Friendly service, big portions. I visited at 2 pm for the launch specials. Lunch specials end at 3 pm per the menu. I couldn't help but notice prices on menu are not what I was charged. Lunch item on menu was $11.99 plus $1.50 for add on. Charge on check was $12.50 plus $4.16. Not a huge amount. I understand food costs are up, but transparency is important in establishing trust and regularity in patrons. read more

This is and Los Compadres is owned by the same local people. They are the best places to get quality Mexican food in the area. The drinks are always amazing! When in town, I always get the Barrel Margarita, and let me tell you I think they are strong! One too many and you could be Ubering your way home or back to your hotel. My husband likes the Michelada. Anything you order for food is going to come out great and if not they will make things right. We ordered the Birria tacos. So much flavor! The guac and queso are also favorites! The ambience is what would you expect for a Mexican restaurant. I am not here for ambience, I'm here for the food and drinks! Make it a must when craving Mexican. read more

See all

Service is always great! Drinks and food always hit the spot, overall a good experience every time we go!

Great food and the Marg was good ! Me and the fam had a great time!! Be back next visit to CR !

I was in town for a weeklong baseball tournament and ate here nearly every day. The food was excellent. The service was outstanding. The prices were quite reasonable. I ate something new each time and it was delicious. I cannot recommend this joint enough. read more

They have Great food and service. I had 3 tacos with pico and guacamole. The Beer is ice cold.

This is our go-to Mexican restaurant. Our favorite dish is the Fajita Sante Fe (sorry about spelling). We also really enjoy the Chile Reyeno. It's bright, cheery, and our service has also been great. If you are into that sort of thing, their margaritas are fantastic. The large is VERY LARGE, so be prepared for that. read more

First things first - their food I incredibly fresh and delicious! It's a couple steps above the typical 'good' Mexican food you'll get at many Mexican eateries. I had El Molcajetaso, which came to the table sizzling in a stone bowl (I don't know what they call this crockery), which remained sizzling for the next 10 minutes and kept the dish steaming hot throughout our entire meal. It was a mix of grilled meats, nopales, split jalapeño and chorizo with a side of rice and refried beans. The freshness and flavor were incredible. My wife had Pollo con Chorizo, which was likewise delicious and fresh tasting. The chorizo was the best I've had, and worked beautifully with its paired meats. We asked for some hot sauce during the meal, expecting a bottle of El Tapatio or similar; we got a small bowl of house-made fresh hot sauce - above and beyond expectations. We were stuffed, yet still had almost half of our meals in to-go boxes at the end. Best Mexican food I've had since a trip to Mexico City 20 years ago. Try this place! read more

They are good. Queso and tacos was good. The queso was served cold but they were polite to heat it for us. Zander (Age 7) read more

First time trying El Paraiso - really enjoyed our dinner with friends at this establishment. It was spacious and no wait for a table during the usually busy dinner hours. My husband ordered a "jumbo" margarita and this thing was huge - more like a fishbowl margarita (which is also an option - not sure I want to know how big that one is)! For dinner I went with "Jose's especial" and it was phenomenal - rice, chicken, spices, avocado, and cheese sauce!! Plenty of food that I was able to box it up and eat some for lunch the next day! read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - Jose's especial! - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

What a great environment! They have food for everyone from the picky eaters who don't want the authentic experience to the individuals who want some close to authentic mexican. Margs are delicious. Owner and staff are nice and make the environment not only welcoming but fun. Prices are fine for the quality. It's by far my go-to mexican place in cedar rapids. read more

I do absolutely love their food but the last 4 times I have gone there they have given me the wrong margaritas flavor then what I ordered, also was there yesterday and saw a roach on the floor and watched it crawl into the kitchen! Hopefully it's just a one time thing ! read more

This place is GOOD !! We had the steak street taco meal and it was so much yummmmie steak that it could have fed us both. It came with rice and refried beans...they were good and a large portions also. Their chips, salsa, and cheese sauce was terrific! Our waitress Yesi was friendly and very attentive to our needs. A must try!! read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - A LOT of yummmmie!! - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The reason I love this place! The room!!! Even before the pandemic I've never wanted to feel like I was crammed into a place. This place knows fun. They have a delicious table side guacamole cart (make sure to leave a tip please) and they go around with extra tequila bottles and put splashes into your marg. Ceviche is good and the guacamole is fresh. I would prefer warm chips that's my only complaint. And I wish people knew how to park here there seems to be no organized parking literally have had people pin my vehicle in here. SW SIDE MEXICAN RESTAURANTS keep the nw side people coming back for more. read more

