flying mango

we went toflyingmango tonight with 2 friends - we were seated immediately for our 6 pm reservation. ordered drinks and then dinner salads and entrees. our waitress was good - drinks and salads came in fairly timely manner. later she came by and told us that the restaurant was full and the chef asked us to be patient - we enjoyed another drink & conversation - 2 groups who arrived after we did were served - one couple who we knew arrived after we did, ate and left about the same time we received our entrees. food was great but shortly after we received our bill the owner came to our table and told us they had a 7:45 reservation and we needed to leave - our friend was still enjoying her drink. we were so shocked we got up and left. the owner was rude and she ruined the entire evening for us. never again - we love local restaurants but there are restaurants just as good if not better where we are treated like valued customers.

i was trying not to over use "really" in the title to say how good the food is.. awesome food, but i wish the place was bigger. this place gets packed quick so get there early because the regulars will fill this place up, and with darn good reason. if you're from this part of hemisphere where the weather is hot (i.e. southern us, caribbean, south america, etc.), find yourself in iowa, like your local/regional spicy cuisine you will find beautiful nostalgia in their food. if you're that guy that does not really like food that is too spicy because there is no flavor when it is over done, you will find an awesome flavorful experience that you will enjoy and not soon forget. the spiciness of the food is really something that i appreciate for the same reason i like a full body wheat beer over light beer, for example. the experience and flavor of the food pushes the limit of your taste buds without feeling like you need college drinking buddies in your head telling you to "man up and take it" just to finish the plate. spices is meant to enhance flavor not to be over powering, it is truly refreshing to dine at a restaurant where the chefs haven't forgot that.flyingmango gets the a+++

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. theflyingmango 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, smoked brisket with 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 barbequed brisket with a small bowl of spiced apples. the brisket i found to be flavorful but a little too dry for my taste. there was a lot of fat in the brisket (not unusual) which didn't do much to moisten the meat. the pinot was perfect with the brisket and 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.

pleasantly surprised. i had no idea what to expect when i first came here. i knew thatflyingmango was more of some sort of fancy bbq joint but i had never had a chance to try it. i was blown away by the food. it wasn't even the tender briskets, or hickory smoked burnt to perfection crisped ribs that had me. it was the sides that made the entire meal. i loved the various unique flavorful and beautiful sides. i ordered the pancake with mango sour cream (phenomenal), corn bread with honey butter (equally amazing), and the braised collard greens with bacon (yummm). the only thing i might not like about this restaurant is that you must pay to split/share your dishes. instead of getting one meal though and paying the $10 extra to split the meal what my friend and i did was buy a meal and then get a sandwich which costs the same amount and you get an extra side with it. you get more for the $10.

my husband received a gift certificate to theflyingmango 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 theflyingmango and not order something with mango?!?). both drinks were very good! for entrees my husband ordered 24 hour brisket and 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 the brisket and was shocked when the butter knife cut the brisket like 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!

for my birthday this year, i decided i would take my family toflyingmango. i had been there this past february with my wife and some good friends, and we fell head over heels for this place. it was an interesting experience. they feature barbecue (for their style of barbecue, i refused to shorten to bbq). this isn’t bib overalls and lemonade kind of barbecue. this is barbecue, done smart. bbq iq =flyingmango. they take traditional bbq dishes and modernize them, often times infusing other inspirations into them. for example, their bass-ackwards’ chicken wings utilize soy sauce. and their orange bbq-glazed ribs utilizes, well, an orange glaze. ok, so on paper it maybe doesn’t sound so profound but it is. everyone raved about these orange glazed ribs. they were juicy, flavorful, orangy. orange bbq-glazed ribs i had to fight to get this picture without hands in it, as there were multiple hands reaching for another rib. here’s one with both the ribs and wings: orange bbq-glazed ribs and

flying fruit. theflyingmango 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 beef brisket that 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

my wife and i have been dining here for the last 5 years and this one of our favorite restaurants in the des moines area.  we like to reserve visits for special occasions and theflyingmango is the place we go.  they serve dishes that feature barbecue, caribbean, and cajun.   the service is excellent and  the steaks, seafood, and bbq will invigorate your taste buds.     some of our favorite dinners include the memphis ribs, any of the pork chops, the louisiana platter,  red neck surf and turf, and the 24 hour beef brisket.    louisiana platter i recommend that you call in advance and make a dinner reservation.  you can call them at 515-255-411.  if you receive their voice mail leave a message with a few times that will work for you.  they have always called me back to confirm.  in the summer they have a wonderful patio that is smoke free.  sometimes they even have live music. check out the schedule and purchase your tickets here.   these dinner events sell out and are very popular.  s

wonderful.flyingmango 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 best brisket i 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 find!. i've driven pastflyingmango a million times, and finally decided to stop in for dinner. it is a small, quaint place that is dimly lit, but very intimate. i'll admit that looking at the menu, i wasn't quite sure what to get as there were a lot of choices but nothing truly jumped out. i decided on a lime and garlic pasta dish and never looked back. it was absolutely amazing. i haven't stopped thinking about it. i will definitely be back.

excellent!. friends brought us to theflyingmango recently and the flavors in the air had my mouth watering before we even got inside. the creative menu offers a tour of memphis by way of louisiana and even though i was stuffed by the end of the meal, i was still glancing enviously at dishes being brought out to the other guests (something to come back for, i guess!). i opted for the brisket, which was so tender and had a smoky, flavorful char that was to die for. my wife ordered the big chop--a slab of pork so thick that i wasn't sure how it would taste. my fears were quickly put to rest, however, as it was juicy and nicely complimented by the housemade sauce found on every table that offered a subtle kick. quibbles were slight--the potato of the day, a mash with bacon and cheddar that sounded delicious, was surprisingly bland and dry and the fire-roasted spiced apples lacked the zing i had hoped for.
atmosphere was fun--a lively energy in the crowd, interesting artwork, and an open kitchen near the entry area that will help you decide what you what to eat while you wait. service was fine, if perhaps a touch slow given the packed house. portions were plentiful (enough for leftovers) and prices were fair (most entrees were between $10-20, less for sandwiches).
grade: a

memphis ain't got nothin' on the mango. let me say upfront that i love memphis-style ribs. i've eaten them multiple times at the rendezvous and corky's in memphis (go to corky's if you if ask me) andflyingmango's stack up well. the half-rack was 6 meaty ribs with excellent smokiness and just this side of fall-off-the-bone tender. the sauce (in a squeeze bottle at each table) was delicious. not particularly spicy, but flavorful nonetheless. had the red beans and rice as a side. the red beans were made nicely spicy with the addition of andouille sausage. lip-smacking good. and, of course, i had to have the corn bread with cinnamon butter. de-lish. short, but well-chosen selections of wine and beer. the ommegang hennepin paired very nicely with the ribs. excellent meal and attentive, friendly service. i'm anxious to go back to try out the rest of the menu.

outstanding. food and service were excellent - by far the best brisket and 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 theflyingmango a shot and now it's definitely her favorite place to go. we will be monthly regulars from this point on.

you won't want to miss this. theflyingmango is by far my favorite restaurant in the des moines area. it's kind of like a mixture of caribbean, cajun and bbq. everything i've had here has been delicious. the smoked chicken dip is a great way to start your experience. the ribs are cooked to perfection, the shrimp creole is super yummy and the lime and garlic shrimp over fettucine is delicious. the corn bread here is delicious. not only is the food amazing but the service is friendly. you don't want to miss this place.

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 smoked brisket and 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 theflyingmango 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.