To go order with the main mission of trying some Chicharrones. They serve them on weekends so keep an eye on their social media for reminders. My spouse picked up the food and we ordered extra for leftovers. The Chicharrones are tasty with the skin extra extra crispy and the meat chunks were tasty with some smaller chunks drier but overall would order them again. The guacamole super good in general and goes well with the chicharrones. We ordered tamales which we are saving for tomorrow. The choripollo and chile relleno were good. Lots of other items to try that look delish. read more

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Stopped in after reading the reviews. Was not disappointed! Food was great, authentic flavors. Hubby had a Mega burrito, said it was the best he's had in a loooong time, best in this area! I had the Flautas w barbicoa, it was delicious, great flavor, shells were crunchy, beans and rice were good. Very Nice place, super fast service. Clean and right next to a Mexican grocery. read more

la mexicana - Flautas - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

la mexicana is a Coralville staple, hidden away in a strip mall off Highway 6. It is open daily and more times than not, you'll have one of the owners serving you! It is a family-owned labor of love. This is my family's go-to when it comes to Mexican. You can't go wrong with the tacos, quesadillas, burritos... margaritas... you name it! My last visit I had the fajita tacos and they were fire. The two fan favorites for us are the margaritas (obvi for the adults) and the tres leches cake (for the kiddos). Additionally, the salsa is fabulous-- but don't miss out on their made in house sauces, to have with your dinner. Seating is limited. Parking is a non-issue. Pricing is on par. (I do wish they offered specials here or there...) Staff is pleasant and works hard. While the menu isn't changing all that often, they have been updating the physical menu, signage and their website. Catering is offered! Additionally, it is attached to a market so be sure to check it out! read more

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Excellent. First time here. Thought it was just a Mexican store. It is, the food was amazing. Great staff and ambience. The food was authentic Mexican. Give this place a shot. read more

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Fantastic service, great atmosphere. The food was great, very reasonable prices. Excellent tacos.

Great food! Great service!! A little hard to find but well worth the trip!! It doesn't look like much from the outside but the salsa, the guacamole, and the entrees were delicious. Margaritas too. read more

I don't give 5 stars easily without more than one visit, but wow, I absolutely loved their al pastor tacos with handmade tortillas and pieces of pineapple. It was redeeming to eat La Mexicana's al pastor tacos because I had encountered too many depressingly-made al pastor tacos during this pregnancy. We also ordered a chicken fajita burrito, and it was well made. Located near the children's museum. Would love to eat here again on our next Iowa trip. read more

la mexicana - Al pastor on handmade tortillas was absolutely delicious with pineapples and their salsa - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

Awesome new addition to the scene! Bottom line: Come here for original, authentic Mexican food. We have enjoyed everything we tried. My go to are the fajitas! But we never leave without salsa and guacamole. The owner also gave us some new things to try. He's awesome and great to talk to! Happy they're in the area. read more

la mexicana - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

Amazing authentic Mexican food! Al pastor tacos are delicious! Excellent margaritas -- not that premixed stuff you get at other restaurants! My fav in Iowa City! read more

Taco Tuesday and our family of 6 had 4 of each available kind. ALL were fantastic! The guacamole was fresh and chunky, chips crispy and queso cheesy and not too spicy. Lucky for us it was 2 for one margaritas. The owner was super sweet and treated the kids to candy and the adults to a little extra Rita. Such a great family experience! read more

Best taco spot! Staff is super friendly, food is always fresh and delicious! Their strawberry margaritas are amazing. I've been to a lot of taco spots in the area, and this is the only one I've been to that has a unique taco - they have a bacon wrapped jalapeño popper taco and it was GAS read more

Have been wanting to stop by here finally did. and was not disappointed. Food was delicious (enchiladas verde) and the margarita was exceptional ( not too sweet). We will be going back to check out more on the menu. You purchase your chips and salsa, but not a deal breaker. read more

Amazing authentic Mexican food. Great service, very nice decoration and aesthetics, and above all else amazing food. Food comes out quick, favorite spot for a nice lunch break or a quick dinner that tastes great! Not to mention I love getting some candy from the store they have connected to the restaurant! read more

