Restaurants in Des Moines

“Wonderful cozy place with EXCELLENT service, super friendly staff. The atmosphere is so welcoming you want to stay there longer. Try the Italian sodas with or without cream. I loved the kiwi soda with cream recommended by our fantastic waiter 😉”

“Sitting in my car shaking and crying, barely able to compose myself to drive right now. Those who frequent Auntie Irene's beware of the owner. She just yelled at me infront of the whole shop, about parking out front. It sent me into a anxiety riddened, ptsd fueled state. There were zero parking stalls when l pulled into the coffee shop. l was grabbing my one coffee and leaving. l would be there for 5 minutes maybe 10 at most. I parked snuggled up along the the flower bed north of the shop, in front of the rhodedendron/north of the deck. On the other side of the flower bed is parking stalls. Just to exactly detail where l was parked. Completely out of anyone's way. There is no posted sign saying "no parking here", nor is it a painted fire lane. If that were the case, of course l wouldn't park there. That's obvious. I was not blocking her drive thru window line or blocking either entrance to her shop. I wasn't in the way of people needing to back out ,since they have to turn the other way to exit. After placing my coffee order, an waiting about 5 minutes at a table, she came out of no where and reprimanded me like a child....She could have politely introduced herself and asked me to move. She never even told me who she was. For all l knew, she was a crazed lady bossing me around. No "hi", "hello" or "how are you?". She just marched up to me without identifying shes the owner and started in on me. I would have had zero problem being asked to move, if she had gone about it in a decent manner, that most "adults" are capable of. Her tone was egregious and severely uncalled for. Over the years, l have heard rumors about an aggressive, petite, blonde haired, older lady named Susie as the owner. That was the only reason l deduced this must be the owner, becuase like l stated she did not tell me who she was at all. But, l had only ever seen her maybe 3 times, in all the years I've been going there. I have never spoken to her or even had an one on one encounter with her. So, for her to treat me, complete stranger, who is paying for a comfortable place to enjoy coffee like this, this is wildly uncalled for. I'm a full grown adult mind you, though lve been told, l look young for my age. Even if l was young, it still would not make this encounter okay at all. l was so taken a back, l couldn't even mutter a reply to her. l ran out of the shop and immediately reparked my car. There were stalls open at this point. l had to smoke a cigarette to calm down before l went back in, it rattled me so badly. l was barely able to muster up the courage to go back in for my coffee, without feeling like l was going to start breaking out into tears, if l saw her or had to encounter her again to get my coffee. I came back in, and by then she was no where to be seen... She wasn't there to thank me for moving and understanding her concern. Nothing, she just disappeared. She ambush disciplined me and disappeared, which made it even weirder and more upsetting...Anyways, when l came back in the staff asked me where l went? l didn't want to tell them what happened, so l pretended like l didn't hear their question and barely got out a stiffled, whimper of a "thank you" to them. Rushing out of the shop before they had a chance to see me upset.. I didn't want them to think they were the reason l was in this clearly emotional state. They didn't do anything wrong, so l wasn't about to complain to them about their own boss.There would be nothing they could do about her actions, if she's in charge, ya know? When l got back to my car, l broke down in tears, past PTSD trauma flooding in. I've had experiences like this with some past elder women bosses, in my younger years. I've been subject to 3 very unprofessional older female boss's. Who, in over the years had treated me completely horribly and were very verbally abusive. One even grabbed my arm so hard she left bruising. All of them traumatizing me, using their p”

“Amazing find on the way to SeaTac. The fusion idea works great and the sauce/crust/toppings ratio was perfect on our vegan pie. We got the samosas for breakfast before our early flight since everything at the airport will be closed. We'll be back every time we have a flight and highly recommend visiting this Best of 2025 Google Review awardee.”

“Salaam, brothers and sisters this is a very good place to visit. The food is great. The people are wonderful words can’t explain how good I feel about This place, please give it a try”

“I wanted to really love Marina Mercantile. Made a Mother's Day Tea reservation. Our initial arrival was not welcoming and I was asked twice if I had a reservation. My mom, my daughter, and I waited an hour for our tray of treats. We were last to be served. People that arrived after us were served before us. We are the only minorities in the shop. It felt racist sadly or their service was extremely slow. The food was ok not the freshest tasting for a special Mother's Day event. Prepaid $200 with fixed gratitude and service charge. 🫤”

“One of the many great Des Moines restaurants, if you haven’t been, you need too. Great hospitality and amazing food. Definitely a must!”

“I first heard about Kanishka's Des Moines location through a friend who saw somebody raving about it in a Seattle foodies group here on FB. My friend and I went to check it out and, well, it's my new favorite restaurant. I've been here 3 times and Door Dashed it once in the past month. The food every time has been absolutely fantastic, and the portion size are quite generous. The appetizers are almost entree-sized; the first time I went there with a friend, we filled up on appetizers and had to get our entrees to go. Dish recommendations: Chicken 65 and Fish Pakoras for appetizers; Mixed Grill, Lamb Vindaloo, and Paneer Korma entrees. Also, listen to your host as it seems like they're always trying out new dishes that haven't made it onto the menu yet.”

“My Mother-in-law just passed away and this was one of her favorite restaurants... especially their chocolate mousse! 💜 I had a very special request for the restaurant and Willy, the manager I spoke with, made it happen. I cannot begin to tell you how much it means to my father in law. Willy was so kind, professional and flexible! Thank you for granting a wish and adding a bright spot. You made someone smile today at a tough time.”

“We've lived in Des Moines for 30+ years and have never tried this teriyaki place and so glad we did today. Fast service and everything was on point. Regular chicken teriyaki was delicious and the spicy chicken was so good and spicy and both were huge portions. Egg rolls were great also. Will definitely be back.”

