Hessen Haus
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Update January 2024. Perfectly cooked pork shank! Crispy outside, so tender inside, big enough for me to make two meals. The Caramel Mule drink was delicious! Visited in the late afternoon with my friends. We are from out of town. The place was hopping today! The service was very good. Very friendly. Several servers besides our main server checked on us during our time there. They made sure we had everything we needed. Everything was so good. I have added photos from this visit. I keep wanting to try the schnitzel, but I've gotten the pork shank each time. Next time I will try the schnitzel. -------------- Take-out, sometime a few years ago: I am from out of town and I stay downtown now and then. I've eaten there twice, and I loved the food both times. The first time I got the Pork Shank, and it was delicious! Cooked just right. This time I ordered the Stroganoff. On the menu it says you can order it with beef or pork, and extra meat is $3. So I ordered by phone for pick-up, saying I wanted the stroganoff with beef, and extra meat - & I wanted the pork too... could I get both? They said yes. So I walked over there and picked up my order which was ready on time. When I got back to my hotel and opened it up, it turned out they gave me Beef and Sausage, not regular pork like I thought I was going to get. Did I misunderstand something on the menu? Or did they not explain to me that they weren't going to give me pork, but thin sliced sausage instead... and still charge me $3? I know that regular sausage is usually cheaper than a piece of pork. I think that there was either not enough information given to me over the phone if they've changed the menu, or I got a substitution because they didn't have the pork? I just feel like it wasn't clear. Also the lady who took my order on the phone was very dry! No friendliness in her voice whatsoever., Just try to the point of almost being unfriendly. Maybe she just doesn't have good phone skills? But it wasn't nice customer service on the phone. So the reason I gave four stars It's because of the difference in my dish compared to what the menu said, and the dry customer service on the phone. But the food did taste good, and I got it on time.
Holly SmithHolly Smith
00
As a native of Germany and someone that missed the food, my daughter thought this was the place to get me out of my rut..... Well I've never been so disappointed in my life. Sauerbraten and Rouladen are two staples that are simple and very similar in taste no matter the region and still somehow......an epic fail. The sauerbraten was actually cooked perfectly, but appears someone fell asleep when adding juniper berries, because all I tasted was that. Shame shame shame.......and the Rouladen. My favorite dish as a child, young adult, and now as an adult.....ruined. The way its made is more insulting than the Amana Colonies. No pickle, bacon, onion, or mustard? Rouladen is a beef roll with all that in it. Very disappointed. The red cabbage also tastes like it came from a can and the spatzle tasted premade. One of the other disappointments was the half liter beer. While it was served in the proper style glass..... they couldn't get me lemon wedges which I asked for twice....so my beer tasted like olive water. The party seated behind us recommended the cheese burger......which will be the final red flag. Who wants to go to a German bar and order a cheeseburger? The most authentic thing about Hessen Haus is the decor.....five stars to the decorator. Let me know when you get authentic food. And it's so easy to make that corners should never be cut, so just scratch make it. Maybe then ill reconsider a second visit. Until then.....its 1 star at best. What a waste of a hundred dollars....and people wonder why good food is hard to come by.
David KoenckDavid Koenck
00
I was Soo looking forward to trying this place for the first time,and having all you can eat fish. I kept hearing radio commercials for all you can eat fish on Fridays during Lent. I was very disappointed to finally make it there only to find out Good Friday is not included! To accommodate my son's work schedule, we needed to eat early so we arrived around 430 or so and we're pleasantly surprised that we did not have to wait for a table to empty for us! The service for the first 30 or so minutes was great. Our waitress was attentive and able to answer our menu questions. We placed our drink and appetizer orders and that's when the service started lacking. We had almost finished our appetizers before we placed our entree order. (Maybe that's just the bar atmosphere?) Our friend cheese curds and fried dill pickle s we're tasty tasty tasty! Great portions for the price! Since the all you can eat fish was unavailable we ordered the fish and chips. I got a side of spaetzle, I love spaetzle! The fish was excellent, love the breading! The fries were OK and the spaetzle was almost dead. I was disappointed! The entrees took a really long time to come, at least 30 after we ordered them, which was about the time we finished our appetizers. The spaetzle was dry and crusty on top, like it had been sitting waiting to be served. The fish was fresh and hot!! I will go back because I want to try many of the meat options! Hopefully the service will be better!
DeanaDeana
00
My female server is amazing. I was never rushed. She was able to answer my questions and tell me about items on the menu including the one's she had had. I had everything I needed. The Beef Stroganoff is amazing. I owned and operated businesses myself. The size of the incredible piece German Chocolate Cake is well worth the price and was enough for me take some home and share it. She put my leftover cake in a very nice container and I had a walker so she put this in a bag. I don't drink alcohol but I can see how this would be a wonderful atmosphere and fun to be here. In case anyone thinks the prices are too high please try what you want and then decide. They can answer any questions you have about the menu and so many dishes, etc. to choose from. I went back to tell the pharmacy tech that has brought back a grilled cheese that is not your average grilled cheese and fries in a black container thank you for telling me about this place. It is a little difficult to enter using a walker and I didn't see the part of the sidewalk missing and almost broke my walker and fell over the top but I didn't and a man walking by offered to help me if I needed help. It is uniquely designed and very clean inside. The quality of food and service are well worth the prices and some.
Joe FogartyJoe Fogarty
00
So when you're in the mood for an authentic experience. And you want traditional fare and drinks. There's no other place that comes as close as the Hessen Haus. We were really impressed by the amazing bar and restaurant, staggering selection of beers, pilsners, and alcoholic beverages. The food: was everything that you could imagine from authentic German cuisine. Sure, there were some American fusions of favorites - but by in large, it's German at the heart of it. The sampler platter was probably the best choice as it allowed us to try a variety of foods. The Ruben sandwich was on point. The German potato salad and sauerkraut are so good. Every single single dish we tried was delicious. The service was fast and friendly, and we had several people who took care of us. Our drinks were served as we looked over the menu; our appetizer was brought, and shortly after that, our food arrived. We had our drinks refreshed, and we sat and enjoyed the whole experience. The atmosphere is as authentic as you can imagine. The interior is a perfect recreation of a beer haus in Germany. The stein collection is astounding. And they have a 32 + ounce "boot" glass for those who are daring enough to try. They do accept cash or cards.
Anthony FranklinAnthony Franklin
00
I'm not a German food critic by any means, but my taste buds are a different story. I've been to Fredericksburg, TX which is a German community and the food here is far superior to the place I went to. I really didn't care for Fredericksburg's food but this place was outstanding. The red cabbages was F'N good, It was like a sweet version of sauerkraut. I personally love sauerkraut, but I digress. It was wonderful. The Hahnchen Schnitzel ( deep fried chicken cutlet) was excellent. The beers selection was amazing. From German to American and everything in between. The atmosphere of this place was outstanding. I had so much fun here. Like I said I never have been to Germany but my friends who were with me have been there several times, and they said this is a little piece Deutschland. Did I mention they have Das Boot, ( for those that seen the movie Beerfest, you know what I'm talking about) a super large glass of beer. I wasn't up to the challenge of drinking it but my buddy did, and he had to take his food to go. In short Hessen House is a place that you must go if your in Des Moines, IA. I can't wait to go back there the next time I visit Iowa.
Nasir HassanNasir Hassan
00
Nearby Attractions Of Hessen Haus
Wells Fargo Arena
Des Moines' Downtown Farmers’ Market
Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown
Des Moines Marriott Downtown
Iowa Events Center
Hilton Des Moines Downtown
Molly's Cupcakes
Cowles Commons
The Slaughterhouse Haunted Attraction
Science Center of Iowa

