Hessen Haus in Des Moines

This was our first time eating at Hessen Haus. I got the Jager Schnitzel with the mushroom & onion gravy which was fantastic. My wife got the Turkey Melt which I thought was good but the spicy mayo was way too hot for her taste. They happily got her another one without the spicy mayo & she liked that much better. Our service was great & the atmosphere of the restaurant was fun & fit the German beer haus theme. I would definitely go back!

Schnitzel was over cooked but everything was delicious. No German music, rock a roll like your in a sports bar. Service was good! I’d return, but wish it didn’t have a sports bar feel!

Nice ambiance and outstanding food. The portions were so big, I shared an entree and appetizer with my wife and was still full. The beer was amazing too.

A wonderful German restaurant. They have a massive number of German beers on tap, so you are likely to find something you like. The food is excellent and I would suggest adding a side of beer cheese sauce to anything you order.

I’ve been here about 10 times for various outings of drinks, apps, snacks, and dinners. Great food every time. Love their menu. Love their brats and pretzels. Spaetzle is bomb. 10/10 for me.

Excellent! So fun and pretty authentic for German food. Accommodating to GF folks as well😀

I have only one problem with this place. Its too far away from home! I loved our stop at Hessen Haus! Delicious food, great service, in a quaint setting! Next time were coming through Des Moines, well be sure to stop here for food!

The food here is very good and the prices are in line with what you get. The atmosphere is great and the service is excellent. Ive been here multiple times and plan on going back several more times. They also have a very good beer selection. Go there, eat, drink, have a great time!

Great German food at this place. House-made Sauerkraut and Wurst - Knockwurst is so good!Also try the Jäger Chili - perfect for a chilly fall day, and also house-made. Tony told us it’s his recipe-compliments to the chef!

I was in Des Moines, Iowa and was craving for something different that I haven’t tried in Dallas. I bumped into this German restaurant called Hessen Haus. I ordered Jägerschnitzel. Besides, if you are in a German resto, you should get a schnitzel 🤪. Anyway, it is a tenderized center-cut pork loin, hand-breaded, fried andsmothered with a mushroom and onion gravy. It was delicious and tasted like an authentic German dish. The ambience was fun and the service was great. Indeed a great dining experience.

This is hands down the only place to be downtown town. The atmosphere is great, food is awesome, and the bartenders are the best in yhe business. No to mention the largest variety of German Biers on the face of this planet.

Food is always good, however we did NOT appreciate BLARING MUSIC ! Carrying on a conversation was absolutely impossible unless I wanted to scream at my dinner party… and since when is rap music considered German heritage during Oktoberfest. Definitely will not be coming back anytime soon

A friend wanted to come here for a long time and she asked me to go with her. I have to admit I didnt think I liked German food (sauerkraut yuck smellbut Great choice Sue. I had the most mouth watering meal. Nothing like I thought it would be.

We love Hessen Haus! They were really busy for a Tuesday night, but our waiter was great. Been here a handful of times and the food is always good - I love their coleslaw! Bathrooms were also extremely clean.

So much fun. Great atmosphere. So many good beers. Food is great. Had great service. A must stop by while in Downtown Des Moines. Just a short walk from Court Avenue area.

8/2022Running errands and decided to try Hessen Haus. Trent was very helpful, explained different items, and made a couple suggestions. We ordered the sampler appetizer which was quite plentiful for the 2 of us. Husband had Jagerschnitzel. I had a sampling of sides; spaetzel noodles very tasty, red cabbage salad, (not at all what I expected based on family recipes from the old country. I do realize regions have different ingredients.kraut and a side salad.At 11 am, it was clean, tidy and service was excellent. Parking is certainly not ideal, but as its in the old train yard/depot district thats to be expected.

Schnitzel was really good. Super friendly staff. Kinda goes without saying, but, their beer menu was extensive. Picked this place on a whim, so glad we did.

Atmosphere & decor is great. Food is very good. They definitely need more wait staff, but the ones they have are trying hard. Watched manager stand & not help out. Management, do better.

Fantastic selection of German and other European beers, served in authentic glassware. Glassware. Menu looked solid, although I simply had a knockwurst. Great service.

