First visit to this very cozy brick and mortar. Previous reviews were food truck reviews. There is maybe enough seating for about 20 bodies in here. Here with a table top of 6. Lots of questions with our group and the young waitress is kind and helpful. She brings waters and then had to go through the list of drinks because they are not printed on anything. We got a Trio for the table. Trio is chips and salsa (mild and hot) queso and guacamole. The chips were thick and crunchy. When we ran low she filled us back up. We got our orders in. Quesa Birria Tacos for hubby and I to share. Only 3 Tacos but we knew we were going to share a light meal. I had not had them before. The aus just sauce for a taco blew my mind. I like Angus beef and dipping sauce. Who doesn't? They were really good. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. The kitchen here is smaller and when asked about a specialty item we were informed that the Ankeny location had it but the kitchen here couldn't accommodate. I want to come back and try more. I had the flame burger from the food truck years ago and I think I would do that again too. read more

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3.5 We visited on a Sunday for dinner and had a lovely server. We ordered chips & queso, quesa birria tacos, and street tacos with asada. The chips appeared homemade and were well-seasoned with a thick white queso (also a huge serving!). The quesa birria was flavorful but the meat was a bit on the dry side; I loved the dipping sauce. The street tacos were on the bland side but added flavor with the salsa and queso. Overall, it was a good meal but not stand out! read more

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We had the Birria tacos and southwest steak bowl. Amazing. The meat in the tacos was incredible and the bowl was sooooo good. The steak was cut in fine strips and was incredible. The amount of meat in both dishes was incredible. Get your protein fill here!!! Will probably eat here every week now. This isn't a Mexican restaurant. . This is elevated Mexican cuisine. read more

Friendly staff; very good fresh salsa; had tacos al Astor--Yummy! Birra tacos, juicy and flavorful. Great meal!

What a nice place to get some tacos! While this location is small and might be hard to find a spot to sit sometimes it is worth the stop or to order take out as several others were taking advantage of. Staff was very attentive to our needs and were quick with everything including our food. We had a Birria tacos which was fantastic, and the hot salsa was hot. If you like a little spice in your life, I suggest getting that. read more

Flame The Taqueria - Trio chips and salsa appetizer - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Hands down the best tacos I have ever had. Kevin was an amazing server!! Will recommend to all of my friends! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Queso Birria Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Very busy lunch hour, and the young girl covering the dining area was also answering the phone and handling take out orders. She did an amazing job! The food was very good and reasonably priced. I ordered chips and salsa and 3 birria tacos. They were good but needed salt. Also I am used to birria being spicier in Arizona where I live. But it was very good. The dining room is small but not cramped feeling. Very friendly staff and very clean establishment. read more

Absolutely love this hidden gem! Choriqueso is amazing as well as the guac. The chips have this lovely seasoning. My girl absolutely loves the birria tacos. I've tried just about everything, but pictured below is the asada fries. I loved the sauce drizzled on top! Fries nice I crispy. They have soda & alcohol options, mainly seltzers. Get the salsa trio! Also the churros & caramel are bomb! Friendly staff, very small inside but still cute. read more

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I was visiting Des Moines for work, and looking for a place for a quick bite before heading to the airport and found this spot. The restaurant was small, and busy when we arrived at lunch. We were lucky to grab the only available table, and squeeze in (its tight!). Our server was super friendly, and able to manage the entire dining room and to-go orders solo without missing a beat. My colleague and I both ordered a Machete taco with steak. I'd never heard of a Machete taco- picture a giant taco - pan crisped shell filled with all the best ingredients. It was SO good! I only wish we had something similar in my neck of the woods. If you are looking for a killer giant taco- dont sleep on the Machete! read more

Came here with some co-workers on a work trip based on some of the reviews. It is an incredibly small place with only about 5 tables for 4 people and 3 tables for 2 people. We came early and I'm glad we did, because before we were done there was already a wait. They also seemed like they did a killer takeout business. Service was attentive and very kind. It was taco Tuesday and we were hoping to grab margaritas. Flame doesn't have a full bar, but they do have bottled beers and some bottled cocktail type drinks. They have a canned margarita (Cayman Jack) which was pretty good! We started with some queso dip and guac. The chips were really yummy and seemed like they just came out of an oven or deep fryer (not sure how they make them). The queso was good, but a bit runny/thin for my taste. The guac was fantastic... simple, not overly complicated, just the way I like it. I ordered three tacos, and I love that you can get them a la carte. I got an asada, chicken, and ground beef taco. All were very good. The chicken was surprisingly flavorful and not dry at all. The asada meat was the tiniest bit dry, but the flavoring was so incredible that it didn't matter. The meat in each taco was delightful. Overall, this was a very good spot for food and tacos. read more

