Food is absolutely delicious. We ordered it to go. They packaged everything well when I went inside…read morethe restaurant smelled amazing. The gluten-free bun is one of the best buns my partner has had. Good job Chef Also the service was quick and friendly on fleet. Side note: the burger Pattie was little salty

Great experience getting a late night dinner here! I'd heard so much about Big Grove and was…read moreexcited to check it out. AMBIANCE It's a very large space, with great mood lighting all around. There's some more structured dining space on one side with a bar, and more tables and booths in a more spread out casual side. DRINK They have their own beers, but also offer cocktails and mocktails too. I had a great mocktail here and my family enjoyed their beers! FOOD I got a smashburger with a GF bun that was great, and my family enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich and reuben sandwich. We loved the fries too - very crispy! Great ranch. SERVICE Service was efficient and kind but didn't linger - looked like she was working with some understaffing surrounding the holidays. Their patio looks awesome - we'll have to come back when it's not winter!

One of my favorite meals I've had in Des Moines since moving here! For appetizers, we got the…read moretruffle fries, the deviled eggs, the brussels sprouts, and the biscuits. All were good, but the deviled eggs stood out as a favorite. For entrées, I had the gnocchi and was impressed. I also tried bites of the barramundi and the steak stroganoff, which were incredible as well. I hope to come back soon and try something new. Our waitress seemed to be the only one working that night so service was a bit slow but she was kind. Ambiance was fine! Some echo.

Really enjoyed this place. Went for Nye and it was packed, as expected. Waited at the bar for our…read moretable of 6 and got sat about 30 mins after our reservations. We didn't mind getting a drink at the bar though. The prefix menu had a good selection of vegetarian focused, seafood and meat options. Went with the parsnip soup, prosciutto wrapped trout, and crème brûlée. Everything was really delicious. Only comment was that the crème brûlée was tiny and likely could have firmed up a bit more. Service between courses could have been faster but given it was nye and we had a group, it didn't bother me too much. Would love to come back and check out other items on the menu!

A must-visit Des Moines restaurant that pulls off a unique menu in a cozy interior with elite…read morecustomer service. Grace, our server, was amazing, adding so much to the entire visit. Thankful! They serve tapas style, and we grazed all night! We literally tried as much as we could, and loved the entire experience. Among my favorites were the Black Pepper Pork Noodles, Halibut Cheeks, Pea Pasta, and the Beef Fat Potstoes. But I also loved the Farm Carrots and HH Onigari. Seriously, amazing growth food, bolstered by an incredible level of customer service. Finished a great meal with terrific Dark Chocolate Gateau and Strawberry Shortcake. This is a superb place...GO!

I feel a bit mixed on Harbinger based on 4 visits…read more Our first visit was pretty good, during Happy Hour, food was great but drinks were just OK. Drink choices on Happy Hour special are very, very limited. 4 stars Second visit was a multi-course meal for their anniversary. We were really disappointed. We spent ~$300 with the meal, drinks, and tip. Of the ~8 courses we enjoyed 3 of them. The others were over cooked or poorly executed. They clearly were overwhelmed and could not deliver quality at that level of busy. Third visit was again for Happy Hour. Food was not as good as the first time, but better than the Anniversary dinner. Fourth visit was again at Happy Hour. Their Happy Hour is really not for drinks, it's for food. I ordered a generic cocktail that was not on the Happy Hour menu and was charged $17 for the drink. That overcharge kinda overpowered the rest of the experience.

I think the last time I went out to a bar, smoking was allowed! Well, maybe not that long ago but…read moreit has been many years! We went tonight so we could enjoy "Son of a Nutcracker", the community cocktail feature benefitting Des Moines Refugee Support. We were lucky to snag a booth as the bar was otherwise full on a Friday at 5 pm. Moe was an excellent and attentive server. He apologized that they were mixing up another batch of the special cocktail and that it would take about 15 minutes. We ordered some appetizers - jalapeño and peppadew peppers stuffed with cream and goat cheese and the sweet potato chips and house party dip. Both were good and the peppers had happy hour pricing, a bonus. The bar was festively decorated for the holidays and we enjoyed our time out!

This place is super cute with great drinks! The outdoor patio was the perfect place for us on a…read moresunny day. The service was very friendly. Dogs allowed on the back patio as well

We went here for their Rudolph on the Rooftop holiday pop up. We loved the Christmas deco, and the…read morevibe was merry. The food was good. I really enjoyed the pesto and tuna and charcuterie board. Our waitress checked in on us often. We would come back here.

Chill sunny vibe. Attentive service and fabulous appetizers. We loved the wings along with the…read moreflatbread. But by far the best was the Traveler cocktail.

