It's surprisingly hard to find a decent, affordable diner with quality food in Des Moines. I was pleasantly surprised by this place, and thought the Durango omelette with green salsa was well done. Very friendly staff too. Could use bigger portions, though. My only major complaint (not the fault of the restaurant at all) was the very old clientele (at multiple tables) who were quite rude, demanding, entitled and loudly sharing videos on their phones. One lady had a full conversation on speakerphone - wth? Anyway, will be back soon. read more

Hubby had steak & eggs on a Friday morning. He said it was good. It came with toast & hash browns. He enjoyed his eggs over easy & wished for jelly for his toast. Service was okay. He was the only one there & only got asked if he needed coffee once. The place was clean & sunny! read more

Douglas Café - Cozy Mess with gravy. - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

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Got a Greek salad for almost $11 that amounted to a side salad with Feta cheese on it. Just bagged lettuce with 1/2 a Roma tomato and feta cheese. The side salad at $2.50 would have been the way to go. Kids had burgers and fries that seemed ok but the katchup on the table was crusty and disgusting and we had to go search for a clean bottle on another table. read more

Douglas Café - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

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Please eat here. The staff is so helpful and patient. I work near here and try to order something from the local area versus a chain. I wanted an omelette and that's what they served! I wanted jelly and they made it happen! No matter when I asked or inquired about, you could tell they were just grateful to serve and grateful for my business. While it is a smaller establishment, it might be best to come here to pickup or have your coffee there. Anything larger than a solo meal might feel too crowded. Either way it's very welcoming and warm. Give this place your weekly cheat meal! read more

It is really hard to mess up breakfast food. What makes the difference is service, freshness, and getting all of the food out at the right time. All of this is what gives Douglas Cafe a 5 star rating. I cannot say enough about the attentiveness of the service at this little gem of a restaurant. We were there on a Sunday during the holiday season and they were full. If our waitress could not get to us the lady behind the counter would rotate through and get us anything we needed. Even the other patrons were super nice and even helped us with our very tired and cranky 2 year old. I had the biscuits and gravy, only thing I could improve on is the gravy needed more pepper and that can be added to personal taste. Food came out hot, fresh and in a reasonable amount of time considering the staffing and amount of people. If we are ever in the neighborhood we will be back. read more

Excellent food, great service! The restaurant has recently started serving Mexican food and have tried their tacos. (Amazing!) Highly recommend!! read more

ZERO STARS!!!!!!!! Slower than a turtle walking through molasses! The food was disgusting. Eggs undercooked, asked for corn beef hash and idk wtf they gave me! Mexican dude got a nasty attitude! Also, the person I was with now feels like dog doo doo from eating their food! Avoid this place at all cost! read more

Hey there my Yelp family. My wife and I visited this little cafe by a suggestion on Yelp. What a treat!! The wait staff was great, and let us sit were ever we wanted. Coffee was offered and a great little menu was given to us. We both wanted The Cozy Ness with a side of bacon. I was shocked how quickly our food was done and on our table. It was fresh also. Not just sitting under a heat lamp waiting for us to order. The Douglas Cafe is not much on fancy, but man they can make a yummy breakfast. They kept the coffee coming and were very friendly. If you are looking for a great place to take a loved one, or friends who come into town, this is the place. I'm really surprised it took me two years living here to find this place. Do yourself a favor and give the Douglas Cafe a try, you won't be sorry. Thanks for reading my ramblings - Sepi read more

Douglas Café - Douglas Cafe aka Cozy Cafe - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Brought some friends here on a Sunday morning because we had been a few years back (2018?) and it was GREAT. Not this time. The young man helping host was fantastic, as was our server who was busting her behind as the only server in the place. However, it started to go wrong when the coffee was the color of tea. Then when food was brought, we were told the two Durango Omelettes were NOT Durango because they were out of the sauce. As they were being set on the table. Add to that my odd pancake- not a taste I personally enjoyed and couldn't nail down. I only managed one bite. I later realized they had an option of "Specialty Cakes" which I think I received, or buttermilk. No option was offered when I ordered. Then when paying, those of us using a card were charged extra for the privilege, again with no advance warning. Unsure if the place changed hands, but we definitely will not go back. read more

Food was pretty gross. Didn't get what we ordered. I imagine that kitchen is also disgusting as the tables are never cleaned well.

Comfort food always hot and tasty. The owner is friendly and gracious. We go there frequently!

