We were told about this place by a friend & SO happy they did…read more You have to pull around the back side to get to parking & the inside is much bigger than expected. Very bright & decorated. Our server was a younger gal & was soo soo much fun! I wish we got her name. She was open & honest about her favorites & did not lead us astray. All flavors were good, we all walked away full! We noticed there were spots for bigger groups & will definitely be back!

When I arrived, the place was empty, so I am thinking that staff would be attentive to incoming…read morecustomers! Nope! They were vacuuming and it took at least 6 minutes for someone to acknowledge me! Once seated, the young lady, who seemed new, did her best! Ordered the steak happy burritos and when they arrived, I thought I got mystery meat! Will not recommend this restaurant!

All the food was absolutely amazing. We brought in a large group and were well take care of. Rave…read morereviews all around. Kid friendly.

I love the food and use to order once every while, I usually order the torta,today i looked forward…read moregetting the flame burger. I made a call to go, and after I get there they said there was no order at all. It broke me because I was going through it , I came all the way there and was not looking forward to waiting. Hate to say it but won't be doing business with them again. , maby they'll have yours

Solid place. Design leads to casual Mexican atmosphere…read more We were seated immediately, drinks and food were served very promptly...Great service! Seafood Chimichanga and Asada Burrito were both good and very reasonably priced for such a good portion.

Best authenic mexican food and ABSOLUTELY BEST MARGARITA'S! Fast service, also! Booths are great…read morefor great evening experience! Ambiance is great with mexican art and music!

What a great experience…read more Had no wait being seated early on a Thursday evening. The waiter was great. We ordered drinks and then gave us ample time for us to figure out options. He suggested chicken over steak for the fajitas. This was a win cause the chicken fajitas were fantastic. I couldn't eat it all. My husband had the cazador burrito and it's one of the biggest he's ever had. We got to chatting with Gustavo and he was so kind to share his knowledge of tequila with us. It was a great experience. I'll go again just to hang with him.

The food was Great,the service was okay due to our server kept calling my daughter Sir he never…read moresaid mam or miss to me or my other daughter,and no name badges so I couldn't correct him,just a little Mexican boy,and we came all the way from Shenandoah IA this is our second visit I'm sure we will be back. Thank You Lisa Miranda

Real authentic Mexican food with generous side and water. Would recommend burritos ponchos. Nice…read moreambiance. Service was good , polite and efficient.

First time here and had a great experience. Just really good neighborhood Mexican place with all…read morethe favorites. My carne asada tacos were just what I was looking for. Chips and salsa were good. Service was great. I'll definitely be back.

This is my second time dining here and it has been consistently amazing…read more The serving staff is always great. It is surprising to see how quickly they move when the place is crowded. They always have my order accurately done. While it is not a 5 star decor, it is always spotless and I appreciate that they don't cram too many tables in the room. This allows a sense of privacy so you can have a conversation. For some fun, try sitting at the bar to watch the wizardry of the bartender. The food is delicious and the serving are enormous! The first time we dined here I had the steak fajitas and my husband had a pork dish. When the food arrived we decided we could have shared one dish. We both took home lunch for the following day. Today I am alone, so will end up with leftovers. My favorite aspect of the food is that I have an option other than disgusting refried beans. Spending much of my life in Central America we ate lots of black beans, so I love that I can enjoy them here.

Big restaurant with plenty of seating and a grey dog friendly patio. There's service is super…read morequick. Very good chips and dip, average salsa. The skinny margarita is outstanding. The drink menu is very large so there is plenty to select from.

--- **10/10…read moreExperience!** Absolutely amazing experience from start to finish! The drinks were delicious -- fresh, flavorful, and perfectly made. The food was incredibly tasty and exceeded expectations in both quality and presentation. A special shoutout to **Alan**, our server, and his uncle -- such genuinely sweet and welcoming people. They made us feel right at home and went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. The ambience was beautiful and very clean, creating such a comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere. Highly recommend this place and can't wait to come back! Coming from Minnesota and originally from Texas, I can honestly say no other place beats this spot -- even in Iowa! We will definitely be coming back. ---

Amazing service! Super fast and taste DELICIOUS, plus very large portions. I definitely recommend…read moreanytime. I will be here for every occasion

We stopped at El Mariachi in Johnston around 6:30 and sat out on the patio, where a house swallow…read moreloudly judged us the entire time. Honestly, the patio ambiance is always pretty good here, bird commentary included. Service was a little slow, and we had to work harder than we should have just to get water, but our waiter was fine overall. Nothing bad, just nothing exceptional either. The complimentary chips and salsa were very good, and I love that they have El Yucateco sauces on the table if you want to spice things up a bit. I had the Chipotle Tacos with chicken for $13, which came with rice and beans. Kim had the #7 combo for $11, with one burrito, one enchilada, and one taco. Both meals were good, but the chicken in my tacos and Kim's burrito was seriously excellent. Tender, flavorful, and probably the best part of the meal. Kim had a small frozen raspberry house margarita for $6.25, and I had a jumbo house margarita on the rocks for $8. The house margaritas were the one thing I would probably upgrade next time. They were very sweet and not quite the stronger margarita flavor I usually prefer. They do offer several premium margarita options, so I suspect that is probably the better route if the drink is a big part of the visit. But they definitely ask premium prices! Our total bill with tip was about $54, which felt fair for two meals, chips and salsa, and two margaritas. Overall, good food, great chicken, nice patio vibe, and a solid casual stop -- just maybe spring for the upgraded margaritas if you have the cash.

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $31 04/18/2026 This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while after seeing a recommendation in a publication. The first time we stopped by a number of years ago, we decided against going in due to there not being many cars in the parking lot. That was definitely not the case last night - the parking lot was nearly full and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, as they were quite busy. Needless to say, we left quite happy to have stopped - as we really enjoyed the experience. Our initial indicators of a good Mexican restaurant starts with their margaritas and then their chips and salsa. They passed it both areas - as both were above average. We started with a Spicy Jalapeno Margarita (see picture) from the bar while we waited for our table. It was good, but wasn't very spicy. The chips and salsa (see picture) were very good - tasty, fresh salsa that was thick enough to stay on your chips and crispy tortilla chips with enough oil to indicate they were fried fresh. For our meals, my wife ordered the Tacos Carne Asada (see picture), while I opted for the Tacos Carne Asada (see picture) - both based on our waiter Omar's recommendation. Omar was great - loved his recommendations, had a great sense of humor and was quite attentive to our needs! As stated, both my wife and I loved our plates - and yes, we shared with each other as always to both confirm. The only change I made to my plate was requesting corn tortillas - as I much prefer them to flour. I just can't say enough about both plates - not only did we REALLY like them, but there was plenty to bring home for another meal. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com