Drake Diner
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UPDATED FOR 04/03/2022 SEE NEW REVIEW AT END OF THIS REVIEW. SEE BELOW. I was here for the Eggs Benedict. #1. They had a very good taste. Not overly seasoned. The Hollandaise was from scratch using egg Yolks. I ordered the poached eggs soft but they came medium. #2. These come with hash browns with or without cheese and an option for sausage instead of Canadian bacon. . #3. The price was $11.99 which that and the error of poaching of the egg should have brought it 4 stars. The English muffin was large, thick and soft. That kept it at 5 stars. I have a "top ten" list for Benedicts. #1 being the best. After my visit I rated these "Bennys" as #4 in my " top ten list" . They are worth trying and I will be going back again. The price is the drawback but it only carries 10% of my review . My rating is based on 3 weights : #1-70% = taste #2-20% = presentation #3-10% = price I went back to have another "Benny". They were busy so I sat at the counter. I ordered the Benny with eggs poached soft. One egg was soft and one was medium. I let "Andrew" know about the medium egg. He said he would get me another one. By the time the replacement egg got to me the rest of my Benny was cold. Don't get me wrong..... I will go back and get another Benny because they are very tasty. If they could only get them right. I recommend them just make sure they are right. To top it off I will finish with my observation of Andrew, my waiter. He never smiled or showed any concerns to me. It was like I was a problem or a burden.
george barkergeorge barker
50
I had eaten at the Drake Diner multiple times in the past, with each time being satisfying. This time, my wife and I ate there, and I was extremely disappointed. I ordered the blue plate special (meat loaf, skin on mashed potatoes, veggie of the day, house salad, and roll). My wife ordered a house salad and the quesadilla. The first issue was that the salads were bagged, not freshly made/prepped, and had yellow lettuce throughout. The next issue was that the veggies on the blue plate special were just frozen peas and carrots (that were unseasoned). The roll was store bought, cold, and hard. The meatloaf was just three slices of dense ground beef without any seasonings (seemed like no egg or crackers in it either). Not what I expected from a blue plate special. Then my wife's quesodilla was half soggy and half crispy with an odd smell to it. The only thing that was good was the green river. To add to this, the decore looks like it hasn't been updated in a very long time. The booth seat I sat in had an indent in the middle (I assume from diners sitting right in the middle every time). It will be a long time, if at all, before I return to The Drake Diner.
Evern NelsonEvern Nelson
00
I stopped for lunch at 11:45 am on a Tuesday. This place is a classic diner from the outside, and very well maintained. There were a lot of tables, and I was seated right away. After 5 min's my waiter finally came over and took my order. I ordered the French dip along with a cup of soup. Everything was delivered at the same time. I wished they would ask if you wanted your soup with or before your meal. If you eat the soup first, the meal gets cold. The soup was loaded potato soup and was meh... Just OK, nothing special. It looked better than it tasted. The sandwich was small. There was not a lot of meat on it. The au jus was not very flavorful. Overall, I was expecting so much more based upon how the outside of the restaurant looked. I was disappointed. I won’t be back.
Dennis ErrichielloDennis Errichiello
00
What a great place! We stayed at the hotel next door and came here because it was close, within walking distance. At first, I wasn't pleased about being told the wait was 20-30 minutes (actually seated in less than 15), but it was well worth the wait! For a Midwest diner, it has sure captured that East Coast Diner feel! All the staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, and gladly answered the questions we had regarding some of the local items we weren't familiar with. The reuben I ordered was excellent! Great bread, tender corned beef, a definite must have. The portions were good, so much so, we didn't have room for dessert. If you're ever anywhere nearby the Drake Dine, you need to stop in, you won't be disappointed.
Rob GustafsonRob Gustafson
00
Good ol all American diner food and atmosphere! The service was good, the server was pleasant and courteous. While the diner was busy, we still got our food very quickly. The food tasted good and is the type of food you’d expect at a diner like this. We were very happy to eat here on our visit to Iowa. We had the Eggs Benedict, Cinnamon Swirl French Toast, Chicken and Waffles, Captain Crunch French Toast Sticks, Bacon and some Waffle Dogs. While the Captain Crunch French Toast Stick weren’t that impressive, the Waffle Dogs were interesting and the rest of the food was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend for an enjoyable experience. 👍🏼👍🏼
Ryan DuckworthRyan Duckworth
10
Nearby Attractions Of Drake Diner
Drake Stadium
Platinum Kutz BarberShop
Basilica of St. John
Varsity Cinema
Paparazzi Hair Studio & Spa
Lefty's Live Music
Kitchen Spaces
LSI Global Greens Farmers' Market
Dread Doctor LLC

Drake Stadium
4.5
(317)Click for details

Platinum Kutz BarberShop
4.4
(216)Click for details

Basilica of St. John
4.7
(109)Click for details

Varsity Cinema
4.9
(91)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Drake Diner
Smokey Row Coffee
Lzaza Indo-Pak Cuisine
Tacos Degollado
Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers
Dough Co. Pizza | Drake
Fernando's Mexican Grill
Gursha Ethiopian Grill
8 Degrees Cafe & Boba
Mars Cafe
China Place Restaurant

Smokey Row Coffee
4.5
(1.3K)Click for details

Lzaza Indo-Pak Cuisine
4.6
(372)Click for details

Tacos Degollado
4.6
(359)Click for details

Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers
4.6
(333)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
1111 25th St, Des Moines, IA 50311
Map
Phone
(515) 277-1111
Call
Website
drakediner.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.5
(1.6K reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
This homage to midcentury diners serves hearty American fare plus beer & wine from morning to night.
attractions: Drake Stadium, Platinum Kutz BarberShop, Basilica of St. John, Varsity Cinema, Paparazzi Hair Studio & Spa, Lefty's Live Music, Kitchen Spaces, LSI Global Greens Farmers' Market, Dread Doctor LLC, restaurants: Smokey Row Coffee, Lzaza Indo-Pak Cuisine, Tacos Degollado, Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers, Dough Co. Pizza | Drake, Fernando's Mexican Grill, Gursha Ethiopian Grill, 8 Degrees Cafe & Boba, Mars Cafe, China Place Restaurant
