BeerStyles Taproom & Gastropub — Restaurant in West Des Moines

My husband and I recently discovered beer styles and were quite excited about the menu . We have been there several times and have always enjoyed their food and beer selection. We almost always get some combination of their fried chicken sandwich, mushroom fries, and spinach burrata and have always enjoyed their food. We recently picked up their chicken sandwich with a side of fries and when we got back home to eat it, most of the chicken was over burnt. I have a picture attached of what the chicken sandwich looked like once we removed the burnt bits. When I called and asked for a refund, the lady over the phone checked with their head chef who said that it is expected that their chicken sandwich when fried turns into a darker color but that doesn’t mean it’s burnt….we have had this sandwich many times before and have never had this issue and I for sure have no reason to scam them for their money. Half of the fries were burnt as well; she told us that she didn’t see anything wrong with the fries when she packed them. We would truly know what the fries taste like since we actually tasted them instead of a visual inspection. Very strange that they were making it seem like we were making this up (didn’t ask for pictures or any other details). This is not the experience I was expecting and I will never go back.

Edit based on response from owner: Yes we have had pleasant experiences in the past with Matt. This place also serves Sudwerks beer all the way from my alma mater in Davis, CA! I don’t see that in too many places. Unfortunately there seems to be some misunderstanding since we were never offered a refund. She did say that she can have the manager call me if I leave my name and phone number but she didn’t indicate that it was for a refund but more so for me to make my case again, which at that point I was not interested in leaving my personal details with little hope...

Being a big fan of many of the outstanding locally owned restaurants in the Des Moines area, I was looking forward to trying this one based upon what I had heard. Unfortunately, I can't even offer a review on the food because the service was so poor on the evening that we visited, that food was never even ordered.

We were seated, ordered drinks and picked what looked to be some delightful items off the menu and waited and waited and waited..... for our waiter to return. That's where it got to be almost comical. After our waiter pulled an outstanding Houdini act, we asked not one, but TWO other servers if they could find our waiter because we would like to order some food and our glasses had been empty for quite some time. Unbelievablely, still nothing!

Finally, we had had enough, stood up, put our coats on and I made eye contact with the third of the wait staff that we had interacted with and signaled that I wanted our check. Keep in mind that we had been seated for over 35 minutes at this point! She (again, not our original waiter, she was still MIA), brought our check over, apologized and then this is the coup de gras, asked for my name and number because she felt so bad about how poorly this had all gone, that she was going to call me the next day. Guess who never received a call? I know, Shocker! 😁

Anyway, maybe they were just having a horribly bad night and maybe their food is awesome. I'll never know. After spending 30+ years in the retail customer service industry across six states and with so many OTHER outstanding choices elsewhere in the metro area, I'll take my chances elsewhere. Who knows, maybe that will free up enough tables they can get this important part of their business...

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Came here recently for dinner and drinks on the patio. The beer selection was definitely the highlight—lots of great options and something for everyone. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

We waited about 15 minutes after being seated before anyone brought us menus, which set the tone for the rest of the visit. When the food came out, both entrees were basically inedible. I ordered a Reuben with sweet potato fries (which had an upcharge), and my partner got a smash burger with regular fries. Everything was incredibly salty—so much so that we couldn’t finish either meal. Even the burger patty was overloaded with salt. On top of that, both types of fries were burnt to a crisp. I could literally snap them in half like dry sticks.

We also had 4 beers (during happy hour), a $6 appetizer, and the two meals—which somehow came out to $80. For the quality and experience, that price just didn’t feel justified.

When we brought up the poor quality of the up-charged food, the waitress offered to comp a 3rd beer, but we refused and said we didn’t need any more beer. When the check came, the sweet potato fries (which were uneaten) and no beers were removed from the final bill. Rather than go back and forth, we just paid and left.

Overall, the drinks were solid, but the food and service really missed the mark. Wouldn’t come...