Los Laureles
1518 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50316
Los Laureles Menu
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Address :
1518 E Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA, 50316 - Phone (515) 265-2200
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Eric G.
Second best Mexican in dsm behind Mariana's.
(4)Brian T.
Wow..... Great tamels!!! In hispanic part of town. nice covered outdoor seating.
(4)Val B.
Better than average food, very bad service. We arrived around 1 pm on a Sunday, and the waitress said I could seat myself. I walked around the permiter, and there were plenty of empty tables, just no clean tables. I found a clean booth on the opposite side of the room and waited. And waited. She came by several minutes later with menus, and I promptly ordered drinks since I didn't know when she'd be back. When she brought the drinks a couple minutes later, she asked for our order, but we weren't ready. Mistake. She didn't come back for over 20 minutes. Even though the place was fairly busy, this is pretty unacceptable. I had three tacos - pastor, chicken, and carnitas. I received three tacos - pastor, steak, and carnitas. Not cool, but whatever. The pastor was the best, though I was expecting the carnitas to be the best. Carnitas had good flavor, but was too dry to enjoy. I did not enjoy the steak taco. I also had a flauta. It was OK - typically these things come smothered in cheese and/or beans, but this guy was flying solo. Boyfriend had the torta al pastor, which he said was good, slightly better than average (but we have an amazing restaurant in Minneapolis that makes hands-down the best torta ever). His tamale was just OK. Overall, I wish I'd had a better experience, but it just doesn't hold up.
(2)Mike B.
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.
(4)Judge D.
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!
(4)Kriscelle M.
Opened till 3am friday nights!! Southern California native approves of the tacos here! :)
(4)James M.
The best Mexican restaurant in Des Moines! I don't know what else to say. Everything we've ever had there is really good, and most importantly, it is authentic! It tastes like the Mexican food you get at good Mexican restaurants West of the Mississippi river and South of the Kansas/Missouri State line. We love the Huevos Rancheros and the Chilli Rellanos but we have never been disappointed in anything we've ever had there.
(4)Berkleigh M.
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.
(4)Ashley M.
Service is often slow, but the food is so good. Carnitas are amazing, queso is good and the tacos are cheap and yummy! One of our favorite Mexican places to go to.
(4)Bill L.
I went on a slow night to this restaurant and was a bit disappointed. This may have just been an off night for them because I have heard good things about this place. First off, we were the only customers in the restaurant during our meal there. The staff was nice, but after taking our order and giving us the food, they disappeared and it was only when we had to find them to pay the bill is when we saw then again. The food was a bit bland as well, their menu options looked standard for Mexican restaurants. I would possibly try this place again to see if they were just having an off night.
(3)Marcia B.
We went to Los Laureles the other evening for dinner. We HIGHLY recommend it!!! The waitstaff is very attentive and nice, we did not have to ask for more chips, salsa or water....they asked us if we wanted more. My boyfriend had the carnitas and I had chicken marinated in chili sauce and then grilled. We both loved our entrees. Really tastey food, great service and fair prices make this a new favorite for us. try it, you will like it!
(4)Mark G.
I think this is the Best Mexican restaurant in Des Moines. I tried Pollo, Carne Asada, Pastor, and Carnitas all were great! I was really happy that all four items were quality, which isn't always a given to nail the recipes down in my experience.
(4)Grant W.
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.
(4)Hallie A.
Some friends and I went here last week for lunch. Okay, so we usually go here like once a week...it may be a problem. The servers are very friendly and the food is great. Very good authentic Mexican food. We almost always get the fajitas. They're fab. I definitely recommend adding jalapeños (if you like spice). The reason I'm really writing this is because (well, besides I never have and I love it) I had a margarita here for the first time. I just had my son. so, I haven't drank in about a year. We got the Los laurales special margaritas. Let me tell you, these do not skimp on the tequila! They are delicious. However, I only drank half of mine because I didn't want to end up on the floor. Definitely recommend this place
(5)Rebecca S.
If you're looking for good, authentic Mexican food in DSM, Los Laureles is the place. The margaritas are also traditional and balanced and the price is extremely reasonable. If you're missing Mexico- this will help. :-)
(4)Adam M.
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.
(1)Erin F.
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.
(4)Kimberly D.
Very clean restaurant. Staff friendly and checked in often. Refilled drinks & chips/salsa. Staff are bilingual! Large portions! We tried the fajita tacos and shrimp enchiladas. The fajita tacos was very flavorful. The shrimp was grilled inside enchiladas served on a hot plate over grilled onions.
(4)Rebecca W.
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.
(5)Indy J.
Seems very authentic, service was outstanding and food was absolutely delicious!
(4)Madonna V.
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!
(5)Adam P.
