El Vago Tex-Mex

My partner and I just had a WONDERFUL meal at El Vago Tex-Mex. The atmosphere is colorful and inviting, with hand-painted calaveras and other festive decor. They have a huge menu with a wide variety of items, including burgers for any picky eaters. Prices seem very reasonable. Everything we ate was FRESH made and the flavors just popped. There were free thin and crisp tortilla chips, with a homemade salsa that was bursting with tomato essence - the waitress told me they make it fresh every morning! The cheese dip was good (though no spices), and the guacamole also tasted incredible, like a burst of spring. The extra tomatoes and red onion garnish added on top was a nice touch. My partner had the carnitas (pork roast), which was juicy and flavorful. It was served with warm tortillas, rice and beans, and a salad. I had the "Mazatlan" which was a seafood enchilada and a seafood quesadilla; it also was served with rice, beans, and a salad. The seafood was crab and shrimp, which had been grilled before the chef put it into the tortillas, it was incredibly tasty. Both plates were large and an excellent value at 12.99 each. My partner stuffed himself, but I took home enough for lunch! We highly recommend this authentic Mexican restaurant!

Service was fabulous! Food was absolutely delicious! Wide variety of dishes. Nice clean atmosphere and friendly servers. Highly recommend this restaurant and will gladly go again.

Delicious food, cool place and super nice waitress. I had the “El Hidalgo” and Shannon had the street tacos. Both yummy!

Best Mexican in Southern Iowa. Love this place and everyone is so friendly. They have so many more choices than most of the Mexican places I've eaten at.

We stumbled upon this place driving to Burlington. Saw this cute restaurant and checked out the reviews. Great authentic Mexican food!! The staff was friendly! Loved the food!!! I had the combination chicken taco, burrito and enchilada. The chicken was fabulous!!

It was my first time ever here and I loved it. I love that from the moment you walk in, the waiter serves you chips and salsa FREE before you even order. I tried my first glass of wine EVER in a restaurant and it was strong. I loved the chicken and fries but the enchiladas were my favorite. I got it with rice and beans. The staff was very polite, helpful and nice. I also like the music they play and the decor is fun. ALSO the booths have amazing painting's on them. The only issue I had was with the dusty ventilation covers but that's easily cleaned. I would go again. I didn't try the dessert's so of course I have to go again. Despite the severe weather that day, the place was pretty full of customers inside and outside. 2nd visit we were the only customers and it was great. I had mango lemonade and cheese, pork and chicken enchiladas and all were yummy. Don't forget to buy a Koozi before you leave.

Hidden gem in a small countrytown. The drive to get there was a beautiful drive. Making this a beautiful destination.

This is an amazing restaurant to find in a very small town. They opened within the past year under new ownership in the former La Bota location, revamping the space with vibrant colors and striking images. I had been disappointed in La Bota the last two times I ate there, but was very happy with my steak fajitas this time. Their food is fresh and flavorful, the portions generous, and the prices reasonable. If you like fresh pico de gallo, which I do, they do a really great job with theirs. Even though there was no one else in the restaurant at 3:00 p.m., the waitress came back just one time and I had to flag down another waiter when I needed something. Other than that minor detail, El Vago (translates to "the slacker") is an awesome restaurant and well worth a visit.