Chapala is the name of a famous lake in Jalisco, Mexico. The ambiance, the food, and the service…read morewere excellent. Their aguas frescas are home made and fresh. Their refried beans were flavorful and excellent with any kind of chip. Their service was warm and inviting. Although I took food to go, the dining room was clean, neat, and well-decorated. This was our family's favorite restaurant on our trip to Waterloo and we would happily send our family and friends there for a delicious meal.

Very pleasant place. Great service. Mid-day stop while traveling and we were the only ones in…read morerestaurant. Really really hot plates. Two minor improvements: steamed corn tortillas should have been softer & Spanish rice had some clumping and some crunchy spots. We attributed both to the time of day and some prep-ready items that weren't turning as fast as normal Very good overall and would go back. Side note: It was a little American-ized and not as spicy as I would like & the salsa was somewhat bland and liquid-y.

My California burrito with al pastor was magnificent. I would've never expected to find Mexican…read morefood this good in a small town in Iowa. Make sure you get their hottest salsa! Que rico!

This place has an amazing california burrito. i've eaten here twice now and it's been amazing both…read moretimes. highly recommend for a quick lunch or dinner.

Great Street Tacos for lunch. Very flavor filled and good…read moreportions! Nice quiet atmosphere and great service.

It was nicely lit and service was really nice the price was also not to expensive for a small…read morerestraunt

We found this place as a hidden gem along our drive and loved the food. Authentic Mexican tacos and…read morecheese quesadilla were delicious and we ordered the guacamole and sour cream which were musts. Great flavors!!

The combination plate, tacos, and chile relleno is some of the best I've ever had. Spent most of my…read morelife in Arizona and northern Mexico. Since moving to Iowa two years ago, I have had some difficulty finding an authentic Mexican restaurant. As soon as I saw this place I had to go in. Had a great conversation with the owner and found that he is clearly passionate about his work and the food they make. Food: 5/5. Service: 5/5. Presentation (if you care about that): 5/5. This place reminds me of home. If you're from Iowa, you may not have experienced food like this, as this is the most authentic Mexican food I've had in a very long time. Pro gringo tip: order one of the bottled sodas. The sangría soda is my favorite.

Stopped in here with my uncle to try a new restaurant. Have not been in here since lark brewery…read moreclosed. It looks awesome! Brightened up the place and knocked out a wall. Mexican restaurants are normally a safe bet for me even with a gluten and dairy allergy. This restaurant was not the case. The tortillas are eat at your own risk. Corn tortillas chips are fried in the same place as some of the meats. All meat is cooked in flour except for the carne asada, pollo carnitas, and pollo con queso. Even then these 3 items are cooked on a grill that can have major cross contamination. My uncle and I ended up ordering. I had questions due to my allergies and I believe our waitress was new because she went to grab someone 2 different times to ask questions. My uncle got the fajitas burrito and I got the pollo carnitas after talking about what I could eat that was safe. I did end up having to send it back because they put cheese in the refried beans after I order everything without cheese or sour cream. The waitress brought it back out and all I asked was if they remade everything because I have had issues at other restaurants who just swapped everything onto another plate and I just wanted to make sure I did not get sick. Our waitress said she needed to double check and I believe the manager showed up? Not really sure. But I was basically treated like I was a problem. "We do not state we have anything gluten free nor will be label anything as such" All I wanted to make sure was that what I ordered was actually safe for me. I do not appreciate being treated this way and will most likely not be back. My uncle enjoyed the atmosphere but said the food was "meh" and I agree.

We dined here with a party of 14 for a birthday celebration, and everything was fantastic from…read morestart to finish. The service was incredibly fast and attentive, even with our big group - no long waits at all! And we all got our food around the same time! I especially loved their numbering system for orders; it made splitting and adjusting the bill super easy and stress-free. The food was amazing - everything tasted fresh, flavorful, and the portions were massive (we all had leftovers!). Drinks were spot-on too; the Moscow mules and margaritas were perfectly mixed and refreshing. As a bonus, they allowed us to bring in our own birthday cake, which made the evening even more special. Overall, an excellent Mexican spot with great vibes, delicious food, and top-notch service. We'll definitely be back! Previous reviewer should be banned from Yelp. 1 star and starts with "food was good". What is wrong with people.

Solid restaurant. They're precisely what's advertised and the salsa bar inside is solid. Doesn't…read morehurt they're open late most every night. 4.5Stars

I have heard from a friend that there is a truly delicious and authentic taqueria stand in Waterloo…read morethat is connected to a mexican grocery market. She was pretty vague about the location of the spot, so on Friday I kidnapped her and had her help me navigate to the location. She didn't remember the name of the stand, nor did she recall the exact location. After a half hour of roaming through Waterloo, we finally found El Mercadito. I'm a taco purist since living in Philadelphia and giving a lot of business to Taco Riendo. Since moving back to Iowa I have struggled to find authentic tacos. The only other spot I had found was El Super Burrito on Johnson St. in Cedar Rapids. Their tacos were excellent, but they pale in comparison to El Mercadito. I ordered one carne asada taco, and one taco al pastor. Upon receiving the tacos, I was relieved to see it was made exactly how I love them. Corn tortillas filled with succulent steak or pork, and accompanied only by chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro. It also came with a few limes and sides of red salsa and a salsa verde. The carne asada was delicious. Very tender steak chunks, and the salsa verde and lime was a fine compliment to the delicious and cilantro-heavy pico di gallo. The real treat of the meal was the pork taco. It had a spicy marinade, and it was so soft and chewy. Every bite sent me on a trip back to other delicious taquerias in Austin Texas, or my first love Taco Riendo in Philadelphia. The salsa verde was my favorite. Very spicy tomatillo & lime. The red salsa was also good. It had a smokey flavor that went well, although I could have enjoyed it more had it been slightly spicier. My only complaint about this eating experience is that the option of dining-in was a single picnic table next to the stand. This is my new favorite taco in the state of Iowa. Very authentic, the tacos don't come with the americanized ingredients of sour cream, cheese or anything else you'd find on a "taco" from carlos o'kelly's or taco bell. This is the real deal. Get a few tacos there and it'll change your life.

Very slow service. Hopefully it's just an off day for this fella. Good chips and salsa when it…read morefinally gets refilled. HUGE platters. Great presentation. Delicious food.

A little smaller than the original location but the food and service is just as outstanding!…read more Our takeout order consisted of The Barria Torta Sandwich and a Street Tacos and Barria Ramen Combo! All very good! The Torta Birria has guacamole on it that I normally would not order on my food but this is making me a believer! A little sparse on decor but it's bright and clean!

The food was great quick service and everything was great and served with quick and easyread more