Flame The Taqueria - Guac & Queso - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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HUGE fan of Arturo's whether it's the Taqueria, the Cantina, or the truck! I could go on and on about the specific dishes, but honestly... It's all FIRE! It doesn't matter what you get everything is going to be good. I have yet to be disappointed in anything I have ordered from any location associated with Flame. The mango shrimp (Carribean), birria and al pastor tacos... The quesadillas... You just can't go wrong. And don't miss out on the Machete! read more

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The food is fantastic. Fresh and authentic. I had the Birria tacos. Crispy shells and perfectly seasoned. With the dip on the side so they don't get soppy. The table had the trio for an appetizer. The chips are fresh made and sturdy without being thick. Street tacos, chorizo quesadillas and a burrito bowl were also all ordered and equally delicious. I had the street corn as a side. It was good. Not too spicy yet a slight zing. We had the churros for desert. Still warm with homemade Carmel sauce. Perfect ending. The service we received was great. Friendly and knowledgeable. This may be a new favorite. Sorry no pictures. read more

Your cell phone might ring with a flavor alert when you set foot into this place. You are about to experience a food adventure. Don't worry, in this adventure you won't be chased by elephants, or Nazis, or Nazi elephants . Just think of it as an adventure for your taste buds. Let's just say they will be happy- even if you do end up being chased by Nazi elephants. Which again, is probably unlikely. Probably. Outside is sort of a nondescript strip mall feel. Inside is small and homey with a few chairs. You can order at the counter and they will bring you your food. Service is very friendly. I guess this business started as a food truck? Makes sense because much of the menu has a little decadent spin on many traditional items. I doubt you could make a bad choice. I actually had the "Costena" burrito- which was on Special. This should be an every day menu item, as it was incredibly delicious. I mean, smack you in the face good. Saucy, cheesy, spicy, sweet: it covered every base. It was a monster of el pastor, jalapeños, pineapple, queso, cilantro rice and who knows what else. It could be made of thumbtacks and I would gladly eat it again. Definitely make this place a priority for you to check out. Enjoy the adventure. read more

Flame The Taqueria - El Costeno Burrito. More delicious than it looks, and it looks pretty good. - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

The brisket in my birria tacos was cooked to perfection. The tortillas were cooked nicely as well. Salsa had good zip and the seasoning on the chips is reminiscent of "fuzzy dust". The corn is loaded with crema and cheese. Server was friendly and checked in often. This place would be a 5+ if they had horchata. read more

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This place is the bomb! My husband and I stopped in for dinner and we thought the food was wonderful and flavorful. The place is small but cozy. There were about seven or eight tables in there. The service is excellent and the staff is super friendly. The server who waited on us had to take an extremely long carry out order on the phone right after she seated us so we didn't get our drinks or menus right away. After she got off the phone she apologized profusely for the long wait. She said the customer was ordering 20 things and so it took awhile. We could tell she felt really bad about it so it wasn't a big deal to us. She gave us a free order of chips and all their salsas, which were delicious. The chips were seasoned and looked homemade. They're the best chips I've ever had. We both got the street tacos. You get three tacos with the choice of three different meats or shrimp. I chose asada and adobo chicken in my tacos and my husband got the same two meats that I got plus chorizo. The tacos tasted so authentic and had so much flavor. Plus, their salsas were really good, too. They have three different salsas to choose from, ranging from mild, to super hot. I liked the fire roasted salsa the best. I love how their menu has unique sounding items. They don't have the cookie cutter combination platters that every other Mexican restaurant in town has. Everything on the menu sounded good. I want to come back and try them all. This is definitely our favorite Mexican restaurant now. read more

Flame The Taqueria - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Food was hot and tasty. We picked it up and it was hot still when we got home. Package perfectly for a togo meal