University Library Cafe may be a bar, but showing up late morning before noon felt like discovering…read morethe quiet study section before the crowds arrived. The funny part? Once the food hit the table, everyone suddenly got focused and very quiet. Shhh like we are in a library! Apparently we were all majoring in comfort food with a concentration in burgers, fries, and bar food done right. Nothing fancy here, just great service, generous portions, and food that earns an A+ in comfort. You definitely will not leave hungry!

Really cramped inside so not super plus size friendly, but I was thankful to get the big booth on…read morethe corner. Amazing food, worth the price. Waitress was really busy and wasn't super attentive but she was polite and accurate with our orders so it all worked out :)) Really want to try this place out at breakfast time soon. Great Moscow mules with a ton of flavor options, one of my favorites in DSM so far (other than copper cup, of course!!).

The service was great and efficient. The food was well above average for the basic food we got…read more(chicken tenders and a burger) The fries were very good. My favorite though was the ranch, it was AMAZING. If you order the goldfish as an appetizer, beware they are very spicy. They are baked with I believe heavy sriracha. Yet I still couldn't stop eating them! Also, very cool atmosphere.

Great Restaurant! A+ Great Environment…read more Clean Bathroom Excellent Service Mac 'N Cheese with Pretzel was awesome Iowa State Won!

My wife and I have been making a point to try at least one new-to-us place each month this year…read more April's pick was Baratta's, a Des Moines staple that has been part of the local dining scene for years. We went on a Thursday night and walked into a packed house. Baratta's is one of those sprawling, multi-room venues that feels like it grew one dining room at a time, and there is a lot of charm in that. The menu is equally sprawling, and we started with the Focaccia bread, which was excellent. We split the Ravioli al Forno and still had enough to bring home, which is always a good sign. A couple of things caught us off guard. The room we landed in ran loud enough to make conversation a little work, and the wine list was shorter than we expected for a place this size. Neither was a dealbreaker. Baratta's is the kind of place that has earned its reputation, and we would go back to explore more of the menu. Worth a visit if you have not been.

A Des Moines classic. Last night took me to revisit Baratta's down on South Union...a South side…read moretradition with history dating back to the 1920s. I think they've been under the current ownership since 1993. Spacious parking and I've always loved the atmosphere at Baratta's... Kind of an old school vibe, but up to date too. From the outside you can still see the evolution that happened over the years. A combination of store and home that evenutally merged together, but it's not as obvious from the inside. We were greeted right away when we walked in and were seated at a high backed booth in the bar area. If I recall the seating in the main restaurant is mostly low top tables and chairs. I didn't catch our server's name, but she was BUSY. It seemed like she working as a host, bartender, and server from what I could see. All rolled into one. And she did a fanstatic job! Drink orders were taken first and food a few minutes later after we'd had time to look over the menu. Most entrees come with bread and a side of either soup or a salad. I love their salads. All their dressing are made in house if I recall correctly. We ordered the Amaggio with chicken, the Manicotti al Formaggio with white sauce, both with side salads (blue cheese and creamy garlic), an unsweetened ice tea, and a soda (Coke products). $56ish before tip. Amaggio: "A house favorite with your choice of chicken, shrimp, or both rolled in a mixture of fresh bread crumbs and then grilled to perfection. Served over linguini with roasted red peppers and mushrooms. Topped with our Amaggio sauce made with olive oil, white wine, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, garlic and basil." Manicotti al Formaggio: "A unique blend of five cheeses including mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, and ricotta wrapped with fresh pasta and baked with your choice of red, white, or marinara." In full transparency I've never had a bad experience at Baratta's. Food or service... But that being said I can say the same about A LOT of restaurants in the metro! Some that others complain about regularly. I'm been trying to figure that out... 1. Either I'm not picky... 2. Maybe I'm very forgiving. 3. Or maybe I just choose to approach each dining experience with a positive attitude right out of the gate and it's infectious. Maybe a combination of all of the above...? It's just easier to be nice sometimes. It is what it is I guess... The food hit our table after a short wait. Bread and salads first and then the main dishes. Everything was cooked perfectly. The linguini in my Amaggio was still al dente. The chicken was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and not the least bit dry. I'm glad I left my bread to help clean my plate with. Our server checked on us regularly, we never had to ask for a refill...it was just taken care of...and Joe stopped by to check on us a couple of times too. I love seeing owners on site and interacting with their guests. That alone can bring a restaurant to a different level in my eyes. It shows accountablity that can sometimes seem absent these days. As always a great meal and an overall fantastic visit to Baratta's!