I've gotten a few different types of tacos from here and the pupusas. The food is really great, and it's a great value if you're budget conscious. The space is a bit cramped, but the interior is nice and people are friendly. If you're downtown or along University Ave, definitely get your taco fix here. The only thing that prevents this from being a five star place is how slow and sometimes unattentive things are. When I've eaten in (and admittedly it was on the weekend) wait time is really long and when I've taken out, sometimes you don't get someone on the line and when I've gotten in on one occasion they forgot about my order. While the wait can be frustrating, the food's worth it, especially at this price point. read more

We went to Mariana's two times in two days before we left town. It's incredible. The guacamole is unique and delicious. The tacos are incredibly authentic, and I would recommend trying them with the Mexican cheese. I had the adobada and that's what the photo is of. I will most definitely be going back here again, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants some authentic Mexican. read more

Tacos Mariana's - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

For years this has been my go-to spot for authentic Mexican food. The tacos are amazing. The corn tortillas that they use are small and delicate but yet somehow maintain their shape. While all of their tacos are delicious, their chicken tacos are the most unique I have ever had. They are full of tender roasted chicken that tastes like it's been marinated in herbs and red chillies for hours. It is topped with shredded cabbage and a cheese that is the consistency of Parmesan cheese, but tastes a lot more mild with a touch of salt. The tacos come with sliced radish and a wedge of lime, but the chicken tacos definitely do not need the tanginess of the lime. Their salsa has a roasted chili flavor and enough heat to make your nose run if you put it on too heavy, but not so bad that a couple drops on the taco is unbearable. They have varied menu items and I have yet to have a bad meal there. Service is always friendly, and because it is a neighborhood spot it is rare that you go without seeing someone you know. It is definitely a hidden gem. read more

Tacos Mariana's - Chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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You guys, this is the spot to go. A bit of a hole in the wall, Tacos Mariana's is worth venturing off the beaten path to visit. First, don't miss the guacamole. The first time we got it, the fresh cucumbers made me wonder what was going on. Now, I'm a believer. Hands down the best guacamole. The rest of the menu doesn't disappoint, either. There are plenty of options for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, and all are generous in size. We regularly switch up what we order but have never been disappointed. While there aren't margaritas, the beer and Jarritos are fine by me. If you haven't been to Tacos Marianas, do yourself a favor and get there ASAP! read more

A HIDDEN GEM. As someone who loves a street taco, this is one of the best places in Des Moines (and you can get a 'street taco' all year round). I've dined in, I've picked up, and Mariana's is consistently delicious. There aren't many places in Des Moines where you can get 6 carne tacos for $12. I typically have to call on my way there because they're done sooner than 20 minute drive. Super sweet staff as well! Have and will continue to support this local business! read more

Curb impression was, "this is definitely a Whole in a wall joint." But the inside is clean and decorated with Spanish flare. .99 cent tacos, only on Wednesday and Thursday, was delicious. I can see myself as a regular here. Finally impression, service was great and food was delicious. On my visit I had Asada Adobada Pollo Al Pastor Agua piña read more

Taco Tuesday with friends . Food is awesome but service is really slow . Spent 2 hours for few tacos and fried rice cream . Price is really cheap for this quality of food . Restaurant is a little pact and hard to get a parking here . read more

Tacos Mariana's - Tacos tuesday - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Customer service was horrible food was horrible would not recommend this is my second time coming here thinking it was just the plate and the server nope I was wrong waist of money read more

Wow! Amazing tacos and quesadillas! This place is great. I would highly recommend it!

