It's been a few years since I've reviewed Carlos O'Kelly's. It is pretty hit or miss but when it is on, IT IS ON. I've been attending the Iowa City location for decades. This has been my family's go-to for birthdays and Saturdays out since I was a small child. Things I like about Carlos: - Margs. They really do hit the spot. Perfect punch and taste. - Daily specials and for holidays. Ask your waiter or check social media. - Salsa. The chips and salsa are both endless and delish. - I'm a big fan of their enchiladas-- with pulled chicken and cheese sauce. - Kids eat free sometimes. - Parking is a non issue. - There's seating for large groups! - Margs, Chips and Salsa to-go option? Yes, please! Things I don't particularly like about Carlos: - Pricing is high for quality and quantity. - Quality of food can be so hit or miss. (Overcooked, more often than not.) - Waitstaff/wait time can be hit or miss. (It's a college town, I get it.) - Tex/Mex is one thing, but having mashed potatoes on the menu... - It is SO loud in this newer rebuild of Carlos. Overall, I will forever come back to Carlos for margs, chips and salsa! read more

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If you are really hungry, this isn't the place to go. Portion sizes are very small and our meals didn't come with any sides. The margaritas were really weak too. The place looks nice and the waitress was good, but the food was just kind of disappointing. The chips and salsa were probably the highlight. Hope they can improve soon. read more

Carlos O'Kelly's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

We got a quick lunch, we split one of their quesadillas, and it was great. The service was amazing as well.

Guacamole was starting to turn brown. Street tacos carnitas had no flavor And a Margarita was way too sugary. read more

Used to be great, years ago. Now it is 3 strikes and they are out. Apparently management at the Iowa City Carlos has a policy that when the kitchen has the food ready, bringing to the customer hot and fresh is not allowed. Twice I sat at the bar, saw my food set on the shelf from the kitchen and sit there for over 10 minutes before being brought to me. All that time the manager wandered around not doing anything. Tried a carry out in the middle of the afternoon when the place was empty. Figured they couldn't mess that up. I was wrong. Called the order in, got there less than 5 mintes later, gave my credit card to the bar tender to pay, she took it, set it down and waited on somone that came in after me. Saw the food come out of the kitchen, then got my credit card charge to sign, told me she was going to get the food, watched her go play on the computer for two minutes, then disapear. Voided the credit card receipt and left without the food. read more

I normally love me a Carlos O Kelly's visit but today was the absolute opposite. I have no quarrels with the service nor the atmosphere but with the employees actions today. During our visit a man was outside, obviously under some type of influence but was laying flat on the ground looking like he needed some medical attention. When my sister went out and told the employees that we were calling an ambulance, because we did not know if it was an overdose or a seizure or a some other type of medical emergency, they went out and simply told him that he needs to leave immediately and not wait for an ambulance. I guess ignorance is bliss until someone ends up seriously injured or dead. I really hope this review puts into perspective how serious this situation could be. He would have left when the ambulance anyways which would have gotten rid of the "eyesore". Just disappointed. read more

Excellent! Had the steak and enchiladas, steak was cooked perfectly, the salsa was awesome, and their guacamole wow! Came here after Illinois State vs Iowa softball game! Glad we stopped in! Our waitress was so polite and on point! read more

Carlos O'Kelly's - Steak and Enchiladas with black beans and fajita veggies! So good! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Food was very good, with decent sized servings. The best part of our visit was our waiter, Colton. He was so friendly and helpful.

Well, I ordered today, the food was mostly not even edible. The chips were so stale they are hard (date on the bag is 2 days from now, same with salsa and cheese dip), I don't know when they make up this stuff ahead of time, but they were NOT fresh, gross and chips, salsa and cheese dip is not cheap, over $10 just for that stuff alone. My Sancho was burnt and flat and just gross, barely anything in it. My side was refried beans, they came in a SMALL tablespoon solo cup (like ranch would come in), hardly even a side. Ordered churros, they are so hard you cannot even pull them apart. One of the most disgusting meals I've ever had. I used to like Carlos, but this horrible. I don't know what they did, but they better be making some changes. I guess I'll eat my salsa with some Tostitos chips I have here. Skip this place. read more

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Received order on time!!! Food was hot & great!!! Definitely will order from Carlos O'Kelly's again!‍ Driver forgot my pop Again⁉ ‍ Happens every time⁉‍ read more

Food was EXCELLENT! Best chimichanga I've ever had! Service could have been better. Waited almost 10 minutes for a drink order, when giving our drink order, we ordered our food and a side of queso. Didn't get our queso until we got our food. Got our food about 20 minutes after ordering, the waitress that brought our food (different from who took the order), upgraded our queso free of charge for the wait. read more

