Every time someone suggests Applebee's, I think "is this place even still good?" thinking back to the many times I came as a child- turns out, it's not too bad! We got the 2/$25 which is a pretty good deal. Started with mozz sticks- pretty typical. Then I got the classic oriental chicken salad which I liked and was a large portion (half for lunch tomorrow!). Our other entree was the chicken tenders. Server was kind and had quick service. The restaurant seemed dark and a little dirty, but I always like how they incorporate the town into the decor. Always good to come for 1/2 price apps or their drink deals too. read more

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Very unorganized restaurant, 12-minute wait to try and order on the phone only to get the individual (Jessica) who messed up our last order and mailed us a coupon for her mistake and now gives us an attitude? Keep the coupon the service and food are not worth it. read more

I am in town on business and had just 30 minutes before a big meeting. I ran in here, sat at the bar and it was their shift change! I told the bartender (Aisha) my plight and she switched gears instantly to make sure I got everything I wanted in the time I had. She was so professional (and nice). She saved my day! read more

I rarely ever give a bad review, but after experiencing this many times at this location, I feel it's earned and necessary. Not all, but most of the staff is very unprofessional at best, and rude at worst. Especially if you are there to pick up an order, expect to wait a very long time to get anyone to acknowledge you are even there. You can have multiple staff members walk past or glance your way, but most times completely ignore you. I've been there for 10+ minutes before and often times 5-10 minutes while this happens. Often times a small group of them are standing around chatting, even after glancing your way. Some of the things I've overheard said, are not appropriate for that environment. And on several occasions, I've seen employee's snacking on food in between serving guests in plain sight. I personally feel like I'm a burden to them nearly every time I go there. I'm not sure how they stay in business. It certainly isn't because of good customer service or professionalism. I'd give it zero stars if I could, just based on the staff that obviously does not care about it's customers. read more

Food was excellent bacon cheese burger fries and cheese sticks done to perfection! The service was great as well our server was pleasant and very accommodating read more

we ate there yesterday 2-3-2026 ,got there about one no wait ,hardly anyone there ,ordered chicken tenders and fries food was served very quickly ,service was good ,but food was so salty we couldn't eat it , took it home and fed to my dogs read more

Hadn't dined at Applebee's on 1st Street in Ankeny for a while, so we thought we'd check it out last Saturday. Got there about 1:00pm, so maybe we missed the noon rush but anyway, we were seated immediately and our waitress (Morgan) was with us within seconds. Both of us knew what we wanted, so we ordered right away. My wife got the Southwest Chicken Bowl, and I got the Tex-Mex Shrimp Bowl. It came with grilled chipotle lime shrimp on mixed greens and cilantro rice with house-made pico de gallo, black bean corn salsa and guacamole. Topped with chimichurri, tortilla strips and a fresh lime wedge. (Can ya tell I copied that from the website?) Anyway, we were both VERY pleased with the cleanliness of the place, with Morgan's attention to us, and the very fine meal. And yeah, the restroom was pretty tidy. A few paper towels dropped on the floor, but I'm not gonna knock 'em for it. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Tex-Mex Shrimp Bowl - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Husband wanted wings...I named off a dozen other places, but he insisted. I ordered the sirloin and it was BAD - tough, tasted bad and in general didn't even look appetizing. I know I should have picked not steak, but literally nothing on the menu appeals to me...the quality has gone downhill dramatically after COVID. I ate the potatoes and green beans. Even my husband said his wings weren't great. Restaurant smells musty and not clean, tables and floor are sticky. Service was good and fast. read more

The waitress was good at first. She made her rounds, checked on us way more than she needed to...All was well. Then you could hear her talking to other customers about her life. Just keep it appropriate and professional. Then the appetizers came and they were old/ hard on the outside and dry, almost like you went to the gas station for the last chicken sandwich in the hot case. The entree I ordered wasn't any better... tasteless and the chicken was so big that they should have given me a second bun. But that didn't matter. I took 1 bite and pushed it aside. Maybe other location have it together... we won't be back. read more

Amazing food, service is great every time, I really enjoy the atmosphere and it's like the tv show cheers where everyone knows you name:)

Ordered pretzel sticks curbside. 4min ride home and they were BURNT to hell. I can not understand how a kitchen could put these in a container like this. Very disappointing. . read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Should be pretzels not tree bark texture. - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

6 of us sat here at our table for 17 minutes before we got up and left. Not a single person came by to greet us in that time.

