Ordered boneless chicken wings. So small, dried out hard rocks. Not even hot, maybe warmed over. Fries under cooked. Never going back. Waiter didn't ask about our food, he could see it looked terrible. read more

This place does something's really well and others not so much. Given how many beers they have on tap I'd really like to give it a better review. As others have mentioned it's kind of expensive, and the food isn't quite good enough to justify it. Starting with the beer selection, they do have many beers on tap, many local, which is usually a huge plus in my book, but oddly there are few real choices. The first time I went more than half (more like 75 percent) of the selections were stouts. The next time they were pretty much all pilsners or fruity. I must not be the only one having this issue because both times the beer I settled on was out. The food, shredded brisket, burgers, tacos, etc was good but nothing amazing. Burger was a little disappointing actually. Portions are large. Fries and tator tots are great. The up charge for some of the substitute sides is quite surprising. The shakes are awesome!! Worth the money despite being expensive. The problem is they are basically too big. My kids can eat a lot but there was no way they could finish those. Overall the shakes are probably the main reason to come here, but you'll likely enjoy your meal even even if it is a littler pricey. read more

Located in a strip west of Des Moines Golf on University Ave, Central Standard specializes in burgers. I ordered the whiskey bleu which I thought was pretty good. My companion got the portobello and felt the same. I thought the fries were particularly good. Demerits for the noise level which is unfortunate for most restaurants these days. I was annoyed with the server as we were both about halfway through our burgers when she asked if we wanted dessert. Are you trying to turn tables faster? Do we look like we are in a rush? FYI: shakes range from $5-8.5. Burgers from $11 to around 16. read more

The parking lot was packed and I had to park around back, but was seated immediately once inside. The place is huge! Love the atmosphere. We had a training waitress and the wait staff did a pretty good job. We started with the cheese curds which comes as a nice portion (not too small) and they were tasty-ooey gooey and not too much breading-a win for me! My only complaint was that the food we ordered came out RIGHT after our appetizer, which we would have preferred them more spaced out so we had time to enjoy it all hot and fresh. Since the special was $2 off wings, we decided to give those a try. We got two sauces on the size. The sauces were good. The wings? Not so much. Don't waste your taste buds on that special. (But of course I'm used to smoked wings which can't be beat...) The wings were bland and not very pretty to look at. Thank goodnesss we also ordered the Korean tacos. THOSE where good! It comes with 4 tacos plus chips and guacamole. Again; another great portion size and this was more food than we could eat. We finished off with a strawberry milkshake which they kindly split into two dishes. It was great, except for the fact it was at least 50% cool whip. We will be back as there Is more on the menu we would like to try. read more

This place was a little hipster to me. The crowd was young and they weren't poor. They have a full bar, some bar food and these wild shake things you see in all the pictures. I ordered some cheese curds and a chocolate overload shake. Obviously off my diet for the night. The cheese curds were OK but I couldn't really enjoy them because they brought the shake out at the same time. So while I'm eating cheese curds I'm just thiking about my shake melting, getting all runny, not what I want to happen. So I ate a bunch of cheese and moved on to the shake. It was too late. It was runny and honestly the quality of the shake was not that great. They stuck a couple brownie pieces in it and some kit kat pieces so it looked cool. There was chocolate around the rim of the glass that I could not pry off to eat. I gave up because I didn't want to break the glass. This has nothing to do with the place but nothing can make me want to leave faster then a guy sitting at the next table waxing poetic about how great President Obama was. I mean I like a good drone strike as much a the next American but you didn't have to set the bar so high. Also, glad we got that health care passed because I usually get better before I can get to see a doctor now. I walk with a limp now, but everyone has to do their part! Sure Hillary was meant to take the globalization reigns but all those deplorable country bumpkins just didn't get the email. Who knew? read more

Love this place a lot! Food was so good that I went back the next day with more friends. Prices seem a little high but the amount of food you get is worth the price. The food is unique and versatile for people with restrictions on what they can eat. Personally I don't eat red meat and I can easily switch a burger for a chicken breast. Waiters are great and truly care about your experience. read more

Their shakes are uh-maze-ing! Everything I have had on the menu is fantastic! I especially love their tenderloin!

