Django Restaurant

This place is becoming one of my favs DT recently, being here twice in 2 weeks. The oysters (raw or Rockefeller) are fresh and phenomenal. The meat/cheese boards are excellently pair with top shelf wine. Any cut of meat you order will not disappoint. Look forward to coming back here soon.

Spent a weekend trip in Des Moines to celebrate both Valentine's Day and my birthday and Django was one of the best parts of our trip. We had the fried calamari as an appetizer and I had the duck (pictured) and my partner had the lobster spaghetti. The food was incredible both in taste and in presentation. There was a great wine and cocktail selection as well. The atmosphere was unmatched and the staff was very friendly. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a nice date night restaurant or just an incredible meal.

Highly recommend starting off with Seasonal Raw Ousters, fried calamari, Django rings & or fried Brussels sprouts. The onion soup was a huge hit. I also highly recommend the Scallops. Hidden Gem: the dinner rolls are insanely good!

Friendly, quick, attentive service, and the food is always amazing! Fried brussel sprouts appetizer is my favorite! The filet was super tender and the Croque Monsieur is the best ham and cheese ever. Goes well with their tomato bisque, which is superb. We also had the cherry sundae for dessert, which is delicious! 10/10 highly recommend!

A favorite when we’re in Des Moines for several reasons. Friendly and attentive staff. Great food at great prices. Fresh seafood. Fantastic array of wines. Delicious entrees. They have the best escargot. The ambiance can’t be beat!

I believe the manager that helped us with our reservation was named Jess. She. Was. PHENOMENAL! She had organized a proposal after our dinner. Out server, the cooks, the manager….everyone did such an amazing job at making it a beautiful night! The drinks were outstanding, the food was cooked perfectly, and I will definitely be back when I go to Des Moines again!

We are here for Senior Games and seven of us had a delicious dinner on the patio. Our waitress, Debbie was great. We were too full for dessert. We are thrilled we stopped here for one of our dinners in Des Moines.

These photos are from 2 different dinners in the month of January 2025. Django has always and will always be my wife’s favorite French-American restaurant. The food, service and atmosphere is impeccable, and the high level of detail to menu requests is something to be proud of. I’ve always had a great meal here, and the wine selection and knowledge of the wine selections by the waiting staff is nothing short of beautiful.

Took my wife for dinner NYE. Food is amazing (duck frites, escargot, and scallops) Would be nice to have the option to sit at the bar and order a cocktail while waiting for a table, but great experience overall!

For high end dining it's tough to beat Django. The elegant ambiance and excellent service set it apart. Maryann was attentive and friendly. Save room for tasty deserts, especially the cherry sundae; the tartness and sweet explode your tastebuds.

We had such a nice dinner here. Food and service was very good. I loved Django.Some dishes are quite rich. Ask your server if you have questions. They are quite knowledgeable.

Celebrated my birthday with family and friends. Excellent food and service. I loved the low dim lighting and our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and specific ingredients. Highly recommend!

My husband and I love this place. We've been coming here for a few years and it's always quality food and a quality experience. Their escargot, and their mussels, are top notch, the likes of which I've only had in France/Belgium. This is one of the places we always bring guests who come to visit us. While it might be priced a bit more than a casual restaurant, it's not ridiculously expensive like some other places in the area, and it's amazing quality for what you pay.

Django offers a truly unforgettable dining experience. The moment you step inside, you're transported to the heart of Paris, with its elegant ambiance, soft lighting, and tasteful decor. With the two levels, you have a great view from any spot. My husband and I have been going here for years and have the best memories there. From happy hour get-togethers to engagement parties or special occasions, Django is a perfect place to socialize and be able to enjoy a nice dinner in the heart of Des Moines. The menu is a delightful journey through French cuisine, featuring classic dishes with a modern twist. The charcuterie board is a must-try, showcasing a delectable array of cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments. The escargot is another standout, along with anything you get there. The duck frites and Poutine is also a must-have for an appetizer. The dishes are unique and exquisite, full of flavor and texture in each dish, and you won't be disappointed. The service is impeccable, with attentive and knowledgeable staff who are passionate about providing a memorable dining experience. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply enjoying a night out, Django is the perfect choice. Lastly, make reservations even if they don't look busy. They're pretty particular about reservations. Enjoy!

We enjoyed a nice meal at Django. I wasn’t sure about the menu at first, but when I saw there were salad options, there was no question. I had the beet and goats cheese salad, with added steak. I was surprised that the lighter vegetable on my plate was also a beetroot and not tomato, but still enjoyed it. The steak was nicely flavoured. My fiancé had the Caesar salad with added salmon. We did share the Belgian chocolate custard with malden salt for dessert - that was the highlight

This restaurant is closing in March 2026. We had reservations so there wasn't any wait. Street metered parking 9am - 9pm.

