For the most part, my experiences at The Continental have been positive. I enjoy several of the tapas offerings, although I don't think any of the entrees are noteworthy. If anyone in your party has a big appetite, then you might try a different option, as it can be annoying to hear how "the portions aren't big enough". You would think any patron would realize a tapas joint isn't a buffet, but it isn't always the case. On my visits when the bar wasn't packed, the service was prompt and I had no major issues with the experience. However, on my two visits when the bar was packed it was a much different experience. I understand that drinks to come excessively quickly when a bar is completely full, but waiting 20 minutes after speaking with 2 different servers is never acceptable. I enjoy the ambiance and the exposed brick of the building. If you are lucky enough snag a table by the window it makes for great people watching (though on weekend nights there is often live music occupying that spot). read more

Bring your glasses its Dark in here!!! Setting the mood for sure, this place is a nice romantic type vibe. Candles and very dim lighting, this might be the perfect spot for a first date. Lots of drinks to choose from, in all sorts of price ranges, but they also have 1 dollar PBR cans (not on the menu) so that's what I choose. Only 2 things on the menu that were vegan, the very polite waitress checked for us, and they were both appetizers. So we got glazed mushrooms and hummus plate with pita bread. Both appetizers were really good. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection and had an amazing flavor and almost felt like they had been marinating in it all day. Totally awesome get those if you want a vegan option.. The hummus was great too, super garlicky but that's cool with me. I dig this place a lot, great vibe, friendly staff, maybe a little to dark for my eyes but I could see my reflection in my beer can so I was good! read more

Was very impressed with food and service. I knew it would be good, but did not expect great. It was everything I hoped for and more. I got white sangria and smoked diver scallops. Loved both. My husband had Puerco pibil tacos, chicken and chorizo brochettes and mochito. He really liked that, too. This is a great tapas place. You pay for quality vs quantity. Plates are small but every item is delicious and carefully crafted. We will definitely be back. read more

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If you want good food and service do not go to The Continental! We were a party of four on a busy East Village event night, the Promenade. We arrived at 4:45 and didn't get out of there for an hour and a half due to very poor and slow service, even though we only ordered drinks and food off the happy hour menu. This delay cut into our Promenade time and two others were waiting for us to meet up with them as The Continental couldn't accommodate them. There was no room or chairs to pull up to our table. We sat down to a dirty table. It took 10 minutes for someone to clear it. It took another 10 minutes for the waitress to take our order at which time we asked for water. The water didn't come even after our food was served. We asked for water again with no results. After a long wait I asked again. The waitress practically yelled, "I know. I am waiting for clean glasses." First of all there should always be enough glasses to serve guests water. Secondly, she could have told us we weren't getting water due to lack of clean glasses. Finally, she didn't need to be so very rude. I was not rude to her. It took a long time to receive our drinks. They were good but not great. The second round of Sangria came in canning jar type mugs rather than wine glasses. They must have been out of clean wine glasses too. It took so long to get our food we were ready for our 2nd cocktail but couldn't locate our waitress. I went to the bar to order and was told we had to order through our waitress. WTF? It took at least 40 minutes to be served our basic happy hour tacos. It took so long we started talking about cancelling our order. I asked a waitress to check on our food. She came back and said it would be right out. It came within 5 minutes. We were all disappointed in the quality and taste of the tacos. However, the corn shells were good. Unfortunately we didn't have napkins or silverware and it took too much time to flag another waitress down to bring it to us. Once we got her attention we received the utensils but not until we were nearly done with our food. We had to pull kleenex out of our purses to use as napkins. When our food was served I said, "Please bring our checks at your earliest convenience because we want to pay and be on our way asap." She brought our checks and all 4 of them were wrong and had to be sent back. It took another 10 minutes to get that straightened out. In the meantime, people were standing waiting for tables to open up but we couldn't leave until the fiasco was over. What a joke! I asked to speak to the manager so I could give her or him constructive criticism face to face. Guess what. There was no manager on duty. How could they not have a manager on duty during one of their busiest night, the Promenade? No wonder the staff was standing around socializing with each other and what was apparently their regular guests. It is highly unlikely I will visit The Continental again. When I talked to business owners in the area they said The Continental is either really good or really bad. It's hit or miss. There you have it. I wish we would have had a more enjoyable dining experience so I could write a more favorable review. read more