This location seems to be the best. Always has been! Our server was Shelly, love your purple hair girl! We were a party of 2 1/2. (Babies are people too!) It was 12:30pm, but it wasn't busy. Folks seem to like going more trendy these days. We were seated right away. It was super warm in the restaurant. Either I acclimated quickly or they turned down the heat, but it was stifling at first. We ordered the 2 for $22. Spin dip with chips, melted gooey cheese on top... makes my mouth water again! We both ordered the 6oz. Steak medium rare. Mine was perfect, my daughter's was a bit too pink, but still delicious and edible. I love their fries, it's something about the finely ground salt and pepper. So good. Server made sure our food was too our liking, refilled our drinks and brought the check. Look, I get it, it's just Applebee's, but my steak was cooked to perfection and tasted like a five star restaurant, I know it sounds crazy. I never have good food or good service from any other Applebee's. I've tried, with an open mind. And heart because I really want to love the location closer to home. Ankeny is killing it. read more

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I have to be honest it was quite disappointing to find out that I could no longer order Kraft Mac and Cheese from the kids menu. However, I have to say the waffle fries and blue raspberry lemonade were spectacular. The mozzarella sticks were definitely not the best compared to other restaurants. The service was completely average but a good place to dine with friends! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Mozzarella sticks, waffle fries, blue raspberry lemonade. - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

The food and service is consistently awesome. We love this restaurant and eat here often. So we were quite surprised when we stopped in for an early supper. The restaurant was empty, no one seated and everyone was crammed in to the entryway waiting. The hostess was just standing there staring at everyone. Not sure what was happening behind the scenes. She finally started seating people and a manager came up and asked her something and she loudly replied that she didn't know what to do and claimed that everyone was yelling at her. When it came time for me and my daughter to be seated, she gave me HARD eye contact. We followed her to our table and she literally FLUNG our menus across the table and didn't even stop. Very rude and unprofessional. Thankfully our server was very nice and the food was yummy. read more

Love doing my date night with my wife at this Applebee's in Ankeny, IA. We go every Friday night and it is kind of like Cheers here. We talk to a group or whoever shows up at the bar. Bartender, Zoe, is great. Very friendly, and knows us by order. Very helpful. Brice is great on Saturday too if we hit it a second time in the week. read more

I ordered something tonight I've never had because it was on a fundraiser for East Elementary. It was the Fiesta Chicken. It was ok but I didn't realize until I saw another persons order of it that the cheese was supposed to be soft and melty on top. Mine cheese was crisp on top. Would have been much better just melted. I would of thought the server maybe would have noticed when serving it but she didn't say anything. If it hadn't been for the school getting half of what I'd spent, I would of said something. But again, I didn't realize it should be different until I saw the other persons plate. And since I ordered off a piece of paper, and it did not have a picture, I didn't know. If the server didn't know the person that cooked should have known. Pretty disappointed. Abblebees usually is a decent place read more

The only reason I'm putting 1 star at all is because at least the food was yummy and I HAVE to put something. The service was HORRIBLE. I think we saw our waiter maybe 3 times in the hour and 45 minutes we were there and there were only 4 other tables open, with 4 waiters circulating. Our waiter was incredibly disrespectful. Not mention the fact that the entire time we were there they were playing obnoxiously loud CHILDREN'S music. And it was after 8:30pm so, no kids. And when I say children's music I mean songs from SpongeBob, The Wiggles, and even the Muppets. The entire staff stood around gossiping and said horrible inhuman things about other staff and customers. Definitely never going to the Ankeny location again. Very disappointed. I understand that pay is low and that it's incredibly difficult to find jobs but at least pretend to do your job well. read more

Not amused. Asked for food with no tomato's & onions on side - received both inside nachos. Our server Kurt was incredible, however we did feel rushed. We weren't told until moments after 10pm that the bar & grill both closed at 10. I checked the hours & they had changed since I worked there but I would've really benefited from a last call. Just over all disappointed. On top of that, bar tender refused making my drink at 10:58, and the table next to me was tome they closed the grill at 9:55. Sad. As for the floors, the carpets are madly sticky & a walk to the bathroom in flip flops should be taken with major caution. read more

