The Flying Mango

Des Moines, United States

4.3

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 515-255-4111
Website:
www.flyingmango.com
Address:
4345 Hickman Rd, Des Moines, IA, 50310
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Des Moines) 13:28 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

From the DM Register:

You know it’s going to be good the minute you smell that mixture of sweet smoke and slow-​cooking meat from half a block away (which is where you might have to park, given this spot’s popularity).

I’ve been mostly impressed by the Memphis-​style ribs; these are for people who know what pork is all about: Irresistibly succulent soft bits of flab weave into the tender, thick meat, with caramely brittle bits spackling the outside. With thick, meaty slabs (rather than the usual thin slices), Flying Mango’s brisket also wins accolades from me and readers alike. Good homemade sides go beyond the usual Iowa picks, with choices like red beans and rice, fire-​roasted spiced apples and a sweet potato pancake with mango sour cream.

Works from the Southern artist H.C. Porter splash up the boldly colored walls of this lively, comfortable neighborhood spot, making Flying Mango not just a great barbecue experience, but a great dining experience, too.

History

Established in 2003.

In case you’ve been wondering — Flying Mango has been catering under the same name since 1997. The restaurant came about simply because the space became available and we weren’t thinking clearly. Our approach to the menu was easy. We had no interest in trying to reinvent food. We went with choices that were popular catering selections — basic, down-​home style — just from a wide range of regions. We appreciate those that choose Flying Mango and sincerely hope dinner exceeds your expectations. If anything disappoints you — let us know — while we can still make it right. If you had a great time — tell us that too — then go tell a bunch of friends.

Many thanks! –Suzanne Van Englehoven & Mike Wedeking

Meet the Business Owner

Mike and Suzanne W.

Business Owner

Mike Wedeking and Suzanne Van Englehoven are the husband and wife team that own and operate the Flying Mango. Both Mike and Suzanne had years of restaurant management experience in local independent restaurants, as well as years operating a wholesale bakery business which supplied cakes to well-​known restaurants and clubs in the metro.

Both Mike and Suzanne are passionate about music and art, and Flying Mango is a reflection of that. The name you ask? Well, mangoes are Mike’s favorite fruit, and his other great passion is flying. Besides, it made for a great catering name when the business was created back in 1997!

The Flying Mango also recommends

Vivace Restaurant — CLOSED

104

reviews

Italienisches Restaurant

,

Pizza

Mike and Suzanne W. says,

«Attentive server, wonderful wine, and fresh pasta. It all makes for a very comfortable evening not too far from home.»

Cherry Creek Grill

352

reviews

Mike and Suzanne W. says,

«During several visits, always generous portions. Great flavors in all our picks. Best corn bread ever. Top notch service. Loved the art too.»

Jamerica Caribbean Restaurant

47

reviews

Karibisches Restaurant

Mike and Suzanne W. says,

«Love the Jerk items. Very casual. Help yourself to the beverage cooler — just leave the empties on the table so they know what to charge you.»

Town Talk Diner — CLOSED

100

reviews

Diner

,

Bar

Mike and Suzanne W. says,

«Similar attitude to Flying Mango. Great adult malts — save room — and other yummy cocktails. The best wait asst ever-​ask for Corey.»

The Strip Club

196

reviews

Steakhouse

Mike and Suzanne W. says,

«Hands on management always makes sure you’re taken care of. Awesome meals. Wonderful ambience but no pretense.»

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20 reviews of The Flying Mango

