Des Moines Restaurant Guide

The food was fantastic, but what wait to get it! We were seated immediately, but waited 20 minutes for a server. Our food then sat in the kitchen window for a long time and our watiress was not in sight. We would go back for the food and hope the wait staff will be more efficient.

The food was fantastic, but what wait to get it! We were seated immediately, but waited 20 minutes for a server. Our food then sat in the kitchen window for a long time and our watiress was not in sight. We would go back for the food and hope the wait staff will be more effient.

Very nice for the money. I was impressed. Seated quickly, orders were perfect, food was great. Enough for kids to see as well. Food is priced very nicely for the proportion size = PERFECT!

The Drake Diner holds a special place in my heart. Not only is the food great, but so are the owners, employees, and the customers who frequent the Drake Diner. No trip to Des Moines is complete without a visit to the Drake Diner!

We ate at the Drake Diner 9/25/04 for dinner and went back for lunch 9/26/04 because our food was so good. Service was excellent and the food was wonderful. We sat out on the porch the first time and inside the second day...both were fine. They were extremely busy on Sunday for lunch - the after church crowd, but we were seated within 10 minutes and our service was still good..but better the night before. I wish this place had been there when I went to Drake in the 70's. Very convenient for Drake visitors! We were there for a basketball camp and we could easily walk there from the Knapp Center. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express so it was convenient for there as well. Thumbs Up.

great food, reasonable prices, awsome service

I ate breakfast at the Drake Diner on Sunday, February 15th. We ordered our eggs over easy, and specifically asked the waitress to make sure they did not under cook them so the whites were runny, but rather, make sure they whites were "not" runny. We even asked that if they needed to be ordered as "medium" to prevent this, and she assured us they did not. Our eggs came back w/ runny, undercooked whites, and the corned beef hash was almost raw. The waitress took it back, but she did not apologize. She only stated that the cook that day was hard to deal with. ?????
I doubt I'll make it back anytime soon. Not worth it.

When I was going to college at Drake University, this was one of those places folks, especially parents and alumni, loved to go to. Decor is retro 1950s styles with some added color. The food, contrary to what the blurb here says, is not "fast food" though it is burgers primarily. Not really a place for families though, seating is mostly booth style. Within walking distance of the university and fairly priced.