I will start by saying that I love Tupelo Honey. It has my most favorite shrimp and grits. Once while in Greensboro one of the cooks shared the process of making with me. The meal started with "Biscuits for a Cause". 100% of the $4 biscuits goes to help their employees in need. Of course I had the shrimp and grits. It was great. The blend of flavors keeps me coming back. My wife had the Asheville Hot Chicken and Waffles. It was a sup rising fusion of flavors that was much to her liking. Mac n cheese was baked right into the waffle with sriracha, pickles and homemade ranch. The ambiance was nice and music was lively and uplifting. Our waiter was very nice, but not the most attentive. It took about 10 minutes for him to greet us at the table and there were very few guests. He did not check in that often. This is the only reason for not receiving 5 stars. read more

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I had high hopes for this restaurant. Service was OK. Waitress was attentive. I don't think I've ever seen a more disorganized host stand. Hostesses were very slow, confused, needed more training. I've worked as a host so I'm fairly patient but they needed more training. Food was cold, I had shrimp and grits. It was average. Tasted good so not a big deal. I think there is room for improvement. Ambience was nice, but I think there's a lack of planning to run out of Bloody Mary mix at 11am on MOTHERS day. Overall good food and service was good, but hope for better in the future. read more

Good was tasty and Mac and cheese was my absolute favorite... I thought the banana pudding I ordered was a very small portion for the price they charge . Service was good and o love the restaurant decorations ...it' gives a modern look .manager did come by to ask how everything was , which is always nice . read more

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Tupelo Honey has absolutely amazing food. Everything I've tried from brunch to dinner has been flavorful and delicious. It's a great place to go downtown and is worth the drive if you live in the suburbs. Definitely make a reservation because it's always busy. The service is what knocked it down a star for me. I've waited for 20 minutes before a waiter came over to bring water and take our orders. The lag between check-ins can be so long you think your server has left. You might also need to remind your server a time or two if you've requested something like another drink or extra jam before they remember to grab it for you. I know not every day will be perfect and things happen, so I try to be patient and go with the flow. Despite the lackluster service, I would highly recommend the delicious food and the lighthearted atmosphere. Recommendations: Brunch - biscuits for a cause, "old skool" breakfast bowl, all of their mimosas Dinner - biscuits for a cause, smothered chicken, the debutante cocktail read more

The atmosphere was beautiful and inviting, the service was great and the food was amazing! We ordered two Appetizers - Famous Fried Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Grits and Fried Pickles. Entrees - Mac n Cheese Waffles with Asheville Hot Fried Chicken and the Shrimp Po' Boy with Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes. Drinks - Soda and a Blueberry Lavender Refresher. Recommend 10/10 Great place, Great time! read more

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It was my first time in Des Moines, and we were staying across the street at the Marriott for a conference. We got hungry and two things peaked my interest to check out this place. 1. The pics of chicken and waffles. 2. The $5 Happy Hour menu options! I wasn't sure what to order as it all looked curious to try! Verdict: Loved it! The happy hour menu 4-6pm had a lot to offer. I ended up going with the Mac & cheese chicken and waffle, fried green tomatoes, and the purple... ....cocktail. And my friend got the pecan pie for us to share! Also a delight. It's very sweet though. But tasty! I wasn't sure if it would be enough for me, as I was real hungry, but it turned out to be exactly what I was needing. Love the food, design of the restaurant, the staff (Emily was so kind and helpful!) even the glasses to drink water out of! Thanks Honey team! read more

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Such a cute restaurant! I've been wanting to try it for a while so was super happy that it lived up to standard! The food was delicious & very southern, and absolutely loved the drink cups. Our server was sweet and funny and we overall had a great time! My only criticism is that it can be very loud inside. It didn't bother me too much but some smaller children might not like it. Would highly recommend! read more

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Arrived an was told couldn't seat us because of reservations. Then the manager comes out and says we can seat you but we have to serve reservations first because they don't have enough staff. This was an hour before closing. 1 why have reservations an hour before closing 2. Not enough staff to serve people and 3 had more than one excuse as to why we couldn't be served. It was our 15 year wedding anniversary. Was a favorite of mine but after tonight I'm not so sure. Make sure to call ahead folks . read more

So apparently this place is known for its fried chicken.... Well it wasn't the best. The seasoning and the skin were veryyyyyyyy good but the chicken itself was dry and overcooked. The fries were good and the Mac and cheese tasted very homemade. Service was slow but they warned us they were busy so we were prepared to wait. read more

It was great nice decor and good food. I had the fried green tomatoes and chicken and waffles. Everything was delicious. I would recommend. Minus one star, because they initially had me waiting for a cool 5 minutes for service and they weren't particularly busy. However, they were apologetic. Innocent oversight, just need better spatial awareness. read more

