What a great find here in Johnston! We were looking for some mexican food and didn't feel like driving to Ankeny for our usual spot. On a whim we tried Nuevo, and were really happy we did. Don't let the modest facade or the location (a strip mall behind a gas station) fool you, this place is the real deal. We were greeted at the door and were seated in a booth right away, but there's also a patio with some nice shade if you want to eat outside. The service was prompt, and the meal was about the right pace. Our food was awesome, especially the Tacos al Carbon. I would definitely order this again. Our son really enjoyed the chicken quesadillas, but not as much as the free ice cream dessert that everyone received at the end of the meal - it was great surprise. Overall, this family run restaurant really exceed my expectations, we can't wait to eat here again. read more

Nuevo México - The tacos al carbon are awesome. - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

If you live in Johnston and don't love Plaza Mexico (now Nuevo Mexico), you're missing out! Honestly, I've tried a lot of Mexican places in both Iowa and Minnesota and this place is still my favorite. They changed management a few years ago but kept a lot of the same staff and same favorites that make this place amazing. The menu is extensive but not overwhelming, and avoids the common problem of everything seeming the same. Their specials are unique and they offer everything from tacos to seafood entrees. I've never had anything I didn't love here. The chips and salsa are ACTUALLY free unlimited refills (with no judgments passed), and I always get their cheese dip--it's delish! Their servings are MASSIVE. Served with great presentation on a large round white plate, it's chow time. You can get a great meal (and take half home for leftovers) for lunch special prices of $6-$9 and dinner entrees from $9-$12! I personally love the street tacos, tacos al carbon, and chicken enchiladas. Their ingredients are fresh and steak is amazing! Finally, they end your meal with free sopas (ice cream on a crispy dessert chip drizzled with chocolate sauce, honey, and cinnamon)! This place never disappoints and is a staple in the neighborhood. read more

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(My review is based on food only as I ordered take out) I'm very very confused about the other reviews stating this is the best there is. Completely dumbfounded. I'm not a hard person to please, especially when I comes to Mexican food. But in all honesty this is the most unimpressed I've been with Mexican cuisine in a long time. Let me explain: I called and placed the order as I was pulling up to the Restaurant. Didn't take long at all to get my enchilada and chili relleno to go. I only live a mile from the restuarant do 10 min tops their kitchen to my table. It came in a reinforced paper platter with another stapled on top as a lid. At first glance, it looked great! I was excited because it had been awhile since I had a chili relleno. And then the disappointment ensued. Upon first bite, egg, egg, EGG and more egg! This was not a light egg breading. It was an omelette. (See pics) And the chili didn't make up for anything, it had no flavor. It almost didn't even taste like a chili. It was definitely boiled/steamed, not roasted. There was no cheese inside of the chili, which could be just recipe variation but the egg was covered in fake waxy white cheese (the off brand white shredded cheese you buy that's a "mix" but mostly mozzarella because it's cheap). And then I went over to my beef enchilada. It was meh, it's hard to mess up an enchilada. No flavor and again waxy shredded cheese isn't a compliment! It throws off the flavor rather than bringing everything together. Guac was meh, salsa was meh no real complaints but nothing to talk about. It's cheap but there are other places within a couple miles that are way more worth your time and money, imo ‍ read more

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My husband and I drive by this corner all the time and happened to notice the sign for this restaurant. We decided to try it and were glad we did! The al pastor tacos were bigger than I'm used to and only had one shell and fell apart. But they were yummy. We will definitely come back. read more

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Tucked in just off 86th street and behind the Kum & Go in a little strip mall is this Mexican restaurant. We stopped in to try them out on a week night. They weren't terribly busy. The host sat us just on the other side of the host table and the waiter was pretty prompt . The chips at the table were warm but stale. We got drinks and our orders in. They have weekly specials written on a board as you come in the door. I thought that it would take a little bit but the food came out almost immediately. The food was hot and I had gotten a chimichanga. It was good. We both enjoyed our meals. We didn't get a refill of our drinks unfortunately and when we got the bill I stood at the host bar , which is in the middle of everything. for about 5 minutes before getting acknowledged. That did put a damper on my impression of things and the food wasn't overly awesome. I am not sure if we will make the trip back. read more

Nuevo México - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

The burrito jalisco was delicious. Guacamole was also great. And the free fried ice-cream was a nice surprise. Great prices. Margarita was well made. Our server was very nice. As aas our waitress. They checked on us enough so we were taken care offf but not enough to be annoyed. Definitely will go back, hopefully next time they have Blue Moon. But regardless, if you haven't been here, go. If you have, go again. Worth it. read more

Nuevo México - Burrito Jalisco - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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It was a nice place quite on a week night when we stopped in. Nothing fancy about the place just your general American-Mexican food here. All the menu looked similer as to most places as the staples to eat. They also had a large selection of speciality items to eat. I would recommend looking into the speciality items. Service was ok as the few waiters seemed to streached thin working many tables at once. read more

Nuevo México - Part of the menu not in including the specialties. - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

