Dos Reales Mexican Restaurant

Dos Reales Mexican Restaurant is a great stop, especially if you're on a long drive and looking for a place to relax and grab a delicious meal. I had one of the vegetarian lunch options (though I can’t recall the exact name), and the taste was absolutely amazing — highly recommended for anyone who enjoys bold, flavorful food. They start you off with crispy tortilla chips and a spicy salsa that really hits the spot — a great way to kick off the meal. The restaurant also has ample parking, which is convenient, and the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. If you're dining with a large group, there are plenty of big tables available too. Overall, a solid place for a tasty Mexican meal with good service and a comfortable setting.

The food was pretty good. The tap water was horrible, so I opted for a diet. The service was fine. The atmosphere was ok. The place could use a revamp or a good cleaning. Overall, it was a decent place to stop for lunch. The lunch menu was priced reasonably. I would go again.

I came here a few years ago, and the food was so much better back then. Now it doesn't taste very authentic. In addition, the serving sizes have become much smaller. I ordered a combo of an enchilada, a tamale, and rice and beans. The food was ok, but lacked flavor in general. My mother ordered elote, and it was the worst that I have ever tasted. It was 70% mayo and salt with barely any corn, and we weren't even able to eat it.

They have great food and friendly staff. They celebrate birthdays. Kid friendly. My friend and I go there all the time, to the point where the staff know us as their regulars. Parking is limited, but they share it with other businesses around the building. Pulling out of the parking can be difficult because they're off a main street.

I recently visited this amazing Mexican restaurant and I must say, they offer generous portions of delicious food at a great value! It's truly a treat for your taste buds. While the service can sometimes be a tad slow, especially during busy periods, the majority of the staff is incredibly warm and eager to assist you with any requests or help you find exactly what you're looking for. Give this place a try if you're craving some tasty Mexican cuisine without breaking the bank!

Loved the old Wendy's atrium! We only ordered cheese dip and pitcher of margaritas and 2 Jarritos. ALL were good BUTwas $72. That felt a little steep but maybe I am getting old!

Honestly a great time for a really random stop in, eat, and go. Margaritas were fire, food equally so. Pretty classic Mexican restaurant atmosphere. The service was probably the best part, really attentive, but not overwhelming.

Really good chicken mole and vegetarian fajitas, the corn tortillas were the best.

The food is outstanding!! The service is amazing. How do they carry all that food? Service is great! Food is hot temperature and flavor! Delivery is prompt and food is delicious! Ambiance is improving!

Traveling through. Found this place on Yelp. Not bad. Would eat there again. The queso was really good.

We stopped here on our way back to Chicago. The place is not attractive from the outside. But once you are there the ambiance is good. Bottom line is that the food is good, freshly cooked and the service is excellent. Thumbs up. ¡Órale!

There were only white people in this "Mexican" restaurant... I needn't say more, but I will. Everything was unseasoned and bland. The price absolutely does not reflect the cafeteria quality meat that they dump on the plate in the most unappetizing way. As other users said, this restaurant is for white people who have little exposure to Mexican food and have no problem paying for canned food. If you want good and actual authentic Mexican food, go to tres nopales in Urbana. Even maize is miles better than this place. Literally lost my appetite looking at the food and eating it was worse. Not even hot sauce could save my meal. The staff are great and this is not their fault at all.

My friend and I went there for dinner. The dining environment was comfortable, the serving people were all friendly and kind. We also saw some people celebrating with kind of traditional approaches, and I felt the enthusiasm as well as humanity of the restaurant! They have big quantities of food, and the prices were very reasonable. We both highly recommend this Mexican restaurant!

Food is delicious and the drinks are on point! Wait staff is always great as well! My spouse loves the Acapulco and I always get chicken on a bed of rice covered in cheese with tortilla on the side! Sooo good!!! Don't get to go often but it's our first choice if we are in C-U area for Mex! Great business!

Clearly the best Mexican restaurant in Champaign. Fast, fast service. Margaritas are incredible

Very good food if you have deep pockets. We used to go there often. It just got too pricey for us, but if you can afford it, it is worth trying.

