The Latin King

We eat here on a weekly basis and ordered takeout Friday evening. Our order wasn’t 100% correct so I went in and let the manager know. Mark Murphy the general manager blew me away with his customer service. Not only did they correct the issue, but he also gave us a gift card for next time. These days you just don’t see this type of customer service anymore. I was reminded why we frequent Latin King on a weekly basis. I will also add that they have the BEST FRIED CHICKEN & MEATBALLS IN TOWN!! HANDS DOWN!!

We went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary and everything at The Latin King was just amazing. The steak deburgo melts in your mouth, and the Valentine’s Day drinks were the perfect addition to dessert. I’ve seen other people mention it’s expensive, but to us it was well worth the extra money. Our server was incredible, and we had the best evening. Hoping we can come back to celebrate next year!

I recently dined at The Latin King in Des Moines, Iowa and it was a delightful experience. The authentic Italian cuisine they offer is truly outstanding. I had the pleasure of enjoying a Tuesday evening on their charming patio, complete with a live trio band providing entertainment. The wine selection was impressive and paired perfectly with the delectable appetizers they offer. I especially loved the mouthwatering bruschetta and the absolutely amazing meatballs. The ambience, the food, and the music all combined to create a memorable dining experience. I highly recommend The Latin King for anyone looking for a taste of Italy in the heart of Iowa.

We don't live in Des Moines, but travel there often. I've wanted to try this restaurant for years and finally did. We'll, it's now our favorite Des Moines restaurant. All the good things you hear are true. Incredible food, huge portions, and competitive prices. I know onion rings might not be what italian diners look for, but theirs are the best we've ever had. The service is impeccable and the atmosphere is very nice. Try the italian stuffed pork chops, but be ready to take one home! Can't wait to go back!

Went to Latin King for Valentine's Day. It was very busy, understandably, but we were able to sit in the lounge while waiting. Pro tip, get reservations over a week in advance or do call ahead seating to get in quicker. Delicious food and great service!

Party of two and got seated right away at 6pm on a Saturday night.. Food was excellent and very delicious. But even better was the service. Our waitress Margaret was on point and very attentive to all of our needs. But the most impressive thing that I saw, was the table turn around. The bussers had the tables cleared and set in under 3 minutes for new customers to be seated. From what I witnessed every single person makes this restaurant what it's. Job well done Latin King!

We've visited a couple of times on Satuday nights. Food and service were excellent both times! My husband loves the steaks and the prime rib on Saturdays, and I love the pastas. The Gamberi Diavlo is awesome!

The appetizer breading and pasta were all so fresh. Robert provided us with respectful and prompt service. Thank you for the enjoyable dining experience!

The chicken spedini is amazing, as are all the dishes, sauces, and appetizers. Make sure to get a cannoli!

Sorry no food pics…. It was so good it was gone too fast! We hosted a holiday lunch for our office today! With 35 people, they gave us the private area in the back. Toasted ravioli, onion rings, and cheese sticks to start. Pepper Steak Entree salad was great! Chicken Spedini and even the fried chicken was perfect! We highly recommend Latin King for you Holiday get together!

I went there for the first time and will definitely go again. The owner came over and recommended the Tiramisu. I took one to go and it was delicious. Thank you!!

I have been eating here for years, even got engaged here 10 years ago. When it switched ownership a few years ago things were different and not good. Now that it switched ownership again, we went back yesterday to give it a try. It was definitely back to it's roots and was a great experience. Excited for this!

We had a large family dinner the night after Christmas and Latin King treated us like royalty. We were in our own room, the service was fantastic, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was very welcoming. I loved the Chicken Spiedini and the spaghetti with meatballs. In fact, We’ve already been back twice since that night. If you want good Italian food, Latin King is the place to go.

My bestie and I came in from out of town to celebrate our birthdays and arbitrarily chose Latin King for dinner, and boy were we ever glad that we did! Our waitress was incredible, the food was phenomenal, service was superb, portions were generous, the decor and atmosphere was fun and lively, the owner was genial, and we had just an all around great experience. Plus they gave us both free tiramisu for our birthdays, which was (literally) the icing on the cake! Thanks so much for having us, we will be back!

