Happy hour yesterday with my friends... $5 dirty martinis were so good $1 more for blue cheese olives... we also ordered shrimp cocktail, onion rings, Brussel sprouts, duck frites, and a cheese and meat plate... it was all amazing. Our service was on point and I will definitely be back. We split costs and ended up spending about $25 each with drinks read more

What a nice surprise!. the wife took me there for my birthday. We decided to go during happy hour to check it out. it was nice and elegant. The bar is wrapped around and wide. I love the decor. It reminds me of one of the restaurant we went to in New York. They have good happy deals: craft beers are $5, oysters and cocktail shrimps are $1..... The Brussels sprouts was great. It was cooked perfectly, not soggy, had a nice crunch. We shared a burger. It was good. The bartender was nice and courteous. As always we ordered more than what we can eat. It happens every time. I can't wait to go back. I don't know if it's going to happen anytime soon, but i hope it happens before my next birthday. I promise to take pictures next time ! read more

My daughter and I had a wonderful lunch here! We decided to lunch on appetizers and started off with the duck frites and escargot. Amazing!! The sauces that accompanied the duck frites were delicious but unnecessary as the frites were so flavorful. We also had pontine and the charcuterie. Everything was perfect. We had a table by the front window and enjoyed the scenery while dining. The service was also exceptional. We cannot wait to go back. read more

First time visiting the new location. The fried Brussels Sprouts are incredible and an absolute must! We had the Django Bar Steak which was cooked perfectly but unfortunately topped with disgusting cafe de Paris butter which was really disappointing. The Coq Au Vin was outstanding. Cocktails were good and French toast dessert was nice way to finish a solid meal. Will definitely go back! read more

Django has happy hour all night long on Tuesdays (from 4-10pm) and on that happy hour menu there is a $5 glass of bubbly and a $10 cheese plate. Color me happy! I was at Django for both a happy hour drink followed by dinner and the service was friendly both places. I was able to try the aforementioned cheese plate (delicious and you can actually build your own, choosing from their selection), the soup of the day, and a beet salad. All of it was quite nice. While I didn't sample more of the menu it is French cuisine with a lot of choices and they also feature a raw bar with oysters, which are also on the happy hour menu. It was a surprisingly good option for a hotel restaurant and I'd be happy to go there again. read more

Django serves French cuisine in a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. Unfortunately, it was a bit noisy and busy, and the tables were rather close together. It was a casual to dressy clientele. Meals are about $25-30 per person, and many appetizers and desserts were under $10. An enormous raw bar was the center of attention in Django, but I was captured by the seared foie gras appetizer with fig confit and toasted brioche. Oh, how I love foie gras. Next time, we think we'd like to try the the cheese and sausage sample "flights" - or maybe a fresh shellfish platter of oysters, mussels, clams, and shrimp. For dinner, I ordered duck breast over spaetzle with with rhubarb gastric, and the presentation was excellent. Joe had tender and tasty seared sea scallops with lobster corn mashed potatoes. Sounds interesting just reading it, doesn't it? Those potatoes were like the thickest creamy corn chowder you can imagine. Dessert? Ohhhhh, dessert. I had a tangy raspberry sorbet that I shared (a little!) with Joe. He loves fruit and cheese for dessert, and they served him a buttery gorgonzola with fig jam, olives, and almonds. We are going to have to learn how to make fig jam, that's a fact. The service was impeccable. Our server knew the extensive wine list on the table's iPad and made good suggestions. He perfectly understood that we like to take our time with dinner (a couple of hours, usually) and not order one dish right on top of the previous. He seemed to show up just about the time we wanted him. read more

