Isla Del Pacifico Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Des Moines

Stumbled upon this place after getting some groceries. We weren't in the mood to cook so we walked in. The servers immediately offered us an open table and sent someone who spoke English to greet us. They brought out chips, a green salsa, a red salsa, and a fish ceviche for us to start with. All complimentary. My boyfriend is allergic to shellfish and the waitress assured him that it was only fish. She was right, because not only did he not have a reaction but he absolutely loved it!

Their specialty here is seafood, namely ceviche!!! One of my favorite dishes, EVER!!! I originally ordered fish tacos because their lunch deals seemed too good to overlook but I switched to the shrimp ceviche because WHY NOT?!? That served to be a good move. It was AMAZING!!! It was perfectly marinated, perfectly seasoned, and cut up into tiny bits so that you could eat it with the tostadas and crackers that it's served with. If you've never had ceviche before it starts out as raw fish, but it cooks in the citrus juices as it marinates. It might be overwhelming for the average palate but I promise you it's a culinary flavor explosion and worth exploring. I ordered a small which is still pretty big for one person. This is how it's done in their culture, and rightfully so! I snacked on it the rest of the day.

My boyfriend ordered steak fajitas which were also so, so good! The cut of meat they used was so moist and tender. Honestly, the best steak fajitas we've had in Des Moines. He ordered a lime margarita and I ordered a traditional alcoholic drink. Both were good. Mine was better! Prices were extremely fair considering you're in the Midwest and landlocked. Definitely check out the lunch specials! I'm so glad that we found this place! Will definitely be...

Went in for dinner for my husband's birthday. We go there every year for his birthday and my husband frequently rats there. Donna is always amazing. Unfortunately, she doesnt work Saturday's. We went in as a party of six. Had a bug in my glass of water which we pointed out to the server. Not even an apology. My daughter had a hair in her taco so she was done. Would have brought it up to our server but she was too busy on her phone and hanging out in the back. Took 15 minutes to get her attention for the napkins we requested twice. To get boxes, we waited an additional 15 minutes trying to get her attention, then we went up and asked for them ourselves. Bill comes and there is a 15% service charge. Is this new? Is this posted anywhere? Have been there numerous times as a large party and never saw this before. I would get if it was deserved, but the service was probably the worst we have ever had and unfortunately will not be dining in any more. Any future visits will be for takeout if I return. The whole thing left a bad taste in our mouths. This was one of our top restaurants before this visit. If Donna isn't there, we will not...

Currently, this is my absolute favorite restaurant in Iowa. They have the tastiest shrimp cocktail and my favorite are the shrimp empanadas from the appetizer section of the menu. My husband loves virtually anything they serve. I can overlook that it isn't fancy and sometimes the service is a little uncoordinated when you end up with such amazing food. I see the people in the kitchen looking like they are working so hard and from the heart. Now, if you want a good laugh, I ate here ten years ago for my first time and it took me nine years before I ever would consider returning. I ordered paella with the extra $1 charge if I wanted the seafood all out of the shell instead of me doing it myself. I was eating away while in deep conversation with my family, enjoying my food, when I bit down on some random large piece of a broken shell buried in the paella. I got up and ran to the bathroom and had to spit out the shells and unfortunately parts of six of my broken teeth! So, if you order any dish with the promise of the seafood all taken from its shell;...