The Pork within the tacos was overcooked with minimal seasoning on three small soft street tortillas. The value did not match the above average price perhaps one is paying for the location because it is close to the casino. The service was swift with the presentation being unappealing. The atmosphere was one equivalent to Taco Bell with my expectation being wanting more based on the high ratings and the evaluation descriptions which makes this not worth the drive due to the value and taste from the plethora of above average offerings in the Des Moines area set at for a more reasonable price with better food quality and more of an appetizing presentation. read more

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Stopped by on our way back from Omaha. It was okay but I've def had better Mexican cuisine. Food arrived fast, adequate seating, average customer service. A good spot-hitter. Probably will never be back. read more

Ahhhh early am Sunday after meadows trip Yea they are right by the meadows casino and adventure land Lots of choices so look at the paper menu I have posted as the wall menu is an eye test for us working class Fast service food delivery to the table with counter ordering Nice an quiet with a few to go orders placed while we were eating A bit of music from the tv Nice stop over if you are on i80 and needing fuel and good food! 15 bucks pp for a real good set of food for hungry guy's Give them a try! read more

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This restaurant was a great value! Food was prepared quickly/delicious and atmosphere was casual, including paper plates. This was perfect for us post hunting. My husband loved free sauces and pickled slaw and we both loved the huge variety of tacos. We ordered too many - which ended up being a lovely breakfast treat. Definitely try the Queso Birria!! read more

Gilberto's Mexican Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

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The food is good, however - we came in here and my sister accidentally said the wrong number and then said "Carne Asada" so it was the 13 and she said 12. So they gave her the 12 (fried peppers with cheese), which is just a miscommunication. When she went up to talk about this accident (that she knows she said 12 but she also said carne asada it was just a mistake) - the cashier said "oh that's my mistake." Then said "what do you want me to do about it" in a nasty tone. We still bought a carne asada taco for her, but it was a rude response. read more

Husband and I stopped for Saturday lunch. Arizona burrito was large and tasty. Steak was tender. With addition of some salt and their hot salsa, was delicious. Husband had shredded pork taco, a tostada and two rolled shredded beef tacos meal with guacamole. He enjoyed but added alot of hottest two salsas on salsa bar to add some heat. The salsa bar was a nice surprise- four salsas and two salad toppings- cabbage slaw and marinated cactus salad. Both tasty. We will be back when in Altoona again to try more menu options. read more

We ran in 15 minutes before closing time on Memorial Day, thankful for the excellent food. I had a veggie quesadilla that was chocked full of fresh vegetables and cheese, my husband had a combination tostada, taco and flauta. Everything was delicious and of high quality. We would definitely recommend Gilberto's and will come back when we pass through town! read more

I love Gilberto's breakfast burritos. Breakfast AND lunch. I can eat the whole thing for breakfast but really shouldn't. Throw it in the lunch box and I am set for the day. Bonus, they are always pleasant. read more

One of the few places in Altoona that serve street tacos. Order at the counter and they will bring to table. Menu is extensive and priced fairly. Salsa bar on the side. Also includes pickled veggies. They also have breakfast items too. Quick and fast service. White queso dip is good and on the thicker side. read more

Good food, generous portions! My favorites are the pork tamale, get it covered in red sauce, like an enchilada. Also, when it's offered, pozole - it's not available every day, so ask which soups/stews are available that day. read more

Two weeks ago I picked my daughter up at Adventureland. About an hour before The Raging River accident.... She was hungry so we decided to grab a late lunch early dinner at Giliberto's. It's order and pay at the counter. There are two large overhead menus and a menu you can check out online ahead of time...as well as an online ordering system. https://olo.spoton.com/602ac69d9adef34ad37817ad Seat yourself. Seating is a combination of tables and chairs and a few booths. Self serve drinks and a salsa bar. My daughter and I both decided on burritos, a side of cheese fries, and a drink. She went with ground beef and cheese and I did the birria. Both smothered in white queso. The gal at the counter looked at me kind of funny when I said two orders of cheese fries. I soon found out why. An order of cheese fries would serve two...maybe three. After ordering and paying if you dine in they bring the food to you at the seat you've taken. The regular burritos are massive and the contents are laid out on the menu so you know exactly what you are getting and can adjust if needed. With the cheese fries we both bit off more than we could chew. Literally. Thankfully they do offer to go boxes which almost match the fine bone china your meal arrives on. We both agreed the food was good. The birria was flavorful and very tender. Bang for the buck.... For the size of the portions it wasn't over priced. The service was typical for counter service. No complaints. If I was in Altoona again I'd go back and try a couple different menu items. I want to try the Loco and Monster burritos. Definitely check those out if you like BIG meals. read more

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Delicious food!! Cannot wait to go back to try many other items they have. Bought 2 breakfast burritos to go as well read more

Gilberto's Mexican Taco Shop - 1/2 order super nachos with ground beef, beans, shredded cheese,guacamole. Most delicious Mexican food I have had ! Free salsa bar too!! - Mexican Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

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Nice place. Good menu selection for food and drinks with reasonable prices and bonus salsa and chili bar. Courteous staff and nice atmosphere with good music. read more

A culinary gem, Gilberto's is the place to be! Great food with the convenience of a drive through.