Best street tacos I've found in Des Moines. Asada had excellent flavor and the shells were done right. Also had a tamale that was very good. Everyone else enjoyed their food. This is my new go to place in town. read more

A small neighborhood restaurant. This is probably one of the top places you can find authentic Mexican food in Des Moines. It's the best place I've been to yet. We went on a late Saturday afternoon for lunch. Pros: Unique and tasty guacamole. Authentic, traditional tacos. Moist carnitas and chicken. Not overly hot/spicy but flavorful. Great tortillas. Cute decor with some great folk art. Friendly atmosphere. Mexican coke in a bottle. Cons: Salsa was too spicy for me, would have liked a milder option. A little cramped on space. Guacamole was only available as an appetizer, not as a side (because they make it fresh when ordered so only sort of a con). Know before you go: Parking is limited. Not great for large groups due to limited seating. I would definitely return here. Would love to try some other options on the menu, like tamales when they offer them (I think they are only on certain days). If I lived in the neighborhood, I would be stopping by for take out on a regular basis. read more

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Finally an authentic Mexican restaurant! I couldn't find a spot that wasn't American Mexican/ Tex Mex! The food tasted like my mom made it.

Disappointed! I came to try the Guacamole, I wasn't impressed to say the least. Ordered a carnitas burrito, more fat than anything. The rice and beans were bland and microwaved as well as the burrito. Tell tale sign in the styrofoam container. Lastly tried 2 carné asada & 2 carnitas tacos, no radish slices and what happened to getting lime with them. The food wasn't the only thing lacking, I had 1 order in front of mine that was evidently large (he carried out 2 small bags) and would take 20 minutes for mine. 4 others came in after me, all but 1 left before me. Total wait time was 42 minutes! read more

Tacos Mariana's - Burnt styrofoam from microwave! - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Visited from Los Angeles and goddamn! Will recommend Mariana's for ages to come. It's that good.

Recently went to Tacos Marianas to try the tacos and Popusas. We started with chips and salsa (they are not complementary) chips were good, wasnt a fan of the red salsa, the green salsa was very hot and good flavor! I had the Adobada and Birria tacos, both were very good with flavorful meat. They are authentic street style, the cilantro and radish tasted fresh! I shared the pork and cheese popusas and we both would definately have them again! After trying popusas at the farmers market I've wanted to try them at other places! I also had the rice and beans, rice was ok, but I loved the refried beans! Definately homemade, and my friend who is a bean hater even liked them. We ended with fried ice cream, which didnt seem to be fried.. oh well still ok. Prices are amazing, we had 4 tacos 3 popusas, rice, beans, chips and salsa and dessert for about $20! The outside doesnt look inviting, but deffinately worth going inside! Parking isn't the greatest. A must try if you are a taco fanatic like myself! The inside is very nice and seemed clean. The server didn't really talk just took our order and filled our water once. I had to go to the Hostess table to wait for someone to come out of the kitchen so I could ask for dessert. We went around 2pm and it wasn't busy, took a little long to get the food but it was worth it! The food gets 5 stars! read more

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We heard that the guacamole was good, and we can definitely confirm that. Loved the cucumber flavor in it. That made it taste really fresh & light. We also got the salsa. Just the right amount of heat. For our entrees, we got tacos, and that's one of the best choices we could've made. I had tripas (intestine), chorizo and pastor tacos. All were great. If you get the tripas, I definitely recommend having it crispy. I did, and it was wonderful. Tacos are small but affordable. Homemade corn tortillas really set off the flavors. We will be going back there next time we're in Des Moines. read more

Tacos Mariana's - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

They're only open until 9pm on Thursdays, contrary to what Yelp says. Despite that, the cool cat at the register was able to get the kitchen to prepare my order of 5 steak tacos at 9:30pm. That's excellent service and I'll be back for sure! read more

I'm from California, this is as close to home as it gets! Authentic, delicious, kind and fast service. Don't let the outside fool you! Definitely recommend! read more

Just plain nasty, both the food and customer service. I will never recommend this place to anyone.