Enjoyed our first trip here and will certainly be back! The ambiance was nice and the staff was friendly to our whole family, kiddos and all. We shared the choripollo and a mixture of the asada, al pastor, and carnitas tacos. Rating this a 4/5 as the asada was a bit dry and the choripollo was a touch under seasoned but overall our food was very good and would absolutely recommend this spot. The highlight for me is the fresh hot sauces, if you like heat, each one is packed with flavor and a varying level of spice. I'd happily purchase a bottle of each. read more

We got Al pastor and pollo⁣ tacos and the carnitas plate⁣ this time but everything has always been delicious! Pictures speak for the food but in case you're not getting the message, seriously these are AMAZING! Our plates were clean after. Managers, servers, chefs all fantastic, and we love them. Also I'll get horchata every time I come because it's sooo sweet and good after some spicy sauce. And if you need anything to take home, get takeout and groceries from the grocery store on the other side. read more

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This is a hidden gem. Authentic Mexican food and it's delicious. The staff is very nice, helpful and patient, not many of them speak English, but they are patient to figure out exactly what you want. The food is wonderful, the place is clean, I highly recommend it! read more

Another great meal at this authentic Mexican restaurant. The staff here are all family and genuinely happy to greet their customers. The food is always excellent. I seldom get anything other than the quesa birria - definitely my favorite. Crispy tortilla filled with delicious shredded goat. The broth served alongside this is well-seasoned. So delicious it's drinkable!! The tacos are fantastic - over-filled with your choice of meats or seafood. All are excellent! Location is a little hard to find - really have to keep your eyes open. But once you find it you'll definitely go back!! read more

la mexicana - Assortment of tacos with rice and beans - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

A hidden gem in Coralville! I think this compares a bit to Iowa City's La Regia in terms of high quality food at a very affordable price. We tried each variety of taco. They were all good but my favorites were the Al pastor and carne asada. Those will be my go to orders in the future. The menu goes far beyond tacos though and I look forward to coming back to try more! read more

la mexicana - Tacos! - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

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Tried for the 1st time. Excellent food. Quick service. We'll definitely go back there. We tried goat meat options and it was definitely worth. The sauces were flavourful. Flan read more

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Wow. Most authentic Mexican food in the iowa city area. I would drive 20-25 minutes for the mega steak burrito. Staff is friendly and hooks you up with the salsas. (Their salsa verde is incredible.) Also has a shop with items you can't find elsewhere. Horchata mmmmmmm read more

La Mexicana has been recognized as one of the top 100 Mexican restaurants in the US in 2024. They have earned this award with their flavor-filled authentic Central American cuisine. Having dined at hundreds of Central American restaurants in Texas, New Mexico, and many other states, this is the very best I have ever had. Today I tried the Enchiladas Rojo - the sauce was thick, rich, and loaded with favor. The chicken beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection. The side of beans exploded with flavor as did the rice. Four sauces were available at our table, but the food required none. I tried each for flavor and heat. All four were delicious. La Mexicana is my new favorite place! read more

As a transplant who just moved from Texas, good Mexican food is basically nonexistent. Thankfully, we've come across La Mexicana and it felt like we were back down south!! Love it- can't wait to come back!! read more

Another delicious lunch ! Our favorite Mexican restaurant. A must on Costco run day. I had the taco salad and my husband had the chicken enchiladas rojas. Both were so good. I highly recommend this place. read more

la mexicana - Taco salad - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

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Outside of Dallas, this is the best Mexican food I've had. Stopped in on a whim this afternoon and I'm so glad we did. The tamales were incredible and the guacamole was so fresh. The service was fast and the restaurant was clean. You can tell that the owner really cares. Can't wait to come back! read more

I don't take saying anything is the best lightly..but this places Avocado salsa is seriously my favorite salsa I've had in Iowa..and most other places. I was beyond delighted when I found out I can buy it to go home..between that and chorizo from the attached grocery store I ate tacos everyday for 6 days..and still wanted more.. Everything I've tried has been amazing but the real gem for me is the chorizo tacos, and they have some of the best beef tacos I've had in my life..I have not tried one thing here that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. The staff is amazing and friendly, and never seem to not be enjoying what they do. This place is great and one of my favorite go to restaurants. read more

