PepperJax Grill

Standard PepperJax but very helpful, nice staff. A great road-​trip stop!

Went in for a sandwitch I have gotten there weekly for over 2 years weren’t very busy explained that I wanted chz mixed in pike I always do to the first gentleman he told the next guy who let my meat sit there for 2 min. And burn and then had to explain to him again that I wanted chz mixed in again said okay still tired to do it again the other way I told him for a 3^rd time that I wanted it mixed in finally did it by chopping all the shrimp with it finally get home and they put the chz on top like they had my sandwitch flipped upside down and when I called to talk to the supervisor she just said well what do u want me to do u can come out here and get a new one I just drove 20 min home I am not driving back to get what I paid for right needless to say I will not be going back anytime soon also tried to call in a carey out order for almost 15 min with no answer

Loud, and they couldn’t be bothered to prepare a sandwich for my wife so as to avoid cross-​contamination (she’s allergic to beef). We won’t be back.

I’m indecisive between four or five stars so they get five…
Philly was delicious and HUGE… Too much for a lunch item unless you like passing out at your desk at work ha! It is delicious but slightly greasy!
Side salad is the best because you can get all the toppings on it at no extra charge… Actually the salad is about 20 or 30 cents cheaper than the fries btw!
Food is good and hot and fast!

They have the best Philly cheese steaks here and they make it super quick! But even their other items taste amazing. Make sure to get spicy ranch with anything you order from here to get the most of your meal!

I just went to PepperJax Grill again today. I got my absolute favorite, the Fireball Philly with extra veggies, including jalapeños. I was the first customer of the day, and they piled on the veggies. It was absolutely delicious. You get lots of delicious steak, melty cheese, toasty bread, and spicy delicious vegetables. I don’t know how anyone can get fries with them, I always am incredibly full just from the enormous delicious sandwich.
I included a picture, as words don’t really do the sandwich justice.

I’m updating my review to 5 start from 4 because I did try the GIANT burrito this time and I have to say, I was blown away. They are super generous with their meat and toppings. Your Philly or Burrito will be hot and juicy, and it helps to add Queso, because that cheese sauce is a flavor bomb. After you order from the grill where they prepare to order their fresh food, you will pay, and then have a huge selection of other toppings and sauces. They have two types of chili, ranch, spicy ranch, teriyaki sauce, and a bunch of other items. I mean, you have everything you want. You can dip your fries in anything you like. I love ranch with my fries. I don’t love paying extra for it or waiting for my waiter to bring it out to me. So I appreciate a place that has all those things sitting there waiting for me. Their nachos are amazing also. My coworkers got the nachos and seemed very happy with their order. Everything I have tried there is delicious.
Now to break down the GIANT burrito for you… It’s the size of a baby. A baby that’s wrapped up in a blanket to stay warm. This thing was literally around 2 pounds. I didn’t bring my scale that day (joke) but I brought my appetite. I felt like a king eating that thing. Perhaps a lion of a jungle that has been stalking his pray. Perhaps a small fat gazelle, that’s sitting there eating beans, rice, cheese, salsa, some jalapeño, a little sour cream, and some Queso. Thank you lamb, now that you are stuffed with all these awesome items I like, I’m going to ask you to come to the checkout lane so I can pay for you and eat you. And after I’m done eating you, I’m going to eat your french-​fry friends. And I’m going to dip them in ranch dressing. Now I’m starting to creep myself out typing this but that’s ok, because I just ate a baby wrapped in a blanket that turned out to be a gazelle friends with French-​fries. And you know what, I loved it.
So to conclude my story, I loved my food. And I will love it again when I come back. Because not always, but sometimes, I want to feel like a king eating a gazelle.

They bragged about their Philly cheesesteak, and they were right! It was excellent, had it with chips and queso. Great friendly staff, might need another one in a couple hours.

We had a carry out order for 25 – 30. Food was good however would have expected all things to be in disposable things rather than having to bring items back. That was the whole purpose of pick up catering.
Aside from that food as good. They were a bit light on the peppers and onions for catering of 25.

Co-​worker took me here the other day! Never been a real big philly fan but this place changed my mind! Great friendly staff & great taste!

