Monterrey has your typical Mexican restaurant menu, but the service and a few of the dishes make it above average. The chicken tortilla soup is beloved by many people I know, and is served in extremely ample portions. The margaritas are nice - not too sweet. Further, the service is competent and friendly, as well as lightning fast; expect your meal practically immediately. In all other regards, Monterrey is run of the mill. The shrimp fajitas are exactly the same as every other standard Mexican restaurant in the area; the chips and salsa could easily be from El Aguila Real or El Rodeo. It may not be a walk on the wild side, but the food is inexpensive and decent. read more

Excellent Mexican food! My local place is only slightly better (I'm probably just partial to it) but we love to eat here when in the area. The chicken chimichangas are very good, sometimes the tortillas are fried to a bit too brown for my liking. Good salsa, chips are always slightly overcooked. My son gets his favorite soft shell beef taco with no lettuce, perfect. My favorite is the chicken fajita quesadilla, so yummy! And huge! I can never eat the whole thing. Beans and rice are also very good. Decent atmosphere, bright colors, well-lit. Probably better suited to Saturday afternoon lunch vs. Saturday night date. read more

We always receive great food and amazing service at a reasonable price They have great vegetarian options as well!

Better than average. Good hot food and service is nice. About standard fare for the building.

I slid in 30 minutes before closing and the general consensus seemed to be "well, you know we close soon" which was kind of a buzz-kill, but no matter. Once seated, I went for it. Besides the rush job on service, margaritas were decent and the Choripollo I ordered was very tasty. Minus one star for even questioning if I could finish a 48 ounce marg before they closed. Don't these guys know who I am? Price was awesome - atmosphere sweet for a strip mall joint. I'd come back - during dinner hour. Heh. read more

First experience here. We quickly got in and seated. Host and server are your typical for a Mexican restaurant (say as little as possible, no fluff). Ordered a margarita that showed up 2 seconds later. That was a tip off that it was very cheap and had very little alcohol in it. Chips quickly showed up after - not fresh. Ordered some guac. I thought it was lacking in cilantro and lime but my spouse thought it was "crack" so to each there own for guac snobs. I ordered the chicken fajita burrito. It was great! The rice was fresh and moist. They put the salad on your plate with the burrito which makes it easier to add some to each bite. My spouse ordered the Monterray steak Burrito. He raved that it was good. I loved that it made use of 3 sauces and not just covered in cheese sauce. The restaurant was comfortable but loses a point for cleanliness and maintenance. Checkout was a little weird and never got a receipt, but I think the gal wasn't familiar with that role. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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Food is always excellent, as we have experienced for over 15 years. Service is fast, efficient and perhaps a little 'too friendly'. Our waiter, CEZAR, telling my wife she is beautiful is always appreciated and, after all, who doesn't mind a genuine compliment. CEZAR TRYING TO SLIP MY WIFE HIS PHONE NUMBER while she is waiting with our daughter and I AM IN THE MENS ROOM is probably not part of managements customer service policy. Seriously guys, give him a refresher...LOL read more

If you're driving through this area looking to grab a bite, KEEP DRIVING!! I'm bothering to write this review because it is that bad and don't wish this experience on anybody! I give it one star because the service was fast...wait...on hindsight, probably that was the first sign!!! Chips and salsa were OK but everything went down hill from there. I had the Fajita Burrito...the cheese sauce tasted and looked like melted pasteurized slices of swiss cheese, the "Mexican rice" YUK!!! ... you know what? I'm not saying anymore ... not worth my time!! even the sign looks like 2 cactus trees giving you the middle finger!! read more

Discovered this treasure of food and servers about a month ago - WOW!! We love the food and it is now one of our "regular" spots to have lunch or dinner! The tamales are amazing and the hawaian fajitas are spectacular! The servers are speedy quick, super nice, and the resturant is immaculate! I really enjoy going to this place and the price doesn't kill my wallet - go ahead try it, you will be impressed! read more

The service here was very quick. Booth was comfortable, restaurant full of families, waiters singing to celebrate birthdays. Well-lighted, friendly place. Kind of bland food, but served hot and quick. read more

The food is phenomenal. I only take stars off because this was a favorite of mine to bring dates to and almost every time the wait staff would try hitting on my girl right in front of me! That would actually lead to more conversation and laughs so I added a star. I recommend the chimichangas and chile renellos. read more

Very good salsa, cheese dip was small but had good spices. I had two burritos, both had good flavor. Covered them in a side order of beans. My wife had the shrimp fajitas, said they were good. Both pretty cheap. read more

Cheap, salty, cheesy goodness! Extremely fast, friendly service too.