Exactly what you need. No frills and good service. Get the green chili salsa and thank me later

Stopped for breakfast while our dog was at Blue Pearl. I had the cozy mess with some gravy on the side. Spectacular. Hubs had chicken fried steak which was great. I forgot to take pictures of food because we dug right in. We would definitely return if in the are. Great food & service. read more

Just sat and requested a pancake, 2 eggs medium, burned hash browns with jalapeños, sausage and orange juice. Nice setting and seating arrangement on corner location. Great service. Also getting a house made cinnamon roll now warming. And it's pretty good, not amazing. Real good pancake, maybe a wheat flour recipe, eggs just right, hash browns said to be house made but am doubtful. Browned nice though. I would return. read more

I don't know how this place got 4.5 stars. Very disappointed. 1. The waiter is rude and not knowledgeable at all. I asked for a whole wheat toast and they brought a wheat toast. The guy who called himself an owner had no idea what whole wheat is and made me feel like I had no idea myself what I was requesting. He was first trying to convince me that what was provided WAS "whole wheat" by saying "I'm the owner. I know". Honestly, that was very offensive, if not humiliating. 2. The portions are small. 3. They gave us two checks, which were under two different names. Weird stuff! The second check was the total (that already included tax!) plus additional tax and additional charge (for what I have no idea). To cut it short, we also got overcharged! :-( read more

For the most important meal of the day, if you like to make sure you eat something hearty, like gramma would make, Douglas Cafe is here for you. I had the half order of Cozy Mess (loaded hash browns with 2eggs and toast) and it was chalk full of veggies and meats. The hash browns were crispy but maybe a touch greasy. My dining companion liked his western omelet but commented it was too heavy on the green pepper and wished he'd ordered the cozy mess as well. Staff was friendly and attentive. We used a groupon for our meal making it a heck of a breakfast bargain. read more

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I just moved away from this area and never tried this cafe! My mistake. Great service, coffee and food. Husband had normal breakfast but the pancakes were brown. They have a lot of cinnamon in them. I had the Benedict and I enjoyed it. Hashbrowns were crispy too as I asked. read more

Stopped by for lunch on a Saturday. My Ruben was delicious and Grilled Turkey Bacon Melt had actual real turkey. Fries were crispy and golden brown. To top it off was what my niece called the " best lemon meringue pie I have ever eaten " it disappeared before I could get a picture. Can't wait to go back to check out breakfast. read more

Douglas Café - Turkey Bacon Melt - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

The food quality was ok at best, the atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. The food was a good portion, which is the only good thing I can say about it. The tables were wobbly and a bit filthy, a good cleaning could leave a better impression. The service was good, as the waiter was attentive. The coffee appeared to be watered down and not fresh. I was going to hunker down to do some work but I was just too dissatisfied with the overall experience I ended up leaving a googling a cafe. Go at your own risk. read more

Great diner! Super good breakfast great coffee and really nice people small town diner in a big city read more

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In town from Idaho for work and tried this diner out. The food was so good Ive been back every day since for a week. The owner was extremely friendly and treated us like family and the price was more than reasonable. I recommend the steak and eggs read more

Thoroughly enjoyed this hole-in-the-wall diner for a good breakfast. Service was friendly and quick. Food was good. My husband judges a diner if they have soft butter for toast, and they did. We stopped in this area for a quick overnight and drove by quick breakfast options like Chick-fil-A, Perkins and McD's. We are glad we did. read more

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Good food, friendly service, but don't come here if you are in a hurry. We waited 30 minutes for our food. Biscuits and gravy were excellent and they will give you a coffee for the road. Note that your meal is cheaper if you pay with cash. read more

Great place to chow down on some breakfast, lunch or dinner. $4.95 breakfast special with choice of meat bacon ham or sausages two eggs hash browns and your choice of toast. This place has lots of yum yummy for your tummy tummy. read more

Douglas Café - Breakfast special Monday-Thursday - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Service was okay new waiter, he greeted us with a good morning. Now for the food I ordered the steak and eggs. The steak could not have been even a 3oz steak not even bigger than the palm of my hand. Over seasoned and asked for medium well, it was 100% well done. On to the eggs, asked for cheese on my eggs and the cheese was barely melted on them. Then waiter asked me if I wanted to swap out the hashbrown for the crispy potatoes and was literally brought fried tater tot's. Spouse and son orders the 2 pancakes eggs and meat. Food came out cold and pancake had a cinnamon taste to them. Over all we paid $45 with the 3.99% surcharge for using card plus a $15 tip. Lesson learned this is a honest review you'll have better food at IHOP, Village Inn, even HY-VEE. Save your money, food -1/5 service 3/5. read more

To small to slow one hour wait for food very poor service no parking do not waste your time