1:30 am on a Friday or Saturday night and you are sick of pizza by the slice. Well go get some Mexican! This place is open till 3 am. You can get great Mexican food at 2 am that's not off a truck! That right there is enough to give it 5 stars. Plus the three amazing salsas they bring out to start. Oh and you can buy the salsas to go they are about $5 for a big old tub. The reason I give them 5 stars is for their Huevos rancheros the best in DeMo!!! The best I have ever had in my life time! Go....Go now!!!! Stop reading go eat Huevos rancheros now!!!!
(5)J A.
Driving through town I didn't know where to eat, so I checked on yelp for a point of reference. Authentic, yummy fresh chicken tacos. That's my picture I took of the three tacos there. So good! Flavorful stewed chicken in a red chili sauce and done like when I visited family friends in Mexico. Also great service. For six dollars, you get three tacos which are filling and an agua fresca-that's a lemonade or horchata. Glad I stopped here!
(4)Chris T.
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!
(4)Jessica J.
Just had lunch here today - what a treat! Service was great - friendly, quick, efficient. The choices of 3 salsas (one brick red, one green, one avocado based - not guac though!) were delicious and not too hot. Chips were a bit stale but enh, no big deal. Great drink deals ($1.99 lime margarita at lunch was a steal) and selection. I had steak fajitas and they do not skimp on portion. I had enough for easily 3 meals, plus tortillas, rice, beans, and fixins, for $9.99. Talk about a great deal. They came out screaming hot, the meat had great flavor, the onions and peppers were tender and sweet. The rice and beans had great flavor, as did the guac on the plate. Even though there were 10 of us we were in and out in an hour - but didn't feel rushed! It was just that great.
(4)Meghan B.
SO happy to find this place for a cheap and tasty lunch on the way out of town. Especially after going to that terrible Dos Rios place for lunch the day before. Totally basic and totally fresh Mexican food. Menu is comprehensive with a focus on seafood and offering even brains tacos. I'm vegetarian so I passed on those, but had plenty of choices there, too. Service was friendly, food came fast, and prices were great. YUHM! Heads up! It's seat yourself and you just go up to the counter when you're done to pay. Don't stand and wait, and then sit and wait like the first timers we were! ;)
(5)Jeff M.
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.
(4)Marcos C.
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!
(4)Dustin B.
This place is awesome! So much more than Combo # 23 with taco, burrito, rice and refried beans, etc (you know, the same combos that you can get anywhere, regardless of what neighborhood, town, city, or state you're in)! The refried beans had.....and I am not making this up..............flavor! Simply amazing! At most mexican restaurants in this area, chorizo is considered exotic. Here, they had tongue on two different entrees! They had menudo, which they so cutely referred to parenthetically as "insides soup". Adorable. I guess that's another way of saying tripe (stomach), if you though menudo was just the name of a boy band that Ricky Martin was in back in the 80's. Didn't get to try the tripe, but the tongue tacos were very good. Kudos for freshly made tortillas, both flour and corn. The chicken on my wife's fajitas was both flavorful and juicy. The aforementioned refried beans (now with flavor!) and rice were excellent sides. My chicken adobo was much more subtle than I would typically expect to find in a mexican restaurant. I did add some pepper sauce to it, but I'm a little crazy too. Highly affordable, tasty mexican food. Give it a try.
(5)Brooke P.
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.
(5)Virginia M.
First of all, i'm mexican, born in el distrito federal, where taquerias rock your socks off. If you dont know what a taqueria is, it's basically and usually a dive/diner where they specialize in nothing but tacos. Going into los laureles i was really excited because my american friends said it was the bomb blah blah. I tried it and i was kind of disappointed. It is authentic BUT there's something missing flavor-wise. I think the tastiest thing they had there was Chile de Arbol steak. I feel like the servers are just there to take your order but not really interact. They are somewhat polite and "OK" i guess. I have to agree with a user who commented earlier, if you want awesome authentic mexican, go to Mariana's on University & 13th St, or Panchos (known before as Gorditas San Pancho) on Hubbell. There's also this taco truck on Martin Luther King and University next to the Auto Parts shop. Good tacos! However, los Laureles is open till 2 am on certain nights so that's always convenient....
(3)Laura M.
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!
(4)Nicholas K.
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.
(2)Eric P.
The best authentic Mexican food I have had outside of southwest Detroit.
(4)Mike G.
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.
(4)Tom C.
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!!
(5)Jordan H.
When compared to other taco places around Des Moines (Mariana's, Chisme), this place really doesn't hold a candle, especially given that the service is quite poor on a consistent basis. Bonus for being open late, but Taco Loco is also open late and I'd rather eat there.
(2)Mia R.
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.
(5)Nathan B.
This place is dang good--probably the 2nd best Mexican in the Des Moines metro area (which, I know, doesn't mean much). Try the mole enchiladas.
(4)Jeremiah E.
Good cheap Mexican food. Big plates. Not fancy at all.
(5)