50 Best American Restaurants near Johnston

“So good. We love it for upscale casual lunch and a wonderful dinner. Tonight my wife and daughter ate there. They had the chicken dumplings, carbonara, and the fried chicken salad. They said it was amazing. Best part? They brought me home a Waygu burger with Parmesan fries. So good!!! Check it out.“

“Came here after church to eat around 10:20 (party of 6). Wait staff said it would be about a 20 minute wait, and it was. Felt that was pretty on par or better for Sunday breakfast locations in the area.

We ordered omelets, tres leche, biscuits and gravy, and more. Was super impressed with the menu variety. Service was prompt and attentive. Nothing was missed and exceeded expectations by even bringing kids water in a cup with a lid. Mocktail recipe was good. Milkshakes were tasty.

Price was on the higher end for our family but it seems all prices these days are climbing higher. Considering the good service and all the extras (garnishes, syrup drizzles, sides of greens/salad) we understand the price, plates aren’t basic. The extra effort was noticed and appreciated.“

“Great, they didn’t give us a baked potato that was ordered, but everything was delicious“

“Love it here, everyone that works here is so nice!“

“I had lunch with a friend and had The BEST tenderloin ever! It fit a good sized bun and was thick and cooked to perfection. Onion rings were exactly how I like them. Going tomorrow for brunch. I will have the tenderloin. Great place!“

“Have you guys heard of Kalona SuperNatural organic dairy? Would love to hear what you think.“

“We were in Des Moines for a soccer tournament and ran across you guys. I was diagnosed with celiac 3 years ago and you guys made hands down the best GF burger and tots I have had in 3 years. That includes better than in n out burger since you guys actually have a bun and they don’t. It’s also the best gf bread I have found in 3 years. I hope to someday make it back again!“

“This restaurant notified us, after we ordered online for delivery, that they believed our driver took our order. They called to tell us that before we even had a chance to believe there was a problem, and fully communicated what the issue was. They remade our order and it was delivered less than a half hour after they discovered the issue. Superior customer service. Highly recommend.“

“I have been coming here for many many years! Simon, the owner is absolutely incredible and done such a great job with this restaurant. The customer service is out of this world. But everything from the drinks, the food and dessert you cannot go wrong here. They only take reservations for parties of six or more. It is a very small intimate place. And it is 100% busy! 😁 well most of the time. This is a great local restaurant and whenever someone suggest anything around the area, I say go here!“

“BBQ Meatloaf was delicious and the service was good. Very cool decor.“

“Amazing Happy Hour today for my Nephew's Birthday! Incredible food all on the $5 menu!! Can't rave enough about the food and service!! We will definitely be back!“

“Thanks Cheese Bar for the great food and accommodating our little one. she loved the kids cheese plate!“

“The Asian server was super nice, all smiles, and accommodating! The food came in fast. Something that we seldom experience on the Southside.“

“We were in Des Moines for a soccer tournament and ran across you guys. I was diagnosed with celiac 3 years ago and you guys made hands down the best GF burger and tots I have had in 3 years. That includes better than in n out burger since you guys actually have a bun and they don’t. It’s also the best gf bread I have found in 3 years. I hope to someday make it back again!“

“The Machine Shed in Urbandale, Iowa is a fantastic restaurant with good value. The food is excellent! The service is outstanding. We love to take our grandkids to the Machine Shed every time they are in town.“

“We had Sam and Billy for our servers at the bar, they were extremely friendly, attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. Our drinks stayed full with plenty of conversation. This is the reason we continue to come back to this hotel.“

“Amazing food and at a reasonable price and not a bad wait time.“

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

“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.“

“A go-to cozy neighborhood staple that never disappoints. Amazing specialty cocktails, great juicy burgers and best salmon in town.“

“My second time here - great ambiance, service, good, & drinks. I’ve purchased items at the connected market each time. Very handy.“

“this is a fantastic place!!! food is incredible, atmosphere is awsome, and the owner is top notch. if it is a large group of a date this is the place to go“

“Excellent food and service! Prime rib was absolutely delicious!“

“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 came there on a Saturday and had the prime rib special. My steak was cooked to perfection. For dessert I had the smore. 😋👍👍“

“tried this place out today, great service, amazing food will definitely be stopping by again!!“

“the foods always great and very tasty..... old school iowa here and damb good“

“Sunday was our server. He was kind, talkative and attentive and we will ask for him next time!!!“

“My family and I recently stopped at Smash Park in Des Moines on a whim for some family fun and food. The atmosphere was laid back and our kids thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor pickle ball courts and the arcade. Food, dessert and drinks were all crowd pleasers! And to go completely over the top, we left our blanket outside and Jerry answered my phone call, went outside to retrieve it from the bench where I left it, and mailed it back to me free of charge. In a world where kindness and customer support are harder and harder to come by, Jerry and Smash Park get a 10/10 from this family!!!“