Great service. Clean storefront. Delicious food. We thought this would be an actual food truck but it's not. Not mad! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Quesadillas - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Man this place has the best tacos I've ever eaten! The Barria Tacos are incredible! Me and a buddy of mine also got the flame fries with flame sauce and they were great! Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I've had. The severs were super friendly and open to conversation and the environment was clean and calm. read more

Food and service was great! Will definitely be back when in town. Small little shop bit close to everything

Literally some of the best tacos I've ever had in my life Friendly staff clean environment and the food came pretty quick I had the birria tacos and they were so flavorful I was insanely impressed The horchata was pretty good too 10/10 would recommend read more

Fantastic food. I lived in So-cal for years and have struggled to find decent food here. Flame was a delightful surprise. The fish tacos and nachos were great! We'll definitely be back! read more

Flame the Taqueria - located in Johnston on Merle Hay Rd, a former taco truck turned brick 'n mortar place. Huaraches: this was surprisingly (to me) my favorite dish. Something about the smashed flatbread-like dough, then piled high with steak and toppings, just appealed to my palate. It reminded me of a hardened version of naan, but made with beans. Ok I sound ridiculous right now comparing huaraches to naan because they're not even remotely the same kind of bread, but just something about the flat but thick dough with toppings I seemed to really like. Overall presentation and combination of flavors hit spot on. Shrimp tacos: no mango salsa for the allergic-to-them chica over here, but we subbed their "hottest" hot sauce instead. Hot and spicy, I wouldn't call it really hot but it had a nice kick . It kicked my guy's rear but I used quite a bit. I liked the cream sauce drizzled over the shrimp on this dish, whatever it was. Added a nice touch and flavor to the plump and sweet shrimp. El Pastor: pork tacos were my least favorite but still delicious, piled with marinated pork and pineapple pico. Chips: "regular hot salsa" or their version of salsa verde (not at all spicy), and queso are a là carte; don't expect a free-for-all basket of chips here. Queso was good, chips are thicker than others, which I liked and disliked. Liked because they were delicious and made for a sturdy vehicle by which to shove more queso in my mouth, disliked because I filled up really fast on em. Julia's sweet tooth: cream cheese wrapped in dough, fried and topped with sugar and caramel. Not our favorite item but it's not for everyone. Overall, I really liked it. I will say I feel it is definitely more like taco truck food and I think the experience outside a food truck would've been even better. Not bad, I really liked our entrees, and it's just an observation. Inside dining is TINYYYY...maybe 5 tables total? No social distancing possible in here but staff all wore masks. I saw SEVERAL carryouts, which was awesome except it meant the dining room (.00000005 inches from the front and only entrance/exit) was freezing cold. Next time I think I would prefer this food as carryout, why I cannot pinpoint. Something is appealing to me about the idea of eating their hauraches and tacos on my couch, watching a good movie. ‍ read more

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The table had street tacos, southwest burrito bowl, southwest burrito, and birria tacos - all dishes were very tasty!

My husband won a gift card so we decided to stop in. As stated by prior reviews, the place is very small. To me this is not a good or a bad thing, I'm just not a huge fan of being crowded in. Next time I will definitely order takeout. The service was friendly and fast, but we were never checked on after we got our food. While we were eating a family of 13 came in and crowded the place. There were already 5 people eating when they arrived. It was almost impossible to get out of the restaurant due to this family being allowed to block the entrance by arranging the remaining tables to suit themselves & request more chairs! It may have been a good idea for employees to request this family wait until they could accommodate them better but it is what it is. My husband & I ordered the chips & guacamole as a starter. The chips were okay, deep fried tortillas that weren't really seasoned. I know it's going to sound naive but when did restaurants start charging for chips? The guacamole was good but not outstanding. I don't think I would pay 8 dollars to have it again. We both ordered the birria tacos. I will say the meat was juicy, the tortillas were perfectly crispy and cheese wonderfully melted. I just wished the consommé was a little more flavorful. I was hoping to be bowled over but I was kind of underwhelmed. I just wished for a little more seasoning & a little more complexity. My husband loved it so we will order again, but to me it was a bit overpriced. read more

