beautiful! Honestly, from this photo, it's hard to tell just how much food is provided. Beneath everything pictured (chicken, fish, shrimp, sausage and cactus) is a bed of grilled peppers and onion. We requested no steak, but it's typically included. SUCH a treat! read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Parrillada Mar y Tierra - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Fantastic service, drinks were well made and delicious. Will be back!! Steak burritos are fantastic, and the staff was super friendly.

The atmosphere and the food is very good. I recommend it. I know two of the sisters that used to work there. It's family oriented.

Really liked this place, they have great tasting food. I had the huevos rancheros, plenty of vegetarian options. Down to earth staff, service is top notch and they make a mean cantarito...very delicious! ...can't wait to go back!!! read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Cantarito - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Haven't been here in years. I remember the ceviche tostada and wanted that today. It was good. Tried the tamale and it was dry and looked like beef not pork as their menu indicates. Guacamole was very good. Salsa was a little different than most Mexican restaurants. Chile Colorado was very good with enough spice to make your nose run and loved the tortillas. Service was slow but I don't care about that. read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Ceviche Tostada - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Me and my Mom have been going to this restaurant since we moved to this side of town, the portions are huge and the customer service is 10/10! The salsa is also incredible, we wish though that we could buy an entire container of it! The ambiance is also so homey and cozy. I really recommend going as the people there are so friendly and have amazing cooks. read more

Strangely, once the other location closed, my review was moved to this one. So it's time to definitely update my review. We arrived in a rainy Saturday around 12:30 for lunch. The parking lot was pretty full and there were quite a few tables full. We were seated quickly. As we were still settling into the booth, the chips and salsa came right away and then our server took our drink orders. The chips and salsa were good. The salsa was refreshing and not spicy. I prefer a bit of a lighter, airy chip. These chips were a bit more dense than my favorite kind I ordered the chicken Chimichanga lunch with double rice and asked for no sour cream. My husband ordered the Maria's Burrito lunch. We ordered our daughter the Kid's Quesadilla. The food came out fast. Like really fast. The chimichanga described the chicken as spicy but I found there to be nothing spicy about it at all. It was your standard chimichanga with a good amount of chicken inside and some bell peppers and cheese sauce on top. The rice was good and lucky for me, the cheese ran into it. The salad had the sour cream on it that I asked to be left off. I scraped as much as I could off but sadly that meant I lost guacamole too. My husband liked his lunch and said the burrito meat had good flavor. Our daughter liked her rice and beans. She took three bites of her Quesadilla and wouldn't eat any more. I ate the other half and wow, was it salty! Our daughter dropped her spoon at one point which made me look under the table. I really wish I wouldn't have had the need to. Boy was there a lot of icky black dirt under there! Walking into the bathrooms was like we were in a different place. They were "fancy" with fully tiled walls and floors. Even decorative tile inserts and a fancy faucet. Definitely didn't match the rest of the restaurant. Overall, service was good and food was your typical Mexican fare. The place could use a good deep cleaning. read more

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Truly a disappointment overall. We found that this was a Mex/Colombian restaurant. Pro: Very nice space. Large space, clean, nicely decorated. Con: Colombian food is truly poor. Ordered a Bandeja Paisa, the iconic Colombian dish. Chicharron was terribly greasy and overcooked. Empanadas were soaking wet with grease and the filling was mushy and tasteless. It appears the oil in their fryer wasn't hot enough so food was like an oil sponge. My wife is Colombian, we travel there and lived in Miami for over two decades, so we do know proper Colombian food. I ordered tacos - the al pastor was above average, so the three stars for the tacos. Service was friendly. We will never go back, better Mexican in Des Moines, and Colombian food is awful. read more

Food is tasty, but location seems dirty. Other business next door informed me of "issues" with them when I was in visiting them. Table in booth was extremely wobbly. Staff is friendly and attentive. Prices are good. read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Shrimp fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Ate at the restaurant for the first time today. There were 3 of us. The restaurant was very clean and the stall were exceedingly friendly and the service was fantastic. My only complaint was the portion sizes. My taco salad was small compared to other Mexican restaurants. I expected the tomato to be at least chopped into multiple slices instead I received only one small slice of tomato laying on top of a pile of sour cream and very little ground beef.. Definitely not worth the $10 I spent for it. My wife and mother in laws dinners were very skimpy as well. In spite of the cleanliness of the restaurant and the nice staff I will not be back not when other establishments offer larger portions and better quality food. read more

The Molcajete is amazing and the HUGE Margaritas are refreshing! There was an older gentleman playing guitar and singing tableside who was very good...the staff was very attentive..only downside is that the place could use some updating. read more

Fast fast fast! I live less than 10 minutes from this 5 De Mayo, and haven't had to wait for my food yet. They have generous portions and are very friendly! Check them out, you won't be disappointed!! read more

