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El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
8 reviews for El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant
Staying the night in Des Moines, we stopped in to El Rodeo for some dinner.
All in all El Rodeo is fair at best. The salsa they brought out with the chips lacked flavor, although the chips were some of the better ones I have had. I ordered the chicken chimichanga for dinner, which was pretty average, both in size and taste. Lack of flavor seems to be a theme here as the side of beans were also close to tasteless.
Service here was subpar as well. Our server didn't seem all that busy, but at least 2 of his tables, including ours didn't receive the attention they deserved.
El Rodeo seems to have a pretty substantial local following, but it's basically your typical textbook Mexican restaurant (for Iowa anyway). The entrees are cheap with few standouts. Based only on the food, I'd pass - there are many better options. I prefer El Aguila Real, which has more vegetarian options and a more impressive menu overall. Also, the chips here were dreadful - cold and overcooked, and it tasted like the oil needed to be changed.
The food arrived fast but the service was terrible. A runner dropped off an incorrect entree and disappeared, the waiter took quite some time to check back, and then tried to argue with us about it. Finally, he got a menu and was proven wrong, and only then begrudgingly fixed the problem.
At least the price is right.
Good Mexican food in Iowa. Who would've thought?
El Rodeo has fast, tasty food with friendly service. Best of all, it is affordable with cheap beers and $6.35 combination plates. Combination #11 is what I had, two enchiladas and a taco.
This place is great for groups because they willingly divide checks up and they have great margarita pitchers.
I really like this place. It's a little dive-y, but gets bonus points for lightning fast service and overall good food. I never expected to find decent Mexican food in Iowa (especially after growing up in So Cal), but it's totally worth checking out. Great place to go with kids. No one cares if they dump chips on the floor, and I think the longest we waited for our food was 10 minutes. Recommend the Tacos de Carne Asada or the beef Taquitos.
This place is an institution.
Pretty standard Mexican fare for Des Moines. In that respect, El Aguila Real has a slight edge. However, what makes El Rodeo is definitely the margaritas. I was a little off-put when I saw them being poured from a gallon jug and figured I'd need to drink about ten of them to get a buzz. Much to my surprise, they mix them up damn good before putting it in that jug. Two and you're good to go. Cheap also.
This place is different than other Mexican places in town in the regard that it is a bigger and more modern building. Definitely a plus if you're coming in a big group. Personally, I don't mind my Mexican places being a little dingy looking. Upkeep is usually inversely proportional to the quality of the food in my experience.
On the downside I have had some pretty inattentive service at this location. This usually occurs at quieter points in the day when the servers probably have other duties to be attending to and I have experienced decent service when they have been jam packed.
The food is good, not great. The margaritas do the job. And it's moderately priced (for Des Moines.) However, I've never not had the time of my life when I go to El Rodeo. Maybe it's nostalgia, but El Rodeo shaped my margarita drinking life, and I can't wait to get my fix during Drake Relays 2007.
I liked the food. My main rating point is the salsa, which I didn't think was that great, but others might really like it.