I typically try my hardest to find a positive twist to anything however even after sleeping on it I still can't write a good review of this place! We arrived around 1 pm and was pleased to see they offer a lunch menu into 3, much longer than most places, but I'm assuming this is due to the slow service. When we arrived there were people at a couple tables but mostly pretty dead. We were seated and then left waiting for about 5 minutes before the waitress arrived to take our drink orders. We gave them then she ran away before we could give our food order...there we sat for another 7 minutes!!! We were brought our drinks and the standard chips and salsa. Chips was fresh but Salsa tasted like water down tomatoes (no flavor). After a few minutes someone else brought our food. I ordered a taco salad and spouse ordered steak fajitas. The spouse said his steak had decent flavor but few steak pieces were present mainly had green peppers and onions. His came with a side of rice, beans, sour cream and Pico de gallo. My taco salad was a shell, loaded with shredded cheese and hamburger (must say didn't taste like there was one spice on it) and a little cheese. I stole the spouses pico de gallo and onions to attempt to my salad some flavor. read more

Nuevo México - Taco salad and lunch steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Love eating lunch here. Authentic Mexican, well cooked, great serving sizes and fantastic staff. read more

Nuevo México - Great shrimp salad. To die for. JK. It gets ooohhs n aahhhs from your friends - Mexican Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

One of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Friendly staff and a menu that is way more diverse than your run of the mill restaurant. Food hasoutstanding. read more

Lots of good options to choose from, great portions and nice service provided. By the end of the meal they give you a free scoop of a creamy ice cream with cinnamon, really good! read more

The food and service here is awesome!! Highly recommend for you to check them out. Drinks are very good too. You won't be disappointed!!

Great friendly service. Chips and salsa were served prior to ordering. Food was served quickly as we were on lunch schedule. Ice cream was an added treated. read more

This restaurant is GREAT, it reminds me of my high school food. Can't wait for next time

I had heard great things about this place, so when we were in the area I was excited to try it out. However, I was not that satisfied. We went around 3:00 on a weekday afternoon. When we got there we were the only table at the restaurant. The drinks came quickly, as did the chips and salsa. We needed time to look over the menu. Our waitress, however, made us feel very rushed in deciding. She was asking us to order every minute. Finally we just ordered. When we had questions or a request about our meals, she was very rough with answering and almost made us feel like we were stupid. The food came out in a decent amount of time. The menu stated that our meals all came with rice and beans on the side but one person at our table did not get them. When asked for them, the waitress refused to give them to us because one of the items already had beans inside. After that, our waitress did not come back to our table for a long time, even though she was helping a table that came in after us. We had to search her out for refills, and she would never refill one certain person's drink at our table- the one who asked for the rice and beans. Towards the end of our meal, the waitress and another employee were standing and talking. She was looking at us and then walked by our table and scoffed at us and said something in Spanish. She was just very rude. The food was not the best. It had a slightly odd taste. The best part was the cinnamon ice cream crisp we got for dessert. Like I said, I had heard great things about this restaurant. However, I do not plan on returning anytime soon. read more

The service was awful and our waitress seemed very unfriendly. Although our food came out fast, I'd say it came out too fast. It came out 5 minutes after we ordered, which makes me wonder how they prepare it. It was also very bland with not much flavor. We will NOT be going back here. read more

Best Mexican food there is, the polo loco is outstanding, great service, the food is always great never had a bad meal, after we eat they give us ice cream with great toppings on it, my wife loves this Mexican restaurant as well!! read more

Great Place. Extensive menu. Reasonably priced. Great food for the whole family. It's a big place as well so never really have any problem getting seated. Even on the weekends! read more

The service is iffy. Let's just say be prepared to ask for anything you want. And if it seems like they're trying to rush you out the door, it may just be certain members of the staff and not you. Their Chile rellenos are pretty good and unique. Their seafood fajitas are special with a whole tilapia filet but cancelled out a bit by the overcooked, rubbery, tiny scallops. I wouldn't recommend the tacos as anything special but they're a good size. And they have consistently offered a bit of ice cream tortilla dessert for many years. read more

Great place to bring your family. Food was fresh and delicious. Margaritas hit the spot.Service was spot on.

This is your typical Mexican place - tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. I like the food there, but am rating average because it doesn't stand out. The service is really fast and attentive. You can be in and out quite quickly if that's what you want. They give you a complimentary small dessert (scoop of ice cream on a fried sweet tortilla chip), which is a nice benefit. read more

It took us longer to get a server than to receive our food. I never saw a smile, it took 3 tries to get a beer. I am pretty sure they only had 2 servers on for the whole restaurant. I saw about 5 tables with the same server wait about 20 minutes for their check and then another 10 to pay it, because they didn't have a host and they had at least 15 people at the door.. Idk if this is just me because I have been serving for 8 years so I know what to look for, but I don't think I am the only unhappy customer. read more

A tad below average which is sad as I really wanted to like it more since it is so close to is. The street tacos were good first visit then not as good second. I truly long for authentic Mexican food. Please help us get that in DM. read more

Favorite enchiladas suizas!! Very friendly staff! Great place. They are always helpful.

First time here, loved it. Fast friendly service here now for 1.5 hrs and still haven't received check. We were starting to leave about 45 min into being here because the food and drink was taking so long but just as we started to get up the food arrived. Food was decent . Service sucked. Won't be back read more

Amazing Mexican food and the best salsa I've had a restaurant. Staff is great and very clean place. Best part is the low prices for amazing food! read more

Wonderful food, drinks, and service. Delicious authentic Mexican food made fresh! Love this place and highly recommend!

Everything is always great and the service fast/friendly. Kid friendly too! A good place to have a meal with friends, family or when your in a hurry. The California Burrito is a family favorite. read more