I want to love the place. Decor is nice, but both service and food have been just so-so on the two occasions I've been there. I'll definitely give it another try as location is convenient and menu has potential. read more

Awesome selection of beer and great food to go with. Nice job on have a beer or a drink for every taste. We travel 2 hours to get here and its so worth it. read more

Great service, the food is good and the shakes are amazing. The covered outdoor patio is nice even when it's warm out.

Called a curbside order in from the parking lot, told them I was in a brown truck. They said about 15 mins. I order a burger and sweet potato fries and wings. $35. Waited and waited looked at what time I had called it in, it had been 35 mins, called and they are like yes there is a order setting here we will bring it out. Food was cold, manager said I was being rude to him. Which I wasn't, I raised my voice but didn't yell. He said he just got there and nothing he could do about it, then said don't come back we don't need your business. So I get back and I had 2 orders of sweet potato fries. I only had ordered 1, so was even over charged! Poor service very bad management!!! read more

The staff was really friendly and attentive. I was seated right away (chairs were really comfy). The food was great, took a while but was worth the wait. read more

Central Standard - Tacos Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Delicious and inventive burgers! The cheese curds are different then other flavors in Des Moines, and the chocolate extreme shake is so flavorful! And even tho they're known for their extreme shakes, their plain shakes are fantastic, too! The Seoul Burger is really tasty! read more

Stopped here based on reviews while on a work trip and yelp did not steer us wrong. Friendly staff and great feeling atmosphere. We ordered the cheese curds and they were delicious... some of the best I've had. Our meals were delicious too! They have lots of TV's if you wanna watch the games. I'd definitely go back. read more

My husband and I stopped by for dinner early tonight at 5:15pm. The restaurant was very busy, but we were seated immediately. That restaurant was nicely decorated, but, the acoustics could use some work as it was VERY loud in there. Considering the number of seated tables, we waited a reasonable amount of time to get waited on by our server. My husband ordered a beer and I, a water. We then ordered cheese curds for an appetizer, as well as a sweet and salty milkshake. Those came out also in a reasonable amount of time. The milkshake looked amazing, but really should have been called "chocolate milk with decorations on top" as there was no frozen aspect to the drink. It did taste good, though. The cheese curds were the best part of the visit. Light, melt-in-your-mouth crispy batter and flavorful chipotle ranch. The cheese was high quality. Delicious, although maybe a but overpriced at $11. We ordered burgers also. I got the fire and smoke with jalapenos on the side and sweet potato fries. My husband got the pub burger with regular fries. They came out in an appropriate amount of time. The buns were dry. The burgers were dry. There wasn't much flavor to the burgers. Considering the number of toppings accompanying the burger, we expected more flavor. The fries were well cooked, but just ok. The total cost of the meal was $56.71. Next time I'm looking for a specialty burger, fries and a shake, I'll just go to Zombie Burger. The food wasn't inedible here, just unimpressive and didn't meet the hype we'd read on Food Lovers of Des Moines FB page. read more

Food ordered online was not great quality. Cheese curds were burnt. Size and quality of burgers were different in the 2 times visited. Shakes are large, good, and can be saved for later. read more

We loved this place so much we went back the next day!! Had the chicken quesadilla and the brisket sandwich, both were the best we had ever had!! The beer was assume as well!! read more

Central Standard - Tacos Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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Love the Curds and Milkshakes. I had the Mushroom and Swiss burger and it was tasty I really enjoyed the buns and it was cooked as requested. read more

Went there on a Friday night it was very busy but our wait wasn't too bad. Three of the four of us ordered salads and one other person had a sandwich. We waited lay least 40 minutes to get our food and it was not worth the wait! The chicken I had on my salad was dry and had no taste at all. The salmon on the other looked burnt. I didn't think anybody could screw up a salad. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I also had a Moscow mule and it had a weird after taste... it sure how it was made but it didn't taste like a mule. Needless to say, I will not eat at this place again. read more

Fantastic place both to eat and for craft beer. Always a great selection of local craft beers. Our favorite eats include onion rings and the pork tenderloin. Salad was fantastic as well, i tried the romaine salad last time and added chicken. Enjoyed it thoroughly and was impressed with the amount of avocado in it. Always a must when we're in this neck of the woods. read more

