Love what Django has going on now. Great wine list and even better, no corkage fees. Menu has gotten better and better and so far everything I've tried has been fabulous. He steak was a very good cut and tasty. Everyone in my party of 4 had great meals. Service was probably the only not fabulous part, but the young man did he best. read more

My group of 8 people had a reservation and was promptly seated. It seemed to be a busy evening, but our server, Mary, was attentive, helpful, and was simply wonderful the entire night. Without realizing it, my group all ordered different items, and every single dish was phenomenal. I would lean toward the bouillabaisse or beef bourguigon in the future after trying all of the different dishes, but everything tasted wonderful. Also, I ordered a cocktail (the Devereux, if I remember correctly), which was quite nice - some of my favorite drink flavors I don't usually blend together, but made this drink tart, refreshing, & flavorful. I will definitely be back in the future - and everyone in my party felt the same. read more

Good Happy Hour Charcuterie plates. Nice wine list. I wasn't all that impressed by the "coziness" others referred to but it was fine. Duck fries are amazing and the shrimp, scallops and steaks were all quality, but the show stopper was the dessert french toast. OMG bacon syrup... you MUST try. read more

Great food and excellent service! This place wasn't as pricey as I had anticipated. I thought the burger I ordered was one of the best in town. They use bread and buns from South Union Bread Co. I definitely can't wait to go back here again. read more

Django is the standby for my boyfriend and I when we are looking for a nicer place to eat in town. The frites are a must-try, but I've never had anything here that I didn't love. French cuisine is hard to find sometimes, but Django does it right and does it well. Be prepared to spend some bucks in here. It's not an every night dining place, but a must for special occasions. The ambiance and building are lovely as well! It's pretty much a safe bet that if George Formaro has his hand in it, you will not be disappointed. read more

Django is superb! Went here last weekend with a group of 10 girls for a "girls night out". We got a private room but still had vision to the rest of the restaurant so we didn't feel closed off. We also had a personal waitress, Natalie, who went above and beyond by putting up with us! We all split a bunch of appetizers, oysters, New York strip, and a cheese board which was no problems splitting up on the bill. Another perk about Django is that they have NO CORKAGE FEE. Your table is welcome to bring as many bottles as you please. I would still suggest taking a look at their cocktail list. In all this would make a great date night and/or fancy night out with family or friends. read more

I felt like I was back in Chicago again where great BYOB restaurants are plentiful and popular with the locals. The service was excellent...not too overwhelming but attentive plus made great recommendations. The food is very good and just the right portion size leaving some left for the next day. The food is priced a little high for Des Moines but with the BYOW (Wine only) and no corkage fee, it's very affordable for fine dining. The atmosphere is lively but would be good for date night too. We will be back! read more

Went here for our anniversary dinner based on reputation, but were sorely disappointed... Our waitress kept forgetting about us, neglecting to bring our silverware, wine and order for a while. Luckily she comped our dessert though. Food was pretty standard. Most were pretty standard dishes with no exciting combinations. Wish we would have went to Proof a couple blocks west instead. read more

Dont waste your time here...After visiting this establishment over the past year, 16 times, and once considering this place the best restaurant in town. It has become very clear that within the past few months, since Juan the manager has taken over, that this place in service has declined, Significantly! This evening was the last straw. As normal, I sat at the high top tables near the bar. Normally, I am accompanied by 2 to 3 friends however tonight it was just me and my partner. Over the course of the evening I asked my server if I could pull an additional stool to the table (Normally 3 to 4 there for seating) because the bar on the stool (which I was sitting was uncomfortable). She said "yes, not a problem at all. We Normally have 3 people sitting at these stools anyway." So I pull a chair back to the table.... 1.5 hours later, some random guy try to walk by the table and says "is there someone sitting here?" Thinking it was a random guest, I said this chair is in use. After 2 minutes of the back and forth I asked if he worked here and he finally stated he did. I explained that due to the seating and blood flow for my legs I was utilizing the chair. Thinking that he was trying to replace it. That is when he decided to make up a ridiculous statement, not knowing that I have been coming here multiple times, and state that "due to a fire hazards the chair needs to be moved!" I asked how could this be true when the restaurant literally had someone sitting here this evening, according to the serve and the last 15 times over the past year of sitting in the same place, with 3 to 4 individuals? Now, because he wanted too be prideful and to create a situations, over nothing, just to show he was "in charge!" wantingto move the chair because a guest called him out on his bs.. It has become quite clear, between my last 2 visits, that this individual, Juan, is incapable of managing a restaurant and the guests who frequent it. He substitutes his lack of skills, finesse, and management talent with trying to degrade guests and exert authority to prove to himself, his staff and the owners that he is capable of his position. Unfortunately his is not successful. Guests service is crucial in this field not his self ego. When a guest is trying to be more comfortable, with a chair, where the restaurant normally seats more individuals at this table anyways. Plus the guest getting confirmation from the server that it is ok, and normal, and who is met with uncalled for resentment from a manager. This is ridiculous! Over a chair!... the ownership should really consider an individual who would jeopardize the business over his self ego and justification of it. We, on average have spent over $3,000 usd at this establishment, in the past year, and will not return because of his actions tonight and on the issues of our last visit (not covered here). This restaurant was fantastic and it is amazing that this one person can hurt and destroy a businesses reputation. It is as they say "it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only 5 minutes to destroy it!" Well Juan, you had your 5 minutes!.... (this has been dictated to a message by the Baron of Wokefield). read more