“Very good door- I had the filet of beef (needed a bit of seasoning) and husband had the pork chop- both were great! Sweet potato fries were crispy and flavorful. Server was friendly and attentive- refilled tea frequently. Prices were fair for what we had.“

“The food is licking lips, 😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋“

“A party of five of us visited on 1/8/25. We asked for a table in back as there was live music by the bar and we wanted to be able to talk together Our server was excellent - wish I had gotten her name Food was amazing - we got brussel sprouts, sliders, French fries w Parmesan, stuffed mushrooms, and spinach artichoke dip All came out timely and very good! We had martinis and all were very delicious and also came out quick I’ve been here about six times before and it’s always great Good patio area too Definitely a great place!“

“We really liked it. My wife had the Turkey Panini and I had the Nashville Hot sandwich, it was really good. The fries were very tasty as well, not to mention the great Selection of IPA’s! Service was spot on too with our server(s) being there right when we needed them for another round of IPA’s. Looks like a new “go-to” spot for us!“

“Stopped in today after grabbing groceries! And got a tea, very delicious. The place is so cute & the worker is such a sweet heart! 10/10!“

“The gnocchi is a very memorable dish. Soft, fluffy pillows of heaven. I don’t regret eating the entire dish AND ordering the lava cake. Easily ranks in my top 5 favorite DSM dishes.“

“My husband and I have eaten at Aura at least 5 times. We've also hosted group dinners there. The food is FANTASTIC, and the mussels are absolutely delicious. And I'm from the NW, I know delicious mussels! The ONLY thing keeping me from giving it a 5 STAR review is that the music is too loud, and it's monotonous. Please, serve quiet, enjoyable music to go along with your wonderful food.“

“We had lunch here yesterday, absolutely delicious burgers. Ate every bite, nice atmosphere. Yummy ice cream sundae to finish off. 10/10“

“We always have a great time at Gilroy’s, but tonight went above and beyond! When our server found out we were celebrating my birthday, not only did she bring me a dessert on the house, but she also brought me a birthday card signed by the staff and a coupon for my next visit. She even caught that I’d ordered a vegetarian meal and a mocktail and tailored the coupon accordingly. It was so thoughtful and I wish I would have caught her name because she was truly incredible and deserves a shout out!“

“Had mother's day brunch. Good selection of food on the buffet line. Good service to. Had 11 am reservation. Was seated right at 11am.“

“This is a good place to go to have drinks and food for sporting events for sure! It's a very cool place inside with TONS of TVs. This should be a go-to for March Madness! The food was average, the service was pretty good, but it seemed like the servers were pretty new. The manager did make a point to speak to every table, which we appreciated! Overall, it is definitely somewhere we would go again for a sporting event, just maybe not an all-the-time thing.“

“Food was beyond amazing!!!“

“Love Truman’s! They hosted us last night for my birthday celebration and they did not disappoint. They never do! The food alone is delicious, their menu has something for everyone, plus some unique pizzas that I have tried to replicate. (Theirs was better 😉) Their service is always great too. Friendly staff, always helpful, and the dude who hosted our party of 26 last night was awesome and made sure we all had a great experience and had what we needed throughout our time there. Thanks for helping make my celebration so special Truman’s! I’ll be back soon!“

“We had an amazing time at Francies. The food was amazing. I had the steak and peppers sandwich and fries. The fries were so good.“

“Great staff, good food, good drinks. Large party room for group gatherings etc.“

“We had our Holiday party there on Saturday January 20th. The food was good, and the staff was excellent.“

“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)!“

“Grabbed a grinder after Chili on the Hill and it's sooooo good. Also, good people. I'm gonna become a stalker, hope that's ok“

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

“I am the type of person that loves positivity and giving great reviews. Give honor to where honor is due. And I give great reviews, call the managers and praise the service all the time. I have also had my share of terrible service and/or food and usually do not say a word. The experience I had this afternoon at Culvers in Ankeny was horrendous. The food that is. The drive through guy that took my order, payment and delivery was so kind and helpful. I ordered a cod dinner and was only able to eat some of the fish. The 2 sides I ordered were cheese curds and fries. Both were so cold, hard and dry. I was so disappointed. The roll that came with it was cold, hard and dry as well. The butter was good! I did eat most of the fish but it too was tough. WHAT has happened to Culvers? Don't they realize that they are not the only option for food? Sad to say but I will be going to those other options for my meals in the future. The concrete I ordered was sloppy (down side of cup) and melting but did taste good. I HATE leaving a poor review but come on Culvers. Do better. Be better. If it had been just 1 food this review would never have been written. Oh, side note. This was after the lunch rush and before dinner rush. It was close to 2. Got right into drive through with no waiting. Disappointed.“