Flying Mango — Restaurant in Des Moines

We've gone to the Flying Mango a number of times in the past and always had a good experience and enjoyed the food. We decided we wanted to have our Valentine's Day dinner there and booked reservations. This review (and the rating) is based on that visit.

Our reservation was for 5:00. We arrived early and waited in the car until they opened the doors. We were promptly seated, and our order was taken fairly quickly. The salads arrived in a few minutes, the entrees were served at 5:45. While we were waiting we couldn't help but notice service to tables around us. The wait staff seemed very disorganized. The the women at table next to us was given the wrong order, and had to wait quite a long time before the right one was delivered. Meanwhile her husband ate his alone. Several times the wait staff went from table to table asking if a particular dish was theirs.

We both ordered the brisket, which was very good. The brussel sprouts seemed a little undercooked, but were OK. The sweet potato hash browns had too much horseradish (or something hot), and neither of us could eat it. My wife had the apple pie which was quite unremarkable, I had the bread pudding which was very good. The salads were OK, but we didn't think they were worth the price. Overall, the service was poor and it really wasn't a great experience. But this isn't the part that we're upset about...

When my wife looked at our bank account the following Tuesday she noticed that in addition to the $88.44 for our meal, an additional $93.44 was charged to our account. We had paid with our debit card. She called and left a message expressing our concerns. We got a call that evening from Mike. He told my wife that he didn't appreciate her message, and went on to say that they had caught the error and reversed the charge. When my wife expressed her concern about how our card could be charged for someone else's meal, his reply was, "It was a busy night, mistakes happen, it's a done deal." No apology... just a curt, annoyed call.

So we won't be going back. ...you know what they say.... happy customers will tell 3 people, unhappy customers will tell 30. The Flying Mango had the opportunity to wow us with a great recovery and...

We were in the mood for something new and exciting, as usual. After a quick search, one of the first spots that caught our eye was The Flying Mango. The name immediately grabbed my attention—it's unique and intriguing. A quirky name like that usually promises some equally unique food, right?

The place itself is a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant that could maybe fit 50 people at most. When you first walk in, you pass by the kitchen and a small bar, with the dining area located on the opposite side. When we visited, it was pretty quiet—just us and one other group—so the vibe was laid-back and relaxed.

Our server got us seated quickly and was incredibly attentive to everything we needed. She was, without a doubt, the highlight of our visit. Her exceptional service was the main reason for the high rating I gave this place, because if it were solely based on the food, it wouldn't have scored nearly as well.

One of my friends ordered a couple of adult drinks, but they ended up sending them back because they just weren’t good. Now, let's talk about the food, which is probably why you're reading this. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with garlic mashed potatoes—or at least that’s what they called them.

The pulled pork sandwich was fantastic. They definitely know what they’re doing with their BBQ. The pork was sweet, tangy, and spicy all at once, and the bread was perfectly baked with just the right amount of warmth. However, the mashed potatoes? They can keep those and take them back to wherever they got them. They weren’t good at all. In fact, none of the sides really impressed anyone in our group. My so-called "garlic" mashed potatoes didn’t have any garlic flavor whatsoever, and honestly, it seemed like they only had butter in them. They definitely need to rethink that recipe.

Overall, I wouldn’t come back for the food, but I would return for the customer service and relaxed atmosphere. The team there really knows how to make you feel welcome, and that goes a long way. If they ever bring their food up to the level of their service, this place could be something special. Keep up the great work, and hopefully one day the food will match the fantastic vibe you’ve already...

It’s been way too long since I visited Flying Mango, and for no good reason. Last time was when Randy Burk played Johnny Cash at the Des Moines Community Playhouse (he was excellent by the way).

We celebrated a dear friend’s milestone birthday with a table of 12. Sat quickly at 6:30 with our reservations. They have a great selection of cocktails and beers. Most on our end of the table had Backpocket or Big Grove and I had an Old Fashioned which was a great pour.

Our drinks were attended to quickly and there were always full water glasses. We had this amazing server, Lynn. She ran zone defense on our table, remembered everyone’s name, and humored all our menu questions and cheerfully offered her solicited input. Pretty sure she set some high school or college track records and likely knew the martial arts because this gal was everything everywhere all at once.

Most had the brisket which was tender, a generous portion, beautifully smoked with a hint of heat. The birthday girl had the seared Ahi tuna with mango salsa -her husband had the pork street tacos which were a feature, and he raved about them all night. I had the Louisiana Platter which was red beans and rice (wow), chicken creole, andouille sausage, and a slice of cornbread. My meal was delicious and 1/2 of it came home with me-and everyone enjoyed their meals.

The owner Mike made the rounds, had the entire restaurant give a big shout out to the birthday guest of honor. We raved about the food to him and he was very humble. We raved about the service and how everyone hustles, had excellent crew resource management like a well oiled machine-he beamed. He is proud of his team and enjoys very low turnover-when I said that spoke to the kind of person he is, he laughed and said “No, they just make really good money here, haha”. Five minutes later I see him busing tables and doing tables sets. Ok Mike😎❤️.

I feel bad I didn’t get any pics for you all but when you get lost in the moment catching up with friends talking about basketball, kids, dogs, baseball and you feel like you are dining in your living room, being spoiled by your uber attentive server Lynn, you just live in the moment. — at...