La Reyna Supermarket & Taqueria

To add on to the people that rag on restaurants for not having vegetarian options, cry me a river. Got o pita pit if you want your veggie fix. Don’t give a restaurant a bad rating just cause they can’t accomodate you. It’s like someone going to a vegetarian restaurant and giving them a bad review for not having options for people that eat meat. You should’ve given them a better rating because the guy remade you a burrito and tried to accomodate you.
Anyways, this joint had some good mexican food for Iowa City. It’s good to actually see other mexican people eating here, that’s when you know you’re at the right spot vs. Los Portales or Cactus something. The owner was very nice to us and even gave us her extra spicy salsa to try! It was comforting knowing that their ingredients are from the mexican grocery right next to it. The food tasted great and the portions were more than accomodating!

Ive visited mexico so i can tell you that the small double tortilla wrapped tacos are very authentic. We used a living social coupon and still spent almost $ 20. Even for that price is what quite disappointing – extremely bland, the steak had no flavor, enchilada on a combo plate had no sauce? Quite disappointing – cant stress enough how flavorless it was.

I will concur with my fellow Unilocal compatriots that ragging on a MEXICAN restaurant for not serving good vegetarian options is pretty weak. Peppers, onions and beans are no way to enjoy La Reyna! But I digress.
This is a great spot for some really solid authentic Mexican cuisine. This most resembles the places we’ve been in previous towns that became our go-​to Mexican spot. The «Sombrero» was amazingly good — Fajita w/​cheese and the tortillas on top for use when I wanted and delishifying when I didn’t! The chimichanga that my wife enjoyed was very nice and was the first place in town that didn’t have cheese sauce on top!
Salsa was legit and had some kick with some depth as well. The pico de gallo was incredible and the guacamole was solid! They actually gave us samples free of charge and as such, we’ll definitely be ordering it next time!
I enjoy my Margarita that was on sale on Friday (3.99). The rim was salt and sweet which was different, but good. They were sweet, but no too much so.
Décor was fantastic and makes you feel close to authentic Mexico, but the added benefit that you can drink the water!
All in all, a great spot and worth trying out for some good south of the border food!

I’m thoroughly unimpressed with La Reyna’s food, and don’t understand why people are. Every time I’ve had meat at La Reyna it’s been the consistency of dog food, bland, and sad. And believe me, I really want to love this place. I want to love any Mexican in IC, though of course that’s hard to do.
Though, if I were spending my money at a Mexican grocery off 6, I’d be at El Paso beneath the VFW. No questions asked.

I hidden gem off the beaten path.
Thus far the most authentic mex in IC.
Nice, friendly, hospitable owners (Carmen and Hubby).
I’ve been trying to get here for quit some time and finally was nearby and swung over for a quick lunch. It recently won/​voted with many high honors. Congrats to them!
Fresh ingredients made with love from Carmen.
Chips were nice thick cuts and salsa was good with a lil bite I like, good consistency too.
I opted for the Taco & Enchilada lunch platter (lunches are $ 5.50 /​big burrito 5.99). Though I was craving the infamous tamales or burrito (save that for next time).
The taco was great, shredded chicken, street style with corn torts and pico and cilantro. Enchilada was not big, but very good taste and the cheese was great. Beans and rice were good and not runny or bland.
I must return for more menu items to try… ;)

Great food, lousy décor. That’s fantastic in my book. I only hesitate to give this a good review because I don’t want it to get too busy.

It pains me to see the only passable Mexican restaurant in Iowa City given such a low ranking because it isn’t vegetarian. Traditional Mexican food is not particularly vegetarian-​friendly and features lard rather prominently — even in recipes by star chefs like Rick Bayliss. It seems like the first reviewer really wanted Cal-​Mex.
That said, I’m also from California (LA) and La Reyna is the only place for me. The salsa, guacamole, refritos, and famous tamales are great. I wish they fried their own chips and used fresher beef in their steak dishes. You’ll usually sit next to a friend or family member of the owners, and their kids hang out around the restaurant and store, too. That home cooking environment is what I most miss about LA and Chicago family-​run restaurants!

I don’t believe restaurants should be punished for their lack of vegetarianism unless they happen to claim «Vegetarian» prominently on their sign.
That said, La Reyna is half grocery store/​bodega on the right side and restaurant on the left, with a taco cart outside when the weather is warm. People are really friendly and they offer food which is a bit more authentic than the usual Mexican restaurant around here. I had the chicken enchilada, very tasty. My wife had the chicken mole, which she loved, but be warned, it was huge and rich.
They also sell some of their salsa and guacamole in the grocery store part, which is nice to know as they’re excellent.

I really wanted to love La Reyna. I’m from California and really missing the San Francisco burrito/​taqueria experience. (Don’t even get me started about Panchero’s. Even in my most desperate-​for-​a-​burrito moments I don’t consider eating at Panchero’s). I went in there (when it was still just a food cart) looking for a vegetarian burrito, and noticed right away that the beans were filled with meat. Eew! I made the guy start over, but without beans all I got was a bunch of very greasy bell peppers and onions and salsa wrapped in a tortilla. Disappointing and almost inedible. I’m sure my Mexican carnivore friends would love the food, but sadly, it’s not accessible to me.
UPDATE: I went to the restaurant last night and looked at the menu. They have a ‘vegetarian’ burrito, but I was suspicious and asked the server about the beans. She said they put chorizo in the beans! As I headed for the door, I asked her to tell the kitchen to consider a truly vegetarian bean option. She gave me that «you’re crazy» look and I left.