Django is such a great concept and I somewhat enjoyed it the first time I went there in 2009. I just visited in April 2012, and my experience was just not up to par with my first time. Let me start off by saying that the BYOB policy AND no corking fee are great. I live in Denver but I am Des Moines native and really miss the BYOB out here. The food we received at a table of 6 was all around cold. I ordered the Burger with Duck Fries. I was very excited for the duck fries, but was so dissapointed when they came out cold and soggy. My burger was ok, but also a bit cold and the bun was not toasted and kind of buttery/slimy. My girlfriend ordered the scallops, and they were 90% butter, 10% scallop. If I order scallops at a restaurant, I would hope they are better than the ones I make at home. These were so buttery and slimy that it was nearly inedible. Everyone else was unimpressed by there dinner. Too bad because I always liked Django as a spot to eat when I come home. read more

We have been to Django multiple times, and it is absolutely one of the best places to eat in Des Moines. The food is always consistently good, the restaurant itself is beautiful, and you cannot beat bringing in your own wine with no corking fee. We recently went when we were entertaining friends from out of town. One of the friends had lived on the west coast, and stated that the oysters were some of the best he had ever eaten. The soups are always fantastic, and the mussel entrees are my favorite. For impressing out of towners or a romantic date night, Django is always the best!! read more

A tad on the pricey side but the steak was amazing and worth it!The Brussel sprouts appetizer and calamari were great! Such large portions too! I had the hanger steak, which was very tender. My s.o had the new York strip. Very clean interior, nice ambience! read more

Django is a culinary adventure. The eclectic atmosphere is intoxicating and inviting. During my visit I was joking with my sister and I called her a (drater) this is spelled backwards. The hostess thought I was talking to her. She smiled and said, "That's ok". Who does that? She thought I Insulted her and smiled and was ready to seat us. Now, that's what I call customer service at it's very finest. I had the sweetbreads, a cheese flight of beautifully flavored cheeses. I loved the imported black olives. I also had the La Bell Farms Duck. It was a little too rare for. My taste and lacked the tenderness I was hoping for. On A previous visit I had the Rossini burger and hands down this is the best burger in town!!! The premium beef complimented by the foie gras and thinly shaved black truffle made my mouth say OMG! Clearly Django is an upper scale dining experience worthy of 41/2 stars. One of Des Moines Finest! read more

Django - Sweetbreads - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Django is a great downtown restaurant. My workplace ordered a meal there and I had the Grilled Cheese (for grown-ups) White cheddar & Swiss with mushroom onion hash and white truffle oil on South Union Bakery country bread, I added the Niman Ranch Ham which was delicious. The leftovers were a great lunch for the next day. read more

Great French food, at a fraction of the prices of NYC brasseries. Great Happy Hour specials - $1 oysters and half price Charcuterie!

The food was just ok. I was visiting from out of town and this place was recommended by many locals. I was very disappointed with the oysters, which I suppose is expected in the Midwest. Overall overpriced and underwhelming. read more

What a treat. I wish we had a restaurant like this in Lawrence, KS. Luckily I was seated in the back behind the bar where it was very quiet. My waiter was attentive without being intrusive. I enjoyed the Django salad, the seared scallops and a glass of Chardonnay. I took my daughter back the next day (and I almost NEVER go to the same restaurant twice in a 24 hour trip)knowing she would love it. We got the duck breast salad and the duck breast was perfection. Great service again but sitting in front by the windows it was so loud we couldn't hear each other. read more

Some of the best food in Des Moines. Models itself after a Parisian restaurant with modern French dishes. I had the mushroom crepes and oysters and both were prepared perfectly. There is an excellent wine and cocktail selection and the staff are very knowledgable. Although in many ways the interior is similar to restaurants in Paris, I do feel that the tables/chairs and the ubiquitous gold curtain rods could be modernized. A gem in Des Moines, certainly worth the price. read more

Nice atmosphere, very good service and a great cross section of entrees. Fresh cheese plates are exceptional!

