Wonderful service my husband, my son and I enjoyed it all. Our stomachs were bigger that our eyes, but I'm eating the leftovers as we speak. Service was great, the taste and quality of the 3 dishes we ordered were amazing. Our waitress was knowledgeable and kind - so glad she asked us if we wanted dessert the mini donuts . We will definitely be eating here again. It's a family vibe and everyone will make you feel welcomed. read more

We are here twice during our visit. It was nice as it is right next to the Iowa event center. The first time we ate there we had the alligator plate and the crawfish alfredo . Gator was amazing. Recommend the plate. Second time we ate with almost his whole gymnastics team and they handled it well. I drank a nevanda pale ale and had the Cajun Mac n cheese and added crawfish and bacon (up charge but worth jt). Son had catfish appetizer and buttered noodles. read more

Buzzard Billy's - Crawfish Fettuccine Alfredeaux - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Mc donalds burgers tastes better.. we order two burgers, one was supposed to be cajun something (I don't remember the exact name) both were DRY and tasteless, even putting ketchup and sauces It wasnt feeling better, also.. the services was extremely bad, our server only greated us and she never came back again, others servers were bringing us to go boxes and the check. I tried calling a manager waving my hand and he thought I was saying hello, he didn't event came to the table to see. It was just Only one server (not even ours) that realized we were there waiting unattended, without drinks or anything. We left the restaurant really upset. Also, our server NEVER showed up again. Definitely not wasting time coming back to this place. read more

Best downtown Cajun dining hands down. Eat here regularly and never had a bad meal. Appetizers are all worthy of a try. Tends to be extra busy based on Wells' schedule. If you haven't eaten here, you need to. read more

As a proud Louisiana resident, I had the opportunity to try your restaurant this evening. My husband had a platter with fried catfish, shrimp, and oysters. He felt the breading lacked seasoning and the catfish filet was too large. When catfish gets past a certain size they simply do not taste as good. If you know, ya know. I ordered a bowl of seafood gumbo and the eggplant pirogue. I can over look the fact your gumbo was too thick and gasp! there were tomatoes in the gumbo, but the eggplant dish...never would I ever serve FAKE crabmeat to anyone. It's ok if you serve it in your dishes, but come on..this is something you should mention in the description of the dish. And you did not. I felt cheated. read more

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I was pleasantly try surprised. The food was all fantastic. I got one of the the sampler platters. The chicken gumbo was great. The blackened chicken was tasty. I had enough beans and rice for 3 meals! The hush puppies were great too. Initially, I thought it was a little pricey, but once the food arrived - it was a great deal!! read more

Definitely recommend the burnt ends gumbo. Smoky and flavorful. The peacemaker po' boy was delicious, as was the gator etouffee.

Gluten friendly options here are pretty amazing. There are even desserts!! Definitely worth the wait on a busy weekend.

Great food, quick service for how packed it was. Server knew the menu well and made a great suggestion. Wanted to eat before a concert and we were in and out in an hour read more

This was a spur of the moment stop. It was an amazing idea. So we were all thinking tapas... But then Creole got thrown in the mix.... So I instantly thought of this place! We get there around 7:10 p.m.. Instant seating, drinks within 3 min. Appetizers within 15 min. And hot amazing food within 30 min. Appetizers; we ordered alligator bites and 2 orders of cheese sticks. The cheese sticks come as an order of 4. An order of 4 sounds like a waste of money... Till the mammoth logs of cheese arrive to the table and you realize 1.... Just 1 is 1/4 pound of cheese.. And they are golden and crispy and chewy logs of the gods! I skipped the alligator.... I am kinda thinking I am gonna bust after 1/2 of a cheese stick. Then comes the food... I ordered a Philly cheese steak sandwich, (I am on an odd kick lately don't judge) it comes with fries and I am full before it got to the table. No worries though. I can still reheat this tomorrow for lunch. It is giant! Full of mushrooms and onions! Smells amazing and I wipe a year from the corner of my eye and ask for a box... Exeryone else in our group was beyond pleased with their meal! This is one of my favorite places to have a casual meal. I recommend this place 9 out of 10 times to people looking for something different but with safe choices on the menu. read more

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We visited BB's on a Tuesday night during the busy State Fair week and we actually went here because we were underdressed for anything else downtown and it was going on 9 p.m. It reminded us of the Ale House or Flannigan's etc.. if you've ever lived in Florida you've been to those types most likely. Kind of a family place with a lively atmosphere and multiple types of food from many different regions i.e. Italian, Southern, West coast, Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, Midwest etc.. so yeah it has everything and the menu is extensive. In other words it has something for everyone. We were seated right away (party of 2) Our server was prompt to greet us, Morgan, a happy energetic young lady. She was very nice and very attentive and actually cared about making us happy, we could just tell she liked her job and was good at it. Everything we ate was good, I won't go into details because I have a general feeling that it's the kind of place that everything is probably good for what it is, in it's own way, in respect to the region it's from, if you know what I mean. We had fun and noticed quite a few tables for the late hour and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and that's all we were really looking for in a somewhat late night out. read more

