Food was amazing. Only thing I didn't care for was the curry wurst was served on the fries and made them soggy. We had a sampler platter of apps. Enjoyed everything on it. Companions had weisswurst and German potato salad and a beef remoulade (?) With warm beet salad. That was the hit of the night! So much flavor. Service was top tier! My only complaint was the music was so loud, it was hard to have a conversation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pierce Bruneau
I cannot exclaim enough. Great food and great beer.Love the atmosphere, and definitely left well impressed. Gonna have to travel out more to have it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Jagerschnitzel, Best of the Wurst Platter, German Chocolate Cake
A.J. Kissinger
Great food, great beer, just great all around. More than 25 German beers on draft, and interesting spins on vlassic German food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Giant Bavarian Pretzel, Best of the Wurst Platter, Sauerbraten, Currywurst, Potato Salad, Pretzels, German Potato Salad
Bob Jenkot
Great food and great service. Tons of beer to choose from. Check them out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Best of the Wurst Platter, German Potato Salad
Matthew Gaudreau
Was there for my sister's birthday. Early on a Friday night, not busy, yet we waited for drink refills for 20-30 minutes and about another 30-40 minutes to get our check. Food and drinks were great, service was unacceptable in my opinion, given my work history in a bar atmosphere for 21 years.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: German Chocolate Cake, Fries, Burger, Pretzels
Rod Ennen
Best Restaurant EVER!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Giant Bavarian Pretzel
MtZ Reviewz
They must have built this restaurant by hand in Germany during Oktoberfest AND Mardi Gras then disassembled it and brought it over here and rebuilt it right there. Transformed to the Olde World is the feeling you’ll get from the long, heavy, hand carved wooden tables, the beer taps, and the steins, and most importantly the staff. It just feeeeels like you want to stay there and relax while having Mardi Gras style fun. It’s a real combo you have to experience in this restaurant to understand! The giant pretzels are actually giant. The Rueben was great… on the scale of best Rueben’s it qualifies for the contest and the specially toasted bread is the key to it. Wow. Homemade sauerkraut adds to its delectable flavors. Just wow. Don’t miss a chance to feel the history of Oktoberfest while eating genuinely homemade food! You won’t want to say Oafveederscene! Spelling? Hey- I’m surprised I can’t spell & speak the language after being there just for 30 mins!
Wonderful craft German beers with ethnic food to boot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ned Topic
Definitely the place to visit!!!Best place around to go get real German beer and food....Real German beer is actually cheaper then what most restaurants charge for domestic beersAnd I do have to add, aside great tasting brats and true German salads ....the French fries are out of this world!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
sophie graeber
hallo! mäddy is the most spectacular bartender i have ever had the pleasure of being served by. she is fast, hilarious, and knowledgeable. as a proud german wöman i can say she carries the spirit of the culture through and through. mach weiter so JA!
We were in town a couple of days for spring break. We decided to go for happy hour and get appetizers and some good German beers. The appetizers were delicious. I highly recommend the pretzel crusted sauerkraut rolls. They were like a mini fried Rueben. The atmosphere is nice and very family friendly. My kids were in heaven with the giant pretzel. Definitely worth a trip back when we ate in Des Moines again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jane K.
Our party of 10, including 6 kids, ate lunch here after a visit to the Science Museum. We asked for 3 separate tabs and our server was very accommodating. She was a great server-- efficient and friendly. Food was good--prices were fair. I would recommend this restaurant.
Igor Mursalimov
Great German restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pretzels
Aubrey Caplinger
This place is our favorite restaurant in the city. Great atmosphere and service. The food and beer selection is fantastic. The pretzel bacon cheeseburger is one of my go to. If you haven't tried German food you are missing out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burger, Pretzels, Bratwurst
Anthony Franklin
So when you're in the mood for an authentic experience. And you want traditional fare and drinks. There's no other place that comes as close as the Hessen Haus. We were really impressed by the amazing bar and restaurant, staggering selection of beers, pilsners, and alcoholic beverages.The food: was everything that you could imagine from authentic German cuisine. Sure, there were some American fusions of favorites - but by in large, it's German at the heart of it. The sampler platter was probably the best choice as it allowed us to try a variety of foods. The Ruben sandwich was on point. The German potato salad and sauerkraut are so good. Every single single dish we tried was delicious.The service was fast and friendly, and we had several people who took care of us. Our drinks were served as we looked over the menu; our appetizer was brought, and shortly after that, our food arrived. We had our drinks refreshed, and we sat and enjoyed the whole experience.The atmosphere is as authentic as you can imagine. The interior is a perfect recreation of a beer haus in Germany. The stein collection is astounding. And they have a 32 + ounce "boot" glass for those who are daring enough to try.They do accept cash or cards.Parking: We took advantage of the parking garage, although they have a small lot for their customers.Kid-friendliness: There is a nice selection of foods for them.Wheelchair accessibility: Since it's ground level, and they have tabletops. I'd say it's ADA compliant. Although I didn't use the bathroom.