Django is such a great concept and I somewhat enjoyed it the first time I went there in 2009. I just visited in April 2012, and my experience was just not up to par with my first time. Let me start off by saying that the BYOB policy AND no corking fee are great. I live in Denver but I am Des Moines native and really miss the BYOB out here. The food we received at a table of 6 was all around cold. I ordered the Burger with Duck Fries. I was very excited for the duck fries, but was so dissapointed when they came out cold and soggy. My burger was ok, but also a bit cold and the bun was not toasted and kind of buttery/slimy. My girlfriend ordered the scallops, and they were 90% butter, 10% scallop. If I order scallops at a restaurant, I would hope they are better than the ones I make at home. These were so buttery and slimy that it was nearly inedible. Everyone else was unimpressed by there dinner. Too bad because I always liked Django as a spot to eat when I come home. read more

We have been to Django multiple times, and it is absolutely one of the best places to eat in Des Moines. The food is always consistently good, the restaurant itself is beautiful, and you cannot beat bringing in your own wine with no corking fee. We recently went when we were entertaining friends from out of town. One of the friends had lived on the west coast, and stated that the oysters were some of the best he had ever eaten. The soups are always fantastic, and the mussel entrees are my favorite. For impressing out of towners or a romantic date night, Django is always the best!! read more

Absolutely horrible, this is run by an idiot who thinks he is the greatest chef in the world. Pastries were rock hard, and burnt. Escargot was not served in the shells, and tasted like dirt. read more

A tad on the pricey side but the steak was amazing and worth it!The Brussel sprouts appetizer and calamari were great! Such large portions too! I had the hanger steak, which was very tender. My s.o had the new York strip. Very clean interior, nice ambience! read more

Django is a culinary adventure. The eclectic atmosphere is intoxicating and inviting. During my visit I was joking with my sister and I called her a (drater) this is spelled backwards. The hostess thought I was talking to her. She smiled and said, "That's ok". Who does that? She thought I Insulted her and smiled and was ready to seat us. Now, that's what I call customer service at it's very finest. I had the sweetbreads, a cheese flight of beautifully flavored cheeses. I loved the imported black olives. I also had the La Bell Farms Duck. It was a little too rare for. My taste and lacked the tenderness I was hoping for. On A previous visit I had the Rossini burger and hands down this is the best burger in town!!! The premium beef complimented by the foie gras and thinly shaved black truffle made my mouth say OMG! Clearly Django is an upper scale dining experience worthy of 41/2 stars. One of Des Moines Finest! read more

Django - Sweetbreads - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Amazing food! The stuff dreams are made of! Great atmosphere, not for those who are pinching pennies but definitely worth every cent!