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OMG!!! The executive chef, KP, and her amazing crew are truly amazing!! What a super tasty as hell place to go! It was so good that me, my daughter, and husband brought 5 more members of our family back with us the next day! Blackened shrimp and Gumbo is what my husband had for both days!! My daughter had the Shrimp and Grits both days!! We were all raving about this place! It's absolutely stunning inside!!! Thank you, KP!!!!! We love you!!! read more

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Atmosphere: Beautiful Restaurant. Food: I had the Tupelo Shrimp & Grits. Was very tasty. I wish that the shrimp had been grilled to add that extra caramelization. Maybe next time I'd ask for that. Fried pickles were good, pretty standard fried pickles. The wife had the smash burger. Underwhelming. Wish the burger patties were thin, pretty thick to be concerned a smash burger. And it is just cheese and pickles, no sauce. Service: We sat at the bar. Our bartender was nice, seemed a little overwhelmed. She put our appetizer order in wrong, but recovered. The big thing that we noticed just over all was that no one was really cleaning up after people left. Like in the restaurant and especially not in the bar. Not cleaning up after people left;hindered other people from sitting down. So you are missing out on potential customers. Overall it was an ok experience. We might try it again. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Tupelo Shrimp & Grits and the Fried Pickles - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Okay, so I definitely will give this place another shot. They have potential. But both my brother and I got this chicken sandwich and the menu very clearly said it had like a Dijon sauce or like an aioli (can't remember exactly) and bacon. We both got our sandwiches and neither had bacon or any sauce what so ever And the Brussel sprouts were recommended but they were so burnt and had literally no seasoning or anything. They were just fried burnt Brussel sprouts. I was just surprised. But everything else that was ordered was good and I definitely would go again and try something different! read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Chicken sandwich - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Tried out the new summer food and drink menu- it did not disappoint! All natural juices in their cocktails were amazing! Personable staff, accommodating and welcoming! Check out their renovated summer patio! read more

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We had the delicious smash burger and our friends enjoyed the omelets. Our server was friendly once we were served. The food arrived within a reasonable amount of time. read more

Stopped by here for lunch without planning or any expectation. Food was nice and hot. We loved that it was not too salty. Fried pickle was the best! Mahi Mahi portion was kinda small. Shrimp and grits could be less oily. Service was good but somewhat on the slower side. read more

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The food was great. Crispy Brussels sprouts, chicken tenders with Bacon braised collards as a side. The service was great. Very friendly and responsive. The restaurant was not loud, and was very nice. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Chip-n-Dip Chicken Tenders - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Food- Pretty good overall. My favorite was the country potatoes, goat cheese grits, and surprisingly collard greens. The eggs were cooked well and the credit salad was good. Chicken tortilla soup was also really good. Service- Mid to subpar. Server was a bit scattered and slow of service. Not sure if they were short staffed. She often forgot items and I ask several times for coffee refills and she would fill only half way. She was nice but would take a while for refills and requests. Ambiance- cute place and right down town. Aesthetically pleasing with cute dishes and drinks. read more

Stopped in for a weekend brunch and ordered the buttermilk fried chicken eggs benedict. The price is very reasonable but the quality of food was severely lacking. My eggs were over cooked and not runny as they should be. Another lady at the table ordered the same and her eggs looked liked deviled eggs since they were so over cooked. Chicken came out room temp warm, I think it sat in the kitchen for awhile making the skin not crispy and fall right off the meat. This may be the reason the eggs were over as they continued to cook under a heat lamp. Biscuits were wonderful. Our server was nice but felt like we were being rushed. Drinks were good but about the same price as the food, this is typical for good drinks now a days. The restaurant has a fun vibe inside with the huge windows and (fake) greenery around. Bathrooms were disgusting for 9:30 am, looked like a few were not cleaned from the night before. Bar looks wonderful and inviting, but not enough for me to come back anytime soon. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Buttermilk Fried Chicken - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I know brunch sucks to prepare sometimes in the kitchen and it's easy to plan ahead with the rush but there's no reason to cut corners and serve food that's as basic as brunch... Eggs Hollandaise sauce was totally congealed, sour, and had basically curdled up making the dish inedible. Biscuits were dark brown, hard, and dry. read more

Great food,people and service Bone in is where it's at. Bar is nice too. A lot of house drinks read more

Gorgeous dining room and a SUPER friendly staff! Lived the fried chicken, and the Brussels sprouts were the best I've had in Des Moines. Excellent mahi mahi and collard greens, too. Only regret: they were out of Mississippi mud pie! read more

We know it was Mother's Day so we made a reservation party of 6. About 40 minutes after our reservation time they put our party of 6 at a table meant for 4. We asked about being seated at other tables opening up and were told they were for other reservations. Pretty certain we had earlier reservations than those being seated at adequate sized tables. Food was just okay. Not sure I would go back. read more