I wanted to commend the management team and staff at the Ankeny Applebee's Grill. After going to Applebee's in both Iowa City and Burlington I was feeling that the chain had lost it's luster...but this store shined tonight. Jennifer was our server and did an outstanding job. The balance of the staff was hustling to keep the process moving. Our food was perfect and if I had a timer, I'll bet ticket times in the kitchen was under six minutes. Great job and thanks for a nice meal. read more

3 stars is for the atmosphere and service. It's a standard Applebee's. Sat at the bar. Bartender is good. Quick and pays attention. My order came out as ordered. I love salmon. I'm on a mission to mark down restaurants who can't cook salmon. I guarantee the wait staff is screwing the cooks by letting the salmon over cook under the heat lamp. I got the low cal savory salmon dish. I'm glad they are offering lower calorie dishes that aren't soaked in butter and covered in mashed potatoes. This dish is pretty darn good- IF the salmon wasn't dry and over-cooked. I bet the salmon was pink when it went on the plate. You can't let salmon sit under the heat lamp at all. I'd rather have perfectly cooked salmon even though I'm not quite done with my salad than have dry, over-cooked salmon. Watch any cooking instructional video. Proteins continue to cook when you take them off the heat. Anyway- 3 stars for service and meeting Applebee's expectations for a chain. If they would not overcook proteins under the heat lamp, they would have 5 stars. *End rant*. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Salmon over-cooked under the heat lamp. - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

I cannot get past how filthy this place is after working in this building I could never eat here again. Staff is friendly though. Food is middle of the road. read more

Great place to catch an appetizer and a tall cold beer after a round of golf. Appreciate they have free meals on Veterans Day for veterans. Great touch. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Imagine trying to enjoy a late lunch and a few drinks when your server (Austin 1) decides to leave a comment on your bill. Epstein Didn't Kill Himself was written in red ink at the top of our check. Seriously!? Why was this necessary? I have worked with the public over 25 yrs and everyone knows you should never talk religion or politics! There's a time & a place for everything, this certainly was not the time not the place. I hope he realizes this greatly influenced my tip! I left the receipt there with his writing pointing up to make sure it was known that we noticed it but refused to react. Really hoping the service next time can stick to putting their comments on their social media ,rather than my check! read more

Host was friendly and we got seated right away, they were awesome to accommodate my mom's limitations of not being able to get in and out of booth's easily. The server was incredibly friendly! Always making sure our waters were full and recommending items and different sauces! We did the 2 for $20 meal which had 2 entrees and an appetizer for $20, the oriental chicken salad was fantastic! It was a huge portion, with almost more of a slaw type salad and tons of crispy chicken. My husband had the chicken tenders with the sweet potato fries, these were phenomenal, especially with a sauce our waiter recommended, which was a maple cream cheese type sauce. It was as the waiter said Awesome Sauce!! We had the spinach artichoke dip which was very good! We also ordered the pretzels with beer cheese appetizers, they were a little greasy but they had good flavor, especially the beer cheese sauce! Overall great experience, drinks were refilled right away, service was great!, food was good! Will be back! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Oriental chicken salad - American Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Unprofessional staff. Multiple bad experiences. Hoping they would clean things up, too, but a lot of things are sticky.

I always enjoy going to Applebees to satisfy my late night cravings for comfort food, especially when they have their half off appetizers. This Applebee's is no different from any other I've been to, they are calm with their low light atmosphere and have friendly staff. Food is always good. For mr personally, I enjoy eating their appetizers more than their entrees. Also their desserts are great if you are still able to eat after a big meal. read more

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Cheap food. The service is always great if your dining in. The bar is usually slow. The food is timely and prices are even better. Just your typical Applebee's. Nothing out of the ordinary. Great for families and a casual night out with a loved one. read more

I understand the whole reopening after covid can be tough. However, we were sat with no menu and waited for 7 mins for menus. Our server took our drinks and food order. Someone else brought our drink and it wasn't anything I ordered or had before. Then someone else brought our appetizers. And finally a 3rd person brought us our meals. 5 mins later our server finally come and check, my pasta was COLD. We asked for a manager and all they did was remake both of our food actually cooked. We asked for it to go as we sat there for almost an hour and didn't even get to eat the main meal. Extremely disappointed. read more

