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    Open Sesame Cafe

    4.2 (224 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

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    Open Sesame Cafe Photos

    OPEN SESAME CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Intimate
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Open Sesame Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Gyro Rice Plate
    Donny S.

    God was definitely very good and the rice was cooked perfectly. The gentleman who attended me was very kind and friendly, even made conversation with the other patrons at the bar top. Very cozy spot to go for dinner. I'd go again when I'm back in town.

    SHAWARMA RICE PLATE $16
    Fiona K.

    Great food and fast service. Very intimate restaurant! The chicken was moist and the sauce had a slight spicy taste that was just right.

    Beautiful decor, friendly host and great food! Tried the falafel salad, gyro salad, and baba ghanouj, enjoyed it all.

    Combo Rice Plate
    Charity F.

    This is THE cutest place I never knew existed until my cousin suggested we come here for dinner, as it's one of her favorite places- and for very good reason! The decor is beautiful, warm, romantic, and cozy, and you can really feel the culture and roots of the owners, everywhere you look! This cafe is definitely fit for anything from a romantic date night to a comfy family dinner! Based on the name, I was not expecting Mediterranean fare, at first, but the food was top notch and literally the best Greek/Lebanese food I have ever had in my life! I ordered the combo rice plate and let's just say- I'm already excited for my next visit! Service was great: very friendly and quick! I will definitely be thinking about this place until I get the chance to go back! YUM! If I could give this place 10 stars, I would!

    Inside
    Bob S.

    I loved the vibe of this place. Authentic small and great service. But the star was the food. I had an absolutely delicious gyro while we also had the falafel wrap. My side was a wonderful lentil soup. Yumm!

    Menu
    Jenn B.

    As you walk in you are engulfed in the most delicious aroma! This is a family run business and the owners niece was our server and she was one of the most enjoyable servers I have had since COVID. We started with the idea to just have a snack and had the gonash. Delicious is too soft of a word to describe this appetizer!!!!so we had to have a wrap. Homemade pita soooo light and a bit of grilled over a flame. The thinly sliced meat was so tender, we told everyone we talked in the hotel to not walk by. My Bops asked if they would open a restaurant in our town Panama City Beach and he is one of the pickiest. Hers I know. 10 stars!!

    Circular mirror behind bar with reflection of enchanting lights.
    Bill H.

    Nice ambience and lighting. Great location. Extremely friendly and warm hearted staff. Cozy and atmospheric. A rare thing around here. Vegan options- very accommodating. It's a must try.

    Great smells, music and ambiance Quaint and very nice owner Both the Gyro Rice and Shawarma Rice were excellent Loved the cocktail

    FALAFEL PITA and Lentil Soup
    Emma B.

    Great atmosphere & food! Good service. Menu is somewhat small, but has an excellent selection of options for vegetarians!

    Spicy something

    10/10 across the board. Small intimate environment. Great food! And fantastic service.

    Cory R.

    Jallab is life! It's rare to be able to find specialty Middle Eastern drinks like jallab. Open Sesame Cafe is authentic and refreshing! I love the location, building, and decor. Perfect for any occasion. Casual dining or date night with excellent service. The menu suggests beer pairings for each meal. We ordered tzatziki with pita and grape leaves for appetizers. Both so delicious! Then the gyro plate and combination plate which had gyro meat and chicken with all of the spices and basmati rice. We cleaned our plates! Gold coin beer (blonde lager) was a good pairing with everything! Baklava for dessert. This was the only part of the meal that didn't hit the mark. Wasn't very sweet and was too dry. Other than that, this place rocks! I will be back for sure!

    Spicy Shwarma Pita Wrap Lunch
    Paul S.

    Stopped in for a quick bite on Saturday at this lovely little gem. As expected the food was packed with the flavor and passion that can always be expected from a Lebanese restaurant. The service was excellent and we will be back to try out the dinner menu.

    the interior of the restaurant
    Chloe L.

    This place is so cool! It feels like you step into another world. Menu selection is small, but absolutely delicious. I highly recommend the gyros!

    Excellent hummus on falafel and rice plate

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    2 months ago

    Amazing food, superb service, lovely ambiance, and fair prices. Would return in a heartbeat!

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    2 years ago

    The open Sesame salad is my favorite. Order it with Chicken and ask for a little spicy. Just amazing!!! Can't wait to go back agai

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    2 years ago

    The food was great! Service was quick and professional. Ambiance was amazing! We will be return customers!

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    4 years ago

    I really enjoyed my meal. It may not be the true Mediterranean Food that I am used to, but it was still really good.

