Bistros • $
“The food is always healthy and absolutely delicious! It's safe to say that the paella is honestly the best kept secret in the Des Moines metro area! The best I've ever had without traveling abroad! If you haven't been to Flavory yet, you must plan your next outing ASAP!! Service is always friendly and atmosphere brings a welcomed diversity to the current restaurants in The District.“
“Such a nice place and it is bigger than I remember it being. There are so many food options and the desserts look amazing. I had the chicken Alfredo and I loved it. The general Manager Archie was one of the nicest people I have met and made sure we had everything we needed. Food came out very fast and staff was nice. Also place is very clean.“
“Me and my daughter went here this weekend, and overall it was great! This is my 11 year old daughter’s review. The inside was super cool, and my daughter really enjoyed the gingerbread house’s. Also, the inside swings as a chairs were a very smart idea. The food was pretty good as well. My daughter and I normally go to Starbucks to get cake pops, and the ones we got here were so much better! The taste was better, it was slightly cheaper, and way bigger than Starbucks. The only problem I had with it is it crumbled apart really easily. The edible cookie dough was amazing, despite the small amount they gave you. It was still pretty decent though. The variety of cupcakes they have is amazing too. And we also got the “Muddy Buddy” cupcake, 8/10! Amazing! The service was great as well. There is so many kind things I could say about this place, but I don’t wanna keep repeating myself. Keep up the good work!“
“The food was delicious. The atmosphere was great. HOWEVER, our server was EXCEPTIONAL. In most cases, wait staff will make or break an experience for fine dining. Charismatic, friendly, and helpful was what we got tonight. We don’t make it out to the Waukee area often but I’m so glad we did tonight! Thank you Lauren for a special night out.You went above and beyond to make our experience one that we absolutely couldn’t forget. :)“
“It’s Easter Week, why not celebrate the resurrection with good treats. This place does not sale pies, but they have a host of creatively tasty cupcakes and cookies $3 and up, very reasonable locally owned establishment. Parking is street only, but well worth the hunt. They even have vegan cupcakes—yum!“
“Filet has done it again! We had the onion rings, filet with shrimp, crab and scallops, and the ribeye. The food was incredible. We are amazed by the service. We have a highly medically complex daughter, so taking her out of the house can be difficult. We have only been out to dinner as a family twice the past two years and both times we went to Filet. The first time we went, we mentioned it to Javier and without skipping a beat, they were extremely accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure our daughter was comfortable and safe during our dinner. Tonight, months later, we went back and Javier remembered us and once again went above and beyond to accommodate. We will continue to brag about the food, atmosphere, and unmatched service that Filet has to offer, and we will continue to choose Filet for those special moments we are able to get out.“
“MiG's has the best pancakes. I also enjoy their chicken salad sandwich. I'm working my way through their menu. The service is good and friendly. MiG's had the ambiance of a very nice bar. It's clean and is a comfortable place to just have a beer and watch a game. Great place to vist“
“Edited Review: Originally gave 1 star review due to service received with an employee over the phone. Never have had an issue with the food, as I've ordered many times before. I changed and edited my review, as the owner, Aaron, reached out and made things right with us. He was apologetic for their mistake, which was a communication error between Urbandale and Ankeny store, that caused an unknown delay with delivering my meals. I appreciate him reaching out and trying to make his customers happy and mending mistakes on their end.Original: I ordered meals for the week on Monday to be delivered on Wednesday from 4-8 pm.. I called at 8:10pm because my meals weren’t delivered. The lady on the phone looked into it and said “oh yeah I see everything is there online/submitted like you said and looks like the order was printed off on paper but wasn’t grabbed to be delivered or made, so do you want to cancel or have it delivered tomorrow.” And I responded and questioned why that happened and said that they didn’t seem to have their business take any accountability and the lady on the phone was 0% apologetic. I even said well it seems like you don’t really care too much about this order being messed up and forgotten about.. and she responded in a snarky tone “ok? Do you want to cancel the order then?”I had an expectation of meals for this evening and for lunch for my family and I, and it fell through. I hope they know that it was more of an inconvenience to me than anything and the lady taking phone calls is not sympathetic or apologetic at all.Won’t be ordering from them again. Very unorganized establishment.“
“Came here with a buddy to grab a quick dinner. We were seated right away, towards the back of the restaurant. This part of the restaurant was a little loud, where we had to definitely raise our voices to be heard. It wasn't terrible but much louder than I expected it to be inside a restaurant.Everything else was very positive, the drinks were good and came quick. The food was delicious and plentiful. The service was not amazing but definitely good. Would come back again, maybe especially in the summer to try the huge patio.“
“Our first time and what a great experience! We arrived around 11:30 am , found a spot in the parking lot (big plus!), and got right in, but we made it just in time. It filled up fast!Our server, Adrianna, was fabulous; very friendly (awesome smile), happy to answer some of our questions, and was just overall top notch!The food was incredible especially the Armadillo Eggs with the jalapeño ranch. Supberb!Highly recommend and it's conveniently located right off I-235.“