If you're looking for a good, reasonably priced place to eat in the east village this is it. They have the best French fries I have ever tasted! The blackened chicken sandwich is good too. Lots of flavor on a crispy focaccia bun. The roasted pear salad I found lacking the flavors one would expect with pears and blue cheese. I would definitely recommend giving this place a try! read more

I'm going to go ahead and round up and give this 3.5 star restaurant 4 stars because it is one of my favorite options in the east village.... I've been here twice now while back in my hometown visiting the rents, and the last trip this weekend was nice: Do It!: Bruschetta (it IS the perfect time of year for tomatoes, as my mother pointed out) Epanadillas- YUM Fried Goat Cheese Skip It!: Beef Carpaccio- Delicious, great presentation, but way too small!!! For $12 a few more pieces would be nice.. Cheese plate...meh. Dad took a hunk of the red pepper encrusted cream cheese ball and almost died. But he's dramatic. Finally, the crab cakes I think were ok. I had some, I know I did, but I've forgotten how they were, which means they were probably fine, but clearly unremarkable. I like what The Continental is trying to do, and for the most part, it succeeds. A few other serving hiccups can easily be fixed.... offering more plate and silverware changes, new glasses for a different white wine, picking up empty tapas plates as they sit in the middle of the cramped table.... oy. But overall, a nice experience and a really great addition to the urban DM dining scene! read more

Wow! Just amazing. The best meatballs I've ever had and the empanadillas were awesome. I'd definitely come back. Oh and the martini was good too. Service was good, friendly and prompt. read more

This is my favorite place for cocktails in Des Moines! Chill atmosphere, excellent, friendly service and a wide variety of drinks make this a fun place for an outing with friends or a first date. The veggie burger is also delicious if you're staying for a meal! It's a big plus that they let you select healthy side options (like fresh fruit) instead of just fries. Try to time your outing for a night when they have live music. Always a treat! read more

The Bronzed Chicken Salad is a delicious crunchy salad with very tasty baked chicken. I liked it so much I went back twice. The Strawberry Basil Gimlet was a surprisingly tasty concoction. Not too sweet, which was my concern. Nice old bar feel. Friendly service. read more

The Continental - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Decent service and an interesting menu that could probably be stepped up a bit. I had the red pepper hummus (good, had some heat) and the cranberry tomato brisket sandwich with a side of fruit. Sandwich was pretty good but would benefit from some fixins. Fruit was lame (cantaloupe!?) but had a bite of my partner's pomme frites and they were solid. I came here for a late lunch on my way out of town so unfortunately I couldn't get a cocktail but the menu looked awesome - I can see this being an awesome place to drink. read more

One of my favorite places in the East Village to eat, drink and be social. I keep going back for this prosciutto, melon, & Gruyere cheese on bread with a little honey...my favorite tapas ever! I have never been disappointed by a wine selection yet! read more

Went back this weekend and have to increase my rating because it was just as fantastic the second time around. Everyone who works here is so nice and fun - people I'd want to be my friends. Especially since they know how to make a damn good drink. read more

The Continental - Blueberry mojito! - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I stopped at this local venue in the DSM East Village because I liked the look. I had been searching for craft cocktails in a beer state. They do have a solid cocktail menu with classics and new creations. It has a reclaimed original decor that is comfortable. The chalkboard says they have live jazz Saturday at 9 pm. The playlist I heard was a solid selection of classic jazz greats and big band sounds which fit the decor. I just ordered a small plate which was the Cheese & Olive Emapnadillas. They were really good! The reason it didn't get 4 stars is Service. The Bartender/Server has to look at a paper to know how to make my cocktail which was on their menu. The 2 front house staff disappeared frequently while they weren't busy. I even had to wait about 10 minutes for someone to come out front so I could ask to close my tab. My friend reported bad service on his visit last year. Overall, I might be back, but I will leave next time if the service isn't improved. read more

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I wouldn't go as far as to call it a traditional tapas restaurant but that doesn't mean the food isn't very (very) good. They have some traditional tapas but mostly items of the 'small plate' variety. The flavors are excellent and each item I had was well portioned and delicious. The albondigas (or meatballs as I had to order them) run a bit spicy but they do say that on the menu. The roasted pear salad was a big portion, more than I expected, and a great mixture of flavors. I've had some bad run-ins with bruschetta but this was not one of them. The tomatoes were fresh and juicy. Its a nice little joint with atmosphere that reminds me of places like DC and Boston. I'd definitely make a stop back in here on another trip to Des Moines. read more

