Cowboy Jack’s Des Moines

Could be a great place. Live music was WAY to loud for the size of the place. I didn’t eat, but had two beers, both of which tasted old and were served chilled at best. I know for a fact the tap water at my house comes out colder, so I hope you like ice cubes in your beer.

Terrible service, food was mediocre. Couldn’t even blame the terrible service on it being busy. It’s unfortunate because of the great atmosphere and décor. The bartender even told us at one point we could sit up at the bar because at least we wouldn’t be forgotten up there. When their own staff knows how bad the service is, you would think management would change something by now. Third time in and service has never gotten better.

We came here for brunch on a Sunday and the place was relatively empty. The flatbread I had was really yummy, but seriously cheesy. I love cheese and it was a little much to be honest, like it was compensating for a lack of other ingredients.
The bloody bar they had was nothing too fancy but it was certainly taken advantage of by members of our 4-​person party. They only thing with having Bloody Mary stuff out is that you can’t trust everyone to not put their dirty-@$$ fingers in there. Like I said, there weren’t too many patrons at the time so It was fine.
Our server was very sweet and pretty efficient and when she heard that we were visiting and driving back after our meal, she gave us waters to go!
Honestly, although I’m rating it a-​ok, I can see myself going here again, especially since they have a nice patio. (Didn’t have too much covering, though, so we left at the perfect time otherwise we may have gotten torched!)

We live within walking distance, so this is one of our fallbacks if we need a quick bite. I’ve been there enough to know that consistency is not really their strong suit, but we’ve had decent food, and as mentioned in a few reviews, the drinks are good. Service can be a bit spotty. They tend to run out of different types of alcohol, which is not a good thing for a place whose motto is ‘Whiskey Drunk and Hell Bound’. Maybe the whiskey selection is consistent.
Our most recent visit was a nice Iowa evening so we tried to sit outside, but the patio was consistently full with people trying to eek out time in the short summer season in the Midwest. We were however able to grab a seat at the bar, which has ample doors that open to the patio to give it an outdoor feel while still being inside.
I got the blue cheese bison burger, and it was prepared to order and very juicy and tasty. My wife got a pulled pork sandwich, and it had a nice tangy BBQ sauce, and was also tender and tasty. I started out ordering a martini, but they were out of two of the vodkas I prefer, so I went with a margarita. It was one of the better ones I’ve had in Des Moines, which bumped my review up to a 4. My wife got a Summer Shandy which is sometimes more elusive than you’d expect, but in the past she has ordered some beers here that they usually carry but were out of.
Service is very inconsistent overall. I’ve had a number of very pleasant and attentive servers, but on this occasion our server was handling the entire bar and some tables on the patio — she was very nice and was running all over the place, but the workload didn’t seem to be evenly distributed. We weren’t in an hurry so it wasn’t a big deal, but we did see some people step up to the outside bar windows only to walk away when they didn’t get served quickly. The servers are almost always pleasant, but sometimes overworked or newbies.

This is my daughters favorite spot so I have been three times in the last few months. I would say my experience has ranged from average to slightly below average.
The food is fine but not very inspiring and unless you are getting a special it is priced higher than the quality. If you’re going for drinks the selection is good.
The atmosphere is western inspired sports bar. A lot of TVs and cowboy themed decorations. It is a large restaurant with tables, booths and outside seating. The have free peanuts and although they don’t throw the shells on the floor there plenty of peanut shells and dust on and under the tables. If you or someone in your party are allergic stay far away.
The service is spotty. There are always a lot of people working but they give off the impression that they are new and inexperienced which leads them to be just a little late/​slow with each stage. They are always friendly.
Overall I would have rated this place 2.5 stars but it’s my daughters favorite (don’t know why) so I am giving it an I love my daughter .5 bump. If you are close and need a place to eat give it a try but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

The menu is small and quite limited. My wife and I ordered burgers. I was afraid that other items on the menu might not meet my expectations. But come to find out they can’t even make a hamburger. Both burgers were charred beyond recognition including mine which was supposed to be medium rare. They were just barely edible. All I could taste was the burned crispy meat on the outside. Our two plates were comped and I appreciate that. I also had the fish taco app. Two of the three fish tacos were really skimpy on the fish. Just a tiny piece thrown in. The cook hand placed a tiny midget piece of fish in my fish taco and called it good. That speaks volumes to the quality of their kitchen. Others at our table had similar complaints about the food quality. I suspect everything they make comes frozen right off a Cysco truck. This is bar food. The beer menu was extremely basic with farmer beers mostly from mega macrobrewers I don’t drink any more. Bud light, bud, bud platinum, bud lime, bud silver. Yeah I’ll pass on all of the above.
The waiter was very nice but was not as attentive as we desired. We would have liked an additional visit or two for drink orders. I ended up going to the bar to order another drink. The décor in the bar was different and I enjoyed that. There was live entertainment on a Saturday evening.
If I ever return to this place it will not be the result of my choice. It doesn’t seem like much of a bar so i don’t see myself coming here for drinks, and their beer selection is abysmal. I also don’t see myself going here to eat because their menu is limited and they can’t cook a burger without burning it much less making that frozen hockey puck anywhere near medium rare.
One and done. I’ve satisfied my curiosity. Will not return.

The waitress was awesome, I asked so many questions trying to trip her up and she hung in with a smile. I even asked her to take a picture of lasso fries so I could decide if I wanted them or not, spot on she said «sure». Had to send my over cooked burger back, replacement killed!!! Frozen flat burger joint for $ 2 on a Wednesday; not bad. Can you get a better burger in DSM… YUP. But not bad for $ 2 plus fity cent toppings, I guess it works. More than likely my only trip.