A good place. What it advertises to be. The Guadalajara Special is a delicious combination of chicken and shrimp. Their regular margaritas are decent---not heavy, not light--pretty much standard mix stuff, but good. Been a favorite of my wife and I. read more

Food poisoning for half of our family, won't go again. We used to go here a lot but seems to have went downhill. A side of food poisening did not help. read more

Fast cheap friendly service with mediocre belly filler food. Drinks were also cheap with $3 beer and various sizes and prices of margaritas. Everything was super fast and food got to table fast. Free chips and salsa. Colorful decor but seemed geared to familes read more

The food was good, not great. The cheese sauce was thin. The enchiladas were good. The salsa was okay. The service was good, not great (they were extremely busy). Good value; not as cheap as hoped, but very acceptable. We're still looking for a mexican restaurant in the West Des Moines IA area comparable to El Rancherito in Quincy IL. read more

The service here is okay and the staff is friendly. They have warm tortilla chips, good (mild) salsa and very good guacamole. The beef enchiladas are a different story. I had to spoon about half a bowl of salsa on them to give them any flavor. They are like plain ground beef in a tortilla covered with plain tomato sauce. This is not my first choice for Mexican food in the Des Moines area. read more

my all time favorite mexican restaurant in des moines. margaritas always on point, awesome service, & awesome carne asada tacos.

Order the fajita burrito beef or chicken. You will never want to order anything else. Even their rice is delish and I don't normally touch spanish rice. Skip the margaritas, if you need alcohol order a beer. read more

For the past five years, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has found roaches at Monterrey. The restaurant is given a week for pest control and if they are gone after a week, allowed to continue to operate. Apparently it doesn't matter that the problem reoccurs right afterwards. BEWARE OF ROACHES -- read the most recent report yourself at dia.iowa.gov/food/controller.aspx?cmd=viewInspection&t=634135053240000000&i=SPLATT&eid=RS00-0066715 Also if you think this is authentic, you're clueless. The only thing we ordered that was remotely fresh was the salsa. Good Mexican is all about fresh -- cilantro, lime, onions, peppers. There was none of that here. The result is food that is amazingly bland, and oddly watery. Long story short -- Monterrey is a "Kitchen Nightmares" episode waiting to happen, roaches and all. read more

Second time in the past 3 months that I have been to Monterrey and had a cockroach literally crawl across my table. The first time when I brought this to the manager's attention, he insisted that they did not have bugs in their restaraunt that someone must have brought it in with them. The second time, it literally walked right between my guest and I as we were eating our meal, so this time I captured it alive and took it up in a napkin. I would not recommend it. Also, the food is not prepared fresh for those of you who feel it is, it is prepped in the morning, and heated on the "hot plates" for you. Why do you think you receive your food so quickly after ordering? Want to try some more authenticate Mexican? Try somewhere like Raul's Mexican Restaraunt where the kitchen is open for viewing and you can watch your food be prepared, not just heated up. read more

Food was okay, lunch combos are affordable, my 2 taco and burrito to-go combo was missing the burrito. I didn't complain because I was so busy at work. I didn't have time to call and go back to pick up my missing burrito. Came here on business. read more

Super friendly staff and quick service! Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants in town.

We used to go to Monterrey all the time and really enjoyed it but our last visit left a really bad taste. We got there and our waiter was fantastic. Ordered guacamole to go with the chips and salsa. The salsa was really blah as was the guacamole. I ordered the Grilled shrimp in ranchero sauce which was ok-not very kicky but since I like things spicy I can't fault that. Unfortunately my hubby's quesadilla was a wreck. When he picked it up liquid just poured out of it and it was super soggy. The manager came around to check on us and we mentioned it to him. He offered to replace it (which hubby declined.) No apology or anything but whatever-he did offer a replacement. But after that-we never saw our waiter again. No drink refills, no check back to see how we were doing, nothing. The manager dropped the bill off and got me a box that I requested. It was just really awkward-we were always nice to our server and to the manager so there was no reason for the vanishing act. That more than anything really ruined it for us-I have to say we won't be back. read more

