Diner$the-avenuesMon-Fri 07:30-17:30; Sat 07:30-14:00; closed Sun
Bauder Pharmacy has run a working soda fountain on Ingersoll Avenue since the 1920s, where cherry phosphates are still mixed from syrup and carbonated water.
Why locals love it: A working 1905 soda fountain that time has forgotten to commercialise
Vegetable-forward small plates$$$the-avenuesSun-Thu 16:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-21:00
Iowa's most ambitious restaurant: rotating vegetable-forward tasting menus with Southeast Asian spice work in a quiet Ingersoll Avenue room visitors overlook.
Why locals love it: Iowa's most ambitious restaurant that most food travellers have never heard of
Diner$the-avenuesMon-Fri 07:30-17:30; Sat 07:30-14:00; closed Sun
Bauder Pharmacy has run a working soda fountain on Ingersoll Avenue since the 1920s, where cherry phosphates are still mixed from syrup and carbonated water.
Why locals love it: A working 1905 soda fountain that time has forgotten to commercialise
Vegetable-forward small plates$$$the-avenuesSun-Thu 16:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-21:00
Iowa's most ambitious restaurant: rotating vegetable-forward tasting menus with Southeast Asian spice work in a quiet Ingersoll Avenue room visitors overlook.
Why locals love it: Iowa's most ambitious restaurant that most food travellers have never heard of
Italian deli$south-sideMon-Sat 09:00-17:00; closed Sun
Founded in 1912 and still occupying the same south-side block, Graziano Brothers is probably Des Moines' most culturally significant food business and one
Why locals love it: The south-side Italian-American heritage store that food tourism ignores
Brewery$$sherman-hillMon-Wed 14:00-21:00; Thu 14:00-22:00; Fri 12:00-22:00; Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-20:00
USA Today's #1 brewpub in America 2025 hides on a residential Sherman Hill block; the German-influenced lagers are some of the best produced in the Midwest.
Why locals love it: National #1 brewpub hiding in a residential neighbourhood
Most Des Moines coverage skips Noce entirely: the basement jazz club books national touring acts in an intimate room with a quality cocktail and wine list.
Why locals love it: World-class jazz in a city not known for its music scene