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Place rating: 5
North Liberty, IA
This barbeque is really freakin good. We expected a mob of ppl to be there at dinner time so we went really early at 5:30…well, everyone else had that same idea because it was packed, and we waited an hour to be seated. But when we were leaving at normal dinner time, there was no wait. *sigh*
It was really loud inside, and the ambiance is nothing to speak of, but the food makes it all worth it. It was the best beef brisket and grits I’ve had since moving from Texas. I normally don’t waste stomach space on cornbread, well. I ate the whole thing. It was more like cake than cornbread, it was moist and was slathered with honey butter, like icing. Next time, one of my sides will be another piece of cornbread. Maybe even both sides.
Place rating: 1
Bakersfield, CA
No stars! We read the reviews on Unilocal and were expecting a Jethros. Boy were we disappointed! I don’t understand how it was rated so high. Looking at the crowd in the restaurant are probably the same ones that rated this place. I imagine they are the type that can’t boil an egg and probably eat T.V. Dinners five nights a week. I will never be back.
Three meat dinner, definitely not worth $ 26.
The dirty rice was bland. The chicken and ribs were bland and sausage was okay. The blue cheese potato salad was the only good thing on my plate.
The pulled pork sandwich might have been the least bland out of our dinner, there was a little spice here and there, but still required heavy amounts of barbeque sauce.
Red neck surf and turf (turd), not worth $ 23.
The catfish was so oily, it was soggy. I couldn’t taste the seasoning on the fish it was so oily. The ribs were not only tough but, bland as well. The rice and beans were mediocre, they could’ve boiled the beans a little bit longer. The cornbread was mushy and flavorless other than, the blob on top of the corn bread that, was tasty. They should fire the ‘chefs’ immediately and hire someone from Jethros, or beg one to teach then how to smoke meat because this is not the kind of meat they are good at smoking.
Place rating: 3
Cedar Rapids, IA
We had friends move to this neighborhood a couple years ago, and last night, after driving past it many times, we finally made it over to The Flying Mango.
I think I was slightly disappointed.
The food was delicious. The staff was friendly and filled my drink any time it was nearing empty. The kitchen is open and all staff is incredibly friendly. The atmosphere was good.
But I think, for the price (and it is pricey), I just wasn’t quite getting the quality of food that I wanted. I think they either need to up their plate presentation or lower their prices. You can make southern, Louisiana food fancy and pretty. I think it was expecting a lot more for the price.
I ordered a Cajun chicken sandwich with goat cheese and bacon. It was quite tasty. But the sautéed vegetables were filled with onions instead of sugar peas and Brussel sprouts as advertised. I had maybe two or three small Brussel sprouts. I also would have loved more vegetables. Again, like I said, I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth.
I think I’d go back again, only if we had exhausted all other options, which would be impossible in DSM. Like I said, the food is delicious, but you have been warned about the price!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My Des Moines client suggested the Flying Mango. It’s a fun place with great food. Every bite was delicious. I had the brisket with the rice and beans and the mixed vegetables. I got corn bread as an extra. The butter mmmmmmmmmmmmm. The bbq sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Place rating: 4
Avoca, IA
I really like this joint. The food is spot on and so is the staff. As a man from the south, I can say that this place can make a man feel at home when he sits down. I want to go back and hope to see more of these in the US over time.
Place rating: 5
Johnston, IA
Can’t come up with a negative, everything was spot on! Rivals Smokey D’s as the best BBQ in town. Service was excellent, wings awesome, brisket to die for. The chicken was some of the best I’ve ever had. Here’s a small thing but made it perfect, drink service while you wait by the open kitchen with good going out you’ll drool over. Don’t let the outside appearance of this place stop you from ever going. It’s worth the wait.
Place rating: 2
Windsor Heights, IA
Keep passing this place and finally, we made it here last week. We even attempted to place an order for take-​out, but I know we need to come here to check out the place. We were greeted by one of the hosts. I made a reservation prior to coming in since my husband told me this place can be packed. It was a Friday and surprisingly there were not many people which were quite alright. When you come in, you’ll have the food counter and before coming you can actually smell the food already. Staff are nice and have that homey vibe going on. We sat down and boy those chairs are scary. It’s flimsy and was creaking the whole time we were there. My husband can’t even sit comfortably. Nothing screams like «you need to lose weight if the chair creaks». Geez, I can’t imagine eating way too much with that chair.
Anyway, our host took our order and since I’m a sucker for meat I went for the Ten Hour Beef Brisket with a side of cornbread and a sweet potato with Chipotle pepper. My husband went for the Smoked Pork Loin Sandwich and got our daughter a burger.
