I'm not from the area but work in the area for weeks sometimes and this is where I eat. These folks know how to make excellent Mexican food. It's some of the best I've had because the ingredients are fresh, the portions sizable and the prices are good. If you like margaritas then you'll like this restaurant. The staff is always greats you with a smile and you don't need to wait for much read more

Fast service, maybe a little too fast. More care would've been worth an extra couple minutes Texas margarita. Really good Texas fajitas really good steaming hot . Steak fajitas tender meat, flavor profile doesn't exist. Steaming hot They put the cheese on top, not usual. $1 extra for cheese. $1 extra for guacamole. Guacamole is pretty good, about a tablespoon full. The beans and rice we're not even barely lukewarm we didn't eat them. No offer to replace. Fried ice cream. Is ok Big issue they bring your Tortillas, blazing, hot, wrapped in paper that sticks to the tortillas so they rip we suggested they get some tortilla holders and then we got extra tortillas to take home. We had them wrap them in foil, which was much better. They seemed a little offended at the suggestion. Not the best visit this time read more

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Torn tortillas because of the paper - Mexican Near Me - Algona, Iowa

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Exceptional and authentic food to satisfy this aficionado of Tex-Mex who, incidentally, lives in Texas and comes to Algona on business. The wheat quesadilla is remarkable; my favorite has to be the cilantro lime chicken. This dish is PHENOMENAL!! Place is usually packed when I have gone so expect a wait. Service could be a little quicker, but it is OK. read more

The food here is amazing can't wait to go back hopefully next time I can stay longer and do a proper review. Service and food are excellent! More details next trip read more

So I'm going to start off by saying that I'm from San Diego, California. Many many years I would cross over to Tijuana and sit on the beach eating tacos and drinking margaritas for the day. When we moved to Iowa, everyone told us to go try this restaurant, but being snobs from California, we didn't go until today. First of all, the horchata was one of the best I've ever had before, it was delicious. The fiesta fries were just okay, the fries were crispy and the cheese was tasty but the jalapeños were canned. If they used fresh jalapeno that would make it better, the presentation was just ok as well. The mexi tacos were incredible, they tasted just like the ones in Tijuana. The service was very good and the restaurant was clean, they have a full bar as soon as you walk in and a ton of tables and booths. We will definitely be coming back read more

My wife and I are new in the area (two months). We like Mexican food, and were pleased to find a nice Mexican restaurant in Algona. Since moving here, we had eaten there a number of times. Then came December 8, 2024. We ate there at about 3-3:30 Sunday afternoon, enjoying a pleasant meal. Early the next morning, both of us were down with what appeared to be food poisoning. It lasted throughout the day and into the night. If you are questioning my personal interpretation of events...my wife is a RN. Cinco de Mayo has lost, what would have been, two steady customers. Very unfortunate! Dine there at your own risk. read more

We go there all the time. The service is always great and efficient. They came to our table numerous times to ask about refilling our drinks and if we wanted more free chips and salsa. Our food came and it was so delicious. read more

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Grilled chicken with peppers and onions - Mexican Near Me - Algona, Iowa

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Terrible attempt at Mexican Food. When I asked for enchilada sauce on my enchilada they told me no, enchilada only comes with queso... except the quest isn't actually queso, it's just melted white cheese. The beef isn't seasoned at all, and the taco meat is full of potato. My tamale had very little filling in it and what it had was very bland. There was not enough flavor to taste the filling over the masa. The restaurant has a decent atmosphere and is clean. The staff were as expected. read more

Every day is a celebration at Cinco de Mayo in Algona, Iowa! Located in the building formerly occupied by a Happy Chef restaurant, Cinco de Mayo is owned and managed by a native of Puebla (Southern) Mexico. The complimentary Chips and Salsa were spot on--crunchy and fresh. The Chicken Green Enchiladas balanced, tender, and complimented with queso, and salsa verde. The refried beans had perfect consistency--smooth with bean chunks. The portions are huge--one meal is easily enough for two people. The service is efficient and attentive. The restaurant is very clean. This is the most popular restaurant in Algona for good reason. It is welcoming and authentic. No need to go to Mexico or even Texas, what you crave is in Iowa! read more

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Yuck. Just yuck. Enchiladas were a runny mess. And I potatoes are a cheap filler but in tacos and enchiladas? Gross. Pretty bad when you have to say fast food taco places are better. I didn't even think to take pictures. read more

