Outstanding - yes yes yes ... so simple and complex at the same time... the chef has created a very elevated yet accessible menu. We started with a veggie dumpling app presented gyoza style - it had a medley of fresh vegetables such as corn, mushroom, fennel, ginger with a spoon-over sauce that I wanted to drink. The flavors were amazing - and I couldn't believe it was also VEGAN. Wow. So good. I had a pork loin chop that was cooked perfectly and accompanied by an Italian style sauce and homemade ricotta cheese and fresh baby green beans. I cannot rave enough about the complex and complimentary flavors - so well thought out and prepared. My wife had a gnocchi which she would not share but promises me that we will journey back and I can get my own order ! Everything from the service staff to the lovely mixologists to the food offerings were top notch has forever put Des Moines East Village of my places to stop and visit from now on. I cannot wait to come back - read more

"Awesome, East Village Must try" Where have I been and why hadn't I tried this place sooner!?!? What a great spot. Amazing cocktails, hip dining spot with some delicious food options. We started with some happy hour cocktails and wine. (Worth it). For an appetizer we had mussels. *Pro Tip* ask for more bread or a side order of fries as you will need it so you can dip in the remaining reduction sauce. We also had to try the "White Anchovy Rilletes" which was like a cream cheese anchovy spread on delicious home made bread. For dinner we wanted to try a couple things so we ordered the hot bird and CB&J (added bacon). Our server was awesome and offered to split both dishes for us! The hot bird was fried chicken smothered with a sichuan spicy sauce. The hush puppies on the side were some of the best I have had! Now onto the CB&J ... Cashew Butter and smoked apple Jam. This was something I would've never ordered, but decided to try it and GLAD I DID! Home made wheat bread with melted raclette cheese (almost like a pbj/grilled cheese. Yummmmmm! So delicious! The bacon added flavor and a hint of salt to the sweetness of the jam. Wow! For desert we had their oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and their soft serve. Special flavor was whisky. This was completely flavorful and paired well with our cookies. All in all we loved this place. The menu was amazingly full of things we definitely want to come back and try. I give this place a 5 in all categories. Amazing cocktails, amazing service and amazing food! WE WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEKEND! read more

See all

I visited here for dinner since my friend convinced me to try their hangar steak, although he has never even been to this restaurant before. Inside, the interior definitely looks like an upscale diner. Their happy hour, which ends at 6pm during the week, has 1 food item (dip) and beer, wine, and cocktails. I came toward the end of happy hour but wasn't in the mood for drinking. I did sit at the U-shaped bar in the center of the restaurant, though. I noticed the vintage looking beer tap, and the records stacked up with the record player next to it. I looked at the brief menu and ended up choosing the most expensive item, the steak frittes. This turned out to be a great choice as this dish really hit the spot. It had so much complexity to it....with the flavors all seamlessly meshing. From the salty fries to the salty steak, to the creamed spinach, to the mushrooms, to the blue cheese butter on top, there are just tons of flavors going on with this dish and in a good way. Unfortunately, I just couldn't give them 5 stars for 2 reasons. First, I know the bartenders want to be attentive, but I ordered an iced tea and was browsing at the cocktail menu to see what else they offered. The bartenders/servers here definitely try to upsell the customer at many different points in the process of the meal. Sometimes, I am okay with this, but other times when I am tired from working and/or traveling all day and I just want to sit, relax, and have dinner in peace. I just wanted iced tea, but they try to upsell alcohol. Then secondly, after finishing my entree (as well as my iced tea), one of the bartenders (can't remember if it was the same one from earlier as there were 2-3 behind the counter at all times) asked if I wanted anything else or any dessert. At that moment, I'm thinking to myself, does this guy not see my empty glass right in front of him? I'm not expecting white tabletop service, but if my drink was a cocktail, I bet he would have asked me if I wanted another. Since it's just iced tea, did he assume I only wanted a single glass? No, of course I want a refill. Trying to upsell me on dessert and move the dining experience along, but not even making sure my drink was topped off or even refilled once. The meal was salty (in a good way) and made me drink the iced tea quickly, but I needed a 2nd glass before I paid and left. I had to ask for a refill. I felt that if they wanted to be an "upscale" experience, make sure the service reflects this. On another note, some "regulars" of this restaurant sat near me at the bar and ordered some special consisting of a shot, a beer, and a burger. I'm not sure if it was a daily special or what, as I didn't see it on the menu. Sounds interesting, and I wish my server would have at least mentioned this to me, whether I ordered it or not. One last note, I wasn't thrilled with their so-called dessert menu, which consists of 2 items with soft serve? I know soft serve is very popular these days, it's been popular with Asian restaurants for the last few years and now seems to be becoming popular with American restaurants, but my gosh, it's not gourmet or upscale by any means. They do make it homemade, but not everything homemade is good or good for you. I'd rather see more upscale options for the prices they're selling it at. read more