Great service. Great atmosphere and good food. We are from out of town and stumbled upon this place. The biscuits for a cause are amazing and gives back Only negatives were fried pickles were loaded with a seasoning that was a bit over powering and the fried chicken was very dry. Beyond that. The food was fabulous. read more

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Had a poor experience here last night. I'm not typically one to leave bad reviews (everyone has off nights) but felt like this was too extreme to not post. I had a reservation for 2 at 6pm. We showed up at 5:55pm to a few other guests waiting for a host to seat them. We were not greeted by a host until 6:05pm, when we were then sat at a table with no menus. We grabbed menus from the host stand ourselves and finally had a waitress come to our table with two waters at 6:15pm (we had been seated for 10 minutes) - during which we ordered our food. We waited for 41 minutes with no interaction from our waitress, no acknowledgment/apologies for any delays, and most importantly, no food, before we stood up to leave to make it to our 7:30 show. We left hungry and confused. The restaurant was less than half full when we arrived. They continued to seat tables after us, which is interesting because they certainly were not capable of serving any more. Clearly some sort of staffing issue going on, and even more frustrating when they can't accommodate guests who made reservations to eat at their restaurant. Extremely disappointed. read more

Overall an enjoyable experience at Tupelo Honey - if I could give half stars this would be a 3.5/5! Overall highlights: long wait, great service, good food, maybe a little pricey for what you get. The wait was long - with this being a newer restaurant in DSM I wasn't too surprised, but it was a 1.5 hour wait. Once we were seated, our service was excellent. Our waitress was very efficient and we received our food in a very timely manner! The food was good, but not mind blowing! We tried the Biscuits for a Cause, Mac-n-cheese Waffles with Asheville Hot Fried Chicken, and the Southwest Scramble. They were all good, but maybe a little pricey for what you get. The waffles were not very flavorful and the chicken on it definitely could have used more sauce (probably would opt to get the sriracha chicken and waffles next time - those looked nice and saucey!!). The scramble was definitely good and had a nice kick. The biscuits were a good deal as well, a little salty in my opinion, but still good! The ambiance is very nice, well-decorated and perfect for a brunch spot. I would give this spot another shot, but when there's a local southern comfort food spot close by it's hard not to want to support local. Overall very enjoyable, but expect a wait time. read more

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Wow! The staff is amazing. Any staff member that passed by asked us if we needed anything, cleared plates, asked if we wanted additional drinks. All of them had a smile on their face even while rushing around. We shared the Brussel sprouts, green tomatoes, macaroni chicken and waffles and the biscuits for a cause. My favorite was the fried green tomatoes. I have never had decent grits before.....the grits these were served on were amazing. I could have just had a bowl of these and been happy. They do have a happy hour menu. read more

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I can't say enough good about this stop. Nice happy hour and if you stay long enough listen to this. All the following I give a full 5 stars and a must try. First the biscuit, you need it even if you don't think you need it. Brussel sprouts, honey dusted chicken, Mac and cheese, and the pecan pie all top notch. I'm definitely making this a top recommend stop downtown for all my friends and family. read more

This is the best contemporary southern restaurant ever!!! Fried Green Tomatoes of perfection. Bourbon peppercorn glazed artisan meatloaf Smothered honey dusted chicken tenders, garden fresh green beans, creamy delicious baked Mac n cheese. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Beautiful ambiance with lovely servers and great breakfast. Definitely recommend. Go mid morning while the sun is streaming in from the east. read more

Wow! I am a huge Chicken And waffles fan. I get them wherever I can and these are some of the best! Anyway this is a late post today as I crave the food, but I was one of the lucky guests who got to dine in during the soft opening. Boy was I glad we chose to come here! They have some really Great cocktails and such a cozy comfortable space. Not to mention the service was beyond good! I highly recommend their mimosas too, they have a "mega size" we loved the blueberry one!!! But the lavender lemonade was a hit at our table. We started with spicy cauliflower bites and ordered both the sriracha honey chicken and waffles and classic chicken and waffles . The chicken is perfectly crunchy (boneless) and the waffles are warm delicious buttermilk waffles! I was in heaven and am so glad this restaurant is now in Des Moines. read more

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Made a reservation since I wasn't sure just how busy it would be. Probably wasn't necessary but reassuring to get seated right away. Service was attentive and friendly. I got the shrimp and grits and peach cocktail. Shrimp and grits were tasty and so good. The cocktail was good but a bit sweet. My friends had the sriracha chicken and waffles, blueberry mimosa, and pork and poblano scramble. Chicken and waffles were pretty good. The mimosa was also overly sweet and tasted like it had so much syrup. The scramble was pretty good too but didn't feel like anything special. Flavors were good and meat/protein was cooked well. Definitely some heavy food so come with an appetite! read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Tupelo Shrimp & Grits and Peach Don't Kill My Vibe cocktail - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

