One of my favorite spots in Ankeny to eat. Food is always good and prices are reasonable.

Our server Lilly was very gracious, prompt service throughout. Had the two breakfasts in the photos, meals were hot and delicious. Diner is casual, older style decor, from the Coke Cola vending machine, table condiments, black / white tile floor, to the soda fountain and counter. Absolutely wonderful experience, reasonable prices, would certainly recommend this diner. read more

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The quality of this place has gone downhill fast. Water leaking from the ceiling. Surly staff. The food is still good, if you can deal with the restaurant falling down around you. read more

Super disappointed at the "blue plate hot turkey sandwich, hand carved turkey/freshly carved meats". Shame on us for not reading between the lines. Certainly not fresh carved turkey by any means! Totally processed deli sliced mystery "meat" that was supposed to be turkey. Unfortunately we both ordered this. Literally ate 1/4 of 1/2 of each sandwich, the smashed potatoes were the only salvation of the meal as the gravy too did not taste homemade. Visited Monday April 20, 2026 at lunch time. For our feedback we received 1.80 off our meal instead of being offered a replacement lunch as we didn't eat hardly anything. Don't blame the waitress at all but no manager came out to offer any assistance/additional compensation or replacement meal. Please do better next time someone has a legitimate complaint. Kathy S. St Paul MN read more

They USED to be my favorite place until they changed their menu... I and a lot of others Loved their genuine Yonkers Rarebit burgers and Maytag Blue cheese burgers... And my friends from KC MO used to insist we go there every time they come to town... We were SO disappointed!!! That wait staff said others have complained but the management won't listen... The rest of the menu is ok but nothing to write home about... I don't drive out from Des Moines there unless a friend from the area who prefers we meet there... read more

We went during the major snowstorm held in Ankeny. It was extremely slow in the diner that day, however, the food was amazing and fast. The omelette was a scrambled egg version of an omelette versus a folded up version. Flavors were spot on, hashbrowns were spot on. Definitely will try again. read more

Quaint, nice diner feel where the food is EXCELLENT!! It is biscuits and gravy with an added chicken fried chicken cutlet. A weekend special for $12.99 read more

The Ankeny Diner - Ultimate B&G - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

The food was delicious and exactly as described. The homade onion rings were the best id had in decades, no joke!! Im a coffee drinker and the service shines staying on top of my coffee needs! Simple vintage diner ambiance and bar! We have been here before and will return its a favorite. Thank you Jacey, great service read more

I have kept my 5 star review here. We were on this side of town. Just about lunchtime, but I'm still thinking of breakfast. We walked in, and there was just a short wait to get seated. The hostess was kind, took our information, and we grabbed a seat to wait. There was one group in front of us, and once we got called, we were sat immediately. 20 min tops from walking in the door for a 4 top. Big long booths. Us girlies had to scoot down so the boys could have the edge, but still comfy. The waitress was on it and very helpful. The breakfast special was util 2pm so we had lots of time. The special was called the Ultimate Biscuits and Gravy. It was a chicken fried steak served with biscuits and gravy instead of traditional meat. Both of the guys in our party ordered it. One person ordered an omelet with gluten-free bread as a side. Bonus points for having that option. I ordered the eggs benedict with the Iowa sausage links. The pictures listed online on Yelp drew me to it. This time, I didn't have to have any holdase sauce on the side, and I asked for the hashbrowns to be extra crispy. Everything came out perfect. I greedily ate the sauce with my hashbrowns. The Iowa sausage links really added a little extra to the meal, and it was all really good. They are constantly busy being attached to a hotel but worth the wait. For the price of the meals, we were all stuffed. They even have an award on the wall for the best amount of food for the money. I'm ready to head back for that breakfast again. Yum read more

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Food is incredible, made fresh for you and great taste and portions. They have a lot of variety in the menu and the service is incredible. The staff are very attentive. The ambiance is a bit like a 50s or 60s diner but it's comfortable and cute. read more

I went in the other night because I was craving breakfast food for dinner. I got there about an hour before closing and there was only two other people there at the time. I ordered the corn beef hash with eggs and a side of bacon. I also chose sourdough when asked what kind of toast I wanted. When the food came out, the bacon must have been cooked hours prior to my arrival. It was completely cold and so overcooked it had the consistency of chalk. When I told the server about this, she just said yes, that's what we have since we are getting ready to close. Really, since you are closing, that makes it ok to knowingly serve subpar food and just hope I don't say anything or possibly get sick from eating it? The corned beef hash and eggs were good but it was a small portion for the price in my opinion. When I went to the register to pay, I noticed I was charged an extra .75 for choosing sourdough toast. I don't remember seeing that on the menu, but at this point, I was already over this place and just wanted to leave. read more

I love going to diners in my community and trying different options. I've tried the Hot Turkey Blue Plate Special which was good. The most recent visit I had the Patty Melt. It was very flavorful although a few more sauteed onions would have been welcomed. Speaking of onions....I had a side of Onion Rings and oh my......SO good! read more

Had pancakes, were mushy inside. Not a fan. Exterior of the building remodeled looks wonderful as well!

