Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Mexican
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. An upscale, hip Mexican spot with vegan tacos, such as crispy onion & avocado with vegan crema, and a portobello taco which can be vegan upon request. Many sides can be made vegan or are vegan by default. Servers are very helpful and knowledgeable. Open Mon-Thu 11:00am-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:00am-11:00pm, Sun 10:00am-9:00pm.


Venue map for Malo
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15 Reviews

First Review by shafess

Doogiegood

Points +23

Vegetarian
26 Mar 2023

Love their options

Food was good. Great flavors and filling

gumblebumble

Points +95

Vegan
11 Feb 2023

Vegan Burrito Bowl is Delicious

There aren’t many vegan options here (I think just two meals) but the burrito — which can also be made as a bowl — is well worth checking out. It’s huge and very tasty.

Pros: One very good vegan dish

Cons: Not many vegan options

dumpster_kitten

Points +15

Vegetarian
17 Dec 2022

Great burrito

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a burrito that didn’t taste like a carnivore just mashed a bunch of vegetables together. Also the potato’s flavor/texture was so reminiscent of meat (hardly potato) I was almost scared it was. Beautiful flavor making it a dish I will absolutely be going back for. A good plus is it’s size made it for sure worth the price. It was a three meal in one for me personally. 100% worth it.

juliehornsby

Points +899

Vegan
12 Oct 2022

Super tasty and big portions

The food was very tasty - just be careful with the spice levels. The vegan burrito was huge! You can absolutely share it between two hungry people!

Pros: Clearly labeled vegan options

VagrantVegan

Points +1333

Vegan
13 Aug 2022

Pretty good

The vegan burrito bowl was tasty, and the presentation was very nice. I appreciate that they gave me a good amount of guacamole. I also got crispy yuca, which was a good texture pair.

ladyxbug

Points +189

Vegan
17 Aug 2020

Huge vegan burrito

Their vegan burrito is HUGE, I could barely eat half of it, therefore it was well worth the price! Our waitress knew how to make every side suitable for vegans which made ordering so much easier- I appreciated it so much! Everything tasted great & I can't wait to go back!

audiogeekdesign

Points +68

Vegan
02 Feb 2020

Small 🌱 Menu

That said the 🌱 food was was limited but pretty good. I’d go back. Friendly staff, quick service and HUGE portions (if that’s your thing). Allowed substations and the staff made reccos.

The atmosphere was good too.

jhdeluca

Points +110

Vegan
31 Aug 2019

Fantastic vegan burrito

We just relocated to Des Moines and have eaten at Malo three times. I ate here during a job interview. The vegan burrito is fantastic, and is at least two meals worth of food. Fried yucca is delicious. My daughter loves the vegan crema and the pico de gallo. The service is unfailingly friendly. The reviewers complaining that the food is bland need to request some hot sauce!

Updated from previous review on 2019-08-24

Pros: friendly service, vegan options, nice bar

Cons: can be noisy

Barnaby

Points +25

Vegetarian
24 Jul 2019

I want to like this place but say “meh”

Fun place with energy and nice outdoor seating, but the food comes up short.

Pros: Vegan and veg taco choices

Cons: I find the tacos to be fairly greasy

cagreiner

Points +20

Mostly Veg
27 Jun 2019

It will due in a pinch...

Food was pricey, which is ok if it worth it. But it was overly simple, plain and bland in my opinion. Four pieces of shrimp, and a sprinkling of shredded cabbage justifies a taco? Or the avacado and onion taco...well..there was no onion. Could do better, but it was vegan.

Pros: Handful of vegan options

Cons: Pricey, Subpar food, Slow service

SLPAQUIN

Points +37

Vegan
22 Jun 2019

Big as my head, tasty burrito

Had great service, asparagus to die for and the burrito was big enough to get me a late night snack. They h e a vegan crema, too, which I did not try because my plate was full!

Pros: Vegan option

Cons: Iceberg lettuce instead of real greens, $6 to add vegan chorizo! What?!?

hhill09

Points +45

Vegan
20 Oct 2018

Very delicious and easy to make subs

Staff is great and it is easy to make substitutions

acwrice

Points +222

Vegan
18 Aug 2018

Unexciting food, good cocktails.

I was hoping for more vegan options, but they were mostly vegetarian items that you could get without cheese/sour cream. I ended up with the fajitas. They vegetables were too greasy, and they cost about 50% more than vegetable fajitas at a regular Mexican restaurant.

Great cocktails, though!

Pros: Good drinks, Helpful staff

Cons: Not many options, Expensive

Bgeezy

Points +744

Vegetarian
18 Jun 2018

Likely wont return

I probably will not return here. I ordered the portobello tacos, plural. It was priced $5.99 and it came with one singular taco. Why does the menu show plural? The food came 45 minutes after order placed, was cold, and the server was a little rude. Taco was ok though. I like that the menu marks vegetarian options too. Left still hungry. I got a little annoyed too because I had used the parking garage thinking I'd be there only an hour and was there an hour an half due to the late wait and had to pay extra for parking.

shafess

Points +600

Vegan
06 Apr 2017

A new favorite!!!

Went here for Valentine's day and were NOT disappointed!! The waitress was very helpful in navigating the menu and making any changes that were needed. We got two tacos with a side of black beans and spanish rice. The homemade tortillas are INCREDIBLE. Can't wait to go again!

Pros: Delicious, Good options, Unique

Cons: A little expensive




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