What a delish, fresh, quick bowl from Estela's Fresh Mex. Staying at the Hilton, it was just a few-minute walk and made for a healthy, satisfying meal. Two thumbs up. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Ground beef bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

I've been an Estela's customer for as long as they've been at the Dubuque location; I love the service and quality of the food, and the staff has always been incredibly kind and friendly. I have supported this restaurant without hesitation, which is why I am extraordinarily disappointed that, today, I was actually charged extra for roughly a tablespoon of shredded cheese beyond the "normal" portion. No, not the melted cheese; the shredded cheddar jack. I don't mind paying extra for things; I get paying extra for fajita vegetables and melted cheese. That has to be prepared and maintained. But paying over a dollar extra for a tablespoon of extra shredded cheddar jack is RIDICULOUS. I'm a tad salty after my visit today. I've NEVER been charged extra for shredded cheese before; that the person serving me explained it to me like it was my first time as a customer was equally inexplicable. All things change, I suppose, but I won't be back. read more

This place was open, which made it different than everywhere else within two block radius. I wanted something healthy for lunch and this worked. The place is run by Spanish speaking folks who seem like they're a family. The tortillas for the burritos are made to order, which would've been great if I was having that. I got a salad with grilled chicken, lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo, hot sauce, and cilantro. As hearty as I could go. The grilled chicken is grilled to order on the flat top. The other proteins are in a steam table. The salad was fresh and tasted pretty good. I'm sure the lard refried beans, grated cheese, and creamy dressings would be better. But I was going for healthy af. They don't have receipts, if that matters to you. The people seem like a hard working family who are making their family recipes. It's a pretty good place. read more

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This place looks over priced. But it's actually not bad! Tho it's prolly catered towards college kids yet the prices were ok compared to West Coast prices! But what I liked were the fresh pressed flour tortilla. It's made right in front of my eyes!! Nice!! Secondly they have the meat short order cooked so the meat whatever you pick is piping hot!! I haven't had a fresh made, piping hot taco in a long time!! Pretty awesome!! It's not super cheap but it's fully loaded. I would prolly come back for some more! Iowa university students are lucky!m to have this taco joint!! Service was friendly and fast and impressive. read more

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Excellent food, meat cooked when ordered infront of you. Good portions. The picture of the meal I included was $12, not does break the budget and you will feel satisfied. $5 burritos on Friday too!! read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

If we could give this place 42 stars, we would!!! Some of the most amazing Mexican food we have ever eaten! We were just in town for one night and took a chance with this restaurant. My family ate it all so quickly that this is the only photo I could take. We got four different burritos with different kinds of meat and toppings. We also got a burrito bowl, a quesadilla, and some chips and queso. Highly recommend this place to everyone! read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Ground beef burrito with tons of toppings!! YUMMY!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Como se dice "god damn" this place is so good!! We stopped by on a road trip and asked for recommendations and Estela's did not disappoint.

I have ate there 3 times, it's usually fine. My family and I ate there last Sunday and we all got Norovirus from their food. I have heard of many mutuals also getting it here. Never going back. read more

AMAZING FOOD! HUGE burrito and a cheese chicken quesadilla. Honestly one of the best quesadillas I've ever had. Portions were large and the price was fair! Would definitely recommend!! read more

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Genuinely the best burritos around and the employees are so kind! Will always support a local business that does right by their customers :)

Always very good although I prefer the breakfast since they don't offer whole pinto beans! Early bird before 10am is a good deal for what you get! read more

Best burrito in Iowa city, friendly service always a smile. Amazing environment and the best breakfast burrito I've ever had

Off the charts. Best in Iowa! Lived in SF for many years and got used to the real thing. This is as close as you can get

Pleasantly surprised by Mexican food in the Midwest as a Californian. Ordered a burrito bowl with carnitas, total was about $10 and the portion was generous for the price. They didn't skimp on the meat and the rice was really well seasoned. Will definitely be back! read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Carnitas Burrito bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

My daughter and I came here for a breakfast burrito and wanted a simple eggs, bacon and potatoes with a small amount of beans. The burrito was not very good at all. There were large chunks of soft bacon that seemed to be steamed or boiled. I pulled the bacon out of the burrito and ate it without. I didn't add all the toppings since my daughter likes things pretty plain. But honestly, if it's not good plain then the toppings would just cover the flavor. Not impressed on my first visit. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Big chunks of soft fatty bacon pulled from my breakfast burrito - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Estela's is my guilty pleasure whenever I'm in Iowa City to visit my favorite Hawkeye. The burritos are awesome; plentiful and tasty. I usually pop in for a quick lunch order on a random weekend in IC. My personal favorite is the spicy breakfast burrito; my lovely wife usually orders a burrito bowl that is so huge, she usually has some leftover for later. The counter service is courteous, helpful, and friendly. The ambiance must hit different if you're a student, but this old man usually orders to go. I look forward to returning since my favorite Hawkeye is staying for graduate school! #nomnom read more

