Lua Brewing ★ 4.6
USA Today's number one brewpub in the United States for 2025, Lua Brewing earns the title with a serious beer programme and a scratch kitchen that takes
Signature: Smash burger, Kimchi deviled eggs, Flatty Monster tenderloin
Fong's Pizza is a pizza restaurant in East Village, Des Moines.
Editorially verified June 26, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Crab Rangoon pizza, General Tso's pizza, Orange Chicken pizza
Address: 317 E Court Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309
USA Today's number one brewpub in the United States for 2025, Lua Brewing earns the title with a serious beer programme and a scratch kitchen that takes
Signature: Smash burger, Kimchi deviled eggs, Flatty Monster tenderloin
Des Moines' first microbrewery, anchoring the Court Avenue bar district since 1996. Scratch-made food from homemade meatloaf to Reuben sandwiches pairs
Signature: French onion soup meatloaf, BBQ chicken pizza, Reuben sandwich
A downtown Des Moines institution with a claim to over 260 American craft beers on tap and more than 75 in bottles, billed as the largest craft beer
Signature: Iowa craft beer selection, American bar food
Wood-fired pizza and Mediterranean small plates with strong local sourcing on Ingersoll; one of Des Moines' most reliably good neighbourhood restaurants.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Mediterranean small plates
One of several Jethro's BBQ locations across the metro, with the south-side address serving the neighbourhoods most connected to the city's BBQ tradition.
Signature: Smoked ribs, Pulled pork, House sauces
The unofficial beer of Des Moines festivals since 2012, Exile pairs award-winning lagers, sours and IPAs with a scratch kitchen producing burgers,
Signature: Exile Burger with Bacon Jam, Nashville chicken sandwich, Weekend brunch