Our first ramen spot in Des Moines. The food gets 3 stars but the servers were the reason I have an extra star rating. This is not your traditional/ authentic ramen spot. The flavors are different so keep an open mind. We ordered the pork belly ramen and clydes special with chicken ramen but they did not have pork belly and suggested we try the vegan ramen. How do you run out of one of the main ingredients on a cold thursday night when you only have 3 ramen options? Regardless the suggestion to try the vegan ramen was great as that was the best thing we had. The mushroom broth is delicious! The clydes special was not that good, missing the umami flavor and needed more depth (and broth). We also order the gyoza and spicy edamame which were good but they forgot to bring the appetizers before the ramen but seemed like a genuine mistake. They did not charge us for it which made us feel like they cared! All in all the ambience was great, food was okay and we might try it again when they update their menu! read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Vegan Ramen - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Sweetest spot! Airy, comfortable yet still warm and comfy. Visited on a Thursday night with my husband and daughter. All of the help was great. Efficient and friendly. Hustling about! We had the Caesar Brussel Sprouts. So delicious!!! Better than a Caesar salad. The Ranch Cracker app, not bad, but by no means a Wow item. We had a double smash burger, and BLT's. The BLT's were fabulous. Full of bacon, nice red tasty tomatoes, and a garlic mayo. Burger was great. High quality meat, good bun, and aoli. On to dessert. Oh, my gosh! The brownie sundae was the best ever. We split it 3 ways and had left over. The brownie was so homemade!! Whipped cream, delicious ice cream, hot fudge, and nuts. Wonderful. Had a margarita. Not my favorite ever. Nonetheless, that's a taste thing. Overall, the diner is fabulous!!!! read more

Retro yet modern vibe with stellar food! Awesome place for any occasion. We were seated at a spacious and comfortable booth where the server explained the menu and told us up front they had just ran out of the steak tacos for taco Tuesday. We appreciated knowing that at the beginning. There is so much great food to choose from, it was difficult to decide. We started with the chips and dip. The chips were homemade with delicious onion style dip to go with them. Brussels sprouts were tasty! We also started with cocktails that had unique ingredients with fun flavors. For main dishes, we ordered shrimp and grits, smoked pork chop, and gyro sausage. All were flavorful and satisfying! We were stuffed but of course had to try the dessert. Ice cream with custom toppings and a brownie. Too good! Great food and service. We will be back soon to try those popular steak tacos! read more

See all

Delicious. We stopped in on a Friday evening with our kids. When u walk in the place is gorgeous and we were afraid to nice for kids. But once we sat down the music was just loud enough to help drown out their noise and not bug the patrons near our table. the food was outstanding but so was the atmosphere, staff and music. we will be back soon for a date night or a casual family dinner. next time we will save room for dessert. great place. check it out. read more

See all

We stopped in for dinner on a Monday night and it was steadily busy, but we were shown to a table right away. Now, we did get a bit confused about where to enter...the entry is on the west end and we walked right by it while looking in at the fun diner vibe and checking out the horseshoe counter. After realizing our error, we started back to the west and the staff was waving and welcoming us in. They had to do it for a couple of other people as well while we were dining! OK - on to the experience. The staff is very friendly, helpful, and attentive. We got our food in lightening fast time, and it was very hot and fresh. My wife got the pork tenderloin, which was a thick cut of pork (think pork chop) with cracker breading. It was fulfilling and tasty. I got the special of the day - the Verde Burger. It was good, and while I thought it might have a bit more flavor from the cheese and salsa, it was still very good...and a bit sloppy, but I was OK with that! It came with a side of fries as it was that night's Blue Plate Special, and they were tasty and enough for the two of us to share, but we appeared to get the bottom of the bag as many of them were small bits. Drinks were good and reasonably priced - I had a martini and they did a nice job making it! Sandwiches are on the higher end of normal, but not unexpected for where this is located. All in all I'd go back to try something else, or just to sit at the cool bar! read more

We had the pot roast sandwich. The bread was so greasy that every time you took a bite it looked like you had oil in your fingers. The bread was not very thick and you could see the grease from one side to the other side. read more

Everything about Clyde's is fantastic - the service, overall vibe, craft cocktails, excellent wine selection, and (of course) the food. Our favorites were the kale salad and the agnolotti. read more