I have eaten at the Latin King twice in the last ten days and the food and service were amazing. We plan to frequent it often. Tha wait staff is top notch. It is a wonderful way to enjoy either lunch or dinner.

Im a Minnesotan who was in town visiting a couple weeks ago..This was my first visit to Latin King. This place was fantastic in every way. I loved the atmosphere. Alex, the bartender was a rock star! They suddenly got slammed. He was kicking out drinks so quickly but did it with grace and was 'cool'. Maybe on the inside was stressed but not on the outside. He still managed to be supportive of his fellow team members and even cracked a few jokes. Being Italian myself, I asked for his suggestion, this being my first visit....What he suggested was so absolutely delicious. It reminded me of my family-cooking. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ONLY negative thing was the salad was wilty...may have been prepared ahead of time and sat with dressing for a while.... Alex really made the whole experience fantastic! This restaurant is so fortunate to have this associate on their team! Will be back for sure as I now will be traveling there, bi-weekly. Lisa Winters

We went to Latin King last night for a date - it was my first time since high school prom (16 years) and it was so much better than I even remember. I’m sad I haven’t made it a point to eat it again. Best Italian food in town. The red sauce is the best I’ve ever had!!! If you haven’t been, 100/10 recommend!

Jennifer was a fabulous Server. Matthew stopped by and adel sure we had what we needed. Great bread. Lunch options were plentiful. We have always loved Latin King and look forward to going back.

I placed a to go order. When I got home, I realized part of my order wasn't what I had expected. I called the restaurant and asked to speak to the manager. I told him about the issue and he rectified the situation immediately with kindness and generosity. Come to find out, I ordered the wrong thing. I said "Original" when I should have ordered the "Classic". My brain doesn't comprehend the difference. The manager still had what I wanted to order ready for me when I returned and even refunded my order. Such great service and hospitality. The food is also spectacular! Highly recommend!

Great food for everyone in our group from ages 3 to 67! Service was spot on and they genuinely showed they were glad we chose to dine there.

OUTSTANDING service and truly great food. Meatballs - very nice Tiramisu - chefs kiss 😘 Pollo Marsala - whoa that’s good

We went for a large family dinner and had an amazing experience. The service was fantastic and the food was fabulous. Our servers did and amazing job handling our large group. They were very knowledgeable about the menu and offered suggestions. One server made Stacey let me know that I could get my favorite dish the Chicken Spedini served half and half style ( served with both Alfredo and traditional Spedini sauce). This took a dish the dish to the next level. We are already looking forward to our next trip to the Latin King!

We had a wonderful large group dining experience at the Latin King. It was my first time back in a few years and the restaurant brought back so many wonderful memories of meals past shared with loved ones there. The wait staff was incredible with our large and cray group, ensuring we had the best experience possible. I ordered the Chocken Marsala which was fabulous. The portion was so large I was able to take home enough for 2 additional lunches. I've got a list of other items to try when I go back as everyone at our table ordered something different and also really enjoyed their meals. The dessert was superb that I tried. I believe it was called Tortuga. It was excellent raspberry gelato encased in a beautiful chocolate shell. Definitely one to remember. Thank you Matt for bringing back the charm and recipes we all remember. Can't wait to try the patio when it get warmer too.

My "family" surprised me with a visit all the way from Salt Lake City. They were hungry and wanted Italian. I saw a news piece on KCCI with the owner, Matt, talking about the history of the place and his love for it and how it was in the community since 1947. And he had such lovely things to say about it, so we decided to go check it out. I am 100% not disappointed in my choices! First of all, Matt graded us at the door. And I told him the story about why we were there. He personally shook my hand and delivered top-notch personal care to me and my girls. And I'm here to tell you, the service did not stop there. They serve their meals truly Italian style and expect you to sit down and conversate and enjoy the meal. They provide that experience with a lovely cultural atmosphere and great music in the background. It was the kind of stuff I was able to kind of dance to as well as eat. I might have been the only person dancing in the restaurant, but that's not uncommon for me. The waitress, whose name I forgot, but I did post a picture of her, was phenomenal. She was so knowledgeable about the product that they served there as well as made a very personal dining experience for us. The guy at the register at the end of the evening helped us take a cute little video and I took a picture of him as well. He was such a nice gentleman. I felt like family when I left. And I didn't even mention the food yet. The food was incredible. My mouth was so happy. Definitely try all the things that we tried. 100% will be coming back here in a couple of weeks. Taking my husband here for our 22nd wedding anniversary. I'm looking forward to seeing them and introducing them to my husband. This is now going to become staple place for me. It is all in the details, and Matt, if you are reading this, your attention to detail is remarkable and I super appreciate our experience with you. Thank you so much! This was one of the best days ever!!!

