Cazador Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Ankeny

As usual, when I review a restaurant I try to describe something about my dinner that sets it aside from a similar dish at any other similar restaurant in town. At Cazador, it's easy. I simply LOVE their fish Tacos, (picture) and is because every time I've had them, (they're breaded and deep fried) the outer crust is crunchy (not greasy.) Trust me, we've all had fried fish, fried chicken, fried this or that and the outer crust is dripping with grease. Not here. AND, the chips are a bit on the thicker side, and wife and I both like it this way. My wife had the Beef Burrito Mexicano, and she loved it.

We dine here lots, and always come back. Very friendly staff, clean environment, and yeah ... you knew I was gonna comment: CLEAN RESTROOMS. You won't believe the ppl who've contacted me, wondering why I mention restrooms in so many of my reviews. Well, I think it's important as the food. If the staff and Management demands the restrooms be kept tidy, then you kinda have the feel they're going the extra mile. Especially for travelers, and we...

It's unfortunate... that this is the best restaurant for Mexican food in Ankeny. The food is good when you get what you order. They mess something up every other time we dine here. Chicken vs. beef, ground beef vs. shredded beef. No salt on the rim of our margaritas. We are always so pleasant when we ask them to fix the margarita, and then I watch them pour the messed up margarita into a new glass, taking most of the salt with it. We dined in the bar last night and were looking forward to margaritas, but then I noticed they were making the margaritas from a cooler behind the bar. I asked if I could have one made fresh and he said it would cost me more. Really? Cost more for supposedly the same margarita? Sorry, but I have no idea what's in the cooler and the margaritas always seem very weak. It will be a while before we go back. That was an unacceptable answer for me. Margaritas at home...

We ordered takeout from here during the pandemic. It was overall a very bad experience. First of all, their menu on their website is no longer accurate (including prices). The meals were wrapped together in foil covered paper plates. So as we are eating, little bits of foil are falling off into our food. The tacos were packed in with the rest of the meal instead of separately to maintain a crispy shell. By the time we got home with the food, the taco shells were mush and had to be thrown out. The tamales were in with the rest of the food like an enchilada, instead of in a corn husk like they are supposed to be. The Chile relleno was horrible. It was like an omelette with a big pepper in the middle. Definitely not how that was supposed to be. The beans were covered with tons of cheddar cheese instead of the white Mexican cheese. This was a regrettable use of $68 for our family and we will not...