We were in Des Moines for just one evening and were delighted with our dining experience. Finished every bite of the innovative and beautifully presented food. Team service was attentive and the fixed price option is an incredible value. Hope to return someday!
Shawn
The Gnocchi was wonderful. My parents loved the Duroc Pork Chop and the Roasted Yukon Potatoes.
Jeanne
Delicious food and pleasant, simple atmosphere and good service. In season and delicious tight menu. Will be going back!
Carly
It was restaurant week so the menu was reduced. We (6 of us) all tried something different and each dish was delicious, portion sizes were larger than expected. All enjoyed the meal!
Joel
The service was great and the vegetable tempura and sweetcorn crème brûlée were spectacular.
Lori
We were seated at the Chef's Table, and had a wonderful experience! Not only were the food items prepared to order, watching the staff work was interesting and enhanced our interactions! Each dish as well as the cocktails, were delicious! We will be back!!
Jane
High quality dining experience. Desserts at this restaurant are impressive. Steak tartar appetizer was excellent. Highly recommend.
Brenda
We had a wonderful meal for our anniversary. I had the gnocchi and beet salad. Fabulous! My husband had beef stroganoff and said it was great. Excellent wine selection and happy hour drinks. Our server Ash was attentive and very pleasant. So was the bartender. Great service!
Jen
Our server was great. Very attentive and knowledgeable. I ordered a glass of rosé which was off, they were very quick to replace it with another glass of wine. The gnocchi was delicious. We also enjoyed the fritters
David
Great food and service. Chicken breast and salmon were perfectly cooked. Gnocchi is a signature dish and always good.
Outstanding dinner and service! Everything was was delicious. This is a great restaurant that always delivers a consistent experience.
Irene
A birthday dinner with my daughters. It's was delicious and since neither of us are big eaters, we opted to share a variety of dishes and the server was fabulous about it. The only issue for me was no Champagne or Brut by the glass. I had the Beef Stroganoff and it did not disappoint. The noodles are made fresh.
Joshua
While at Alba, my partner and I had New York strips with sides of potato pave and their diced potato option. The steaks initially had to be sent back after ordering them rare, which were received as medium/well done. We waited quite a while for the waiter to check on us to send them back. We did receive rare steaks the next round but they were nothing extra ordinary. Despite being rare, the steaks were still brownish in the middle indicating that they were not the freshest cuts. Though the steaks were underwhelming, especially for the price, the potato pave was very good. The sides did have to be ordered separately at the cost of some entrees at other restaurants though, which was off putting. I've only ever seen that at very high end steak houses, which Alba unfortunately is not. They used what seemed to be carpet samples for coasters and poured their wine under the the widest part of my glass (which may just be a nitpick as I do enjoy my alcohol, but gave me the impression of being a bit stingy). In all, the place had a nice vibe to it, but was well overpriced for what you get. I may come back to try other entrees sometime in the future, but it will not be high on my list.
Opentable Diner
I typically encounter only a handful of truly exceptional dishes each year—those I'd rate a perfect 10 out of 10. During my recent visit to Alba, I experienced two of them in a single evening. The potato pavé and the gnocchi were absolutely outstanding. The hanger steak was cooked to perfection, complemented beautifully by a rich mushroom brandy sauce that elevated the dish even further. Given the exceptional quality of the food, I was genuinely surprised by how reasonably priced everything was. While Alba isn't a budget restaurant, I've paid significantly more for meals that were nowhere near as memorable. Alba has firmly secured a spot in my top 10 restaurants of all time. If you're in town, I highly recommend making a visit—you won't be disappointed.
Denise
We actually ate in the bar - happy hour is 4-6, and they had 1/2 price glasses of wine and some pretty good 1/2 price appetizers and a $8 burger/fries special.
We were in Des Moines for just one evening and were delighted with our dining experience. Finished every bite of the innovative and beautifully presented food. Team service was attentive and the fixed price option is an incredible value. Hope to return someday!
The Gnocchi was wonderful. My parents loved the Duroc Pork Chop and the Roasted Yukon Potatoes.
Delicious food and pleasant, simple atmosphere and good service. In season and delicious tight menu. Will be going back!
It was restaurant week so the menu was reduced. We (6 of us) all tried something different and each dish was delicious, portion sizes were larger than expected. All enjoyed the meal!
The service was great and the vegetable tempura and sweetcorn crème brûlée were spectacular.
We were seated at the Chef's Table, and had a wonderful experience! Not only were the food items prepared to order, watching the staff work was interesting and enhanced our interactions! Each dish as well as the cocktails, were delicious! We will be back!!
High quality dining experience. Desserts at this restaurant are impressive. Steak tartar appetizer was excellent. Highly recommend.
We had a wonderful meal for our anniversary. I had the gnocchi and beet salad. Fabulous! My husband had beef stroganoff and said it was great. Excellent wine selection and happy hour drinks. Our server Ash was attentive and very pleasant. So was the bartender. Great service!
Our server was great. Very attentive and knowledgeable. I ordered a glass of rosé which was off, they were very quick to replace it with another glass of wine. The gnocchi was delicious. We also enjoyed the fritters
Great food and service. Chicken breast and salmon were perfectly cooked. Gnocchi is a signature dish and always good.
Restaurantji Recommends
Outstanding dinner and service! Everything was was delicious. This is a great restaurant that always delivers a consistent experience.
A birthday dinner with my daughters. It's was delicious and since neither of us are big eaters, we opted to share a variety of dishes and the server was fabulous about it. The only issue for me was no Champagne or Brut by the glass. I had the Beef Stroganoff and it did not disappoint. The noodles are made fresh.
While at Alba, my partner and I had New York strips with sides of potato pave and their diced potato option. The steaks initially had to be sent back after ordering them rare, which were received as medium/well done. We waited quite a while for the waiter to check on us to send them back. We did receive rare steaks the next round but they were nothing extra ordinary. Despite being rare, the steaks were still brownish in the middle indicating that they were not the freshest cuts. Though the steaks were underwhelming, especially for the price, the potato pave was very good. The sides did have to be ordered separately at the cost of some entrees at other restaurants though, which was off putting. I've only ever seen that at very high end steak houses, which Alba unfortunately is not. They used what seemed to be carpet samples for coasters and poured their wine under the the widest part of my glass (which may just be a nitpick as I do enjoy my alcohol, but gave me the impression of being a bit stingy). In all, the place had a nice vibe to it, but was well overpriced for what you get. I may come back to try other entrees sometime in the future, but it will not be high on my list.
I typically encounter only a handful of truly exceptional dishes each year—those I'd rate a perfect 10 out of 10. During my recent visit to Alba, I experienced two of them in a single evening. The potato pavé and the gnocchi were absolutely outstanding. The hanger steak was cooked to perfection, complemented beautifully by a rich mushroom brandy sauce that elevated the dish even further. Given the exceptional quality of the food, I was genuinely surprised by how reasonably priced everything was. While Alba isn't a budget restaurant, I've paid significantly more for meals that were nowhere near as memorable. Alba has firmly secured a spot in my top 10 restaurants of all time. If you're in town, I highly recommend making a visit—you won't be disappointed.
We actually ate in the bar - happy hour is 4-6, and they had 1/2 price glasses of wine and some pretty good 1/2 price appetizers and a $8 burger/fries special.
Loading...