I ordered dinner for delivery and all I received was chips. None of the other items ordered or even salsa for the chips. Worst part though, no refund or new order sent. I don't care if your food is good if we do not get it. I will never eat there again and I will make sure no one I know does either. read more

Really disappointed with the service. The waitress took a really long time to take our order and when our food came out, it was wrong. They did fix it but she acted really rude. Didn't come back to check on us. The cashier didn't acknowledge us. No hello or nothing. Overall a poor experience. read more

Caught lunch at Los Laureles the other day and it was fantastic. We came after the lunch rush so the place wasn't overly crowded. The service was great, the food was great, and I'm in love with the guacamole. So many places smother their stuff in cheese and you can't taste anything-no an issue here-my Taco Fajitas were flavorful and delicious. The serving was enough that I ended up taking half of it home and eating it for supper that night (and it was just as good then. :-) Edited 2015 to add: We've gone to Los Laureles many, many times since that first trip and have never been disappointed-it's our favorite Mexican place and one of the few places I'll drive across town for. read more

I came here for a school project, and the staff was more than willing to help me out. My waitress was very kind and interested in helping me. She pointed out some of the most authentic items on the menu which were helpful for my project. The service was excellent, and it didn't take long to receive my food. The food tasted very fresh, and it was some of the best Mexican food in town. I will definitely be coming back! read more

So I have been on a quest to find a local restaurant that has amazing chorizo, and by golly I found it! Based on you amazing Yelpers out there I stumbled upon Los Laureles over on the east side of Des Moines. Low and behold it was on my way home from work so I decided to give it a go! I didn't call ahead to order so I just stopped in to get a takeout order and I quickly looked at the menu knowing sure well that I would probably get the chorizo tacos with a side of rice and beans. And of course I had to get the famous green sauce that everyone raves about on here. I waited for around ten minutes and sped home so I could dig in. The tacos were absolutely amazing! Topped with cilantro and onion (the authentic way of topping tacos) and soft and warm corn tortillas held the "seasoned just right" chorizo meat. The rice and beans were generous portions and both tasted truly authentic and fresh. The famous "green sauce" was a nice surprise as I was assuming it was going to be your traditional salsa verde. it had a unique flavor that truly fit perfectly with the spices of the taco and it was so tasty I poured it all over the rice! Four stars because the food was overall great. The only things I found I didn't care for too much was that the menu didn't have any combos that I saw for tacos and rice and beans, so I had to order each item a la carte. The verdict is I definitely will be back to Los Laureles and if you are in the neighborhood looking for a late night snack or just great Mexican food look no further. read more

The service was unbelievable! The staff made accommodations for our group out on the patio. Cynthia, Marilú and Maricruz are amazing servers and they were friendly, attentive and made sure we were taken care of. The food here was also amazing!! Chips and salsa were served as soon as we sat down, drinks and food ordered and served in timely manner. This is one of our new favorite spots to come to! $2 tacos and a broad menu of mouth watering entrees to choose from! read more

This was my first visit. I wanted authentic Mexican food, not something that was passed as authentic. My husband & I walked in & knew instantly we would like it here. We were greeted imediately & seated. The waitress was pleasant, & took our orders in a timely manner. Food came out exactly how we ordered it & tasted AMAZING. We were so impressed with the service, food & atmosphere that we will definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys real Mexican food read more

The Judge likes Los Laureles! This is a great place for real Mexican food. Nice building and vibe. Staff all work together as servers. It is odd at first. But actually works really well. The green avocado salsa is out of this world. Everything is very affordable and very good. Favorites are the tacos. All flavors rock. Love the tostadas as well. Chips are great! Margarita's are great. So many great items. The Judge has yet to try them all! You can also purchase salsa to take home! When you are done and ready. Just head up to the cash register! JUDGEMENT: Go try this place soon as you can! Then you can be the judge! Highly recomended by JD! read more