Wonderful food. Wonderful beer and just enough attitude to make the place extremely memorable!

The food was great and good service. They were busy on a Saturday night and we still felt well taken care of. We had raspberry framboise to drink which was great accompanying the strong but delicious flavours of the food. Portions were huge. It was starting to amp up for the night crowd when we left but looked like a pretty fun place to have some drinks with friends.

Server had to ask multiple times what we ordered, it took 15 minutes for a beer, didn’t bring out half our apps because she never put them in and was very late to everything. Wasn’t very busy maybe 5-6 tables in the place. Will not come back, do not recommend. My friend had a fried pork chop and was practically burnt. Portions were small and I had my armadillo eggs cold. I’m very disappointed and will not recommend this to anyone for the price I paid

My female server is amazing. I was never rushed. She was able to answer my questions and tell me about items on the menu including the ones she had had. I had everything I needed. The Beef Stroganoff is amazing. I didnt like the griddle residue on my piece of bread but I did not mention it. I owned and operated businesss myself. The size of the incredible piece German Chocolate Cake is well worth the price and was enough for me take some home and share it. She put my leftover cake in a very nice container and I had a walker so she put this in a bag. I dont drink alcohol but I can see how this would be a wonderful atmosphere and fun to be here.In case anyone thinks the prices are too high please try what you want and then decide. They can answer any questions you have about the menu and so many dishes, etc. to choose from. I went back to tell the pharmacy tech that has brought back a grilled cheese that is not your average grilled cheese and fries in a black container thank you for telling me about this place. It is a little difficult to enter using a walker and I didnt see the part of the sidewalk missing and almost broke my walker and fell over the top but I didnt and a man walking by offered to help me if I needed help. It is uniquely designed and very clean inside. I am on a low fixed income that includes me being mandatorily retired by SSA at 62 years old so as much as I would enjoy trying more of their menu it will be a long time.

Absolutely stunning meal was prepared for me last night. I was blown away at how well the pork was cooked to fall off the bone accompanied by Sauerkraut and Bier. I will be recommending the Schweinshaxe to all of my friends. Cheers!

Great atmosphere, awesome selection of great German beers and good German cuisine. Air conditioning could be improved for these hot summer days.

Best beer around Downtown, quieter than most bars in the area where you can actually have a conversation with your guests, and the atmosphere is great!

Overall experience was meh. Food is good. Service staff was very slow the day we went. No one acknowledged us for about 20 minutes after sitting down. Had to ask a passing server for menus, and couldnt find the server when we needed things. Hopefully other days are better, but plan for plenty of time if you do go.

I’ve always enjoyed coming here, the food is generally good and the environment is chill, good amount of space as well.I went last night and our server (femaledidn’t seem to thrilled or even like a “people person”.Service was rushed then slow. She never checked to see how our food was. The roast beef was a pile of lukewarm mush, left uneaten.Our table ordered 3 apps because the happy hour price ($2 offbut when our bills came, she said they don’t do that anymore. So why have happy hour signs posted all over and include it in the menu? Maybe tell us before or still honor it? Terrible customer service experience coming from someone who worked in the restaurant business for several years.I had to ask for the burger happy hour price to be changed on the check $2.Not a huge deal with the prices, but come on. People consider special pricing when choosing their meals/drinks.I will say my Wild West Berlin burger was a 10/10 along with the fries.**update 7/6 I came back and my experience was much better. The service was great, quick and attentive.I got the same meal because it was so good the first time. It doesn’t disappoint.

I lived in Germany for a year and can vouch the food is very legitimate and close to authentic. Drinks are awesome and priced very fair. The burger we ordered was humongous but really delicious. Service was awesome but a bit slow. Will definitely come back regularly.

Stopped for lunch. The food was delicious and the service was fast and friendly. The Rouladen was quite good, and the red cabbage was excellent. The potatoes with cheese and bacon jam were extraordinary. Topped it off with a tasty Hacker-Pschorr for a perfect lunch. Wunderbar.

Hands down the best German food in Des Moines! The hospitality is amazing…ask for Tracy, she’s great ! The food is absolutely delicious and authentic. The beer list is extensive and pretty great. In a nutshell this place is absolutely a place to visit and have a good time !!! Thank you Tracy !!