Great bruschetta and roasted pear salad in a cool location. I recommend stopping by when in Des Moines. read more

The Continental - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Last time. We've visited here several times over the past year plus when visiting family. A once great place continues to slide downhill. Today's Sunday lunch included broken a/c (85+ indoors according to my Garmin watch), vents and light fixtures dripping with dust, and a 45 minute wait for pork tacos and a salad. The pork came out cold and the salad warm. read more

I would say I'm a regular at the Continental. It's a place where even though I always sit at the bar, the servers still know what I drink. Usually at least one night after work every week I'll head down to the East Village and visit. The layout of the building is long and narrow, which I normally don't like, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable here, unless you come in around 10-midnight on Saturdays when a band is playing. Generally happy hour is pretty casual with a few people from the after work downtown younger professionals. It's a great place to drink a few wellmade martini's and enjoy their extensive tapas menu. The actual entrees can leave a little to be desired on consistency, but the tapas are always outstanding. read more

I've been to the Continental many times but it's been quite awhile since I've ordered food there. Everything we ordered was delicious and the price point was spot on for the area! Keep it up! read more

Definitely one of my go-to favorites! Love the blackened Tilapia - salad or sandwich - and have gone there dressed up for a Friday night dinner and also showed up midday Saturday after a long bike ride in jerseys and bike shorts. I always warn people that it's "European service" - not very timely, and you'll definitely have to ask for your bill - but if you know that going in, it's totally it's worth it! read more

I came to the Continental on a very snowy Saturday night with a group of 12 girls for a bachelorette party dinner. Although there were barely any people driving on the roads in Des Moines that night due to the weather, somehow the restaurant was completely full, which was a great sign of what was to come. We were seated at one of the large tables in the back of the restaurant, which was extremely private. The tables are HUGE which is great for big parties, but hard if you want to have a conversation with anyone not sitting directly across or next to you. Everyone ordered off of the small plates menu to start- I got the bruschetta and it was really tasty, but the bread was a bit soggy making it hard to eat without getting sloppy. I can overlook this though, because the flavors were fantastic. Others were mentioning how delicious the mushrooms were, and the bleu cheese crostini looked great too. Some of the small plates have teeny tiny portions, and others have portions easier for sharing. One of the cheese plates (maybe the goat cheese plate?) had like one tiny piece of cheese on it, we all had a laugh when it came out. Definitely not for sharing. For my entree, I got the polenta lasagna, which was a very generous portion size. The flavors were fantastic, but I wasn't too keen on the polenta in the dish, so I pretty much pushed aside most of the polenta and ate the cheese and sauce. If you are a big polenta fan, maybe you'd like the dish, but I thought the polenta was sliced too thick compared to a traditional lasagna noodle, so it was a bit soggy and odd, almost like a cheese and sauce layered cake. While we were eating, there was live jazz music playing in the front of the restaurant. It sounded great! I can definitely see myself coming back for a date night, the ambiance is really cute and I'd love to try more of the small plates options on the menu. read more

Good food, if I were 21 I would definitely be excited to try some of the drinks on the large drink menu! The food menu is quite a bit smaller than the drink menu, so I wouldn't bring your extremely picky friends here. The portions are smaller than I would have expected, but still overall good! The minimalist design of the menus is a nice touch! read more

The Continental - Chicken Caesar Pita and fresh fruit, very good! - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We came here for lunch to dinner hour. Kinda bad timing so we ordered from small dish menu. We had the blacken tilapia and the seafood Brie which were both good. Our waitress was super helpful and service was fast. We would come back here to try dinner next time. read more

Wandered in today after the Women's March. I don't they were prepared for the rush. I've been here a handful of times, twice I ordered food and the rest for cocktails. Never had a "wow" experience. Normally I really love the clover club.. today it was off, as was the service. It took a minute to get water. We got our drinks in okay time and then put in our food orders. Mind you, I hadn't eaten anything and it was about 1:30 so I was approaching hangry. Anyway, we sip and gab away. An hour, maybe even 1.5 hours go by and our waitress stops by to let us know she forgot to put in our order. A+ for ownership. I asked for my ticket, which should have been comped at that point. I totally get it and I felt for her. I've waited tables and forgot entire table orders too... whoops lol it happens. As much as I want to love this place, there's been too much that's annoyed me with each visit, this last ordeal being the last straw. read more

