A wonderful taste of Greece right here in downtown Des Moines. Pictures of mom back in Greece on the wall, and her recipes used, lend a real feel of authenticity. We were welcomed warmly and seated immediately. Started with a few appetizers, which were over the top. Enjoyed the Gyro platter and some moussaka all very good flavor. A nice selection of beer and some wines to accompany just about any dish. Complementary salad and soup with almost every entrée mix for a very filling meal. Open most days from 11 AM to 9 PM. Check it out when you're in the area. read more

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We happened upon this little gem as we were wandering around Des Moines shops. We always love Greek, and their neighbor in the shop next door recommended it. Just the proprietor couple there serving lunch on a Saturday to a not too full restaurant, given it was January. Even though the door opens to the dining room, they kept it surprisingly warm enough for how chilly it was outside. We shared Mezethakia and the Greek Village Salad, because we were looking for a light lunch. The flavors! Oh, we wish we lived in Des Moines - we would go there all the time! The proprietor was friendly, the ambiance was good, but the food was absolutely excellent. read more

great service, really nice staff :) the food was really fresh and yummy, great vegetarian menu! The prices are also really great, definitely underrated :) read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Vegetarian Gyro Greek Fries Roasted Eggplant Sandwich Vegetarian Dolmathes - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Recommend the Gyro and grape leaves. Great people and an open airy environment. My wife and I need to get back there for lunch sometime soon. read more

I was here on a layover. My crew members and I were walking around downtown and this was recommended by the concierge of our hotel so I decided to stop by and eat before we continue on exploring. The food was great but the staff's service was amazing and made everything above and beyond. Thank you for your hospitality and good food. read more

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Small, venure, good food, nice folks. We enjoyed it very much. We will be going back again soon. PEACe from IOWA!

You can feel from ordering to eating to paying for your meal. You can tell they are doing it the old school way, which is never a bad thing. The environment is Intimate They are experienced in this cuisine. I order Dolmas and chicken gyro sandwich, both were excellent. Nothing to complain about! Only complaint is no side came with sandwich. Service was good too! read more

I visited Olympic Flame while in a business trip to Des Moines and was impressed by my experience. Mimi is the perfect hostess, and welcomed me in, finding me a great spot to sit and people watch. She pointed out the house specialties, and when I prompted her to share her recommendations, she led me to choose the Souvlaki platter with one chicken shish kebab and one pork shish kebab which was incredible. My dinner came with a lemon chicken noodle soup, greek salad and pita bread in addition to the extras listed on the menu for the plate. Every thing was flavorful from the Greek fries to the orzo. The baklava was perfectly moist and the perfect ending to an excellent meal. The decor was done by a friend of the owners, and makes the place feel even more festive. If I find myself in downtown Des Moines and needing a meal, Olympic Flame would be my choice for friendly service and excellent food. read more

Ditto everything like a year ago! We do enjoy the chicken gyros & steak de burgo! Good place to eat. We got the last table. read more

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Our 2nd visit here and it was as wonderful as the 1st! Going to Greece this fall and wanted to try some good Greek food, it's not good, it's amazing! I love the atmosphere, only about a dozen tables, no TV's on the walls and just the quiet background music along with the hum of people chatting over their delicious meals. Tried a couple of wines which were tasty, then came the lemony soup with tender chicken & vegetables. The warm pita bread - the best! Greek salads did not disappoint nor did the flaming appetizer or our dinners. Finished off with the best baklava I've ever had! The courses aren't hurried which I love, it was a relaxing 2-hour dinner. I like going out once in a while when dinner is the main event, not a rushed bite before something else. Olympic Flame - THANK YOU! We will be back! read more

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It was an honor to go to this place. I was welcomed by the lady in the front and that makes me feel like I'm at home. The food was delicious. The service was great and I was told that they've been open for 38 years. I recommended in the sandwich I had it was awesome. If anyone know what the grape leaves are, they are real because any time if they have only Rice that mean it out of a can but if they add meat that mean it homemade and that's what this place have so I highly recommend it. read more

No one holds a flame to Olympic Flame for Greek food in Des Moines! Came out in a Wednesday night to enjoy some authentic Greek. Ordered two falafel sandwiches, fried squid, and baklava. Total came to $37.xx before gratuity. Everything tasted amazing! I absolutely loved the falafel sandwich. Very generous helping of every ingredient. Very fluffy, hot, and fresh falafel croquettes. I've never had them like here. Hummus was very flavorful. Buttery taste almost. The fried squid was delectable. My very favorite was the baklava though!! Hot crunchy and gooey with the BEST flavor, baklava. Everything I ate was dairy and egg free. I was completely satisfied. Service was efficient and very nice. Restaurant was quaint. I enjoyed the window seating. Not very busy when we visited but it made it an enjoyable and intimate night out. I highly recommend Olympic Flame for a delicious Greek craving. I've tried many around the city and I'm very impressed with Olympic Flame for quality and flavor of food and overall environment. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Falafel Sandwich - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Food is Ok Service was super slow. Just go to Greece. Very frustrating place. Check out was from the 50 s read more