Great tacos! My boyfriend is always Mr. It's Better Back Home in California and even he enjoyed the tacos. Wednesdays and Thursdays are $1 tacos. They're priced as $1.25 on the menu. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have any lengua when we went. That just means I have to come back! Service was good. They accept cash and card. The inside of the restaurant was surprisingly nice given the location. I'm still familiarizing myself with Des Moines so I don't know the neighborhoods to avoid at nighttime, etc. yet. I felt really uncomfortable parking in front of the restaurant, which itself tiny, at night with the baby in tow to meet up with friends. The parking lot itself is cramped and dimly lit. Thankfully several of them came out to walk with me and the baby inside. So in short, if you're looking for some good tacos.. Grab a friend and come here! read more

I've been meaning to start Yelping, and Tacos Mariana's gave me the additional motivation I needed to get started. My wife and I made our first, but definitely not our last visit to this little establishment on 4/23. Having recently relocated to West Des Moines from Las Vegas, we have had our fair share of great Mexican food, and on this particular Saturday we got one of our familiar cravings. In particular, I was craving the typical taco truck style tacos, but wanted a sit-down restaurant. After some online research, we decided on Tacos Mariana's. Saying this place doesn't look like much from the outside is an understatement, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't have second thoughts about going inside. However, once inside that changed. There are only a dozen or so tables inside, but we arrived at an off hour so we basically had our choice of seating. The inside is well decorated, and has a very welcoming feeling. The staff was friendly and we were seated promptly. Once we were handed menus I knew that we had found what we were looking for. My eyes went straight to the taco section. Tacos are $1.25 each, and you have your choice of 5-6 or so meats. The rest of the menu was pretty extensive, and several other items caught our attention. In particular, the picadillo empanadas and the pupusas. We ended up ordering beans and chips to start, and an assortment of asada, carnitas, and chorizo tacos, for a total of nine tacos between the two of us. I'll refrain from saying how many I ate out of that total. The beans and chips came out first. The beans were sprinkled with cheese and were exactly what I had expected. Let's be honest. It's kind of difficult to mess up beans. The chips were warm, crispy and satisfying. The taco plates soon followed, and this is where Tacos Mariana's shined. Each taco consisted of a double corn tortilla about 4-5 inches in diameter, the requested meat, and topped off with cilantro (we requested no onions). The plates were also garnished with lime and radish. The steak in the asada tacos was finely chopped and flavorful. The carnitas were very tender. While these both already exceeded my expectations, my personal favorite was the chorizo. Very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. My final comment is to not ignore the lime. It compliments the meat very well, especially the asada. In closing, Tacos Mariana's provided a very authentic and delicious Mexican meal with great service for us. It's great to know that we can find real traditional tacos in Des Moines, and we definitely plan on returning in the future. read more

Warning: If you like mystery meat tacos with processed cheese and loads of sour cream then this is NOT the place for you. Go to Taco Bell. But, if you are looking for affordable yet authentic tacos served with fresh cilantro and onion and your choice of meat (i.e. Seasoned beef, pork, beef tongue, beef head, intestines, etc.) then Taco Mariana's is a MUST. Wednesday and Thursday they feature 99 cent tacos (tongue and head are a little more) I usually get about 4 tacos (2-tongue and 2-seasoned pork) with an order of beans and rice ($2.50) so for less then $10 you get a tummy full of Mexican goodness. There house salsa is pretty spicy and excellent on the tacos. I also recommend their guacamole which has a little cucumber in it, fresh and very tasty. read more

Don't let the exterior deter you from this gem. The food is very reasonably priced, the inside is comfortable and well-decorated, and the food is authentic. Though the food was worth the venture into this joint, the wait was really unreasonably long. We arrived on a Sunday lunch hour so we were prepared to hang out for a bit but for a little more than 4 tacos and a burrito and beans between us, the more than 45 minute wait was just too much. We'll try it another day because this seemed to be a fluke for them. They were highly apologetic to us and another table. We tried the carnitas, chorizo, carne asada tacos and the carnitas burrito. All very good. Chips and salsa only upon request. read more