The Continental - Club Clover - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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OMG ... absolutely horrible. Sign said ... Seat yourself. We did, then was told we couldn't sit there by wait staff. THEN SEAT US! Found another place to sit, 20 minutes later for someone to take our order, another 25 minutes and no drinks delivered. I went to the bar, waited for the bartender to turn around as he was busy slicing lemons and limes. Explained it had been 25 minutes for our drinks. His reply -- We're busy, sit down and wait. Yep, never gracing this place again! Horrible experience. Wish I could locate the owner and share this experience. read more

I love, love, love the Continental. I've come here for drinks and for food many times. The small plate dishes are really inventive and fun - perfect if you have a family (like mine) that shares everything on th table. I've come here with friends many times and even came with my parents after a performance at the Civic Center (until recently, it was one of the only places downtown you could find food at 11:00 on a Saturday!). They have terrific live jazz playing on the weekends, but since the restaurant is so narrow, it's easy to find a table near the back if you're interested in a quieter atmosphere. Don't miss the house cocktail, The Continental, made with Chambord and muddled mint leaves. I have dreams about it, it's so delicious and fresh. read more

Wonderful tapas, awesome atmosphere and great drinks! Happy hour is cool, they have a special menu and I recommend to go early. If your solo (like I usually am), I recommend going to the bar and enjoy the people watching. Very comfortable and great place to hang out! yes, they take American Express! read more

Popped in the Continental for a quick drink while in the East Village. Enjoyed a very delicious Cachaca Smash. The environment was pretty rad, good music pumping through the speakers and you did not have to wait for your drink to be refilled. If given the opportunity to return to the Continental and their food is just as bomb-ass as their drinks, this rating will quickly reach five stars! read more

The Continental - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I am a big fan of this bar/restaurant since they opened i have been going. They have some really good specialty drinks give them a try some time. Every table has a list of them there are about 4 of them I get the Caipirinha (the national drink of Brazil). The brisket sandwich is my favorite thing to eat there and it is a good price. But what you must do here is go straight to the back of the bar right out the back door and sit on their deck! you do not even feel like you are in the city!! I am a big fan of the outdoor seating in the back of the restaurant and this is one of the best in DeMo. Be for-warned it is small and fills up fast. read more

Yum! Blackened chicken sandwich! Yum. Pomme frites were meh, but only because I hate truffle oil. The trudfled mushrooms were great, lots of garlicky flavor. I of course ordered them without truffle oil. My gf got the vegie burger and she liked it, although i just thought it was any old vegie burger. The pesto sauce that comes on it is delish, so next time we'll ask for more. I am excited to come back and try more of the tapas. Hint: dont come in a rush, this is a more slower paced environment, so expect that and the service is great! read more

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I'd never been to Des Moines before, and when I recently visited I ended up going to Continental twice! It was delicious and such a lovely restaurant. I think if I lived in Des Moines I'd become a regular at this spot. Atmosphere: 3/5. I think the inside is a little dark, unless you're sitting near the front of the restaurant. But all the comfortable booths are in the back. Other than that, the interior is very nice. Service: 5/5. Excellent service! Both times we went I asked for recommendations and the servers gave excellent advice. The bartenders and wait staff here were so kind. Food: 5/5. Some things we had: the steak and egg sandwich, spicy meatballs, polenta fries, olive empanadas. We also tried a few of their cocktails. We loved everything! My favorite thing was the meatballs: they are scrumptious and pair so well with the spicy tomato sauce. Overall: Loved this place! read more

Got a hotel room in DSM, but had tapas in Brooklyn! Just visiting and NYE is our anniversary. Christine H, our server was incredible. Friendly service, great back and forth conversations, she just made our night really special. Thank you! The ambiance is perfect. They have a great cocktail list without being Brooklyn pretentious (hand crafters smoked ice cubes....not here)! Excellent menu and selections of tapas. Food was delicious. read more

