Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge

Address » 316 Court Ave, Des Moines IA     (Map)
Phone » (515) 282-2995
Website » 50309
Downtown » No
Type »Restaurant
Tags »Mexican | Patio
Avg User Rating » 2.5-star rating2.5-star rating2.5-star rating2.5-star rating2.5-star rating  (based on 7 reviews)
User Reviews

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User Reviews (7 reviews)

May 06, 2009 2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating Inthewater

I have heard from a few friends recently that the quality of the food and drink here have gone way down hill. The prices, however, have not.

Margaritas made with Juarez Tequila? The food here never impressed me much, beyond the appetizers. The draw, for me anyway, was the cool bar / patio area and the awesome tequila offerings. The house margaritas used to be made from scratch with house made sour mix. They are now poured out of a jug and pre-made. :(

Here's hoping they can turn this place around and make it worth the price one way or another.

Mar 15, 2008 4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating nevesis

Overpriced, yes. But it has one of the best atmospheres in town, and some of the food is excellent. (try the spiced shrimp with a glass of sangria)

Jan 07, 2008 1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating Rachel Hawkins

I will start with the good news, the atmosphere was beautiful and high-class. The chips, salsa and guacamole were wonderful with lots of flavor. Now the bad news...the service was horrible because the waiter did not remember drink orders and it took him multiple attempts to get us the right order. We had a party of 11, but the restaurant was dead when we were there. At the end of the meal the 20% gratuity added on to larger parties was a little generous. The beans and rice side dishes came in very large bowls and were very bland. Many of us had one bite and were done with them, what a waste. I know of three people on two different occasions who have gotten sick from the food at this restaurant. Two of them definitely had food poisoning. Beware if you want to risk the great atmosphere for less than optimum mexican food.

Dec 04, 2007 1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating1.5-star rating foodie

Been there twice. The first time was for dinner and the second was for late night guacomole. For me, Mexican food is about robust flavors and the fish entree I ordered was tasteless. A mexican restaurant should be able to make a good margarita but the ones here taste terrible; there is no balance between the citrus, alcohol and other flavors.

Good:
tasty guacomole and chips

Bad:
$9 margaritas taste terrible. Mine tasted like raw lime juice and was overwhelming.
The entrees are overpriced and bland.

Overall:
OVERPRICED and OVERRATED. Would only return for the guacomole, the rest is a terrible value and I won't be back unless it changes.

Nov 17, 2007 2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating doug luedtke

overpriced........started great with margaritas and appetizers after that, the main entrees went down hill.
if you don't mind $9.00 margaritas, then this is the place for you.i felt the entrees(molcajete de carne pollo,burrito de cerdo,pollo rostizado)were all bland and surprisingly flavorless.we couldn't find a salt and pepper shaker.
wait staff was excellant,catering to all your needs.
first and last time for me.

Oct 24, 2007 4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating bwfrieds

Chairs are somewhat comfortable, service was okay, fish taco was good, guacamole and chips were tasty, and the churros were good. When the churros arrived behind schedule, the manager removed them from my bill, voluntarily.

Oct 23, 2007 4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating JH

Great new vibe for the downtown nightlife and restaurant scene. Upscale, yet not pretentious, with a great bar to sit and have a cocktail. Would get five stars if not for a few missteps on my first dining visit. I decided to go simple and ordered three different kinds of tacos, which were all very tasty, yet came out after a little longer than one would expect for tacos (they were busy, I will note), and therefore the tacos were cold. It was evident that they had been sitting, waiting to be delivered to our table. I was also a little thrown off by the chips - I think some people will like them and some will not - they taste sweet, and the flavor of cumin is kind of overpowering when trying to sample their very fresh salsa. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas - The Court Ave. Margarita, and found them to be a bit on the weak side. Aside from these minor details that need improvement, the overall experience was excellent, the servers were glad to be there, and they will only get better in time. Highly recommended for either cocktails or dinner.