We were seated promptly on a Saturday night about 5 pm. Drink orders were taken and we ordered a monster raspberry blended margarita. Chips and salsa soon followed. Salsa has tremendous flavor. I ordered enchiladas suizas and Luke ordered a ground beef chimicganga. Waitress was attentive and refilled chip basket as needed and checked to see how our drinks and food were. Food had amazing flavor and margarita was one of the best house blended I've had in quite some time. Definitely a must try on the south side when you've got a hankering for Mexican food. read more

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Great good! Try the Molcajete!!! It has cactus, which I've never tried, but I found it sweet and delicious. Everything in the bowl I wanted more of. :) read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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They are okay. Used to be really good, now they've gone downhill a bit. Service was very slow and restaurant wasn't busy at all.

This place needs new servers!! Really rude ladies I got a hair in my food and when I told them they gave me a dirty look and asked what I wanted to do and I told them I wanted a new plate and I prefer to take it home since they were being rude about it and they made me a new dish and when I asked if I was getting a refund from it the lady was rude and gave me an attitude and said no that they made me a new plate instead. 5 de Mayo that's not very 5 de Mayo of you to do. Your more like a 30 of October because y'all spooky af. read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Beans - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Moved to town a few months ago. Finally got time to try this little gem. Arrived on a sat night around 5. Was seated immediately. Staff was friendly and attentive, unlike other Mexican restaurants in the area. Greeted with chips and salsa in the first 2 minutes. Our first time here so the menu was a little overwhelming. So many choices! We ordered a monster margarita. Which came promptly and had a generous amount of tequila, unlike other local restaurants. We placed our order and were served a second basket of chips and salsa. Decor is a little dated, but clean. Food we ordered was standard but flavor was good. Portion size was average and food pricing was good. Most meals are 9-15$. And worth it. Very happy we tried this little place and will probably make this a regular for us. read more

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The sign above the restaurant just says 5 De Mayo Mexican Rest... So you could say that's a strange first impression! But hey who needs the Rest of the word when the chips are hot, the salsa has a bit more spice then most places and the service is nice! If your looking for a pretty authentic travel down south with the mouth, then I suggest leaving the REST behind and trying 5 De Mayo. I had veggie fajitas... The portion size was absolutely huge and this man of all foods could not come close to finishing it! Great fresh veggies, the beans and rice were hot and good and the portion size of guac was super! I got my son the mac and cheese which is strait up Kraft... but he loved it.. Just like he does at home! Margaritas tasted good and went down easy and the company you keep while you eat is truly important and so I will say this is a place I would eat for ever and a day! Or all the REST of my days! read more

Eh it's ok. Mexican food is my thing so I'm not gonna hate it, but it could be better. The inside was kinda dumpy. Our booth was falling apart and the service was surprisingly slow for a Mexican restaurant. One of my things I really need is them to keep the chips and salsa coming while we wait for food and sadly that was neglected. With so many other options I just feel they need to up the game a little. read more

I had lunch there today was not happy they have gone down hill. The food was not very hot and the service was not that good.

Had another great dinner tonight with my beautiful wife they had a special on their 27 ounce margarita they were great service was wonderful music was great football on the TV. A great experience overall. read more

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Awesome food, easily one of the best in Iowa. They season and spice their food very well, which is not always a guarantee in the Midwest. I would recommend this place over any other in the Des Moines area. read more

I hate sounding like a broken record, but to me, most Mexican restaurants in town have the same good food quality and friendly staff. This place is no different, which u say often about Mexican restaurants. There is really nothing different that stands out. Their food is flavorful, plentiful, and is brought to your table quick after ordering. I ate here a couple times and have not had a bad experience. read more

Ordered two to go meals last night and two flans. Did not receive one of the entries and the flan had mold on it. read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Mold on flan - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I love this place! I live in Tennessee (originally from Des Moines, IA) and when I come home for a visit; this place is normally included. They have my all time favorite Michelada - if you haven't tried one here, you should - and believe me it is a treat! Friendly customer service; the food is delicious. They have an excellent tomatillo salsa and I have had their carnitas, shrimp fajitas, chimichanga's and they were all delicious. This place is a great stop along with many others on the South Side of Des Moines. South Side pride!! read more

Had the WORST experience here tonight, the employees were extremely RUDE when I asked how long it would be until we would receive our meals because we were already waiting for over TWO hours!!!!! By the time we finally got our food, it was not that warm. Took forever for them to take our initial orders and get refills! There were other customers who arrived after us, got their food, finished and left while we were STILL waiting to get our meals. Extremely disappointed. read more

