flying mango

a neighborhood gem. carol and i are foodies and newcomers to iowa from the chicago area, and we have been actively researching area restaurants to identify our replacement favorites ever since we moved here in april. the flying mango is now certainly among our favorites.

our nephew, ross, joined us and it was our first time here and we could smell that this was a smokehouse type of restaurant. we were greeted with a very friendly face and led to the big room with about 20 tables with very colorful and tasteful pictures hung all along the walls. there was also some nice "toe-tappin" background music which wasn't too loud to affect our conversation.

the menu was certainly a unique blend of grilled and spicy caribbean delicacies with a wonderful collection of specialty beers, and an adequate selection of wines.

for appetizers, we were enticed into ordering the "bag of bones" selection. what we received was a small brown paper bag with enough rib sections, prepared memphis style, to satisfy both ross and i.

i ordered something i had never tried before, smokedbrisketwith mixed vegetables and a glass of their pinot noir. for presentation, i spied on my plate a colorful medley of the vegetables along side a thickly sliced cut of the barbequedbrisketwith a small bowl of spiced apples. thebrisketi found to be flavorful but a little too dry for my taste. there was a lot of fat in thebrisket(not unusual) which didn't do much to moisten the meat. the pinot was perfect with thebrisketand very drinkable. ross tried the shrimp creole which he said had a nice spicy flavor and he would certainly order it again.

we finished out our meal by splitting the southwestern chocolate cake with a distinctive red frosting design (pepper shape) on the top. i thought the flavor was wonderful with a light, not too sweet, chocolate flavor with a touch of a bite to it. it was wonderful !!

the prices are very fair for the value received and the service was a little slow at the beginning but then very attentive the rest of the evening. carol and i will certainly be back to try other items on very interesting menu.

my husband received a gift certificate to the flying mango from his company for christmas. he had perused the website and decided we would try it on our date night tonight. we started our night with a shiner cheer for him and a mango margarita for me (how can you go to the flying mango and not order something with mango?!?). both drinks were very good! for entrees my husband ordered 24 hourbrisketand i ordered the chicken breast with goat cheese and asparagus. my husband was shocked when they brought his meal to the table with no knife. he was certain he would need a steak knife for thebrisketand was shocked when the butter knife cut thebrisketlike butter! very tender and juicy! perfection! i always ask for a to-go box but tonight i finished my entire meal! can't wait to go again!

love it!. went here with my wife and some friends a few months ago and absolutely loved it! one of our favorites places in des moines. their food is top notch, atmosphere is incredible, the open kitchen when you first walk in is really fun, service was great, etc etc. i enjoyed it so much that i'm bringing a group here for my birthday next week. bestbrisketever and the wings are a must. what's interesting about this place is that it's got a very modern decor yet they serve food that i usually wouldn't associate with it. it's a fusion of modern with bbq/caribbean. it's difficult to explain but once you're there it all makes sense. their food is top notch, do yourself a favor and give it a try if you haven't already!

flying fruit. the flying mango sits in a neighborhood setting in the mecca of fine dining (beaverdale iowa).

immediately the color and the music and setting .......soothes your soul.

with walls that are adorned with colorful works by until now unknown artist hc porter........and the friendly and cheerful waitress that came softly to the table.........talk of food came into the mix

the owner came and introduced himself and spoke with warmth and thanks for our coming to his restaurant ......later a surprise cut of beefbrisketthat melted in my mouth.......was presented along with a delightful meal

my son had the lamb chops and a unique blend of korean cajun and imagination salad that had a unique peanut sauce .......arrived in seemless fashion ......as i sipped on my peach tea (great on its own)

sharing a rack of ribs (smoked in cherry wood) .......with an array of sauces the likes i have never seen (some eclectic brands and the owners own sauces) .........it was as if i was transported back to the big easy ........it was served with some red beans and rice .......with little pieces of onion and other ........that was big easy master level ......a meal in itself and done with french quarter magic ....amazingly good.