I am developing a love-hate relationship with Clyde's. The food is excellent, the wait staff is engaging, and the neo-diner ambience is wonderful. They even take reservations. To imagine the menu here, think comfort food - comfort food that has been given a lift, made a little bolder. For example: breaded chicken with fermented bean paste, chili oil, creamed kimchi collard greens, scallion beignets, and some cucumber quick pickles. Not quite your grandfather's blue plate special. So why the hate? Their french fries. I can't resist them! I order the fries appetizer AND the fries side dish in the same meal. Over full every visit... If you need something that is both a little familiar and yet a little different, Clyde's is the place for you. read more

Clyde's Fine Diner is easy to spot. The classic vertically lettered sign is a great attention grabber. It looks very unassuming from the outside, but very inviting once you are inside. There is seating all around the bar as well as tables lining the wall. I opted for a seat at the bar near the kitchen. I ordered a delicious Lemon Lavender Cider to start.. After pulling up the online menu on my phone, I settled on what I needed: 1) Mussels appetizer 2) Fried Green Tomato BLT My fiancée had been craving Mussels all week, so that was a no-brainer, and both she and the owner talked up the BLT, so it seemed a natural choice. I have always loved Fried Green Tomato BLT's. Bubba had my favorite for a long time, but sadly they took it off the menu. Our food arrived very quickly. The mussels were fresh and delicious. The sauce was delightful. My fiancée smashed half of the order before I could even snap a picture! That always speaks well for food. My sandwich arrived shortly thereafter. It was truly epic and mouth watering. The bread was perfectly toasted. The bacon was thick and crunchy. The green tomatoes were fried to perfection. They were then topped with collard greens and decadent, messy, outrageously delicious pimento cheese. All made in house from scratch. The taste...oh my. I made loud moaning sounds and closed my eyes. My fiancée could only elicit grumbles and nods from me for a solid minute. It was "out-of-bounds", as Guy Fieri is so fond of saying. The crowning touch? Dipping it into the sauce from the mussels. It was then even more orgasmically delicious. Clyde's food and service are top notch. There are so many good items on the menu, I know that I'll be back very soon to try more things. I highly recommend it. Definitely try the Fried Green Tomato BLT and Mussels combo. It is divine. The Lemon Lavender Cider is also delicious and highly recommended. I had to have two of them. read more

See all

I have mixed feelings on this place. The ambience is great as it really captures that old timey diner atmosphere. The service was pretty good, and the overall taste of the food was good as well, however the serving sizes for the price were pretty bad. My party got the Summer Gnocchi and the Chicago Hot Link, expecting that a ~$25 dish would be reasonably filling. We both walked away hungry after the meal was done. I'd estimate that the gnocchi would need a $5-$6 price drop and the Chicago Hot Link would need a $10-$12 price drop to be worth ordering. I'd recommend sticking with the sandwiches as these are more reasonably priced read more

Sooooo good!! This place is so cool inside and the food was delicious. I'm so excited to go back and try more items off the menu! read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Cheese plate appetizer - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

The cocktails are great and the blue cheese stuffed olive, in my martini, was a 10 out of 10. The tomato salad was one of the best I've ever had and gnocchi was good too. Rachel, our server was friendly and fun! Highly recommend Clyde's! read more

I've been here a couple times now and overall I'm happy with my visits! I really love the aesthetics of this place. They have a great cocktail menu. Their food menu isn't huge, but there's something for everyone. I do wish there were a couple more options for appetizers. We stopped here before a show at the Civic Center. My only complaint was the time it took for our drinks and charcuterie plate to arrive. The service was great, and I'd still go back. Good for dates, family celebrations, and chill hangs with friends! read more

See all

A really pleasant lunch with my son, who is currently half my height. Clients of his stature are not common at Clyde's but they are certainly welcome! The server was very kind to us considering the fact that the dining room looks a bit upscale for a father-preschooler lunch. Despite that the kids menu is pretty good: usually kids food is garbage, but this stuff was made with a lot of care and thought. When you walk in you might think you would regret coming here with a kid but they were really nice about it. They even gave my son a plastic cup (a nice one that looks appropriate in a room like this) for his drink, which I completely didn't expect. The menu itself is limited in my opinion but it was a lot of fun to hang out here for a bit after a morning of exploring the city with my son. read more

What a gem in our local food scene. This place's always delivers a great meal and great experience. One time we had service that was not up to the normal level and they acknowledged and fixed the issue. Also, love that they spin vinyl in the restaurant. This place is good for the soul. read more

