Los Gemelos

The food was great. However, I’m a person that is all about the free chips and dip as an appetizer and this place did not make me happy. Two times I’ve been there they were out of chips. What Mexican place is out of chips?! That’s like McDonald’s being out of fries.
That is my only concern. Otherwise, great tacos!

The food lacked seasoning and flavor. The service was also lacking. I would not come back here again when there’s places such as taqueria Guadalajara and Franciscos cantina nearby.

I used to really like this place, but the service has gone downhill lately. Really hope they pick up the game.

I absolutely love this place. Simple, real, and beautiful. Everything is fresh and authentic, and the service is always great. Their bistec is to die for, especially in their deadly-​fried but awesome quesadillas. A little beat-​up atmosphere-​wise, but the people make it great. The attached market is a nice stop for bringing flavors home with you.

This place has really gone downhill. The service has been better in the past, their menu seems to consist more heavily of (heavy) deep fried things — almost exclusively at this point. Despite this, chips no longer come with eating in, as they used to. If not for the looping Mexican banda music videos and the decent prices for decently authentic tacos al pastor, this place wouldn’t have much to offer. Don’t get me wrong — this is still the best taco on State Street. But if you can make it down South Park Street or otherwise out of downtown, better tacos await you at better places.

MINI CHIMICHANGAS!!!
Anyways, food is always great. I find it a little expensive compared to establishments they’d compete with, but they’re in a prime location on state street so who can blame them?
Seriously. Their chimichangas.

I love this place. What you see is what you get. Solid Mexican food, really good prices, and the service is adequate.

My boyfriend really like this spot, they have authentic mexican food. I found it to be a little greasy and not as flavorful, but I’ve had a lot of American-​Mexican food, so maybe I’m using that as a template to judge other Mexican cuisine. They sometimes have taco Tuesday on the Hooked App, so we occasionally take advantage of that deal. All in all not my go to, but it’s still decent.

The place is kind of dumpy, so I got my food to go. It came in a thin paper bag which quickly developed a hole and allowed grease to leak out onto my clothes.
The quesadillas are not very good; they’re mostly breading. Some of their other food is probably good though, especially for the price.

Had just rolled into town. I was starving and craving tacos. I just sort of ended up here. Service was mostly prompt and always friendly. I received chips and salsa and had my drink order taken and filled in no time. However, once I got my dinner I never saw a server again. I had to go up front to ask for my bill. Turns out you pay for it up front (so I was told), but I didn’t know that.
I had chicken tacos and a margarita. The tacos were fine. The chicken was a bit dry. If it had been moister then the tacos would have been perfect. The cheese they used was excellent and did not overwhelm the taco.
The margarita was huge and well worth the price (I think 6.50). I couldn’t even finish it, but it did a great job of helping me relax and unwind after a long day of travel.

Great salsa. So so chips. From concentrate Jose Cuervo Margarita mix which they forgot to make even though I am the only one at the bar and the restaurant is ²⁄₃ empty at 8pm.
Average thrown together, «who cares» style Mexican décor. Haphazard black and white tile dropped ceiling. Random stupid Mexicanish decorations on the wall. Cheap bar counter. Old cheap flat screen tvs. Numerous chunks out of the wall paint. Cheap tables strewn about.
Had the steak and pastor sopes and the chicken gordita. Gordita chicken was dry but the sopes pretty good.
There are 4 – 5 Mexican places downtown in Madison that I read about on Unilocal.I will try another next time I am here, but based on the reviews expect more of the same.
Madison appears desperately in need of a Modern Mexican restaurant like Milagro in St. Louis.

