Cute little spot in north Ankeny, no frills, services was really fast. Which was good but we also…read morewanted to linger so we made sure to tell them we wanted more time to order. Chips and salsa were really great! I judge All Mexican restaurants by this I had the steak street tacos, the meat was really good- however the tortillas were soaked in a sauce and they completely fell apart. I ended up eating all the filling without it. My husband said the carne asada was tough to eat and not as tender as he'd like. Very friendly staff and fast service but the food was lacking and I don't see myself going back.

This is one of our favorite Mexican spots! It is always very busy, but we've never had to wait for…read morea table. The servers are friendly and quick to serve. We like to get queso and a margarita pitcher on Friday nights ($20 for pitcher + nachos). Our meals are consistent and taste good. Fun atmosphere and popular for a reason. Will continue to come back!

We stopped at El Mariachi in Johnston around 6:30 and sat out on the patio, where a house swallow…read moreloudly judged us the entire time. Honestly, the patio ambiance is always pretty good here, bird commentary included. Service was a little slow, and we had to work harder than we should have just to get water, but our waiter was fine overall. Nothing bad, just nothing exceptional either. The complimentary chips and salsa were very good, and I love that they have El Yucateco sauces on the table if you want to spice things up a bit. I had the Chipotle Tacos with chicken for $13, which came with rice and beans. Kim had the #7 combo for $11, with one burrito, one enchilada, and one taco. Both meals were good, but the chicken in my tacos and Kim's burrito was seriously excellent. Tender, flavorful, and probably the best part of the meal. Kim had a small frozen raspberry house margarita for $6.25, and I had a jumbo house margarita on the rocks for $8. The house margaritas were the one thing I would probably upgrade next time. They were very sweet and not quite the stronger margarita flavor I usually prefer. They do offer several premium margarita options, so I suspect that is probably the better route if the drink is a big part of the visit. But they definitely ask premium prices! Our total bill with tip was about $54, which felt fair for two meals, chips and salsa, and two margaritas. Overall, good food, great chicken, nice patio vibe, and a solid casual stop -- just maybe spring for the upgraded margaritas if you have the cash.

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $31 04/18/2026 This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while after seeing a recommendation in a publication. The first time we stopped by a number of years ago, we decided against going in due to there not being many cars in the parking lot. That was definitely not the case last night - the parking lot was nearly full and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, as they were quite busy. Needless to say, we left quite happy to have stopped - as we really enjoyed the experience. Our initial indicators of a good Mexican restaurant starts with their margaritas and then their chips and salsa. They passed it both areas - as both were above average. We started with a Spicy Jalapeno Margarita (see picture) from the bar while we waited for our table. It was good, but wasn't very spicy. The chips and salsa (see picture) were very good - tasty, fresh salsa that was thick enough to stay on your chips and crispy tortilla chips with enough oil to indicate they were fried fresh. For our meals, my wife ordered the Tacos Carne Asada (see picture), while I opted for the Tacos Carne Asada (see picture) - both based on our waiter Omar's recommendation. Omar was great - loved his recommendations, had a great sense of humor and was quite attentive to our needs! As stated, both my wife and I loved our plates - and yes, we shared with each other as always to both confirm. The only change I made to my plate was requesting corn tortillas - as I much prefer them to flour. I just can't say enough about both plates - not only did we REALLY like them, but there was plenty to bring home for another meal. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

We're regulars here, but they've stepped up their food game somehow. We had THEE worlds best shrimp…read moretacos (we think) & we plan to be extra regular at Fiesta. P.S. The Pineapple Glow Margarita is to die for!

Two entrees that I love to try across the Des Moines Area are cheesy nachos with jalapeños and Al…read morePastor street tacos. Fiesta has very good nachos, but need to marinate their pork more so the "Al Pastor" street tacos are soft, tender and very tasty - my portion was a little tough even though the chopped grilled pineapple was good. The service was quick and the atmosphere on pickup was electrifying.

This may jam even though today the chef was off his mark. The prep staff did not allow the Al…read morePastor (Pork) to marinate enough making my first chew of my street tacos marble and chewy which are normally soft and very tasty. Yet, when sitting at the booth to order the wait staff is always helpful and super efficient in taking my order to go. The atmosphere is peaceful with loads of delicious aroma filling the air.

I dont normally leave a review after a single visit but this restaurant is close off the interstate…read moreso it's easy for travelers to stop in and try out. There were not many people seated when we walked in around 1PM. We were greated quickly and seated. I ordered up a michelada because alot of the time you can tell how awesome the food will be by how they prepare the drinks. From my picture you can see it was an awesome drink with a soft tamarind stick. The food came out very quickly and also tasted great. I cannot wait to stop here again on a trip passing thru Des Moines.