Great burgers and shakes. What more can you ask for? Can definitely be busy, but the wait has been reasonable. The buttermilk onion ring appetizer are the best I've ever had! read more

This is my 2nd time here and was hoping it would be better. Unfortunately, while service was great, the food is just average. Cheese curds were very tasty, but for a burger place you'd think the burgers would be better. Burger came out warm, not hot, & meat was dry & gristley, with little flavor. Beer fries were warm, not hot. Fries didn't even taste freshly made. Mixed drinks were weak and bland. While the menu sounds impressive enough to justify price, the taste does not. Won't be back. read more

I tired the Central Standard because it's is a new place and I like to support new businesses in the area, but the experience was average at best. The burgers are expensive for a mediocre burger and my fries were served cold. The service was sub par, as I had to wave my server down to get ketchup, not sure what was going on, may have been an off night, but based on this experience I would not recommend this place. I will try it again in hopes that I caught them on a bad night. read more

First time here. Just had appetizers but oh boy, they are yummy! We had the cheese curds with chipotle ranch dip and the buffalo chicken tater tots.. Great service, great food!!! read more

To be fair, I am only reviewing the burgers. We had take out the other night. I was surprised and disappointed that the burgers were not hand crafted. They were standard, ordinary pre-formed patties and just because they stack two per sandwich doesn't make them special. I had the mushroom and Swiss. My husband had the jalapeño/bacon. We both had the sautéed asparagus. I had to wrap the asparagus in paper towel to soak up the oil. We might give this place another try but it won't be for the burgers. read more

The good, the bad, and the ear-splitting... The food was good for the most part. The burgers were quite tasty, the slaw and onion rings were great, and the milk shake was delicious (but expensive for a milk shake). It was worth cheating on my low-carb diet, though. The pretzel appetizer was blah and way overpriced. You expect to pay more at a "gourmet" burger place that has a zillion beer selections, but this place is expensive for burgers. The server was nice, but it took a long time to get our food. Maybe they are still getting organized. Worse than that was the noise! Wasn't it trendy about 20 years ago to do the concrete floors and high ceilings with the pipes exposed thing? Time to retire that one. I thought my ears might bleed. Whatever happened to restaurants being places to enjoy dinner AND conversation? We probably won't go back due to the high prices, slow service, and the awful noise level. read more

We have heard it's almost impossible to get into Central Standard for dinner so decided to spring for a Saturday lunch. At 12:30 pm, the parking lot was almost entirely full but once inside it looked like it was a lot of large parties. With just two of us, we were seated right away. I was a little skeptical when the hostess walked us to a patio-style metal two-top table, but it was surprisingly comfortable! Just a little hard to get into as a short person, but nothing I'm not used to The place was packed and so many things on the menu looked delicious. My husband and I decided we needed to either do an app or shakes, but knew we wouldn't be able to handle both. I asked the waitress if she recommended that we order the shakes after we eat, like you would for dessert, and she said it doesn't really matter because the kitchen makes them and they come out later. I assumed that meant we'd get them after our food but they were actually delivered quite a bit before. I have a weakness for confetti cake so I ordered the birthday shake and my husband went with the regular chocolate. They were so yummy! I ordered the Whiskey Bleu burger, which was also quite good. The caramelized onions were the star and paired perfectly with bleu cheese for a sweet meets salty combo. I loved the hand-cut fries, they were seasoned really well and nicely crisped. We will definitely go back, and I MUST try either the buffalo chicken tots or the buffalo chicken mac and cheese -- both sounded SO GOOD! Now, point me to the gym.... read more

Central Standard - Birthday Cake Shake - Tacos Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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We had our 2nd visit here tonight. The first time was great with our food coming out super fast. This time was not great which is why I gave it 3 stars. It took forever... the food was still pretty good. The milkshakes are legit and my favorite thing about this place! For only .50 extra they will split it and each cup gets a topping. It's the perfect amount. I also saw people getting them at the end in to go cups. The BBQ Brussels sprouts were good but I wasn't told it was a $3 up charge :-(. They have a good variety for a menu but I can't say it was worth it with the length of time for only 2 of us. It's worth of try and just cross your fingers that the kitchen and wait staff are in sync. read more

So great! The cheese curds were amazing. The burger was extremely high quality and the shake was delicious!!! I will definitely be back.

