Flying Mango: A Classic Des Moines Bbq
The Flying Mango or the Flying Mango BBQ is one of the most renowned BBQ restaurants in Des Moines and the entire Iowa State. The restaurant is located at 4345 Hickman Road, Des Moines IA. The restaurant was started back in 1997 by husband and wife, Michael Wedeking and Suzanne Van Englehoven. They still run the restaurant to date.
The flying mango has gained its reputation from creating an uncommon cuisine known especially for grilling and smoking just about everything else. At flying mango you will enjoy succulent barbecues and bold flavors of the carribean. Flying Mango appeared on Guy Fieri’s Diners Dives and Drive ins. The episode is available on their YouTube channel.
The restaurant is bustling and the tables are set close to each other yet it never feels crowded. You will be seated quickly and served very fast at the Flying Mango. As you enter the restaurant you go past the grilling area where the ribs and chicken are grilled.
The restaurant also has an open plan kitchen where you can see the chefs preparing your food. The wait staff are friendly and lively. The meats served are done just right and a favorite for many visitors to the restaurant is the brisket.
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Restaurant Menu
The dinner menu at the restaurant has everything from staters to main entree to the desserts and side dishes. The starters include; qeusadilas, smoked chicken dips and the house salad. The main entrees include; red beans and rice, chicken creole, Louisiana BBQ shrimp and grits, grilled trigger fish, Cajun catfish, and lime and garlic chicken.
For the smoked dishes which is where the restaurant wins, you get to enjoy dishes such as; smoked beef brisket, pork tenderloin, baby chops, big chops, salad loin backs, Memphis style rib dinner and smoked chicken dinner. The kids are also taken care of with the kids menu which includes dishes such as; BBQ pulled pork sandwich, BBQ pulled beef sandwich, rib plate and cheese quesadilla.
The restaurant also sells its meata either individually where you pay for the sauce seperately or by the pound. Individually you can purchase a whole smoked chicken, whole smoked pork tenderloin, Andouille sausage and Memphis style loin back ribs. By the pounds you can purchase the smoked beef brisket, pulled and lightly sauced pork and chicken wings among other meats.
The desserts served include; white chocolate bread pudding, sweet mango sauce, sweet mango pie, chocolate cake, red hot cinnamon apple pie and chocolate bourbon pecan tart. The side dishes and sauces you will enjoy at the Flying Mango are; Cole slaw, red hot blue tortilla chips, corn bread, cinnamon honey butter, jerk sauce, mango salsa, mashed potatoes and spiced apples amongst others.
Music Events
The Flying Mango is home to music events where the visitors are served to live music as they dine. Some of the past events include; Stephen Kellogg, Seth Walker Trio and Emily Elbert, amongst others. The events are usually entertaining and are sold out quickly.
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