Not in the least bit out of control pricey or pretentious as I was lead to believe! Now that I'm not as intimated by this restaurant, I will most definitely return! I went for an impromptu brunch on Easter Sunday and we were set up with a table within about three minutes. Hostess didn't give us that condescending, "you DON'T have reservations?!" bit that I was anticipating (or look at me weird for choosing flip flops, considering the holiday) and started us on a fun little dining experience. Boyfriend chose the savory Crepes Madames "French Ham & Cheese" which is, "Two crepes filled with Niman Ranch ham and Swiss cheese, topped with béchamel sauce and a fried egg." You know that envious feeling you get when you taste another person's food and yet you ordered something completely different? Yeah, he only let me have one bite. The bechamel pulled it all together; a rich dish overall, but oh-so-good. Perhaps its yumminess was accentuated by my choice of "Crepes Django [--] Five crepes topped with bourbon maple syrup, house cured bacon, toasted pecans, strawberries and whipped cream." Seriously, the sweet vs savory thing goes a long, long way. The pieces of bacon helped to carry me through the overarching sweetness of the dish... yes, I ate all five of those bad boys. I also appreciate and commented several times on the fact that it was a grown-up presentation; I was happy to not see a smiley face made out of whipped cream and/or the perfectly ripened strawberries that I eventually wolfed down. The coffee deserves a nod. (I'm doing something wrong at home I think; heresy for a coffee lover such as myself...) It perked me up right alongside the pleasant food stuff. Our waitress was on point as well. My only regret is not trying a Bloody Mary... next time! read more

I'm rating this place 2 stars because the food isn't that good and the prices are too high. I think this place is good if you are a wanna-be pretentious person. "wanna-be" because it can't be truly pretentious if the food is subpar. I see many people here who splurge on the subpar food in order to appear to be some-what classy. But they are not. I've only been here with co-workers when my boss offers to buy us lunch. I would never spend my own money here, let alone choose to eat here on my own accord. Here's what I've had, and why they weren't that good. A burger - ordered medium well, it came out well. No flavor. Greasy. I think they injected unflavored lard into it. It was very greasy with no flavor. For $12 of my boss's money, I expected better. Broccoli cheese soup: Grainy and generic. It tasted like the condense Campbell's cream of broccoli soup that was rewarmed. Oops...I might've given away the recipe. This 6 oz serving was $3-4. Gross. Some chicken sandwich with grilled pears: The chicken didn't have flavor. The toasted bread was so hard it cut the roof of my mouth. The pear wasn't grilled enough and it wasn't even ripe. It was a painful sandwich and $9 was too much of my boss's money that was spent on it. Creme brulee: Not enough vanilla flavor, it just tasted like vanilla pudding with burnt sugar on top. I think I can spend less than the $6 my boss paid for it. I'll continue to visit Django when my boss offers to visit and pay, because I don't want to make him mad if I turn down the offer. However, I wouldn't spend my money here. read more

I'm only giving four stars due to service. The food is always exemplary, the staff not so much. I have given them several opportunities to shine, but after my 6th visit, the wait staff just leaves a lot to be desired in service. read more

The Happy Hour charcuterie for $10.00 was amazingly large. Salami, two delicious cheeses, nuts, crackers, jam, cornichon, and pate. Wow. They will go out of business if they continue to serve this platter for the price, because this was a money-loser for sure. Hopefully some of their loss was made up by the delicious glass of beer the bartender recommended followed by a very nice pinot noir! Cozy ambience. If you are staying at the Marriott, the Bell staff will gladly give you a ride there in a shuttle and pick you up when you're ready to return. read more

As with all of my reviews, I have to review this place based on what it claims to be. It claims to be fine French food, but having spent some time eating in France, I have to say - this is *Midwestern French*. I've eaten there 3 or 4 times now, and I am going to stop going. It's just so dang mediocre. The portions are unnecessarily large, and the food is very heavy-handed and rather bland. The chef is obviously a man. Someone with a lighter hand needs to be added to the kitchen line-up! Huge portions an an overuse of sauce are a midwestern thing, not a French thing. And the adding pork to every freaking dish? It's trendy, and relevant to Iowa, but ack, enough already! The atmosphere is generally fun. Upbeat, busy, people laughing, high energy. The decor is exactly what it should be. Nice, and conducive to social evening. Funny tidbit: my boyfriend and I did the V-Day pre fixe menu (so cheap, like $30 or something). The crowd was very... aspirational... people who don't normally dine here - wearing fleece jackets and looking to impress their dates. We ordered the cheese plate in addition to the pre fixe, and they served it on - get this - a 12" x 12" granite floor tile. Yup, no pretense about it - they served it on a FLOOR TILE. I don't know what image they were trying to conjure up, but it definitely made up think of, you know, eating our food off the floor. And, also a disappointment, the waitress didn't know which cheese was which. There are better restaurants in Des Moines for fine dining. Try Bistro Montage if French is what you're looking for. It's more authentically French - tiny, friendly, with great food. Django doesn't suck, but it's pretty bland. read more

I was here for a group dinner. I had only the cassoulet, but it was delicious. Wine list was uninspiring.

