Everything was phenomenal! The food and drinks were !! The staff were very friendly and handled a very busy Friday afternoon. The atmosphere was just perfect! Everything was great! I highly recommend this place!!! read more

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This was a very pleasant restaurant, comfortable and casual dining with good food. The service was excellent and gave us great recommendations to try. I even purchased a cute mug to take home! read more

Amazing food choices! Lots of gluten free or gluten prepared options! Gluten free Churro Waffles with Chantilly cream ! Pig out platter had the best pork belly and candied bacon ever! Our server was knowledgeable and very friendly! It was so good we are going back tomorrow! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - Churro Gluten free Waffles, Pig Out meat sampler and French Toast with Marscipone whip! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Quick and friendly service. Sat within minutes after arriving at a busier time of the morning.

Service was good, food was great! Cinnamon roll pancakes were reportedly "amazing" by my sweet tooth teenager. I had the chilaquiles and it was a fantastic array of salsas, cheese and toppings. If we are ever back I would get the burrito next because the table beside us had one and it was huge and looked delicious. read more

I ate here on 8/9/2025. I had the salmon eggs Benedict. I made it approximately 3/4 of the way through one of the two when I began feeling like I was being stabbed in the stomach. While leaving I began gaging in the parking lot, and subsequently throwing up all the way home due to food poisoning..... my son's french toast sticks were great though. read more

I absolutely adore Early Bird. I've been to the Ankeny location twice and both times the food blew me away. I've tried their sweet and savory and both deserve more hype. The service is great, with attentiveness that doesn't become hovering. It's definitely a busy place on the weekends so be prepared for a let of conversations and frivolity. I've found that sitting in the back portion of the restaurant makes it much quieter, so definitely ask for that if you're wanting a more relaxed feeling. Early Bird has become my go-to brunch spot in the Des Moines area. You must check it out! Recommendations: Apps - Cinny-Bobs Entrees - Pancake Sandy, El Gordo Morning Burrito Bowl (spicy!) Sides - Tots Drinks - Biscoffee (alcoholic) read more

For first impressions, the building is placed in an awkward location. When you walk in, you have to check in on an iPad and wait inside, which I thought was interesting but not bad. We waited about 5-10 minutes until we were seated, but they were super busy so that is understandable. The ambiance in the place is very cute and relaxed, with pops of color and cute photos on the walls. The bar was cute and the seating was fun. The menu is very big and has a lot of options, but I did wish there was an option of a little bit of everything (pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc). I chose to get the chicken and waffles and my boyfriend got the burrito. The burrito was huge and delicious! The chicken was so tender it melted in your mouth, the breading was thin but delicious, and the waffles were yummy! I had eggs and bacon as a side and they were good as well. The only thing that brought down my review was the service. We were treated well in the beginning, but our waiter left and didn't show up for a while. We didn't even get one refill of water even when we ran out. After I finished my first cup of coffee, I was not offered another. After we finished eating, our waiter didn't give us the bill for about 30 minutes. We had to go up to the bar and give them the bill and pay because they never came back again. Our waiter did also say some inappropriate things to us as well. They said they'd never ate there when I asked them what they would recommend to eat. Overall, I thought the food was very good, the prices were pretty high, but I think it's worth a try! Besides our waiter, it looked like everyone was waited on well and treated how we should have been. I would not let our waiting experience deter you. It is a worthy eat! read more

The food was decent, service was great, and we didn't have to wait for a table at 10am on a Sunday! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - BFAST TACOS TOTS - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Extremely surprised at the low reviews for this place as my experience was great. Went on a Friday morning for breakfast/brunch and was seated very quickly. Place was a little busy but got awesome customer service from the hostess and the waitress once seated. Had never been here so asked for opinions on drinks and food and the waitress had some great recommendations on drinks/dishes. She was really nice, had a great attitude and was super friendly. Food and drinks came very timely and were on point. For drinks we had an Espresso Martini 4/5, Good Doctor 3.5/5 and a Beermosa 5/5. For entrees we had Crab Cake Benny 4/5, Chicken Fried Steak 5/5 and an order of Pancakes 4/5. Everything was on point, only knock I had on this place was the Good Doctor. It was a tiny bit watered down to me but nothing outrageous. Might've just gotten a bad pour but again, nothing to bash this place on. Seen a few reviews complaining about pricing but i thought everything was very well priced considering economy and quality of food/service I received. I'm also from CA so i know what expensive really is lol. Overall, all things considered, this place was great and I am definitely happy it's in Ankeny. Definitely needed more breakfast places to patronize and I will 100% be coming back and trying more of their menu. read more

Food is amazing! Gluten free options available! Services is great! Coffee is delicious!!

We get something different and everything is delicious. Hash holes and Bennie's are usually the table favorites! Portions are huge. Would highly recommend! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - CRAB RANGOON OMELETTE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Loved our visit!! We adore the Waukee location & were so excited to try out the Ankeny location. It's got quite a bit more tables & I always recommend you make a reservation so you're not waiting!! The interior is brightly lit, service was super fast & the food was impeccable as usual. I am super excited about their opening here & can't wait to enjoy it with friends!! read more

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We were visiting our kids in Ankeny and had a great breakfast at Early Bird! Our food and service was wonderful. Peach/Sarah was an amazing server. She took great care of our large crew! Thank you Peach for great service. We will definitely be back! read more

I've been here a few times, and it's always an amazing experience! The food is fantastic, and the service is top-notch! Even when it's packed, my meal arrives steaming hot and super fast. My only wish? They could add green tea or chai tea to the menu to make it absolutely perfect! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - DENVER SCRAMBLE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Our server Anna was awesome 10/10. Food was 10/10 per usual. Drinks took a little while to get but it was busy so no big deal. read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - Biscoffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Great food! clean, fun environment really enjoyed the experience... if you like a mimosa with breakfast this is the place for you

We were really hoping to like this place. The good: got on the waitlist and was seated shortly after arrival. Drinks came quickly and were yummy. Servings were large. The bad: all of the food was cold and dry. Biscuits and gravy was dry. Eggs tasted fake. Hash browns had funky seasoning that we weren't a fan of. Overall, it is far too expensive for not great food. read more

Amazing food. We haven't had a bad dish here. Get the Hash Holes for an appetizer, you will not be disappointed. Their pork is also some of the best we've had. The atmosphere is fun and the decor is very cute and cohesive. One of my favorite places to take out of town guests! Just get there early or make a reservation through Yelp... they get busy very quickly! read more

Fantastic food and super friendly and efficient service. Prices are a bit high but portions are huge, so sharing an entree would be a great option to keep things a little more affordable! read more

The staff is always so friendly and the service is great. The General Manager even made a special birthday pancake for my granddaughter. She loved it. Thanks Early Birds, we will be back soon!! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

The food was fantastic. My wife had a build your own omelette and I had the traveler omelette. And we shared with some friends the hasholes and tot poutine. The better one was the tot poutine. Service wasn't too bad, but could use some improvement. The staff was very friendly but we had to ask for water twice to get it filled once. We were hoping to have our adult drinks before the meal came out, but we were about halfway through before we got them. The drinks were awesome though. It doesn't mean that I won't come back. Because he food was top notch!!!! There is new staff working out the kinks and I understand. read more

I've been to the dsm early bird multiple times. So glad to have it in Ankeny! I put my name in before arriving via their website & I was able to get a table right away upon arrival. Service was great!! Apparently they change their menu seasonally which I love because it keeps me coming back! They still had a video playing on their TV like they do in DSM so the atmosphere is still fun! read more

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Had the chicken and waffles. The chicken was obviously frozen previously and the meat was an off white green ish color. Atmosphere was also fun but chairs very uncomfortable. read more

The food service is a 5 but the fact when you call you can't speak to a human lowers the score.