This place was such a nice surprise! We had about 15 minutes before an event at The Graduate and wanted to grab something quick. Typically you can have food which is fast or you can have food which is good. In this case, it was both. My fiancé and I split three tacos, which were prepared before us, with fresh ingredients, and we were blown away by how incredible they were. Not only was the food prepared quickly, it was good, and the staff was incredibly friendly. I would certainly recommend this place for anyone looking to get something quick in the downtown area. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

The BEST tortillas. Personal favorite is the Light and Fresh Breakfast burrito (vegetarian option!). Queso is worth the extra price. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - a burrito on a red plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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I was heartbroken when Mami's in downtown IC closed down, but when I found out they were reopening as Estela's I was overjoyed -- and now with two locations! I moved from California to Iowa 7 years ago, and not having access to decent Mexican food was honestly really hard. Estela's does a wonderful job of balancing the white midwestern palate with authentic Mexican-American cooking. I can get my guajillo shredded chicken tacos and burritos while my friends get a bowl with ground beef covered in queso. It's like Chipotle but with the flavor of any "-bertos" restaurant back home. And you can't beat the fresh pressed tortillas, jarritos, and horchata! If every Pancheros in existence was replaced with Estela's, Iowa would be a much better (and significantly tastier) place. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - open sign - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

I'm here in Iowa City working for a day out of my hotel room at The Graduate, realizing it's time for dinner. I wanted to grab something within walking distance, but everything looked like it was particularly pricey - except for Estella's. I have to say, the flavors they're combining for their foods are very different and unique, in only the best way possible for this style of Mexican food. I almost want to say it's a combination of how the grilled chicken was cooked, and how the Spanish rice is prepared, but who knows! All that matters is that it's incredibly delicious, and I might even grab it again for lunch before I head out. Compliments to the chef and their entire kitchen staff! read more

This is my go-to breakfast burrito spot. I always get the light and fresh with potatoes and spinach. It's simply delicious, I finally had to write a review once I tried their guac. Super super good, probably the best in Iowa City (coming from a Cali girl). Thank you Estela's for the great guac and potatoes (NOT hash browns) in the breakfast burrito, read more

Great bang for your buck. Went here today and got a big burrito full of lots of good stuff. Had good options for vegetarians including the veggies (corn and peppers) which was really refreshing and tasty. Would definitely return! read more

I stopped in prior to heading to a meeting and wished I could have stayed longer. I had a steak quesadilla. The tortilla was fresh made and the best part of the meal. I definitely wasn't expecting that! I added corn salsa and wished it had a little more corn. I'd definitely return to try something else! read more

Unique, tasty, good service, diverse choices...buncha filler because I write concisely.

Delicious steak burrito and competing price with the other Mexican places around. Huge portions and could definitely make this one of my regular spots! read more

Just okay. Burrito kind of fell apart and the ingredients were just fine. I got a breakfast burrito with all the fixings for like 12 bucks, but it just tasted like something I could make at home. All the ingredients didn't add up to something more. I go to a local restaurant versus something like Pancheros or Chipotle to get something authentic, this was just too plain Jane for me. read more

Wow this new Mexican place might give pancheros a run for its money. They have awesome meat options like La Regia and fresh ingredients. They make their flour tortillas fresh in front of you! Their downtown location is also great. - The al pastor bowl with a side of tortilla was fresh because they cook the meat when you order so it is warm and crispy right off the grill. The cilantro and corn added great flavor. They also have queso and guac to add on your order. - The grilled chicken burrito with fajita veggies was juicy and the burrito was huge!! - The horchata was sweet and tasted like delicious cinnamon I can't wait to come back and try their breakfast burritos, tacos, and enchiladas! read more

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Good quality toppings Queso was really good Grilled Chicken was just ok, I think I'll try ground beef next time Spanish was was pretty good Corn salsa yum! Staff was very helpful and friendly read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Amazing breakfast burritos. I figured I'd drop by since it was one of the few places open for a nice warm breakfast on a cold morning and was not disappointed. The breakfast burrito was stuffed full (See the pic!) of eggs, avocado, salsa, peppers, onions and I even added rice and beans because why not. It was even better than it looks and it's gotta be the best breakfast burrito in Iowa. The service was great and both employees were super friendly. Will be bringing my friends next time so they realize my breakfast burrito spot picking prowess. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Was delightfully surprised at how good the meat was here at Estelas. The al pastor is cooked an interesting way and shaved off of this stick (kinda like at Brazilian BBQs? And they cook it with a pineapple on top). The meat was sooo good, even my two year old son who never likes meat ate some and asked for more meat!! It was a bit fatty which made it juicy, tasty, and not at all dry. We ordered a steak burrito and an al pastor burrito. The al pastor was my favorite of the two. My first bite of the al pastor plus the homemade tortilla made me debate for a second if my love for Chipotle had been betrayed (but I'm still debating over this). The homemade tortilla was better than Pancheros' in my opinion. It had a hint of some sort of extra flavor to it. We ordered a side of rice for our son and they even added in a free sprinkle of cheese on top of his rice because they heard him say he wanted some cheese :p. I only wish there could have been a little more meat in our burritos! Will be back to try some quesadillas or nachos next time and definitely some horchata...! read more

