What a charming spot!! Walking into this place feels like stepping right into the Mediterranean --…read morethe decor is absolutely on point. I ordered the rice platter with falafel, and wow, flavor explosion! The tzatziki tasted homemade (because it probably is) and was super creamy and delicious. Now, let's talk about the tiny plot twist -- they charge $0.75 each for olives and feta. Not a dealbreaker, but for that price I was hoping for more than five lonely olive slices and a baby spoonful of feta. Still, everything else totally made up for it -- the food came out fast, fresh, and full of flavor. I'll definitely be back!

This was a great spot! The inside space had a great vibe and energy; on brand decor, bright…read morelighting, neon signs. The staff were young and friendly. The seating space indoors was small but there was substantial patio seating available if the day was sunnier! We ordered two ginger lemonade which were fresh and delicious. Started with an appetizer of pita and red pepper hummus which was average. For mains, we did a falafel burger and a moroccan chicken skewer which were AMAZING. I mean, like flavors that made me so happy. The chicken skewers had a strong seasoning and were accompanied by a sauce that created a dynamic flavor pairing. Finished with baklava that was average; had a good flavor but it was a bit dry. Will be back!

Garbanzo is fantastic! I was in Iowa for work and was looking for a quick but healthy lunch option…read morewhen I stumbled upon Garbanzo. Their food is fantastic, service is quick, and it tastes great! It's fast casual "build your own bowl" style place, very similar to Chipotle, just with Mediterranean options. Portion sizes here are great and all of the ingredients seemed very fresh. This is going to be my "go to" stop for the next couple of days for lunch!

3.5 I had been wanting to try this place for awhile and…read moreafter I got some coupons in the mail, I made it happen. I ordered a harissa chicken gyro with lettuce, cucumber/tomato, and tzatziki. My husband got the basic lamb gyro. Both were very tasty and made well, but the pita bread just fell apart and made it very messy to eat. All the options are customizable and similar to a "chipotle" ordering where you pick your option, protein, veggies, and sauce. The staff were friendly and efficient even after telling us they were short staffed. Their soda machine had some fun choices to choose from. We enjoyed the strawberry and cream soda. Pricing seemed medium-high at $11 for just the gyro and Ala carte add ons for drinks and sides. The interior had plenty of booths, tables, and patio seating. The bathrooms were ok, could've been cleaner. Overall, I'd come back but just not my first choice.

A wonderful taste of Greece right here in downtown Des Moines. Pictures of mom back in Greece on…read morethe wall, and her recipes used, lend a real feel of authenticity. We were welcomed warmly and seated immediately. Started with a few appetizers, which were over the top. Enjoyed the Gyro platter and some moussaka all very good flavor. A nice selection of beer and some wines to accompany just about any dish. Complementary salad and soup with almost every entrée mix for a very filling meal. Open most days from 11 AM to 9 PM. Check it out when you're in the area.

Always good! Love the flaming cheese and overall just good food, amazing salad , was seated quickly…read moreand great ready location

Delicious hummus and baba ganouj! Lovely ambiance too. Friendly staff & reasonable prices…read more I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetarian platter.

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $50 05/15/2026 My wife is fond of her Lebanese heritage, so when we saw Open Sesame on the Des Moines Register's Must Go List in East Village last month, we knew we needed to check it out. Last night was our opportunity and boy was it ever a memorable experience! Their website speaks of it being a colorful decor - and that is true both inside and out (see pictures)! We were warmly greeted and promptly seated - and asked if he could take our picture under the billowing, colorful ceiling (see picture). We started with a a round of drinks - my wife ordered the Ishtar's Revenge (see picture) and I went with the Yazmina (see picture). All of the cocktails are quite unique and we enjoyed both of these. As we started talking with our server, MJ - he looked familiar and his story sounded familiar. We asked and he confirmed that he used to own Gazali's in Clive, IA - a restaurant closer to our home that we enjoyed several times. MJ recommended the the Vegetarian Sampler Plate (see picture) for an appetizer and we loved it - offering the opportunity to sample several different Lebanese menu items on one plate. For our main courses, my wife ordered the Shawarma Chicken Pita Wrap (see picture) and I opted for the Combo Rice Plate (see picture), done spicy per MJ's suggestion. As we always do, we shared tastes of each of our dishes and loved them both! Lastly, the Jalab (rose and date infused water - see picture) caught my eye - so I ordered one of those to enjoy with my meal. Again, it is highly recommended! What visit to a Lebanese restaurant would be complete without Baklava (see picture), which MJ recommended that we enjoy with Turkish Coffees (see picture and video of pouring). We even got an education on how best to each the Baklava - pick it up with your fingers, take a bite, then keep that bite in your mouth while you take a sip of the Turkish Coffee - then enjoy! While it is hard not to enjoy Bakalava, it was even better when paired with the Turkish Coffee. If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.