Good food. We came at a strange hour so service was a tad slow. Not horrible though. No towels in bathroom made for an uncomfortable experience. I love pastor tacos and that's what I chose. Hubs and I used to come here when we were first dating so it was nice to bring our kids here for the first time. Our friend got sizzling shrimp enchiladas and I snuck a piece. Very good. We all enjoyed our food immensely! read more

When we arrived the place was busy, we thought about leaving but they seated us quickly. We ordered drinks and food right away. I had a tostada and tamale. My friend had enchiladas with Monterrey sauce. Everything was delicious. The service was a little slow but they were pretty busy when we were there. But considering how good the food is I would recommend this place. read more

Waitress Was Really Rude, DIDNT Listen At All Food Was Nasty And So Was The Drinks. I'd rather eat from the taco truck before I go back there!! read more

I ordered a gorditas to find out that they don't even serve gorditas. It has cute interior but the food just doesn't live up to it.

I would come here again in a pinch but I can't imagine how that would ever happen other than that this place is often open until 3am. When we entered and went to the front desk we were surprisingly ignored for a couple of minutes. Finally the right person emerged and was friendly as she escorted us to the table. Fortunately the chips and salsa were quite good! I ordered a side of queso as is typical for me and was disappointed with the very small sized bowl dokie the $2.99 price tag. I ordered a combo plate with mushroom quesadilla and a flauta that comes with rice and beans. The quesadilla was very small and overly greasy but tasted okay. The flauta was disappointing and the rice and beans were average. My Husband ordered the loco burrito which is advertised as spicy - AND IT WAS. He actually could only take a few bites of it but I can't hold that against them! The place deemed like it could be more clean and in the women's restroom the toilets are in bad shape. The most upsetting aspect of our visit was the EXTREMELY potent cleaning solution they began using to clean the floors near where we were eating. It completely overwhelmed us so I could not finish my food and meet eyes were burning. We're couldn't leave fast enough. One really cool thing that isn't really related to the restaurant is on the wall opposite the building there is a stunning mural. The whole thing is awesome but there's also a painted, lifesize man to one sized that I truly thought read a real person. Fantastic artwork! read more

The Chile rellanos (sp?) are amazing. The hot salsa is sooo good. The avocado salsa is also very tasty. The service is mediocre and the parking is not great, but the food more than makes up for it! read more

Pretty authentic for Des Moines. Located in a hispanic neighborhood, kinda obscure looking. They slide three different salsas your way with your meal. A verde salsa, a chipolte salsa, and some sort of puree avocado. Delicious. read more

Food was pretty good, as well as the service. Sat for awhile though, waiting for our check, they need to let you know you pay up front when you are done. read more

The best authentic Mexican food I have had outside of southwest Detroit.

I have been here a couple of times. The tacos are awesome, they remind me of tacos from Los Angeles...greasy and packed with flavor. The three salsas that they bring out are good, it's kinda like they give you a tour around Mexico with the three different flavors. The seafood isn't all that yet....but the tortas are extra good! I can't wait to try the Chile Relleno, flautas, chilaquiles, and caldo de res, I just can't wait, really I can't! The only bad thing I have to say is about the soda refills is that there is none. You have to buy one pop can at a time. Not that big of a deal when everything is cheap. Thumbs up! read more

I'm always on the hunt for new authentic Mexican restaurants whether it be a taco truck or a sit down restaurant and this was definitely more authentic than many you will find in Iowa. Salsas were fairly tasty, but the chips were not great. I had a steak torta and it was very good. Avacado is extra however, which is a bit unusual with a torta. The tacos looked good from what i saw (street style tacos). The service was good. Overall, i would definitely return. read more

This place is awesome! The sizzling shrimp enchiladas were great. Well worth trying!!! Staff was fast and food was great!! read more

Los Laureles - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

A nice change of pace from your typical strip mall Mexican restaurant! While a lot of the menu choices are the same - the food here is fresh, authentic, homemade and so much more flavorful. Clean restaurant, friendly service, reasonable prices. I agree with other reviewers that the chips are stale which is too bad because the salsa is wonderful - and that's the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 - also the lack of parking. read more

Consistently good food, great atmosphere and yummy margaritas. Tacos and the tostadas de camarón are the best!