We prefer the new location much more than the old space. Seating is nicer, the higher ceilings make it easier to talk and it's less congested. Some two-tops are a tad close but usually your dining neighbors are friendly. I always order fish here and it's always great. The Oysters Rockefeller last visit were disappointing as they were mostly spinach. Hard to find the tiny oyster beneath. I mentioned it to our server and he said "yeah, that happens". Stick to Splash for the BEST oysters. read more

Our group of friends decided that we wanted to get dressed up and go to a nicer restaurant. We chose Django because it had good reviews, and the location was good as well. The decor is gorgeous, and very refined. We were seated right away and were given menus. We decided to split an order of poutine, a cheese plate, and calamari to start. The food was excellent. The meat on the poutine was very tasty, and the fries were good. The calamari was a nice ratio of breading to fish, and came with the best dipping sauces. After taking our appetizer orders, we were ready to order our entrees in about 5 minutes. However, it took a LONG time for our waitress to come back and check on us. We had been at the restaurant for over an hour before our entree orders were placed. They had asked us if we had a time constraint, and we said no, but we didn't expect that would mean we back last priority check ins! The entrees we received were great as well. The steak on my spinach salad was a bit underdone, but I didn't mind too much. The combination of cheese, dressing, candied nuts, and strawberries was mind-blowing. I was very impressed. My fiance loved his scallop dish, and the small seafood platter was great. When one of our friends did not enjoy her soup, the waitress offered to replace it, no problem. The food is expensive, but I feel the price is justified in the quality. We will be coming back. Overall, we had a great time, and enjoyed the great food. read more

Half the price of Fred Robster, and twice as good! Django somehow manages to cover all the bases: From treating my mother to a fine dining splurge, to grabbing a $5 after-work cocktail with girlfriends, to enjoying dinner with 5 of my closest friends, to filling the party room with a group of colleagues, I've never felt cheated by my bill or the quality of food. Django's Croque Madame/Monsieur (a ham & cheese sandwich topped with an egg) is simply the most craveable food in town. And for less than $15, both the experience and the bill are magnifique! Two insider tips: As in France, Django serves lukewarm water without ice, so you'll have to specify ice water with lemon if that's what you like. And servers package leftovers for you, so instruct them to include your soup if you plan on eating it later. read more

My good friend and I love to try all the local restaurants around the DSM area and Django was recommended quite often to us. I have always pictured a true French restaurant serving all their dishes swimming in some kind of sauce...this place has dispelled that notion. Great, simple, fresh, delicious... And the dessert...lemon tart...fabulous and a total refresh of your palate. I appreciated that our waitress (which most person would assume is expected in this quality of a establishment) was knowledgeable and made great wine pairings with out meal. Tres Bon! read more

My boyfriend and I stopped in one night after a show at the Civic Center...we weren't sure of the closing time so we went in to ask. It was 15 min from then, so we decided to head elsewhere, but the hostess INSISTED we sit down. I really felt like a jerk and didn't want to be "that" couple who wasn't considerate of the staff's time...but she assured us it was A-okay and we should definitely try it out, so we did! To be slightly less jerky, we tried to order small/simple from the menu. We went with a cheese & charcuterie plate, which wasn't exactly a compromise since a) it's one of our favorite things, anyway and b) the serving size was pretty large! we were very pleasantly surprised...I'm not that huge of a meat eater, but my boyfriend noted that usually you have to ration meat to last as long as the cheese, but here we had leftovers to take home! Our pups were very pleased :) We also got a half order of oysters which did not disappoint, and their brussels sprouts dish. Lastly, their knotted (I don't know how else to describe it) bread reminded us of our favorite restaurant in LA...felt like home. From the wonderful hostess, down to all the simple, but well-executed foods, it was truly a great experience and we will definitely be back to try other plates! read more