“Finally got in for a fabulous lunch at the new Fish and Chicken House! I tried and loved the Indian style fish and chips 😋 followed by Galub Jamun heated! Highly recommend! Cute, sparkly clean, and delicious food!”

“It was a pleasure to meet the owner Hampton and the best bar tender in the area Ms. Cat. The food was delicious. Do yourself a favor...get the greens and the gator Bloody Mary. Enjoy 😉”

“Excellent banh mi, hot ginger lemon tea, and boba tea choices. 5 stars!”

“Great tasting chili sauce with delicious wholesome beans and rice. Our favorites are the chicken mole & shrimp nachos, the best! Oh yes, the Cadillac margaritas � ����”

“The service was amazing and the Pizza was super delicious! ❤The Oklahoma travelers”

“This place is a hidden gem! The food is authentic and full of flavor. The fresh tortillas and fresh-squeezed orange juice are amazing, and everything we tried was cooked to perfection. We had the tamales, menudo, and machaca, each dish was delicious and flavorful. Highly recommend for anyone looking for real Mexican food done right.”

“Fantastic food, vibes and service. Moored here in our boat and looked forward to going there each day. Thanks”

“Recently stopped by since my gf will be opening her esthetics salon across the street and I’ve always seen this place for the past couple years growing up in the area, super happy and excited for this business to exist and the owner now has a market attached to it 🔥 go support this local business the only of its kind in the area, typically only 1 or 2 workers so try to be nice if you stop by on a hot day and they have other customers they’re attending. My gf got the esquite and she loved it she said, I got the mangoneada and it was 👌🏽 sorbet base fyi I enjoyed it”

“Love this shop! Heather is amazing and the coffee is always just right!”

“The food is pretty good. The eggs in cream and eggs with lentils are both always delicious, although I wish they included more toast with either dish.

The last time I ordered a veggie burger, it was one of the mass produced frozen patties that I'm pretty sure Sysco supplies to everybody. I thought I remembered a time where they made their own veggie burgers, but even if I am recalling that incorrectly- Its just not that hard to make a veggie patty from scratch that tastes way better than the frozen premade ones. Using the frozen kind at a place that seems to take pride in doing a number of other items from scratch is a slightly disappointing shortcut to see.

Service is friendly but sometimes takes a long time to come back and check if you need anything.
Overall I like Alina's and am happy to stop here every once in a while, and would encourage anyone else to visit too.”

“Cool place with nice people, cold beer and great food.”

“Headed here for a last minute Seattle dawg, and stumbled into this place, honestly best place I’ve been too! Mariners on tv and chill atmosphere .. will be coming back! ❤️”

“I had an amazing breakfast experience! The Mushroom and Swiss omelet was delicious, and the price was totally worth it - $13 for a filling meal with hashbrowns and toast. But what really stood out was the top-notch service. It's refreshing to see such excellent customer care, it's a rare gem these days!”

“Welcoming upon entering, food is fresh sauces are great, easy parking and restaurant is very clean good vibes with the music. Would recommend or circle back again for lunch”

“The pizza here is by far the best and my favorite in Seattle! The way they cook the cheese and pepperoni under it is ridiculously delicious! Highly recommended, you won't be disappointed!”

“this is the best food i like it sooo much i can eat here all day like its so good”

“We took advantage of Papa Murphy’s Tuesday pizza sale and were very pleased with our pizza. We also ordered a Club and a Chicken Caesar salad and they were both very good. The salads are large and we weren’t able to finish them so between the leftover pizza and the leftover salads we’ve got at least one more meal.”

“Always nice people taking your order!!”

“The food is fantastic! I’m a gluten free person and the staff and owner have been very accommodating!”

“Teriyaki is great and I always ask for extra teriyaki sauce. Also huge serving amount, I was surprised for the first time how much food I got! ONLY take outs and delivery!”

“The food is spectacular here! I came for my Birthday and was BLOWN AWAY. New favorite Chinese spot. 12 out of 10!”

“To go or sit at picnic table outside! Delicious food!”

“Enjoyed my visit to Des Moines and to visit this establishment. It’s a large open plan, clean looks good inside. Bar in the center of the room with a large seating area to the west . Located on the main drag of downtown Des Moines offers great views of Puget sound and the neighborhood. Very decent dining experience. A great place to hang out with friends. If you find yourself in the downtown, Des Moines area definitely stopped in for for an adult beverage and enjoy yourself.”

“Drinks are usually always good. Only gave 4* on service and atmosphere due to it's a drive up coffee shop with no inside area and you can tell when people are in training/new and sometimes can get a little overwhelmed by the system or making the drinks. Always have a smile when they come up to give the drinks tho~”

“Yesenia was super helpful and patient with me to retrieve my 4 digit code for the kiosk. My favorite go to order is a Crunch wrap supreme, swap the chicken for steak, no tomatoes, add pico de gallo, add avocado ranch, add green cabbage, order a side of sour cream, (once you have the sour cream mix the diablo sauce with it and spoon some on your crunch wrap supreme and take a bite 👌🏻) I also love the peach mango 🍑 🥭 agua fresca! What is your go to order!¿ Next time I am excited to try their Chicken Cantina bowl and their mexican pizza. 🥰”

“Went to pick up a friend and we were looking for a late night place to grab food. He noticed the 24 hour sign and so we made a U-turn and headed into the drive-thru. Drive-thru is a little slow. I commented to my friend, "this place has to be awesome for the wait to be this long..." and... it was awesome. ordered the carne asada burrito and my friend ordered the carnitas burrito and an asada taco. so, the wait in the drive-thru was WORTH it. really big portions. actually eating the other half of my burrito right now and it still tastes great even after having been sitting in my fridge overnight and then nuked in the microwave. definitely will be back. next time though, i think going inside will be the plan.”