There have been restaurants with several styles of food that have come up lately that have made us…read morevery happy, and I have talked about them in their reviews. We went to one such today. Lizzie and I have bemoaned the lack of a good shawarma place. You're get no more moaning from us, except moans of pleasure. We went very simple today, I got shawarma, Lizzie got a lamb kebob, we shared some hummus. First the hummus. It's the best hummus in town. Simple, rich with flavor, with an amazing flat bread that comes with it. I had a taste of Lizzie's lamb kebob, and it was great. A bit of her salad as well, also really tasty. My shawarma was incredible. The meat was spiced nicely, the pickles included were so tasty. The garlic sauce that came with it was subtle, but added so much. We will be going back again and again. This leaped into my top 5 favorite places in town easily today. Go give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

New family owned local restaurant. We had a chicken and a falafel shawarma to go. Both were really…read morefresh and flavorful. My kid devoured it didn't even complain that it had salad :) Also had a Kunafa for desert, delicious!

If it's locked, just Jimmy the locks. If it's closed down, which I've heard it is now, then I can't…read morehelp you. This Gyro is inside the food court at the Merle Hay Mall in Urbandale which is a suburb of Des Moines. It's pretty tasty and not too bad but also it could have been much better especially compared to the standard of Gyros that I'm used to from over in Davenport and the quad-cities. Still it's a very cool food court and I liked it it has an independent flavour to it, between this and the tamales and Maid Rite and others. Except Yelp now it says it's closed so I hope that's not the case.

Stopped by here for lunch with a coworker and it was pretty good. The portion is very generous and…read morethe guy running it (I assume it's Jimmy) is very nice and helpful. He's also quite good at up selling you to buy more food :) I wasn't planning on getting fries but he talked me into it. The gyro was very flavorful and the meat is shaved off of a slow spinning vertical rack. Overall I enjoyed my experience here and will come back and try another item in the future.

I went to Olive Garden on the last day of my 8th grade year. The day was on a Thursday with my…read moregrandparents. The server was really nice and polite. I got the pick your own pasta deal and was really good. I had the angel hair with meatballs and the breadsticks also came out on time, and was warm. I also had the minestrone soup and offered refills because the soup was so good and made my day after a long year with school and stuff. Service was really good and fast! Environment was positive and people were nice! Thanks Olive Garden for advertising different deals we can try, and food is really good!

Having lived in the metro since 1992... And on the West side of town for the vast majority of that…read moretime, I've been to this Olive Garden a few times now... Mostly years ago. Twice recently... Once with an ex-girlfriend and a couple of nights ago with a friend and her mom. While the food is usually on point the quality of service is inconsistent at best... On the most recent visit we were greeted and seated right away. The front of the house was great! It was later on a weeknight and they took us clear back into one of the far corners of the restaurant. Our server stopped by after what seemed like a longer wait than it should have been. That should probably have been taken as a sign of things to come... My friend and her mom each had a drink from the cocktail menu along with sodas (Coke products) and split the salad and breadsticks. I ordered the shrimp fritto misto and an unsweetened ice tea. I'm not sure if they forgot about us back there or what exactly happened... We weren't really checked on at all. I had to leave the table to run down a straw. After the food arrived we were hard pressed to get a refill on anything... Even though we could see our server handling other tables through the door that led to an adjacent dining area. The food was good as always. That's one thing the big national chains do right. You know what to expect. The food pretty much tastes the same wherever you are. Just wish the service was as consistent as the food... I'm not sure if it was because we were seated in a different area by ourselves away from the other diners...or if our server was having an off day. Either way it could have been better. Kudos to the front of the house and to the staff in the kitchen.

Got the Rueben to go . Very good. Unsweetened Tea was…read morethe best I've had in awhile!!! Thx

I went here to eat lunch last Friday with my sister in law and brother. I ordered the half and…read morehalf, half Italian sub and garden sald. The salad and the bus was delicious. The sweet tea was delicious and refreshing. We ordered at the counter, and about 10 minutes later the food came to our booth. The building is on the other side of 5 guys, but it was a little bit loud, I guess it was because it was lunch time, and they were busy. Overall the service and the food was delicious.