I enjoyed the chips and salsa first. The salsa was mild but had a good taste. It was served cool and not at room temp. I prefer it cool. For the main course I ate burritos deluxe which was a chicken burrito and a beef burrito with rice and refried beans. The beef and the rice had potato chunks in them. This was a new experience for me but it was quite good. The beef and chicken were very fresh and the entire meal tasted great. I recommend this restaurant without hesitation. Prompt and friendly service as well! read more

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Algona, Iowa

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Great food. Great service. Quick service. Atmosphere is very well done. All the servers are well dressed & very good looking! I love that they have decent hours that are open late. The place is definitely run well. And it shows by how busy they constantly are. I ordered a medium margarita with shrimp fajitas. It was teally good! I wished the margarita was a touch stronger, because I rarely drink & it was just ok with the strength. Maybe I should have gotten a Large. I will definitely be a repeat customer. read more

Real good food and great prices. Staff is very friendly too and they have good margaritas

Our caravan of cars careened into the parking lot on an early Sunday afternoon. We burst through the door hoping to find a table big enough for all 16 of us. The staff scrambled to make it happened and pulled tables together. Our server, George, was fantastic. He never missed a beat, even with 16 of us shouting at him at once. They have Dos Equis on tap. That there should be enough. But i will go on. Their margaritas are served with a straw that almost as big as a garden hose. That there says something, doesn't it? Several of us ordered a combination that included a chili relleno. I am a huge fan of the chile relleno. So i was nearly despondent when, some time after we had ordered, George returned to say that they were out of chili rellenos. WHAT??!!??!?!?!!? So i reread the menu and when i didn't see fish tacos on the menu I asked, if by chance, they served fish tacos. George's standard response was "Of course!!!!" And so, i got my beloved fish tacos. Unfortunately, they did not cut the mustard. I should have asked for lime. That was my bad. But instead of the usual dressing you would find on a fish taco, these tacos were served with a spicy dip that was like mousse. It was ok. Everyone else had to order a substitute for the chili relleno, and then as luck would have it George said the cook "found" two more chili rellenos. We all had a good laugh about that one. Since I had ordered fish tacos, i did not get a chili relleno but i did get ONE bite from someone else and i can understand why they were out of chili rellenos. The chili was served open faced and was stuffed with meat and cheese and the chili had a wonderful bite to it. It was not the typical mild, batter-dipped relleno. If i ever get back up to Algona, I will certainly have to have a chili relleno! read more

The staff here were friendly and helpful. It was the type of place that one waiter grabs your order and another brings food another brings a drink another brings a refill. I don't know how they keep it straight. I asked for a salad and it was all meat hardly any lettuce another brought me a bowl of lettuce. Fabulous service ,fabulous people ,and great food. read more

Have been here many times and had great food, service, and a good time with the workers! keep up the great work and fantastic margaritas!

Been here a couple of times once for dinner once for lunch, Chips, I'm guessing fried in house because some fried darker than others and broken up, maybe the cook can have a gentler touch should fix the problem, the salsa itself in my opinion bland but I love heat, garlic, and every other spice, I'm sure it is made for the for the masses. Lunch came out fast and hot, tamales were a bit different than what I'm used to and honestly for me a bit to much cheese, but good. Lunch chimichangas were good the chicken was spiced just right. Dinner was just as good , good fast and hot. For a treat order the chelada, huge mug and spiced perfectly. I've traveled all over Iowa and been to alot bigger cities with them not offering any good Hispanic food , so good job all. read more

Algona is damn lucky to have a restaurant like Cinco, and I'm glad to see they're still busy and running smoothly after nearly a decade slinging burritos and other Mexican goodness in my hometown. The food here quite good, especially considering the context of Algona. It's a small, rural community filled with "steak and potatoes" kinda folks. This is a town with 5,000 people that used to have five different pizza places. So while you may not see some of the more traditional Mexican dishes here, what they do have on the menu they do well. One of my only gripes about Cinco is the spice level. Sometimes dishes come out with not much flavor other than cheese. I usually have to apply a lot of hot sauce to even their spicy options. But it's not a deal-breaker. Order at will off the menu. I've never had a bad dish here, and I don't think I've ever gotten the same thing twice. Plus: Dos Equis and Modelo Negra on tap!! read more

Outstanding Mexican cuisine. Great service, best blended margaritas in 200 miles. Fish tacos and chicken chimichanga are my favorites.