FUN, is how I would explain Cowboy Jacks! The Wild West themed bar instantly gives you the feeling you walked in to an old saloon with modern day amenities. The tables at the bar look like liquor barrels and there are wagon wheels and lanterns hanging all over as décor. They have an amazing happy hour with great drink prices and deals on appetizers. There is a nice outdoor patio area as well as an area to the side of the bar where you can play games. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a place to stop and grab a drink and a snack or looking for a place to bring a large group and have a good time. Try the Walleye Fingers, they are really yummy!

Been here two times the first time was okay. Went there last night got seated and waited for 15 min no one came to even get our drink order or anything. So we left and I will never be going back. And no they were not busy.

I would not recommend Cowboy Jacks. With all of the really good places to eat in the area, this would be the last one I would go to after my most recent experience. I hosted a large group there a few weeks ago. The food was inadequate. I had scheduled it weeks in advance and discussed details with the manager and assistant manager 3 times prior to the event. They had one server for almost 40 people. We waited up to 45 minutes to get drinks. They served the food buffet style and ran out after the first 30 through the line. It took them over 30 minutes to bring more food. That said, the corporate person who oversees this location was very nice. She felt terrible and offered to make things right. But once the egg is broke, it can’t be put back together. If you were to schedule a large event, I would ask the corporate people to oversee it. The local people can’t do it. The location is great. That is why I chose to have my event there.

My family and I loved this place! Awesome rustic décor, country music, friendly servers, and lots of food options. There were 4 items I really wanted to try but settled on the philly steal. The kids had generous portions of Mac n cheese and my husband had an open faced chicken sandwich. Everything was delicious and plenty of comfort food items on the menu.
Can’t go wrong with meat and potatoes.
Came here on a Sunday afternoon and we were one of the few people there, sat down right away and had prompt service. My kids enjoyed swinging on the patio «swings”/ seats!

I was very disappointed in Cowboy Jacks. It looks like a really cool place, but the wait was crazy. Seating was available upon arrival, but it was a wait for the hostess to acknowledge my family of five. Once seated, it was a wait for the waitress, then a wait for the beverages, then a wait to place our order. We walked in the doors at 5pm and the food reached our table at 6:10pm. Not all of the food, no, it was another 15 mins wait for my plate of food and my daughter’s side salad. The waitress was apologetic and waived the cost of my meal. Bad experience.

Happy hour specials are amazing! Their sirloin tips are to die for! My ultimate favorite thing on the menu. The staff is pleasant and friendly! Must try!

The service here is fantastic. Servers are attentive and truly care about your experience. Unfortunately, the menu doesn’t meet their service standard. Everything we tried was HEAVILY excessively salted and the wings were mostly skin and fat; not a lot of meat. We ordered the vegetable flatbread, which was so salty I couldn’t even eat the crust. We also ordered the chili garlic wings, which the garlic was barely detectable in and were rubbery at best. The service here is attentive and fantastic; the food quality is questionable. Maybe we just caught them on a bad afternoon?

We were in Des Moines for a wedding and were staying across the street at the Drury Inn. Since we had no vehicle, Cowboy Jack’s ended up seeing a lot of us that weekend since it was the only bar we could see from the hotel.
Standard bar with decent food options. My favorite part was they had a Bloody Mary bar on Saturday and Sunday where you could add your own toppings. I love when places do that and this bloody mix was pretty good!
Another one of my favorite items were their french fries — sooo good and fresh!
All in all a decent spot but nothing to rave about. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here.

The food was pretty good and the service was good too! Can’t beat $ 2 burgers and half price appetizers, but the main reason I’m giving it a 5 star is portion size!!! They are not greedy on their portions, love it!!!

I had high hopes for Cowboy Jacks. I have eaten there 5 – 6 times over the last 6 months and almost always walk away disappointed. Mediocre food and service, a little on the expensive side for what you get. I don’t like their ‘cowboy jacks’ bbq sauce and it seems to be slathered on about ½ the menu items. Even though I stay at the hotel across the parking lot almost every week for work, I stopped walking across because it just isn’t worth the trouble.
On the positive side the décor is nice.

Service was painfully slow. Started out okay (hostess was trying to be a waitress since only one on staff who was also the bartender). We were there for two hours and had two drinks — and one we had to go the bar ourselves for. We ordered appetizers that came out in a normal time and then some ordered burgers and we didn’t see the waitress for a full half hour. Didn’t fill water or get additional drinks. Food was pretty good for bar food. My wine was $ 9 a glass which seemed excessive but not a big deal. $ 2 burger night– condiments are .25 and toppings are .50.

I love this place! Great atmosphere, friendly staff and you can’t beat their happy hour prices!

This has been our new go to place after work for my wife and I. Two$ burgers and happy hour is a good night to stop. Burgers, shared fries, beer and tip about $ 20, nice. Food was good, beer cold. Also in the shell peanuts!
Bartenders were great.
The only Con
Need to bring a saw in to cut the stools down about 3 inches and plastic beer glasses, other than that great addition to the area.
In regards to someone posting on Unilocal about $ 2 burgers and didn’t know that cheese maybe additional charge. Come on… it is a half lb burger for 2.00 $. If it wouldn’t be so embarrassing, my wife and I would split a burger, they are that big.