An above average place in Champaign for Mexican American food. Dos Reales has a typical Americanized menu with lots of the familiar items. It of course has margaritas which are required to be the beverage of choice for any Mexican restaurant. Food isn't all that special but it has decent flavor. The prices aren't bad for the big portions. I figured it was just as good as any Mexican restaurant around here. Probably it's true. The menu is familiar to anyone who has eaten Mexican American food wherever. Drinks are needed of course. Even if you don't want a margarita, there's plenty of Mexican beer too. Oh of course you want a margarita though. It's $3.45 for the House. This is the regular lime flavor, which is the best though. Among the food, they of course have a Vegetarian Burrito. It's $8 for a pretty big one. This is stuffed with lots of vegetables. Be aware they automatically put cheese over everything. This goes for the side items so make sure if you don't want that they know so. Basically it's not bad for being what it is which is a typical Mexican style kind of American food. It has pretty good prices. They have the happy hour too.

Great find in the college town. I have been to many of the Mexican restaurants throughout Champaign, and this one is the best so far. The food was good with plenty left to take home. I have visited here many times and have not been disappointed ever. The food is great, reasonably priced, nice ambience and great service. The alcoholic drinks are good too. Not enough alcohol to get you drunk, but just enough to have a great time with friends.

Excellent margaritas, food and service. Our server even overheard someone mention it was my Mom's birthday, and they surprised her with a sombrero, confetti cannon, shot of tequila and dessert. So awesome

Lunch time at Dos Reales in Champaign illinois is up to 3 pm and we arrived just past 1:30 and checked out at 2;15. There is a lunch price and a dinner price listed on the specials board for the same item. They charged my card for two dinners instead of two lunches with a $5.50 difference in the bill. Cashier wouldn't adjust and said it was my fault for not telling them I'm ordering lunch. I thought I did, but even so, it is lunch time and the waiter should ask, not assume. I told her she can adjust my charge OR forgo the tip. She called the manager, spoke Spanish, and then handed me the phone, which did me no good with my hearing loss. Bottom line, I should know better at my age... never give them your credit card before they hand you the bill.

Great food, service, and vibe! Definitely will come back here when in the area! Prices were reasonable.

We were traveling(driving) through Champaign. We had some special needs (very unorthodox request that I don't want to mention) that no other restaurant would even consider doing. We advised them we were traveling through town ( so they knew we would not be repeat customers). They completely and kindly accommodated us. My wife and I started with the queso appetizer (we are from Texas and rarely find Mexican food in other states that we consider good). The queso is fantastic. My wife had the enchiladas and I had a fajita burrito with steak. Both meals were fantastic. The service was top notch and the prices are very reasonable.

We had a party of 12 for a birthday party. We were so happy with the food and our server was so good. I expected to have a few hiccups with party our size, but we didn't have any. The cheese dip was amazing. And oh my gosh the Acapulco as amazing. I'm not gonna put a picture

Great tasting dishes. You get way more than what you pay for. The portions are huge. Lot of patrons here on a Saturday night. Service was fast for a full restaurant.

Very good place to grub when on the road really recommend what I got was very satisfying to be honest and hit the spot also the flavors on the steak was perfect and the rice and beans were definitely on point I know good food from the city of Chicago highly recommend coming in don't miss out

After spending Thursday night in Decatur, Michael and I were back in Champaign-Urbana Friday around lunch time and picked Dos Reales. The building appeared to be an old fast food restaurant converted. Super low ceilings in the seating area so again, you guessed it, soooo loud! I had recently been getting treatment on my right ear bc of problems with my ear drum so I actually put a cotton ball in. It was really that bad. And I'm not sure if the noise was bothering the staff too, but Michael and I both noticed that not one person working looked and sounded happy. I didn't see anyone ever smile. The menu was the standard 8-10 pages of options. With the free chips I asked for salsa verde and Michael wanted the super hot salsa. They brought both and my verde was really good. His appeared good through the tears from the heat!! He really didn't cry but it was hot. For lunch he went seafood fajitas special and I went chicken quesadilla. Mine was good, but too much for me to eat so Michael enjoyed the leftovers. With only one cash register the line was super long to pay. I believe we could have sat at the table and gave them our ticket and card to take up there but it was just as easy to go stand and wait. For a $23ish bill for lunch, it was good food but I wouldn't rush back bc of the noise and what seemed to be very sad employees.

