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El Chisme
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Mexican Restaurants Italian Pizza, Mexican, Italian [Edit]
255 5th StWest Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 255-5756
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for El Chisme
15 reviews in English
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Review from Hugh J.
Beverly Hills, CA
4/24/2011
El Chisme is where you should go if you want authentic food served by a couple who are totally passionate about what they do. It totally blew me away when the chef/owner and his wife came to talk to our table to see what we were in the mood for, and also make suggestions. This is top-notch customer care that you will NOT find anywhere else in Des Moines. Jesus and his wife truly care for their customers and the food they are serving.
I invite you to go to a different "Mexican" restaurant in Des Moines ("Mexican" in quotes because all other places in Des Moines serve Americanized crap...cheese melted everywhere, flavorless junk) and then try to even compare to El Chisme. Here is my comparison based on a few places I've been to around here, El Rodeo, Monterrey, La Bamba, etc:
-El Chisme's owners will talk to you and actually care about your experience.
-Other places...what owners?! I've never seen a single owner of those other places.
-The waitstaff at El Chisme is curteous, attentive, knowledgable and want to make your experience enjoyable. This restaurant is their livelihood so their heart is invested - it shows.
-Other places waitstaff looks like they hate their job.
-El Chisme's food tastes fresh and it is cooked to order. Authentic is a big plus.
-Other places: let's face it...your food at those other Mexican places takes about 2 minutes. It's obvious that the food is being reheated when it's ordered. Also, it is impossible to find an authentic taco at those other places. Hint: authentic tacos don't contain ground beef and cheddar/jack cheese.
I would suggest any of the tortas, and the tacos are great. Corn soft shells, some freshly cooked meat of your choice, onions, cilantro, lime, that's it. Damn that's good.
I'm really happy to find a Mexican restaurant that doesn't serve plates of gummy orange colored rice, diarrhea-looking refried beans, and stale ground beef wrapped in flour tortillas with a mess of melted cheese on top of everything. To all the other places around here, step your game up, get on El Chisme's level. -
Review from Gisela M.
Des Moines, IA
4/20/2012
I agree with Hugh :) I am mexican a la madre! Born in El Distrito Federal (aka Mexico City) and i HATE when i see MY food butchered in Tex Mex restaurants. I understand that restaurants want to cater to individuals who arent of Mexican decent but c'mon.... tons of melted nasty yellow cheese??? Ugh! Anyway sorry for going off course. About El chisme: There's not many places that will have a better concept of what a truly mexican pizza is. To be honest, pizza is italian, right? Well if you want to fuse two cuisines together, El chisme has done that successfully. Those Taco Pizzas i see at gas stations are a slap in the face to me as a mexican. Why not call it Texan pizza or something else? Anyway Al pastor pizzas at el chisme are awesome! Topped with cilantro and onion, just like a REAL taco would be. Yum! All the mexican dishes are good in my opinon, though i have to say, that since i've been eating there, Jesus (chef / owner) spoke of using minimal to no fat at all. In mexican cuisine, we are generous with fat.... *smile*... but i think he's trying to be more health conscious for folks who follow the mainstream FDA low fat, high protein, high carb diet. So if you're used to using fat in your food, this may be a little different for you. I can understand because i myself do Atkins (high protein, high fat, and veggies as carbs). Overall, it is good mexican food. If you want a little more flavor, maybe you can ask him to add a bit more oil to what he's cooking. They want you to be a happy customer so i'm sure they'll accomodate.
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Review from Monica S.
1/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
SHrug....I'm not sure what the true appeal to this place is, and think a mix of Mexican food and pizza is a little strange...but people seem to like it. I think it's just ok. I hear the tortas are good, but the burritos are meh. I'm sure I'll end up giving them another shot to try a torta or pizza and review it again.
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Review from Justin F.
Waukee, IA
1/10/2012
My wife and I decided to go here after reading the reviews and enjoyed it, but didnt quite think it lived up to all the great reviews. The food was good, not great, and the prices seemed pretty high. I think the cheap, uncomfortable plastic chairs we were sitting in probably made the high prices stick out more.
We had the calamari for an appetizer. It was nothing special, plain fried calamari with a spicy green sauce. Kind of chewy and not much flavor besides the sauce, also the portion was comparably small. Usually calamari is our go to appetizer at a new place and this was not very high on our list.
We took the advice of the reviews and shared a pastor pizza for out main entree, which was good! It was the highlight of the meal and for sure a tasty and unique way to do pizza. We also both enjoyed the margaritas!
Overall it was an ok experience, but wont be our new go to spot. -
Review from Jordan H.
7/28/2010
Awesome. Do NOT miss out on the pizza - carne asada or al pastor. For meat, the shrimp is outstanding, but my favorite (along with most other people's, seemingly) is the al pastor. Although not slow roasted on a spit as it should be, the flavor is still great and it serves as a perfect pizza topping.