“I got an ad on Instagram for this place the other day and looked at the menu and decided to go. We got street corn, mango enchalidito, cotton candy swirl and super hero; all of our treats were amazing! The employees were very nice to us and were fast with service. 10/10 recommend giving this place a try!“
“Great place to have authentic Italian food. Olive Garden has nothing on this place. It is clean and comfortable. They have a great drink selection and food options. All the staff looked professional and were friendly. They also have a great kids selection as well.“
“Last week was my 1st time here, but the staff treated me like an old friend. & the pizza was amaaazing. While waiting for my food, there was a little girl who was dancing & fell (she was alright). The staff were very kind to her & even gave her a big cookie to have for dessert!“
“Great food, great sake, great service. I was only in town for a few days, but Mandarin Grill was good enough that I ordered twice (once as dine in, once to go). My server (I'm forgetting her name, maybe Rebecca?) was friendly, knowledgeable, and chatty. She made sure I knew exactly what I was getting, and that I was happy with everything. The miso soup was delicious, and I really liked the yushang eggplant as well. My only very minor complaint is that the egg roll was greasy. The taste and texture were very good, but it was almost like it didn't get drained after being pulled from the fryer. Aside from that, everything was terrific. I look forward to visiting again next time I'm in Des Moines.“
“I love eating deli food, and this is a deli paradise. They have weird combinations for the curious. I got the turkey club with a side of potato salad. Loved it.First time ordering online and picking up. This was a little confusing as there are no messaging telling you where to go. We figured it out. Don't stand in the long line and go straight to check out.Love this place.“
“I was in the area for work and stopped by for a breakfast smoothie each day. I ordered fit green and added the vegan protein powder. It was very tasty and kept me coming back. When im back in town, I'll be grabbing some more fit greens. The customer service was also very friendly, and after a couple of days, they already remembered my name.“
“Great noodles! Lots of great options for anyone, and they have fast table service to make sure you're well taken care of. Also right next to (my favorite) Caribou Coffee location! Convenient to just grab coffee and noodles and relax for a bit. Highly recommend!“
“Our dinner at John and Nicks was very enjoyable. The food was great and the service superb. You can't ask much more than that our if a restaurant. Lastly the wood paneling and lighting gave it a very warm atmosphere. Would give it a 41/2 star rating.“
“First time eating at this place, and I was actually impressed. Upon walking in, it was lit with dim lighting with fake candles on each table to help with some nice ambience (which I really like, makes me feel richer than I really am.. lol ). Overall place was clean, tables and booths were nice and clean, place was not overly loud so I could hear my conversation without being disturbed or the feeling of needing to yell. I ordered a glass of water as my beverage, and my entree was the Italian grazziano meat pizza. The pizza was cooked throughly and had a nice crunch on the crust, the meats tasted good and it wasn't overly greasy considering it had sausage on it. Pizza was about a 10 inch pie with about 8 slices. Nothing too huge, nothing too small. For me, it was a perfect size to get full and have left overs later. The server was very kind as well. Checked in on us a few times, refilled my water and kept a professional attitude. I will not disclose names, but she did a great job taking care of us. Person I went with ordered chicken tenders and fries , and both of those were also quite good! No complaints here. The food was fairly good, as I found no flaws really. I will definitely be back. One last thing, the pizza, chicken tenders, + 1 mule roughly came out to about 39$. Not too bad considering a drink and 2 fairly decently sized dishes. If you're looking to stay under 50$ and have a fun chill date, this is a good place.“
“I’ve been a regular here for the last year. Their egg rolls are some of the best in town. The beef and brisket Pho is easily the best in town as well. I will try other Thai/Pho restaurants, but always find myself disappointed it doesn't live up to Aroy Dee.“
“i LOVE TAMALES INDUSTRY!!!! Mexican Cuisine in and of itself amazing, but somehow, someway, Tamales Industry made it 1000x BETTER!! I thought Tamales Industry was just another mid run-of-the-mill mini mall restaurant, but I was surly mistaken. If your making the same mistake, underestimating Tamales Industry, don't. Its amazing.“
“We got Bamie's Jackson Street Pizza to go. It had a lot to recommend it! It was almost perfect. I loved the thin, crispy, cracker-like bottom crust layer with a lovely chewy layer just above it. There were tons of cheese, sausage, and mushrooms that were all very tasty. My only complaint was there was very little sauce. With more sauce, it would have been awesome!“
“I stopped in a month ago completely unaware of how awesome this place is. Told them up front I had no idea what to order and they walked me through everything they offer. I loved my food and came back again today to tell them how excited I am to have them coming to Ames. It's so fresh and taste great. New favorite. :)Vegetarian options: Mushrooms, lentils, and falafel as a sub for meat. Lots of choices that veg friendly.“
“Last week was my 1st time here, but the staff treated me like an old friend. & the pizza was amaaazing. While waiting for my food, there was a little girl who was dancing & fell (she was alright). The staff were very kind to her & even gave her a big cookie to have for dessert!“