How have ever gone this long without sharing the wonders that are the Ankeny Diner. "I still want a real cheeseburger" she told me again. A "real" cheeseburger, according to her and she's right consist of the following. - Fresh ground beef, not overly worked but packed loosely. - The ability to have it cooked to your liking. This is a big one. - Cooked medium rare, leaning more to the rare side than the medium. - Cheese. Melty cheese. Glorious melty cheese. - Lettuce - Onions - Pickles - Soft fresh bun that is not bigger then the burger itself - Juicy enough that you need extra napkins. A bit of blood also counts. My last venture to take her to a quality burger place was still fresh in my mind and I did not want to replay that train wreck. I needed to prove myself and I knew that the Ankeny Diner would not disappoint. I was right. Ankeny diner is tucked away inside of the Wyndham Garden Center. We arrive around 2:30 in the afternoon. Walking down the hallway to the diner entrance, I breath in deeply, savoring the scent of chlorine coming off of the hotel pool. I love the smell of chlorine. We are seated immediately, given menus and ordered our drinks. Our waitress comes back with our drinks and takes our orders. She orders a burger, exactly as described above except she opted for swiss cheese. I ordered the rarebit. Both us went with the fries with a side on honey mustard for dipping. The burgers came fairly quick. I dug right into mine while she assembled hers. My burger was perfectly cooked. A nice crust on the outside and a glorious medium rare, more rare then medium on the inside. I kept my eye on her, hoping that this would prove to the burger to fulfill her burger dreams. When she finally picked it up brought it to her mouth and too her first bite, her eyes closed and a soft, low mmmmm came from her while juices ran down her chin, over her fingers and dripping onto the plate. "OMG that's it. That's exactly what I wanted" she gushed. In my opinion, Ankeny Diner has the best burgers in Des Moines and is vastly under appreciated. read more

The Ankeny Diner - Rarebit - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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Ankeny Diner is great local spot that I'm sure has lots of local regulars, but also pulls travelers from the hotel it's connected to and being off I35. My husband works nights, so we met here at 6:30am and were the first of the day so the service was excellent and very quick. They have a large menu with all the home style favorites. I got a breakfast sandwich and cinnamon roll, both were warm, great tasting, and good portion size. The prices were reasonable. The exterior is under construction right now and the parking lot has lots of equipment in it. The inside is decorated like a 50's diner with plenty of booths and tables for large groups. We will definitely be coming back and are ready to try some of their supper options! read more

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The place was empty? Why? Because the staff could be friendlier and act like they care that people are actually in the place. 7pm Monday Night read more

Good basic menu. Good service. Busy for lunch. We have tried vegetables and burgers. Breakfast looks good too

Found the Ankeny Diner while on Yelp and this place was phenomenal. Located right next to our stellar Quality Inn hotel (not really), the Ankeny Diner is only a stone throw away. When we got there, it was a little misleading; the "Open" neon sign was off, the window blinds were all closed, and we thought we weren't getting dinner tonight. Pleasantly, the door was open, and you go down a long hallway. Hang a left, where there is a blue neon sign, that leads to another door. There's a giant gum-ball machine in front, near the register and a vintage Coke machine on the right. The place has a lot of character. In regards to their menu, they have a huge variety of foods, you would expect from a diner. They have of course breakfast items like french toast, pancakes, and waffles, to name a few, to sandwiches, pastas, salads, shakes/malts, and hamburgers. I got the grilled blackened chicken, which was a chicken breast patty, a small roll, and steam veggies. The chicken breast was topped with cheese and the order came with a side, which I picked fries. The chicken was cooked well, not too dry, and was seasoned really good. Overall, delicious. The fam loved their food too. My oldest got the grilled cheese burger, which were two grilled cheeses, sandwiching a meat patty, with thousand island sauce on the side. It was probably one of the best burger/sandwich I had. The bread was nice and buttery and the meat was cooked to a perfect "medium". Phenomenal. Waitstaff was great, especially considering that they seemed to be short-staffed, but everyone was patient and kind. A really great dining experience! read more

