Tacos La Familia — Restaurant in Des Moines

Fridays are special, and the end of summer is special. People don’t just go to a restaurant for no reason — they go to celebrate something meaningful. Just like that, to celebrate the end of summer after work, we went to Tacos La Familia. The experience, though, was disappointing. We waited 5–10 minutes in line before a guy behind the counter finally asked if we were dining in or to-go. We said dine-in, and he told us to “sit anywhere.” We sat down, but nobody came to us for another 10 minutes, and at that point we honestly thought they had forgotten us. Another table that showed up after us got menus first, and only then did we receive one. Since we had been going there often, we already knew what we wanted: two burritos, one Coke, and one margarita. But when the waitress came back, she brought two Cokes and a margarita. We didn’t complain because we were hungry and just accepted both. When it was time to pay, the same guy from the counter rang us up — burrito $11.50, margarita $8. When we asked about the special, he re-rang the order as $9.50 and $8, but when we pointed out both items were supposed to be on special, he said, “I believe you, but this is what I can do.” What does that even mean? It’s not about the extra $2, it’s about the service and the way we were treated. We are educated, grown 27-year-olds, not kids to play around with, and we expect to be spoken to with respect. Supporting local businesses is important, but businesses also need to value their customers. Things happen, sure, but when it happens at your place — the one you’ve been loyal to and even recommended to others — it...

As a Chicano born and raised in California, where authentic Mexican food is a way of life, finding quality Mexican cuisine in Iowa has been a real challenge. Most places serve Tex-Mex, which just doesn’t compare to the real thing. I gave a local spot a couple of chances, even trying their Birria pizza, but the meat lacked any real flavor, and the tortilla chips could definitely use some improvement. The salsas were decent, though a few tasted too similar for my liking. Despite the awards they’ve earned, it’s hard to believe these places represent the best Mexican food Iowa has to offer.

Honestly, I don’t think any of the Mexican restaurants in Des Moines—or Iowa in general—are really putting in their best effort. I’m consistently let down when locals rave about a place, only for it to be yet another disappointment. It’s frustrating because I know I could make better Mexican food myself. The hunt for authentic flavors in the...

Disappointed today there was a bad experience. First there was a short black hair in the hot sauce, I decided to set it aside and just eat the chips and salsa but they were very stale. We were being swarmed by gnats and I swatted one and it landed in the salsa. I was grossed out but still hungry and since I mainly came for the birria pizzadilla I was hoping it would be worth it so after waiting a long time it finally came and my daughter bit into hers and there was a longer brown hair in her food. I waved for the waitress and explained everything and she apologized. They didn’t make us pay and they offered to make another one to-go because there was a long line but I had already lost my appetite so I just paid for our drink and left. I am sad to say I probably won’t be coming back. I will give it 2 stars because before today it was good but after today I’m not sure if I’d be willing to give it...