Los Compadres - West Cedar Rapids

There 's some good and some really bad here. We were greeted and seated quickly and with a warm friendly server who is also a hostess and also a bartender. Sort of a red flag but there but it seems to be a family business so that happens. We had a party of 7. All ordered margaritas or beers. We got waters and chips and salsa pretty quickly but the chips were not salted and the salsa lacked any sort of zip so it was basically crushed tomatoes. We waited and waited for the drinks. This was a Wednesday night in September. Should have been much quicker. Finally got all but one drink and the overall consensus was that the drinks were tasteless and lacked pretty much any alcohol. We didn 't complain though and oddly the bartender started walking around with a bottle of tequila and offering mas tequila to anyone. I didn 't have my drink yet so I asked if he could check on it and I got it about one minute later. Tasted like water with a squeeze of lime. I asked the server for more tequila and she said they would have to charge. After noting that the bartender was handing out free shots to those who were fortunate enough to have received their drinks timely I finally had more tequila free of charge. Once that was added, the drink tasted more like a margarita. Then We waited a long time for her to take our orders. When the food finally started trickling out of the kitchen slowly we did enjoy what we ordered. I had the pollo con arroz with grilled veggies. It was super delicious and huge portions. Again the server was super slow getting us our checks. I doubt I would come back here unless it was for takeout. Ambiance was very basic Mexican restaurant style. No mariachi band or anything. Music was very quiet. I recommend this place get some additional Servers and bartenders to improve.

Not a great area. We were staying in the hotel next door. Needing to eat and not feeling safe enough to walk further we came here. Much nicer than expected. Like any other Mexican cantina. Same decor. Same menu. We ordered fajitas to split. They were a solid 3. Could have used some seasoning but it did the job.

Stopped in here for lunch, ended up with the $12 lunch buffet. Nice selections, including decent fajita meat and white queso. The only thing that was so so was the beef taco meat. Virtually no flavor. Otherwise, pretty decent value especially for lunch

Ordered Shrimp Fajitas from their Lunch Menu. It was so satisfying and delicious. I forgot to take photos when served, so it's halfway gone. However, they topped guacamole that house made from scratch on my salad was so amazingly delicious. All staff were good people, and they made me feel welcomed. I recommend this business.

Overnighting at the Hampton Inn nearby, got in late and was looking to grab a bite. We didn't really care what type of food, but thought we'd give this place a try; WE ARE SO GLAD WE DID. Service was amazing, I had the Carnitas and my Dad had the Grilled Vegetable Quesadilla and washed them down with a couple of Modelo Especials...perfect. Great Place, great service and great food. Wish I could come back soon...but if I'm ever in these parts again, will definitely stop by Los Compadres.