Food is good but the service from the owners not professional. My friend and I came to grab some…read moreextra food during our lunch break. We both work at the mall. My friend bought a flour tortilla got the discount and I did not. I got a corn steak taco to add to my salad I brought from home and I stated I could not eat flour because I have allergy. The lady then proceeds to put my friends flour tortilla over my box. We both were wearing our store uniform. I didn't even get a chance to say anything about my discount because he walked away from the register as I was about to pay. I don't see myself coming back if the owners are working. Their workers are a lot friendlier and don't give us the cold shoulder for ordering sides. Just not okay because we are still paying customers at the end of the day.

Absolutely amazing portions for the price. The service is very skillful and bilingual which is a…read morehuge benefit in the diversity of Des Moines. The environment has wonderful seating and a scope of the university area. I will definitely be coming back again

We have always wanted to try this place and after finally doing so we are sorry we waited this…read morelong! The gist: exceptional service, warm and flavorful food; energetic ambiance with colors and music, full bar. Extras to know: on the last day of January the restaurant was comfortably warm. I am always cold and typically eat with my coat on but could enjoy tonight's meal without it. Upon arrival we were seated and immediately brought large glasses of water: I love not having to ask AND having a large glass and chips and salsa. The. Hips were typical Mexican restaurant chips; the salsa suited my preference with a bit of sweetness and cilantro. Our server was friendly and 'just right' attentive, allowing us to enjoy our meal while making sure we had drinks. The food came quickly in chilled glasses: the only thing keeping this meal from perfect is actually not so bad- the chipped glasses melted a bit and left a small glass rim puddle- I will ask for a coaster next time. And there WILL be a next time. The menu is extensive and creative with a nod to Iowa in some of the dishes (example: Iowa burrito) Prices totally reasonable for the amount of food. I enjoyed 1/3 of the pollo chorro (grilled chicken breast with chorizo) topped with melted cheese. Delicious combination. Sides of rice, refried beans and lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream in a mini taco shell. The dish came with a warm flour tortilla. Hubby had the Burrito Texano with steak, chicken and shrimp stuffed in a huge tortilla smothered in green sauce and cheese: we stayed for him to finish- he could not NOT eat it all it was so good. Family friendly, beer and margarita friendly, customer friendly, and food coma guaranteed. This is my personal favorite in town!

Stopped in on a Saturday evening. We had a table top of 7…read moreand we were able to get a seat right away. We had to wait for a last couple people before we put in our food order. The atmosphere was laid back and nice. It was not that busy yet so the waitress was paying attention to us. When we put in our order my husband ordered the Chori Pollo. He had never had it before. Chicken and chorizo together in the same meal. It was like he discovered sliced bread he was so excited to try it. He really enjoyed it. It came with flour tortillas and he thought it was really good. I ordered the Polo Loco which was chicken and cheese sauce with rice, guacamole and lettuce. The flavor and everything was good. I think I was a little bummed out how flat they beat the chicken down. It does make it cook fast and even, but seemed to be a little dry. Someone at the table ordered fried ice cream and loved every second of it. Overall everyone at the table was happy. No one left hungry. The waitress got busy and we had to leave so we had to get up and go pay without waiting for a ticket, but other than that the over all experience was good. I think we might come back as there were some menu items that we had not seen before and would like to try in the future.

One of the spots I like to hit up when I'm in town. Close to…read morewhere I train so it always tastes better when you are starving. Great service and great tasting food!

6/27/26. Yelp reviews looked good but all were over 5 years old. Pulled in parking lot and wasn't…read moresure about going in because the outside looked rough!! Decided to go for it anyway. Was only one other person waiting for there to go food. Chips and salsa are $2. Chips are thick/crunchy and taste homemade. Two salsas are given, verde (hot) and roja (slightly sweet with a kick of heat at the end). I ordered a Sope with carnitas. Wife ordered Gorditas. Waited for about 25 mins. A little long considering we were the only people in there at that point. But I hoped that meant it was being made from scratch. Food arrived, it looked delicious! Both of our first bites were heaven! Sope had a thick fluffy masa cake base with the most tender roasted slightly seasoned carnitas. Topped with a soft kind of white bean, a few sliced tomatoes, a few onions, shredded cabbage and salty cotija cheese. Very filling. Wife's Gorditas were three small masa cake shells stuffed with moist shredded dark meat chicken. And the same topping as mine. We both thoroughly enjoyed our food!!Would stop back again when I town.