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Hands down the worst restaurant I've been to in the Des Moines/Ankeny area. I paid $16 for a soggy waffle and 3 microwavable Tyson chicken strips. You can go to other restaurants in the area and get delicious made from scratch chicken and waffles for the same price. They charge gourmet prices for frozen microwaved food. You're better off buying a gas station burrito. Whoever runs this place should be ashamed of themselves it's pathetic. read more

First time here and we will be back! Servings are large and amazing! Servers are very friendly! read more

The Ankeny Diner - Breakfast is the best - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

When you walk into the Ankeny diner you get this feeling of comfort notice that the lighting is soft and relaxing. The staff very-friendly Sitting down, I have to say that Ankeny diner has the best onion rings I've ever had and delicious shakes This restaurant being open since 2003 and they definitely know how to treat their guests love their hospitality as well. read more

We stumbled across Ankeny Diner this morning looking for a spot to grab an early lunch. Both the breakfast, and at least the sandwich menu, are served all day long. Not sure about the full dinner menu... Right now they are open Monday - Sunday 600 AM - 800 PM for dine-in and carry out. We ordered a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings (small upcharge for the onion rings), a breaded tenderloin with chili cheese fries (small upcharge to add chili), a water, and a soda. The total was $23 and change before tip. For dine-in wait to be seated at the entrance. We were greeted right away. Seating right now is being done with social distancing in mind. Your order is taken by your server and our food came out after a little bit of a wait. Pretty normal all in all. At the end of your meal you are presented with your bill and you pay up front by the restaurant entrance. The one term that leaps to mind for this place is old school. It kind of reminded me of The Princess Cafe in Iowa Falls IA near where I grew up. Subdued lighting. Vintage style tables and booths. Dark wood, chrome accents, and large mirrors that visually open the space up to seem larger than it is. An ice cream bar, a small regular bar, and a split dining area with three different sections. Our food was all good. The burger...charbroiled and tasted like fresh beef. Cooked to your choice of doneness. If it had ever been frozen I'd be really surprised. The breading on the tenderloin and onion rings was light and airy. Almost more like a tempura than the heavy breading you would expect at an American "diner." Their "famous" chili...I can find no fault with. And paired with crinkle cut fries... Please and thank you. Some of the chili may have found its way under the lid of my tenderloin too... We rather enjoyed the old school atmosphere. Service was great...our server didn't miss a beat. Prompt refills and checked back in with us regularly. Bang for the buck... everything was reasonably priced. We both like a normal breakfast, but we definitely love having the option to get a burger in the morning. This gives Ankeny Diner a leg up on a lot of other places in the Northern suburbs. We'll be back. read more

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I don't wanna be rude, but the food was really cold and tastes like I've been sitting out. I found a fly in my French toast. I just wasn't good and I wouldn't recommend it at this time. read more

Wow, reviews are all over the place! I figure Eggs #3 would be a hard option to mess up. I love Eggs Benny but I didn't think it would be whipped up on the spot so not interested. Also, there was no quick quip like, "Of course it's whipped up just for you!" Coffee, I ordered as based on the aroma I could tell for diner style coffee it would be palatable and I was not wrong. It was and just like the old days with constant fill-ups and endless sugar and cream to dump in. John ordered the biscuits and gravy with hash browns. I had a taste of the gravy and it was the best B&G gravy I have ever tasted. My #3's eggs were cooked to perfection and the sausage was good. I did have one quibble, the hash browns. I will wait a minimum of five extra minutes for crispy hash browns. These were flashed in a pan with slightly hot butter and whisked out the serving door by our very friendly and efficient waiter. I said nothing and ate about everything so all in all, they do have a good chef and service and prejudice I'm back again, I'll ask my questions and voice my requests. read more

The Ankeny Diner - I'm back in the 'old USA with my favorite foodie! It's an epic breakfast almost as dig as a proper English breakfast! - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Well I promise not to left my first impressions to be my lasting impression. With that said, this was our first trip to The Ankeny Diner. We had a warm welcome from a gentleman who was seating folks. The wait was not long to be seated. We had a person com wait on ya who looked to be very overwhelmed. She was polite however very forgetful. My wife and I both ordered, She had Cinnamon French toast, and I had chicken fried steak. These are two very basic dishes, that a lot of people order. Our order took 40 mins to show up, and the food was warm at best, mine was cold. She missed a side of bacon, and we were short on coffee and water. No I understand being busy, but if this place is going to be this popular, I would hope the staff they do have in place are on their A game. As I started with, I promise to give the Diner a chance again, and update my review then. Thanks for reading my ramblings- Sepi read more

