New American Restaurants in Des Moines, IA

“I can honestly say I did not expect a restaurant of this caliber in Des Moines but it was AMAZING!!!!

I’m mad at myself that I forgot my servers name, but he was amazing!! Every single dish was incredible, the wine selections were perfect, and I couldn’t pass on the banana split!

Money was spent, but it was worth every dime!“

“We had our wedding dinner tonight at Harbinger. Low-key, just the two of us. We were treated with such kindness and respect from everyone, including the chef who made concessions to his tasting menu for my wife’s sugar issues. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. We visit Harbinger we are blown away by the quality of our dining experience.“

“I wish I would have taken more photos but the food was so good our family couldn’t think to take photos. My mom wanted to eat at HoQ Resturant for her 40th wedding anniversary and wanted the whole family with them to celebrate. Little back story my mom sells vegetables to the owner that he uses in his dishes. 90% or more of the ingredients are locally sourced in Iowa. Farm to table concept. We started withh naan bread the brought out and a little bit of I think pasta with beets. What ever it was it was goos. Then we ordered several different appetizers. Burnt carrots, Hummus and some kind of bread, chicken skewers, and pierogies. For meal we got different things. Several had the bison burger and fries, 2 had the 5 oz steak with risotto. Mom and I had the Mediterranean bowl with falafel add tandoori chicken. That is the only thing I got a photo of of course after I started to eat. The accommodated our little girls with grilled cheese and fries and a side of chicken. Finished off our meal with. Cake my sister made ( our grandma’s recipe) Minnesota chocolate cake with fudge icing. And the restaurant brought out several scoops of vanilla ice cream with shortbread cookies. All the food was so good everyone at the table was quiet including my dad. If you know my dad you know that is not a common thing for him not to be taking and eating. I have posted a photo of my food and a photo of my parents with their cake. And yes my mom is wearing her original wedding dress she wore 40 years ago when she married my dad. Thank you again HoQ for the amazing dining experience and for letting us have a private room to celebrate our parents!“

“The bison dinner was a work of art! This was my first time having bison and I would definitely come back for the dinner again! And their specialty drinks have great names with amazing flavor…. Staff was phenomenal and I really can’t say enough great things… Definitely a must to eat here!“

“Such a cool vibe! Amazing food and service— will definitely go back again! 😊“

“Chicago Speakeasy is a Des Moines mainstay. Noted for their great salad bar and prime rib. I don't eat prime rib so I can't attest to that. The only thing I can say is the last two times I have gone, what i ordered has been disappointing. I think it is hit or miss on some items.“

“Everything was phenomenal from beginning to end! The waitstaff was attentive but not overbearing, and our waiter in particular was so friendly and recommended the crab stuffed walleye, which was to die for! The environment was classy and intimate, yet casual enough that it felt comfortable and warm. The best part of the meal was the appetizer- the seared ahi tuna is too good for words, just trust me on this and order it! This was a great place to visit for my birthday dinner, and we definitely plan on being back.“

“Brownie says: I don't ever feel out of place here. The bar owner ( Jeff ) and his entire staff are the best...“

“My go to for comfort food which is mostly this sausage sandwich, I’m 100% Italian and have consumed almost every sausage sandwich in Des Moines, this one is the best to me… because it’s different! Will love you always and forever!“

“GIVE FRANCIS A RAISE!!!!!“

“So we saw that Dave Portnoy had posted a review of CentroDSM. Couldn’t believe we had not tried it yet as we are always looking for good pizza and we only live 5 minutes away. Well we ordered online and it said it would be ready at 8pm tonight. I got there at 8pm. Got home and I could already tell on the car ride home the pizza was cold. Now the flavor was all the way there. But the pizza was cold and chewy. This is disappointing as I’m sure if it was hot it would not be so chewy. They need to give accurate times so the pizza is still hot. I have also messaged them with no response.“

“We took the whole family here for thanksgiving dinner. Amazing friendly courteous staff and authentic food!“

“Good food, always fresh in my experiences with eating here. Doesn't cost a lot, and if you go away hungry from their buffet, it's your own fault. Would recommend to anyone. Also I've never been grossed out by the bathroom. That's a big bonus for me. After using the restroom I like coming out feeling relieved and clean not ready to shower as soon as I get home...cause eewwwww.... So thank you for keeping up on your restroom as well as the face appearance of your restaurant.“

“Just had our first experience with Ted’s and I messed up my order but they were so nice and accommodating, they fixed it for me even though it was definitely my fault! Food was delicious, way more than we could finish! Great experience! We will definitely be back!“

“10/10. This place nailed it. Had the double smash burger upgraded the fries. The burger was everything you'd ever want from a burger. Way better than Zombie burger and for me a step above Lucilles. The atmosphere reminds me of a quiet cafe off of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Just a quiet laid back no hurry vibe. Will definitely be returning.“

“Great shareables, margaritas, and attentive, engaging staff, with great game day VIBE and screens!“

“Rooms were a bit on the small size. There was not enough closet space or dressers for clothes. We only had three in the room and we had to use our suite cases to keep our clothes in. The beds were comfortable. Service on the concierge level was outstanding. The banquet meals were over priced and not worth the money we paid for them.“

“They used to have bands here but now I think they're embracing the neighborhood bar persona. I really think it's the best non Irish bar pints of Guinness in Des Moines. Food is always good there. seems to be an older crowd there usually. Also i once had a gin martini there that was out of this world!“

“This is one of the best happy hours that I’ve been to - I highly recommend it!“