Flame The Taqueria - Birria Tacos & consome - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Holy crap incredible. First off, our server was WONDERFUL. She had us giggly all night & her commentary had us feeling extremely welcome. The food is next level. I have never been a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, however, the husband is a LARGE fan. I LOVED EVERYTHING. The salsa is a bit spicy for me, however I couldn't stop eating it. The chips come out warm & are slightly seasoned (we judge heavily on good chips & salsa) my husband was fawning over the cooking of his tacos & I couldn't eat enough of my burrito. I had avocado added to mine & ordered extra chipotle sauce on the side. The restaraunt was very small & I loved it. Very much so a hole in the wall & also the place I would love to come back & try every dish at. read more

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I have only taken food to go so far and it has been so delicious each time. The sauces are amazing with the birria tacos. I ask for the green one to pair with them. The staff was super friendly in the short time I was there too! Will definitely continue to stop in for tacos. Don't skip the cilantro rice!! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Birria Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Husband liked it more than I did. I had the huaraches with chicken and he had the burrito bowl with chicken and chorizo. Husband and I agree that the chicken was not flavorful. The chips were good but we added salt. Guac had chunks and was great. Chorizo made all the difference in flavor. I will go back and try other food. read more

Flame The Taqueria - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Overrated Dry Overpriced Friendly staff Small Quaint atmosphere Did I say overpriced??!! read more

The food is DELICIOUS The only mexican food that is actually good in DSM The birria tacos are the BEST

Best barria tacos in Johnston! Always hot and fresh. Not to expensive for the amount you get!

Party of 4. $36. This is the third time they've had their truck in our development, but the first time I've had it! Follow them on Facebook! I ordered online to pick up at the truck. Everything was ready to go when I arrived. California burger was out of this world delicious! Cajun fries, uh yes, please. I'm not sure what the Flame sauce is or if I've ever had pickled red onions before, but I highly recommend you try both! I'm pretty stingy with five star ratings, but this truck's easy online ordering, friendly staff, quick pick up....it's just perfect! Jeeze, I'm getting hungry just writing about it! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Menu - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

The food is great tasting and very authentic! My favorite part was the hand made, fresh chips and salsa! They offer a variety of levels of spicy, perfect for every one! My fiancé loves birria tacos and consomé, but he doesn't just like any-- these have been his favorite! The asada fries are also a must order! One thing that was a bummer was that they did not offer fountain drinks, and therefor no refills are offered. Although they don't offer fountain drinks they do have a wide variety of authentic Mexican drinks! Give this place a try! Truly recommend- great food and amazing, speedy service! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Stoped in for lunch with some coworkers and absolutely loved it. Place is small but food is great. I thought it was a lil pricey but I don't mind paying a lil more for good food read more

This place is absolutely delicious. It may be a little hole in the wall but you will not taste it on your plate, the food is amazing, the service is impeccable. Will definitely be going there every time I visit Johnston! read more

Flame The Taqueria - Queso and chips - Tacos Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Flame food is absolutely delicious! It's also quick and always seems fresh. Most times we order for carry out and it's always done on time.

Food is excellent, service is absolutely outstanding, the young woman who waited on us was cheerful and attentive. Great place to visit.

The birria tacos will change your life! The food here is always fresh and warm and fast. We eat here almost weekly and absolutely love it. Service is pretty decent but not the most friendly read more

Love love love this gem in Johnston Their chips r original n crunchy. I'm a guacamole snob n I really enjoy their guac. I got their double El Pastor BOWL. I love their Verde sauce. They also carry Tamarind Jarritos great service and u get ur food fast! Can't wait to try their new location in Bondurant soon! read more

Recently took a trip to Guanajuato, MX. What does that have to do with Flame the Taqueria you ask? Their cooks are clearly deeply in touch with how to make legitimate and tasty Mexican cuisine. I literally got to taste a bit of everything on their menu (had a party of 10 and everyone ordered something different). The Carne Asada Fries disappeared into everyone's mouth holes with seconds. The cheese and salsas were packed with flavor. The shrimp tacos were banging and the birria with the side of "Au jus" was lip-smacking good. read more

Passing through on our way from Chicago to Denver and stopped here for dinner. We get a lot of Mexican food in Chicago and this place easily ranks with the better ones that we've been to. Friendly staff too. Highly recommended. read more