Mediocre food. Terrible service. Nobody at door, took a minute to be greeted and seated. Was a lil busy so no big deal. The chips to our table were delivered prompt but the good service ended there. Waited forever for a waitress to show and ask for our drink order. Took 10minutes for drinks to arrive. By that time chips were gone and the waitress didn't bring any straws. Asked for straws and had to wait another 5 minutes for her to return with those. I would have left if we didn't already put in our food order. Took a while for out food to come and it was wrong. I noticed she brought wrong food to another table and didn't give silverware to another. Never refilled drinks or chips. Tried to charge an extra soft drink on the bill. No plans on returning here read more

Thought we'd try this restaurant again being that it's under new ownership. The waitress was a complete idiot! She made a HORRIBLE piña colada, that tasted like nothing but ice, and then when we paid, charged us for someone else's food on top of ours!!!! read more

This is our new go to for Mexican. There was nothing wrong with out old regular place, but 5 de Mayo is better. It has all the standby dishes you come to expect with attentive, quick service. The dishes we have ordered seem to be a bit better - more flavor, better ingredients and attention to details. They have a vegetarian quesadilla with broccoli, I think is delicious. They have multiple sizes of margaritas too! read more

Heard about this spot in the radio coming into town. They have a good selection of plates, from seafood to steaks. I tried the steak fajitas, they were very good! Very small serving of guacamole is my only complaint and the reason it's a 4 star instead of 5. Service was good as well, if your in the area you must try it. read more

Nice Mexican joint! I really like this place, when we sat down they drop off 2 salsas instead of just 1. Y'all know I'm gonna eat more than 1 tiny dish of salsa. The portion sizes are perfect, I never leave hungry. Only reason no 5 stars is I've been here a few times during dinner rush and the place has a strong bleach odor. Don't get me wrong I love a clean restaurant but my burrito doesn't taste right combined with this scent. Save the cleaning till closer to close. Update: this place has been going down hill since my last review. Wait staff is fair if average on a slow night. Much rather hangout on their phone than check customers. Food is good and fair priced but that is about it. read more

This place is great! I'm from LA and Chicago so I take my food seriously! With that being said the food was authentic and delicious but it was the service that sets this place apart from the rest for me. Great staff great food what more can u ask for? read more

5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - $1.99 Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Worst service I have ever experienced. The self-proclaimed "manager", Alondra, was extremely rude and had a very bad attitude. She is very disrespectful to her customers and I will never go here again nor will I ever recommend this place to anyone! She lied to us, made us wait for at least twenty minutes just to try to pay, would not apologize for the fact that her system wasn't working. She acted as if it was our fault that she could not do her job. I told her I will withdraw cash and be back to pay since she doesn't know how to process a credit card and she chased me out of the building like a gorilla in heat. FYI- I did come right back to pay. The self-proclaimed manager was nowhere in sight. read more

Good service. Great food. Our "go to" for sit-down dining when in the mood for Mexican food.

This place has the worst service I have ever had. Not only did they get my order wrong twice but they acted like I was the inconvenience. And then when I asked where my food was they said that there was other people waiting too. Then they agreed to a discount and didn't give it to me on the food my guest had. So basically I was there for an hour, didn't get my food, was verbally abused, promised a discount and I didn't get anything they promised. NEVER again. read more

While visiting my sister-in-law here in Des Moines we all craved Mexican for dinner, so we came to her go to spot not far from her house. The ladies ordered a pitcher of strawberry margarita and the fearless guys ordered the Monster 60oz lime margaritas to start the evening. Chips and salsa as we pondered over the menu, refils promptly. We ordered Marias Burritos, Special request Nachos, Chavito Special, Mariapepas Burrito and a Steak and Cheese Burrito. Everyone liked there meal, enjoyed their adult beverages and yes we finished the Monster margaritas. Elaina was a great server, request her next time you visit. read more

Service was WAY SLOW today I hate to report that but everything took way too long. chips were good and warm, guacamole was average but very blah to me so I added salt and salsa to it. We ordered the molcajete and it was good and filling for two. The sausage in it was delicious rice and beans were average. The nopal in the molcajete was very good kind of tastes like an artichoke. read more

My go to Mexican restaurant on the south side. This place is always consistent and quick. They do two dollar margaritas one day during the week, pretty good deal. Their lunch menu is a great deal. Enchiladas are really good as well as the fajitas. read more

Went for an early dinner with my family. The Mole Enchiladas with pulled beef was really good. So was the Carne Dogollado, full of flavor. The staff was very friendly and the service prompt. Would definitely come back. The location on Yelp is not correct so let Google map show you the way instead. read more

I feel bad saying this because the service is great, but the food is a disaster. I've been to this place many times in hopes it would get better. Their steak burritos are great but, anything else I've tried on the menu is drenched in sauce. Tonight I had their gigantic burrito. It was decent on the inside but it was swimming in the sauce that was supposed to just go over it. I wish they could be more consistent. read more