Gastro Grub & Pub — Restaurant in Waukee

Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4* Service: 5*

Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $49

12/14/2024 Yet another great stop at Gastro Grub & Pub. Tonight, we started with a Mrs. Claus' Medicine (see picture) and Casamigos Mezcal Paloma (see picture), then opted for multiple appetizers for our meals along with a couple of craft beers.

We started with Bacon Dates (see picture) and Brussels Sprouts (see picture), then topped it off with and order of Chicken Wings (Peanut Butter & Jelly of course - see picture). We have had them all before and really like them - and tonight was no different.

04/06/2024 This place is becoming a habit...and each time the food is just as good as the last time! Joslyn did a wonderful job serving us tonight and the owner (Sean) stopped by our table at the end of the meal. Gastro Grub & Pub is a class act and the only thing I could criticize (which I also shared with the owner) is that a couple of the windows above the front door were extremely dirty (see picture)...and unfortunately that was right in my line of sight during the meal. Apparently, that is the responsibility of the building owner, so he was going to bring it up with them.

Tonight, we started with a Picante Peach (see picture) and a Paloma (see picture) - both delicious and expertly prepared by Mary behind the bar - but be aware, the Picante Peach has a good jalapeno burn. We started our dinner with Brussels Sprouts (see picture), then ordered a Wagyu Burger (see picture) and Peanut Butter & Jelly Wings (see picture) - followed by a Small Cookie (see picture) for dessert.

07/14/2023 During our latest stop, my wife ordered the N'awlins Shrimp Po Boy (see picture) and I again ordered the Peanut Butter & Jelly Chicken Wings (see picture).

03/25/2023 This is my wife's go-to restaurant in the area and I like it also. We have stopped here on multiple occasions and have always enjoyed our visit, given the fantastic food and atmosphere (love the smells and lively vibe). Be aware of the fact that they are not open on Monday or Tuesday and only serve dinner (after 4pm). We have wanted to go several times on a Monday or Tuesday before realizing that they weren't open.

For our latest visit, we started with drinks - they have a good selection of unique and tasty tap beers and some unique cocktails. My wife ordered a Gezellig Dopptoberfest and I went with the special for dinner - the Mulberry Street Cocktail (see picture - a little sweet, but very tasty).

As an appetizer, we ordered the Brussels Sprouts (see picture) and thoroughly enjoyed them - what a great combination Bacon Vinaigrette, Bacon Lardons & Parmesan Cheese. We have ordered this before, absolutely love it and would highly recommend it (although their other choices are also delicious, so it is a hard choice...).

For dinner, I ordered the 5 Wings (see picture) with peanut butter & jelly coating (sounds weird, but you can't believe how good they are - great combination of sweet and spicy). My wife ordered the Steak Pita with sweet potato fries (see picture) and while it was delicious, be aware that it is quite messy to eat as there are LOTS of juices.

If you live in the Waukee, Urbandale, Clive or West Des Moines areas, you don't have to make the drive downtown to enjoy some fantastic food and drink close to home. You won't go wrong with a stop here to eat or drink.

March 2022 Stopped here tonight when the Irish Pub we sought out on St. Patrick's Day was closed. There was no wait to be seated and we really liked the smokey smell (were told it was from the woodfire grill). We started with Bacon Wrapped Dates which tasted great but we're a little small compared to those I've eaten previously. The Beet Salad was delicious (see picture) as was the OJ Gets Dreamy beer (see picture).

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The food is spectacular but, the staff members are truly the best part of this establishment. And to round it off they are more than happy to accommodate for food allergies!

I recently went here for date night with my significant other as we saw the reviews were awesome and we are local to Waukee. Sometimes we can have issues with eating out as we both have nut allergies. After informing our waitress(I regrettably do not remember her name) of our nut allergies she offered to go talk to the executive chef directly to make sure there were no nut based products in the dishes we were going to order. And on top of that, they even used a difference cook top location and utensils to prepare our food. When we talk about our nut allergies to restaurants we often feel bad as we feel it can be taken as us being "difficult" or "high maintenance" but this waitress explained that she was actually used to this because she had a roommate with allergies at one point too. And wanted to make it very clear to us that we were NOT being difficult at all and she was more than happy to help with our accommodations.

This establishment has my business for years to come thanks to the awesome waitress and executive chef. If the owners/managers read this. Please be sure to recognize her as she truly went above and beyond...

We've been here twice: once a few weeks after opening, and once in 2018 nearly a year later. Unfortunately, they haven't improved.

Service was slow on both occasions. The second time was during a lunch, when they were not very busy. Took 20 minutes to even take our order, and another 30 minutes to get food out. It was just 2 people and we had a simple order. As I sat and watched the kitchen, there were consistently dishes sitting on the pass for 10-15 minutes or more before getting sent out.

On our first occasion, the food was completely non-seasoned. No salt whatsoever. No salt in the fried chicken breading, none on the fries, none on the fried brussels, none in the mash. Terribly bland, of course.

Building design is nice, but a little darker than it should be. There's a large "living wall" made of 100% artificial plants, and the little plants on each table are artificial. Decor doesn't match prices.

Menu is nice and could be promising, if they could figure out how to run efficiently and consistently put out properly seasoned dishes. As it is, their sandwiches priced at $13-$15 do not match the value of the dining experience received.

I don't think we'll be back unless they can majorly turn around their game, but having already struck out twice, I don't think I'd want to wager my $40...