We love these philly’s!!! You defiantly need to request extra seasoning and extra cheese. But they are yummy. The spicy ranch is to die for. We always leave here filled and satisfied.

Fast service and love that you can pick your own stuff on your philly. If you haven’t tried this one it is a need too. My mom is hard to please and she loved it here. I have had the burrito also and it is awesome!

Awesome p hilly with all the fixins. Onions, peppers, mushrooms and jalapeños. Good bread. Good fries. Spicy ranch. And who would have thought… they have a chili Verde that is on point. Yummy! The perfect amount of heat.

I began eating at the Pepperjax located in Omaha’s Old Market area a few years ago and loved it, so I was very pleased when the company decided to open a location in DSM. The Des Moines location has been a regular haunt for me since it opened and I can attest that all the flavors, consistency, and excellent staff are intact.
In all the times I’ve eaten at Pepperjax, I’ve never strayed from the Gunner — a double meat Philly that will produce a meat-​induced coma but has never failed to satisfy. The meat is consistently flavorful and well-​cooked, but as one reviewer noted it can be a bit on the salty side so I recommend ordering with half seasoning (ask your grill cook and they’ll be happy to accommodate you). The cheese is another highlight — it’s a processed white cheese but don’t let that scare you — it’s one of the most flavorful cheeses I’ve had and matches the flavor profile of the sandwich perfectly. It’s also a big step up from the traditional method of squirting on some gross cheez whiz (Blasphemy, I know). Bread is exactly what it should be — soft, but sturdy enough to hold the sandwich together without being too bulky.
Fries are excellent and they make them fresh very often. One small complaint here — the fry serving size has always varied wildly. I’ve been served everything from a half-​empty basket that wasn’t enough for one to a heaping basket that two couldn’t finish — and all at the same price. In any event, you won’t leave here hungry as the Philly sandwiches are meal themselves.
A note on some of the complaints about noise and chaos: This is a fast casual restaurant. The point here is to be served a higher quality meal without the extra time and cost it takes to eat at a full service place. If you’ve got a problem with the format, don’t fault the restaurant. It’s a growing and popular restaurant format and is no different than what you’ll find at a Chipotle. Also, I’ve never had a single error by the staff in making my food. They’re very good about clarifying your order if they don’t hear you the first time. Reading some of the complaints here, I would think having to repeat your order is like finding a hair in your food.
Give this place a try if you haven’t done so already. Peak hours can produce lines out the door so budget yourself a few extra minutes, especially at lunch.

I really like PepperJax Grill, and I think you will too.
When you walk in the door, you will notice it’s a nicely appointed, clean restaurant. There’s a wide variety of seating options, soft lighting, and I particularly enjoyed all the old photos of Des Moines where you line up. Take your time and look through the photos before ordering… they’re a nice trip back.
They have two very large menu boards along the queuing area, so you can learn about the menu items and prices before you step up to the grill. The menu boards are nice and big and explain all the options very well.
As you reach the end of the queue, you’ll step up to the grill, and you’ll probably receive a hearty and friendly greeting from the staff. Now, I’ve noticed other reviews complaining about the noise at the grill. This is a commercial grill with the required exhaust hood and exhaust fans, as required by food safety and fire code. I would describe the noise as a constant moderate hum, but nothing terrible, and again — REQUIRED by code.
Like I mentioned before, the staff is extremely friendly and will give you a warm greeting as you step up to the grill. I’ve had no issues ordering at the grill, and neither have anyone else I’ve been there with. Make eye contact, speak loud and clear, and smile, and I promise the staff will get your order right.
It’s fun watching them grill your food right in front of you. I’ve had both the steak and chicken, and they’re both excellent. The steak is well-​seasoned and tender, and the chicken is juicy and succulent.
The cheesesteaks are served on amazing warm, soft, and delicious rolls. The melty white cheese on top is amazing, and like many other folks have mentioned, there’s an entire sauce bar of options! However, I think the cheesesteaks are so well seasoned, you won’t need anything on it at all.
In my opinion, the best kept secret of PepperJax are the gourmet rice bowls. They are absolutely enormous portions that easily last two full meals and could be stretched to a third for many. You get grilled meat, veggies, fluffy rice, beans, and all the fixings you could want. I don’t know what they charge for them, but whatever it is, it’s not enough. They’re absolutely amazing. Think Chipotle, but double the food for less money.
While I was dining, the staff came by and checked to make sure everything was satisfactory. On several occasions when I’ve ordered french fries, the staff has elected to fry up a fresh batch and bring the fries to my table, instead of serving the old ones to me. I like the attention to detail of making sure everything is fresh and the best possible quality. (Oh, and the fries are really good here, especially with spicy ranch.)
What more could you want? Fast, friendly service, huge portions, low prices, and astoundingly delicious food! PepperJax is awesome.