Went here for a birthday celebration. The atmosphere was cozy but not loud, Tuscan inspired. The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. The owner greeted us and checked on us throughout our meal. The food was incredible, try the amogio sauce. To top off our evening, we got a free treat for our birthdays! 100% will visit again and would recommend to anyone looking for delicious Italian food!

Having had dinner with a large group of 36 recently, I can’t thank the Latin King staff enough for both the quality of the meals and the servers who took care of our group. We all decided our annual event will be held there again if they’ll have us. I returned for lunch with a group of friends and again the food was wonderful as was the service. The owner/manager Matt tries to visit with every table and if you need wine advice, he’s the guy you want to talk to. He’s personable, knowledgeable and is trying very hard to update and revitalize the Latin King while retaining the ambience and flavors loved by so many long time customers. So far, a great job.

I've been going to Latin King for years now and I have such mixed feelings about my latest experience. The food is by all means still absolutely delicious, the portions are generous and the prices are more than reasonable but there's no denying the quality of service and even the quality of the food and presentation has slowly and very subtly dipped over the years since the new owners took over. I still love it, it's one of my favourite Italian food locations in and around Des Moines for special occasions and I doubt anyone visiting for the first time could possibly be disappointed but I'd love to see more love and care brought back to the restaurant to get it back up to that amazing five star feeling it used to leave me with each time I visited. At present, I think I'll leave it with a strong four stars.

First visit to Tursi's tonight, with a birthday party. Overall, it was a good dinning experience, our server was very friendly, and worked her tables very well, though there were times when she was gone for an extended period. The waitstaff kept your waters filled though. The place was packed, like you would expect on a Saturday night. Which means it is very popular, which is a good sign. I noticed it was incredibly loud inside, very hard to have a conversation. It was a mix of some tables having a very good time, and the wait staff dragging tables and chairs to make table s around. The ambiance was very good, the look of the restaurant was authentic. The lighting is good and their is room to move between tables. I ordered a Top Sirloin steak, medium rare, the more of it ate though, the rarer it seemed to get sadly. I was afraid if I sent it back who knew when it would return, so I just finished it tartar style. The baked potato was smaller, as well as the salad. I got a dish of some type of pasta, that was pretty good, also, we had a big plate of onion rings to start with that was pretty standard. I rarely get dessert, but because if the birthday guy getting canoli, I got a piece of carrot cake that was excellent! Overall pretty good, I would return.

Our waitress was Stephanie. She provided great insight on good choices for bottled wines and entree options. Even though they were super busy on the Saturday evening we were there she took her time to answer questions and provide popular feedback. Haven't been here for years, really missed it. Will go back sooner than later. The walleye was tasty.

Date Night in Des Moines, IA. In town for business and made it a date as well. This restaurant was pretty nice! From the outside it appears to be small, but on the inside this great! Sort of like the hearts of the people that work here....!! Great service, our waitress Maddy took great care of us on our 1st time visit. Great size portions for the meals, but will have to come back for dessert!! Seems pretty popular this restaurant, it was good to see teens getting out for Prom! The restaurant was very accommodating for all guest! The thing that made this restaurant experience so great, was that the Owner/Manager spotted us and came over and said hello to us just as we made it into the door to be seated....that's a sign of good customer service!!

Service shined. The food was above average and priced accordingly. We were able to get reservations on the day of (Saturday) close to the time we wanted which was nice. Our waitress was great, she should be a career wait staff trainer. Service everywhere she went would improve. I wish I remembered her name to offer her thanks on here. The food did not disappoint. I had the Filet mignon marsala and it was very good, but I reserve five star ratings for the meals I can't stop talking about for days. They're doing things right at this establishment and it is well worth a visit if you haven't been there.