Django is a great downtown restaurant. My workplace ordered a meal there and I had the Grilled Cheese (for grown-ups) White cheddar & Swiss with mushroom onion hash and white truffle oil on South Union Bakery country bread, I added the Niman Ranch Ham which was delicious. The leftovers were a great lunch for the next day. read more

We came in off the highway after reading some great reviews, but after trying Django, I have to say it was disappointing. We ordered two omelettes, one with fries and one with fruit salad. The omelette were pretty good, not amazing, but the fries were cold and dry like they had been prepared in advance and refried but left out too long and they were way too salty. The fruit was not ripe in the fruit salad, and it really was not a very special fruit salad at all. The toast came after we were almost through with the omelettes, and the service was slow and scattered. The concept and the atmosphere was lovely, but that did not make up at all for all of the weaknesses. read more

Great French food, at a fraction of the prices of NYC brasseries. Great Happy Hour specials - $1 oysters and half price Charcuterie!

The food was just ok. I was visiting from out of town and this place was recommended by many locals. I was very disappointed with the oysters, which I suppose is expected in the Midwest. Overall overpriced and underwhelming. read more

Some of the best food in Des Moines. Models itself after a Parisian restaurant with modern French dishes. I had the mushroom crepes and oysters and both were prepared perfectly. There is an excellent wine and cocktail selection and the staff are very knowledgable. Although in many ways the interior is similar to restaurants in Paris, I do feel that the tables/chairs and the ubiquitous gold curtain rods could be modernized. A gem in Des Moines, certainly worth the price. read more

Nice atmosphere, very good service and a great cross section of entrees. Fresh cheese plates are exceptional!

I love this place. The menu has great selections, there are fresh fish selections and an oyster bar. The wine selection is great. The wait staff is always super busy, but it doesn't stop them from being friendly and helpful. My kids loved the food too. It's a good place for the whole family. Busy atmosphere and a bit loud, but if you go in expecting that it's not off-putting. read more

I've had many great experiences at Django, but my most recent was bad enough to say I won't be back. Service was off compared with previous visits (quite disinterested and cold) and the food was subpar (the ravioli was served almost cold, and the chicken and bacon gratin was devoid of any real flavor). That could all be forgiven as simply an "off" night. Most troubling, however, was that halfway through my dessert (a chocolate Chambord cake, also rather uninspired) I bit into a 1-cm chunk of glass or hard plastic. The server said he'd take the dessert off our bill and alerted a manager, who came by our table a minute or two later. Her first question was, "Is everyone OK"? She expressed regret, but offered no actual apology, and repeated that the dessert would be removed from our bill -- which it was. I'm not after a freebie, but I certainly didn't appreciate paying almost $100 for a meal for two that ended with a chunk of glass in my mouth. Mistakes happen, and had the staff offered a sincere apology and taken care of our check, we could have forgiven this misstep. Django's best days are clearly behind it. There are many other better options downtown. read more

Went for happy hour with a group of girlfriends. We brought our own wine and were planning on sitting in the bar for appetizers, but it was packed. The staff was nice enough to sit us at a table in the restaurant, even though it was clear that they were going to be very busy that night and had no reason to treat us as well as they did (in my experience sometimes when customers do the BYOB/no cork fee option, servers lose interest quickly. The appetizers were tasty and we had very prompt and accomodating service. Would definitely recommend and plan to go back for dinner sometime soon. read more

4+. If you enjoy dining at the bar in a restaurant then you will love Django's. Thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the bar enjoying the atmosphere while dining on the best oysters I have had in a long time, the charcuterie board, and duck frites. Mwah! read more

Love the cuisine, they have amazing desserts. I wish they had more waiting staff that speak French like they advertise.

Seating remains a problem, with tables very close, but, if everyone is polite, it works. Our meal was, again, very good, served with care and at the correct temperature. We will be back. read more

Came here for brunch and was disappointed in the quality of my bananas foster French toast. It was dry and overly sweet. Our server was great and friendly and the environment of the restaurant is very nice. read more

Went to Django for the first time with a work group and it was fantastic! We tried many different appetizers and all raved about the escargot and even used the garlic butter as dipping sauce for their bread! I had filet and it was amazing. It's a little pricey but a great place for a date night or dinner with friends. I highly recommend it! read more

Django - Filet - amazing! - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We were regulars at the previous Django location. Unfortunately, after re-opening a the new location, it is very different. It is a multi-level room which creates the loudest atmosphere. The noise issue is so bad you cannot hear anyone at your table. There is a terrible echo. Also, it was freezing in the restaurant on a cold and rainy night. The waiter was less than enthusiastic to help us. We were excited to return to Django and had brought family from out of town. It was very disappointing we had recommended the place. The oyster bar is no where near as nice as the previous location, the charm is definitely gone. The menu looked promising, until our food came. My husband ordered steak, it came cold. He should have sent it back. I ordered salmon and it came drowning in a very gross dressing/pudding. I usually like sauces on salmon, but this was so bad you could not even tell what you were eating. I would not recommend. read more