Over salted and over cooked chips. The chips & salsa used to be the highlight of our afterwork treats. But as time passes the chips continue to disappoint (as much as I wish they wouldn't). Their quality sure has tanked since the old Carols in Iowa City was torn down. Don't even get me started on what used to be a pound of chips & pint has become a few chips in a bag & pint. read more

Carlos O'Kelly's - Chips & Queso to go. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

If your looking for good authentic Mexican food, this is not the place. More like Iowa Mex. Much better Mexican in town. read more

Meh. I've been eating here for years and they just changed the pasta Diablo recipe. Terrible. It's now pasta with cheese sauce virtually no other flavors. They did give us discounts on the bill but they insist all they did was out source the pasta. I remain unconvinced, I came to the restaurant for the pasta Diablo specifically it's very disappointing. read more

If I could leave a zero I would. The shrimp/steak fajita was the absolute worst. First it came to the table and you couldn't see the veggies and it only covered half the plate. Once we turned the food over the veggies that were there were burnt also making the meat taste burnt as well. The manager offered to have another plate made but by then the service was bad, the food was bad, so we decided to go somewhere else. The raspberry margarita very sweet with little alcohol. My chicken chimichanga was so spicy I couldn't eat it. The manager was somewhat rude and never apologized for the food. We sent the fajita back without eating or having another plate. Then we got the bill and the fajita was charged so we asked to see the manager. Then took off the fajita brought the bill and again no apology. Attached is a picture of the the burnt mess, nothing was eaten just mixed around. Good luck with this place. We won't be going back read more

Carlos O'Kelly's - Burnt fajita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Ever since the new renovation, it's been a hit or miss. Usually it's alright, but sometimes food and service could be a lot better. The queso is still very good, but one time I got the marg chicken fajitas but they forgot the most important marg sauce for the fajitas.. The food portion seems to have gotten smaller but it is sometimes still good. The baja chicken wrap is sometimes good but sometimes super dry and lacking in flavor. I will still go now and then for the jumbo margs and queso, but I wish the food and service can be consistent! read more

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Will not order from their chain again. Mexican food is NOT authentic. Sauce on the Enchelada was ???? Salsa was not fresh probably poured out of a can and mixed with tomato sauce. Talked with manager who stated, the food is a mix of Irish and Mexican food. Didn't see any Irish food on the menu! Perhaps the non Mexican food is ok but stay away from ordering Mexican! read more

We ate lunch there today. We had to wait 15 minutes, which is what we were quoted. There are signs on the door alerting people that staffing is short and they will do their best, but guests can expect longer wait times. Despite their shorthandedness we had an amazing experience! Kai, the hostess, was pleasant and thanked guests for being so kind to staff while waiting. Our server, Madison, was attentive and pleasant. She was quick in greeting us and taking our orders. She was always around. There was a busser that never stopped working. He was so helpful to all the staff around him. Our whole experience was super pleasant. Would definitely return to support these people! Thank you!! read more

We went for lunch on a Saturday. There was a little wait for a table, but that's expected. The chips and salsa were great. My granddaughter had fajitas that were awesome and my burrito was fabulous. The cilantro lime rice was SO good! Julian did a great job serving. I will come back again next time I'm in town. read more

Food and service was great. We ordered Hatch chili green enchiladas (not spicy at all) and combo #1. Good flavor for Tex-Mex food. My only concern is the cleanliness of the store. Light fixtures are really dusty. I was worried thinking that dust might fall on my plate. Also, have you guys looked up to the ceilings? Has anybody else noticed what's collecting on the ceilings? It's crazy!! Is there any chance it is not dust? read more

always great service! very welcoming staff !! They have very good selection of food and drinks and management is always great when anything is brought up!!!!!!!! read more

The chips and salsa were good but that's about it. Our server was okay, he was nice and got the job done. But over all the restaurant was a poorly run mess. I'm not sure if they own a broom or a mop. And this was not the back of the restaurant! This was me walking past trash on the floor to get to my seat. I've seen places cleaner in Mexico. And no employee seemed to care or try to clean up the mess. The lack of cleanliness is a direct reflection of poor management. I give it two stars because even though they got our order wrong they did fix it and discounted our meal. Sorry guys the quality is just not there either it's just cheap food with some spices added. I use to love going here in its old location. The new place has cool decorations but it's masked by the trash and chips on the greasy dirty floor. read more

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best Mexican food in town. Delicious blue raspberry margarita and the queso is awesome. They have great deals everyday. Thursday is $3 jumbo margaritas! Staff is very friendly and the restaurant is big with a full bar read more

Love this place!! Went the other night with a group and they were super accommodating. They've got great specials ($2 margaritas on tuesdays!) and everything tasted great. Plus our waiter was so nice ! read more

