Isla Del Pacifico Mexican Restaurant

We were in Des Moines for a few hours, and decided to give this place a try.
Food is 8/10, ambience 5/10, cleanliness 5/10.
The place was really crowded, but the service was fast.
Our waitress had trouble understanding us as we didn’t speak Spanish and she is not fluent in English.
We ordered Flan for our dessert and asked if they could serve us without the whipped cream.
They did it anyway.
Not a big deal though.
Salsa and chips were free and tasted good.

Absolutely delicious steak burrito and el pastor tacos.
Great prices as well. On a side note, they need to dust their vents.
There is a lot of dust build up that is undoubtedly falling on the tables. The food was really good though!!!

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 back very soon!