Food was amazing. Only thing I didn't care for was the curry wurst was served on the fries and made them soggy. We had a sampler platter of apps. Enjoyed everything on it. Companions had weisswurst and German potato salad and a beef remoulade (?) With warm beet salad. That was the hit of the night! So much flavor. Service was top tier! My only complaint was the music was so loud, it was hard to have a conversation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I cannot exclaim enough. Great food and great beer.Love the atmosphere, and definitely left well impressed. Gonna have to travel out more to have it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Jagerschnitzel, Best of the Wurst Platter, German Chocolate Cake
Great food, great beer, just great all around. More than 25 German beers on draft, and interesting spins on vlassic German food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Giant Bavarian Pretzel, Best of the Wurst Platter, Sauerbraten, Currywurst, Potato Salad, Pretzels, German Potato Salad
Great food and great service. Tons of beer to choose from. Check them out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Best of the Wurst Platter, German Potato Salad
Was there for my sister's birthday. Early on a Friday night, not busy, yet we waited for drink refills for 20-30 minutes and about another 30-40 minutes to get our check. Food and drinks were great, service was unacceptable in my opinion, given my work history in a bar atmosphere for 21 years.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: German Chocolate Cake, Fries, Burger, Pretzels
Best Restaurant EVER!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Giant Bavarian Pretzel
They must have built this restaurant by hand in Germany during Oktoberfest AND Mardi Gras then disassembled it and brought it over here and rebuilt it right there. Transformed to the Olde World is the feeling you’ll get from the long, heavy, hand carved wooden tables, the beer taps, and the steins, and most importantly the staff. It just feeeeels like you want to stay there and relax while having Mardi Gras style fun. It’s a real combo you have to experience in this restaurant to understand! The giant pretzels are actually giant. The Rueben was great… on the scale of best Rueben’s it qualifies for the contest and the specially toasted bread is the key to it. Wow. Homemade sauerkraut adds to its delectable flavors. Just wow. Don’t miss a chance to feel the history of Oktoberfest while eating genuinely homemade food! You won’t want to say Oafveederscene! Spelling? Hey- I’m surprised I can’t spell & speak the language after being there just for 30 mins!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Giant Bavarian Pretzel, Sauerbraten
Wonderful craft German beers with ethnic food to boot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Definitely the place to visit!!!Best place around to go get real German beer and food....Real German beer is actually cheaper then what most restaurants charge for domestic beersAnd I do have to add, aside great tasting brats and true German salads ....the French fries are out of this world!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
hallo! mäddy is the most spectacular bartender i have ever had the pleasure of being served by. she is fast, hilarious, and knowledgeable. as a proud german wöman i can say she carries the spirit of the culture through and through. mach weiter so JA!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Black Forest Schnitzel
Restaurantji Recommends
We were in town a couple of days for spring break. We decided to go for happy hour and get appetizers and some good German beers. The appetizers were delicious. I highly recommend the pretzel crusted sauerkraut rolls. They were like a mini fried Rueben. The atmosphere is nice and very family friendly. My kids were in heaven with the giant pretzel. Definitely worth a trip back when we ate in Des Moines again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our party of 10, including 6 kids, ate lunch here after a visit to the Science Museum. We asked for 3 separate tabs and our server was very accommodating. She was a great server-- efficient and friendly. Food was good--prices were fair. I would recommend this restaurant.
Great German restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pretzels
This place is our favorite restaurant in the city. Great atmosphere and service. The food and beer selection is fantastic. The pretzel bacon cheeseburger is one of my go to. If you haven't tried German food you are missing out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burger, Pretzels, Bratwurst
So when you're in the mood for an authentic experience. And you want traditional fare and drinks. There's no other place that comes as close as the Hessen Haus. We were really impressed by the amazing bar and restaurant, staggering selection of beers, pilsners, and alcoholic beverages.The food: was everything that you could imagine from authentic German cuisine. Sure, there were some American fusions of favorites - but by in large, it's German at the heart of it. The sampler platter was probably the best choice as it allowed us to try a variety of foods. The Ruben sandwich was on point. The German potato salad and sauerkraut are so good. Every single single dish we tried was delicious.The service was fast and friendly, and we had several people who took care of us. Our drinks were served as we looked over the menu; our appetizer was brought, and shortly after that, our food arrived. We had our drinks refreshed, and we sat and enjoyed the whole experience.The atmosphere is as authentic as you can imagine. The interior is a perfect recreation of a beer haus in Germany. The stein collection is astounding. And they have a 32 + ounce "boot" glass for those who are daring enough to try.They do accept cash or cards.Parking: We took advantage of the parking garage, although they have a small lot for their customers.Kid-friendliness: There is a nice selection of foods for them.Wheelchair accessibility: Since it's ground level, and they have tabletops. I'd say it's ADA compliant. Although I didn't use the bathroom.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Currywurst, Potato Salad, Fries, Pretzels, German Potato Salad, Armadillo Eggs