This three-​star (scored generously) experience is really half on me for not spotting the warning signs. First of all, ordering vegetarian at a place known for its meat dishes is probably unwise. You’ve effectively excluded yourself from the things everyone else recommends. Second, ordering Mexican food while at seminar in Wisconsin when you spend the rest of the year living four hours from the Mexican border is probably also a bad idea. Third, ordering any food at all within a half mile of a busy college campus is universally known to be a misstep. But I was very hungry and had heard good things, so ahead I went with my bad idea self.
I saw fajitas, and that sounded good. It probably should have been a warning sign that the vegetarian fajitas were the same price ($ 12) as the meat ones, but I instead took it to mean I could expect great things. Then I went home and realized that I’d been given reheated tortillas, rice, tomato, avocado, and about three pounds of sauteed onions and peppers. And they weren’t even interesting peppers – just red and green bell peppers, with nary a hint of any spice. Since I was given two tiny cups of unmemorable salsa, I got through the sides and two tortillas worth of the veggies before giving up in boredom and despair.
So, for $ 14 after tax and a small to-​go tip, without a drink, I’m still hungry and may have to go back out for food. I would go with two stars here, except the meat dishes coming out of the kitchen while I waited for my carryout looked quite interesting, so benefit of the doubt will be given and I’ll just write this one off as a bad call and file Los Gemelos under «not recommended for vegetarians.»

Came here for my birthday lunch over the weekend as we were craving Mexican and this was close by.
The interior was a little bit more causal than I expected; the big menu across the top gave it more of a sit down fast food kind of a vibe. Regardless, we were greeted promptly and asked if we were dining in or take out. We were handed menus and grabbed a table in the back. The waiter came over shortly with waters and a small thing of chips and salsa. The chip basket they bring out is small unlike most Mexican restaurants I have been too. But I almost prefer this because I usually just keep eating and eating and before you know it, two huge baskets of chips gone and no room for an entrée. The smaller serving of chips is nice because I don’t feel like I have to keep eating and I actually had room left in my stomach when my entrée arrived haha.
The menu is a little on the smaller side, but everything looked really good. I got the chicken chimichangas and my date got the Milanese chicken torta. I’ve also never tried horchata, so I ordered a glass.
The Horchata was out of this world good. I highly recommend you try it. So sweet and delicious with the perfect hint of cinnamon. And while I also have never had a chimichanga before so I don’t have anything I compare to, they were good! You get a serving of beans and rice with the entrée. Very filling and yummy. It was fresh and hot!
If you’re looking for an affordable authentic Mexican taste, try Los Gemelos! Our waiter was friendly and helpful with suggestions, which is always a plus :)

Have been here numerous times since I discovered it just over a year ago. Prices are great for a State Street Location, food is good, mix of mild and spicy and staff is friendly.
I love the quesadillas and sopes, they make the masa shells for these in house, and they are sooo good. It can get crowded later at night since the place is small, but they offer take out which a lot of their customers get.
Free Chips: Yes
Mexican Coke & Fruit sodas: Yes
Cheap: Yes
Authentic: Yes

This was a pleasant surprise. I ordered a taco and a quesadilla. The pastor seasoning was beyond perfection. As for the quesadilla, I am at a loss for words. If you are looking for some tortilla grilles with some shredded cheese, this is not what you are gonna get here. They make their own corn dough and fill it with yummyness of your choice of protein with lots of Oaxaca cheese. The way it is supposed to be! Very authentic Mexican food. I’ll definitely come back!

I eat a lot of cheap tacos so after reading some reviews of Los Gemelos, I naturally knew I needed to stop by.
I can only speak to the tacos, but they were definitely what I wanted. For $ 2.25 a pop, you really can’t go wrong. I got one chorizo, one pastor, and one chicken. I was underwhelmed by the chorizo, which is a bummer but I think that’s what would get a 5 star review – its such a ht or miss thing for me. The pastor was THE BEST. Ugh, if I could do it again, I wouldnt have messed around with anything else, except then I wouldn’t have discovered how awesome the chicken was. It wasn’t dry, as can sometimes be the case.
Maybe it was my extreme hunger accompanied by the oops-​I-​mixed-​beer-​and-​liquor-​last-​night hangover but I definitely want to return.
Bonus points for the Spanish music videos!

Horchata doesn’t get better than this. The consistency of the cinnamon infused rice milk at Los Gemelos is perfection. It’s spiced and sugared and oh so good. Many restaurants tend to dull this drink down so it’s thin as water and way too sugary. Not Los Gemelos, nuh uh. They do it way right.
Get some tacos while you’re here too. The steak variety is served with cilantro and diced onion and is probably best, but I’ve had chicken a handful of times as well. If you’re looking for something a tad heartier, go for the fajitas and prepare for a lot of food. I love that smokey grilled taste on the meat and veggies, nailed it.
Also, they default to corn tortillas here, which is fine by me because they’re delish but ask for flour if that’s your thing.
Service can be bothersome at times, especially if you’re pressed for time, but that can’t keep me away from their horchata. I have yet to find a better glass.

