Another visit and another great burger! This trip we ordered…read moreup The Vinnie and a Brisco Burger with Vader Tots and Fries as our sides. Fantastic smashburger style burgers each with its own unique flair and some old video footage of The Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan (R.I.P) playing on the televisions. Still one of the Best Burger Places we've ever been to! Service as prompt as ever as well...not a long wait at all.

A little outside of my normal home base of the Des Moines metro, but Marshalltown is an easy…read moredrive... The short. The food is really good...! And it was worth the trip. See the pictures. Now to the long part. If you want to skip that feel free and just go on what is above this line. I grew up a wrestling fan back in the 70s and 80s... When the NWA used to do house shows and setup in high school gymnasiums. I remember the Attitude Era well (1997-2002) and watched it a lot at the time. I took my son to RAW and Smackdown shows at the Well when he was younger... Today I'm not an avid fan, but if I told you I didn't follow things at all...I'd be lying. I mean AJ Lee's epic return alongside her husband CM Punk...! C'mon! The Flying Elbow has been on my list a long time... As "a fan" I wanted to check it out soooo bad. And even though they were awarded Iowa's best burger in 2022... I wondered it was just another gimmick to draw people in to mid food... I don't put a lot of stock in contests. As you walk in the front door there is a small bar directly to your Left. Classic wrestling was playing on one of the TVs above the bar. Football on the other. You'll see a combination of low top tables and chairs and a few booths in front of you and to your Right. There's an Order Here sign at the end of the long counter. The fountain drink station is at the end of the room (Coke products). From the fountain drink station the entrance to the patio is to the Right. Restrooms to the Left. It's order and pay at the counter. Cash or card. It's seat yourself and they bring your food to you when it's done being prepared. Bus your own table when you're done. Staff was quick to clean up as people left to prepare for their next guest. I ordered the following: 24 oz fountain drink (free refills) 3:16 chili dog (all beef) with cheddar cheese and white onion -- Choose up to three toppings: Cheddar, pepper jack, and nacho cheese. Sour cream, nacho Doritos, and chili cheese Fritos. White, red, or green onions... Fried cheesecurds An order of six smoked bone-in chicken wings with buffalo sauce -- Sauce choices. Plain BBQ, buffalo, Korean BBQ, raspberry chipotle BBQ, People's BBQ. and Asian peanut A Bang! Bang! burger as advertised (no modifications) off the Attitude menu -- Pepper Jack, caramelized onion, cactus steak sauce, 4 Horsey sauce, fried jalapeño chips The burgers are smash style and have great flavor. I got the single burger and was wishing I'd gotten the double. Same with the 3:16 chili dog... They offer an Andre sized dog (+$2). But I'd ordered a lot of food...! The buns here! So good. The hamburger bun was a classic sesame seed bun that met the size of the burger. The meat peeked out the edges. The bun for the dog was a potato style...not a cheap flimsy bun. The bun seemed a little big for the regular dog, but I bet it would be perfect for something Andre sized. It held the chili well without falling apart. The smoked wings have a light smoke to them...not too heavy. They are big and meaty. The ranch that came with the cheesecurds was fire. I ordered some blue cheese with the wings. In hindsight I would say that one of the BBQ sauces would probably pair better with the smoked wings v. the buffalo. That's on me. I hit them right in a Saturday lunch rush and fortunately was able to grab a seat as someone else was getting up to leave. Staff was friendly and patient. If you're not patient...I'd probably not hit them right at peak lunch hour on a Saturday. Seating in the main dining area and on the patio was full. Service was great! The food was great! Is the wrestling thing kind of a gimmick? Yes. Yes it probably is. But it's a fun gimmick that hits home for a lot of us! I liked seeing the references that remind me of entertainment I grew up with and enjoyed. It's no different from a 50s diner theme, railroad, or zombies. And they back it up with good food! For me it's kind of like going to Prairie City for Goldie's or going up to Whatcha Smokin' in Luther... I spend a lot of money locally right here in the Des Moines metro, but sometimes it's a good thing to just hit the road and explore our neighbors a little. The Flying Elbow is the worth the drive to check out! And if you're a wrestling fan... It's a destination...enjoy the experience! https://www.facebook.com/theflyingelbow https://flyingelbowfood.com/