We have eaten at Dajango several times and each experience is great! We keep coming back because we love the fact that there is no corkage fee! The service is always friendly and prompt. The food is nothing like anywhere else in Des Moines and a pleasure for the taste buds. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a nice place to go but doesn't want to spend and arm and a leg for fine dining. There are many options to choose, from the sandwiches under $10 to more extravagant entrees ranging in price up to $32 which is still a pretty good deal for a nice French meal! I would suggest that everyone start their meal off with one of the Cheese Flights. It is a great way to get the taste buds going and experience some new cheeses! They aren't cheap, but really add something special to the meal. One part of the flights that my friends like is the chutney, they always rave about how good it is! Two of us chose the three course Le Menu Prix Fixe. I got the special which included an heirloom tomato and feta cheese salad, hanger steak, fries and desert. The salad was excellent for summer, very refreshing. The tomatoes were full of flavor and color and combined with the feta cheese was quite a delight. My friend had the traditional Django salad said that she also enjoyed her salad, but I don't think she cleaned her plate nearly as well as I did! LOL We both enjoyed our hanger steak though it was undercooked. Luckily we both don't mind a bit rarer steaks! Another friend got the Le Royale with Cheese and ordered her as medium, I believe, and hers was really way too rare. After she had eaten most of the cooked meat, it looked like she had raw hamburger sitting on her plate. We didn't complain as we still enjoyed it, but in the future we will all remember to order it a level more done that we normally would. With the steaks, I had gotten the Roquefort sauce which was good, but a bit over powering. My friend that also had the steak got a different sauce and got hers on the side, I will have to remember that for next time too! Dessert...oh yum! My meal came with Chocolate Pot de Crème which was amazingly rich! There is no way anyone could eat the entire dish, but would enjoy trying! It reminded me of m&ms if they didn't have the candy coating. It would be better if they added in a bit more cream to make it smoother and less rich. But oh it was good! My friends meal came with the Crème Brulee which is always one of my favorites. She really enjoyed it but was not thrilled with how thick of a sugar top there was. She said it was hard to get through and just too much to eat. Over all, we all had a great time and enjoyed the food and the environment. We will most definitely be back! read more

My friend and I decided to have Django one last time before they relocate. However, I wasn't overly impressed with anything. We were told there was a two hour wait, however, bar seating just opened up and it's full service so we chose to do that. It took a good 10 minutes for us to even get drink menus and another 10 minutes to order our drinks and get food menus. However, they were very busy and we weren't in any rush. However, we were there well over two hours and not because we were taking our time. The food was good... the cheese plate being my favorite, even if it seemed quite small. The Coq au vin isn't traditional like I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. The crème brûlée was tasty as was the drink (Devereux?) Overall, I do believe Django is overrated and not very French, but it's still a great restaurant to have in the Des Moines area. I hope they find a new location quickly! read more

See all

Beautiful restaurant inside. It is quite large. We sat at the bar and ordered the charcuterie board, duck frites and escargot. I had a pinot noir-- I can't remember which label. Service was fast and friendly. All the food was good. The charcuterie board is standard, but solid: 2 types of cheeses, hard salami, prosciutto, mustard, olives, cornichon, fig preserves ... I should've went with a heavier red wine though. The pinot noir did not hold up. Duck frites was everything I had hope for-- yum! And escargot was also delicious. They came out in a cast iron escargot pan, cradled by delicious butter, garlic and herbs. Be careful though, because those little nuggets were piping hot! The bread was also awesome. Definitely a place I would go back to. read more

It was very nice. We had a nice dinner with great oysters. The tables are close together and the main dining area can be loud, so don't expect hushed intimate conversation between you and your date. read more

Amazing bartenders, awesome food, and a great atmosphere for dinner with friends or dinner to impress. If you're looking for a delicious rendition on Freedom fries, look no further - the poutine is boss! read more

