Desi's Downtown Restaurant in Crestview - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Love the southern food. Great taste with dont want to miss items. Clean, friendly atmosphere, don't miss out. This place is a must on my list.

It doesn't get any better home cooked than that.

The buffet was great. I had the pork tips over rice, green beans, catfish, hushpuppy and tea. Waitresses are very attentive and kind.

Food was absolutely amazing. Tasted like grandma's cooking.

Great for lunch, so so for dinner. Would still go there, especially for the service and their catfish.

Amazing down home country food. Friendly staff

Maybe I went on an off day! I'm seeing these reviews and think that I ate at a completely different restaurant. First of all, I was taken aback by the giant Trump Triump sign on the door. That, Fox news on the TV, and the new U.S and Israeli flags on the wall, shows me that they only intend to cater to a certain segment of people. Or be glad to accept anyone's money, while disrespecting them in their face.. So with that, they don't share my business sense or my openness to all people, so I won't go back. However, back to the food. The servers were friendly, the food was less than average. From the extreme salt taste and the blandness, most is obviously from cans. The mac n cheese was creamy but salty and short on cheese flavor. The catfish and mullet wete both decent tasting. The seafood pasta was salty, but ok. The gumbo, after constantly picking out the bark pieces from the okra, was ok. That's a canned thing, if you don't know. Take it from a Louisiana boy. The rutabagas and sweet tea were both really good. Very overpriced for the quality and selection.

Desi’s is that small home town restaurant that everyone loves. The food is served buffet style with different main dish options depending on the day. Fried chicken everyday and Fried Fish Fridays. Pros: -The main dishes are excellent. -Service is quick and they are always smiling. -You get that small hometown feel. Cons: -Some of the sides can seem a little cafeteria like. -As with most restaurants these days .. prices are up. Highlight: The bread pudding is to absolutely die for !!! We give Desi’s a GUILTY verdict for a must try.

If you’re wanting country cooking your grandma’s, this is your place!

LOVE this restaurant! it's a bit of a drive from where I live but every time I'm within 30 minutes of Crestview I go to enjoy the good food.

This was our first time to Desi's but it definitely won't be our last. The food was outstanding 😋. We were pleasantly surprised by the variety of meat's and veggies. Everything was seasoned perfectly. The staff was very friendly and the restaurant was clean. We will definitely be back and encourage others to try our new favorite restaurant.

Such great food. We were in town briefly for a meeting and the food and experience did not disappoint. Southern cooking at its best.

I don't like Chinese catfish or other imported so called catfish. The greens were good, the grits were as well.

18 dollars is expensive for Pangasius Fish, and calling it catfish. I asked the server about the fish and was informed it is not from America. I would ban this place until they serve American fish - and trash the heavy metal landed fish from China - shame on you for poisoning locals for a profit. China is country I do not trust - oh it's from Vietnam... eat away....

Excellent country cooking. Our favorite place to eat in Crestview, Fl.

What can I say about Desi's ? Nothing but wonderful, awesome, heck yeah. It's a must stop and eat kind of place where you are happy you did. Try it if you haven't. And you go back if you have.

down home southern cooking at it's finest

Best place to eat in Crestview Florida by far!

Very good. I really enjoyed eating here. The food is good. The staff very nice. Thank you to my waitress Cathy.

Excellent family owner restaurant. 👏

First time here. Cafeteria style. Good food and lots of it. It gets pretty busy. I recommend you give them a try.

Great family buffett style restaurant.

I've driven down Main Street for years and didn't know Desi's was there till today when a group of people came out at once while I drove by. Desi's closes after lunch and open for dinner on Fridays only. I didn't want to cook dinner after an hour drive home, so I at dinner at Desi's. The crowd I could tell were all locals, friendly calling out each other by name. Line up and get your plates served with the country style meats and vegetables. Fish Friday, there was breaded fried mullet and catfish. Not a fried fish eater, so I enjoyed double servings of the ribs, and shrimp pasta (not those mini shrimp, but the good size ones you can sink your teeth into. Selection of vegetables can satisfy the pickiest eater. The desert bar was too tempting, so I did enjoy the apple crisps. Enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and saw the American flag proudly displayed. Next to it is the Israeli flag. Thank you, that meant much to me. Not too far North of 1-10 for those traveling and want a break from the chain restaurants. This is Southern cooking.

