The return of Buzzard Billy's

Buzzard Billy's returns after a couple year hiatus, this time in a different location near Wells Fargo Arena. Check out there website and HUGE menu at http://www.buzzardbillys.com/des-moines/ . Their specialty is Cajun/Creole food which ranges from sandwiches/poboys, dinner plates, pastas, salads and more. Even the draft beer menu was pretty big. The ambiance is similar to the Full Court Press restaurants (not sure if they are part of the same management)...laid back, clean, lots of nice TVs with sports on and you can eat from the huge bar or dining area.

I actually never ate at the original ,which was flooded out a couple years ago, but was excited to check out the new version. We got in around 530 (yeah we eat dinner like old people) and there wasn't any wait that early on a Friday night which was surprising considering the weather and the newness of the restaurant. By the time we left, there was a short wait.


We ordered the fried pickle chips for an appetizer as we are big fans of that. They were great, very crispy and salty; similar to the ones served at Mullets.

Fried pickle chips....they never had a chance.

After the delicious appetizer, Lydia got the Shrimp Po'Boy which was good (around $9). I thought the taste was similar to the Burger King's Chicken sandwich with the texture of the bread and the creamy tartar sauce. The shrimp was breaded/fried and tasted fresh. Now comparing a restaurant sandwich to BK might sound like a little bit of an insult....but BK's chicken sandwich is pretty good at least. The sandwich came with your choice of sides, she got the potato wedges which were unseasoned but solid.

Shrimp Po'Boy

I ordered the Chicken Tchoupitoulas as it sounded pretty unique (see the pictures below). It was pretty good with a mix of rich creamy chicken and salty carbs but then a mix of light veggies. The best part was the seasoned potatoes that were layered under the chicken. They were very similar to the salty/savory seasoned potatoes commonly in breakfast skillets.

Chicken say what?

Lots of veggies

At the top of the potato mountain lay a chicken breast covered in a creamy sauce.

Overall, the experience was solid and the service was great (although it wasn't busy). I definitely plan on going back because the menu is huge. If you go there, leave a comment on what you got so I can know what I should get next time.