The service and food are horrible. The customer service is bad. Not only are the employees rude the manager is also rude.

TL:DR - Cheese sauce is the secret that makes this place so delicious. Got the steak quesadilla and it was fire. I think covid precautions could be improved slightly. Staff is beyond amazing and professional. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pretty solid spot, remembered loving this place as a student, and needed a place for lunch. What really makes this place delicious is their cheese sauce. It's perfect consistency to allow for dipping, covering burritos, that's not to liquid-y but also not like nacho cheese thick. It's also a perfect flavor that's not too fake but just enough to really let you enjoy what you're eating. I got a steak quesadilla and it was amazing. The cheese sauce, the tortilla, the steak, and all the juices from it just worked together perfectly. It's too messy and big to eat like a regular taco bell quesadilla, and is just easier to eat as a salad almost. We also got a horchata. Perfect balance of sweetness and cinnamon flavor, that didn't lean too heavily one way or another. We ended up taking this out and eating in the car, which felt like the right decision. There were a lot of people coming in and out. I wasn't able to see how spaced out they were in there, but I was to see that about 1/3 of the people coming in and out didn't have a mask on at all. People in the front waiting room did not respect social distancing. But the staff were very good about it. I did see them wiping down every menu page with a cleaning solution. All staff was wearing masks. I also want to say, that I did witness a Karen come in and complain about her take out order not being ready. Literally had no flexibility or understanding for staff and how busy they were. Multiple staff tried to help with the situation but she was being super unreasonable. I thought the staff did a GREAT job in dealing with her. They showed her respect even though it was not at all warranted, they did not show an ounce of frustration and treated her with complete professionalism. Kudos to the staff.

In Champaign, definitely one of the most extensive menus you'll find! Anything you can think of will be on the menu. Their drinks are sooo good and the restaurant has such a fun vibe (pre covid ofc). Great for birthdays! Their chicken fajita tacos are so good! I really like their shrimp tacos as well. I'm not sure how good the quality of food is since they're rolling out food constantly and are so busy- but worth checking out!

Bland and boring for Mexican food. There are better choices in Champaign. The salsa isn't spicy.

We loved eating here but recently charged $5 to put cheese on a burrito!!! NEVER had that happen and the manager didn't want to correct the issue. We enjoyed the food but probably will not eat here again.

Really good deal, but the bean is too salty to take, i will try buritto next time. If it has menudo is good, seem not

Went for the chicken fajita quesadilla and it didn't disappoint. So huge I can't believe I ate the whole thing. We went with a large party of 9 on a Saturday for lunch. No wait for a table and service was fast and friendly. Another in our party got the chicken chimichanga and they said it was excellent as well. I wish I had this restaurant near me, I would go all the time!

Nice portions. My favorite restaurant to get great Mexican food. The burritos are especially tasty.

Pancho plate was yummy! Lots of cheese on the rice with this one. Best eaten hot. Guac was yummy too!

Every single time I come it is the best spot for food and drinks get the Acapulco or Chicken and spinach enchiladas with black beans and rice I love these guys I've faithfully been here at least 2 /3 times a month for 13 years.

Such a great and consistent Mexican restaurant. Great margaritas and chips. The shrimp fajita quesadilla is the absolute best. I get it every time I'm in town. This is a must go to place when in Champaign!!!

Definitely a excellent restaurant to visit when you are craving Mexican. Wait staff is excellent, very attentive, and polite. We were never left with empty drinks, and had freah chips on the table immediately when empty. My daughter had the vegetarian burrito, which was very large and good. I had the chicken fajita lunch - fabulous. Large portions of chicken, great flavor, very satisfied. I didn't give the restaurant a 5 for one reason which has nothing to do with the service or food, but the small deteriorated parking lot. I will definitely visit this location again.

Wow! If you want REAL AUTHENTIC Mexican food you need to come here. The arroz and frijoles are HOMEMADE not from a can! The salsa and chips were made fresh! I am from Chicago and Mexican and THIS place is the real deal! Outstanding food and service and even the bathrooms were clean!