Awesome food get fried chicken.

A buffet style restaurant open only 11 to 1. Great home cooking here.

I really enjoyed my visit here. Friendly, helpful staff and great food. I like that the buffet isn't self serve, seems more hygienic this way.

Down home buffet. Good food plus home made desserts. Locals hang out is the best review a place can get. Btw, I don't live here.

I can see why people like coming here. It’s a good atmosphere, and cozy. However, the decor needs a bit of an update. The lights make everyone look exhausted, and the floors are very sticky (even the carpet?). You can tell the chefs are putting their soul into the food, but please check the cans of their veggies. Some of the vegetables tasted expired/sour. Overall, it’s nice in there

I Love Desi's Fried chicken and fried bread❣️

The food here is amazing and the service is great! Best fried chicken in the area! Southern style food at its best! Absolutely love this place, bring your friends and your appetite!

The best fried chicken and banana pudding in the panhandle.

Food is great, that not the problem. Problem being a lunch costing over $20 with tip is way too expensive for my taste. Wondered why crowd was much smaller the what it used to be. Now I know

Love it! My favorite home cooking place on the FL panhandle

Always a favorite for lunch during the week. Must have diner in Crestview!

Great food, great customer service. If you are looking for a country style atmosphere, this is the place. Reasonably priced buffet.

So love this place one of the best places I've eaten since I've been to Crestview I'm doing some EV Chargers and I've eaten here almost 3 or 4 times already it's absolutely delish I must try family orientated food is to die for you have never had banana pudding and bread pudding like this in your life

Desi's in downtown Crestview is "cafeteria-style" dining with plenty of positive features and very few negatives. The first positive? The place is "all-you-can-eat" with a great variety of items to choose from. One negative might be that they're closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday and the open days are for lunch only hours (11 -1:30) except that they do have a dinner buffet from 530 to 8 pm on Fridays. Another positive is that the food was super fresh, hot enough to make you wait for it to cool off a bit plus the taste and quality is spot on. When I visited for lunch they were serving fried chicken, baked spaghetti and meatloaf as part of their "mains". Each was delicious. The several side dishes available were standard country-cooking fare but certainly elevated in quality and taste. These included rutabagas, stewed cabbage, cheesy broccoli, baked beans, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, macaroni and cheese (super cheesy), rolls, and cornbread hoecakes. (This is not a complete list, so your results may vary...) Another negative is parking... with on-street and behind-the-building parking available it's limited due to the fact that Desi's is always busy (be patient as there can be a line, but it moves quickly - a positive!) and it shares downtown with several other businesses. Don't forget that dessert area, which is serve-yourself simple and is included with your meal. The bread pudding was great and the several dessert dishes appeared to be made in-house. The service was great, both in the dining room and on the serving line. They post their offerings daily on their Facebook page so you can see ahead of time what's on the rotating menu. The menu includes family recipes that look and taste great, so be sure to watch for your favorite dishes. The price is reasonable (based on quality and what's included (your drink too!) for $16.99 + tax. (Edit on 9/12/2023... as with everything nowadays, the price at Desi's has increased recently to $18.99 + tax. Still a good deal but be advised...)

Amazing! Like going to granny's!😋

Great place good home cooked food everyone is friendly and helpful. Epitome of southern cooking

Food atmosphere and staff are all great.

Food wasn't as good as expected. It did not live up to the hype! Over priced. Server never refilled our drinks. Not busy at all. Limited hours.

Nice Buffet style country food pleasurable people

Southern Country Cooking, and atmosphere at it's Best

Down home good place to go eat lunch reminds me of the good Ole days out in the country in Mississippi and my mama Jane good cooking

Good home cooking for a reasonable price! The chicken and dumplings on Wednesday is my favorite! The place gets busy fast! The ladies there are all very friendly!