Great food, nice people who work there... We usually get the Mezethaki Platter, a gyro and some greek fries. We've gone about once a month over the past year, and it's always delicious. read more

for my boyfriends birthday dinner we decided to come to this place because he has been there a few years prior and said it was good. we arrived around 7:30 and didn't get our main meal until an hour later. it took so long to get our food and it was so disgusting i couldn't even eat it. i barely touched my trio plate and my boyfriend did not like his food at all either. both dishes were microwaved and not fresh; it looked like a bunch of slop. the chef did not even try to plate it nicely because the appearance was so awful; just the look of the dish itself turned me off of it. the lamb was very hard and the waitress serving us tonight couldn't even tell me the difference of the two piles of slop that was supposedly "pasticcio" and "moussaka". the kebabs tasted like they microwaved and then left there for an hour. i truly hope this was just a bad night for them but honestly i doubt it. the server didn't take anything off of my bill even though i barely touched my food and told her it was bad and not enjoyable in the slightest. you can overhear everything from the kitchen as she was telling the chef i didn't like my food. it was embarrassing. she stated " i don't know what to do about it" to the owner. he obviously did not care in the slightest because they charged me 72 dollars for garbage. the waitress was nice but unprofessional. i didn't tip due to the fact that i was paying for literal shit and she said "oh so i'm the one being punished? that's f*cking awesome" and continued to bad mouth us as we were leaving...like yeah you decided that the food you were serving to me was up to standard and just by looking at it, it clearly was not, so i'm not paying you!! thank you so much for this terrible experience; i genuinely have never felt more underserved. i felt like i was on a kitchen nightmares episode and that has never happened to me before. don't go here. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Trio Plate apparently - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Went for lunch on a day off after Christmas. Staff was friendly and attentive. I believe 1 waitress and 1 cook running the restaurant. Food came out fairly quick and had good flavors. This is a smaller place and filled up quickly after we arrived. Furnishings are dated, but not shabby. Gyro does not come with fries, I added them as a side. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The food was amazing! We stopped in before a concert, and it was packed. They were able to seat us right away. They had a belly dancer performing throughout the restaurant, and we were able to meet her lovely family! I 100% recommend this little gem of a spot! read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Belly dancer - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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If zero stars was an option I WOULD. The food is terrible. I had a whole chunk of flower in my pita. The service was so bad that it was like day 1 of having they're restaurant. When I tried to order gyro with just chicken, instead they still gave me the extra vegetables and a weird sauce. When we asked for another one made the server was VERY disrespectful. I cannot go further on that but we still got another one, but there was still vegetables in it. I don't know how many times I would haft to tell them to remove the vegetables and the sauce, but it's definitely a very ridiculous amount, and they obviously wouldn't do it. I HATED this place would severely NOT recommend. read more

A small place, which keeps noise to easy conversational levels. Service was good and non intrusive. Food portions were reasonable, not the typical "American" size servings. We all finished our meals, with just enough room for dessert. Food was wonderful, especially the chicken soup starter and the baklava. Will definitely be back. read more

One of the best restaurants in Des Moines! The food is all fantastic and the owner is wonderful! We fell in love with Olympic Flame the first time we visited, and have never been disappointed in any of our return visits. The food is authentic, and made well. I love the entrees, but some of my favorite items are actually the starters and sides! The flaming cheese is always fun and delicious. I also like the soup, salad, and bread. I appreciate that I can always get a Greek beer or wine to accompany my meal too. Don't pass this place up! It feels like a true family restaurant straight out of Greece, right here in Iowa! Opa! read more

Stopped in while passing through Des Moines and I would highly recommend you do the same. Perfect place to grab a quick lunch with fast service and some nice decorations. There lunch options are much more limited opposed to dinner but there is still a wide variety of great gyros. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Mezethakia - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Best steak de burgo and reasonably priced! Lovely if you can snag window seating. Old neighborhood haunt!

Best gyro in the Des Moines metro. The food is always fresh and hot. Cute, small place with very friendly staff.

Service was wonderful and waitress was super helpful getting us settled with our toddler and infant. Food was straight forward and delicious. Would absolutely recommend! read more

Fun place to go. We had the flaming cheese. Place is not fancy but food was good. ......

service was really attentive, and told us it was the 35th anniversary for the business!! same location and everything! cheesy murals and decor, but really welcoming. food was amazing, will be back soon! read more

If you are looking for a basic gyro while in the east village, this is the place. Its a smaller restaurant so probably not great if you are with a big group. read more