Tacos Mariana's put so much love into their food that for me it's by far the best Mexican restaurant in DSM. I have tried most of the items on the menu and many of the weekend specials. Today I had Machaca (think scrambled egg steak omelet) served with rice and beans. It was excellent. The proprietors are super friendly and the place feels good. I had it for lunch and am still thinking about it 3 hrs later. This is what a good meal should do and Mariana's has delivered reliably in this regard. Please, to Enjoy! read more

You can't give Mariana less then five stars! I visit my family in Des Moines every once in a while and every time we go to Mariana's! We started eating there when she had her little shop few blocks away from the new location and we were really impressed with her cooking! You know like there is a gazillion of Mexican restaurants everywhere and in most cases the food is average or below average. Not here! Absolutely the best tacos you can find! There is nothing you would wish to change or to add! Being from California I've had all those gourmet tacos from legendary LA food trucks - Mariana's are still the best! Beef tostadas - absolutely spectacular! They are like some kind of cake or something - just beautiful to look at! Green hot sauce she gives you with them - like a drug. The more you eat it the more addicted you get to it. A must to visit! A must! read more

Tacos tacos tacos! You can't lose if you get tacos! They're fast and cheap (especially Tuesdays!) It's like getting tacos from a truck, which is a really good thing believe me! It's a tiny place in a shady neighborhood and parking is difficult but it's so worth it. I suggest ordering their guacamole, it's topped with chili peppers and grated cheese. read more

Tacos Mariana's - Take out is quick! - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I've been here twice and I love it here. Food is authentic and taste is great. Micheladas are yummy. Guacamole was different, it has bits of cucumber in it that took me by surprise. Not bad if you go in expecting it though. Service was decent. Takes a little bit to get your order in and out but could be becasue of low staff. Environment is casual and very much what you would expect to find in a restaurant in Mexico. Furnishing is loud but unique. Been back and will keep coming back. read more

A wonderful, family-run place. Like nearly all of the mexican food places in Iowa, the mexican flavors and spices are far more mild than restaurants in the border states. However, there are a few Slavadoran menu items (such as the pupusas) that are absolutely amazing. Also, try their specialty guacamole. read more

Papusas, papusas, papusas. I cannot stress this enough. If you come here, make sure you try the papusas. They are delicious! We also ordered steak, pork, and chicken tacos, which were also very good. The guacamole was also some of the best I've had. If you're looking for great Mexican food in Des Moines, don't sleep on Marianas!!! read more

After having left Des Moines for over two years I was a little scared my favorite taco place, if not my favorite casual restaurant, in Des Moines might be gone or have changed but I am happy to report Taco's Mariana's is as delicious and charming as ever. Don't let the location and façade fool you, inside you will find a cute and inviting little place with the most authentic Mexican food I've found outside of Mexico or LA. I love the tripas and lengua tacos and the aguachile dish of shrimp with lime and onions is so refreshing on a hot summer day. read more

Tacos Mariana's - Tripe and tongue tacos so good! - Mexican Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This place is great! The outside may make you question yourself but rest assured the food is authentic and high quality! I will come back every time I am in Iowa. Had the Flautas and a steak and Al pastor taco. All were with great flavor and great quality. My slight complaint is that the chips were a tad stale - not too bad but just me being picky and favoring warm chips. Two salsa were also awesome. Very big recommend! read more

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Superb! Super fresh ingredients, amazing tacos and tamales. This is the real deal, Mexican street food type joint. The tacos are perfect in their simplicity, size and price. At $1.25 each you can sample several, which I did, but my favorites are the al pastor and the adobada. They're served on soft corn tortillas with a little onion, cilantro, radish and lime. The beans are like none I've ever tasted .. white beans, silky with tons of flavor but without any lardy taste. I asked the server if the beans were prepared with lard and she shook her head vehemently, saying, "No, no lard." Even better. Tacos Mariana's has beer available but I was in the mood for a papaya shake. I ordered the small, it was huge so I split it with my friend. Delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the heat of the salsas. I highly recommend Tacos Mariana's for it's atmosphere, authentic preparations and great value. read more

