The Continental: User Reviews
The Continental
428 E. Locust St. - Des Moines515-244-5845
Friday night, my wife and I stopped in to get a few drinks and appetizers. The business was steady at most. Ten minutes after we sat down, our server came over to take drink orders. She seemed nice and asked me what kind of vodka I perferred in my gimlet. So far so good. Fifteen minutes later my drink arrived but turned out to be mostly lime juice and ice. My wife's port was corked, and when she pointed this out to the bartender, (our server had vanished), the bartender said "it was because they don't sell that much of it, so it must just be stale." My wife did get a martini for the same price, but the bartender kept giving us dirty looks as if we had ruined her evening by being such horrible customers. I said nothing about the gimlet and just drank ice water. Twenty minutes later, two of our appetizers arrived. The Bbq shrimp was very good, so no complaints. The chipotle hummus was nice but either needed way more hummus or fewer pita chips. Neither one of these dishes should have taken more than five minutes to "create" even if the place was packed, which is was not. We did occasionally see our server, but only as she was frantically running back and forth between the kitchen and bar, never carrying a thing. We finally pinned her down long enough to ask about our third appetizer, the seafood & spinach brie en croute. Ten minutes later, it arrived. Plate presentation was very nice, but it went straight down hill from there. The spinach was just a green wad and we never did find any actual seafood bits anywhere. Two of the three portions had only a very small amount of melted brie left in them. The third had a nickel sized piece, which still had the rind on it. Ten more minutes until our server appeared. We asked for and received our bill - ten minutes later. Anticipating another long wait, I had my credit card ready and practically tackled our server when she finally gave us our bill to keep her from vanishing. An hour and a half after we walked in, we left and went somewere else to redeem the evening. My wife and I have both worked many years in restaurants and have never had a worse experiece. This place could be and was very cool, but it seems those days are long gone. We will never ever go back. I'd rather go to McDonald's.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
The Continental is one of my favorite spots for Happy Hour. They have creative and unique appetizers-most for half off during happy hour. Its a cool place with exposed brick and local artwork. Its not a very large spot, as its long and narrow. I recommend grabbing a booth in the back for a cozy and intimate atmosphere.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Went for lunch. Only ones in the restaurant. After placing our order, it started to get busier. However, it took over 40 minutes to receive our food except for one of my dining companions, who received her food after every one else was finished eating. The table next to us was served before her (even though they came in after us) and my dining companion almost didn't get her pita wrap but protested when she saw the other table being served a pita wrap. Our drinks were never refilled. It took 17 minutes from the time we received our bill to the time we paid, even though we ended up going to the bar to pay since it had been 10 minutes and the waitress still hadn't come back to pick up the checks. No apology, even though the other table received free cake (we didn't even get that).
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
I have been to the Continental a few times for cocktails, but tonight was my first time actually eating there. We stopped by to meet friends for happy hour, and I was so pleased! Together we ordered a plethora of appetizers, all at great prices-garlic capped mushrooms, spicy meatballs, pomegranate toast, bruschetta and olive cheese pastries. All were seriously delicious-but the garlic mushrooms were by far my favorite! They were marinated in a butter, garlic sauce but the best part was the lemon juice that was mixed in giving them a refreshing bite! The atmosphere is classy and swanky with the exposed brick, dark booths and modern art-yet surprisingly comfortable and laid back.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
This place is great to go for a low-key date with your significant other. You can cozy up in a booth, and it is dark enough that you can have an intimate dinner/drink. This place can also be good for larger gathering, as the table in the back can get rowdy. My one complaint - the bar quite often is understaffed, and getting a drink when it is busy can be a hassle, and take 15 minutes. The small plates are good, although many items are typical and uninspired.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Continental is always a great time!
By Ingersoll1978 from Ingersoll-Grand, August 4, 2008
- Overall rating:
I go here probably once a month. The blackened chicken sandwich is awesome...and well priced under $10. I've always had good service too. I'm someone who drinks a lot of tea when I go out...and the servers were always on top of it. This is one of the best spots Downtown.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Continental has good atmosphere and jazz
By BetsyMikel from Drake neighborhood, July 23, 2008
- Overall rating:
The Continental is a classy-feeling place, but anyone is welcome. The soft lighting and the jazz is a great touch. My bartender was extremely spacey though. He wasn't responsive and instead spent a lot of time leaning against the bar and staring off into the distance. But I liked the place enough to go back. There will probably be someone better working next time.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 18 users:
- Overall user rating:
- Ambiance
- Food
- Service
- Value