The Ankeny Diner - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Our son and I got the special which was 1/2 order biscuits and gravy and 1/2 chicken fried steak and my husband got the eggs benedict. Our food was great, husband was a little taken aback by the lack of service but over all a great old diner experience (talking decor was almost nastalgic, we loved it) Thank you for a great and quick breakfast experience that didn't break the bank... read more

The Ankeny Diner - a clock on the front of the restaurant - Diners Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Love ambiance. Service is great. Server kept checking on us whether we need anything including refill on my coffee. I am on my 3rd cup now. There are a lot of food - enough that I can split with my teen. Server brought us an extra plate for sharing. read more

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Definitely diner atmosphere and menu. Daily specials are great meals and great value......hit and miss as to when they are open (I've been surprised more than once to arrive and they would be closed).....all in all....I recommend, but make a phone call first to make sure they are open. read more

Feels like home when you walk into the place. Best patty melt burger and fries. The longtime staff seem to really like their job and it shows! Great Breakfast place too! 5 stars plus. read more

Don't go to breakfast by yourself. You will be treated second rate. Cold food. Needed items.

Im in from out of town, my server was super friendly and when i asked her what the signature plate was she offered the pork tenderloin as the best sandwich in the house. She was so right, best tenderloin samy ive had. Stop in for wonderful service and a great sandwich. Bill-Tampa Bay read more

Had the turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes. Was tasty and a good portion. My wife had the roastbeef sandwich with mashed potatoes. Same review as above. Service was good. Ambience leaves a lot to be desired. Really needs to be fixed up. read more

Stopped in Sunday morning. Had a short stack of buttermilk pancakes and Iowa ham. Very delicious and great service.

I looked this place up online and it had decent reviews. We wanted an old school type breakfast joint. At first we pulled in and the parking lot was empty with no way of figuring out the actual entry. We walked up to what looked like a possible door and all we noticed was the smell of weed. We are kind but that was the first red flag. We walked through a hallway that was all chlorine smell. Probably from the hotel attached. By the time we sat down and waited.... It was like pulp fiction. The food we ordered was disgusting like it was a joke. The only decent thing was the bacon. The poached eggs were premade and refrigerated. The orange juice was like alcohol it was so old. Gross. I don't recommend this to anyone. Go to Perkins instead. read more

Food was good. Service was excellent. The Decor was very nice. 4 stars for not having a bigger variety

Really good food!! great atmosphere staff was incredibly nice and helpful!! Please stop by u won't be disappointed!!

Yum yum! Go enjoy old fashion good eats! Good food like home cooking without the cooking yourself!

Polite, friendly staff, great food options that are tasty as well as affordable. Clean, family-friendly atmosphere.

This little gem, a local diner behind the Quality Inn in Ankeny, was a real find! Traveling through Iowa we stopped here for dinner based on the recommendation of the front desk manager and one of the guests. This diner has no frills, basic good food at a very reasonable price and friendly fast service by everyone who waited on us. Both of us weary from the road decided on a simple meal of a garden salad and baked potato. I added a full order of onion rings, which was huge! Probably could have been enough for 4 people! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos so can't share. But trust me, it was good food served with a smile. Don't let the long hall way fool you, this place is roomy. And tho they, like so many places these days, were short staffed, it didn't affect our dining experience. Tired from the day? Need something wholesome to eat before turning in (maybe with an adult beverage)? This place will be a welcoming spot where you can relax, unwind, fill-up, and all at a cost that won't drain your wallet. I call that a 5 star experience! read more

Good portion sizes; I spent about $10+tip for a grilled chicken breast, veggie medley, baked potato, salad, and a roll. Chicken breast was sliced thin (my preference, actually), but decently large in size. Came with a choice of potato, rendering the potatoes in the veggie medley unnecessary. The other veggies were carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli, and cauliflower. These were lightly seasoned, but not obnoxiously so. The salad includes a cucumber slice and some red onion rings on spring mix. Server started out great, greeted me promptly and checked back in once, but I never saw her again after that except to get my check. Place looks like they've haven't redecorated since the 1990s...the neon lighting is somewhat amusing. WiFi is available off the hotel feed, I didn't try to access it because it wasn't secured. read more