Good food and service. Got our big group in within the hour between games. Would definitely recommend if downtown. read more

Overall not the best food, value or service, but had Sweet Deals gift certificates to use (50% off) or lose. Would go back with Sweet Deals, but not out of pocket. Their location is their drawing card, nothing else. read more

We haven't visited in some time, because, well it's just not as good as when it used to be on Court Ave. Recipes have changed and some key beloved items have been removed from the menu. But Sunday afternoon we were there with friends who had chosen it. Off the bat, our waitress seemed aloof and didn't get my drink request for 'no ice'. Not a biggie, fixed that myself, but then when bringing a lemonade to someone else in our party, she spilled the whole thing...mostly on him! Then proceeded to 'try' to clean it all up with napkins, saying they didn't have a mop "right now" due to something going on in the kitchen. I guess the whole restaurant has ONE mop they use for front and back of house (eww grease transfer from back to front of house is seriously a pet peeve!) The large sticky puddle remained under our table throughout our meal. Ordering went smoothly and we got our appetizer. Seafood gumbo was okay but just tasted brown. The Armadillo eggs that used to be a favorite are now lacking flavor, not much inside and came barely warm. (It used to be a jalapeño stuffed with copious amounts of cream cheese and then wrapped, which was always piping hot and runny inside With a bit of kick. Since they moved it's just a bit of chopped jalapeño in a bit of sad unmelty cheese and zero jalapeño flavor. Next up was the Angler's Trio, which used to be served with drawn butter, a veggie medley and a couple hush puppies in addition to the blackened fish and shrimp. What can I say, i looked and there are NO vegetables, at all, on their menu unless you count corn and French fries. The Angler's Trio no longer includes the drawn butter, veggie medley or even a hush puppy. Instead you get a side of corn and some tartar sauce. But the worst insult of all was that the kitchen (claiming to be fixing Cajun dishes) does not know how to serve food Blackened. While the fish fillets did look to have some seasoning on them, they were neither crisp on the outside or even blacked and had next to no flavor at all. A sore disappointment. To top off our less than stellar experience, despite being there for two hours, our drinks were never refreshed and even sat utterly emptied. My husband eventually stopped our waitress and asked for a refill, to which she did comply, but she didn't bother to ask anyone else if they would like refills. We sat with empty drinks and dirty plates in front of us for more than a half hour before she came asking to settle the tab. No offer of dessert. No printed ticket for that matter, just a verbal "your share is thus much". Very strange indeed. No receipts. Nada. I'd say this was far from a $90 dining experience for our two meals. I sure miss the flavor explosion and on point service from the old Buzzard Billy's location. Sadly, I think the whole Covid debacle turned many restaurants to shortcuts and mediocrity and they've never bothered to return to their same operating standards. read more

Was definitely an average experience. Food was pretty average and service was less than that. 2 people in our party waited over 10 minutes for beers (we fetched our own beers), despite it not being busy. Another person in our party waited longer for a salad. Our server was inattentive but nice, like a 5th grader with ADHD. Also gotta add that the Texas Mac and Cheese tasted like it had a whole bottle of thyme dumped on it. Had me feeling like a clock shop with disgusting music blaring with all that thyme. Overall just below average experience. Would do for Feed My Starving Children but if you're looking for something with a little more service and a little less thyme, this place ain't for you. read more

Poor customer service ignorant workers manager too apple bees more professional service staff

this restaurant charges tips on the bill unless you say you're paying cash and then the bill reduced a bunch alot of restaurants are ripping customers off and this isn't right,i will never go to this rip off place again this isn't right and they have no right to add a tip for their crappie service just bad service and wrong stupid worthless assholes read more

The food is so good! They have a large variety of dishes. One of my favorite places in Des Moines to eat. Love the ambience, and the service is always very good. read more

We ordered for delivery. The food did not disappoint, it was like if you were getting fed by your grandma there was just so much. And it was really tasty. Definitely would order from here again. They also have coupon in their Togo menus for free delivery of order over $25. read more

Went there in a Sunday. Not super busy. Sat at the bar. Bartender named Taylor was terrible at customer service. Didn't check back after our food was delivered to table. Condescending tone and thought she was just that much better than the other servers. Wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Food was awesome! Staff was great! I recommend them to everyone!! I go every time I'm in Des Moines.

Troya treated us very well at dinner this evening, 9/24/22. She suggested items from the menu when we had a hard time deciding for ourselves, that turned out to be scrumptious! The shrimp Gabrielle was so good, I would suggest it if you love shrimp! With bread to soak up the tasty wine sauce, it was well worth the price! Our food was cooked very well - chicken fettuccine alfredaux (a play on words) was not the normal alfredo sauce, but with some extra Cajun spices, YUM! And the triple double burger tasted great on a very yummy bun! Their fries are great too, almost like a breaded fry - reminded me of the way Long John Silver's fries used to taste back in the day (if anyone gets that reference)! Cool and relaxed atmosphere; fast and courteous service. Come check them out if you haven't been before, or are contemplating coming back - do it! read more