I love this place. The menu has great selections, there are fresh fish selections and an oyster bar. The wine selection is great. The wait staff is always super busy, but it doesn't stop them from being friendly and helpful. My kids loved the food too. It's a good place for the whole family. Busy atmosphere and a bit loud, but if you go in expecting that it's not off-putting. read more

I've had many great experiences at Django, but my most recent was bad enough to say I won't be back. Service was off compared with previous visits (quite disinterested and cold) and the food was subpar (the ravioli was served almost cold, and the chicken and bacon gratin was devoid of any real flavor). That could all be forgiven as simply an "off" night. Most troubling, however, was that halfway through my dessert (a chocolate Chambord cake, also rather uninspired) I bit into a 1-cm chunk of glass or hard plastic. The server said he'd take the dessert off our bill and alerted a manager, who came by our table a minute or two later. Her first question was, "Is everyone OK"? She expressed regret, but offered no actual apology, and repeated that the dessert would be removed from our bill -- which it was. I'm not after a freebie, but I certainly didn't appreciate paying almost $100 for a meal for two that ended with a chunk of glass in my mouth. Mistakes happen, and had the staff offered a sincere apology and taken care of our check, we could have forgiven this misstep. Django's best days are clearly behind it. There are many other better options downtown. read more

Went for happy hour with a group of girlfriends. We brought our own wine and were planning on sitting in the bar for appetizers, but it was packed. The staff was nice enough to sit us at a table in the restaurant, even though it was clear that they were going to be very busy that night and had no reason to treat us as well as they did (in my experience sometimes when customers do the BYOB/no cork fee option, servers lose interest quickly. The appetizers were tasty and we had very prompt and accomodating service. Would definitely recommend and plan to go back for dinner sometime soon. read more

My group of 8 people had a reservation and was promptly seated. It seemed to be a busy evening, but our server, Mary, was attentive, helpful, and was simply wonderful the entire night. Without realizing it, my group all ordered different items, and every single dish was phenomenal. I would lean toward the bouillabaisse or beef bourguigon in the future after trying all of the different dishes, but everything tasted wonderful. Also, I ordered a cocktail (the Devereux, if I remember correctly), which was quite nice - some of my favorite drink flavors I don't usually blend together, but made this drink tart, refreshing, & flavorful. I will definitely be back in the future - and everyone in my party felt the same. read more

Love what Django has going on now. Great wine list and even better, no corkage fees. Menu has gotten better and better and so far everything I've tried has been fabulous. He steak was a very good cut and tasty. Everyone in my party of 4 had great meals. Service was probably the only not fabulous part, but the young man did he best. read more

Django is superb! Went here last weekend with a group of 10 girls for a "girls night out". We got a private room but still had vision to the rest of the restaurant so we didn't feel closed off. We also had a personal waitress, Natalie, who went above and beyond by putting up with us! We all split a bunch of appetizers, oysters, New York strip, and a cheese board which was no problems splitting up on the bill. Another perk about Django is that they have NO CORKAGE FEE. Your table is welcome to bring as many bottles as you please. I would still suggest taking a look at their cocktail list. In all this would make a great date night and/or fancy night out with family or friends. read more

One of my favorites in Des Moines! Dinner is special with great atmosphere. Short ribs and steak frites and the roast chicken are stand outs. Brunch is lovely on Sunday (closed Saturday). Favorite is happy hour on Tuesday. Goes all night. What a great bargain. Oysters and shrimp are huge and fresh. Wonderful cheese plate and Brussels. Never had anything go wrong here. Excellent service. Make reservations and get there early for happy hour, it is usually quite busy. read more

Delicious food, great service and BYOB! Love the atmosphere in here and the decadent French dishes... Django is high on my list of favorites. read more

Seating remains a problem, with tables very close, but, if everyone is polite, it works. Our meal was, again, very good, served with care and at the correct temperature. We will be back. read more

Came here for brunch and was disappointed in the quality of my bananas foster French toast. It was dry and overly sweet. Our server was great and friendly and the environment of the restaurant is very nice. read more