“We started going to Michael’s during the pandemic, and made it a weekly pick up. I love their sweet and salty pizza but I tried the pizza blanco today and it was incredible. It had really high quality ingredients. Their ranch is the best ranch I’ve ever had, and the onion rings are thin and crispy and addicting. It’s also really nice to be able to get specialty pizzas in the personal size. Our whole family has very different pizza taste, and that makes everyone happy.“
“I was so eager for Ol to reopen for the season due to this being my #1 pregnancy craving. I messaged the Facebook page to find out, they were so kind as to gift me two bowls of my favorites to get me through until opening this March! I CRIED in joy of their kindness. Now that they have reopened I have waddled in twice this week alone for frozen goodness. I'm tallying up how many times I'll go until my due date this August. Might have to name my son Froyo. Thank you Orange Leaf owners for your generosity!“
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt • $
“Always surprised by how cheap it is. If you go small it’s like $2. If you go big like $6 max I’ve paid and it was overflowing. Such good yogurt and really good toppings. They switch a few of the toppings often which we enjoy. This is a regular spot for us and has been for years! The best!!“
“My salad with mandarin oranges and chicken was exceptional. You can always find fresh ingredients and many lunch options. I love taking a small side container of salads home as well from their deli counter. Molasses cookie is my go to each time as a treat!“
“Nice deli, food was good. We tried it out since it showed they had Gluten-free options. The menu states it's gluten free options are not for Celiac individuals. We had a Celiac person with us. They have baked potatoes, which was a good option for our Celiac individual. I'm just not sure how much cross contamination there is. So overall, it's not the best option if you have Celiacs.“
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt • $
“This is one of my favorite places to go in my town and while I was on a trip I came to this location and the yogurt was so good and the service was amazing. My server Khallee was so attentive and helped me so much. I love her she was so sweet. Thank you for all the help!! ❤️❤️????“
“Great selection of healthy plant based meals. Their plant power bowl is very tasty. They have a wide range of other healthy meals, smoothies and juices. Swing by and give them a try.Vegetarian options: Clearly labeled vegetarian and vegan options.“
“Had a great experience here. Food was great, we got two appetizers and two pizzas. We brought our children (2 &5) and they shared our appetizers and pizza and they loved it. I had read previously that someone said it smelled a little like the cigar bar. I did smell that right when I walked it but it was very faint. My husband thought it smelled like a hotel pool. I didn't even notice it after a couple minutes. Someone else has mentioned they wished they had diaper changing stations in the bathrooms. They don't in the women's, but there is also a Family Bathroom that does have a changing station. My only couple complaints is that it seemed like there were only two employees running the whole front of house and so it took us a while to get told to sit wherever we wanted and then to get greated after we did sit. Service was good after that. Also, while everything was great, it is a little pricier. One specialty pizza, one two topping pizza, a spin dip, garlic bread, and two bar drinks (rum & coke and whiskey & coke) was $90. We would go back for sure, it's just seems more like a splurge treat than a place we would be able to afford regularly.Kid-friendliness: Diaper changing station in family bathroom, kids menu options. No one seemed to mind the kids.“
“The atmosphere alone is impeccable in this place, just stunning!I’m a biiiiig person on cleanliness, especially about where I eat. A huge indicator to me that a place probably isn’t cleanly is if their lobby is obviously dirty (ie.. multiple dirty tables, dead bugs on the windows seal, muddy floors, dirty condiment bottles, etc.) but Lucky Bamboo almost instantly put my mind at ease once I stepped foot into the business.Not only are they cleanly, but the food is delicious. I’ve lived in Iowa for going on 4 years now, and one of the biggest disadvantage I keep running into is poorly made, not appetizing oriental food. I truly only have a handful I would comfortably order takeout from and Lucky Bamboo is one of them!The service is quick too. I came in last time during a lunch rush hour at around 12:30-1 pm and all I had time to do was pick a seat, wash my hands, and then BOOM my plate of food was dropped in front of me. Hot and fresh, YUM!Overall, I’d say Lucky Bamboo is a GREAT place to eat.“
“The pizza was pretty good. We had deep dish sausage. I loved the crust! The sauce was a bit in the acidic side for me.The service was really good!The atmosphere was fine, but it the front has a weird office when you walk in. The parking isn’t very clear - hobby lobby lot vs street parking off to the side. They could improve by getting more comfortable chairs, repainting (especially in the event room) and hiding TV cords. It was very nice that they let us use that back room for a small group & we overall had a nice experience.Parking: The parking is awkward and not clear. Some parked in the hobby lobby lot and others parked parallel along the side street, which doesn’t have spaces or signage. We weren’t sure if this was allowed.“
“Top quality service tonight by Brian and Jackson. The food was wonderful and was prepared perfectly. Brian recommend that I should toast my sub. That proved be a winning combination.The restaurant was clean and had been mopped minutes before we arrived.I world definitely eat here again.“