With so many great options in the Des Moines area, somehow we went years between our visits here. We came here for lunch on a "warm" winter day after taking a stroll outside with our kids. We entered with a double stroller and the waitress was very kind and accommodating for the four of us and our double stroller. I believe we were the fourth occupied table. There was only one waitress and she did a great job staying on top of things for each table. She was also rather personable, talking with each of us for just the right amount. My husband and I ordered Gyros platters while our daughter chose chicken nuggets and french fries. She's loves to dip nuggets and fries in honey and the waitress was able to get some just for her from the kitchen. The nuggets looked good and crispy. The Gyros were delicious but the fries were just that, fries. Nothing to write about them and honestly, I could have done without. I almost forgot we also received a small Greek salad which was tasty. If you're looking for a good Gyro and service, may want to hit this place up. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Small Greek Salad (part of a platter) - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Soup was good. But entrees took 45 minutes to be served. Fish was very over cooked to the point it was hard to cut even with a knife. The entree sides on the menu didn't match the sides that were served. Left disappointed. read more

Decided to come here for my birthday dinner. We made reservations for 2 at 5:30 on a Saturday evening and were seated by the window. The place wasnt terribly busy when we got there, but filled up between 6 and 6:30. The murals on the wall are gorgeous and beautifully done. We ordered saganaki, which is absolutely delicious and comes with a firey surprise! Opa! The second appetizer we ordered was the one pictured: mezethakia which came with gyro meat, pork and chicken, feta cheese tomatoes and olives. For dinner we each ordered the gyro dinner, which came with the gyro, orzo, and a cheese and spinach pastry filled triangles. Also, the dinners came with their amazing lemon chicken soup. The soup is hands down some of the best I've ever had. Service was a little lack luster and slow for water refills, but the food was amazing as always! We will be back. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I wanted to take a minute to update the below review as I've been meaning to do it for awhile now but time has gotten away from me. Please go visit Olympic Flame! I have been back to Olympic Flame since the incident below a few times, most recently on New Years Eve, and the service has much improved. My feelings on their food has not changed so please read my older review for information on that. Attached is a picture the baklava that I had the pleasure of eating on my most recent visit. read more

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I have wanted to go to Olympic Flame for years. I finally made it there. The restaurant has a very relaxed interior. Tables and chairs are very simple. There was only one women working entire front of the house. She was running non stop. She even went back at one point to help in the kitchen. She did tells us the restaurant has been around over 30 years. I had the gyro platter. It was a gyro, fries and a salad. It was a great value and a ton of food. My salad however didn't have any dressing on it. I would definitely go back again read more

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To start off, the food was absolutely incredible!!! It's easily some of the best and most flavorful Greek food that I've ever had. The meals also come with soup and salad that are both delicious. It's difficult because I want to highly recommend this place to everyone, but be willing to wait a while. Our appetizer took about about an hour and the food took 2 hours. I completely understand they might have just had less people in the kitchen that night so we waited patiently. I do recommend this place, but be prepared to spend a minimum of 2 hours here. Overall, still had amazing food and the atmosphere was very nice. read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Best Gyro in town, and if you like it you will appreciate the baklava even more!!

Went to a dinner date with my girlfriend prior to a movie, cannot recommend this place enough! The ambiance was welcoming and the hostess was extremely kind. She asked if it was okay to bring the Greek fries (appetizers) out with the entrees to avoid them getting cold! Both the fries and gyros were hot and full of flavor! My girlfriend ordered the chicken gyro which included both fresh cucumbers and bell peppers and a delicious tsiki sauce! All in all I will definitely be coming back again as there doesn't go a day this meal does not cross my mind! read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Greek Fries - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered the hummus plate to share. My date ordered the chicken gyro and I ordered the village salad. The chicken gyro was so flavorful. My village salad had large chunks of juicy red tomato, feta, cucumber, olives and red onion. The dressing really sent it over the top! Absolutely delicious! read more

Olympic Flame Restaurant - Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Carry out tonight and loved it all. Gyro and chicken gyro were great. Soup was a little lemony but good. All the sides with dinner were good and I especially liked the rice. Rice had great flavor. read more

The food was delicious!! The Saganaki & Baklava were amazing! The service was impeccable. Angelo was so friendly and made us feel so welcomed & appreciated. Overall highly satisfied & would definitely recommend:)) read more

We had a wonderful dinner last night. Everything was done perfectly! Despite being busy our waitress served us promptly. She was pleasant and always had a smile on her face as she ran from table to table making sure everyone was taken care of. As for our meal it was perfectly prepared! Our appetizer, Saganaki (fried cheese served flaming) was delightful. For our entree we chose the Lamb Chops that were cooked to perfection. The dinner came with a basket of warm bread, homemade soup, Avgolemono (chicken soup with egg and lemon), a small Greek Salad, Tiropita (filo stuffed with cheese), Spanakopita (filo stuffed with spinach and feta), Dolmanthes (grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice) and 0rzo. Wonderfully authentic Greek cuisine all prepared home style. The restaurant is casual, and has a varied menu which includes typical American fare. I have been eating here for thirty years and during this time the restaurant has gone through many changes. One thing that has remained constant is that you will get great food at a reasonable price. read more

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Great gyros. Tzatziki is on point. Fried potatoes are amazing. Avgolemono soup is transcedant. Best Greek spot in Des Moines.