Came here to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday, and we both had the greatest meal! We brought our own nice bottle of wine, yay for no corkage fee! We started with the house oysters, which did not disappoint. I got the beef bourguignon, and my boyfriend got the pork.. both were amazing! The Crème brûlée was awesome as well. No complaints from us!! Definitely recommend this spot! read more

yelping instead of working, fabulous. anyway, i was in iowa on a business trip and i have to say that this is probably the best thing i saw in downtown des moines aside from the t-shirts at the airport. the portions here are LARGE and the service is very good. I couldn't finish my lamb chops but luckily the staff kept it for me until i got back from my meeting so i could have some midnight snacking. the restaurant is large and the service is prompt and attentive with some interesting decorations. can't vouch for the bar, but it looked well stocked. business does pick up later at night, but can't say if they were locals (probably not) or travelers (most likely). my manager and i got the calamari to share and it was full of flavor and plenty for two people, even with my appetite. the lamb chops were enormous and very tender. i wanted to pick it up with my hands and just gnaw at it, but was able to hold myself back. if i EVER go back to des moines again, i will probably come back. read more

Django - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Cool atmosphere - classic French bistro, bustling at lunchtime. The burger we (le royale with cheese - cheeseburger with a fried egg) was one of the best burgers I have ever tasted -- an amazing char on the outside added a ton of flavor, and it was cooked perfectly deep pink within. Wow. Also tried the croque madame (what can I say..., we're egg sluts) - which had an unreal bechemel sauce. A simple, decadent sandwich that hit the spot. Both sandwiches served on great fresh bread from a local bakery. Shoestring fries came out piping hot and were awfully tasty as well. Nice beer & wine selection - and the no corkage BYOW policy makes me want to go back for dinner. Espresso was just ok. If every restaurant in Des Moines is like this, we might move here. read more

We finally got around to eating at Django, and I'm really glad that we did! It was more casual that I expected, and the food was delicious and unique without being pretentious (no silly plating techniques or trendy/crazy ingredients). We had fun checking out the drinks menu, brought to us on a leather-cased iPad. I enjoyed a kir royale, which while delicious, wasn't quite good enough to bring memories of my year in France flooding back to me. They do have a nice selection of wines, and some good French wines by the bottle, but I was a bit disappointed that they had almost no French offered by the glass (except for in a wine flight). We started with a cheese plate, and selected the Drunken Goat, a yummy bleu cheese, and a cheddar. The plate comes with crisp crackers and the most wonderful fig spread that seemed to compliment every cheese we tried it with. Our server seemed somewhat knowledgeable about the cheese offerings, but wasn't awesome about helping us select something. It would have been nice to have some guidance there on wine pairings, what we might like, etc. For our entrees, I had sea scallops with lobster mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious. They had me at "butter sauce". Really, unbelieveably good asparagus. My husband had the boeuf bourguignon, and raved about it throughout the meal. I'm pretty sure the egg noodles were lovingly handmade. I scammed a few bites, and it was pretty awesome. We were way too full for dessert, but I'd love to come back sometime and could easily be satisfied sharing a bottle of wine, a plate of cheese and some creme brulee. read more

Delicious. Their happy hour is great. They have shrimp and scallops and onion rings and drink specials, as well as a meat and cheese plate that my friends go crazy over. We have our office Christmas parties here in the party room, so I've gotten to try some more expensive dishes on someone else's dime. We had some appetizers, steak, mashed potatoes and other sides. Everything was absolutely amazing. Can't recommend enough. read more

This was my first trip here and I came with 5 other people with most who have never been to Django. I had made a reservation for 11 am on Sunday and we got seated as soon as we arrived. Our waitress Lou was very tentative and never had to wait for service. The food arrived and no one was disappointed! Sad I waited so long to get here to try it. read more