I have this place back home that I would go to religiously, when we decided to move I was devastated that I would have to leave behind my beloved and favorite Mexican restaurant. THEN I FOUND THIS PLACE. I'm not sure what it is but of all the places in town this is my favorite. The food is delicious, drinks are great, margaritas are , the kitchen staff is fast, the wait staff is awesome. I've eaten here weekly since we moved and as much as my fiancé tries, I can't be stopped. definitely try it out!

My son goes to U of I, and when I came to pick him up for winter break, he wanted to try lunch at DR. He heard good reviews from other students. The place was not extremely memorable. But, I guess to a broke college kid, it's good stuff. There were a couple hiccups, but for as cheap as the bill was, I overlooked them. Hiccup 1: There was no silverware on our table. We had to ask for some after our food arrived. Hiccup 2: We were given a receipt, but no tray or pen, so we weren't sure if we were to pay up front, or stay seated. We walked up to the front desk, and our waiter saw us and came and grabbed my credit card. I told him my confusion and he smiled. No biggie My chicken chimichanga was actually pretty good. I loved the cheese sauce on top. And it wasn't too big where I couldn't eat the whole thing. It came with rice & refried beans. No extra toppings. My son got a pork burrito, and ate everything on his plate - it was either really good, or he was hungry because his cupboards were empty at his apartment!! (Students love when mom/dad pick up the bill!!)

Best Mexican restaurant in Champaign. Very fast even when crowded. Nice atmosphere and very polite staff. Food is awesome. I eat here once a week. Cant miss!

Not sure how this place has a 4* review (at the time of this review). This is by far the worst Mexican food I've eaten. The beef fajitas were gross. Weird chewy knobby parts. The steak was over cooked, dried and chewy. The chips are plain Jane. One good thing was the frozen margarita. Actually had some booze in it. But the food was still gross. Go elsewhere for Mexican.

Year 2 Review For the price of the food and the variety, it still skates away with an easy 5 star. You have to be selective in what you order. So far everything I have tried at least taste fresh to order and has not been pre-cooked already. It may not be the best mexican food you have ever had or even authentic, but if you want a step up from fast food mexican then Dos Reales will not disappoint. Cheap drinks specials as well. The one thing they could do better is serve some tastier chips that don't taste like they came out of a bag along with the very watery salsa; but for the price what can you expect! Health code rating: B/C. Lots of issues with food temperature based on the reports. I would steer clear of some of the menu items that maybe prepared ahead of time i.e. the chile relleno. http://champaign.il.gegov.com/champaign/estab.cfm?facilityID=754

When you walk in the door the wait staff are right there, this house is on top of the service end of the game. I have been coming into town for many years to eat with family, Dos Reales is always the favorite and for good reason- solid choices across the menu over all the years I have been coming... tonight on my own, but usually with many others

The atmosphere and food was fantastic. Portions were more than you'd expect and the staff were vey attentive and extremely nice.

This place only raised my expectations of having Mexican food! The acapulco and rice milk drink whose name I forgot are the must try items for the first people to visit! Also the service is awesome and they refill your drinks for free! You can visit it again to try other awesome Mexican dishes the restaurant has to offer .

Came here for the first time and had #2 on the specials which is a taco, enchilada and chalupa. The food was delicious and I would definitely recommend people to come give this place a try!

The ironclad rule of BBQ and Mexican joints is, the worse the place looks on the outside, the better the food is on the inside. Dos Reales looks like a dump. The food is outstanding. First off, you'll notice the menu is enormous. It takes some time to sift through all the options. On a friend's recommendation, I got the burrito bravo - just an enormous burrito. You can choose steak or chicken. I ordered steak, but my girlfriend got a taco with the chicken and it was mindblowing. (The chicken is shredded and pulls apart, like what you get out of a slow cooker.) If I went again, I'd go with chicken for sure. The house margarita was just so-so. A little too tart for my taste. Service was excellent, quick and friendly. And everything is absurdly cheap. It's a shame they close so early, because this would be amazing hangover food. (Someone needs to throw their hours up on Yelp. The day we called, they closed at 10:30 p.m.)