Wells Fargo Arena
4.5
(2.4K)Click for details

Des Moines' Downtown Farmers’ Market
4.8
(1.5K)Click for details

Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown
4.1
(1.1K)Click for details

Des Moines Marriott Downtown
4.3
(990)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Hessen Haus
Zombie Burger + Drink Lab
Buzzard Billy’s
The Iowa Taproom
Fong's Pizza
El Bait Shop
Mullets Restaurant
Bubba
The Royal Mile
The High Life Lounge
Malo

Zombie Burger + Drink Lab
4.5
(3.9K)Click for details

Buzzard Billy’s
4.4
(1.9K)Click for details

The Iowa Taproom
4.6
(1.8K)Click for details

Fong's Pizza
4.5
(1.8K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
101 SW 4th St, Des Moines, IA 50309, United States
Map
Phone
+1 515-288-2520
Call
Website
hessenhaus.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(1.6K reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Festive German beer hall featuring over 175 types of German & Euro brews plus global comfort eats.
attractions: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines' Downtown Farmers’ Market, Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Iowa Events Center, Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Molly's Cupcakes, Cowles Commons, The Slaughterhouse Haunted Attraction, Science Center of Iowa, restaurants: Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, Buzzard Billy’s, The Iowa Taproom, Fong's Pizza, El Bait Shop, Mullets Restaurant, Bubba, The Royal Mile, The High Life Lounge, Malo
