The Walnut — Restaurant in Des Moines

We have tried three times to eat at The Walnut. The first time was shortly after they opened. We checked business hours on line but when we arrived the doors were locked with no lights on. The second time we also arrived during posted business hours. There was one woman in the restaurant. The door was locked and there was a sign that said it was closed for a private party. Today, we arrived for a late lunch. The posted hours were 11am-11pm. The doors were unlocked and there were other customers so we were happy to finally (maybe) enjoy a meal there. We seated ourselves and within five minutes a member of the staff came to our table and told us there would be no food served for 45 minutes because the kitchen had been "swamped" earlier and needed time to catch up. Really?! A restaurant that is so short staffed/mis-managed that it needs a time out to regroup from the lunch hour? Ridiculous. We got up and left. It would have been beneficial to the restaurant if the staff would have offered a complimentary glass of wine while we waited or maybe a half price appetizer to apologize. My husband works on the next block and I am in the area several times per week. Neither of us likes to cook and we were hoping The Walnut would become a new favorite for downtown dining. I'm giving one star because the menu looks good. The second star is because the doors were actually open today and that is farther than we got the previous two times. We may try again someday but maybe not. There are many other places to...

I felt really optimistic about this place - the menu looked delicious (a la carte style), they have an impressive drink menu, the ambiance in the restaurant is modern, classy, very open with lots of natural light (even on a grey winter afternoon), and the service is great. When I was there recently, the restaurant was fairly full with accomodations for small and large parties. With all of this in mind, I was a little taken back by how the food was presented. All of the main food and sides that my table had ordered were served in individual black plastic baskets lined with basic parchment paper. It looked really cheap and was almost the type of presentation you'd expect in a divey pub, so it didn't seem to connect with the rest of the vibe of the establishment. Between myself and my party, we had gotten the tabasco turkey melt, the reuben, and the completo, all of us ordering various sides. The food was fine, but nothing stood out enough to make us want to come back again soon. The coffee was great and the drink menu looked promising, so if I returned, I imagine it would be more for drinks...

Unique restaurant? Yes! Take a step back in time to what was once a city garage in the 1920s. There are still a few automotive repair shops in downtown Des Moines – maybe for vintage and antique cars, yet there are also artsy restaurants, jazz spots, breweries, artsy shops, and city apartments opening up. Blending these old historical buildings with the wants and needs of today’s culture makes for a great blend.

And thus, we stumbled upon The Walnut before our night at the Noce Jazz Club! Wow, looking around the restaurant, what a great place to eat and meet friends for social times over food and drink.

We stopped in the The Walnut for dinner. The Chipotle Chicken Tacos and Chicken Pesto Pasta were out of this world delicious! So, was the Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips! This restaurant adds a gourmet flair to their food, service, and atmosphere!

Planning a get-together soon with family and friends in the Des Moines area? This is the...