So what we have here is the Chipotle of Philly cheese steaks. don’t bother with other menu options besides the steak Philly, or perhaps the steak on a salad. Their chicken was mediocre at best, and tasted overly processed. The good news is the steak which is grilled right in front of you is actually fairly lean but still juicy. Topping quality is above average as well. You should load your items up with all available veggies (onion, mushroom, jalapenos, green peps).
As a major tip, ask for no seasoning blend on the steak. You cross the boarder in to salt overload. Cheese is handled by what tasted like a creamy white American, a respectable choice and rivals provolone. PepperJax kills it by offering around 10 self serve sauces. That spicy ranch is delicious, just the right amount of heat and what tastes like blended in olives and jalapenos. Experiment to find the right sauces that fit your needs. Quality has been consistent, and everything is always fresh and warm off the griddle. The buns go through a toasting process and are soft yet strong enough to contain the large amount of ingredients.
Final thoughts:
The Philly is 6 $ which is 100% fine in my book. A solid value. The fries were good enough steak fries and go well with the sauces (try the gravy), but if your starving I’d go for the double meat option over the fries and come in at 10 $.
With that said, I can see PepperJax expanding. And to conclude, service has always been great at this location.

It really wasn’t worth the trip honestly. I got a traditional philly cheesesteak with a side of fries. The meat was decent, a little under seasoned but decent. The sauces were just «meh». The mushroom gravy was OK but was disappointed with the creole sauce. Like another reviewer said, it’s way too loud around the grill when you go to order. You have to yell what you want at them and hope they get it right.
Also we got our little daughter a kids meal which came with a small package of Teddy Grahams. She accidentally dropped them on the floor so I picked all of them up and went up to the front counter and asked nicely if we could get a new one just because I didn’t want our daughter to get upset. I mean, those things probably only cost the company 5 cents yet when I asked for a new one the lady up front damn near rolled her eyes at me. I really wish I could have reached into the tip jar to get my money back I put in there after I had paid.

Got the fireball steak philly loaded up, man what a flavorful sandwich! Love that they had beans and rice as a side option. Service was quick and friendly to boot. All around great value.

IT’S TOO LOUUUUD! I shouted at the top of my lungs that I wanted them to make my Philly a «fireball,» meaning they would grill the meat in jalapeño sauce. They didn’t hear me, and it’s no wonder — they’ve got a lot of chefs in a really small space with a lot of burners running. My ears were ringing by the time I got to the register.
I gave this place 4 stars, though, because firstly, the sandwich was far better than what I’ve gotten at the Philadelphia airport and secondly, I was able to load up the sandwich with jalapenos and hot sauce later on. I walked out of there in a state of capsaicin-​induced bliss.

Here for the first time tonight after hearing commercials on the radio. Wasn’t sure what to expect… Basically it’s a gourmet quick serve restaurant. They specialize in their «America’s Best Philly» but also serve rice bowls, giant wraps (which are like big burritos) and salads. I got a chicken salad and my husband ordered a steak rice bowl. We were both very pleasantly surprised! The food is cooked right in front of you (think Chipotle but the meat and selected vegetables are actually freshly grilled right there when you order) you then can choose what toppings you want (beans, rice, veggies, sauces). There is also a condiment bar where you can put more sauces on if you desire. Both of us loved our food and are already looking forward to a return stop. Everything us super fresh and the meals are served in generous portions. Great value too — oir two meals (without sides and glasses of water) was less than $ 14. The staff is super friendly. They smile, serve you quickly and act like they genuinely care. The restaurant is clean and bright/​upbeat atmosphere. I will not hesitate to recommend Pepperjax to my friends and family.