Rita's Cantina
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A very solid all around experience. Good Margaritas, the flavored ones get pretty sweet. Peach was our favorite. They have black and pinto refried beans which we didn't know until the food arrived, but nice to have options. Queso flight was pretty disappointing, the blanco with chorizo was clearly the best. The shrimp in the tacos were cooked perfectly, definitely ordering those again. Enchiladas were all good. But the barbacoa tacos were FANTASTIC! My son loved the dessert raco, but the churro tower will bring me back again and again. Now lets talk venue and service. The parking lot is tiny and street parking is kind of sketchy, we ended up parking at Truman's KC Pizza Pub who had zero guests. I normally wouldn't do this, but they are the same ownership group. There is a good amount of bike racks. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table at 2 pm on a Saturday. No big deal, grabbed some margaritas from inside and waited in the shade. Once seated our server droppped off waters and chips & salsa immediately. We didn't place our drink order for another 15 minutes at least. To be honest I just think they were shorthanded. I know it's tough to hire service staff right now. Unfortunately when she was at the table it wasn't much better. The other servers around us seemed more engaging and informative, so I wouldn't throw the whole service team under a bus. If you want to sit outside late afternoon will get you some great shade. 1x Marg Flight 5x Corona Marg 1x Queso Flight 5x Entrees 2x Desserts Total & Tip $170
David MeillierDavid Meillier
00
Great location in the East Village. There is a lot of outdoor seating, and it's all great. On a beautiful evening, there's no better place. The indoor spots are also great because on a great night, the doors to the inside portion are opened. Between myself, my husband, and my son (4yo), we had a house margarita, a coronarita, queso and chips, salsa and chips, shrimp tacos, ramen birria, and a taco ice cream order. The queso was pretty standard, as was the salsa. The margarita was great. The coronarita was fine, but a little beer-heavy. The ice cream taco was the joy of my 4 year old's life. My shrimp taco was delicious, and my husband's ramen birria was fantastic. The delivery of food/drinks was a little slow, but our server continually acknowledged when things were running slowly and let us know what was going on, so we never felt like it was anyone's fault. We love this spot!
Sydney TaylorSydney Taylor
00
This was my first time at Rita's & I was very impressed! The margherita flight was fun, the queso flight was tasty, the entrees that my group ordered had no complaints, & the service was adequate. The margarita flight has a small sample of 4 different flavors that varied from each other enough so that you knew they were 4 different drinks but they all were very good, my favorite might have been the watermelon. The queso was fantastic too! They start you out with chips & salsa but I ordered the queso for my group to share & everyone raved about the different varieties! My steak & potato burrito was great also, it was well prepared & was probably one of the best burritos I've ever had. The only knock I'll give them is our server was busy watching whatever game they had on the TV that day & my group had to work to get his attention for refills. Overall it was a good experience!
Shane HowardShane Howard
00
Went with a group of 5 to enjoy food and drinks on a Monday night. I love the outdoor seating because you can see the beautiful Des Moines skyline. They had plenty of seating and a free parking lot. Overall, I had a great experience! The servers were alright, nothing special. I enjoyed my 3 steak street tacos + side of black beans + my virgin frozen margarita. My friends loved their burrito bowl. It looked exactly like the picture in the menu and it was a big portion for the price! Ordered take out for my boyfriend (steak and potato burrito) and he enjoyed it! He said the potato bits were interesting but you get what you order lol. I would come back again. :)
Ashley SinnoraiAshley Sinnorai
00
We stopped by and checked out this little hidden gem on Cinco de Mayo. Our waitress was Jordan and she was amazing, super friendly and checked on several times during our lunch. Food was very good portions and reasonably priced. I highly recommend checking this place out and asking for Jordan. You won't be disappointed. Only downside is limited parking
Charles DerrigCharles Derrig
00
Chips & salsa along with the flights are absolutely amazing!
Nakinya JanellNakinya Janell
00
Nearby Attractions Of Rita's Cantina
Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown
Wooly's
Iowa State Capitol
Graziano Brothers
Molly's Cupcakes
Pete Crivaro Park
State Historical Building
Farmers Market
New Oriental Food Store
Owen Jewelry Design

Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown
4.1
(1.1K)Click for details

Wooly's
4.5
(832)Click for details

Iowa State Capitol
4.8
(750)Click for details

Graziano Brothers
4.9
(657)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Rita's Cantina
Zombie Burger + Drink Lab
The Iowa Taproom
Fong's Pizza
El Bait Shop
Mullets Restaurant
Up-Down DSM
The High Life Lounge
Tumea & Sons Restaurant
Truman's KC Pizza Tavern
The Stuffed Olive Des Moines

Zombie Burger + Drink Lab
4.5
(3.9K)Click for details

The Iowa Taproom
4.6
(1.8K)Click for details

Fong's Pizza
4.5
(1.8K)Click for details

El Bait Shop
4.6
(1.3K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
401 SE 5th St, Des Moines, IA 50309
Map
Phone
(515) 777-1012
Call
Website
ritascantinadsm.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.1
(266 reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Wooly's, Iowa State Capitol, Graziano Brothers, Molly's Cupcakes, Pete Crivaro Park, State Historical Building, Farmers Market, New Oriental Food Store, Owen Jewelry Design, restaurants: Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, The Iowa Taproom, Fong's Pizza, El Bait Shop, Mullets Restaurant, Up-Down DSM, The High Life Lounge, Tumea & Sons Restaurant, Truman's KC Pizza Tavern, The Stuffed Olive Des Moines