Here I am at one of the most popular places in Des Moines— comforting music—great waitress and nice decor. The lunch crowd was sparse. The lunch prices upscale $$. The parking is great with the tables well spaced. Order was up within minutes.The Chicken Spiedini and Toasted Ravioli was on point. Yet, my treat to self— was Tiramisu! Simply delicious.

My husband and I stopped in 2 months ago and had such a great experience that we decided to pick it again for our small business Christmas dinner. 11 of us returned on Dec 6th and had a extremely pleasant evening with each person agreeing that they would be back! The vibe was festive, the server attentive and the food excellent! The Latin king menu has 2 signature dishes that were highly praised and the steak d' Burgo was a favorite. Desserts highlighted the night- as we ordered one of each for the table! If you haven't been in a while, go give the Latin King a try! I know we'll be back.

Excellent Italian dinner. The Chicken Spiedini is a must-try, and you have to get the toasted ravioli to start. Great wine list and the staff treats you like family. Highly recommend making a reservation because it fills up fast and the wait can be extreme.

A little heavy on the garlic on the chicken spedini. Lasgna was good but sauce could have been thicker and sweeter for me.. Should offer veal Spedini too.along with more red sauce items... Nice romantic atmosphere 👌.

Have always loved this place. The food is my favorite? Service great and prices are always fair. We will never be back because we went for my birthday this week and when my husband got up to leave he saw a big fat rat coming out from under our table and squeez its self into the booth.

My fiance and I went of for a nice dinner. We ended up here at this amazing restaurant. The food was wonderful service was great. Our waitress offered amazing choice's. The reason I give it 3 stars and 3 on atmosphere is it was so loud in that restaurant. If I'm gonna pay for an expensive dinner I would like to be able to hear the person sitting across that table from me. We could have went to a bar if we wanted that kind of experience. It was so bad I don't think I would be going back there any time soon.

Update*** For those that remember the Latin king and how amazing it was.... I regret to say that is not the same since being franchised. The food and service that brought us back over the years is far from the memories it has brought us. The table bread now is a hard unedible roll far from the original locally owned bread we remember. The chicken spendini I ordered half and half looked the same but, lacked in flavor and sauce. It was bland and very dry. It is far from how I remember my once favorite dish being as well. Even the previous pictures show the vast difference. We are in no hurry to return to my once favorite Italian restaurant. It is very sad.... It's Latin King. What more could I say than simply amazing! We had come last night to celebrate my sisters birthday and there was finally an open table on their patio. We started with red wine and lemon drop and of course their fried mozzarella. There is nothing like it. The gooey breaded cheese is so fantastic. We can not come here and not get it. So when I come here I typically always get the chicken spedini. With knowing how good it always is hard to even try anything else. But last night was an exception, my sister wanted to get gnocchi and we spilt them together. Wow it will now be hard to NOT get the gnocchi. Everything was awesome as always.

The food was excellent! But the service was poor. Had to ask for refills on tea and water. I ordered spaghetti carbonated with shrimp. Got no shrimp. Then had to wait for waitress to take it back to add shrimp. Hubby got Spaghetti Marsala. He said it was very good. Oh, the salad was a 3 too! Just a small bit of lettuce, 3 croutons and a ton of French dressing. First she brought iced teas with very little ice . It was warm. Then after long pause she brought a bowl with butter and 2 small plates. Then after another pause came the salad. No bread. After we finished out salad she brought a basket of bread. Then long pause before our entrees arrived. Three for atmosphere. Table was so wobbly you could not put you arm on it. And the tables wer so close you could overhear everyone around. So Latin King great food but need traonyour wait staff!

I used to LOVE this restaurant, one of my favorite dining places for years, but ever since Tursi left, it’s just not the same, so disappointing, sad. Please, do something to make this place great again and worth going to!!! I’ve dined there couple years ago.l, haven’t been back since. You’ve lost lots of customers, please bring them back again!!!!! I really miss the true Latin King!