Also of note are the incredibly tender and flavorful lengua and cabeza, which are best highlighted in the taquitos. -
Review from Joe S.
Urbandale, IA
7/18/2011
Great app. Love to use it at home and out of town. Highly recommend it!
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Review from Jesse M.
Clive, IA
12/1/2010
I have the pizza here a number of times and it's solid. The El Pastor pizza (marinated pork, pineapple, & cilantro) is really quite tasty. Absolutely a must try for pizza. Not sure if they still have the Friday $5 single topping medium special, but it's a solid deal for great pizza. No delivery though!
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Review from Jerry F.
Johnston, IA
12/16/2010
Jesus is as great a chef as there is in Iowa. This guy cares about what he presents to the customer. You need to be adventurous at El Chimes and let Jesus surprise you. My wife ordered the Calami and it was supurb. I ordered a "Steak Salad" which is not on their menu bur was at their other location. Ask for a special or to be surprised Jesus can create beautiful cuisine. His resume is quite deep as he has run a Ruths Christe Steak House and has worked at some impressive restaurants. You can order the tacos but ask to talk with Jesus and press him to make you something special. If they are not too busy he will knock your socks off. The fettucine is really rich and best split with someone. His steaks are very well prepared. I love this guy and his wife Juanna is a peach. Enjoy!
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Review from Ricky T.
Des Moines, IA
Updated - 12/8/2010
This place has since moved to 5th street in west des moines historic Valley junction area. I will say that bigger is not always better. They have added a full bar which is nice but the service severly lacked. It was like the hostes was also our waitress and then just disappeared for a good half hour or more. Maybe they are still trying to work out the kinks but I think after a month of being open you would think that would all be worked out. The food was okay. I was suprised because before I remembered the food as being good. Maybe it was the server and our food had just sat around for a while in the kitchen I don't know. Hopefully they get their act together.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/16/2009
Really good food. I think the food itself is far from the tex-mex that your used to having at such… Read more »
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Review from Greg L.
Urbandale, IA
Updated - 11/23/2011
They moved to West Des Moines in the summer of 2011.
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Review from Chris T.
Ankeny, IA
11/18/2010
El Chisme is the BOMB! I'm so excited for them to reopen in their new location, the old Cafe SU. Everything is so fresh, and the service is amazing.
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Review from Jenna R.
Playa del Rey, CA
11/14/2008
I think this is a first for me: a Mex-Italian restaurant. I wish I'd had time to try one of their Mexican-style pizzas, but since I was in a rush to hit the road, I opted for a veggie taco, which owner Jesus was kind enough to stuff with super-scrumptious mushrooms. I started off with one, but it was so good that I had to ask for another. Having lived in LA the last ten years, I was skeptical to try Mexican in Des Moines, of all places, but my culinary homing beacon did me right, as Jesus received his culinary training in LA. Huzzah! After six months with mediocre Mex in NYC, I was downright shocked to find such comida deliciosa in Iowa. I will try not to mock the Hawkeye State again (so much).
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Review from Stephanie P.
Yorba Linda, CA
4/18/2010
I really like this place. We had the El pastor pizza and el chisme quesadilla. The pizza was fantastic - very light on the sauce which I prefer and lots of cheese, pork, and onions topping it. The quesadilla was full of pinto beans and pork and had great flavor although it was a little greasy (probably from the pork and cheese). There was more of it than I could eat in one setting and for only $7! I believe our server was the chef'/owner's wife which lended itself to the family atmosphere. One of the biggest drawbacks is that this place isn't air conditioned and was quite warm while we there. Seating is also limited so not ideal for big groups.
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Review from Steve T.
Oakdale, MN
3/1/2010
El Chisme = Fantastic.
We ordered a little bit of everything, and each thing that came out was as good, or better then the last. If you are there for Pizza, try the "El Pastor", it is delicious.
After our meal the chef/owner and his wife, talked to us for quite a long time, teaching us about food, and why they make things the way they do. Understanding his passion for food, just capped off a wonderful experience at El Chisme. -
Review from Jeff M.
Urbandale, IA
5/16/2010
The food was authentic, but didn't have the bold flavors I like in good tacos. I had 'los taquitos' - the smallest tacos on the menu - which are typical street tacos you get in Mexico - and with the fillings I would expect (chorizo, lengua, cabeza, pastor) from a good taco shop, but the flavors seemed a bit bland. The salsas that come on the side (if you ask for them) were very good and saved the dishes, but without them I wouldn't have thought much of the place. I'm not sure what I'm missing that the other reviewers experienced, but I'll have to go back again and see if I just ordered the wrong thing.