The place is nicely decorated though we didn’t paid much attention. For some reason the service was a little slow and it wasn’t that busy anyway. The server was nice enough to let us know that might take a while which was nice. I don’t mind the wait as long as we know anyway. The only problem is when the food arrive it was room temperature. The only thing that was warm was the sweet potato w/​chipotle peppers. I understand that part where it’ll be tricky to have the beef brisket to microwaved. It won’t even matter since it was a little dry. I ate half of it. I just don’t want to leave it but I felt I overpaid for the thing so might as well bring it home with me. I was a little disappointed and had my husband tried some it too. My husband liked the sandwich he had and said it was good. We took some of my daughter’s food as well since she didn’t finish the burger too. I think it’s a universal thing too when every server will ask you if everything is ok when you have food in your mouth. Twice it happen. Lol! I should just bring a placard every time I eat out or a thumbs up but a sign will be more fun anyway.
I was a little disappointed despite the staff being nice. I certainly had experience better BBQ joint or southern cuisine in Des Moines.
Place rating: 5
Des Moines, IA
Amazing food! I would give it 4 stars because of the long wait time, but it’s worth the wait. Everything you try here is delicious & made fresh daily. The drinks are wonderful. This is definitely a place for special occasions as it can get pricey, but it’s worth it. Staff are friendly & courteous. Service is as speedy as can be expected for always being packed.
Place rating: 5
New Orleans, LA
This place is my favorite place in Des Moines. The food was off the chart. I got there 24 hour because 23 hour isn’t enough smoked brisket. It was cooked so perfect that it flaked off and melted in your mouth. Getting hungry for it writing this review. The mashed potatoes were just right. It had a flavor I don’t recall but similar to horse radish. Then the veggies I ordered just topped it off. The service is awesome and makes you feel at home.
Place rating: 5
Waukee, IA
This was the first time coming here and we came during dinner time. I always love a good BBQ join and this place is definitely it.
I ordered their 3 meat platter that came with two sides. The sausage was awesome. Super juicy and flavorful. The ribs were ok. They are dry rub ribs and are more of the firm kind than the fall of the bone type that I like. They were still very smoky and flavorful, but I prefer wet rub and fall off the bone kind. Now to the brisket. This brisket was absolutely amazing. It was the best brisket I’ve had. It was super thick and juicy. It was so gently that a simple touch with a fork made it fall apart. It had lots of fat and it was mobilized around the edges just how I like it. The sides were pretty good also and their vodka martini was probably three shots worth so I definitely go the nice warm feeling inside from all the good food and a nice strong martini.
I’d love to come here and try other dishes. I could tell the food was made with love. I’d recommend this place to anyone looking to eat some good BBQ.
Place rating: 5
West Des Moines, IA
I finally ate here and I was impressed. Service was prompt, food was tasty and the drinks were good. The brisket was so tender I didn’t need a knife, the ribs were fall off the bone and the sausage was juicy. Overall I was very happy with my dining experience and will come back and try other dishes!
Place rating: 5
Waukee, IA
This place is such a cute little BBQ joint. They were super busy yet we were able to get right in at 7:30pm without waiting, so that’s a plus for me.
My ribs was spot on, wish it was juicy though, however it was still delicious though. The portions are very generous, I took half of my ribs home.
Place rating: 5
West Des Moines, IA
Flying Mango has never dissapointed. We lived in Des Moines until 2008 and then moved away for seven years, and returned last year to find the food and service were still excellent. On my most recent visit my dining companion and I each had the full rack of ribs. I was able to turn that into dinner and a couple of lunches. The ribs are very smoky, tender, and flavorful. They are very dark on the outside which might intimidate some people, but that just adds to the flavor. My ‘to-​go’ package even had a container of sauce in it to use for the lunches, which was a nice touch.
When I arrived I was seated promptly and my drink order was delivered. My companion was not there yet but told me he was on the way and asked that I get his drink order started. Our waitress got it ready and delivered it to him as soon as he got to the table — another nice touch. Service overall was very efficient and friendly. The waitress was able to answer all of our questions about the menu and features.
Back to the food — my ribs came with two sides. I had the red beans and rice, which rivals my recipe, so I thought they were pretty darn good! I also had cheese grits, which were the best I’ve had since being back in Des Moines. I’m not sure they quite measure up to what I had while living in the south over the past few years, but they were still very tasty.
It is a very casual atmosphere with friendly and attentive employees. Food is delivered quickly and is very reasonably priced — particularly considering the generous portions.
Place rating: 4
Des Moines, IA
With all the hype, I was really excited to try this resturant!
Price: Look to spend at least $ 15 – 20 per entrée.
Parking: mini lot
Food:
— Pick 3 BBQ platter of Chicken, Brisket, and Ribs
—- the brisket was very tender and the ribs were fall off the bone. They were both very flavorful. They chicken was the least flavorful and awkward in texture.
— Catfish — ehh, prob wouldn’t order again.