So glad this popped up as a recommendation on our drive through the state. It did not disappoint. There was a pretty sizable wait but worth every minute. It if first come first serve with no waitlist, so be prepared for patience. When we did get seated, the food was delicious, service was great. Currently I'm trying to plan a way we'll be driving through at breakfast time again because once I as definitely not enough! read more

This is a small neighborhood cafe. We came for a Saturday morning breakfast. The menu choices were decent. I had sausage and eggs with toast and hash browns Nothing spectacular Wife ate had pancakes with bacon. The pancakes were plate size. More than could be eaten The treat was the cinnamon roll. It was really good . Do good that it was gone before I realized I didn't take a pic. read more

Douglas Café - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

Drove past this cafe a million times and finally made time to go in. It did not disappoint. It's a small cafe with friendly staff, Kristi was our waitress, she was attentive and kind. The menu is full of options and serves breakfast all day- perfect little spot for some diner coffee and a bite to eat. read more

Delicious little hole in the wall diner. The perfect meal for breakfast and so cheap! We got the classic breakfast and it was perfect! Quick in and quick out and delicious food what else could you ask for? read more

My goodness, what a sweet way to spend a Sunday morning. The chicken fried steak with hash browns was worth the price of admission. Herself had the biscuits and gravy. She compared them to the Methodist Church ladies at the fair and that just set the bar too high. But they still came in third to the Cracker Barrel. Mostly they lost points by using Johnny cakes rather than biscuits. She had to finish my chicken fried steak. The coffee was to her satisfaction. I loved the iced tea. We will definitely be back. The chocolate cake called her on the way out. She still wants to try the Eggs Benedict and I must sample the chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes. But, we need to wait for colder weather, don't you agree? Wonder if the serve it in a bread bowl. The service was not rapid fire, but suited to the time, day, and setting. Edit: The cake was a little dry, too sweet and runny frosting. Not nearly as good as the old Cozy Cafe. But,. I'm not a cake eater so I'm still happy. read more

Best breakfast in town. Reasonably priced and everything my wife and I have tried was very good. Bill l. gave a nasty review and has no idea if the owner is legal or not, does it matter? Be careful what you say about people, there is such a thing as slander in this country. He works hard and has a great breakfast--as a customer that's what matters. Great service, food always hot. read more

Great food, early bird prices before 9:00am. Great service, kids loved the pancakes. Highly recommended.

I love this place! It's my new favorite breakfast diner! The French toast is amazing! I tend to now go here a few times a week because I'm a breakfast eater. read more

Ordered some breakfast for lunch take out for another lazy pandemic day. The french toast was awesome. I definitely recommend this place.

delightfully surprised! Interior is cute and super clean. Menu is very similar to Cozy Cafe's (makes sense as this used to be one) but the food came out waaaay better! This place has the perfectly seasoned griddle ... drool. Bacon was fried ON POINT! Service is wonderful and we were in and out quick without being rushed on a Saturday AM. Noticed the tip from another Yelper about the Groupon... yaaas! Super deal, make sure to check it out. Although, it's worth every penny of the full price. Our new neighborhood b-fast spot! read more

Good home cooked breakfast. Has kind of a southern vibe for the food. Biscuits are great! I love that they leave the coffee pot on the table. Very well priced and food came fast. We went on a Sunday at 8am and no wait. Small place so it could get crowded during busy hours. read more

Family of four. Good was cold. Avoid chicken fried steak. Homemade loaded frosting Cinnamon roll was yummy!

Found this place thanks to Yelp! Love the local mom-and-pop vibe! Great breakfast and an amazing array of pies! Super service, too!! read more

Douglas Café - Pies!!!! - American Near Me - Urbandale, Iowa

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This restaurant knows "it's lane" and it excels in it. A previous review described this place as "a small-town cafe in the big city". After visiting, I feel like that is a splendid characterization. Looking for "haute cuisine"? You might not fit here. Looking for a tasty, filling, pleasant meal in a cozy hole-in-the-wall? This is the place. Locals may just see somebody they know if they step into the Douglas Cafe and out-of-town folk will be warmly welcomed by the Cafe staff. The food can be considered "diner food" or "comfort food". Some very good sandwich and soup options at lunch time as well as tasty breakfasts. For my take-out order today, I chose a Club sandwich which was on toasted whole wheat bread and then stuffed with turkey and bacon and tomato. I also, hesitantly, ordered Chicken Tortilla Soup, fearing the disappointment if it were flat and tasteless. I should not have worried. It was delightfully well-seasoned and quite tasty. read more