Drake Diner: User Reviews
Drake Diner
1111 25th St. - Des Moines515-277-1111
I think one of the other reviewers put it best saying that you might not get the most creative of fancy food but its high quality and and always like a tasty "home cooked" meal. One of my favorite things on the menu is actually their chinese chicken salad. I would never imagine to order it there, but my mom who lives a low-carb lifestyle ordered it a few years ago. The poppy seed dressing is one of my favorite dressings to date-sweet and a little tangy.
One thing I do NOT recommend eating is their meatloaf. Im a big meatloaf fan and thought this would be the perfect spot to indulge. I was wrong. I am anything but a picky eater, but I could seriously barely take another bite. It was very light in color and looked more like chicken than meatloaf.
Anything they serve with Maytag cheese is delicious and a must try!
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Drake Diner doesnt pretend to be anything its not, and it doesnt need to be anything else. Its the perfect spot to grab a burger and fries-or my favorite, a burger and their onion rings. They are sliced thin, my favorite type. Surprisingly, they have a delicious chinese chicken salad that my mom orders every time we eat there. The poppy seed dressing makes it better than most and is one of my favorite parts about The Drake Diner. The patio is great and adds a nice element to the restaurant in the summer, not to mention adding quite a bit of seating room for the large groups that flock to the diner.
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There have been no changes to the menu at the Diner as far as I can tell. The sandwiches and burgers have ALWAYS been ala carte at lunch...20 years. The portions are the same if not bigger, I would say that most people would have a hard time eating everything on their plates, I do!! I have never, ever noticed a price increase when eating there, but I'm sure that they have had to raise prices over the 20 years they have been in business. As far as quality and value go, the diner is second to none. I recently spent $40 at Red Robin for 2 shakes (soft serve), and 2 burgers with fries (1/3 lb frozen meat). I spend 1/2 that at the diner on the same items (real ice cream and 1/2 lb fresh burgers)!!!! Still a lot of the same people who have been there as long as I can remember. Why do you have to hate on our locally owned institutions? I love this place.
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Longtime customer and fan of the diner but puzzled about recent changes. The food is still good as diner food goes but portions are smaller and the prices have skyrocketed. The sandwiches on the lunch menu do not include sides; they are now extra. Chili is still a choice with the soup and sandwich combo but at additional cost and the once exceptional service has deteriorated substantially.
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The best breakfast. The best burgers. The best shakes. The best service. The best food...PERIOD. I love this Des Moines tradition! A must try and you can always find a coupon or discount out there to use if you look hard enough!
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I recently visited Drake Diner for the first time in a great while. It had probably been a year since my last visit, and I'd been finding myself craving rarebit sauce and great chili at random moments. A few times I even made it clear to people around me I needed to get back to the Diner.
Drake Diner doesn't need to reinvent any wheels, it's best asset is being the wheel others are measured against. Many restaurants lack consistency over time and this restuarant has proven over the last 20+ years that it can beat anyone else by consistently offering professional yet personable service and high quality, well prepared food.
On my visit I ordered a side of onion rings to start. I personally am a fan of the thin cut variety, and Drake Diner has some of the best in town. The batter is seasoned before frying, which really impacts the flavor and beats getting salt dumped on them afterwords, McDonald's style.
For the main course I ordered the Rarebit Burger. This is an open-faced burger with spicy cheese sauce poured on top. This may not be everyone's favorite, but for me nothing beats a juicy burger with cheese sauce covering every inch. It also gives you something to dip your fries in other than ketchup or mayo.
My wife ordered the Turkey Club. There's two reasons why I have declared this to be the best club sandwich at a standard full service restaurant in Des Moines. First, the turkey breast is fresh roasted, not processed. Second, Drake Diner is one of the last few restaurants to use first class bacon. Many restauarants have moved toward pre-cooked or scraps. The Diner uses the same kind you like to make at home, and it comes out perfect every time. No sacrifices on quality to save a dime.
The service was quick, polite, and well-timed. Drake Diner has always done a good job training its staff to know the difference between customers who want to chat and those who don't. It's a very important distinction to make when you're catering to both downtown workers, neighborhood residents, and college students. The staff does an excellent job switching modes between tables.
The bottom line - while you may find more creative and fancy food at a Bistro or receieve more food at chain for a lower price, Drake Diner just does it right every time and makes you feel glad you decided to stop by.
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The Drake Diner is a must to put on your favorites list. Not sure what the guy had such issue with, maybe he's more into bar food. This is a classic, quaint family restaurant with great food, and friendly employees that have been around forever. I do agree that the breakfast is the best in town and worth getting up early for. They really do have great burgers, the meat is fresh, not frozen and they grill them, yes, on an actual grill, so it tastes like it says, chargrilled. They also have crazy good shakes, not the Soft Serve fake ones you get at Stella's or McDonald's, they use real ice cream. Not only is the food time and again awesome it really is a special place. Too bad people can be so unforgiving.
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There really isn't any point in even trying Drake Diner. The service is HORRIFIC, and the food is average at best. You can get a better burger (Gateway, Star Bar), better shake (Stella's), and better fries (Django), so there isn't much point other than to drag your butt out of bed if you live in the area for some breakfast.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 13 users:
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