Okay... So did this place change hands since winning the Iowa Tenderloin Trail in 2015?…read more We stopped here after having to attend a funeral in Hampton while on our way back to the Des Moines metro. The place is quaint. It reminds me of a lot of small town stops. We were greeted upon entering and told to grab a seat anywhere. The kitchen help looked a little more mature, but the servers appeared to mostly be high school age. That in and of itself is fine...as long as they do the job. At first glance the menu looked promising. The prices seemed really good. Our server did an okay job to start, but lagged on refills (and it was about 230 PM in the afternoon...they weren't busy), and she kept disappearing. I'm not sure where she was going... The place isn't that big. We soon found out why the prices were so low... The portions are about 1/3 to 1/2 of what you would get anywhere else. We started with cheese curds and onion rings. We also ordered a tenderloin and a cheese burger. I'm a tenderloin junkie and have eaten them all over the Midwest. Knowing they'd picked up the 2015 title there was no doubt in my mind what I was going to order. The tenderloin was cooked well, but it was about the size you'd get at a fast food joint advertising "tenderloins". You could tell it was real meat v. out of a Sysco truck, but it was pretty unimpressive for having been voted such a prestigious title. Looking across the table I almost wished I'd ordered a cheese burger. And when we'd pretty much finished everything we added a couple orders of fries, etc. because we weren't full. The size of the fry orders were just as disappointing. Dropped over $30 before tip and we walked out hungry... The small portion sizes and sub-par service will probably keep me from retracing my path to this stop on the trail. Serve an adult portion, raise your prices to match the portion, and up your game. I really wanted to like this place as I grew up in this area of the state (in Dows). An epic fail.

I'm not an expert, but this was the best pork tenderloin sandwich I've ever had. The tenderloin…read morewas freshly trimmed. Breaded, not dipped. When I took a bite, the meat wasn't too thin...or too thick. Best of all, it was tasty as heck! The owner came over and said hi. Nice guy! We enjoyed the trip to Belmont and it was totally worth it! We'll be back!

Absolutely LOVE Big Heads! Everything in there is delicious!! You can get a bangin' smash burger or…read morea juicy better than Chick Fil A chicken sandwich!! Their fries are generously seasoned and the onion rings are HUGE! The cherry on top is super friendly staff! They get to know their repeat customers and treat them like family!

Would not recommend to anyone with food allergies…read more I have a nut allergy and asked the employee if the vegan cheese contained nuts (vegan cheese is often made with cashews or almonds). He had no idea, and worse, told me the restaurant didn't even have the packaging or ingredient list to check. A restaurant that can't answer a simple allergen question shouldn't be in business. Totally irresponsible; shows a lack of care

This would definitely be a place I would frequent if I lived in this area…read more Good burgers, fast service, and a really cool atmosphere. Very popular local hangout. 11:30 AM on Saturday morning and already filling up with patrons. The local is know where to go.

We had a great time here. The decor is fun like being in an old fashioned gas station. Lots of…read moreburgers to choose from. The quarter pound burger was plenty. I had the hot rod that had pepper jack cheese and jalapeños. I ordered a side of tots, which were nice and crispy. My friend had the fish sandwich with waffle fries. She thought it was very good. The waitress recognized my friend and remembered her drink order.

Perfect for when you are camping nearby. Call in an order, pick it up, and enjoy. Very reasonable…read morefor prices and pretty good! My husband DEMOLISHED his Southwest Farmer! My breaded chicken wrap was pretty good, as were our sides. The gizzards were a bit chewier than I prefer, but still overall decent. I would definitely eat there again!

Good food and great small town atmosphere with nice views of the Iowa river.Main street in this…read moreIowa town has a new look.

