Drake Diner

I've been going to this specific area of Des Moines for about two years now and have only spotted this stylish diner once. It's an establishment that has been around for years, serving this university campus area and beyond with simple yet good diner food. Upon entering, we were greeted with bright lights, shiny decor, and a full restaurant (which is a good thing). My friends and I went at 7pm on a Friday night so we didn't expect anything less. After waiting a few minutes, we were seated in a booth and started perusing the  very large menu. So many decisions! Did I want breakfast, a sandwich, a blue plate special, or a standard burger? And then, did I want soda or a shake? Far too many difficult decisions to make while one hasn't eaten all day. But I finally decided on a soda and the classic cheeseburger with monterrey jack and onion rings. Our server was either overloaded or not properly trained. He had to come back a few times to repeat our orders. We also had to flag him down for ketchup and refills.

Normally when I go out to restaurants I eat half my meal and take the rest home for leftovers. NOT the case here, but that's because I was hungry. My burger was delicious. The only minor complaint I have is that the bottom bun was far too thin for such a hefty burger. It absorbed all the beef juice and was harder to handle. The onion rings were disappointing to me. I don't believe any salt was used in the cooking process and the onions had no actual onion flavor!  My friend ordered the sweet potato fries and they were good- wish I would have ordered those instead. My other friend ordered a shake and it arrived about five minutes into her meal. We thought they had forgotten about it, but apparently it takes 20 minutes to make a shake (in this case).

While both the service and the food could be improved on greatly, I will be stopping in again (and probably again).