I park very close to Estela's, and I had been eyeing it ever since it opened. This week, I finally had the chance to step out for lunch to grab some carry-out, so I popped over and ordered a steak quesadilla with onion and fresh tomatoes. One thing that stood out to me immediately was that this place has a lot of natural lighting, and the people working there are incredibly friendly and patient as you try to choose what to order. My quesadilla came out very quickly, and it did not disappoint. They certainly do not skimp on the ingredients, you guys! I could hardly finish it, and it was delicious. I plan to return to try out one of their FIVE breakfast burritos. read more

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On the way to a wedding, Estela's was very accommodating when we requested to adjust our arrival time. As soon as we pulled up, the server was walking out the door, not wasting a second of our travel time. The burritos were packed full of all things you'd hope to find in a burrito- seasoned rice, refried beans, crisp lettuce, charred corn, etc., and the guac was worth the upcharge; each of us had enough for another lunch the next day. Burritos hit the spot, and were the perfect handheld meal for a roadtrip. I would definitely stop again whenever I have to return to or drive through Iowa. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Veggie Mix Burrito - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

I've been coming here for breakfast burritos for years. I love the Iowan, but my absolute favorite is The Buff. The pancake makes for a great flavor and texture contrast, and the drizzle of maple with the perfectly-cooked bacon makes it so tasty. Every burrito I've ever had from them has been made perfectly regardless of whether I dine in or order online. The online ordering process is super easy and convenient; it's been great during the pandemic. If you want to be full pretty much all day, head to Estela's for one of their massive breakfast burritos. read more

TLDR: fresh good food, but is it better than chipotle? Ehhh Everything about this place oozes freshness. Order a burrito and the tortilla is made fresh in front of you. Chicken burrito? The meat is grilled right then. Add your toppings and the burrito is folded and then goes on the grill again for a final sear. An incredible process that I really adore. However, the final product while tasty isn't quite as tasty as a chicken burrito from chipotle, which is how every Tex Mex place is going to be judged. My toppings weren't exactly the same as what I get from chipotle so maybe that was it? Regardless, I think this place is great and will give it another shot. Also, just so you know my biases as a reviewer I think chipotle is better than pancheros. Feel free to burn me at the stake. read more

Wow! Had the early bird special as a burrito. Fantastic! They made the tortilla fresh and all of the ingredients were fresh as well. It was hands down one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time. Kudos Estella's, I'll be back. Sorry there isn't a shot of the open burrito, but I did t want to stop eating it to take another photo. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Early Bird Burrito. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

The shredded chicken tacos were good--the chicken was really well marinated and bold in flavor. The guacamole was good, but had too much tomato in my opinion. The chips tasted a bit stale to me, but the portion was very generous. I will definitely return here to check out the rest of the menu. In addition, the staff was very welcoming, willing to explain the menu, and extremely conversational (in a good way)! read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

5 stars may seem excessive, however when I went here, in desperate need for food at 2am and Pancheros and Mesa were packed madhouses as usual, Estela's was there like an oasis in the desert ready to help. There was no line, I got my food fast, and the portions were so big. I got a breakfast burrito, and honestly I was full until dinner the next night. It also tasted really good. This place is newer, and on the other side of the ped mall, so many might not know it's even here. Like I said, maybe if I went during the day, I wouldn't be as passionate, but regardless it was still good food, and hopefully can draw some of the crowd away late night from Panchero's. read more

I usually do not write these types of reviews but gosh today was the worst experience I've had with their food. I got a simple ground beef nacho with chips on the side. The ground beef was EXTREMELY salty to the point I had to stop eating after 2 bites, lunch just started so maybe they were rushing but that is no excuse. read more

This place rules. The tortillas are fresh and delicious, the ingredients are fresh and the service is quick and friendly. High ceilings, lots of light and plenty of space to enjoy your burrito. read more

What can I say, huge fresh breakfast burrito and a large coffee for under $8. Tried this as one of our breakfast adventures. Will definitely have to come back for lunch. read more

Estela's Fresh Mex - Early bird breakfast burrito, doesn't get any fresher. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa