Wilson's Orchard & Farm (Des Moines)

Strawberry picking was a great experience 🍓. I really love how they make their own products like jelly and seltzers. The shop had a bit of everything, purses, kitchen items, flowers, plants, clothes…The food was great. The server was awesome. Easy parking. Fair price. Definitely going back there before leaving Iowa ☺️

Amazing food! The play area is fun for small and big kids alike, and the gift shop has something for everyone. Not to mention the ciders from Wilson’s are solid, delicious choices with enough variety to suit everyone!

Biked here from Des Moines on the great western trail and it was well worth it! The potato salad was unique and the best I’ve had. Sandwich four was amazing. Tons of high quality mortadella (Anthony Bourdain’s fave) and capicola with a little zip and sweetness to balance it out. Also had the honey crisp cider which was delicious and I believe the apple this farm got famous for back in the day. The pizza was solid too. New place, it’s very nice inside and out. Highly recommend. If you bike, there is a new sidewalk of the trail on the south side of cumming ave and once you get to the intersection at the Casey’s you will have to hike a short bit on gravel to get to the entrance where they have a bike rack. Catch the native wildflowers in bloom on your way while you can!

Getting there! Wilsons opened a couple years ago and has been slowly building it's presence and evolving. Great location that feels removed for being right outside town and off the highway. Food quality and flavor always impresses me and the ciders are top three of everywhere I've been. Pizza is awesome. The shop is stellar. There are a several key areas of improvement they'll have to work on for a 5 star rating. Paved road into the parking lot would be nice along with a concrete parking lot eventually. Better guidance/flow into the Cidery and a more comfortable and confident flow of events that makes visiting more of an experience. Often when I go there I feel like I'm just wandering the shop and the grounds without any sense of structure. I only randomly stumbled upon the nature trail and its hard to tell what's actually going on. There are fields that have various crops you can pick depending on the time of year. Then there's the new children's play area. Needs a couple big fans and some better protective equipment like rubber mulch vs. corn and hay. The big slide is much slower than expected and the end goes right into a bail of hay and a fence. The dining experience is also mediocre because the staff always seems flustered and the A/C units drip condensate right onto the tables on hot days. The menu needs a few more options (especially allergen friendly like simply the addition of a gluten free bun/bread) and the staff should know more about their ciders and have a better story to tell. Long review over but tl;dr is please give this place a shot so they get the money and experience to make it worth visiting for out of towners ans regulars alike.

Beautiful setting with so much to do & so much going on! Special events, seasonal picking of strawberries, apples, etc, a great little restaurant with indoor & outdoor seating and an amazing gift shop with fresh produce and plenty of other cute, entertaining & useful items!

Great spot for dinner just south of Des Moines! We had the crab cakes and the Italian pizza—both were absolutely delicious. The cider beer flights were a fun bonus and paired perfectly with our meal. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!

Omggggg where do I begin? Booths were (ALL) RESERVED! ONLY PATIO EATING WAS EXTREMELY TOO HOT 😠 NOT TO MENTION WE WERE NEVER OFERED A DRINK MENU, ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T DRINK AND LEFT. FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMONADE WAS COMPLETELY OUT 🙄 ONLY THING AVAILABLE WAS ORANGE JUICE, TEA, WATER ETC....... MENU DID NOT HAVE MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT IN MY BOOK. AND OVER PRICED FOR LITTLE SMALL ITEMS, EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE IT'S FOR KIDS EXCEPT THE WINES. THEY HAD STRAWBERRY PICKING, BUT BLEHH LAME TOO....

Came here specifically for the U-Pick-Flowers. It's getting towards the end of the season now so the dahlias were the best option. We got a few non-alcoholic ciders to sip on while we cut some stems. The pumpkin one is surprisingly good! We've had the alcoholic ones before and they're also pretty good. The two of us enjoyed roaming around the grounds. The farm shop was pretty nice and things seem fairly priced. Will definitely have to try the restaurant next time. I've heard great things!

What a fun place to be with a market and a restaurant on the orchard! It's definitely a place of be with the family. Ciderhouse Restaurant: Service: quick and accommodating. We wanted a patio seat since we had Cookie there with us. And they went to make sure that we got a seat outside with Cookie and brought her a dog bowl with water. Ambiance: great 1st date place and family place to be. Food: we got the Korean Chicken Sandwich, the Asian burger, and their homemade sour dough bread with seasonal butter. All was phenomenal. The Asian burger was cooked perfectly with a good tang from the slaw. The Korean chicken sandwich was crispy and tender juicy meat. It was perfectly spiced where it wasn't too spicy and had a bit sweetness. Both main dishes came with homemade potato crisps. They were crunchy and lightly salted. The sourdough bread slice appetizers was fantastic it was crispy crust and soft chewy inside. The butter was an Asian BBQ butter which was phenomenally seasoned and tasted like the sauce you would get from Peking duck. The apple hand pie was soft, tender, cinnamony and the pistachios gave it a good crunch and nutty flavor. The cream on bottoms was heavy and thick so it wasn't our favorite but still good. Highly recommend to go and have a good time on the orchard and eat at the restaurant.