See all

I have so many mixed feelings about Django 2.0. You need to understand, prior to them moving, this was my FAVORITE restaurant in Des Moines. Dinner AND (or rather, especially) brunch. We've had dinner a few times since their new opening and it's always very good, agreed that the new restaurant lacks some of the old location's charm. But we went for brunch this morning and I almost gave 3 stars because of it. We were SO disappointed that the new menu had cut some of our absolute favorite items. I would send out of towners to brunch to order the stuffed French toast with the berries and mascarpone. Today I came to brunch specifically for this entree and was disappointed to find it missing on the menu. I tried the other French toast and it was nowhere near as amazing. It was good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to a friend. My husband loved their breakfast burger on the croissant which was also missing from the menu. They still have a burger but not the same one. And what kind of French restaurant cuts beignets off of the menu?! Long story short, we were very disappointed with the new menu this morning. The grilled cheese will bring me back for brunch, but when you take my favorite items off the menu, the cost (literally) starts to outweigh the benefits. We still like this restaurant, but no longer hail it as our hands down favorite with the menu changes. read more

Had not been there since they moved. Went for brunch. Got the curry tofu breakfast and it was a little over curried. The bread was great. Some of the other things at the table were really good. The a/c unit was blowing on us, we were cold so bring a sweater. Our waitress was a little spacey and too formal. But overall still a nice place with a nice presentation read more

Mehhh, this place was okay. STELLAR service, mediocre food. I was in Des Moines for some work training and this was the spot one of my fellow trainees made a reservation at one night. Our table ordered appetizers and the onion rings are badasssssss. Cumin ketchup all night long, amiright? But, aside from those rings, I was underwhelmed. I don't eat meat, so my options were severely limited. Most folks are dinner seemed to enjoy their meals very much (aside from one lady who said her pork was undercooked -- blechhh). I got this baked pasta dish that was blaaaaaaaaand. There was no depth and it was ridiculously hot, like hotter than any food should ever be served. I was super bummed out about it, especially after having been totally wowed by the onion rings. They seemed to have an extensive cocktail list but I veered away from alcohol that night so I can't comment on that but my colleagues seemed to enjoy theirs. I would not go back if I ever went back to Des Moines. Big ups to our server though their swanky interior. read more

I'm on business from Houston and decided to give this restaurant a try based on the Yelp reviews and my affinity for French cuisine. I droved to downtown Des Moines for dinner and street parking was relatively easy to find. The menu has all the usual suspects for a French restaurant, including Foie Gras. The waitress told me about their soup du jour, a shrimp bisque, and I was sold. I was in the mood for beef and I have always enjoyed a good French cooked style steak vs. a steak from the more well known steak restaurants from around the country. I ordered the NY strip au poivre over the duck breast which sounded very appetizing. The shrimp bisque arrived and the the soup was a bit chunky and did not have the smooth consistency of a bisque that I'm usually accustomed to. The texture could be ignored but the taste of the bisque was uneventful. The bisque barely had a hint of shrimp flavors and there was no meaningful flavor profile. The NY strip arrived and was perfectly cooked to a medium rare, with a nice pepper crust on the outside. However, I quickly discovered the cut of beef was not a prime and lacked any marbling. Worse, the steak was very bland without the sauce. The au poivre sauce just tasted salty, without any depth of flavor profile. I would have liked to enjoy some of the steak without having to add the sauce but couldn't bare to eat a bland steak. I've eaten at numerous French restaurants, even great restaurants in French and Montreal, so maybe my expectations were too high for Des Moines, Iowa. I guess if this is all there is in Des Moines, then it'll do. But if you come from a big city and have eaten at good French food, then you may be disappointed. read more

Okay, so apparently "Django" is some Gypsy word for "I awake", I don't know if that's what the owner meant but naming his restaurant that, but holy hell, I was awakened alright. I WANT TO LIVE HERE! Seriously. By far one of the BEST meals I have EVER EVER had. It was "lick your plate" good. And I swear if I had a valid excuse (or what I deem a valid excuse such as being pregnant) to lick my plate, I would have! We ordered the following: Escargots Bourgogne In parsley and garlic butter -- Yeah I know, "Ewwww, snails".. one word for you SHUDDUP! It was amazing! Small Shellfish Plate: 6 oysters on the half-shell, 6 clams, 6 mussels and 6 chilled shrimp served with cocktail and mignonette sauces-- This took a while to get to our table, but was so worth it. I'm not from Iowa, but I knew better than to expect fresh seafood, so imagine my complete SHOCK when this platter came out and everything on it was so fresh and delicious. My compliment, for real. My boyfriend ordered one of their specials of the evening, it was a trigger fish plate that was a party in his mouth. (And mine because luckily he's not selfish and he let me have a bite). I don't quite remember all that was on his plate, but it was wonderful and he was very happy. I couldn't make up my mind on what to have so I asked our waiter (Willy S.) what his reccomendation was and we went with... drum roll please...Filet à Rossini. It's an 8oz beef tenderloin filet with sautéed foie gras, truffles and bordelaise sauce, served with dauphinoise potatoes and house vegetables. I don't know what half of those sauces were, but they were amazing. Loved every bite! For dessert we had the Chocolate Chambord Cake, it's a raspberry scented flourless chocolate cake with crème anglaise and raspberry coulis, or as I like to call it "Heaven on a plate". It was so good that I wanted to lick the plate. Seriously. I loved Django and can't wait to go back!! read more