I've been to Buzzard Billy's a total of three times now, the first time I went it was specifically to try the gator fries and they were pretty good..... the second time I went they must not be all that interested in impressing their potential long term customers, the gator fries were over cooked and didn't taste right, and for their strike three I tried to get a burger and pickle chips, I waited an hour only to find out they had my order done but let it sit on the counter in the back and not tell me, waitress behind the bar got mad at me for not making more noise and telling her that I was there looking for my order, and to top it off the order was wrong. read more

Just picked up to go food from buzzard Billy's. There were two women, one light hair, one dark hair from the bar. They had a 25% full restaurant, a couple people coming in and out to get food, but they were completely rude to me. They asked who I was there for and didn't say anything to me for 10 minutes after. Then some guy, completely unrelated to the transaction comes out, and hands me my food. No thank you at all. I even seen them treat DoorDash drivers like scum, essentially ignoring them, but maintaining pleasantly with their guests. I ordered the armadillo eggs. They were burnt and the chicken was dry. They said there was cheese and jalepeno in the middle, however, only half a slice of jalepeno with no cheese in them. Never go to buzzard Billy's. read more

Usually good service. Go and enjoy the patio Don't expect greatness expect a good time read more

Jodi!!!! We were visiting our son at Drake and had planned to go for dinner. On the way, I ended up falling on some broken sidewalk. Once inside, Jodi got me ice, some pain relievers and a chair for me to elevate my knee. The food was amazing too! Alligator Cesar was super good, homemade dressing. The brisket Mac and cheese was comfort food at its best. Cute place, amazing service. read more

The wait was short, the menu was extensive, with so many delicious looking items. It was difficult to pick an entree because it all sounded soo good! The waitress was fast, friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back! read more

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We went twice as it was in walking distance from the venue we were playing in. Food was very good, large portions! Service was excellent!

Stayed at the Hilton attached to the event center for 3 days and ate at Buzzard Billy's four times. Had the Po Boy shrimp sandwich, the catfish dinner and a gumbo. Every meal was fantastic, the service was outstanding, the manager came by every time. Ant the atmosphere was very nice, if you like sports. This is the only restaurant with in walking distance but it all you need. My wife was with me and she had the corn crab soup and Cesar salad twice and the catfish strips one night. She said it was excellent. We went there for lunch and just got burgers which were also very good. read more

In town for a basketball tournament. My family enjoyed their food, it was reasonably priced as well. We order Rasta Pasta, Shrimp fettuccine and Blackened Catfish and Spinach Dip! read more

Buzzard Billy's - Blackened Catfish - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Four of us were there on 3/19/22 before a Wild game. I'm writing this review because I want management to be aware of mostly for the top notch service we received that evening around 4:45 to 5:30ish. We were seated at a high top table adjacent to the bar, almost right in the middle of that row of tables. I don't remember her name, but she was smallish with dark hair. She was very helpful and attentive throughout our meal, and above all was very friendly. Even with the foul mouthed woman she was waiting on at the table behind us who was rude, crude, and crass, she handled it with grace and never flinched. Hats to our waitress for remaining professional and providing fantastic service to us during our visit. That girl deserves a raise! read more

Food was good but our waiter was terrible. No personality. "Ned" or so the receipt said his name was. He brought our appetizer and then didn't come back for quite a while. We asked for water and didn't get that either. I had to get it myself at the bar and after paying we had to ask for a receipt. No explanations for anything, would just come and go. I don't think the kid knew what he was doing. Won't be back. read more

We went here for Breakfast; all 4 entrees were great. The 3 egg Omelette was massive & the Eggs Benedict were outstanding. the Biscuits & Gravy (small portion) was huge & not too salty. A moment after we got there, the place got swamped. However, our waitress just smiled and gave us great service even though you could tell she was overwhelmed. Great Bloody Mary selection, and some good Cajun offerings. The pricing, given the quantity, was almost a steal. And unlike most breakfast joints, they don't force Hashbrowns/Spuds on you by including them on EVERY entree; they offer them as an add on, which is appreciated if you don't like spuds for breakfast. read more

Great place! I only had a couple drinks and a salted caramel cheesecake but I would definitely go back and try more things! The menu looks AWESOME! read more

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If you like fried food and big portions this is your place. Good service and decent prices, would def go again!! Make sure you try their hush puppies!! read more

OK haven't been to Buzzard Billy's in a while. WOW what a way to refresh my memory . Started off w/"Monster Cheese sticks". There's nothing related to a stick w/these huge cheese sticks. Great breading & Marinara Sauce to dip in. Ya get 4. But we only ate one a piece. I had "Southern Fried Chicken over mashed potatoes and topped w/Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. OMG. Again, have enough leftovers for next day. It was Sooooooooooo GOOOOOOOOD!!!! read more

Buzzard Billy's - YUMMY CATFISH+Fried/Coleslaw etc - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Best food in Iowa. Hands down. I thought everything was great. Even the beer I got was on point.

Good service but line was busy and good food. Waitress good too. I'll go again in the future. I'll try something different in the future. read more

Excellent food! Cold Cold Beer! Amazing service, highly recommend. Will for be returning.

Great service, decent food. Colorful, friendly staff! The hushpuppies and alligator are amazing!!