This was one of my favorite spots but I was really disappointed last night. The margaritas were great and the waitresses were welcoming. I first noticed the entry had changed and they only brought out a regular salsa with the chips and no green chile salsa. So this makes me think the restaurant is under new ownership maybe? The cheese dip was runny and flavorless and the oysters were spoiled. The ribeye was not a ribeye and burnt. Our rice and all the food was lacking flavor. The worst thing was definitely the music. Was not something you could enjoy a meal too. It was like techno Mexican rap. I think a teen servers friends were controlling the music. read more

The food was good, but the service was poor. We never did get our check, we had to go up and ask for it. And then they didnt give it to us or let us look at it, just told us the price. We asked for what was on tap, but then was brought a can of beer. It was overall ok, but we wouldn't go back. For mexican we still prefer El Rodeo. read more

We use to eat Mexican food about 3-4 times a week when I was growing up. I love this place! One of the better ones in Des Moines.

Great food and AWESOME margaritas! Quick, friendly service and GREAT for late-night food! Nothing fancy, but they know what's important - food and service! Mmmm!! read more

San Diegian style tacos in Des Moines - whodda thunk? I've only ate there once and got tacos to go, but they were great!!! I can't wait to go back with friends for more. read more

Wow..... Great tamels!!! In hispanic part of town. nice covered outdoor seating.

Splitting checks is a splitting headache for them. Ordered the flautas but not the side of flatulence I got with it. One star. I'll be back. read more

Opened till 3am friday nights!! Southern California native approves of the tacos here! :)

Great AUTHENTIC Mexican food! A nice change from the basic greasy taco you get other places! Friendly and prompt service. Would recommend the pastor or chorizo tortas - quite tasty! A definite stop if you are in the area! read more

Great food. Great service. Decent prices. Drinks are expensive and no free refills. Theyve been open for more than ten years, do great business yet still havent opted for a fountain. But the food makes up for it. Best burritos in town. Only six bucks and theyre huge. Also, open late so you cant complain. Authentic mexican stable in DSM. read more

Review stars based on what this place is, a neighborhood Mexican restaurant. There are lots of different styles of Mexican food. There are also many Mexican restaurants in the metro area. This is one of the better ones. The food is good, very inexpensive, and the menu is varied. A Mexican friend told me that their food was just like his mother used to make. The friend is actually a pretty good cook too, so that was quite a compliment. It is very authentic, but I don't remember which provence it represents. Some of the servers don't speak the most fluent English, but enough to do the job. I like that in a Mexican restaurant. Try the Mexican soda pop or beer with your meal, too. read more

Authentic Mexican food and very friendly service. I had the shrimp enchilada and they were outstanding. I eat a lot of Mexican food and I am not fooled by all the generic restaurants that are out there. This is really good! read more

Straight fuego Awesome food how can you hate legit Mexican food. I say grab some queso with the chips they give out.

Great choice for Mexican in Des Moines! Awesome service and authentic Mexican including seafood dishes!

This Mexican restaurant is amazing! It's a good sized place that's seat yourself. They have a lot of seafood options on their menu that smelled delicious upon walking in, but I ordered the steak burrito and it left little to be desired. I also got the special margaritas which contained more tequila than the regular ones and were equally satisfying. The service was on point as well. I loved the authenticity of this place and will certainly be returning! read more

We live nearby and this is one of our regular haunts. Unlike many Mexican places, the beans and rice are not just mush, which is a good indicator of the rest of their food. My husband loves their salsa verde that comes out with the chips, my daughter loves the queso dip. Margaritas are good, and we've always enjoyed our food. They have some of everything on their menu from the basic to the more adventurous. read more

A nice Mexican food option. Good tamales. I don't know what the green salsa was, but it was tasty and spicy!

Their food is very good(especially the tacos). You MUST try their green sauce with a bit of the red and some pico de gallo on your tacos. The only problem is getting there in time to get some flan. When they have flan it is terrific. read more

Los Laureles - Best Tacos in Des Moines - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa