Out of towner here. We come to DM often to visit our daughter and grandkids. Have to say the Flying Mango is absolutely one of my immediate favorites here. Just had another great meal there. Wonderful and never disappoints. read more

The food is amazing! The staff is friendly and service is excellent! Owners are on the premises and part of the staff, always there to visit and offer a hand. O read more

If you like BBQ then you have to try this place. It's kind of small but the service and food are really quite amazing. Will return!

This place lived up the hype. You're going to end up spending a few dollars, but the food is fantastic. The catfish was perfectly prepared, the shrimp was to die for and the cake was spectacular. The drink menu was large but not overwhelming and full.of fantastic drink choices. read more

Flying Mango - Catfish and shrimp - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Outstanding! That's really all I need to say. The food is all great. Ownership is hilarious. Service is great. You must try the red beans and rice. Best in town. Melt in your mouth brisket. Killer deserts. Slap your face off cornbread. Just come here and eat. read more

Flying Mango - Redneck Surf - N - Turf - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We are long term, repeat customers! As long as they keep smoking their meats and making yummy sides (their cowboy beans are amazing), we will keep coming back! read more

Enjoyed this place a lot. The smoked chicken dip had a nice smoky flavor and the spicy chips go well with it but the dip needs a little something else... something aside from chicken, sour cream and cream cheese. Some onion or red pepper would kick it up, but still it is pretty tasty. I had the shrimp creole and kudos to the cooks for not dumbing this down with regard to spice level. I work with Iowans who think ketchup is spicy...they would not be able to eat this. But if you like spice...try it, it's hot! This is a very flavorful creole with large chunks of celery, onion and pepper. The tomatoes are luscious and sweet, a brief respite from the spice. Mine had seven jumbo shrimp which is great for a $25 dish. I'd suggest the top shelf margarita to wash it down and cool the burn. Dessert was Red Hots Apple pie, which was tasty. Service by our waitress was excellent. I will definitely go back. read more

First time at the flying mango...it will probably be my last. After all the rave reviews I admit I expected a lot but my standards aren't horribly high. I like to think that I am level headed. Not trying to put them down unnecessarily just trying to be truthful. To start with if you have never been here before and you come in it looks a bit disconcerting. You enter in through a door that sticks and it looks like you enter in through the kitchen. No big deal really but I almost thought we were at the wrong place. We started with the wings which were VERY good. Unfortunately these were the best part of the meal. They were smoked and drenched in a soy lime sauce which made them delicious. We then moved on to the brisket meal for myself, and my wife had the pick three of ribs, brisket and andouille. We both had the coleslaw and a sweet potato mango cake for our sides. The coleslaw was great, really refreshing and not cloying. The sweet potato mango cake was really not good. It had zero flavor. They need to add salt and spices it tasted like eating a baked potato un-seasoned out of the microwave. The much hyped brisket....was dry...so dry in fact that my wife and I had drench it in sauce in order to be able to eat it. So disappointing. The ribs were good, the sausage, not sure if their sausage is made in house but it had no difference from the andouille I buy from Walmart. Lastly dessert, here is where the rating dropped to two stars...my wife ordered the rhubarb crumble and I ordered the bread pudding. Honestly the bread pudding at famous dave's is better and the rhubarb crumble....it tasted like crunchy altoids. I rarely ever refuse dessert but after trying a bite of my wife's I recoiled in disgust. I have never had a dessert experience that I would call comparable to gargling listerine. It's like the chef just doused the crumble in anise seed. Stay away. Sad to say as I know this is a Des Moines institution but for the price of the meal and the quality of the meal the best I can give this place is two stars. read more

Flying Mango - Wings the best part of the meal. Could inhale the sauce. - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Flying Mango has never dissapointed. We lived in Des Moines until 2008 and then moved away for seven years, and returned last year to find the food and service were still excellent. On my most recent visit my dining companion and I each had the full rack of ribs. I was able to turn that into dinner and a couple of lunches. The ribs are very smoky, tender, and flavorful. They are very dark on the outside which might intimidate some people, but that just adds to the flavor. My 'to-go' package even had a container of sauce in it to use for the lunches, which was a nice touch. When I arrived I was seated promptly and my drink order was delivered. My companion was not there yet but told me he was on the way and asked that I get his drink order started. Our waitress got it ready and delivered it to him as soon as he got to the table - another nice touch. Service overall was very efficient and friendly. The waitress was able to answer all of our questions about the menu and features. Back to the food - my ribs came with two sides. I had the red beans and rice, which rivals my recipe, so I thought they were pretty darn good! I also had cheese grits, which were the best I've had since being back in Des Moines. I'm not sure they quite measure up to what I had while living in the south over the past few years, but they were still very tasty. It is a very casual atmosphere with friendly and attentive employees. Food is delivered quickly and is very reasonably priced - particularly considering the generous portions. read more

Hands down the best smokes brisket in US. I have been following Mike for a long time and can attest he is one of the best chef's in Des Moines. read more

With all the hype, I was really excited to try this resturant! Price: Look to spend at least $15-20 per entree. Parking: mini lot Food: - Pick 3 BBQ platter of Chicken, Brisket, and Ribs ---- the brisket was very tender and the ribs were fall off the bone. They were both very flavorful. They chicken was the least flavorful and awkward in texture. - Catfish --- ehh, prob wouldn't order again. Service: I was most disappointed in this. Upon seating, the waitress threw our menus on the table and took forever to come take our order. read more

Flying Mango - Hot sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This place is my jam, now days I just call in my murder and take it to go because it's so close to work, but I absolutely just love the staff at flying mango, A freaking + the bartender making some strong drinks, and the food, most of the time on point, just a few things, that bbqs sauce for the 24 hour brisket is not good, am a huge sauce person am from Kansas city I know bbqs okay lol and second those collard greens are not real collard greens, they got no soul they are sour and sweet and that's a weird combination. They need to be cooked longer better very and I need some spice. My go to dish is the cajun catfish, can never go wrong with that one if your new to the menu! read more

Good spin on Cajun. Most of the dishes are lighter than what you might find down south, which I think is a plus. Also a wide variety of dishes, some you might not consider "cajun" until you try the Flying Mango version. The grill is in plain sight as you walk in, both reassuring and fun to watch. The manager (owner?) is very pleasant and makes sure to mix it up with happy patrons walking out the door. read more

The Flying Mango is a wonderful dining experience. It's in a semi residential area so it has a nice home feel to it. It's pretty nice inside, great ambiance. The front hostesses are very friendly as well the wait staff, great service all around. I had the brisket, collard greens, and red beans/ rice they were very good. Brisket is smoked for 24 hours according to menu, definitely some nice BBQ. The house BBQ sauce is good as well. They have many BBQ and Cajun inspired dishes. Only issue is the prices for entrees are a little high and portions aren't exactly huge, but the food is delicious. read more

This was the first time coming here and we came during dinner time. I always love a good BBQ join and this place is definitely it. I ordered their 3 meat platter that came with two sides. The sausage was awesome. Super juicy and flavorful. The ribs were ok. They are dry rub ribs and are more of the firm kind than the fall of the bone type that I like. They were still very smoky and flavorful, but I prefer wet rub and fall off the bone kind. Now to the brisket. This brisket was absolutely amazing. It was the best brisket I've had. It was super thick and juicy. It was so gently that a simple touch with a fork made it fall apart. It had lots of fat and it was mobilized around the edges just how I like it. The sides were pretty good also and their vodka martini was probably three shots worth so I definitely go the nice warm feeling inside from all the good food and a nice strong martini. I'd love to come here and try other dishes. I could tell the food was made with love. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking to eat some good BBQ. read more

Flying Mango - Super strong. Made me feel pretty good. :) - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We've wanted to try this place out for months and it lived up to our expectations! I can't remember the last time we ate every bit of the food off our plates We arrived about 20 minutes before our reservation so we sat and had drinks in the waiting area. Once seated we were quickly greeted by our very friendly and attentive waitress. We went with the appetizer special, catfish cakes. We were starving and ate them before I remembered to take a picture. Great flavor! They were served on a bed of mixed greens. For our main entrees I had the triggerfish and my bf had the beef brisket. Neither of us shared so I'm assuming both were amazing! I had never had triggerfish but it was light and flaky, matching well with the veggies and mango salsa. We also had a side of cornbread with honey cinnamon butter. Our dessert was the white chocolate bread pudding. I loved the bread pudding, wish it had been a little warmer. The mango syrup was good but didn't seem to pair as well and the cold temperature didn't work for me so I ate without the syrup. Still the perfect conclusion to our meal! We will definitely be back! The prices make it a special occasion restaurant but I enjoyed every bite, the atmosphere, and extremely friendly service! read more

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So before they temporarily closed this place the food had gone down hill. Like most places in Iowa the food portions were getting smaller (Does the name Des Moines mean small food) and the meats were rarely cooked correctly. Maybe these guys are in Louisiana learning to manage a restaurant. read more

So upon leaving this great little gem of a restaurant here in Des Moines, I wrote down on the comment card that I'd be writing a review on Yelp, and it would be a 5 star one. Well, this is definitely late, but I finally am writing it! Extremely friendly from the start, I was definitely looking forward to eating here based on all the other reviews. I was not disappointed. Everything about this place was great - the people, the atmosphere, the food. Ahhhhh, just delightful. I had the trio of brisket, ribs, and sausage. You know how in those Travel Channel or Food Network shows they always talk about the smoke ring you can see in BBQ? Oh gosh, now I know what they're talking about! The brisket had the craziest smoke ring, and it was delicious. The ribs were nice and spicy, and the sausage was some of the best I've ever had. I think that out of the three, the sausage was my favorite, but it was all delicious. Even though I was out on business and probably wouldn't be able to get to the leftovers, I made sure I got my leftovers. Um, yeah, I ate the leftovers later that night, even though I was still pretty full. Ahhhh, deliciousness! read more

It was a late night rolling in to Des Moines and making dinner wasn't at the top of our fun list for the night. Fortunately, the Flying Mango is conveniently located a few easy blocks from the house, had long been bookmarked and offers carry out. I made the call and 20 minutes later our feastly of feasts was in my hands. The menu is easily displayed on the website with fun options like sweet potato pancakes and greens catching my eye. Give that 'q is their thing, I opted for a sampler plate for us to share with ribs, chicken and (pulled pork, I believe?). I will say, this place isn't on the cheap end when it comes to bbq options. Be forewarned that the tab can quickly run up for two people making it a little harder to justify for carry out. Of the three meats, I would go for the ribs again. The other meats were on the drier side. The sides were quite tasty and given the extensive options, I had a really hard time deciding which would be on our plates for the night. One of my favorite parts of this business is the open kitchen when you enter with an EXTREMELY friendly crew of chefs and employees. Friendliness like that is hard to forget! read more

My family loves diners, drive ins, and dives so we had to try this place. The food was sooo good and the service was excellent! My boyfriend has been to a lot of DDDs locations and this is the first time he saw the person that was making the recipes with Guy in the actual restaurant, so that was exciting! Also, I enjoyed the ambiance. read more

Flying mango has been one of my favorite spots in Des Moines for quite some time. Great atmosphere and great food.

This place is such a cute little BBQ joint. They were super busy yet we were able to get right in at 7:30pm without waiting, so that's a plus for me. My ribs was spot on, wish it was juicy though, however it was still delicious though. The portions are very generous, I took half of my ribs home. read more

Flying Mango - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I am beginning to regret sitting down to write this review, because now that I'm thinking about Flying Mango's food, my mouth is starting to water. No exaggeration! I'm no expert in the world of BBQ, and I'm not the guy who's going to try to tell you what's what in the world of smoked meats. I only know what I like, and what I enjoy out of a dining experience . . . so . . . all I can say is that this place is fantastic. Whether you make a reservation (I'd suggest it) or just drop in, you're going to have a good experience; even if you have to wait, their staff will offer you drinks in the waiting area. But, be prepared, it is torture to sit smell all the good food smoking right in front of you. It's a little on the small side for such a good restaurant, but I wouldn't call it cramped. A nice atmosphere, friendly staff, and did I mention the food? Seriously . . . it's ridiculously good. I can't really find anything to criticize about the place, except maybe I wouldn't mind seeing steak fries on the menu (I can only imagine how good they would be in their BBQ sauce!). I must stop writing now before I drown myself in drool. I look forward to our next visit! read more

Let me start out by saying - the server was great. She definitely tried her best and made us feel welcome. Here's the bad part - I ordered shrimp and grits. Now I believe taste is subjective so what's for you might not be for me and vice versa. However, there are bad grits and these were bad grits. They were beyond dry - think very gritty and minimally moist. They used goat cheese in the making of the grits and typically goat cheese has a distinctive flavor - these had no flavor. Additionally, I can only describe the shrimp as being seasoned for Thanksgiving. Strangest shrimp and grits I've ever had. read more

We came on a Saturday night around 9 PM. The staff was very accomadating for our group of 9 people. We were seated in 10 mins. Server advised us that she had another large group on the other side. We finished by 10:30 PM and staff was nice about us staying late. We appreciated the friendly staff. What we ordered: Mango ice tea - non sweet and delicious. Smoked chicken dip with seasoned tortilla chips - absolutely yummy! This was a great dip to share with the table. The chips have a nice spice to it. Mussels in white wine sauce - delicious! Served with two slices of garlic bread. 3 meat smoked bbq meal with coleslaw and corn bread -- price is about 26. Sausage, ribs and beef brisket. Sausage was spicy and good. Ribs were tasteful. Trigger fish with mango salsa - highly recommend this dish. Grilled and seasoned perfectly. Toddler and husband enjoyed this dish!! Overall our guest enjoyed there meals and would def come back again! read more

We had never been here before but did hear good things. Some friends wanted to meet up for dinner so we settled on The Flying Mango. I'll just start off by saying it turned out to be an amazing decision! The 5 of us started off with the brisket quesadillia. Amazing! My friend and I got the brisket, garlic mashed potatoes and red beans and rice. All fantastic! His wife got, I believe, a creole platter that she very much liked. My wife got the chicken dinner, which was literally half a chicken. She took half home but said it tasted great. As for our mini-yelper, she got the kids quesadillia. She really liked it and took half of hers home as well. About the only negative thing I can say about this place is that it can get a little loud. Highly recommend!!! read more

Flying Mango - Waiting for friends - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This barbeque is really freakin good. We expected a mob of ppl to be there at dinner time so we went really early at 5:30...well, everyone else had that same idea because it was packed, and we waited an hour to be seated. But when we were leaving at normal dinner time, there was no wait. *sigh* It was really loud inside, and the ambiance is nothing to speak of, but the food makes it all worth it. It was the best beef brisket and grits I've had since moving from Texas. I normally don't waste stomach space on cornbread, well..I ate the whole thing. It was more like cake than cornbread, it was moist and was slathered with honey butter, like icing. Next time, one of my sides will be another piece of cornbread. Maybe even both sides. read more

Very cute joint, and the food is DELICIOUS! Staff was very friendly but honestly come for the food. Best bbq in Des Moines hands down. ORDER THE BRISKET! read more

The customer service at Flying Mango is unrivaled. We had the takeout ribs and the bourbon pecan pie. We could not be happier with the food or service. We are so glad to be supporting a local business during Covid. Thank you so much. read more

First time there and it was great. Busy, but our waitress was amazing. Homemade dessert!! The trout was delicious. Locally owned.

I used Yelp to find a place to eat tonight. I am in from Atlanta. The Flying Mango was great. I had the brisket with red beans and rice. The food was excellent, the service was great. I highly recommend The Flying Mango. read more

Flying Mango - The Flying Mango. Make it a destination. - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We have never been disappointed with the food and the service. This is our go to place to take visitors, celebrate birthdays, or just enjoy a great meal. The brisket is to die for and the desserts are never fail hits. read more

This place is my favorite place in Des Moines. The food was off the chart. I got there 24 hour because 23 hour isn't enough smoked brisket. It was cooked so perfect that it flaked off and melted in your mouth. Getting hungry for it writing this review. The mashed potatoes were just right. It had a flavor I don't recall but similar to horse radish. Then the veggies I ordered just topped it off. The service is awesome and makes you feel at home. read more

Flying Mango - 24 hour because 23 isn't enough brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

In town for state track and looking for a fun place with good food...Flying Mango was the ticket! The owner welcomed us with open arms! Waitress was quick, fun and extremely knowledgeable. Amazing brisket and ribs!!! Fork tender with oh-so good flavor. Authentic smoke...what's not to love. Mustard potatoes,cowboy beans and apple sides did not disappoint. And, we could not resist the homemade rhubarb pie for dessert! Warm, welcoming family-owned place! Don't think twice, run to Flying Mango and give it a try! read more

Right when you walk in you can tell by the aroma you are in for a treat. The staff was great and made us feel like we were regulars. Food was amazing! Would recommend going early and calling ahead because it fills up fast. read more

My husband and I happened upon this restaurant the night before we were due to fly out for separate trips. We are trying hard to support locally owned businesses and so try to eat at restaurants that are not chains and there no more than three of. We arrived a bit before they opened, having to wait in the parking lot. So glad we did. It was so worth it!! The owner Mike kindly gave us suggestions and took the time to talk with us, sharing stories and making that sweet transition from customer to friends. The food was nothing less than amazing! I love it when I get to taste things that are a whole new experience for the palate. Such a culinary adventure. Between our conversations with Mike our server Sarah was also delightful companion in our dining experience. We will definitely become regulars when in the Des Moines area. Life is busy. I rarely take the time to write reviews unless the experience is so over the top I can't help myself.... thus the reason for this review! read more

Amazing food, service and Ambiance ! The owner is always friendly and genuinely cares about his customers!

This shit rocked. I loved the atmosphere, staff, food, location. Everything. The ribs incredible, the brisket incredible, beef brisket titty milk mcgee. read more

Wow wow wow WOW - almost makes driving across Iowa worth it! But seriously, we'll be stopping by next time we're in Iowa. Upon arrival, we were greatly by friendly staff who offered a sampling of ribs. They must have been able to tell we were famished, and boy did those ribs hit the spot! We were promptly seated and ordered brisket, sausage, ribs, and something else I've since forgotten since this was in my draft box the past five months... Service was prompt and friendly. Prices were reasonable. I think of this BBQ place on a regular basis and wish they franchised a place out in CO. Until our next cross-country road trip! read more

Best restaurant in town. Better pork chops than 801 Chophouse. Make sure to try everything on the menu. You'll love all of it.