Very disappointing. And--hate to break it to you--not French. Having French wines, frites, mussels and heavy cream sauces doesn't make you any more French than I am.... Disappointed in all aspects--service, food, atmosphere, price (for the MW). Atmosphere--guys (many more than one) with backward baseball caps in a nice restaurant? Really? Service--sloooow, and unapologetic about it. There were a bunch of under 30's in a side room, a big party in another room, and a bunch of women in the back, plus the regular tables...when we FINALLY got some bread, I asked the waitress if they were unusually busy? She said no and walked off...guess that was too subtle......she also didn't offer fresh ground pepper--with all that cream sauce? Really? If your servers don't know to offer that, retrain them. We asked for it. Food--the mussels were good, but TINY. Look I understand seasonality--if you can't get good mussels, then don't offer them...Plus we had 5 of the 20 or so that didn't open--for $18 I expect better than that. Yes, you could say "that's what you get for ordering mussels in Des Moines", but if you call yourself a French restaurant--of which mussels are a staple--then have good ones or don't have them. Period. The raviolis were awful. Drowning in a heavy, thick, cloying cream sauce. Less is more, people. I didn't eat half of them....which brings me to a pet peeve. When your patrons leave a LOT of food on their plate, and don't want a doggy bag--you might wonder why. It's usually NOT because they are on a diet....it's because the food wasn't worth eating/taking home.... The pot de creme? Man, you could cut that chocolate with a knife, and the dollop of whipped cream was not enough. At least it went well with the red wine I had left from my flight... After reading this I sound snarky, and that's not me--but this place seemed to have such potential, and yet it failed on almost every count. I won't be back, and I can't recommend it. Thought about giving it 3 stars, but just can't--particularly when there are much better places downtown. read more

My wife and parents had a wonderful dinner here on a Saturday night. We had reservations in advance and were a tiny bit put off that walk-ins were seated before us and that our table was nothing special. But the food made up for it. I sampled a flight of four two-oz pours of French wines. It was a nice way to do a tasting and a bargain at $10. We ordered the raw bar sampler which came with oysters, clams, mussels, and shrimp. The price was reasonable and the shellfish, a bit of a crap shoot in the midwest, was as fresh as any of ever had. We also enjoyed a cheese and meat sampler that included some locally made proscuitto, cured Italian beef, a sausage, a chutney, a very good brie, blue cheese and some other goodies. All was served with George Formaro's very good bread. I tried the Cassoulet for my main course, mostly because I've also been curious. It's a good, hearty bean stew with sausage and duck confit. It's traditional French farmhouse food that was hearty and tasty. My wife enjoyed the Niman Ranch chops, Mom had some good Spinach crepes and Dad had the seared scallops in a rich sauce, the star on the menu. We also tried a side of the heralded french fries. Outstanding. Best in Des Moines. We ended the night with an assortment of desserts, all very good. I enjoyed the pace of dinner. Food arrived promptly but the courses didn't land on top of one another. All told, we spent about $200 for dinner for four,with a fairly aggressive bar tab and a 20 percent tip. We enjoyed the night very much. We splurged but could have enjoyed a good meal there for far less money. Will definitely be back. read more