I've heard good things about this place, but honestly wasn't impressed. Went on Valentines Day & they just had the normal menu plus a couple overpriced apps & a dessert. The brussels app was good, but the crispy shrimp sandwich was bland & not worthwhile. Service was just ok. Finally, they shouldn't list "half-price wine bottles EVERY Wednesday" if that's not actually the case.....found this out only after we ordered one. read more

My dad and I stopped in for some lunch. They were not overly busy at the early part of lunch hour. He enjoyed their tasty burger and liked the mojo pork sandwich. Our favorite was the fries. They were perfect and obviously had more effort put into preparing them than many other places. read more

So happy we finally tried Clyde's! The food was great, as well was service and we felt safe eating here! read more

See all

Definitely NOT FINE DINING. It's a lie. Overpriced, the drinks are small and barely ok. Food, Caesar salad was small, add chicken $18. Nothing special to justify a side salad size with grilled chicken for that price. The shrimp sandwich was overfried, close to being burnt and you have to pay extra for fries. The fries were good. The bartender sells the items like they are gold but everything is just ok. The beer list sucks. The ambiance and lighting is decent. Don't have high expectations, the local breweries have much much better food and drinks. read more

Any place that has the staff playing vinyl records behind the bar, aka Elvis Costello's, "My Aim Is True." is hitting the nail right on the head! This place rules.. This is not your Denny's or Perkins type diner! This is sleek, fresh, and fun. With cocktails named after songs.. and food that looks like that foodie picture you just LIKED twice on Instagram.. This place is where it's at! The staff was super nice and took care of us even on a slightly busy Saturday evening! I agree with the other who have taking the leap, this is definitely a 5 star spot in Des Moines! Get here, and plug into a fun dining experience! read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Short and sweet: one of the very few five star reviews that I have given in Des Moines. This place has diner in the name but is closer to gastro pub in terms of sophistication of food. The diner strikes a great balance between value for money and quality of food. Come here, eat a great dinner and enjoy their amazing cocktails. For you connoisseurs of whiskey, they have Japanese whiskey! Suntory toki (hard to find here in Iowa). We started off with the Caesar Brussels and the shishito peppers. Winner here for sure is the Brussels, caramelized and covered in parm and a house made Caesar dressing. Great flavor balance. The shishitos were just okay, they were crisp and covered in sesame and Kewpie mayo but they needed acid. I recommend ordering this with some lemon slices trust me you won't regret it. For our mains we ordered the new York strip and the mushroom pasta. Honestly up until now the review was going to be a 3 or maybe a 4. We waited close to 30 minutes for my steak...normally I would be upset, but the staff apologized and told me that they had overdone the steak and they had to remake it. They treated us to free cocktails and an additional appetizer while we waited. The main dishes were worth the wait, the steak when it came out was perfectly medium and accompaniments the mash and the vegetables we're perfect matches to the meaty salty steak. My wife's mushroom pasta burst with mushroom flavor and the pasta tasted homemade. You finish the meal off with a classic brownie with soft serve ice cream. It was perfect the brownie was warm ice cream is melting there's chocolate syrup drizzled across the top. Absolutely perfect way to end the meal. kudos again to the staff for admitting a mistake and working to recover. I respect that so much. This is now one of my top restaurants in Des Moines on the par with harbinger and the cafe in Ames. read more

See all

I'm basing my review mostly on the food. Last night was my first time at Clyde's and from the outside looking in, this place looks SO awesome! I LOVE the round bar right in the center with the blue leather stools. They have a huge neon sign in the back and giant floor to ceiling windows. The food, in my opinion, was just okay for the most part. We ordered the Brussels sprouts, which were delicious! Loved the Caesar aspect of it with all of the parm on top! Also got the CFD party dip and fries. The dip was okay but overall kind of unexciting. Very dill heavy and a little sweet. The chips were a little too brittle for how thick and creamy the dip was. The fries were from, what seemed, fresh russets- which was awesome! We got the burger sauce on the side as a dip and that was good too! I ordered the scallops and I was kind of sad that they were only seared on one side. They came on top of spaghetti squash and I thought they were good separately, but a bit of an odd couple. A friend I was with ordered the butternut squash soup and she never got a spoon! We waved the waiter down a few times but another friend had to go up to the bar and ask for one. We sat without water for a bit but our waiter was SO nice otherwise. Also- they don't really have a dessert menu, just vanilla soft serve that can also be served on top of a brownie. I guess overall, I LOVE the aesthetic of it and the drinks were great but the food fell short of my expectations. read more