Super solid lineup of German beers! Good selection of German food as well, but my favorite is the armadillo eggs! Great atmosphere and attentive and fun staff. I try to get here every time Im in Des Moines!

We almost always love going here, great food and great drink selections.

The atmosphere was enjoyable the food for German cuisine was not at the top of my,"I like this list." I was hugely disappointed in a food for what its worth this place is a decent visit once, not going back twice.

GREAT selection of German beers on tap! Some food combos that sound weird (German nachosbut are absolutely amazing. They do NOT have Oettinger on tap, which is the only one I missed from my time in Germany, but the liter beer mugs really bright back memories!

This may look like a frat-style beer bar on a certain night, but dont shy away. Its got amazing food and a seriously impressive German beer list. We loved the sauerbraten and wurst plate. Patio was a nice vibe, we were even able to watch baseball while our there. Our server was crazy busy and dealing with a lot, but was still friendly and took great care of us. Weve been talking about this food for weeks now, and its almost a reason to go back to Des Moines.

The food here is sooo good and the draft selection is amazing! They seem to be understaffed lately, but theres always a great atmosphere, and I leave with a box and a full belly. Their meatloaf and currywurst are my favorites. The pickled eggs and Bloody Mary are also excellent.

Was a good experience overall! Food was absolutely amazing (I had the Sauerbraten and german chocolate cakeService was a little slow but they were really busy for a Monday night.

Cant believe it was my first time going. Excellent service and food and huge beer selection. The schnitzels and the beer soup were stellar

Awesome atmosphere, good service, lots of things on the menu I am looking forward to exploring!

The food and beer was awesome. We reserved seating for 30 people. About 25 people made it. The first waitress we had was great but once more of our group trickled in, we had different waitresses. One guy waited for his food for over 2hrs. He wasnt even waited on for nearly 1hour. The rest of the place only had a table of 4 and the bar had some people. Im sure they were under staffed but I feel like the service could have still been better.

Good atmosphere, lots of beers to select from, but the food needs work. I ordered the pork shank and it was literally burnt to a crisp (see photo), the mashed potato was cold with warm gravy on top. To top it off I was billed with items I did not order, check your receipt!

Excellent beer selection from draft and friendly service.Unfortunately the German food was bad (Im German). For example the Curry Wurst, which is a staple in Germany, was diced sausage on top of fries with tomato/curry gravy doused over it. In Germany we use Ketchup with curry powder sprinkled on top that served with a sliced or whole sausage. This dressing, which was not ketchup, doused over the fries makes them soggy and useless to dip into the mayonnaise. The Sauerbraten was also bad, just being thin slices of dry meat floating in gravy. Please hire a real German cook!

I often meet my friends here. The beer selection is nothing short of amazing! Food is also always delicious. Its difficult to find sauerbraten on a lot of menus in German restaurants in the states but they have it here and its seriously so good that I have to order it every time!!!

Food is ALWAYS great! Service is amazing and fast, only slight downside is when this place is busy it’s kinda loud, but that’s understandable and you can’t help that customers are loud.

What a place! HUGE BEER OPTIONS both in size and in variety. Tasted unbelievably good. Sat outside so I can’t say much about indoors but there was more than enough room inside and outside. comfy seating options outdoors and our waitress tended to us very well. Definitely a must visit place when in Des Moines. Get your German beer fix here!

We had the peach mule and the original mule and they were both delicious! We also had the apple crisp and its hands down one of the better apple crisps I’ve ever tried! For how busy they were we got quick service and the staff was friendly. 10 out of 10 recommend!

Wonderful food! Great beer! Service was perfect. We had Cheese curd appetizers and Black Forest Schnitzel for our main meal. Delicious

Excellent German food and experience. Beer list is extensive and delicious. Atmosphere is great, but the real win was the beef stroganoff!

This place is awesome. Good German food (comparable to make places Ive been in Germany), the very list is extensive and had all the typical German favorites as well as things from Austria, Belgium and more. The decor is really well done and you wont feel like youre in the Midwest just hanging out here. Service was really good and they do have outside seating, although we choose inside. We brought out of state visitors here and they were impressed. Well definitely go again.