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4* Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $20 06/12/2024 We were drawn by the opportunity to pick our own strawberries, given how disappointing the flavor of most purchased in the store are - and not only did we love the strawberries, the meatballs and strawberry sundae were also delicious! While we did have plans for dinner at another restaurant, we stopped in at the cider house to sample what they had and then also enjoyed an appetizer as well as topping it off with an early dessert! We started with a Cider Flight (see pictue) to sample several of their ciders and while neither my wife nor myself are big cider fans, we enjoyed several of them. For an appetizer, we had the House Meatballs (see picture) and while they seemed a bit on the salty side, we LOVED them. Lastly, and even though we were stopping elsewhere for dinner next, I couldn't resist the opportunity to sample a strawberry sundae (see picture). While our trunk was loaded with strawberries to last us for months and we ate our fair share while picking them...the combination with soft serve ice cream was still delicious! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

Love this option in the neighborhood. I've been several times now and service is excellent. I still need to try the pizza but the fries are delicious. The chicken skewers and hummus are good options also. I stick to the ciders and beers as I was not a fan of my martini the one time I tried a cocktail. The view is gorgeous. They are much more than just food. It's a good place to visit for the entire family.

I was glad to check out this place. The building is very nice and the patio looks lovely, though it was too hot on our visit. Our food was all mediocre. Not bad but nothing special. The cider was also just ok. Service was mostly fine but seems like they are still working some kinks out.

Had a great, wholesome time on the farm with some friends! Unfortunately because it was the end of the apple picking season we weren't able to pick any that day. If you plan to go, it seems they offer reservations ahead of time! We had a nice little ride around that included a little apple sampling, apple picking, and pumpkin picking. Our tour guide was super friendly, knowledgeable, and generous. He definitely made our trip special! Afterwards, we went to the little market, which is full of farm to table goods. We didn't check out the restaurant this time, but it seems like it was popular! Looking forward to coming back next time and seeing how this place grows!

Hang with me here because the place has only been open a week a day. Did I enjoy my time? Yes! Are there things to tweak still? Yes. Ciderhouse - Cider Pizza Dessert (Apple turnover with ice cream) Decor (loved the eclectic collection of china and silver silverware) The marketplace on the other half of the building was awesome. There were so many fun things to look at. And you can buy four-packs of the delicious cider. Bathrooms - Neither the men's or women's bathroom had a changing table yet. When I asked if there was a family restroom or changing table anywhere, I was told no and snapped at that they've only been open a week and it still needed installed. I'm sure the snappiness was from the hundreds of families bringing their toddlers and babies and asking (I counted 7 babies and a toddler in the hour a half we were there). Wilson's if you're reading this, please put one in both the men's and the women's restrooms. Flowers - It was kinda an Instagram trap. $5 each to walk out there on a gravel trail. And another $18 to cut a dozen flowers. Did I get lovely flowers? Yes! Did I get lovely photos? Yes! Did I wind up paying $38 for a dozen tulips I picked myself? Yes. Wilson's, if you're reading this, perhaps you only pay to go out there if you aren't picking flowers and only want photos? If you are picking flowers, perhaps you only pay the $18? It'll be interesting to see how the orchard progresses!

This was a good place to visit. The pizza was good and I'll be back for that. They were out of some of their beer and cider selections. Service was prompted and friendly.

We went here for lunch and flower picking today. Our first time here. Sat outside at lunch, beautiful view. Lots of brunch and lunch options on Sunday. Food and service were great. We had so much fun picking our wildflower bouquets after lunch. I would definitely go back.

Nice atmosphere. Great outdoor patio to enjoy on nice days. Food was good. Pizza just ok. Cider is really good. Will be back.

We were super excited to try the restaurant but after leaving we were left wonder why. We ordered the sourdough bread appetizer but found out it was sold out. So we ordered the house dip and chips. They brought out the totally wrong thing. So they took it back and brought what we ordered. Then we ordered our pizzas I added arugula to my pizza but it was a three inch salad they put on top of my pizza. You could not even find the pizza. My partner had a pizza that he liked well enough it was called the Lorena. We finished this experience with the angel food cake dessert. Oh we did do two flights of the cider too and we did not love any of them. All in all it was underwhelming and over priced. It felt excessive to walk out with a bill over $100 for lunch.

This was my second time to visit for dinner. Sitting on the patio and having pepperoni pizza for the first time was very enjoyable. I visited again last night, with my husband and another couple, on a Friday night. We got there, at 5 pm hoping to beat the crowd. It was a beautiful evening, so wanted to sit on the lovely patio. We did not have reservations, so we were told we could not be on the patio because all tables were reserved, although there were 13 open tables, so we were placed inside by a window. I ordered a Smash burger, the flavor was good, but nothing special. The hamburger patty was no bigger than a McDonalds hamburger patty, with a large bun and their signature chips. I was disappointed in the portion size for the price of $15. Sitting inside, it was VERY loud. Music was playing and the entire inside was concrete floors and wood tables, there was nothing to absorb the sound. After our meal, we stepped out on the patio to take in the view. It was very quiet and relaxing and we noticed there were 9 tables still open. Will I go back yes, if on a nice evening and I make reservations. I have no desire to sit inside again.