One of the things that I love about Django is that you don't have to drop a ton of money on a meal here to experience some excellent French classics and interesting twists on more familiar menu staples that have been taken up a few notches. I second the reviewer who mentioned the goat cheese appetizer...delicious! One of my favorite sandwiches, the Croque Madame, is large enough to share (or of course, savor all of that goodness yourself) and it is definitely the best I've ever had. My sister even claims that it's better than those she has had on trips to France. The braised beef in the Beef Bourginon practically melts in your mouth, while the red wine sauce coats the hand-cut pasta, getting that wonderful flavor from the beef into every bite. I would come here for, not only the excellent charcuterie selections or to try out more elaborate French cuisine classics, but also for a good steak or even a burger. The combination of up-scale and casual that is found in the food is also reflected in the atmosphere at Django. If you want a fine French meal in an equally fine establishment that also has a relaxed feel, go to Django. read more

I love love love Django. The menu mix is perfect. The drink options are well balanced. The atmosphere is always great. So we don't live here but I have been here 3 times and love it. Tonight we had a fantastic martini, manhatten , absenth cocktail . We also had Shrimp Coktail which was the best shrimp cocktail that I have had in years. We have also had 8oz filet with red wine reduction and a 10oz filet with a bernaise sauce. So tender and seasoned perfectly. Our service was fantastic timed perfectly. read more

See all

Been here twice now and both times were an incredible experience. I went here with my bf both times and the food and service was impeccable. Everything was extremely flavorful and creative. The service was fantastic and made us really feel fancy! It's worth the price because you're paying for quality for both service and food! Can't wait to come back!! read more

"Wow." That was probably the word used most during last night's dinner at Django with my boyfriend. Simply amazing food, and I wholeheartedly cannot wait to go back. Let me just get the one knock I have against them out of the way before getting to the delicious stuff. The service, as plenty of others have mentioned, needs some work. I'm not sure our server's name, but he was very on and off. Sometimes he would come by and be super personable, other times he was a bit awkward and standoffish. We had to wait a while to get our glasses for our wine that we brought, but he did come back often enough to fill our glasses. I am only saying this because it's not the service you would expect from a semi-upscale French restaurant. Overall, the service is fine, it's just not awesome. On to the food. Although it may seem silly, I LOVE the bread! It is perfectly baked and came out warm. I could have just eaten that, but we went with the escargot and the fried brussels sprouts for a proper appetizer as well. Second "wow" of the evening. Brussels sprouts were fried perfectly and garnished with just the right amount of parmesean. I couldn't taste much truffle, but the aioli was superb. The escargot is solid, nothing super amazing but it seems they know how to do them right. They are very large snails, so I think that's a plus. We wanted to take our time, so our server was very accommodating of this. The timing of our food arrival was great. I ordered the seared scallops, and the boyfriend had the Filet a Rossini. I thought he was going to keel over and die upon his first bite. He said it was far and away the best steak he's ever had in a restaurant. Perfectly medium rare, and to him, the foie gras and truffle were superb. I couldn't tell you anything about his sides since he was so smitten with that hefty little loin. My scallops were great - couldn't ask for scallops cooked more perfectly than those little guys, but my God, the lobster sweet corn pomme puree? That was glorious. I wanted so badly to not pound that whole serving, but I totally did, and I'm really not sorry. Totally worth every calorie. We opted out of dessert, thanks to the pomme puree, bread, and brussels sprouts occupying 110% of my stomach, but I would love to try the lemon mascarpone cheesecake some time! Our tab came out to $89 for the two apps and two entrees (and two of the most expensive entrees on the menu.) For that price, it's fitting for a celebratory special night out and in my opinion, very worth it. Overall, I think Django has some incredible chefs and I really enjoy the atmosphere. It is a great date night place (not too loud) when you really want to go big or impress a special someone. I think the only thing they really need to work on is getting some more solid servers that could give the experience the icing on the cake. read more

I was a long time customer at the old location. Not sure what happened, but the staff and food have declined terribly. I want to believe this is due to "growing pains" for the new location. Service was extremely slow. Food was cold (when it should have been hot) and bland (did you guys hire all new kitchen staff???). Hopefully I can edit and update this the next I come here, but I'm not even sure I will make the effort. It just doesn't have the same appeal, or taste, it used to have. read more