This is one of the best places to get «authentic» Mexican food near State Street in Madison. The irony there is that I am not a huge fan of authentic Mexican.
The food is exactly what you would expect from a slightly divey Mexican quick service spot. Solid flavors, with the tacos being probably the best item on the menu. The pricing is very reasonable, but I generally will go to places that are a bit more Tex Mex.
But for those of you who are all about authenticity, there are few better options in Madison. Check it out next time you finish your bar crawl!

Mexican food right on State St! Well, close enough, it’s right off State on Gilman. I can’t thank my co-​worker enough for his recommendation. They have daily specials, selected mexican items that comes in a ‘combo’, which means, in mexican terms, beans and rice =)
Complimentary chips and salsa if you choose the dine-​in option. But for me mostly Los Gemelos is a grab and go place since it’s very close to where I work, we would call to order ahead, saves us more time that way ~~
Their sopes and gorditas are my favorite. For sopes I love the combination of beans, steak or pastor, cheese, avocado and lettuce put together on a thick flour tortilla. It’s a very refreshing feeling (and taste) to bite into one of those. The gorditas are a slight different version, your choice of fillings wrapped in a Mexican styled pita pocket, as I like to call it.
Do note that even though vegetarian options are being offered, I have found the potatoes option just didn’t go well with their sopes. The gorditas are fine with potato fillings, but it’s still not my top choice.
Service has always been prompt and friendly. No problems with food hygiene or quality in the 8 or so times I’ve been there.

Great Mexican food bang for the buck (or should I say peso)
My daughter and I dropped in during the Madison Art Fair on the Square. We were headed to Chipotle, but after seeing some great Unilocal reviews, we diverted off State Street to try this little hole in the wall taqueria on Gilman Street.
Unless you’re a big fan of formica, the décor barely rates one star, we’re talking dive with a capital D. The place could use a real thorough cleaning as well. Our tabletop was a sticky, but with a napkin, some water and a lot of elbow grease, our eating space became acceptable. The flat screen on the wall featured the Mexican version of MTV which kept my 10 year old very entertained with the plot development of each video. (Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy is sad)
The laminated menu contained primarily Mexican food truck fare (tacos, gorditas, burritos, tostadas, etc.) As a fan of the late, great Up and In podcast, I was overjoyed to see Boing! as one of the beverage options along with Jarritos and horchata. But with ala cart prices from $ 2 to $ 3 for many of the items, it encouraged us to sample a variety of items.
The cheese quesadilla ordered by my daughter was a revelation. Rather than your standard thin layer of shredded jack cheese pressed between a couple of tortillas, this baby featured a crispy masa pocket crammed full of melted queso fresco cheese. She quickly wolfed it down and ordered a second one, proclaiming this version to be far superior to what she’s consumed at Pasqual’s or Chipotle.
I ordered a steak taco, a pork gordita and a chorizo & potato sopes. The steak taco came in a double corn tortilla topped with finely chopped onions, queso fresco and cilantro. Unlike the pungent onions that plagued a recent meal at La Mestiza, these onions were fresher and the smaller dice complimented the meaty goodness of this taco. The steak was well seasoned and perfectly prepared. The pastor gordita, which had the same masa exterior as the quesadilla was also a culinary delight. The crispy exterior was a perfect foil to the melt in your mouth goodness of the pork filling. The chorizo sopes was a solid offering, but it was a little greasy and did not meet my lofty expectations after enjoying the steak and pork offerings.
The basket of chips that we were served were average. My daughter did not like having to apply the salsa from a squeeze bottle onto the chips. The salsa was watery and a little bland compared to the other items we enjoyed.
Service was a little chaotic. The server that took our order was not very attentive (it was a rare occurrence to get water glasses and /​or the chip basket refreshed), but halfway through the meal, we were adopted by another server who did a great job. The total bill with tip was about $ 20, a great value for the quantity /​quality of the food received. I definitely plan on returning to try more of the menu.