New American Restaurants in Des Moines, IA

“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.“

“We celebrated my father's 90th birthday at The Oak with a party of nine, and the entire evening was absolutely unforgettable.

From the moment we arrived, Katie took incredible care of us. She was warm, professional, organized, and managed every detail flawlessly. Her service made such a special occasion feel effortless, allowing our family to simply enjoy being together.

The food was exceptional. The potato gnocchi was outstanding, the filets were cooked to perfection, the salmon was tender and flavorful, the pork chops were juicy, and the duck was absolutely delicious. Every single dish that came to the table was beautifully prepared and exceeded our expectations. The drinks were loved by all.

A special touch was the gentleman who walked us through the tea selection with such knowledge and enthusiasm—it made the experience feel even more thoughtful and refined.

Then came the birthday cake, and it was the perfect ending to a spectacular meal. The portion was just right after such a wonderful dinner, and the flavor was incredible. It had the perfect balance of sweetness with a depth and elegance that's hard to describe—you simply have to experience it for yourself.

Thank you to everyone at The Oak for making my father's 90th birthday so memorable. You gave our family an evening we'll never forget, and we can't wait to come back.“

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

“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!“

“We went here probably 4 weeks ago and I have made this my baseline of what is good in Des Moines. For the quality and food, this restaurant has remained the top value and experience we have had in Des Moines recently.

Would Reccomend to a friend (and have)!“

“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.“

“Awesome service and awesome food 😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋“

“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!“

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

“First timer! Food was amazing 🤩 definitely try the onion rings with Kelly’s Mayo! Will be back“

“❤️ New China has a variety of dishes all very delicious. Have never had a bad meal.“

“I went through the drive in and was greeted by a friendly young girl who took my order. She came back with my order within a few minutes. The order was correct and I was on my way. I had the Chicago dog w/no tomatoes. The food was wonderful, and I considered it to be a real bargain. Oh yeah, I'm coming back.“

“The Continental was an unexpected stop for us today. (We were searching for Waldo at local businesses around the East Village. A little something fun for the month of July; pick up your sheet for stamps/stickers/signatures at the stores participating and enjoy shopping, dining and just wandering the East Village.) We happened to see the board advertising today's specials and decided to give it a go. Oh my gosh! I'm so glad we did!

My son and I shared the tilapia tacos. My husband had the chicken tacos. My daughter ordered the nachos, chorizo on the side and I got a side salad to share with my hubby. We all took at least one bite of each other's orders.

The nachos were delicious with the meat. Our picky eater, daughter, didn't care for them just chips and cheese. (Remember, she's picky.) My son and I preferred the tilapia tacos to the chicken, but hubby, not a fan of fish, preferred the chicken tacos. The side salad was fresh and the house vinaigrette was SO good!

If you get the chance to stop by, you definitely should!“

“We were in town for swimming at the YMCA it was a great place for the adults to hangout after a day at the pool.

Emily, Rebecca and all the staff were great! I was extremely happy that they had blue cheese stuffed olives.

My drinks of choice were Filthy Martini's with Tito's, Monk's Old Fashioned and the Smoked Marrow Manhattan. I also had a local beer.“

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

“Great food, good service- night me and my friend was there was busy but we were seated promptly, waitress helpful and friend friendly and food came our timely. I had fried okra and shrimp and grits when there and was excellent.“