They have a lunch buffet that is over 17 dollars. They advertise home cooking. It's definitely not the food I grew up with. It is Crestview, Florida. I'm guessing that's their best. The fried chicken was dry and tough. The creamed corn was not seasoned, as well as the cabbage. The devils food cake was dry. I didn't like the banana pudding or their cobblers.

Food is old fashion like my grandmother would make. And grew up with. Very good and filling

Stopped by after recommendations from done HOG members. So glad we did.

I plan my trips to the area around Desi's.

The staff was so kind and thoughtful! I love it. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!! JESUS LOVES YOU ❤️

First time here. Food was excellent. Plenty of tables so no waiting.

This is a buffet, Didnt know that going in. The food was ok, home cooked feel like you accidentally crashed your neighbors chicken dinner night, price was a bit high for what it was, almost $20/person by the end. a small salad bar, about 12 options on the buffet of different versions of chicken and butter boiled veggies. once through the buffet with half filled plates was all we got out of it. Staff was very welcoming and friendly. It was worth going into for a main street diner, but i dont think we would choose to go back next time we are in town.

Desi’s restaurant is one of the last remaining treasures of Americana. Try it.

I've eaten at this place since they've been on the scene. But the last time I was there, what I didn't know was that the lunch buffet was $16 per person. In what world is that ok? It's the same food that has always been. I am aware of inflation, but that is overkill. Our server was Ms. Cathy, she was a wonderful person and a terrific server. The time before this myself, my husband and our 7 yr old daughter ate there, and our daughter is very picky, so we got her something to eat and brought it in while we ate the buffet. Well, my husband ended up getting a piece of carrot cake from the dessert bar and ate most of it and gave the last bite or two left to our daughter. The owner Desi comes to the table saying how my daughter had just beautiful hair and whatnot. It seemed nice enough but was random and weird. Come to find out, she only did that to get a closer look at my daughter eating those last 2 bites of that dessert. When we got up to pay, we were charged for a whole dessert for those two bites. I just wished we'd gotten her a full dessert since we paid for one. We do not mind paying for anything, but it was literally one adult bite and two small bites for a child her size that my husband was throwing away because of being so full. And the sneaky way she went about it was rather disturbing. Super Christian ✝️. Get that 💰!!!

Good buffet but would have liked a little more variety of entrees. Deserts and salad bar were very good.

Really good Fried Catfish Fridays! LOVE their rutabegas. Catfish, Lima beans, and fried chicken were excellent. Always very busy. All you can eat buffet including a drink per person. Not too bad, wish they had more and better parking. We went about 10 minutes after they opened and didn't have a long line. After the first 10 minutes you will have a line to stand in. Cute old timey diner feel. Hustle and bustle noises, good place to eat but not for a quiet business lunch. Wednesday is usually fried chicken day, theirs is the best in town!

In quickly with food and drinks in joining good food with great server in clean restaurant. What more can you ask for.

All you can eat diner food. Simple selection but all good and all filling. Exceptional bread pudding. Building is a bit run down but it's clearly been standing for a long time. It is clean. It's an all you can eat self serve diner so service isn't much but doesn't need to be much. They clear your table pretty quickly and drinks stay full.

Let me just say.....Mmmmmm! I had the fried porkchop, turnip greens and mashed potatoes and gravy. Now about that desert, Fabulous!

Customer Service Was Great! Catfish was really good all you can eat on Friday. Would definitely recommend and we will go again when we are in town.

Yummy southern, homestyle cooking! Never disappointed!!

My family and I will definitely be returning here! The food and the people were outstanding!

Best place to eat in Crestview Fl . Buffet stays fresh and they don’t run out of things, The waitresses were on top of it.

It's good southern food but not a good buffet. You wait in a long, long line to tell others what to put on your plate. This is not a buffet. Makes it hard to get the portions you want or the food you want. Only got one plate as I wasn't going to wait in line again. Too expensive in comparison to other good southern restaurants. KFC has pretty much the same food and quality.