this is a not a good fine dining experience........it is a great dining experience.

great service
great ambiance
great food

excellence in motion...........bucket list kinda place

dinner. completely amazed with the taste, service and all the personality they put into the "flying mango". we ordered thebrisketand ribs and were not disappointed at all. both were mouth-watering dishes!! our waiter was funny, knowledgeable of the dishes, wine etc. he helped our first impressions completely.
definately will be back time and time again.

wonderful. flying mango is really wonderful. they have an interesting menu, reasonable prices and such a welcoming atmostphere. it felt warm and friendly, the food was interesting and quite possibly the bestbrisketi have had in my life.

we had the chocolate tart for dessert and i normally am great about sharing but would barely give my boyfriend a bite. the service was also wonderful, our waitress was very nice and the owner came around to say hello. my new favorite in dm!!

great experience!. wife had brisket, loved it! i had ribs,brisketand chicken (3 meat plate) loved it. mango margaritas were exceptional! definitely going back... maybe tonight!

i had the three meat and my friend had the chicken and i was amazed at the tenderness of tbrisketand ow the meat came off the rib bones put that with jambalaya and perfect cornbread and i was in heaven the smoked chicken was slightly dry. yummy!

too yummy!. yum!!! my cousin brought me here because it's her favorite restaurant. i loved it!! i had a hard time choosing what to get because everything sounded delicious. i ended up ordering the cajun catfish and it was delish! my cousin had thebrisketwhich also amazing. i will definitely come back before i leave and whenever i come into town.

outstanding. food and service were excellent - by far the bestbrisketand ribs we have ever had. the atmosphere and staff are both outstanding as well - it doesn't have that chain feel i have come to abhor. it took some doing to talk my wife into giving the flying mango a shot and now it's definitely her favorite place to go. we will be monthly regulars from this point on.

best bbq in the south is in des moines!. every now and then you stumble across a joint where the food conveys a sense of passion and pride that is, in a word, "inspirational." and it was in des moines, of all places, in a little place called the "flying mango" that i recently sampled the best smokedbrisketand ribs i've ever had the pleasure to know.

i hail from bbq land. i've been in a lot famous and not-so-famous places with stacks of wood out back and smoke a rollin' from the stack. memphis, kc, north carolina, texas… shocking as it may seem, the crew at the flying mango are cooking something very, very special. and it ain't easy for a southern man to admit that mike wedeking, a damn yankee, has mastered the signature dish of dixie!

citizens of des moines, i wonder if you know that you've got a genuine, gold-plated, diamond-encrusted, world-class bbq joint nestled in your back yard.

enjoy! i know i will every time i find myself in the vicinity.

good stuff. food quality was very good across all entrees at our table. ribs andbrisketwere certainly better than most restaurants offer.

prices were fine, in line with competitors.

we received excellent service.

environment is lacking. it's a former catering-only company, and the dining room is cramped and not very visually pleasing. this is the only real knock on the place. it's certainly worth a visit.

absolutely incredible!. i was in des moines in june and found the flying mango on urbanspoon before my trip. what a fortunate discovery!

though my family and i required some help from mike over the phone in order to get to the restaurant, we got there just as they were opening, around 5:30.

the service was warm and friendly, including a personal visit to our table by mike. the real story, however, is the food!

someone had the ribs, and two of us had the choppedbrisketsandwich, which was absolutely incredible. i understand why it's mike's favorite.

i've had great barbeque, including some amazingbrisketin houston and dallas, but i have never tastedbrisketlike mike's. there is no equal.

by the way, the wine list was great and the desserts were just as good as the entrees.

if you're in des moines, you've got to stop and have dinner at the flying mango. i suggest thebrisketsandwich, and tell mike the wilson family from atlanta said thanks for an incredible meal.

warm, friendly neighborhood place with the best bbq beefbrisketanywhere. great beer choices too.