See all

Well, it is my birthday weekend and the waitress took forever on a non-busy time to come back to me when she did come back to me I asked her two times to let me finish my sentence about what I wanted and two times she interrupted me and had to go get somebody that spoke perfectly good English I don't know. This is a maybe I don't like people not take paying attention to me when you're not busy and taking forever to come to my table I was one single person. read more

When it comes to Mexican restaurants in the area it seems that they are a dime a dozen. El Paraiso however, breaks the cycle of mundane, same ol' mexi-fare and brings something fun and delicious to the SW side. Being an individual that primarily lives a low-carb lifestyle, it can be difficult to break away from the standard "salad" when I go out to eat. (And nothing is more annoying than paying $9 for lettuce) So when I visited El Paraiso I ordered the chicken fajitas (sans tortillas) and I've gotta tell you, I was blown away. In addition to the portions being large and the price being very reasonable, this was hands down the BEST fajita chicken that I have ever tasted. (Juicy and flavorful!) Everything came out hot that was supposed to be hot and the drinks came out quickly and were ice cold. The super fun bonus when dining at El Paraiso is that the owners and managers are present and make their rounds in the dining area. Did you order a margarita? Better open wide so you can be gifted a bonus shot of tequila from your waiter!! Overall, the restaurant is clean, the wait staff are friendly and prompt and the food is truly delicious. Its a great place for groups or date night and there is something for everyone on the menu. I promise your trip to El Paraiso will be delicious and fun. read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - The best fajitas I've ever had..... - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Staff was super friendly, food was great,100% recommend the queso dip! Super short wait for food, Seemed kind of unorganized, my friend ordered a water and they gave her a soda but honestly it wasn't really that big of a deal all things considered. read more

I tried the Ruby Margarita, the steak Tacos Paraiso and the Shrimp Ceviche! All delicious!! read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - Ruby Margarita - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

See all

My sister and I wanted to change it up and went to El Paraiso on a Friday. The place was Friday evening busy but they were fully staffed and moving efficiently! We decided to sit at the bar and have some margs. I highly recommend the champagne marg - especially if it's made by Bridget! Our bartender went above and beyond and we had a lot of laughs while she made sure the entire restaurant had drinks! Food was amazing, we had queso, a chipotle shrimp and beef tip chimichanga and the portions were generous! Make this your next girls night out date night for sure! read more

I love this place. Authentic Mexican, not tex-mex. The menu is great with a lot of selections and they are more than willing to customize anything. The margaritas are to due for with lots of flavor choices read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Consistently delicious food and drinks! Service makes you feel like family. Even when they are busy, service is still quick and friendly. When we have been going in lately, we have had some issues with unclean table tops. I think the younger staff has more training to do. Still our favorite Mexican restaurant in CR! read more

Unfortunately, I HAVE to deduct one star from my previous review. The food was still good and the service was good but the wait time on the food sucked. Took forever for us to get our entrees. Especially since they didn't seem to be that busy for a Saturday night. Not to mention the fact that they decided to stop offering their "big" beers. . When I asked why, our waitress said that it was some sort of new company policy, however, they still offer "jumbo" margaritas, that are incredibly strong. So go figure. Still enjoy this place but by taking away my "big" beers and the long wait for food, it just makes the waitstaff work even harder. read more

Service was amazing. This is now my go to spot for my favorite food. I had the polo con chorizo. This is the best I have had. The place was very clean and very big. We went at prime dining hour, and no wait for a table. read more

Bring your appetite! We ordered margaritas, which were delicious. Then the entrees came and OMG! I will have 3 meals out of my Fajita Vallarta and my son will get the same out of his El Molcajetaso. My wife had the Jose Special which was a bit more "normal " size. Given the size of the portions the prices were a very good deal and, most importantly, the food was delicious. Going to try them for lunch sometime and hope I don't need a nap afterwards. read more

Getting a to go order is a rip off here.. it's the same price but you really get half the food you do when you dine in. We really like the place and decided we wanted to be lazy and eat at home..5.99 for a small guacamole and we got about 3 oz in a 4 oz ram. Same with the portionings for our entrees read more

