Why Eat At A Chain Wednesday: Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant

The following is a Guest Blog written by Shawn Harrington

Five minutes, that’s all it takes. The time it is to call in a pick-up order for the largest menu item (The El Combo Special), and then drive to pick it up.  That’s of course, for the days I’m trying to get from the west side of town back home and don’t have the fortune of dining in.

After living the majority of my life in the Northeast, a part of the country that does not benefit from the prevelance of original Mexican restaurants, I’ve been able to take advantage here in Central Iowa.  The first that I was able to visit after moving from Rochester, NY, to Clive, was Mazatlan.  Upon that first visit, the restaurant rised above expectations and has not let me down since that first stop three years ago.

Mazatlan is located at the corner of Swan Street and 100th in Clive (next to Play-it-Again Sports). Upon going in, you can expect your fresh warm tortilla chips & salsa as soon as you sit down.  Don’t expect to wait long for your lunch or dinner after ordering, it’s always fresh and I really have no idea how they get it together that fast.

During my visit last week while my dad was in town, I was able to try the Fajita lunch platter that included beef, chicken and shrimp.  This was all good and definitely will give me another option to consider above the El Combo.  A box to go?  You still may need to consider, because even for hearty eaters, their portions are huge! After all, why eat at a chain when you can eat at Mazatlan?