Welcome Carlisle, IA
Family-owned Mexican · Since day one

A big, warm welcome to the neighborhood's Mexican kitchen.

Sizzling fajitas, burritos bandera, camarones, house margaritas and a kids' menu — served every day on School Street.

Open today · 11am – 10pm 30 School St, Carlisle, IA 50047
Chimichanga close-up smothered in queso blanco
01Our story

A family kitchen with a front door on Main Street.

There is no secret. There is only the food our families taught us to make, and the room we built so that our neighbors would want to sit down and stay a while.

El Gran Amigo is Carlisle's family Mexican restaurant — the corner where a $10 lunch tastes like a celebration, where the kids get their own menu, and where the margaritas come by the glass and the pitcher. Every plate is cooked to order the way it should be: rice, beans and a hand-toasted tortilla on the side.

Come as you are. Bring the family. Order the fajitas.

4.8★
Google rating
$10–20
Per person
7 / 7
Days open
02What we're known for

The plates that get ordered twice.

Camarones a la Diabla — sizzling shrimp in creamy red sauce with Mexican rice, refried beans, pico and pickled jalapeños
House favorite

Camarones a la Diabla

Sizzling shrimp in a creamy red sauce over rice and beans, with pico and pickled jalapeños.

Burrito Bandera — flour tortilla filled with steak and cheese, topped with green tomatillo salsa, sour cream and red ranchera sauce in Mexican flag colors
The tri-color

Burrito Bandera

Green tomatillo, white crema, red ranchera — a burrito that flies the flag.

Enchiladas rojas topped with sour cream, cheese and pico de gallo, plated with refried beans and Mexican rice
Classic

Enchiladas Rojas

Corn tortillas rolled with your choice of filling, red chile sauce, cheese and sour cream.

Seven golden flautas arranged around a small salad of lettuce, tomato and shredded cheese
Crunch

Flautas

Rolled and fried corn tortillas over a small salad — get them with chicken, steak or beans.

Two crunchy shell tacos filled with seasoned beef, lettuce and cheese, served with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans
Kid-approved

Crunchy Tacos

Seasoned beef, lettuce and cheese in a crispy shell. Rice and beans on the side.

Taco salad served in a crisp tortilla bowl with lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and cheese
Fresh

Taco Salad

A crisp tortilla bowl piled with guacamole, pico, sour cream and cheese.

03The Bar

Great margaritas. By the glass or the pitcher.

Reposado, blanco, añejo — house margs shaken to order, salted rims, fresh fruit when we can get it. Classic, strawberry, mango, blue. Ask for La Toxica if you're feeling brave. There are also cervezas, micheladas and whatever the bartender is trying out that week.

Blue Don Julio margarita in a hurricane goblet with a salt rim and orange slice, beside a bottle of Don Julio Añejo tequila on the wooden bar

The Don Julio Blue.

Don Julio Añejo, blue curaçao, house sour, salt rim, orange wheel. The one people order first and photograph second.

  • House margarita
  • Cadillac
  • Strawberry con chile
  • Mango
  • La Toxica
  • Michelada
  • Cerveza (draft + bottle)
  • Palomas
04What our neighbors say

4.8 stars, and counting.

4.8
from 48 verified Google reviews
Read all on Google
05Good to know

Frequently asked.

Where is El Gran Amigo?

30 School Street, Carlisle, Iowa 50047 — just off Main Street. Free parking on site.

When are you open?

Every day. Sunday through Thursday, 11am to 9pm. Friday and Saturday, 11am to 10pm.

Can I order online?

Yes — pickup or delivery through eatfutiorders.com. Or call (515) 214-1124.

Is there a kids' menu?

Yes. Little plates, family-friendly booths, and no side-eye when the coloring pages come out.

Do you take reservations?

We're walk-in first. For bigger parties, give us a call ahead and we'll hold a table.

Do you have a full bar?

Yes — margaritas, cervezas and a small cocktail list. Try the Cadillac or the strawberry with chile.

Order · Call · Come by

Hungry right now?

Order online for pickup or delivery, or grab the phone. We answer.

06Find us

Look for the glowing sign.

El Gran Amigo

Mexican Restaurant · Carlisle, IA

Address

30 School St
Carlisle, IA 50047

Get directions

Hours

Sunday11 am – 9 pm
Monday11 am – 9 pm
Tuesday11 am – 9 pm
Wednesday11 am – 9 pm
Thursday11 am – 9 pm
Friday11 am – 10 pm
Saturday11 am – 10 pm