Splash Seafood — Restaurant in Des Moines

e stumbled in on a Friday night before a concert without a reservation. We were told they had no room for non-reservations, but had available spots in the bar area (this was a little silly to us, as EVERY table in the restaurant was empty, and not even set for incoming guests, but I'm going to err on the side of believing the hostess). We were seated in the bar area pretty quickly.

The restaurant is pretty and the decor was okay. I liked that we had a real candle at our table, but the fresh flowers looked really sad. It would have been better to have not had them on the table. My husband and I made several jokes throughout the night about the music choice, which was reggae. It was a STRANGE choice for this style of restaurant, but it did make for some fun conversation.

Our service was decent. Our waters were refilled, we got our order taken after an appropriate amount of time, and our server was courteous and had good recommendations. We did order an appetizer that was never put in, but it's probably for the best money-wise.

Escargot: Ordered, but never came. When our server realized he never put the order in, he apologized, but that was the extent. It's for the better, like I said, for money reasons. However, my husband was looking forward to trying escargot for the first time.

Bienville Oysters: These were my favorite. They were creamy and savory and just a delight. We've had oysters in New Orleans, and the oysters at Splash are the closet we've gotten to those we had in the south.

Rockefeller Oysters: My husband preferred these oysters. They were also very savory and delicious, with the onion on top taking the cake for my husband.

Clam Chowder: This was not good, and I wouldn't order it again. It was different. It came out an almost orange color and had a tangy/sour taste to it that I did not like. The texture of the soup was good, but several of the potatoes were under cooked. I should also note that my stomach became very upset after eating this chowder. I'm not sure if it was the soup or something else, but it is worth noting

Shrimp Risotto: My husband LOVED this dish. It was creamy, warm, and perfect for a cold fall night. There were plenty of shrimp in it, and he liked the flavors. However, he did find a small piece of wood in the dish. Yes, actual wood. We have no idea where it came from. It did not stop him from raving about how good the dish was.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: Very cute presentation for this one! The cake was pretty good, with a nice glaze, though I could have used some more. The cake was a little dry toward the outsides of the bake, but the ice cream paired well with it.

Bathroom Note: For such a large restaurant, their women's bathroom is almost a joke. It's tiny, with two stalls and only 1 very small sink. When I left, there was a line of SIX women waiting for the bathroom. For such a large restaurant, they should think about expanding their bathroom.

Our check was almost $80, which I do not think reflects the quality of the food or service we received. The oysters were worth it, but the rest of the dishes were over priced for the quality of the dish we received. I'm glad we went to Splash, as it's such a notable restaurant. We would return sometime for oysters, but likely will not be back soon for...

The server kept leaving, barely checked on us. The food my Mom ordered on Mother's Day, I was treating her to dinner and she absolutely loves seafood, an entire Lobster for over $90 was a dull, muted red color it was terrible. Supposed to be bright red, barely any meat, Stringy in parts, rubbery meat in parts. I had some of her food. She asked me to write this review because she doesn't use the internet nor tech savvy.

Then when we told the server we were unhappy, still willing to pay asked for a free dessert (Bill was $172 in tough economic times I work hard for my money that is a LOT) that I had saved up. My mom was rebuffed. On Mother's Day. Seriously? A stinky piece of Key Lime Pie and you couldn't accommodate. That's BAD. I'm telling everyone I know never to eat here. The server telling us the seafood comes from Hawaii, Florida other parts of the U.S. sooooo we're paying your Import fees and the food is substandard. I've had amazing Lobster worth every penny of about $75 to $100 and this was GARBAGE. I couldn't believe how we were treated. Unacceptable. I'm an Air Force veteran, my Mom is new 6 months just moved here she's 75 years old they were so dismissive. We were so polite not a voice raised. They need to get it together or shut down permanently. Better restaurants have sadly been shuttered. I do not mind paying high prices but for GOOD food and not for cheap small portions. Everywhere I've lived, NY, California (Sacramento), Virginia Beach, Fayetteville, North Carolina, Layton, Utah, Tacoma WA, Phoenix AZ, Cedar Rapids, IA ALL had better seafood. The male server telling us this isnt a seaside town so it's going to be different and not what we're used to, is a terrible thing to say to us. Splash owner, you should be ashamed of yourself. My poor Mom was so upset and still hungry when she left. I felt horrendous. I hope you will reach out to us. This was really a harsh experience. By the way, I had Lobster Mac side dish, and 1 piece of Lobster, 4 pieces of Asparagus with the order of the Gulf Shrimp. (5) Shrimp. They replaced my Mac N Cheese and had more Lobster pieces in it. But that shouldn't have happened either. That I had to ask for another. I guess they just didn't care about our table that night at all. It almost felt intentional. I'm sorry to write this but Me, Mom and Dad were all pretty upset over how...

For what you spend…. The food should be better… Quick Rundown: 4 Guests (3 adults & 10yr old girl) Friday night reservation 7:30, seated right away, Atmosphere: Seafood themed, salt water fish mounts and tanks all around… first thoughts.. pretty cool… salt water fish tanks looked dingy… but they were acrylic… so that already gives a cloudy look.. but had a few cool fish… restaurant itself maybe could use a update… but being in a historical building you can only do so much and try to retain the building’s features.. Food: Adult 1: 6pc. shrimp platter, wedge salad, 12oz filet garlic mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts

Adult 2: 6pc. shrimp platter, 8oz filet garlic mashed potatoes, broccolini

Adult 3: Cesar salad, Splash chicken

Child: Small Cesar salad (shared with mom) Norwegian Salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, French fries

My Dinner Review: Wedge salad small but tasty.. 6pc. shrimp platter oh beautiful shrimp, but they must boil shrimp to order, because one still had a small bit of vein, and when I bit into one.. a bit overcooked and was tough… it was chilled on outside but the inside was still warm.. that threw me off expecting to be completely chilled …. Cocktail sauce must be from a bottle because the horse radish didn’t have a kick for $46 you think it would be outstanding ….12oz filet good, ordered med rare, really tender definitely could cut with a fork…. But really again tasty… but not $65 tasty… really bland.. garlic mashed potatoes were creamy and tasty… but too creamy for me… that sticky/ glue stage I’m m not a fan of… roasted Brussels Sprouts could have been more tender…

Other comments from the table…

“Splash chicken was good,” I ate the mushrooms, since my wife not a fan of them

The other filet was ordered med rare but came more medium… we traded a slice for a slice and there was a definite difference between the two fillets ordered.

Other shrimp platter came out way nicer than mine

I can’t tell you how the salmon was… because my daughter had it gone, she wasn’t a fan of Cesar salad, liked the garlic mashed potatoes and fries

Hostess was friendly

Our waitress Amber did a fine job no complaints…

All in all it was ok, but honestly “The Waterfront”(another seafood restaurant with 2 locations in the Des Moines Area) is better and half the price… I was expecting...