My family loves going to Central Standard. The atmosphere is amazing and the decor is beautiful! The service is super fast and nice. The food is amazing, I haven't found something there that I don't like. The shakes are DELICIOUS!!! There are so many TV's that really add to the experience of Central Standard! read more

Really loved this place! Great vibes and decor, really good food, although it's a bit pricey. I had the oh no burger and fries, the burger was delicious, the fries were alright- nothing special. My parents also got burgers that they enjoyed. The cheesy tots were also very good. The shakes tho, highly recommended. They're pretty pricey, but absolutely delicious and worth it just for the picture you can take of it! Overall I will come back and try more food!! read more

Central Standard - S'mores Shake - Tacos Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

Great atmosphere. Good food and great drink selection. Huge bar with lots a sports on TVs.

For a place that advertises itself as a burger joint that specializes in the standards of those of us in the central time zone, they must believe none of us have had a better burger than McDonald's. I should have realized we were in trouble when the waitress didn't ask how we wanted the burgers cooked. Then they arrived and the patties were seriously thinner than a Culver's burger. Considering the numbet of Iowans who grew up on farms raising beef, they might want to reconsider their positioning. I'm sorry we spent 45 minutes waiting for a table for food that wasn't necessarily better than I could have gotten at a drive thru for way less than half the price. read more

This place was recommended by my daughter who had been here a couple times! This place had a cool industrial vibe and funky green chairs and comfy booths. The Pretzel starter was huge and delicious! Our group of 7 was barely able to finish it!! My Cobb salad was fresh and I added perfectly cooked Salmon which was really good. My wife got their standard wings as her meal and I would say they were average as I tried one. I do like my wings crispy though, perhaps you can order them that way. The fish tacos were a hit with my teenage daughter and she liked the Cilantro and pineapple pico mixed in. My son was daring with trying the fire and smoke burger and I'm not sure he enjoyed it as he underestimated the power of jalapeños!! But the burger was solid just out of his League! Finally the main reason we were here was the shakes, between the Birthday, s'mores, and cookie dough theme everyone left happy. Shane Sizes are huge and they are pricey! That is a slight negative as nothing on the menu is under $10 and in fact every starter was over, but the portions are large and tasty and the shake will leave you happy! Service was also solid and friendly. read more

Central Standard - Pretzel starter! - Tacos Near Me - Waukee, Iowa

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I've been to CS Times now and I wish I could give it a higher rating but the food has been so-so and with the price point, I was expecting a bit more. The first trip I had a burger which I had asked to be cooked well - it showed up with pink and was pretty greasy. The second time I went I had the macaroni and cheese; don't get me wrong, I am the first person who thinks you can never have enough cheese but when I had to "fish" for noodles in the cheese sauce, it wasn't what I was expecting. The ambiance and building itself is great and inviting; I will probably do a happy hour there but think I'll go to another restaurant for dinner. read more

Would love to see more vegan options on the menu but food was good and vibe was awesome

Keep looking if you want to keep your BMI low. Everything was overly fried and greasy. Even the asparagus was dripping in oil. I can usually find at least one reasonably healthful menu option at breweries, but not here. Service was fine and the beer list was average. They were out of the Toppling Goliath I was seeking. The patio was covered and perfect for a weekday lunch when I wanted to eat out in a safer COVID environment. read more

Very good! The space is nice, service excellent, and the burgers are great. Has nice bar action on Friday evening.

Absolutely AMAZING service. If you ever go definitely ask for Randy (normally bar side, but was our waiter for the evening). Incredible food! read more

Central Sub-Standard Pros: great atmosphere, service, fries are good, shakes are good if you can get them on a deal, otherwise they are up $8. Cons: I've been two times and tried 3 different burgers and one tenderloin. Each sandwich is lacking in meat and makes up for it with a large, bready bun. It is pricey for the proportions you receive. read more