Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Des Moines

So I have ate here several times. The first time it was brunch on Father's Day and I was blown away. The restaurant was busy but we had no wait time. The meals were different and delicious and the waitress at the bar was amazing. The second time it was dinner time and we sat on the patio that was ok just flies as to be expected. The meals....my best friend has the fried green tomatoes...they were tasteless to her, now they looked pretty and perfect but was not satisfied, I had the chicken with gravy and sides. Mac n cheese n greens, not like what I am used to but for a restaurant it was ok. The greens were a little to tough to my liking and you know they were the healthier version, but when it comes to collard greens gone head and get them done right for that right flavor and leave a little juice in the bowl and use some hammocks or ham shanks that bacon don't be enough in them greens. So the next time I went it was a dinner for 4 and and we all ordered sumn different so we can really taste. The tortilla soup, they went in on the tortilla soup it was banging ( really good) my mom had the pork skillet something she said it was very spicy but in all she was not impressed with the restaurant at all, mommie didn't like how bland everything tasted...if it wasn't for the spice it would have no flavor. I had a fried chicken breast it was bland like it looks pretty the presentation was great but lacks that flavor, I don't know maybe marinate the chicken then fry it. My uncle had the steak, my mother seemed to enjoy that better, notice I said my uncle had the steak and mommie was eating it like it was hers. OMG the Brussels was the bomb. The potatoes that were fried w parmesan on top ..they were okay but I don't know maybe fried to much so that's on the chef not the flavor. Whatever my aunt had it disappeared before I could taste it, she said she was hungry so that was that. So after my dinners there I would suggest Brunch...the menu is better with more flavor. I would also add. With the price of the alcoholic beverages, please don't be afraid to add the alcohol. Please take into consideration that we could buy a whole bottle with the price of one drink, we patronize and come to support if we wanted kool aid or punch we would have ordered that.. Make us a Drink like you would yours. Tony's seasoning...Morton's salt not no Himalayan salt....Peppa, not pepper but Peppa. And the biscuits are great but soften the butter it was like cutting rocks, my auntie was dropping the knife and getting her outfit all dirty trying to scoop the butter. The presentation is everything I love it but I want the meal to be easy delicious and memorable for good reasons. I will be back, because I wanna know if Tupelo actually listens to the customers reviews or if they just look and say oh well we have been doing this we are just fine? Oh, if y'all Tupelo Honey where da honey at? Y'all didn't even serve honey with the biscuits it was like berries with lil jam. Again cute but yea...no. Put that...

This was our first visit. Checked online for the menu to see if there would be options for our party due to dietary restrictions before even making our reservation. Saw several breakfast options, so decided to give it a try.

Also, saw on their website that you can sign up for their social club for $5 off my ticket. Went ahead and did that, assuming id be spending a decent amount with a party of 3 on valentines day.

Upon arrival, we walked in ~1055 (res. @11). Door was unlocked, so we just went in. We were promptly asked to leave and how we even got innbecause theyvarent open. The door is unlocked. Keep your doors locked if you dontwant people coming in. Not a warm greeting whatsoever right off the bat.

We got seated, and then found the menu we saw wasnt available. Apparently there are multiple menus but not all are visible online. Therefore our party was VERY limited on what they could eat, but found 1 thing on the menu that worked.

Came for valentines day and brought my husband and mom. The couples menu is ALSO very limited for people with dietary restrictions, so we couldnt even take advantage of that deal.

Definitely do not recommend if you follow a meat free diet, as most everything has some form of meat. If want to substitute, the upcharge is outrageous. For a comparable menu item, its truly insane.

The cocktails tasted like juice. Couldnt taste anything but the fruit juice. For $15, it would be nice to know there was some booze in there.

The food came out, and the biscuits were good. The main items we got were ok, but certainly not worth what we paid. My moms food was undercooked. She asked for it to be redone (after waiting for someone to come check on us for quite some time) and STILL came out undercooked. I finished my meal before she even got her refire back. My food came out cold to luke-warm. Definitely not hot.

We go to pay, and are still waiting to receive our $5 off email for the social club. I show the server that my mom and i BOTH signed up but havnt received the email, and we were told thats for the NEXT visit...not the current one. Um...no. i signed up before even showing up. We waited finishing our drinks and my mom received an email. The server didnt even check her email and just punched it in the computer, no codes, and gave us the $5 loyalty off. What was so hard about that the first time??

Not a nice visit to...

Tupelo Honey: Where Mediocrity Reaches New Heights

Stepping into Tupelo Honey, I was instantly transported to a world where time stands still—quite literally, as my wait for a table seemed to stretch into infinity. Despite the abundance of empty seats, the staff insisted I bask in the ambiance of their waiting area, perhaps hoping I’d absorb some of the restaurant’s nonexistent buzz.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I was seated and eager to dive into the culinary delights that awaited. Or so I thought.

First came the "Kiss of Lavender Lemonade," which was more of a peck from a lemon-flavored ghost. The lavender was so subtle, it must have been added through sheer telepathy. If you enjoy drinking what could easily pass as dishwater with a hint of lemon, this is your drink.

Then, the main event: the meatloaf. It arrived looking like a glossy magazine cover photo, promising a warm, hearty meal. However, one bite in and I realized it had the warmth of a polar bear's picnic. If only it tasted as good as it looked—alas, the cold center hinted it had been fresh out of the fridge, or perhaps the chef is just a pioneer in the field of culinary cryogenics.

The broccolini was the true pièce de résistance. Imagine a bald tree trunk on a plate, adorned with what appeared to be a smudge of aioli sauce applied with an indifferent finger. The Parmesan sprinkled atop was likely a collection of the day's leftovers, giving new meaning to the term "recycled cuisine."

Amidst this culinary chaos, the potatoes stood out as a beacon of hope. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, they were the one redeeming feature of an otherwise dismal dining experience. They might as well rename the place "Tupelo Potatoes" and save themselves the trouble.

In summary, dining at Tupelo Honey is like attending an elaborate performance art piece titled "The Long Wait and the Cold Plate." If you’re in the mood for tepid meatloaf, dubious broccolini, and a beverage that tastes like it was imagined by someone who’s never encountered lavender, then this is your spot. Otherwise, I’d recommend eating the potatoes and making...