Waterfront Seafood Market
| Address: | 2900 University Ave, West Des Moines, IA 50266, USA |
| Phone: | +1 515-223-5106 |
| Site: | waterfrontseafoodmarket.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10:30PM 11AM–10:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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A Private User
I wish that i could give Waterfront two scores - one for service and one for the food. The seafood at Waterfront has always been the best in Des Moines - both in the market and the restaurant. The service however is unfortunately horrible. I was once a loyal patron but will never return after the service I received from Shawn Hanke, son of Ted the owner and the main man at the seafood counter. At 11 AM this morning, I walked in and asked for 1 lb of sushi grade salmon (as I have been doing for the past 5 years) and he said that there was someone in the back cutting it up and that it would be a minute. After 15 minutes I politely asked how much longer it would be and he said "hes back there cutting it up right now - do you want to watch him do it? You can come back here and do it yourself it you think you could do it faster." You know what Mr. Hanke - if thats the way youre going to treat your customers Id rather not support your business and hope that others read this and will rethink their patronage. I walked out and will never return. And one more thing; as I was sitting there waiting for the salmon that never came, Shawn answered a phone call, said "Hello" and quickly handed the phone off to another employee saying - "Here - I cant understand her - shes some kind of Asian." Stay Classy Hankes! PS - We ended up at Splash downtown and loved it!
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Gina Micheals
I have eaten at waterfront many many times at this location and at the Ankeny restaurant. Today was by far the worst experience I have ever had. I called and placed an order togo they told me it would be 15 minutes I get there give them my name and they act confused and asked me what I ordered I find out that they just completely lost my order or did not even make it. Then I had to wait which happens to be next to the lobster tanks where the poor lobsters just sit in a corner with their tails folded under there waiting to be boiled alive. I wait 10 minutes or more to finally get the food that was supposed to be ready when I got there. Mistakes happen but all I got was a sorry which nobody seemed to care. Worst part of all I opened it to find a white hair right on top of my fish and completely gooey wet over cooked rice and a cold undercooked still raw sour dough bread piece. I wont ever come back to this location ever. I should of returned this disgusting food for a refund but I did not want to go back in I was sick of all the time spent already. I wished I just walked out the door when I learned that they didnt even make my order but I didnt realize they hadnt made it until I was sitting there forever. Never again will I order from here I will go anywhere else.
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Amanda Demichelis
Waterfront was the first place I ever tried sushi, besides your everyday Chinese buffet. I didnt really want to even go at first but did as a favor to a friend. It was a life changing experience, no seriously. This is the best place ever. I have since tried sushi multiple times all over and no place compares. My husband also had never had a good experience with sushi and I begged and pleaded to get him there. He ordered a catfish basket and I ordered sushi. He loves the catfish and I even got him to try some sushi, he has never ordered anything besides sushi there since that day. We live well over an hour away and still make it up several times a month. Not only is the food amazing but it is so fresh and such high quality. The only downside is it is a little expensive but you definitley get what you pay for. TK, one of the guys at the sushi bar, has went out of his way to come out from behind the bar and greet us. He is awesome. The owner as well can always be seen there and is usually going around talking with customers making sure they are having a good experience, which to me is very humble and shows his investment in the business. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this place.
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Tamara Law
I come from Tasmania an island state in Australia so I am used to VERY fresh seafood. After being in this part of the country for 2 years I had yet to experience good seafood. My then boyfriend (now husband) did his research and found this place online. And we have been going here ever since (now 12 years) for my birthday, our wedding anniversary, and any time my husband lets me decided on where to eat. The food is fantastic! I love the house breading that they use on the deep fried oysters! The seasonal dishes are amazing and when they started serving sushi... well lets just say we are hooked for life. My husband used to hate sushi until I made him try the Waterfronts. Now I get it as part of the appetizer and he eats as much as I do! Yes it is a little more pricey, but as others have stated before me you get what you pay for. My only issues are that if you dont get there early enough, certain dishes are sold out and sometimes you are waiting for a table for 45 minutes to an hour. But thats not there fault. It appears other people are also hooked on this place :o). If I could I would give 6 stars!
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Sara Lopez
Nice restaurant in a non-descript strip mall. Menu full of po-boys, fried baskets, grilled fish, sushi, and so much more. Great Saturday specials. We passed on the fries and coleslaw choosing from the appetizer menu instead. The crab cakes were a little soft but the flavor was good. The gumbo was delicious with great spice. Clam strips were just what youd expect. The best was the coconut shrimp; flaky and yummy. The atmosphere was quiet for a late Saturday afternoon. We loved that this was a full service seafood market, bar, and eatery all in one. Felt authentic. The service was great. Rob took care of every need and was super kind. We gave it a 4 because one of the staff chose to vacuum around our table right in the middle of our meal. Otherwise, it would have warranted a 5.
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James Ramsey
Dont ask for anything special. Youd think theyd be 100% customer service driven. I ordered take out, he said it would be ready in 10 minutes. I told him thats way too soon, it was going to be 1/2 hour before I arrived. Instead of delaying the order or even simply have me call back, they made the food in advance and let it sit. Fried fish and Frys taste like crap after sitting for 45minutes. I order lunches weekly sometimes for the whole office. I would never feed this to anyone. Its an embarrassment to say its so good and end up with stale food.
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Joe Weldon
We are not from the area and was not prepared to find such an outstanding restaurant that had seafood so good that you think you are in either bay area, San Francisco or Maine. Seafood fresh off the boats in the Midwest is hard to accomplish and not only did you do that you succeed past my ridouclouclly high standards and at a great price. The sour dough bread could not come from anywhere but San Francisco. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive to our needs. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.