First time here. From out of town. This place was great. Fabulous service. First rate guacamole. Really good salsa. Chimichanga fried to perfection. Beef flavorful and tender. My wife had chicken quesadillas and she loved the chicken. read more

Okay, there are tons of Mexican restaurants around here. They're pretty much all delicious because they're Mexican. However, El Paraiso gets my vote for best Mexican in CR. Fresh guacamole & delicious queso are just the start. The Tacos El Paraiso are magical. And the service is (usually) pretty good. Sometimes the manager or bartender even comes around and adds some tequila to your margarita! Large place with lots of seating - indoor and outdoor. read more

Always have a good time here with family or friends. Just went for my BF 21st birthday and it was fantastic as always

Might as well go to Taco Bell. This is one of the worst overpriced Mexican restaurants I've been to. The refried beans were bland, the rice was bland. The chips were unsalted, dry and heavy and the accompanying salsa tasted like spaghetti sauce. Most of the items are just different names for the same thing a corn shell with crumbled hamburger served either folded, taco; flat, Chalupa; rolled, enchilada. The tamale wasnt eatable, basically a corn dog with thick hard masa. The only thing worth eating was the chili rellanos, and even that had its problems with none of the seeds being removed. Who wants a mouthful of pepper seeds? I don't know how they are getting 4 stars! Save your money. read more

No sign to say Wait to be seated nor seat yourself Ordered water with lime ... I get Lemon Ordered 2 hard sell beef taco's with meat cheese Tomato I get meat cheese lettuce Severed everyone their food and drinks Before we could get refill on water & had to ask for it! Quso was cold b/c we had no more chips Very very very dtiffapointed Wanted to speak with manager/owner about service the guy that waited on us was the manager Have no idea how they have a good rating Not authentic Mexican Restaurant Did not even speak Spanish to me.... Will never go back again read more

The food was delicious here. I always look for good authentic mexican salsa and this spot definitely had it. It's definitely a hole on the wall because it was hard to find at night. The food is very savory and full of flavor. The service was quick and they were very helpful. Definitely recommend this place. read more

I just had the hottest freshest seafood nachos I've ever had..and all the other food was roo notch from this restaurant! I also received the best customer service experience from them. Thank you so much! read more

Really really love the shrimp ceviche here. Reminds me of the fresh fish ceviche I get it in Baja Mexico every year. Fresh, on point, big portion, incredible flavors. I can't wait to go back for more. Beautiful patio out the back. Perfect for a sunny afternoon with your friends. The bartender was great, super attentive, friendly, checked on us often and brought out what ever we needed. I look forward to going back soon! read more

El Paraiso Mexican Bar & Grill - Shrimp ceviche is incredible! - Bars Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

See all

Seriously the most amazing Mexican food I have ever had in my life ..passing through on my way home to indiana and stopped in ..food portions are huge prices are cheap and the flavor is just on point ..you won't be disappointed if you stop here ..the people are so nice and everything is fresh read more

Not a lot to say that hasn't been said. I wouldn't say that the margaritas are the best around. Not bad, but not the best. read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Cedar Rapids! You must try the table side guacamole. Great service and food

Great Mexican food. Everything taste great there. Guacamole is the best! Margaritas are perfect.

The last few times I've been here, lacking in every aspect. Service, food, and drinks. Charging for to go boxes, even after your bill is over $80+ or $220 +, sad to see this!!! I have spent time, laughing with friends, colleges and families over 10+ years . I am not one to ever write a review or post my experience. My last several experiences have not went well. read more

Great experience! I was leary about ordering from someplace new to me but I'm so glad I tried it! I love chicken mole but it has to be just right... and I haven't found it anywhere since I moved from Denver. This was perfect... Uber Eats delivered and it was timely and well packed and HOT yet when I got it. The food was delicious and portions were large... definitely enough for two meals and I didn't even eat the chips and salsa that came with. Don't forget to order the guacamole too... it was fresh and obviously homemade! Thanks El Paraiso!! read more

Our waitress was so sweet and prompt. The guac is hands down the best guac I've ever had. The portions were generous and the prices were fair. Im embarrassed to say I forgot how delicious you guys are! Thank you for an amazing late lunch! read more