Went to Early bird today about 10:30. Wanted to give a few weeks for restaurant to settle in. Decor is very bright and cheery with pop art of breakfast foods. Server was friendly and attentive, I had the pot pie which was very flaky with sausage and hash browns and scrambled eggs (subbed from sunny side up) My wife had the Hasholes which she thought were pretty good. I would give a 4.5 if yelp would let me, but every thing was so smooth and well done, I will round up. read more

Desiree was our server, she's AMAZING!! Atmosphere was nice and busy!! Food was ok. Expected the same quality as we get at the Des Moines location, that was not delivered. Room for improvement. read more

Good food, service was ok. Feels a little bit like a cafeteria. But overall, we will likely go back.

Amazing food and amazing service! The BBLT blows my mind every time and you have to try the Crab Rangoon Omelet!!! Thanks for your service Kenna. Great work. read more

Love. Great food, great shows/movies they put on the tvs. Have been back so many times! All early bird locations have been wonderful.

We hopped on waitlist to save ourselves some time- recommend it. The menu is big! We had a hard time choosing. Great food and portions were big! read more

Early Bird - Ankeny - Biscuit and gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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Omg! So worth the try!! Very clean, very cute and very good food!!! Our waitress was also amazing, she was very attentive and had the sweetest disposition I've ever seen. I had the chicken fried steak w/ eggs and hash browns . I subbed the toast with a pancake. The pancake was big as a plate and so was the chicken fried steak Great food , great place! read more

The only negative I can say about this place is that when it's crowded, it is VERY loud and echos. We orders churro waffles and the hippie sandwich. Both were delicious!!!! Our waitress was very nice and attentive. It's not the cheapest place for brunch, but it has become one of our favorites! read more

The food and drinks are delicious! The service is efficient and the restaurant is so cute! Be ready for a wait - I recommend checking in online. read more

This is one of what I would call the modern breakfast restaurant. The previous generation had Dennys and Perkins, but new restaurants have it be hip, have more exciting options and some fancy logo. I was happy with the cleanliness. I was happy with the size of the menu. It was neither particularly cheap or expensive- the prices were quite in with Perkins, IHOP and other breakfast restaurants The food was really good. Yes it was breakfast food but was very good. It didn't look like a lot on the plate but it was a decent portion. In the pursuit of being hip and modern plating, it probably ironically works against them. Service was disappointing for the time of day and generally empty Weekday restaurant. Server did the bare minimum and that's probably why I have seen so many negative reviews. Personally I enjoyed everything else but considered deducting two stars for the service. It perhaps was lucky everything else was in line as this easily could have went from a four star review to a two star review if there had been a wait for a table or the place wasn't clean read more

The food quality and the customer service are great. We went there twice and both times the experience was excellent. Our server Sam on the first visit and Lindsey and Diana on the second visit were very attentive. We will definitely go back every week and recommend this place to everyone. read more

Hubby and I had breakfast here today and we had such a good experience. Everyone was so nice and friendly. Our waitress, Desiree, was so attentive despite taking care of other customers. We didn't have to wait for a thing. We had one, little snafu. They got the order wrong for my husband's breakfast, so they had to remake it. It didn't take that long for him to get the correct food ,but it's always awkward to get your food when the other person doesn't have theirs. The manager automatically comped his meal which I thought was very generous. We had a few requests to make the food to our liking (crispy hashbrowns, gravy on the side,!etc) and they nailed it. The food was excellent! You think that breakfast is pretty basic and hard to screw up, but that's not true. The scrambled eggs were fluffy, the bacon was crisp w/o being burned, the pancake was puffy, the chicken-fried steak was crispy, not soggy and so on. Give this place a try, especially if you're a breakfast person like me. read more

Great drinks and food! Check in online to save the wait. Bright colors with a mid mod vibe create a fun place to dine.

Always delicious, service is fast. The churro waffles are a family favorite! The ambiance is relaxed and family friendly

Food was excellent!! Karla, our server was phenomenal! Highly recommend this place.