Pueblo Viejo

On the recommendation of a co-worker, we recently tried a new-to-us Mexican place - Pueblo Viejo. Located at 3841 E. 14th Street in Des Moines, Pueblo Viejo is right in the busy commercial corridor.

The interior of the restaurant has several small areas for dining, with nice big high back booths that add a bit of privacy. We visited on a Sunday and there were several large families enjoying Sunday lunch, so the extra walls really cut down on the noise level.

The menu is large, typical of Mexican restaurants - and features the usual tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and appetizers, plus some nice steak, pork, and seafood entrees.

My co-worker said we absolutely had to try the Paloma drink - so we did! I was expecting a nice, normal size beverage, but it was not to be. The Paloma is a 32 oz. monster of a drink with Hornitos tequila, grapefruit soda, OJ, lime juice, and triple sec served on the rocks. Right tasty. Our server, Leo, could hardly get them all to the table in one trip.

We enjoyed some warm and crispy tortilla chips with two different types of salsa. Neither were very spicy, but definitely flavorful.

Grant ordered the Chile Verde burrito - a big pork-filled burrito smothered in green chile verde sauce. Oh, and lots of cheese, too.

I decided on Chicken Tacquitos - tasty little deep-fried goodies filled with that juicy Mexican seasoned chicken. The rice and beans were a notch above the norm at Mexican places - very fresh tasting.

Our friend, Dale, went with the Seafood Chimichanga. It was chock full of shrimp, scallops, a bit of calimari, all covered in a lovely cheese sauce. She said the guacamole was excellent, too.

Her husband, Greg, chose the Seafood Burrito - very similar to the Seafood Chimichango (except not fried), stuffed full of that yummy seafood.

We all cleaned our plates, well, as much as possible when you get that much food, anyway! Then we decided that we couldn't really pass judgement on this Mexican restaurant without tasting their margarita - so we ordered one up! Good and tequila-y, not too sweet, you could really taste the lime juice and so we decided to give Pueblo Viejo a nice thumbs up on the margs.

So if you're looking for a new Mexcian place to try, head on over to E. 14th and check out Pueblo Viejo. A pleasing atmosphere, good food, fast service, and fabulous drinks - win-win all the way.

Pueblo Viejo

3814 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50313

515.265.1720