El Muchacho Alegre

Outstanding food! Much more seafood selections then other local options.

Love the remodel, restaurant is fresh and clean! Our service was great checking on us frequently, not too much. Highly recommend the chicken fajitas!

This is absolutely the best Mexican restaurant in the Des Moines area. They have a huge menu, amazing drinks and the best service ever. You will not be disappointed!!! Please support this restaurant so it is successful and stays open!!

El Muchacho Alegre just opened. My visit was May 2nd 2022. This new Mexican restaurant is in the original Don Pablo's building behind Barnes and Noble. It was nice to see this location open again.

The family friendly restaurant serves a large menu of classic Mexican food. The prices seemed reasonable for the area. Plenty of parking. The same shaded patio, perfect for after work margaritas in the summer. There is updated and more seating added from the previous establishment. I think they did well to change the décor just enough to make it feel less cabin/lodge and more southwest. I was surprised to see they kept all the TVs in place and showed some sports other than soccer. The tables were spaced well. It looked like they could handle some larger parties as well.

I sat at the bar, so not sure what the table service was like, but the bartender took my order for drinks quickly and served it quickly. They have a full bar with beers on tap. Chips were fresh and served with a bottle of salsa as soon as I sat down. Margarita's come in many shapes and sizes. One of the stemmed glasses behind the bar looked like it could hold a gallon. I ordered the 16oz and it was as good as most.

Food came out minutes after I ordered. I hope they can keep that kind of service level going forward. I ordered the Texas Burrito. It was served with rice, beans and a bit of Pico. The white queso cheese dip served on top of the burritos was similar to other Mexican spots in the area. Next time I will get a side order of the queso for the chips. The rice and beans were nothing exciting, reminding me of the kind you can find at Chili's. I could not tell if they were made from scratch. The burritos were cooked well with seasoned cubed steak. I get this dish often at other local Mexican spots and this was as good as any. Nice big portion. It seemed like that was true for other dishes that I saw come out of the kitchen. As I mentioned the menu is pretty big. It has seafood dishes, steak and chicken dishes, and all your Mexican favorites.

I did see a kids menu that did have chicken nuggets and corndogs for kiddos that do not appreciate Mexican food. I didn't see a desert menu, but did see them create a plate with ice cream on it for someone. So maybe it is a work in progress.

All in all I was impressed with most everything at El Muchacho Alegre. They did really well for just opening. I will visit there again to try a few different dishes.