Service: I was most disappointed in this. Upon seating, the waitress threw our menus on the table and took forever to come take our order.
Place rating: 3
Des Moines, IA
I’ve eaten here so many time it’s really hard to write this review. Hell I even saw Ryan Montbleau up close and personal. The appetizers that night were wonderful too. It was my girls favorite place to go for birthdays and anniversary’s. I love the pork chops, brisket, any nightly special and up until recently haven’t had a bad experience. Because we loved (past tense) the place so much we decide to take my brothers family who were visiting from Indiana there. That one evening was so horrible it has crushed my whole view of this place and may never return. From the moment the waitress came to the table I knew something was way out of the norm. At one point our waitress disappeared and our drinks were empty.
In the past the food has always been spot on, but on this night not so much. I’m thinking to myself Guy Fieri does a review on Food Network and the owners are no where to be found, hum they are always here. My brother and his wife asked why we thought this place was so special. My answer was the food was great they must be having an off night.
Had this been my first visit they would have received 1 star and me never returning. Since I do have memories of wonderful meals here I gave them 3 stars in hopes that on my next visit they will return to the place I’ve loved in the past. Maybe, just maybe, ask my brother to return as well.
Place rating: 5
Urbandale, IA
We came on a Saturday night around 9 PM. The staff was very accomadating for our group of 9 people. We were seated in 10 mins. Server advised us that she had another large group on the other side. We finished by 10:30 PM and staff was nice about us staying late. We appreciated the friendly staff.
What we ordered:
Mango ice tea — non sweet and delicious.
Smoked chicken dip with seasoned tortilla chips — absolutely yummy! This was a great dip to share with the table. The chips have a nice spice to it.
Mussels in white wine sauce — delicious! Served with two slices of garlic bread.
3 meat smoked bbq meal with coleslaw and corn bread — price is about 26. Sausage, ribs and beef brisket. Sausage was spicy and good. Ribs were tasteful.
Trigger fish with mango salsa — highly recommend this dish. Grilled and seasoned perfectly. Toddler and husband enjoyed this dish!
Overall our guest enjoyed there meals and would def come back again!
Place rating: 5
Des Moines, IA
We had never been here before but did hear good things. Some friends wanted to meet up for dinner so we settled on The Flying Mango.
I’ll just start off by saying it turned out to be an amazing decision!
The 5 of us started off with the brisket quesadillia. Amazing! My friend and I got the brisket, garlic mashed potatoes and red beans and rice. All fantastic! His wife got, I believe, a creole platter that she very much liked. My wife got the chicken dinner, which was literally half a chicken. She took half home but said it tasted great. As for our mini-​yelper, she got the kids quesadillia. She really liked it and took half of hers home as well.
About the only negative thing I can say about this place is that it can get a little loud.
Highly recommend!!!
Place rating: 4
Lincoln, NE
What a great restaurant in Des Moines. We found this through Diners, Drive In and Dives. Great food: bbq, great selection on beer. Wonder service. Really worth the stop. Outside seating.
Place rating: 5
Lawrenceville, GA
I used Unilocal to find a place to eat tonight. I am in from Atlanta.
The Flying Mango was great. I had the brisket with red beans and rice.
The food was excellent, the service was great.
I highly recommend The Flying Mango.
Place rating: 5
Des Moines, IA
I lived close for years. Smelling the cooking meats through the open summer windows.
Went once years ago and just talked my fiancé into coming for his first time.
I have no issues with the parking because living nearby for years I knew what to expect.
Happy st Patrick’s day!
We wanted something off the beaten path to avoid the crowd. Seeing the number online I called ahead for reservations. Since there was people waiting when i called we just got written down and not technically reserved. We walked in a little bit before 7. We were offered drinks and a menu while we were waiting for our table. we didn’t have to wait very long and was seated shortly thereafter.
Although the off putting gun sign was right inside the door, it was really nice to walk in and walk right past the open kitchen. As we were waiting we could see the plates of food leave the kitchen and gave us a chance to decide on what we wanted with the help of what we could see. After we were seated we were promptly waited on by a very nice waitress she brought water right away and when I asked her opinion of the salad she said «it’s got a lot of meat».
Perfect!
My man ordered a full rack of ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and cornbread. I ordered The Jenny Salad which has sliced brisket on it. Something different and delicious that i didn’t feel guilty eating. I also got the cornbread which was served like a piece of pie.
Our discussion of the meal was that competition smokings do lead to slightly drier meat that falls right off the bone with nice thick chunks. Both meats on both of our meals was perfectly done in competition sort of way. Personally the both of us really enjoy the moist, juicier smoked meats but we have no complaints on our meals. Can’t go wrong with cornbread or the garlic mashed potatoes either.
We both went home with doggie bags and smiles. Thank you for the good evening and he agrees we will be back soon to try something else.