Great food, drinks, and service during our first time here! Updated - our second time here in sept 2021 was equally as great! We tried new foods this time, the scallops, bouillabaisse, escargot, and chicken were delicious, as were the salads and chocolate dessert. Also the no corkage fee to bring your own wine is awesome!

Wow! Amazing! One of the most amazing restaurant experiences we have ever had! Food and presentation was amazing, service and customer service fantastic, price reasonable and cleanliness perfect. If I could give 6 stars I would. We drove to Des Moines for the evening from Kansas City to secure 2 of the hottest Christmas presents this year for my kids and happened across this French restaurant. So glad we did. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

10/10. Fantastic dining experience. Had a three course meal, and all three courses were special. Prices were on par with similar fine dining restaurants around town. The pork chop was amazing, and I would have gladly paid $50 for it.

the french toast is life changing. best part of an all around amazing meal at a unique restaurant with great decor. other notable mentions: the cherry sundae, poutine, and hanger steak (not pictured) the shellfish plate was perfect for our group of 7 - the lemony mussels were my absolute favorite! would definitely come back.

Oh boy, this was insanely great food and trust me, you need to try it!! Higher end atmosphere but don't let that scare you away, plenty of people in shorts and t-shirts so whatever your mood, this place will work for you. Diverse menu with something for any palate. We shared the brussel sprouts and if you eat nothing else here, get these...WOW!!! give these guys a shot right now!

We are visiting Des Moines and tried this restaurant during a special week where various restaurants are presenting special limited menu pairings as well as their regular menu. 2 people in our party had the special 4 course menu costing $70. The courses included a fried fish app, a sausage and lasagna course, veal entree and dessert. All courses were good. The other 2 people had oysters and large cocktail shrimps, escargot in their shells, a pasta with lobster and a beef short rib entree. All were very good. My 2 recommendations would be to not charge for a bread basket/service. I understand that $4 is not much but I paid $480 before tip for dinner, throw me a couple of rolls, please. Also, the first 2 courses were timed well but there was a long wait before the entree and we even had to ask when our dessert was coming. Other than these 2 points, the food and service was good and I recommend.

I cannot speak highly enough of Django! We have had date night here twice and it is our favorite restaurant! Loretta was our server each time and she was awesome and attentive! The baked oysters couldn’t have been better! Chicken piccata out of this world and the best bread I’ve ever had! we are customers for life!

We had the lobster roll with whipped potatoes and the happy hour oysters. Just delicious. Our server was attentive but not hovering. We were allowed to enjoy a leisurely meal with our friends without feeling rushed. This restaurant makes it all about their customers.

Amazing food. Great atmosphere with staff. Would definitely love to go there again

Me and my group had the best experience at Django for a friend’s birthday dinner. We had poutine & oysters as appetizers, I had the beef bourguignon as my entree, and for dessert we shared the creme brûlée. I cant say enough how delicious the food was- it was a meal I’ll be thinking about for awhile. We also had lotsss of espresso martinis & as true connoisseurs of the cocktail (for better or worse) we all agreed it’s the best in the area. Our server (I believe her name was Loretta) was absolutely OUTSTANDING. We felt so well taken care of from start to finish.

Eric is the best server ever and they always give the best dining experience possible by being so helpful and attentive. We will spend every anniversary and Valentine's Day at Django because of the amazing service.

Was phenomenal, did the trio dinner and all of it was to die for. the French Onion Soup was great and left more than full. It was a busy evening but the server was top notch. Loved that there is no corkage fees so you can bring your own bottle if you like. Will surely be back and has become our go to "lets impress visitors with a meal here" restaurant.

Absolutely phenomenal! Everything we had, from the baked oysters to the pot de creme, was incredibly delicious. I appreciated we didn't feel rushed in our dining experience. A wonderful night out.

We had Noelle H. as our server, she was absolutely incredible, made sure to come back an ample amount of time while also providing great conversation and service. Aside from the great service, the food was phenomenal, could not recommend the Mac and Cheese more, please get it. Great dessert too, just fantastic! Would recommend to anybody who can taste food!!!

Visited Iowa in Oct.2021. We were trying new cuisine and was led to this place. The outer and inner appearance of the restaurant was hip and cool, and classy. When you walk inside, you are greeted with happy and smiling faces. The first floor gave me the mellow, contemporary, younger crowd, but still classy. On the second floor (is where we were) it’s very elegant and fancy. The table settings were beautiful. We have never had French cuisine before, so we had to ask a lot of questions about everything. The waitress was polite, attentive, and knowledgeable. She made us feel like we were the only people in the room. Ok.. we ordered poutine and an additional French fries cooked with duck fat.The poutine was good. It had just the amount of everything and those combined flavors were there. The fries though…the were ok. We could not tell any difference between regular fries and those cooked with duck fat. We visited a restaurant in L.A. that had delicious fries, we naturally wanted to compare, but the other place won that race.The duck confit had and excellent presentation and the duck was not tuff and very flavorful. It also microwaved well the next day. This place is not very kid friendly. The menu was limited in options for children( well at least my child.) The space is not very disabled friendly. I have mobility problems and it was difficult to walk up and down the small curvy steps. Overall I give it a 4/5.