If you're looking for a great place for a Friday fish fry, Tupelo Honey is a great place. Plus, they're doing a fundraiser this year with $1 from every Friday fish fry ordered will be donated to the Hope+Elim Church's community kitchen over in the Drake Neighborhood. Tupelo is serving scratch-made, beer-battered cod with Georgia peach slaw, fries served with a tangy New Orleans-style remoulade--and a biscuit, of course, because they have a Southern twist to everything they do! I also really love the pork skillet. And the bevvies are incredible! I didn't grab a pic, but the Debutante is my go-to. I'd suggest grabbing a reservation because it fills up fast. https://tupelohoneycafe.com/location/des-moines/reservations/ read more

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So I am not in love with the location, but I am in love with the space and decor! If you didn't know Tupelo Honey is very well done chain restaurants giving you Southern Hospitality Cuisine and amazing drinks. I tried the biscuits for a cause, very good, great jam one of our biscuits was a little under bake. The siriacha honey fried chicken & waffles was on point, it has a spicy yet sweet taste on the fired chicken and the waffles were tasty. Peach don't kill my vibe I need that in a liter, it is soo good I can't wait to come back and try more. I do wish there were more gluten-free options for my daughter she had the kids grilled chicken and she said the crsip fries were the best she has ever had! read more

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Welcomed Tupelo to town by booking the first available reservation on their soft opening night. I am a big fan of southern comfort foods. The cauliflower appetizer was phenomenal. Very crisp. A few little crispy jalapeños in there made it even better. I asked for a little extra drizzle on the side. The fried green tomatoes and grits appetizer was not my thing, but others at the table enjoyed it a lot. Their chicken was fried to perfection. Unreal. Two big thumbs up on both dishes we tried. The potato cracklings were a little bland and dry. I asked for mayo to assist. I'd recommend a sauce be offered with them. read more

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Gave this place a second chance last night. Will not be giving it a third. I don't get why people settle for lukewarm, barely mediocre food when there are so many great restaurants in Des Moines. I had the mac and cheese waffles and chicken. I've included a picture of the Mac and cheese that peeled off the top of my soggy cold waffle. My husband had the new braised beef dish. It had an ok flavor but was served cold. It's a stick to your ribs dish that needs to be hot. The only good thing about the night was the couple we were with. We can see them anywhere. So needless to say, it will not be at Tupelo Honey. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I've been thinking of going here for a while and finally went after my wife suggested it. We were seated quickly and the restaurant was very clean and quiet. Our server was attentive and helpful throughout the meal. I had a couple cocktails that were bourbon based but sweet and tasty. We started with fried green tomatoes on a bed of goat cheese grits. I love fried green tomato's and these were great. My wife got Mahi mahi which she enjoyed. I got black pepper sorghum fried chicken which was fantastic. Perfect blend of sweet, salty, and a hint of spicy. It was a good experience and I would like to come back for the chicken again. The price was fair for everything we got! read more

Arrived and had to wait 20 minutes for a party of 2. We sat at the bar and waited to order a drink but the bartender didn't even get to us at all. After seated, received our drinks, I got the Classic Bloody Mary (pretty good) and my bf got the Citrus Got Real (which he did not like) seemed to be very light and watery. Bf thought the chicken & waffles were kind of plain. I ordered the bone in chicken and thought it was OK, I specifically ordered it hoping to taste the cilantro, as it stated in the description but didn't really taste cilantro at all, nor did it taste like sriracha. But the Brussel sprouts were perfect and crispy. Overall, probably wouldn't go back due to the wait, overpriced drinks & meal. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - mac-n-cheese waffles with asheville hot fried chicken - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I've been to Tupelo Honey's twice so far in the short month they've been open here in Des Moines. The atmosphere is beautiful, with a southern terrace vibe. It definitely does not feel like a chain at all. The service has been fantastic both times I've been; the food comes out quickly and the wait staff is attentive. The first time I went I got the Mac-N-Cheese Waffles with Asheville Hot Fried Chicken. The Mac N Cheese waffles were pretty light on the mac and cheese but it was still a delicious meal. The turmeric ginger tonic was refreshing. The second time I went, I got the sweet and spicy chicken and the "peach don't kill my vibe" to drink. Everything I've eaten was delicious. The portions are a bit small for the price, but it was a fun and "photogenic" brunch. read more

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar - Mac-N-Cheese Waffles with Asheville Hot Fried Chicken - Southern Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Ordered Nashville chicken. A wing about the size of a quarter. A breast about the size of a deck of cards. Tasted great very small portions.