Appetizer order was placed wrong, they had to remake it. Wait staff didn't seem to know what was…read moregoing on or what to do. They kept forgetting about us and our orders. When receiving a double shot of chilled Jose Cuervos it was in a whiskey glass 1/2 filled with ice, not cooled and strained. It was way more than 2 shots. Definate over pour. 2nd one was same way. Had to remove ice. Restroom was not ADA compliant. Not easily handicap accessible, no hand grab bars in either stall. Toilets were very short. There is no way a wheelchair could get in the stall. Carpet tiles were coming up in a few places, trip hazard.

Great place Good drinks thank you very pleasant staff clean organized All around enjoyable…read moreatmosphere

You know I keep thinking I want to try some other places but I keep gravitating back to The Channel…read morefor my Friday night burger. Tonight I watched someone order just onion rings and my oh my---they look and smell delicious!! Biggest order I've ever seen!! I had the R U Nuts burger without BBQ sauce and regular fries. It's all good. The bartender hustles and no one has to wait. Great people here to chat with!

We visited this spot based on a local recommendation. The atmosphere was perfect for a summer…read moreafternoon. We sat outside, near the water, and enjoyed the breeze. There is a channel between two lakes that borders on the edge of the patio, so the boats are generally quiet passing through. The cheese curds were tasty, the burgers hit the spot, and those tots were perfectly crispy. Note: this is a cash-only establishment but they have an ATM.

We were just passing thru and stoped on a whim and the food was delicious. I love falafel and they…read morehave the best I've ever had! The pistachio baklava is also fantastic. My husband and I will definitely be back.

I chose this restaurant based on its great reviews, but unfortunately, my experience was very…read moredisappointing. When I walked in to pick up my order, the employee assembling my food wiped her gloved hands on her pants before continuing to prepare my meal. She also used those same gloves, which were covered in food and sauce, to bag my order. The outside of the takeout containers and bag was greasy, and after seeing how my food was handled, I couldn't get past it. I only ate a few bites before losing my appetite. I also got the pita chips, but they were extremely dark and tasted like old oil, as if they had been overcooked or fried more than once. We had been driving all day and were passing through, so I was really looking forward to a good meal. Instead, I left feeling disappointed and honestly grossed out. I hope the restaurant takes food handling and quality control more seriously because the reviews led me to expect a much better experience.

Disclaimer: I was the only person there when I arrived on a Tuesday evening…read more I was in the area for work and stopped here for dinner and I was very pleasantly surprised by this place. It has the quintessential downtown bar and grill with weathered small town elements - deep and narrow store front, hardwood flooring, neon signs, large tap selection. I ordered the Billie Jo burger medium rare, and it was the best burger I've had in a long time. Toppings were fresh, cold, and crisp, fries were piping hot. Top notch!

Always a good time. Call ahead and make sure they are serving food! But whenever the grill is open…read moreit's worth a stop. My fav is the weird combo Fourth of July burger which is exactly what you love about summer. Baked beans, potato chips, hot dogs, and a hamburger it's enough for two meals and I always have leftovers! My friend got the crab Rangoon something also was yummy! It's a bar so it's dark and chill. Everyone's friendly and it's always clean.

DON'T Judge a steak by its building!! It looks cozy and old-school on the outside, but the food…read moreinside is straight-up legendary! The steaks are ridiculously tender, juicy and seasoned so simply that the flavor of the meat does all the talking. You can even cut it with plastic silverware if you need too! Like.. melt-in-your-mouth, cancel all your plans after, think about it for days...kind of good!!!!! Do NOT forget about the Greek spaghetti...the perfect combination of butter, cheese and whatever secret ingredient they use, is the best sidekick to the steak! I normally choose the filet. The Bread: just get it. Used best as a juice cleaner upper when you are saddened by the steak already being digested and all you have left is the liquid reminder that you just housed as steak faster than an Indy Car. Get there early. This is not a suggestion, this is a warning. They are always packed. Just remember, if you find yourself near a baseball complex....you are surely close to one of the best restaurants in the MIDWEST! Enjoy!

One of the best steaks I've ever had and their spaghetti noodles with steak juice on it is…read moreexceptional. Service was wonderful and made fabulous martinis Definitely will go back when I'm in town.