Last Sunday, I was able to try this French restaurant for brunch in downtown Des Moines while visiting some friends. Ambience: Modern French Chic Service: Very good! They just forgot to bring spoons with coffee. View: Gorgeous view of the Pappajohn's Art Park. Food: Great selection of seafood, country French to fine-dining French cuisine. We tried the duck fat fries. They were a little difficult to eat, because they were so small. They were also a little soggy from the duck fat. So it made it even more difficult to try to dip it in the sauces, or try to dip several of them with a fork into the sauces. I also tried the seafood biscuits and gravy. I knew I was trying something a little unusual. It was pretty good, I just wish it had had a little more gravy for the giant biscuits it was served with. We were a little surprised by the green color of the Crepes Lorraine, but had we read closer they did describe them as spinach crepes. I would definitely return to try their croque madame.

My burgundy sauce was almost like a hardening Carmel, really tacky. Not sure if that’s right. I was not super impressed by that. I was impressed with the unique items that aren’t usually around Des Moines, like escargot and oysters. The atmosphere is like copper cop and Edison light bulb. My service was rude to us for not eating quick enough and splitting a reservations/party’s bill, but would you really expect different from 17 young adults? I would eat here again anyhow.

Service was weird. Maybe because the waiter thought we were only doing drinks/appetizers, they treated us worse? Before ordering the “expensive” food, we were largely ignored and treated like burdens. But immediately after ordering entrees, service did a 180. Doesn’t feel great when restaurants do that. That being said, the food was delicious. The ratatouille is a MUST (I’m still thinking about it days later). But beware of ordering the scotch sampler. I posted a picture of how much liquor they actually give you—this was BEFORE drinking any! For $40! We were all baffled.

The ambience and decor tell you this is a hip, upscale restaurant downtown. However, the food was off for me. The French onion soup was bitter. The filet was bland, especially for $50. The spinach salad was about 8 leaves of spinach with tons of bacon and onions. The pot du creme was a tasty dessert and the service was pretty good. The cheese and charcuterie plate was pretty good as well. Maybe there was a new cook tonight or something, but wouldn't come back here.

Has gone downhill ths last couple years. Too salty for everything. The baguette was so hard we couldn't eat it, the ratatouille was too salty, the poutine too salty, the French onion soup bland, the burgers were meh. When it is full you cannot hear anything. It is closing early March.

Food and service were amazing. However, the host seated us right in front of what turned out to be a storage room. Employees were busy entering and exiting the room throughout our expensive and delicious dinner. At one point, a lady exiting, slammed the door. It was very distracting and made our meant to be romantic date night quite a bit less than. We did laugh about it later, but still. Not sure why the host chose to seat us there. There were other tables available. Had we known before we'd received our appetizer that we'd be guardians of the storage room, we would've asked for a different table. We muddled through. We will keep this in mind for future visits to Django.

I know why they are closing. I don't mind paying $45 for 5 scallops with lobster pomme and asparagus, but when service is not on point, it's hard to choke down no matter how good the food is. Had to get up and ask our server for a water refill after it'd been 20 mins since I had first asked. She had 3 other tables in our area and a 2 top seated after us had ordered and finished before we got our food. I try to be a 30% tipper when service warrants it. I still left around 15%, though it was not deserved imo. As someone who's waited tables before, it's unfortunate that for whatever reason, we received subpar service and probably would have had dessert and coffee had we not been afraid it would have added another hour to our table time. There's a lot of competition in Des Moines and my money will be better spent elsewhere.

Desserts 10/10. Atmosphere 10/10. We were kind of ignored a couple of times. I personally didn’t like the pork chops but this looks like a place that you can have a nice date or celebration depending on the personnel that assist you.

The pork chop had almost no flavor other than the sauce. The Beef Bourignon needed salt. The escargot, cherry sunday and bread pudding were great. Our food took wayy too long to come out. Our server walked by us several times without asking if we were ok. I mentioned that I wanted my wine paired with my meals (specifically asked which wines would go well with my food) and the wine was brought 15 minutes before my food. Tried to have a conversation with manager about the 5 course dinner they are having on the 17th and I was met with very short responses. Overall, I wasn't happy with this experience at all. I doubt we will be back.