I went here on a Tuesday night with a friend and sat the bar. +1 for being moderately busy on a Tuesday and having a good mix of people. The bartender was friendly & willing to talk us through the menu and the variety of drinks (which were plentiful). I had the fish tacos & they were great - I loved that they were spicy! I also had the mushrooms with olive oil, fab! My bill was $14 for two tacos (special), mushrooms and 2 beers - I mean it doesnt get any more perfect than that! My friend had pork tacos, bruschetta & empanadillos, and some crazy whiskey drink with absinthe - she was very happy! I will totally be back to try more dishes! read more

Came here for a nice Saturday evening late dinner... snagged a great table looking outside on the East Village. Tried a couple of new drinks. The Southern Bell was very good but only order if you like SWEET drinks. Also had the Ramos Gin Fizz which was very good, smooth and the gin was great! Dinner was very good, the blackened chicken sandwich was very good and had a spicy kick. The blackened tilapia was delicious. The seasoning was perfect and the sauce complimented it very well. The only and biggest downfall was the service. It was seat yourself and by the time we ordered food our waitress made it very clear that we were her last table and she didn't want to be there. We were planning on another beer after dinner and when we ordered the waitress asked if we would move tables for the band. Not a huge deal to move because the music was great, but we didn't get help moving anything and were expected to move very quickly. We then sat down to order our beer and she just asked us to cash out. So we did. So food - 4 stars and service 1 star. Could have had a couple more beers with the great music but we 'cashed out' so guess they don't want anymore business. If it's a weeknight you can find the same deal with better service and if it's a weekend you can find more live music with better service. read more

The sandwiches are great, and they always serve just the right amount of food. The drinks are well made and the service is good. The atmosphere is comfortable and slightly dark. read more

Shabby-Chic Inside and Great Tasting Food! This is NOT your white table cloth kind of place, but on this day the food was definitely Fine Dining ! On this hot July day their AC wasn't working; nevertheless we were marginally comfortable. I'm not fan of the dim hall-way arrangement, and the stark décor and overly used menus leave a lot to be desired, but for an East Village "Atmosphere" it was fine. What I really did enjoy was the background music when they were playing the original "Misty", and then all the other '50's easy listening vocals, to include the King, Elvis. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. I started my dining experience with two Crab Cakes sitting on a plate drizzled with a freshly made Tartar Sauce and two lemon slices. I found the cakes to be lightly breaded with plenty of crab meat which tasted absolutely delicious to me. Carol ordered the Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Salad which was of good size with many pear slices which she enjoyed immensely. Next we shared two Cheese and Olive Empandillas with a flakey pastry containing the smooth Spanish Manchego cheese and the Greek Kalamata olives. We found them not to be salty with a wonderful flavor. We finished our meal with the only dessert available, which was a Baileys Cheese Cake on a Chocolate drizzled plate. Umm Umm Good !! I could have licked the plate. The quality is certainly worth the price paid and so The Continental will be among our future dining choices. read more

The melon & prosciutto crostini is the best appetizer I have had in FOREVER! Great wine list and very friendly staff read more

The Continental - Happy Hour menu - New American Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This place was SO good. The goat cheese was probably my absolute favorite. If you're looking for a place to fill up on though, you're at the wrong place. Now, if you're looking for a place to try a bunch of small new things, you're at the right place! But when I've gone the waitresses have been really pushy. They come to the table every 2 minutes and don't give you any time to read the menu. But I'll forgive them on this, because the food is really good. read more

They refused to sit our party of 7 and the waitress was rude. Do not recommend. We tried to ask to sit in the back area but she refused to seat us. read more

Service incredibly slow. Two of us arrived on a Thursday night at 6:20, the place was full. Waitress took drink order @ 6:30, we got one drink 20 minutes later. They took our food order but by 7:25 no food no second drink. There was no bartender and 2 wait staff for the entire restaurant. We left $20 on the table and went to Jimmy Johns next door. There we saw another couple that also left Continental. Really bummed. Heard the food was great but never got to taste it. read more

Awesome drinks. Very nice people bartending. Very quiet, dark, and comfortable ambience. It's like one of those places you take a date that you actually want to talk to and make a good impression on. As opposed to like a movie where you're like he's cute but i dont really want to hear his lame ass stories anymore so lets sit in silence for 2 hours and call it bonding. read more