Ive been to a lot of expensive restaurants, this was by far the worst of them all.. The service here was absolutely horrendous, we never saw our waitress. The food was mixed up, the bills were wrong.. And to top it off, they charged the wrong credit cards for our checks.. For a group that had reservations to a bistro, extremely disappointed. The manager had no sympathy for making us wait an hour for our checks alone. Customers beware, this establishment has no good service, obviously the customer is the bad guy here. Very mediocre food for 50-60 dollar meals. + 20% gratuity. Asinine....

On our last visit (my wife and I) we experienced very enthusiastic and attentive service, and our meal was very satisfying. We had the $27 3 course prix fixe, she had the salad, skate, creme brulee and I had the french onion(the best I ever had), cassoulet and tort. They also have a $20 3 course prix fixe and only one entree over $26.
The owner came over at the end of the meal and asked us how everything was. He was particularly interested in how our server had done, we were pleased. the owner let me know that he had done some house cleaning and was working on the service which he felt had been lacking.
The food is worth trying and they have a very well thought out wine list. This is a great little restaurant and I have recommended it many time. I visit this restaurant 3 to 4 times a year and I did noticed a few new faces that night. I love this restaurant and just want to come to it defense.

First, when we got there, all three of the waitstaff were at the bar arguing with each other about the "featured cocktail of the night". After standing at the maitre de desk for quite some time they finally decided we were worthy enough to be waited on. We let the man know that we were about 15 mins early for our reservation and waiting for the other couple to arrive but would be happy to sit at the bar. He looked at us as if we had wasted his energy for the 10foot walk over to us and simply said "ok then sit at the bar" before walking off. Grrr.

After our friends arrived and we were seated it took about another 30 mins just for one of the waitstaff to take our order (two of the three kept stopping over saying it would be "just another minute" as if they didn't even know who's table it was). Finally the female told us apologetically that either dessert or a drink would be on the house. About this time the male came over and told her he would take our table to which she replied "good - I need a minute." Nice to feel loved. We placed our order and waited. And waited. And waited. Tables of people who had come in, waited at the bar, been seated and ordered AFTER we were seated had eaten, departed and the tables were reset. By the time we got our meals (with no mention of the wait much less apology) the restaurant was almost empty.

The food was average especially for the price. Dinner for the four of us was over $200.00 (and of course, our drinks had NOT been comped even though we had been told they would be). When time for dessert finally came (which I had been dreaming of all week) it was so late that no one had the umph to stick around even longer just for a taste of something sweet.

The good:
The dessert was delicious.


The bad:
The service. The night started out bad and went downhill from there. My partner and I stood by the door for what seemed like forever before the chef had to come out of the kitchen and help us. We were seated and got menus but it was honestly 20 minutes before our waiter appeared; I timed it. He brought us water and took our drink orders and then dissapeared again.

An hour later when we finally got our entrees, I was disappointed.

The verdict:
Overpriced and overrated. The food is decent but not worth the price. I will never return and suggest that others consider trying the many other gourmet options available in Des Moines before this place.

I could probably make a joke about how this restauraunt is authentic French all the way down to the rude waiter and poor service but I'll refrain.

the food was decent but the service was near terrible. In the span of an hour we managed to get our drinks but not place a food order. This may have been understandible if the place was packed or if the waiter acknowledged or wait time but no such luck. As for the food, it was OK, definitely not worth the price. we won't go back and recommend you to think twice.

Don't get me wrong the bistro has good pricey food and a nice intimate atmosphere, but don't plan on going if you have a gift certificate. My husband and I used to frequent the bistro for anniversary's, special occasions and birthdays until our last wedding anniversary. We had a nice meal and presented a $100 gift certificate to the waiter who then gave it to the "new" owner. The owner had turned it down for reasons we do not know, but what we do know is that it had ruined our anniversary so we won't be going back!

My Girlfriend and I go out to eat a lot and we try to splurge once every couple months (we're college students so this a big date). This has been our favorite restaurant ever! It was 4th of July weekend and we were the only reservation that night. We had a appetizer of pate and fresh greens atop a miniature toasted bread with a great mustard sauce. When we ate all bread our server brought more, because we still had some pate left. I wanted to try the escargot, but my girlfriend was too scared.
For our entrees I had the duck with an amazing sauce, and thinly sliced cheese potatoes formed into two little pie shaped wedges. That was amazing but when I tried my girlfriends food I wished I had gotten hers. She had the black truffle mushroom ravioli and it was some of the best food I have ever had. She left a little for me which was amazing.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, and she had the cream filled chocolate tower with fresh berries. Both were amazing! This is probably the best meal I've ever had.
While we didn't get to try the wine because we're both 20, they had a pretty good selection, but it would be nice if they had more by the glass.
The decor was chic, and a great place for a romantic date. I would definitely make a reservation because the dining room is not that large (bistro style). I hope you'll check Bistro Montage out, because I think you'll be please.

Bistro Montage is simply my favorite restaurant in the Des Moines area. (It's true that I am partial to small town, limited seating, local produce bistros...)
The intimate setting of this restaurant was amazing. Dimmed lighting, softly played music and a view into the kitchen as dinner is being prepared…
Our service was incredible.. very friendly, knowledgeable about each entree served that nite, great advice on which wine to select, and very attentive throughout the entire meal.
Being a bistro, the menu was somewhat small, but with great entrees to choose from. I had the salmon which was served on a potato cake.. wonderful! And to finish the evening.. crème brulee WITH dark chocolate covered strawberries... oh the two loves of my life.
I would recommend Bistro Montage to anyone.. without a doubt.

My husband and I love this place. It's trendy, so of course it's pricey! However, for special occasions, the atmosphere is intimate and it is on the Ingersoll crawl, which is a fun area of the city. The portions are good-sized and not too minimalist. Might be a bit too intimate for some folks - one visit found us next to a woman who liked to share her advice and opinions with her dinnermate rather loudly. Oh well. The filet was worth it.

My husband and I are big foodies but don't get a chance to go out as often as we would like.I was really excited to try Bistro Montage after reading the good reviews it got from the DSM register. So the Friday night after the article was posted my husband and I headed over...The sign on the door stated it was closed for a private party.

Sorry but closing your restaurant to the public following great press like that was a really bad idea. Not sure if we will ever try to check it out again I mean closing on a Friday night. Big thumbs down.