I went here for dinner for a friend's birthday, and having been here before, I expected things to be what I remembered from previous decent visits. At least my peach margarita was good. I felt our server was inattentive and treated our table like an afterthought. He forgot to put my order in at all, so as my friends had all received and nearly finished their food, I was just getting mine after a busser realized that I didn't have any food. When I finally got my shrimp chimichanga, I was hesitant to eat it because in my head, the shrimp appeared undercooked. I shook it off, as I was hungry and my friends were now waiting on me to finish my meal. I should have trusted my instincts, as I believe I now have food poisoning. One of my friends also found a stem from a pepper in her food and didn't finish her meal. I've been here in the past, and I'm hoping this was a fluke because I've enjoyed their food in the past. read more

This restaurant is Incredible! It is located by Toys R Us (at least that's how my family remembers the location) and is in a strip mall, so it's pretty easy for us to find. The appearance on the outside is very average surprisingly, but once you walk inside, it's like you were teleported to Mexico! There was Mexican music playing, and lots of Mexican decorations. The lighting was perfect, not too dark and not too bright. This restaurant reminds me of when we had the restaurant unit in Spanish, I was sort of able to understand what they were saying (I'm not fluent yet). The food selection was pretty large, but not too large. The menu is divided into several categories, Steak, chicken, beverages, dessert, etc. There were also chips and salsa passed out to us while we were choosing our order, and boy they were good. It was hard for me to choose what to eat, but not because it didn't look good, but because I didn't know when we would be back to try something else! I ended up ordering two steak quesadillas and they were delicious! The service was great. We ordered our food and it was out quickly after that. Overall this is an amazing restaurant, good Mexican atmosphere, good service, and most importantly, great food! read more

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in Des Moines! Service is fast and friendly. Great happy hour during the week. Beers are huge! Guac and salsa are yummy. Go for a birthday and they will sing to you. It's fun! read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant is "muy bueno". The food is very authentic and delicious. Almost right as you sit down, you have chips and salsa and not even ten minutes after you order, you have your food. Service is quick, yet quality. The menu has a large variety of choices, including burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, and all of these have lots fillings, such as beef, chicken, or even shrimp. It tastes wonderful! I felt like I was eating on a Mexican street because the food is so authentic and the restaurant's walls are painted to look like Mexican-style buildings. This is a family-friendly establishment. I would bring friends, family, and even dates there. This is one of my favorite restaurants. read more

Quick & tasty dinner, fajita burrito is my favorite. The food is hot & is served pretty quickly, never a long wait. The guys are friendly & refills are never a problem. Prices are pretty competitive I think, but I guess I should ask my husband about that since he pays. read more

Pretty good. They decorations and music were very nice, and made it feel like you were really in Mexico.The Mexican folklore painted on the back of booths was also a nice touch. The waiters were all super nice and quick. The food was really good and authentic (especially the salsa). There was more than enough to eat. I will be going there again read more

Ok.... so let me start by saying we come here a lot. We love the food and have never had a problem till today. Today our server spilled a whole glass of water on my husbands lap. The water wasn't cleaned off the floor till I asked for it to be cause it's a hazard and ultimately the water was just moved around with a mop and no hazard sign put up. Someone could have owned that place if they had fallen. Being a server for 10 years I know if I spill something on someone I get a manager... well we were told they don't have one today. So at check out when I assumed maybe our cheese dip would be comped atleast since my husband had to sit covered in ice water the whole time.... nothing was comped and when I asked for a discount considering what happened no one could do anything cause they weren't managers. You have lost a customer due to your lack of customer service. Don't worry we told them we wouldn't be back and he replied thank you see you next time. read more

Classic family owned, traditional, authentic Mexican food, very well cooked, very quickly served. Maybe the best fresh salsa I've ever had: a great balance of onion, tomato and cilantro. Highly recommended. I haven't found a bad dish in years of going there regularly. read more

A fine Mexican Restaurant for the family; is it the best? no...but great prices and service! If you want great Tacos, mine are the best!

It was rather easy to find. In the middle of a group of buildings. It had a nice sign to see, big. It looks small on the outside but it could fit probably 100 people, maybe more. I got to enjoy the meal with my family. It was a very nice meal. The service was very nice and fast. We spent maybe 45 minutes there enjoying our meal. I tried the enchilada. I had plain cheese enchilada. With beans and rice on the side. They had nice flavorful rice with carrots and peas. their beans were also very lovely. There menu was nice I was able to find what i was looking for without having to ask anyone. It was also a very pretty menu to look through. There ambiance was nicely lit. It wasn't to dark or to bright it was nicely lit. I would recommend this to anyone to like american Mexican food it didn't feel like genuine Mexican food but I would know. I don't think I would go back on my own just because I'm not quite a Mexican food eater I might if I'm really having a hankering for Mexican. read more