See all

We made our first visit to Clyde's Fine Diner and we're SUPER impressed. The space is inviting with comfortable and spacious seating at the many booths or at the bar. The vinly was spinning great music the entire time and the service was attentive and responsive. We had a couple of amazing craft cocktails to begin along with the peppers for a starter. It only got better as the main dishes (Nashville Hot Chicken & Curried Lentils) we're off the charts with flavor, cooked to perfection, and served hot & ready to enjoy. We will certainly be visiting Clyde's Fine Diner in the future and can't wait to come back! read more

See all

I cannot say enough good things about this place and especially the Caesar Brussel sprouts. Every time I travel to Des Moines I have to eat at Clyde's Fine Diner for this meal specifically. I have also had the burger and fries and they are top notch as well. A little spendy but totally worth it! read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Caesar Sprouts with a side of grilled chicken. 10/10 - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Clyde's was everything I expected and more. It has quickly become my favorite restaurant in DSM. 1. The atmosphere is really modern and open, the music playing is actually from the vinyl spinning by the bar. The staff was incredibly helpful, even the chef came over to talk to us. 2. The drinks we ordered were some of the best cocktails I have ever ordered at a restaurant. I would highly recommend spending a few extra dollars and trying a couple. 3. The food was exceptional from start to finish. The tempura peppers were perfect to start the meal. The fried green tomato BLT was an amazing sandwich. And we finished with the mushroom pasta which nailed the end of the meal. Overall this is one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had and would extremely recommend trying and going back again and again like I will. read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Tempura Peppers - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Clyde's is a fun, trendy and metro hangout in the east village. With Unique and fun Creative drinks and they just started their late night snack menu. I adore the idea of a late night after 10 hangout spot. The music was retro right off the turn table with a stack of vinyls. Christian and CJ are on point with drink menu. Good flavors and even better complexity. The wings were stellar, traditional with fun twist of pickled celery pieces and Maytag blue cheese. I chose to sit at the bar that was nearly full. The atmosphere was casual, but upscale with a clean crisp feel. Sexy little late night hangout I plan on patronizing more often. read more

See all

What a great place. Vibes of a supper club. Great music on a turntable! Wonderful food. I had an amazing hamburger & fries. Very attentive staff. Super clean! read more

Really good vibe in this restaurant! They have great drinks too. Dinner menu is on the smaller side but still plenty of options for everyone. I lucked out and was there when they had a pre-fixe menu so I ended up doing that and all of my food was delicious! My friends had the gnocchi (+chicken) and enjoyed it as well. If you're looking for a fun date night or girls night and plan to have a few cocktails this would be a good option. read more

See all

Really enjoyed Clyde's. Lots of energy, first rate staff...AND of course the food and drinks are amazing

First time here. Enjoyed the Caesar sprouts and it is a large portion, enough for more than 3 people. Had the pork loin sandwich and loved it. The pork is very thick and fried to perfection. You don't even realize it is a fried sandwich. The pickled onions, bread and butter pickles and dill aioli is a great flavor combination. I hate bread and butter pickles and dill but I loved this. My dining partners had the not Nashville hot fried chicken. I did not enjoy the fried chicken but my friends loved it. Two of us loved the kimchi greens. The greens were cooked without being too soft. They are my favorite greens in the city! Beignets were not served warm but they liked them. It took away some of the heat fro. The spicy fried chicken. read more

See all

Really good food in the East Village. I enjoy the location, the large inviting atmosphere, the service and tasteful music. Great burger, and I think they have the best fries and Caesar salad in Des Moines. read more

Seated immediately on a weekend and had excellent service throughout. Our food came out hot and fresh and tasted great. I had the pork belly sandwich and it was cooked tender and juicy. Caesar Brussels were so good. read more

Fun place, they play vinyl for music. Great dairy free burger, the best I've found! Order the vegan burger and sub the real patty... great horse radish source and vegan cheese. read more

Clyde's Fine Diner - Record collection - Diners Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The atmosphere had a cool vibe. The drinks were great, as was the food. The cheeseboard was yummy! Unfortunately the service wasn't great. Maybe the waiter was having a bad day. I will try it again but for dinner next time. read more

We had an amazing waiter best attitude I've experienced in years! Do not miss the apps best Brussel sprouts!!

Had a late Valentines lunch celebration here, very good! Service great, good sandwiches, but the best part of the meal? The F'in Fries or FF if you prefer. Fresh cut russets twice fried. Good Lord! I don't eat fries often but they were worth every calorie. Thanks to Clyde! read more

Fresh, delicious food. Amazing service. Great ambiance. Been for lunch and dinner & both superb. Wonderful cocktails, too!