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    3 years ago

    Absolutely delicious and authentic. Beautiful, classy decor. Very friendly and accommodating staff. Small and intimate. Very clean.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Open Sesame Cafe

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    Revival House

    4.5(33 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    This tiny house is giving Des Monies the vibes it's missing…read more.. On a short layover in Iowa, I was looking for good drinks and food without a lot of waiting or being overcrowded. What I found was a little gem off of one of the main roads in downtown Des Monies. Even before you enter this self described "Tiki Bar" you see all the brick buildings, and then you see an actual grass covered roof...yep that's the place and a really nice touch. The interior is equally cool and spacious, you are greeted by the bar area immediately when you walk in. To your right are comfy couches and instagram friendly neon wall signs, with that signature tiki touch of floral patterns and great lighting. The location is connected to a Asian food restaurant, so they get their food from them as you drink some of the most well crafted adult drinks I've had in a while. I came for happy hour on a Saturday 4:00pm-6:30pm. The drinks were basically 2.00 off with discounted food, the menu is limited to mostly chicken wraps and crab rangoons etc. I will say the portions were filling and very delicious. The star of the show was my El Colmillo, a tequila based drink with lime, orange juice, lime. The bartender did say it's all pre mixed, and that day she subbed the tequila with Casamigos, because the house tequila was out. Customer service was great, until it wasn't. Our server was excellent, until a guy came in off break and they seemed to have some tension. She really didn't have that same positive energy as before, otherwise an overall excellent experience. Pro Tip: Take a walk over to "Hello, Marjorie", it's a completely different vibe but drinks there are just as good...if not better. Go see Travis, he is 10/10 at "Hello, Marjorie".

    Simone is the coolest bartender. She went way above and beyond with her service, up to pulling out…read morea light and taking pictures for me and my friend. They have such a lowkey cool vibe here. This is a great place to pull thru with a group of friends.

    Photos
    Revival House
    Revival House - Seating

    Seating

    Revival House - El Colmillo

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    El Colmillo

    Good News, Darling - "Menu, No Menu" Drinks at this classy speakeasy

    Good News, Darling

    4.7(19 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    This is my second time/ year back for the holiday pop up. Last year i got the grasshopper and…read moreenjoyed it. This year i got Tom & Jerry, and my friend got the Cider. We both really enjoyed our drinks. I wanted to get the chocolate later but it was sold out! A bartender let us try the menthol foam by itself and it was yummy. We had great service and the vibes was fun. All of their drinks are really delicious. Cant go wrong.

    There are not words strong enough to describe how incredible this experience was. Some of the best…read morecocktails of my life. Incredible flavors, theming - this is art and storytelling through cocktail. The ice cream on the cake was the sample ice cream flavors we got to sample. I'm not exaggerating to say this was also some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. I'm legitimately and justifiably upset that I can't buy it anyway to have it again. The atmosphere is fun too, but the cocktails and the obvious time and passion that go into them are the draw. This is not a place where the theming outshines the drinks, I'd be blown away by these offerings even in a brightly-lit Chuck-e-Cheese. I will be back every single time I'm in Des Moines, and I hope it's packed with a waiting list because this kind of artistry deserves to be shared with everyone.

    Photos
    Good News, Darling - Bar scene

    Bar scene

    Good News, Darling - Thad the Jack and Norman which was made with Bourbon, Allspice Dram, black cherry, root beer reduction, vanilla bitters!

    Thad the Jack and Norman which was made with Bourbon, Allspice Dram, black cherry, root beer reduction, vanilla bitters!

    Good News, Darling - Something tart and fruity and another that was a white Russian type drink but had an extra flavor we couldn't pin point.

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    Something tart and fruity and another that was a white Russian type drink but had an extra flavor we couldn't pin point.

    In Confidence

    In Confidence

    3.6(16 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    New speakeasy below hotel fort Des Moines. Went here on a Friday night around 9pm. You are led…read moredownstairs where the bar is. The decor was super nice and certainly have a speakeasy vibe. Most of the seating here seemed to be targeted towards large groups so there wasn't a ton of option for a party of 2. We did not have a reservation so there was only 1 high top area that was honestly super uncomfortable. I would recommend making a reservation if you want a chance to sit at one of the lower chair areas. The biggest issue was the service. It took over 20 minutes for anyone to come over and take our drink order. This is a newer spot so I'm hopeful things can improve. It was super loud and not the most inviting space. Some of the seating was a bit awkward with spacing. The drinks were small but I would expect that for a higher end cocktail. For DSM, I did think some of the drinks seemed a bit expensive. The drinks were okay but seemed pretty weak where they were super juice heavy. Overall I would probably not come back unless I had friends who haven't been and wanted to try it. Super bummed as I do think there is potential here but need to work through some of these issues.

    This speakeasy bar is located inside the hotel fort in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. To get there,…read moreyou will enter the coffee bar, once you walk around the bar, you'll see a velvet rope. Somebody will ask you how many people in your party and then open the wall pantry. This will lead to the stair that goes downstairs to the basement. Bar lighting is dim, intimate feel. There's bar seating, high tops, tables that accommodate large parties and VIP room that has a curtain for privacy. We ordered cocktails that were unique crafted. Bathroom is available, hallway of pictures of people dressed in the 1920s all over the wall. We enjoyed this speakeasy bar and will definitely come back with more people.

    Photos
    In Confidence - The entryway

    The entryway

    In Confidence
    In Confidence

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    Open Sesame Cafe - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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