The scene: One female and two males sitting at the bar. Two of them received their orders, the third one is still waiting. No big deal. They are talking and watching the slide show on the tv screen above the bar. Eventually one of the males requests an update on the missing drink. They apologize and give them the glass of cider has been sitting on the side . No big deal, it's all good. Sitting at the bar creates the opportunity to interact with the staff. The party whose drink has not yet been delivered notices one of the staff pouring an Exile Ruthie into a glass. The party sitting at the bar then jokingly asks if the Ruthie was going to be delivered to the table in the traditional manner. It appeared obvious the staff member had no idea what he meant and mumbled "Yes, sir" with an irritated expression at which point one of the bartenders said "Wrong answer", laughed, and walked off. Now... about us! We were then seated outside and ordered our food. 20 minutes later, a male staff member from the bar area, approached our table and informed us that he could not allow the sexual harassment of one of his employees. When we questioned what he meant, he indicated that his employee was very upset and that he would not stand for it. Now imagine the scenario: sitting at the table and expecting the fourth party and getting yelled at by the bartender.... Should I stay or should I go?!? We had to stay and wait for the fourth party since she was traveling from away to join to us. After all, I just couldn't pay my bill and leave as if nothing happened. ... went to the bar area to the person came to our table and told him "earlier, you came to our table and 'showed us' the way and now I want to express my feelings. I told him that I was with that guy who made the joke about Ruthie. He wasn't someone hanging around by himself looking for trouble. He was with us at the bar area. And whoever serves Ruthie, should have known the Ruthie culture. He got angry with me, interrupted while I was talking and acted annoyed. Kept repeating " I will not allow... blah blah and thank you for coming ". I said I will not be back here just because of this attitude, but I understand you wouldn't care". His reaction was "Yes, you're right, I don't care if you come back". While I don't believe a restaurant's employees should have to put up with inappropriate customers...I also expect them to be able to interact with customers and know a little something about the products they are serving. In addition, it is my belief the person who came to our table could have handled the situation much more tactfully. The only redeeming part of our experience was our server Ashley, who was simply wonderful. After all there is an abundance of restaurants in this area. Please convince me that I should go back there...

Great atmosphere and service. They offer unique tastes that are fun to try. I've been a few times already and I have to say each time they get better. So happy to have a non-chain that is willing to be a little different! Well done!

Had a wonderful night here! I came with a party of 8 and the service was amazing. Very attentive and friendly staff. The space is beautiful and the food was delicious (not to mention the cider flights!! So fun). We got the Brussels, Cajun fries, and pizzas. The Brussels were perfectly cooked and had a nice sweetness to them. The pizzas were wood fired with fresh ingredients. My only suggestion is a current lack of customizations to the pizza orders. Overall a great night. Will come again!

The cider is really good. However, we've been here before and never had an issue with finding a seat with a great view. Tonight, they had a party of 30 on the front porch outside. Our only option was a small table behind a wooden wall. No view except of the kitchen and staff scrambling to make food. They told one family that the wait for a table was over 3 hours. I had no idea places still do reservations. There were multiple tables without people at them outside the whole hour we were there. We intended on ordering food, but decided to not spend the money and go somewhere else. It's a decent drive from the city, too. It's beginning to feel unauthentic and more catered to wealthy guests.

This is a beautiful place and a great outdoor seating environment ruined by a terribly rude waiter "Jose". Food was decent, but from 1:45-2:15 the kitchen was closed, doesn't make much sense. We sat down at 2:18 and tried to place an order only for our waiter to let us know that we cannot order because the kitchen will take too long, and we cannot add chicken onto a salad, which could potentially increase their revenue, but not allowed, and then walk away in the middle of us ordering. Very odd experience. Very odd waiter.

The employees were amazing, super nice and very quick. The restaurant was very well lit and the food is amazing. The Apple Orchard is very well thought out and nice, as well as the raspberries and blueberries.

Service was great. View outside was lovely. Our group enjoyed the caramel apple and honeycrisp ciders but found the peach unremarkable. Food was meh. Salads were very generous, but the Mediterranean was overdressed with 2 cherry tomatoes and 4-5 cucumber slices, fine for a side salad but weak for the size of this option. Baba and Peruvian BBQ chicken pizzas were good, but expect the BBQ sauce to be very sweet- fine if that's your preference, but cloying if you're expecting something lighter and with more kick. Meatballs were flavorless and bland. Would try again, but order something different and keep expectations lower.

Outstanding food! We had the burrata salad, pepperoni pizza, kids grilled cheese + fries & sour dough of the day. Carb overload - but delicious! All waitstaff we encountered were great. Great Iowa atmosphere. Also, the gift shop is AWESOME - much more than I could've expected.