I stopped in to check this out....this is a new place in Coralville with authentic Mexicano food... the staff is clean...and sweet and willing to do anything for you to be comfortable. They have a big TV for sports...and fresh baked empenadas...I do not recommend every Mexican restaurant but this one is great and cost affprdable...affordable.... Try it once tell them Jorges girlfriend sent you read more

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The music was very weird and loud there was a kid with long hair and i was worried if it would get into my food the food was ok but felt it could be done better. read more

Great tacos! Tried one of each and really enjoyed them all. We also bought a few things in the grocery store attached - fantastic produce selection. Eat here, shop here. read more

la mexicana - Every taco - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

The staff was very friendly and had our orders in and food out in very little time. This was my first time checking it out and will definitely be coming back in the future! read more

la mexicana - *Alambre *pastor tacos - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

By far the best and closet to authenticate Mexican, I have ever had in Iowa. Great service and great food

Great rice and beans, my first test in a Mexican restaurant. It got even better from there. Fantastic goat birria enchiladas, and a fish taco with a full filet. All with house made tortillas. Excellent price point. Going back for a chile relleno, my second test. read more

We tried this small Mexican restaurant. My son has been here in the past, but this was my first opportunity to try the food here. I tried the.Quesabirria. It comes with a dipping sauce. It was different. I've never had anything like it but it was good. The atmosphere was what you would typically expect in a small local establishment. Adjacent is a small specialty grocery store. read more

la mexicana - Quesabirria and dipping sauce. - Grocery Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

Solid place. Went in this afternoon. Authentic goodness Jumbo margarita hit the spot. I got the quesobirra tacos Daughters got arroz con pollo. She said best ever. My oldest got the flautas and she liked them. We hit up the store afterwards. Good afternoon in IC! read more

We were a little taken back when we arrived. After reading the reviews and looking at the menu, we were expecting a more traditional restaurant setting. This restaurant is more of a lunch, order at the counter, type setting (even though we were able to order from the table). The food was interesting, but a little disappointing. It very well may be more "real" Mexican food than I am used to. It wasn't bad, it just was different and lacked the rich flavors I like in good Mexican food. The service was great. There is virtually no ambiance, sort of like a school cafeteria. read more

Best Mexican food in Iowa! Run there. Barbacoa, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Fish, and Birria tacos are excellent! We gambled and stopped here on our last day in Iowa because we've had terrible Mexican food in Iowa, but La Mexicana's food would fit right in with our Mexican spots at home in California read more

Cute very clean little restaurant with a grocery store connected to it. Employees were so friendly. We arrived at 730 and were afraid we'd be too late, as they closed at 8. No problem for them. Fresh Ingredients and really good guac. Very fair prices. We had a big burrito and a mushroom and chicken quesadilla and could only eat half so had plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. We would definitely go here again when we visit Iowa City. read more

As someone who grew up as a Mexican and eaten it all my life and tried all taco spots in iowa city that this place is the one. Tequila that's only sold there that's made locally was the best and from Mexico so best believe it's goes down like water Food is as Mexican as it can get aka top notch tasty stuff Love to support Mexican owned places especially if it's a family who opened it. Can't wait to try everything Also they give free refills a lot of the times for margaritas so they know how to treat you well with food and drinks. No place does this like la mexicana read more

Man , the food here was sooooo good. I am visiting here from Georgia and I can honestly still say this is one of the BEST Mexican restaurants I've been. The people who work here are so kind. I'm most definitely going to make sure I make a couple trips back here before leaving for the south read more

Out on a bike ride, 4 of us wanted to get Mexican food so we looked on Yelp & decided to stop by LaMexcana on the way home. We all agreed- Seriously, SOME OF THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD we have eaten!!! Prices were great, Jose (our server) was personable and efficient & the time it took to get our meal was fast with Awesome food - Great Experience!!!! read more

HO-LY COW Man these tacos slap!! My visit to la mexicana was the best day of my life. My spirits were so lifted due to the kind hospitality and electric energy. And then did karaoke!! I also bought a bottle of tequila at their grocery store. Wow. Strong drinks. Strong vibes. read more