If you are seeking authentic Mexican - this is the place to go in Des Moines. Sure there are others in nicer areas of town, but I'm telling ya - you will be transported to the heart of Mexico in this fantastic restaurant; all this before you even taste the food. So let's talk about that a moment - outstanding! Bring your family, because the prices here will not break you (tacos between $1.25 - $1.75 each). The variety of meats in their taco are amazing and the quality is amazingly good. In the past, my wife would need to talk me into Mexican (it just has never been my "favorite" food). But those days are over! Tell me we are going to Tacos Mariana's and I am warming up the car. Trust me - this local gem is worth the trip. read more

The best and most authentic mexican food I have found in the DSM metro. Don't let the outside fool you, the inside is what counts! Great and cheap tacos. It is obvious that each order is cooked to order... not your typical rapid mexican plate, which is what you want! Can't wait to go back and explore the menu some more. 3 tacos and split the chips and salsa and I am full! Ordered the adobada(spicy steak), al pastor(spicy pork), and the babiba?(spicy shredded beef). The last one was by far my favorite. I believe the owner cooks most everything and is very active in running this place. You won't be disappointed. Rating may change to 5 if I continue to be pleased with other menu items. read more

5+ stars for the food. 2 for the service. As all the other Yelpers stated, don't be afraid. Don't turn around. Don't tear out of the parking lot because you think this place might be a dump. Sure the parking lot is a mess, sure the neighborhood might be a bit rough. Just don't leave. Go inside. Take a seat. Eat the food. I had three tacos. Lengua, carnitas and carne asada. Carnitas was, hands down, the best. Incredibly delicious. Lengua was next. Tender, chunky, spicy. Carne asada was good but very finely chopped and there were a few crunchy/cartilage-y bites in there. If I could order again, I'd probably get three carnitas tacos. They were really, really good. No free chips and salsa for us. Not sure if this was an oversight. We did see it on the menu for $2 and change. Service was horrible. Waitress seemed annoyed by us -- she seemed annoyed that we were even there. It was strange. She was very...apathetic. When I asked for easy onions and cilantro, I could sense her internal eye rolling. Not a good feeling. But I would endure that kind of service anytime for their delicious and inexpensive tacos. I ordered three -- next time I'd order 5. At a $1.25 a piece for a carnitas taco, I'm sold. read more

Mariana's is the real deal; she makes AUTHENTIC tacos - it's like taking a 30 minute vacation to Mexico. Faves: *Tacos *Gorditas But, Ray Charles could pick something off the menu and walk out happy; there are no bad options. read more

Tacos and Tortas are really good. Low prices and good food. Going back on weeknd try the menudo and posole

Grest quality food. I always go for the $1 tacos on Weds & Thurs nights. And their guacamole is to die for! Smaller dining space but you can order to go if you like. Small liquor and beer menu. read more

We *walked* here from the Hilton Downtown -- 1.2 miles, on a gentle uphill slope -- on urban sidewalks, across the interstate. And it was totally worth it. The guacamole is not to be missed, but watch out for those tiny red peppers, which will kick your butt without even trying very hard. The tacos al pastor were as good as some I've had in Austin, and that's saying something. And the ceviche tostada -- quite yummy. Sodas in the can were cheap, just a buck. The whole meal for two, with more food than we should've eaten, was under $30. That's with one Corona beer with lime, $3. read more

I've searched far and wide for something to replicate the street tacos I had in Mexico...and I've found them. This is my forever go-to Mexican place. The guacamole is a must-have. Tacos are authentic and papusas are some of the best I've ever had. Your food is made fresh and to order. I almost don't want people to know about my favorite hidden gem read more