Basic Bird — Restaurant in Des Moines

UPDATE June 28, 2025 (5*): We were craving Korean Fried Chicken and my husband had never been so I decided to give Basic Bird another try. It was pretty dead tonight, but also within an hour of closing. The person at the counter graciously gave us time to scour the menu--letting us know they were available for any questions. The menu was slightly different than the first time I went so I had to re-evaluate. Today was such a different experience than 18 months ago! The food was hot and juicy, thoroughly cooked, deliciously flavorful, and perfectly seasoned! And, the chicken was wonderfully crunchy! It checked all the boxes! The Sweet Honey Butter sauce is still 🔥🔥🔥They even added some hot sides to the menu which were fantastic! The staff said that they went through some changes (dredging methods, processes, got rid of eat-in only dishes, etc...) And, it seems that it has really played in their favor. Will definitely be back.

January 20, 2024 (3*): At first glance, the interior is super cute and cheery. We came in around 5:30pm on a Saturday evening. The line was already long and there were no tables available so 3 out of the 5 of us stayed to order takeout. This is not a sit-down establishment, it's counter service where you order and then sit down with a number. The tables didn't turn very quickly but there is some high counter seating if you're coming there alone or with one other person. We were a group of five so we wanted to chat and catch up.

Their middle menu is strictly dine-in only so I ordered the Cheesy Rice Dumplings (Tteokbokki) for the three of us to share while we waited for the takeout. That was really tasty. The rice cakes had the right cook and texture and the sauce with the cheese and brussels really complemented each other. For my main, I got the boneless wings in the sweet honey butter sauce as well as the traditional bone-in wings in a mixture of the sweet and spicy sauces (double dunk). The sauces on the chicken were good but the chicken lacked the typical, famous crunch that Korean Fried Chicken has. I've had Basic Bird previously. They would serve out of Harbinger on Sundays (before they opened their brick and mortar location). THAT, WAS AMAZING!!! This, was nothing close.

My meals came with 3 sides each, so I got all of them. They're all cold which is typical in Korean cuisine, but I did not like the marinated brussel sprouts cold. The shishito peppers are also not good cold. The pickled daikon was too thick and chunky to accompany the small bites of chicken. The cucumber kimchi was alright, but too sweet. The only two that everyone loved were the potato salad and cabbage kimchi.

As added insight, but with no factor playing into my own assessment or rating. Two of my friends got the chicken sandwich. The other two got wings. The girls with the chicken sandwiches felt that their chicken was largely undercooked. Three of my friends subbed french fries for an upcharge and didn't get any. By the time they realized they weren't in the bag we were already at the house. And, if you call, you're unable to reach a human so we would've had to drive back.

All in all, this visit was a miss. Maybe they were just having an off-day. They were super busy, and it seems that they're under-staffed. They were also out of a few things we wanted to try--the chicken and kimchi dumplings and the chicken and chive dumplings. I'll give it a few months and go back. I was disappointed this time but I know what...

I was very excited to try this new addition to Beaverdale. The atmosphere is delightful, very bright and friendly with adorable art. They have quite a small footprint but are utilizing it very well and nothing feels too crowded. As an added bonus their straws are paper and held up incredibly well (no dissolving/falling apart) for the hour we were there. And their to go containers all appear to be eco friendly and readily available by the silverware and soda machine so you don't have to ask anyone if you need a container. We went on a weeknight right at 5pm and there were only 3 other patrons there. By 5:30 a steady line had formed and when we left at 6 the line was to the door with every table filled. We ordered a wide variety of dishes and there were some real stars and some disappointments. All stars for us were the Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice and the cheesy rice dumplings. The Bacon Kimchi fried rice was bursting with flavor and the egg was perfectly cooked, the sauce drizzle was excellent as well. The cheesy rice dumplings weren't what I expected (they are rice cake puffs and not a stuffed dumpling) but they were delicious. We also tried the cheese corn which started out great but degraded quickly as the cheese re-solidified. It still had a Korean comfort food feel which was enjoyable. Of the sides the pickled diakon and kimchis are the standouts. Both are packed fresh, crunchy and bright. The brussel sprouts and shishito peppers were lacking in flavor/needed some salt and the potato salad was surprisingly bland. We got both regular and boneless wings. The regular wings were "spicy gochujang," they had some inconsistent breading and were not at all spicy. Gochujang is a pepper paste and isn't inherently spicy but being a Korean fusion theme and putting 'spicy' in the name leaves a certain expectation. These were on par with a regular buffalo wing at a standard American bar. It made me wonder if there is a secret off menu spicy sauce that you have to ask for? The boneless wings we got with the double dunk (a mix of both the gochujang and honey butter) which was good but again, needed more salt or other boost of flavor. I'd love to see another sauce option added to the menu (maybe garlic based?) to round out the options. Overall the quality of food was very high and everything tasted very fresh. My guess is some of our disappointment is due to growing pains and I definitely look forward to going again in a few months when they are more settled...

Listen up!!! This is my favorite now okay 😆 my fiance and I ordered those awesome fries, loaded with lots of flavor and cheese and ordered Kimchi cabbage and cucumber, came with a side of rice but not just any kind of rice the seasoning they used on it actually threw me for a shock so meaning great taste, also kid friendly high chairs and more chair available if you have additional members seating along with you, the name Basic Bird doesn't give justice for how great the food is lol and I like that. Mac and cheese was pretty buttery and cheesy tasting so im actually not made at because my 1 yr old like it, but I will say Mac and cheese is just missing a little umph in it but still over all good regardless. Hannah was our waitress and she answered any questions we had and also gave us a sample of the Lava sauce !!!! May I ADD OMG GRRREATTTTTT❤️ 😍 💖 WE ORDERED 18 WINGS AND NEED I ADD THAT LAVA SAUCE COMPLIMENTED THE WINGS MORE AND STAND OUT MORE!!!!!! you know the chicken is great when my baby boy cried for more okay !! lol a. Lade came in she was a door washer and she even had to ask out the fries. AGAIN I MUST SAY 10/10 !!!!!!! PARKING IS FREE, SMALL LOT BUT INCASE IT IS FULL OTHER PARKING LOTS AND STREET PARKING IS AVAILABLE AS WELL. I'm not saying their was no handicap parking but perhaps I may have over looked it. I will say if you are in a wheelchair the tables are low energy and entering the building is still easy accessible to get in and out for sure. Back to the meal the amount paid for 2 ppl to share answered have left overs for later ran about 70, but.......... keep in mind the portion of food you get you can share if you want . Basically it's al about what you get and how much you plan to eat of course, but it is worth it ok you will not be disappointed. Clean environment. Nice and quiet and just over all great vibes and energy 😌 we will be coming back again soon 💋 😘

Thank you BASIC BIRD NOW IT'S TIME TO EXPAND YOU COMPANY TO THE EAST NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE NC TO BE EXACT WE WOULD VERY MUCH SPEND AND ADORE THIS TYPE OF EATING :) LOL BUT SERIOUSLY JUST A THOUGHT TO PUT OUT THERE IN CASE YOU WERE THINKING...