In a word, disappointing. The reviews were good, process ok, and the service was great. Cheerful and prompt. The menu was pared down due to RAGBRAI, but looked ok, and didn't redo the prices. The salsa that came with chips was very good as well. Fresh, with a definite but of lime. My wife had the fajitas, which were ok, but not great. Some of the meat was perfectly charred, and some kinda greasy and fatty. Not exactly what I'd expect for carne asada. I had Chiles rellanos and tamales, which are one of my favorites. The tamales had potential, but came up short on execution. Texture good, seasoning and sauce were flavorless. And the whole thing was topped with a mass of cheese. The rellanos were a large pile of flavorless ground beef with some potatoes mixed in, topped by an Anaheim Chile. And more cheese. In a word disappointing. Maybe the chef had an off night? read more

Frozen Ground Hamburger Everything. Margaritas are not ok...... I couldn't even get my dog to eat the leftovers.

Pretty decent Mexican Restaurant thats kind of off the beaten path in Algona (I almost missed it). Chips and salsa were good, Fajitas were good except I had to order the pico de gallo separately. I like this place, nice bar good food 3.5 stars read more

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Algona, Iowa

Among the best Mexican cuisine I ever had. I highly recommend this place as your first choice to dine.

Enjoyed my fajita quesadilla very much. It was a bit dry though and should have come with sour cream so I had to ask for it. Rice was nothing special, beans were ok. Iced tea was spot-on how it should be. Hubs did not like his at all; I think it was enchiladas. Absolutely packed in here at lunchtime! I will be back (and with it being the only MX place in town, we're kinda stuck!). But it's not bad if you order right. read more

Great ownership! Israel stays on top of service and food and waiters are always friendly. Even if busy you don't feel like an inconvenience to the staff and my favorite pork tacos are perfect every time :) read more

The only reason this place gets 2 stars is their acceptable food, good not great I had the super burrito with beef it was filling and that's about it. The queso was great but the chips were slightly stale. To add to my further disappointment my miller light didn't taste up to par either. The service was absolutely the worst I've had in years the server simply didn't want to be there and you could easily see it. He didn't check on us once after our order was placed and even after the food was delivered. I had high hopes for Cinco de mayo but it didn't deliver. read more

Excellent food and service! Cinco De Mayo provides a great experience for Mexican food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who asked me about it. The service can get a little slow and take up to almost 30 minutes to get your food when it is really busy but what kind of restaurant doesn't? It has a wide selection of food and I think it is a good addition to it by having the chips and salsa they give you right when you're seated. They have TVs all around the rooms to keep you entertained while you wait to be served. If you get there around 5 before everyone else your food can get to you in as low as 5 - 10 minutes. All in all this place a amazing place to go and the food is bound to have you impressed. I go pretty much every week now and I have to say this place beats a lot of my favorite restaurants and is a pretty impressive place for such a small local area. read more

Came here for lunch in the dead of winter, kicking snow off our boots as we walked in. The perfect time for some spicy Mexican food! And they didn't disappoint! The food was flavorful and delicious, with huge portions. Service was very good and everyone was friendly. I am just sad that it was my very first meeting with the future in-laws and so I wanted to conduct myself accordingly. No margaritas for me, :( Next time for sure though...can't kick me out of the family now that we're hitched! read more

Tastes like an angel is LITERALLY cooking your food and the waiters are LITERALLY almost as kind as God and Jesus. Get the Yoloadas they're amazeballs. read more

The restaurant was very busy for early on a Friday night, but we were seated with only a few minutes of waiting. The service was very fast and they were back to ask if we needed anything, many times. The food was fabulous. We eat mexican food often so we know what's good. Margaritas were so so but good for price. Wished this place was closer to were we live. I would go all the time. Excellent! read more

Great authentic Mexican food at very reasonable prices, and yes there are margaritas.

We stopped on a Saturday afternoon for hors d'oeuvres. I liked the atmosphere and the food and the Dos Equis and the waitress. I'll go back when I'm in town. read more

The service was incredible, even on a busy Friday night. They have a wonderful diversity for food selections on their menu. The food was AMAZING, and it took less than ten minutes to get to us! I was quite surprised, i'm used to waiting at least twenty minutes to a half hour for good mexican food. Overall, we were quite impressed. read more