Dont waste your time here...After visiting this establishment over the past year, 16 times, and once considering this place the best restaurant in town. It has become very clear that within the past few months, since Juan the manager has taken over, that this place in service has declined, Significantly! This evening was the last straw. As normal, I sat at the high top tables near the bar. Normally, I am accompanied by 2 to 3 friends however tonight it was just me and my partner. Over the course of the evening I asked my server if I could pull an additional stool to the table (Normally 3 to 4 there for seating) because the bar on the stool (which I was sitting was uncomfortable). She said "yes, not a problem at all. We Normally have 3 people sitting at these stools anyway." So I pull a chair back to the table.... 1.5 hours later, some random guy try to walk by the table and says "is there someone sitting here?" Thinking it was a random guest, I said this chair is in use. After 2 minutes of the back and forth I asked if he worked here and he finally stated he did. I explained that due to the seating and blood flow for my legs I was utilizing the chair. Thinking that he was trying to replace it. That is when he decided to make up a ridiculous statement, not knowing that I have been coming here multiple times, and state that "due to a fire hazards the chair needs to be moved!" I asked how could this be true when the restaurant literally had someone sitting here this evening, according to the serve and the last 15 times over the past year of sitting in the same place, with 3 to 4 individuals? Now, because he wanted too be prideful and to create a situations, over nothing, just to show he was "in charge!" wantingto move the chair because a guest called him out on his bs.. It has become quite clear, between my last 2 visits, that this individual, Juan, is incapable of managing a restaurant and the guests who frequent it. He substitutes his lack of skills, finesse, and management talent with trying to degrade guests and exert authority to prove to himself, his staff and the owners that he is capable of his position. Unfortunately his is not successful. Guests service is crucial in this field not his self ego. When a guest is trying to be more comfortable, with a chair, where the restaurant normally seats more individuals at this table anyways. Plus the guest getting confirmation from the server that it is ok, and normal, and who is met with uncalled for resentment from a manager. This is ridiculous! Over a chair!... the ownership should really consider an individual who would jeopardize the business over his self ego and justification of it. We, on average have spent over $3,000 usd at this establishment, in the past year, and will not return because of his actions tonight and on the issues of our last visit (not covered here). This restaurant was fantastic and it is amazing that this one person can hurt and destroy a businesses reputation. It is as they say "it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only 5 minutes to destroy it!" Well Juan, you had your 5 minutes!.... (this has been dictated to a message by the Baron of Wokefield). read more

One of the only BYOB (wine) in Des Moines. And it has great food. Bring a bottle of wine and enjoy a nice dinner without the hefty price tag. The ambience was just ok, but maybe that was becuase the obnoxious loud talkers next to us. Some seating is better than others, so ask to sit somehwere else if your table isn't the best. read more

Went to Django for the first time with a work group and it was fantastic! We tried many different appetizers and all raved about the escargot and even used the garlic butter as dipping sauce for their bread! I had filet and it was amazing. It's a little pricey but a great place for a date night or dinner with friends. I highly recommend it! read more

Django - Filet - amazing! - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I went here a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday around 2 PM & it wasn't busy at all, so the service was great. I ordered the Shrimp Chitarra pasta & it was good. The shrimp were bigger than I expected but no complaints here :) read more

I am very disappointed with Django. This is the third time that I have visited and each time has been a completely different experience. Initially the food that I had gotten there was phenomenal, however each subsequent time the food has been a disappointment and this occasion was no different. Not only was the food a disappointment but the service was dismal. I understand that we were there on a Friday night and this will be a much busier day of the week, however we sat for 10-15 minutes before our server came to greet us for the first time. After that, we waited 30 minutes for our food (that is completely fine with me!) however, during the 30 minutes we waited, we were served no bread (this restaurant is known for their wonderful bread!). When we asked if we could have some bread, we were given an exasperated answer "Again, the bread is in the oven and will be coming out shortly." Again? We only asked one time and we were incredibly polite about it. The server was obviously stressed and overwhelmed by the number of tables he had that night and we weren't on the top of his list. As I mentioned previously, the restaurant was incredibly crowded that night - which is great for them! We did make a reservation well over a week in advanced and upon our arrival, were given a tiny table in an incredibly awkward space near two double doors that peered into a large party room that was also in the walk way between rooms in the restaurant. While I thought third time could be the charm, this visit to Django did not impress me in the slightest and I have no interest or intent on visiting again. read more

Django - Spinach and Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Absolutely horrible, this is run by an idiot who thinks he is the greatest chef in the world. Pastries were rock hard, and burnt. Escargot was not served in the shells, and tasted like dirt. read more

Orchestrate brings us another great addition to Des Moines dining! My wife and I made reservations and upon getting to Django were greeted by name and immediately escorted to our table. (Impressed?) Our waitress was friendly, but knew exactly where to draw the line so as not to be to intrusive. We ordered the spare ribs (topped with french fries) for an appetizer. It was served not as hot as I would have liked, but I concede for this type of beef, it is near impossible. I ordered the Halibut and my wife ordered the scallops with potato. Both orders were served in good time, and piping hot! The Halibut was cooked well, and tasted ok. Certainly not my best experience, but then again, it IS halibut, which is lighter and not as flavorful. The scallops, on the other hand, impressed me very much. For lack of a proper description, they were full of flavor. (Great cream sauce!) My wife had a glass of wine, and I had a ginger Mojito which were both a great addition. Overall our experience here is great, and we will surly return again and again. Django is receiving four stars, because the spare ribs and halibut lacked the flavor of a 5 star meal, but regardless we were still quite impressed. read more

I come here every month with my book club. The servers are prompt and really know the menu. Can we talk about the Brussels sprouts? Um, the best. The duck fries are the best, don't skimp out on the harissa aioli. It's nice they don't have a corking fee, so you can bring your own bottle in! Love Django. read more

Great happy hour. The charcuterie plate was excellent as well as the cocktails. Oysters were very fresh and tasty.