Good fried chicken. Veggies were good too.

This is a great place to eat all you want and the rice pudding is the best

The food is always great, served cafe style by friendly staff.

Great down home Southern cooking! My only problem is I ate too much!

If you're in the mood for good Ole home cookin then is is your place. If you leave here hungry that is your fault. There isn't one item on the bar that isn't delicious. Let's not forget the dessert bar! The staff here are so friendly it almost makes it feel like your part of the family. So bring your appetite and come enjoy yourself.

Catfish was best ever! Wished they had a few more kid friendly options.

We love the buffet! Piping hot, feel good, down home food! Come for lunch or dinner. And don't forget to sample the desert bar.

All you can eat for lunch and good price!

It was amazing the food was great the workers were great and it looked clean and nice and it's cheap

Wonderful food! The bread pudding was amazing!

The food is AWESOME here. Though my only complaint is the hush puppies ( best hush puppies ever!!!!! )are only available on Fridays and I was looking forward to them yesterday on a Thursday. My waitress was Madison and she was great. Overall anytime I'm in Crestview I stop there to eat.

Ist time in downtown Crestview. Found by accident. Not disappointed at all. Now I'm a bigger person, literally. Lol.

Nice place to eat with friends. I've been there 3 times so far.

Really good but I feel like it has just started to go downhill. Maybe I'm crazy idk. It's ok.

Never disappoints. Always finish with the banana pudding.

Great place to eat Great service

Always a changing menu of home cooked favorites. Never a bad time to go. Everything is always fresh.

Love the fried mullet on Friday.

Delicious, great selection, and great prices. If you leave here hungry, that's your fault, there's something for everyone!

The price is a bit steep 18.00 dollars for maybe 10 selections of food to choose from the catfish was the only good thing to eat besides the apple crisp. Everything else was mediocre at best pretty bland and the lasagna was like cafeteria lasagna with no cheese off any kind. The veggies were overcooked and bland no seasoning. The salad bar if you'd call it that was nothing but lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers was ok. The atmosphere was loud and busy. The music man was good to listen to. Overall for my first time there with my wife it was nothing special and mediocre at best. We came we ate and won't be back. Maybe if they'd lower the price to like maybe 10.00 that would be worth it for the food they serve. Wish I could've had a better experience but not one to write home about. Save your money if you have taste buds.

Minimal food selections for the price you pay. Overall the food was good. My favorite was the catfish and the apple crisp. The atmosphere was inviting in social enjoyed the music and the waitresses people that work there were great at customer service.

Good home cooked style food. All you can eat buffet. The fried pork chops are great.

Country Buffet with all the fixings

Good food, good customer service. Busy on a Friday night. Staff fill your plates based on your preferences at the serving line. $18 each.

Best southern hometown buffet. Never disappoints.

I love this place, this is down home southern cooking at its finest!!! Yall...this food is phenomenal.

This was a pleasant delight and new discovery in Crestview. Loved the layout, the friendly faces and helpful people, along with the very tasty food are outstanding!

Interesting dinner experience. It’s obviously a very popular place. Over 50 people were waiting outside for them to open. I really liked that they served you rather than worrying about nasty hands touching all the food. Ribs were okay but mostly overcooked. Has was sweet and well glazed. Mac and cheese was a bit over cooked. Creamed corn was yummy. Overall good but definitely a local delight.

This place used to be real good always fresh food and plenty to eat. Veggies are cooked to mush and almost everything is way too salty

Always eat more than my fill. You always want just a bit more, it's all so good!! Bread pudding anyone ;) !!!

This place is a local Icon that has been here for years. The food is decent and appropriately priced.

Great home style cooking, good selection and plenty to eat. Go get some now!

The service was excellent and the food was even better.

Excellent Southern down home food. Nice people. You won’t be disappointed

Great place to eat in downtown Crestview. Always good food and staff are always great.

Friday night meal was awful and surprise it was so bad, the grits and beans were good, chicken tough as cowhide However, the dining room staff were super nice