Delicious food! Try the birria, carne asada anything, Tostielote, huaraches... it's all

When I worked by Altoona we would order lunch from here a lot. No matter what I ordered it was great. My favorite burrito is the Super Fry.

Party of 2, 1:00pm. Packed house, luckily I knew 2 ladies that were dining and they were just leaving, so we scooped up their table. Very clean, very new. They just opened a few days ago. They are open 24/7 AND they have a drive-thru! I ordered the carnitas plate with race and beans. Chips with white cheese and a hard shell beef taco. My sister ordered the pollo asado, with rice and beans, she opted for the flour shells while I got the corn. It runs like a fast food restaurant, order at the counter, get your own service ware, fill up your soda, grab some napkins. Clear your own table. Which is fine, just something to be aware of, you're not getting a server. Th chicken was bland and tasted boiled. Her flour tortillas tasted like they were cooked after something with cinnamon. Sweet, which was probably unintentional.She said the best thing about her meal was the beans. I on the other hand loved my carnitas, the pork was enough to feed an army. Nice and juicy with some bits of caramelized meat, just like it should be! My corn tortillas were great, guacamole was fresh and just the right texture. Rice was perfectly cooked. My refried beans tasted like rot. They were disgusting. Salsa bar looked amazing, but I'm not sure how I would incorporate it into my plate. It came with everything. Overall, very good and I will return. It's an extensive menu, so I'll work my way through my favorite Mexican fare they offer. Honestly, if my beans weren't so gross and the chicken wasn't boiled and dried, this would be a five star from me. UPDATE: Tried the drive thru today fast and friendly. It was around 1:30pm. Just me. 2 hard shell beef tacos rice and beans $10.70. It is kind of pricey compared to right down the street I can get the same thing with an actual server and a drink for the same price including tip on a lunch special. However, I will gladly pay it for the convenience of a drive thru. It was delicious! Beans were good too! read more

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Delicious food! Would definitely recommend! Got the steak nachos and it was chefs kiss! Service was great! The staff was very nice.

My expectation was my reality. I assumed this was fast food and it is. I had the chicken enchilada and tamale combo plate. Beans and rice were typical Mexican fare and had little taste. I think cheddar cheese on the food is less than authentic. The tamale was so dry I had to add salsa and it didn't come with my meal. I expected salsa. I ordered extra guac with the combo and another side of guac but only received one guac. Guac had no flavor. I didn't mind the enchilada sauce but I needed more because this is so dry. Delivery was FAST! I will give this another chance but I won't order this again. read more

Gilberto's Mexican Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

Excellent food! Huge portions. They even have pickled carrots and jalapeños! I'll be back. Better than all of Des Moines!

As residents of Altoona, my husband and I were ecstatic to hear about the New Mexican restaurant coming to town and we were not disappointed! We love Gilbertos, if you are familiar with the Des Moines Metro, it's similar to Albalardos. Fresh ingredients, fast, drive thru and great value for the price. The breakfasts burritos are the absolute best and are huge portion wise. A side of fries is $3 and they also give you a huge portion. My husband had the steak burrito and loved it. Queso was on point. So glad Gilbertos came to Toona town! read more

Gilberto's Mexican Taco Shop - Huge, breakfast burrito! Bacon, egg, cheese and potato. So good. - Mexican Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

Great street tacos and a huge menu with everything reasonably priced. Not a great deal of seating available, but have a drive thru. We had 6 street tacos (2 carne asada, 2 ground beef, 1 veggie, 1 guac), chips n queso and two drinks for $22. Meat portions are huge! read more

OMG! Great Food and Great service. Stopped in after leaving Adventureland before we went home. We tried going to Raisin' Cain down the street and never got served, worst Cain ever! But Gilberto's to the rescue with awesome some, for real! Take it from a Mexican, when I say this food is bomb, it is! read more

Excellent fresh quick service authentic Mexican restaurant. We always look for quick local counter service places to stop on long car trips in order to make good time but avoid fast food, and Gilberto's did not disappoint. The seven in our group all ordered a variety of different things and they were all made fresh and were delicious, especially the ceviche. You'll want to get horchata too! Yum! read more