I tried this for the first time today at lunch. Great food, great service...will definitely being going back. I had the grilled cheese and tomato bisque with truffle oil. YUM! A few of my friends tried the poutine and raved about it. I hear their burgers are also great and their salads look wonderful. read more

Really enjoyed our dinner here. The muscles are a must, fantastic broth and great portion size. Enjoyed the 10 oz hangar steak with béarnaise sauce on the side. We liked our wine and the service. Great dinner for four with a bottle of wine and a cocktail each for about $200. read more

Django never disappoints. I am a huge fan of their Le Royal with Cheese - always cooked just the way I ask. You can't go wrong with their onion rings as an appetizer. The no corkage fee is a huge plus - I love to bring a bottle of my favorite champagne to enjoy with dinner. Service is always top notch. One of my favorite places for dinner in Des Moines!! read more

Amazing food! The stuff dreams are made of! Great atmosphere, not for those who are pinching pennies but definitely worth every cent!

If you are visting Des Moines you probably won't find a more civilized or sophisticated spot than Django. It has an old world, upscale feeling with gleaming silver serving pieces and a beautiful, dark wood bar. The service is friendly, professional, and polished. It has the best of Iowa niceness and the flair of a fine hotel restaurant: a great combination. Their bloody mary is great, with a long skewer with all kinds of goodies. They have a wonderful selection of wines by the glass. Their flatiron steak may be the best one I've had: perfectly cooked, tasty, generous. When I returned to Boston I ordered one at a good, downtown restaurant and it couldn't compare to Django's. The oysters (3 varieties) are fresh, cold (on ice), and plentiful. My husband's salad was excellent. The restaurant is large, but is divided into sections so that wherever you sit, it feels intimate. When I am in Des Moines, I try to have at least one meal at Django. They always treat me well. read more

The food was pretty good, however the service was not that great. I think the waiters were overloaded with tables and they should hire more people. Water was always at a back log, the appetizers ended up coming out at the same time as the meal...otherwise decent, the charcuterie plates were the best, Niçoise salad was not good, no salad dressing it seemed. read more

Amazing French inspired items. Great service always. Their le royal with cheese (inspired by the movie pulp fiction) is one of the best burgers in town. Classy and dressy at night. You can still feel not too shameful in jeans and a polo if you don't like to dress up. But preferably pay attention to what you are wearing at dinner time. read more

Always make a reservation if going for supper. Lunch, not so much. We dine here with friends when we need our french fix. The poutine is wonderful. Their food, everything we have had, has been great. Love that they do not charge you a corkage fee when you bring your own wine. Service is usually good. They keep your water pitcher full for the most part. Parking is lousy unless you use the ramp across the street which they do not validate for it so it will cost you more than you are expecting.The entry way is cold in the winter. Bathrooms are situated in an awkward location. read more

We came in off the highway after reading some great reviews, but after trying Django, I have to say it was disappointing. We ordered two omelettes, one with fries and one with fruit salad. The omelette were pretty good, not amazing, but the fries were cold and dry like they had been prepared in advance and refried but left out too long and they were way too salty. The fruit was not ripe in the fruit salad, and it really was not a very special fruit salad at all. The toast came after we were almost through with the omelettes, and the service was slow and scattered. The concept and the atmosphere was lovely, but that did not make up at all for all of the weaknesses. read more

Duck breast was a tad over cooked but the flavors were spot on. Calamari was cooked to perfection and the chocolate pot au cream was heavenly. Who would have thought Des Moines would have a French bistro such as this. I couldn't decide between the halibut and the duck so I asked the chef to pick. He picked well. I'll be back next trip. read more

I am not usually a fan of French restaurants. They seem uptight and snobby. However, this place was pretty great. I had a cheese & herb omelet w/fries. How great is it that, because it is lunch time & a French cafe, you get an omelet w/fries?? My companion got the Turkey Panini with a salad and he was stuffed. When they brought the plates out, I am so glad I did not get the panini - it was my original choice. So much, he could not even finish it. I may try this again, as there were 3 or 4 things on the menu that sounded good. read more