This is possibly the best late night place to get food. Appetizer are half off and the service is always good. This Applebee's is above average which is saying a lot for Ankeny, where service is typically sub par at restaurants. Thanks Applebee's! read more

This place is fantastic. Menu is not really different than other Applebee's, but the staff there is tremendous. Our 7th grade girls' volleyball team played in the championship game which ran until nearly 10:30 p.m. Being close to 10:45 by the time we got there, they welcomed us instead of being upset by such a large group coming in so late. Service was fast and extremely courteous. The man in charge that night was named Tim. Didn't catch his last name, but he was fantastic. Made sure everyone was taken care of. Continued to interact with us outside of the normal job style conversation. Lastly, out of the goodness of his heart, Tim provided every girl on the team with a dish of ice cream topped with chocolate and crushed oreo. Easily the most courteous and actually fun Applebee's I've EVER been to. Keep up the good work. read more

We were told after putting in our order of 2 for $20 plus salads, drinks, and we always order a desert that our card from Ballard school we buy each year will not work for a free appetizer ! On the card it states ''free appetizer with the purchase of two dinners or hamburgers or what ever you choose. The manager said ''no'' won't work ... I mean you have got to be kidding. We eat there along with friends and'' gals day out'' at least twice a month. Never again. Their attitude stinks and this was not the first thing we could complain about. Took the card to Ames Applebee's and no problem, we live in Slater and this is just as close for us. So from now on Ames Applebee's for us. A lot better staff. Sherry Locker. read more

Was very disappointed at the service I had today. My daughter can not eat gluten. She ordered a menu item and asked for the gluten item taken off, and it came out with the gluten item still on. When she asked for it to be removed, they went to the back and scooped a majority off, but there was still some left. With a food allergy, this could have been very serious if she hadn't picked the rest of them off. Luckily her allergy is not as severe as some have it, but in the future, applebee's should be careful and more considerate with those types of things. read more

We always have good service there. The food is good and the quality is consistent. Can't beat the happy hour deals in food. Appetizers are half off after 9. Some locations in bigger cities are 10. Call ahead to make sure. Patrons vary from families with small kids to high school students, to older folks. It has a small town feel to it. We like it read more

Tried to visit Applebee's for lunch today but stood at the door being ignored by 4 servers. The restaurant was not busy but we stood waiting to be seated. Only one server spoke to us to say, "I'll be with you in a minute." No one greeted us and 3 other servers walked right by us. There were very few customers seated. We ended up leaving and having lunch at another restaurant. read more

Pretty typical Applebee's. Food and service were fine and the Iowa IPA was excellent BUT our waiter was new and it looked like the bartender was pretty much ignoring him when he went to get his drink orders. I had finished my meal before I got my beer and I watched him take the drinks back to the bar from 2 different tables near us. I'm not sure what was going on, but when our waiter checked 6 times after placing our order before my draft was ready, something is wrong. read more

My wife and I ate dinner there last night and it was burger night. We were going to get the two for 20 and we ordered it we realized it was burger night we asked Ryne our server if we could change and he changed our order promptly. The burgers were amazing the service was great and our drinks were refilled promptly. read more

Amazing customer service!! Had the door held open when entering. Was seated right away. Drink ordered and appitizer out shortly after. Delicious oriental chicken salad my fav!! Thanks for making my lunch a great experience :) read more

we came to applebees for a later dinner this evening around 9:30pm, which i understand working that late can suck. however, our service sucked. we had jozie k as our server. she started off giving us an incorrect drink which wasn't a huge deal but she didn't make any apology for that. i got both a water & redbull, the redbull was brought seperate & it was piss warm. i used the ice from my finished water to pour my redbull into. she did ask me if i wanted something else, with a chuckle. then, our food comes & wasn't even brought by her. the second our plates hit the table, so does the check. ive never had a check dropped by before we even take a bite. through out our entire meal of little over an hour, jozie had not come back to offer us anything or to check up on us in general. she came by more times to get the check then the entire meal. extreamly rude. the food itself was not very good but its whatever. read more

I'm from out of town and I did carside to go. They charge 2.99 for a 12 oz glass of tea? They were 15 minutes late and then some of the food was missing. Worst Applebee's experience ever. read more