Great food and atmosphere
This restaurant is a favorite for locals of Des Moines - family-owned and mostly family-operated. While the hours of operation are limited, it's worth it to get there before they close. Chatty waitresses and delicious menu selections - the portions aren't quite what you might think by the price, but they are adequate. I suggest starting with a salad/appetizer in addition to your dinner - you should have room for dessert, too, which is is a good thing, because it'd be a shame to miss out on a piece of Mary's homemade pie in any flavor you can crave. This place is also a favorite of local community organizations, who come in large groups, so if you're looking for a quiet evening, you may want to call ahead and see if a large group is expected.    [23 Aug 2000 23:07:57]

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Recommended Dishes: clam chowder and pie

     ­Anonymous   Sept_ember at hotmail dot com

Great Place to Take Out of Town Guests
Recently entertained out of town guests who happened to be from the other Des Moines. We enjoyed the first meal so much, decided to go back for a second on another night. We were too full to taste Mary's famous pies but our guests eyed them on the way out and walked back the next day from their local motel to have the dessert. Now back home, they still talk about how much they enjoyed eating at the Des Moines Creek Restaurant.    [20 Sep 2001 00:11:45]

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Recommended Dishes: specials are always good, pies are to die for

     ­D. Beasley   dalebeasley at zipcon dot com

This Restaurant is Great!
While visiting in the Seattle area we were recommended to the Des Moines Creek Restaurant by the manager of the motel where we were staying.

The food was excellent and the service remarkably good for as busy as they were. Our waitress was particularly good! She recommended the Raspberry Devonshire Cream Pie. What a treat! Now I've tried all over to find the recipe or to find the makings for Devonshire Cream but to no avail. Just today I thought about the possibility of getting it from the source. Any chance of sharing that awesome recipe with an Ohioan? Many thanks for a wonderful evening with delicious food and fine service. It was a dining experience.    [26 Mar 2002 20:18:53]

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Recommended Dishes: Raspberry Devonshire Cream Pie

     ­Marilyn Reihs   

Excellent Pies!
Our family loves this restaurant! My in-laws recently moved to Arizona and whenever they are in town we try to fit in a meal at the Des Moines Creek Restaurant. Their pies are wonderful! Be sure to leave room for dessert!    [24 Jul 2002 08:40:26]

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Recommended Dishes: Pasta is great, but the breakfasts are our favorites. Especially the buffet on the weekend.

     ­Anonymous   

Go for the Pie but Eat Somewhere Else First
Having heard that Mary's Pies were voted the best in Seattle, I made the drive from Ballard to try Des Moines Creek Restaurant for myself this evening along with my husband and an out of town guest.

When we arrived, we were never greeted by the hostess as she was gabbing on the phone. We were seated by someone finally, given menus and water. Then the wait was on for a waitress. That seemed to be the recurring theme of the evening. We saw at least 3 waitresses in our section which had 2 tables including ours seated with 6 patrons total. Our meals were mediocre -- crab cakes that were pasty and without much crab, the Oriental seafood salad with tasteless shrimp and "lobster" with some semi-wilted lettuce, quiche Lorraine which was more like a bacon pie -- all very disappointing.

But, as advertised, the pie WAS good. We all shared one piece of the Raspberry Devonshire Cream Pie and it was great.    [28 Aug 2002 01:41:27]

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Recommended Dishes: pie

     ­Kate M   

Great Service and Decor... But You May Go Away Hungry!!
Living in the Seattle area, a friend and I drove down to Des Moines just "for fun" to try this restaurant with an Entertainment Book coupon. The restaurant is very pretty... nice decor... and the atmosphere was extremely friendly and "homey." Excellent waitress, great service. And they brought plenty of wonderful freshly baked, warm, wheat bread and butter! YUM!

Unfortunately when the food arrived, we were a bit disappointed. We ordered "red potatoes" for example... each received ONE very small potato split in half.. chicken breast turned out to be HALF of a chicken breast. Food was very tasty... but we sure were glad for all the bread!

For the price of these meals, there should be plentiful servings. It's too bad they serve such skimpy portions; otherwise it could have become one of my "favorites."    [21 Oct 2002 02:43:06]

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Recommended Dishes: Cashew chicken breast with pineapple salsa

     ­dance4joy, Seattle   dance4joy7 at hotmail dot com

bad service & food
go some place else!    [13 Apr 2003 23:55:40]

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Recommended Dishes: none! water

     ­john fasso, retired port of seattle   desmoineswashington at webtv dot net

Great food, friendly and good service, large servings, best pies!
If I had to write a complaint about this restaurant it would be the food is so good and the servings so large that I never have room for the great pie for dessert.
My favorite Hawaiian Pie is so good but not always available but all the other pies are a terrific treat as well.

It is my family's favorite restaurant and have taken many friends there and booked several group luncheons. I have also gone to several holiday buffets.They are fabulous. Everyone leaves saying what a great place, thanks for taking us here.    [09 Oct 2003 01:31:04]

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     ­Anonymous   

Great food & great service
I recently went to Des Moines Creek with some friends to have dinner. I felt right at home in this warm pink cozy place. We were greeted by a lovely young lady who told us the specials. We ordered and our server kept bringing food, bread, salad, soups and then our dinner. Our server then asked about pie, we were all to full, but she said pie makes you happy and talked us into one piece to share. Oh were we glad we did..RASBERRY DAVINSHIRE is the best thing ever. Our experience was incredible. Our server was so funny and entertaining we would go back just for her. She made us feel at home and at ease. So for us it was a overall great experience and we will go back.    [15 Mar 2004 22:43:21]

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Recommended Dishes: Grilled Salmon & pie

     ­Anonymous   

Not Consistent
On Saturday evening,May 15, 2004, I had one of the most disappointing meals that I ever had at the Des Moines Creek Restaurant. The vegetables were limp - either overcooked or canned. I should have known that salsa does not go with salmon but I thought that I would try the Saturday night special. I don't know what the salmon tasted like because all that I could taste was salsa.    [16 May 2004 17:17:11]

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Recommended Dishes: Everything is usually pretty good.

     ­Dave frantz