The hostess and server were very friendly and service was prompt. The salsa left a lot to be desired. The nachos were pretty good, though. Huge chips and unlike other places there were enough toppings for all the chips. The drink are also pretty large. We will go back to try something else. read more

My wife and I had dinner the at about 8 PM on Saturday 12/15. When we walked in the place was not busy. A party of about 12 was on the bar side and about 6 other customers there. We ordered a pitcher of beer that took about 15 minutes and was delivered warm and wth apologies...bartender busy? We ordered our food and it took 40 minutes....yes that's right 40 minutes to get food. Quality of food was nowhere near what we have had previously at Carlos, in both the old and new location. The waitress was full of apologies and the manager on duty (blue haired) girl stated that they were just busy with a party of 12. Will not dine in this establishment again. read more

Ordered to go, and chips were super stale. Disappointing when you spend 15$ on chips, queso and salsa to have grossly stale chips. Won't be going back to this location again. read more

Food was mediocre at best. Waitress was shy and didn't check on us often. The steak bowl was bland and the steak was fatty and lukewarm. The waitress was also not that nice of us read more

I was disappointed tonight. I ordered a chicken fajita quesadilla. The menu said it would come with onions, tomatoes and guac. It did not. Also ordered the Cadillac chimichanga and it was to come with guac too and it did not. They should deduct that charge from cost and also inform the customers that they do not have certain items that is called for in the order. When I called back they said well some things we are not able to get in. WELL then inform the customer and maybe they'll chose a different options. read more

Best Frozen margaritas in town!! Delicious Chips, queso and guac my favourite mexican restaurant! Nice and sweet waiters too

3 o'clock in the afternoon and the floor was filthy...Wish I would have read Gabriel T's review of 10/7 17...I just figured a fairly new building and all...service was ok...food was poor....very little cheese sauce on Chimi...oh...chips were nice and warm,salsa very little flavor tho...but the worst was the Mango Margarita...syrupy sweet not sure there was any tequila in it at all...decided not to bother the waiter...I did not complain ...will just NEVER go back..... read more

Service and atmosphere is great here. Waiters are friendly and attentive and the place is lively and modern. The only problem is the food. I had the shrimp and steak fajitas. First, the flour tortillas (not served with corn tortillas) are cooked crispy, not soft and fluffy. Next, steak looked old and was chewy (cooked extremely well done too). And shrimp tasted like a hot dog (not sure if it was a mix of the spices or the way it was cooked). Looking at the other food, I'm not sure they provide the real authentic Tex-mex/ Mexican cuisine. But this place a potential to improve and hope they are able to bring their food up to par with the service and atmosphere. read more

We love this new location and always have great service and great food anytime we come to town. We wish we had one in Des Moines! Love the queso and I always order the Enchiladas de Poblano. Yum! read more

Worst service I have ever had. Been here 3 times since it opened and I've left each time swearing I'd never come back. I gave them the benefit of the doubt since it just opened recently. Never again. read more

Speaking for many of our friends and family that have experienced the NEW Carlos in Iowa City, we too are very disappointed overall. We purposely waited over a month to try eating here, mainly because is was so crowded the 1st few weeks it opened you couldn't even get a parking spot. We were warned that this place just isn't the same, the food, the atmosphere, and the staff were below average. They were right ! We purposely went at 11:00am to beat the crowd, and to give a fair rating. #1 The chips have changed to a thicker more corn tasting chips that are not near as good as other Carlos. #2 The staff all are young and inexperienced. Although our waitress was good, we noticed many were just standing around, and one was actually swatting flies on empty tables and chairs (that is just tacky). #3 I ordered a Chipotle Burrito which came back luke warm and actually dry. #4 Looks like they are trying to make this a Sports Bar restaurant - and it just doesn't have the Mexican atmosphere you would expect. Just another noisy place that I will not be going to again ! :o( read more

Walking in the door we waited for the hostess to return. She was almost in tears and proceeded to tell us that she had a hang nail. She was very putout to have to seat us (and everyone who came in after us.) We were seated at the table closest to the door despite the fact that there were only 3 or 4 other tables when we got there. Additionally, people were setting up a stage next to our table and kept bumping into the table. After all of this, we shouldn't have been surprised that our server was sub-par at best. The chips actually were wet with grease. We both ordered the Build Your Own Burritos. The burritos and sides were nothing memorable. The ONLY highlight was my peach lemonade. As we left the hostess didn't say anything so I told her that I hoped her day got better. She said, " Thank you." We won't be back and I would suggest you go anywhere else for Mexican food or any restaurant food. You deserve a restaurant that WANTS your business. read more