Decent food at a decent price. Tried the philly cheese steak burrito and a margarita. The meat was slightly overcooked so was chewy but the caramelized onions were a good compliment. The beans were authentically bland as was the rice. The margarita was decent but no salt or lime w it. The atmosphere was what i would say is cheesy Mexican cliche and the place was a bit run down w a hole in the seat i was in and stains on the table. The service was friendly. Overall was ok and worth a shot.

Went to Dos Reales for an early dinner and ordered the vegetarian quesadilla. The quesadilla was enormous topped with their house queso and was served with mexican rice, and guacamole salad. The quesadilla itself was very flavorful the veggies inside were nicely seasoned and sautéed. The sides were a nice pairing with the main dish, the mexican rice was savoury and the guacamole was just right. By the time we were leaving the place was packed. So I recommend avoiding the peak hours. Regardless, I had an incredible authentic mexican meal, highly suggest giving it a try!

Hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant. I live in Bloomington and I will still drive over here to eat at this restaurant. The staff is always friendly and always super timely! So even when we just go for lunch they have us in and out in no time. The portions are huge and the prices are still lower than some of the other Mexican places in town. Would highly recommend the fried chimichanga or fajita nachos are always a great choice. I will choose this restaurant over most!

My co-worker and I were passing through town and decided we needed to eat before we passed through. We literally chose an exit and saw DOS Reales and decided to give it a try. The parking lot was packed so we were wondering how long it would be to get seated. Luckily, the place is rather large so we were seated right away. The menu is huge...so many options. I had a hard time deciding so I asked our waiter what he recommended and he said "Acapulco." I asked him what the most popular dish was and he responded with the same dish. I ended up ordering the Acapulco and the waiter said that if I did not like it, he would let me order something else instead. When the dish came, I could not believe how much food was there! The meat mixture of steak, chicken and shrimp was yummy. The chicken enchilada included was good as well. There were two disappointments. The rice was not very good, it was VERY dry. Also, the dish said it would be smothered in cheese but when it came, I would not call it smothered. It just had a small portion of cheese on it. Regardless of the two disappointments, the rest of the experience was good. I would recommend this place.

The food is good. Only disclaimer is that you need to think about portion sizes. They are humungus. One dish is good enough for two people. The vibe is also nice. Fajitas were great.

I wanted to like this place but it was simply awful. Had the Carne Azada, was oversalted, the meat was incredibly thin (like lunch meat) and overfried/greasy. The guac was extremely bright green and tasted gone off. The refried beans was a smooth paste, had no texture, tasted old also. Honestly don't get the 4* reviews, I think alot of the reviews must be from people who literally live off packet ramen or something.

This is probably the best Mexican restaurant around, competing with El Toro, which is pretty on par. Sometimes El Toro is better and sometimes Dos Reales is better. I usually get the chimichangas with fajita chicken and poblanos. It's essentially a fried burrito covered in delicious cheese. It's served with rice and beans, both of which are decent. The best part is that they give you baskets of chips with salsa, but it's worth it to order guacamole and cheese dip. So GOOD! Also, if they aren't hot, they're only half as good. Non-alcoholic margaritas are a delicious treat for children and adults alike. Three stars because the quality is consistently just better than mediocre. It's not bad and it certainly satisfies the Mexican food craving, but it's not somewhere I'm ever like YES WE MUST GO THERE. lol

One of the best Mexican places in Champaign-Urbana. Every time I go, I'm never disappointed. I also love the decor. They definitely embrace their culture with the decor. Every time I go I'm seated in a new place and I have different decor to look at it. The whole restaurant is shaped as a adobe too. At my latest trip here, I had a margarita for the first time. I love that they had margaritas on their daily specials. It was a blue margarita and it was worth the $5.75. My friends got mango margaritas and those were pretty good too! I think the best part of Dos Reales is the amount of food you get for your money. You definitely get a lot of food for what you pay. This time around I stuck to just a carne asada quesadilla. It was so simple, but incredibly tasty. Also when you sit down, they give you a basket of chips and two kinds of salsa. I love when that happens. The service was pretty good, too. The waiter was attentive and would frequently refill our water. He also made a joke about refilling out margaritas. I'll definitely keep going back. Just make sure that you have a empty stomach when you go or you might end up taking home leftovers, which isn't bad a thing though.