So good, lots of flavor, and unique choices! Always a favorite stop, wish the in dining was less cold and more ambience, but still always seem to stop. read more

Ordered delivery and ordered the 2 burrito combo with Campechano (steak and shrimp) and Carne Asada burrito. They messed up and I got both Campechano/ steak and shrimp. I was really disappointed, as it was just ok, not great. The shrimp was steamed and had no seasoning, the steak was pretty good, but overall swimming in onion and pretty bland. The beans and rice it came with here delicious! As desert I got the Flan with chocolate, that was the best part of my meal! Really delicious and authentic. I think I will stick with other local places I know have great food. read more

As someone who is from Texas and loves Mexican street tacos, they are great and they do serve everything you really need for them! Employees are mainly welcoming! read more

Always have been happy with my orders from here. Burritos, take your pick. I like to order the steak Burrito and then add shrimp. The to go orders of Rice and Beans are large and don't forget the chips and Blanco Queso. Chimichanga in shredded beef is delicious as is the Chicken. In a hurry they also have drive through. Don't expect Tex Mex Here, it's mostly traditional. Gilberto's my two thumbs are up. read more

Very extensive and tasty menu, including machaca and many lengua choices, and a great collection of breakfasts. Lovely salsa bar. Has a drive-thru, but I dearly wish there was outdoor seating! read more

Food was awful. The sauce tasted like burnt gravy, it was so overly seasoned it was just horrible. Worst Mexican food I've ever eaten. I will never order again. read more

We had a craving for Mexican food and our neighbor raved about Giliberto's. We ordered Carne Asada hard shell tacos, pork green chili burrito, Arizona burrito and chips with queso and salsa. The Carne Asada tacos were loaded with meat...LOADED (8/10 stars)! The pork green chile burrito was at least 2lbs, it was monstrousand incredibly good! I am taking the Arizona burrito to work tomorrow (it is a huge burrito as well!). The chips, queso and salsa were very good (8/10 stars). We had GrubHub deliver it ($2.50 plus tip). read more

Gilberto's Mexican Taco Shop - Chips with Queso Dip, salsa, Pork Green Chile Burrito, Carne Asada Tacos, Arizona Burrito (in the bag). - Mexican Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

Best Mexican food around for the price. Can't be beat the convenience and sauce bar they have for dine in options

The food was out very quickly! Of the chicken, veggie, and shrimp tacos I much preferred the shrimp. Some of the food was not very hot and some was very warm, but not a lot to complain about for the price and a quick meal. read more

This place has so many options to choose from. There's something here if you like something as simple as bean and cheese burritos, to the more authentic with menudo and lengua. Their margaritas are awesome, and huge. Anytime my husband works up here we're sure to stop in here at least once, usually a few times. If you have a big appetite, or looking to share, try the Monster Burrito! read more

The service here is quick. Theres a drive up option. We opted to eat inside. It was very nice inside. Very clean and the staff is extremely nice. The food has good flavors. They also have beer and a small salsa bar. The corn on the cob is fantastic. We are excited to come back. read more

Gilberto's is the home of mediocre midwestern-style Mexican fare with less than friendly service. The salsa verde is mid-grade grocery store quality. The pork was somehow both dry and fatty--hard pass. read more

They just have some of the most amazing tacos and salsa out there, chips and queso is amazing too!

Best Mexican food in Iowa!! Not expensive and everything is fresh. I always get the Chimichanga Xtra Chicken and it's honestly to die for. Check 'em out, you won't be disappointed. read more

We ordered online today for lunch for my 2 kids, my husband and I. My 2 kids and husband ordered the 3 rolled cheese tacos (similar to a taquito- fried) and my daughter asked for a side of sour cream with her order to dip them in. So I went in to the additions and added sour cream. Once my husband got back to Ankeny with the food we realized all of the rolled tacos( 9 total) were covered in sour cream. My husband and son don't eat sour cream so my husband packed them back up and drove them back to Altoona as they didn't have anything they could eat since they came that way. When my husband told them what happened they said "You have to ask for it on the side. We can't do anything for you" there wasn't even an option online to choose it on the side. I chose the only sour cream option under additions. They were rude, not friendly, not helpful, and kept the food we returned. It was an honest mistake. We assumed the sour cream would be on the side so we drove them back from Ankeny to Altoona so my husband and son could still have lunch and they just told us too bad unless we wanted to pay for more. $57 lunch wasted and terrible costumer service. We will not be back and do not recommend. read more

Our food took 45 minutes to prepare. Mediocre in quality. I used the restroom in there and there's a 2 inch layer of dust over the vent in the men's restroom. It makes me wonder how clean the rest of the restaurant is. Will not be going back. read more