One of the only BYOB (wine) in Des Moines. And it has great food. Bring a bottle of wine and enjoy a nice dinner without the hefty price tag. The ambience was just ok, but maybe that was becuase the obnoxious loud talkers next to us. Some seating is better than others, so ask to sit somehwere else if your table isn't the best. read more

I went here a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday around 2 PM & it wasn't busy at all, so the service was great. I ordered the Shrimp Chitarra pasta & it was good. The shrimp were bigger than I expected but no complaints here :) read more

I am very disappointed with Django. This is the third time that I have visited and each time has been a completely different experience. Initially the food that I had gotten there was phenomenal, however each subsequent time the food has been a disappointment and this occasion was no different. Not only was the food a disappointment but the service was dismal. I understand that we were there on a Friday night and this will be a much busier day of the week, however we sat for 10-15 minutes before our server came to greet us for the first time. After that, we waited 30 minutes for our food (that is completely fine with me!) however, during the 30 minutes we waited, we were served no bread (this restaurant is known for their wonderful bread!). When we asked if we could have some bread, we were given an exasperated answer "Again, the bread is in the oven and will be coming out shortly." Again? We only asked one time and we were incredibly polite about it. The server was obviously stressed and overwhelmed by the number of tables he had that night and we weren't on the top of his list. As I mentioned previously, the restaurant was incredibly crowded that night - which is great for them! We did make a reservation well over a week in advanced and upon our arrival, were given a tiny table in an incredibly awkward space near two double doors that peered into a large party room that was also in the walk way between rooms in the restaurant. While I thought third time could be the charm, this visit to Django did not impress me in the slightest and I have no interest or intent on visiting again. read more

Django - Spinach and Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese - French Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Amazing happy hour! No corking fee and always amazing food and service!! The ambience if great too. My favorite restaurant in downtown DSM.

Django never disappoints. I am a huge fan of their Le Royal with Cheese - always cooked just the way I ask. You can't go wrong with their onion rings as an appetizer. The no corkage fee is a huge plus - I love to bring a bottle of my favorite champagne to enjoy with dinner. Service is always top notch. One of my favorite places for dinner in Des Moines!! read more

Orchestrate brings us another great addition to Des Moines dining! My wife and I made reservations and upon getting to Django were greeted by name and immediately escorted to our table. (Impressed?) Our waitress was friendly, but knew exactly where to draw the line so as not to be to intrusive. We ordered the spare ribs (topped with french fries) for an appetizer. It was served not as hot as I would have liked, but I concede for this type of beef, it is near impossible. I ordered the Halibut and my wife ordered the scallops with potato. Both orders were served in good time, and piping hot! The Halibut was cooked well, and tasted ok. Certainly not my best experience, but then again, it IS halibut, which is lighter and not as flavorful. The scallops, on the other hand, impressed me very much. For lack of a proper description, they were full of flavor. (Great cream sauce!) My wife had a glass of wine, and I had a ginger Mojito which were both a great addition. Overall our experience here is great, and we will surly return again and again. Django is receiving four stars, because the spare ribs and halibut lacked the flavor of a 5 star meal, but regardless we were still quite impressed. read more

I come here every month with my book club. The servers are prompt and really know the menu. Can we talk about the Brussels sprouts? Um, the best. The duck fries are the best, don't skimp out on the harissa aioli. It's nice they don't have a corking fee, so you can bring your own bottle in! Love Django. read more

Great happy hour. The charcuterie plate was excellent as well as the cocktails. Oysters were very fresh and tasty.

Good but not great. I liked my omelet but my wife had the fruit crepes. The fruit was way to watery and ruined the texture and taste of the crepes. The other two in the party enjoyed their lunch but said for the price they weren't overly impressed. I would come back if someone wanted to go there, but not on my own. read more

I tried this for the first time today at lunch. Great food, great service...will definitely being going back. I had the grilled cheese and tomato bisque with truffle oil. YUM! A few of my friends tried the poutine and raved about it. I hear their burgers are also great and their salads look wonderful. read more