Des Moines has built a restaurant scene that punches well above the weight of a 215,000-person city. The city's Italian-American south-side heritage, the farm-fresh produce flowing through the Downtown Farmers' Market, and a wave of chef-driven independents in the East Village and along Ingersoll Avenue have created something genuinely worth crossing the state for.

The East Village is the natural starting point: Jason Simon's Alba at 524 E 6th Street delivers seasonally driven American cooking at prices that feel like a bargain against coastal equivalents. HoQ on E 5th brings genuine farm-to-table discipline, with a menu that changes almost daily based on what its network of Iowa farmers sends in. For Mediterranean, Eatery A on Ingersoll is a neighbourhood anchor. And for the city's most distinctive historical dish, steak de burgo, Johnny's Italian Steakhouse on Fleur Drive still serves the garlic-butter-herb filet that Italian-American families invented on the south side generations ago.

The newer generation adds Harbinger's vegetable-forward small plates, Clyde's Fine Diner's refined diner classics, and Aposto's modern cooking in an 1880 Victorian mansion. Centro on Locust Street keeps coal-fired pizza and handmade pasta at the accessible end of serious Italian dining. This is a city where you can eat very well across a wide price range.

Our picks in Des Moines

21 places

Harbinger

A vegetable-forward small-plates restaurant drawing on the chef's travels through southeast Asia, with a menu that follows the seasons and the farmers

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Bubba

Downtown Des Moines' Southern comfort destination pairs fried chicken, jambalaya and Southern fried catfish with an extensive brown-liquor selection.

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Where to stay in Des Moines

A sample of Des Moines hotels from our booking partner, who list 5,815 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.

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Smokey D's BBQ

  • ★ 4.2
  • BBQ
  • $
  • North Des Moines

Competition BBQ team turned brick-and-mortar champion with 200+ competition awards. The pulled pork and brisket plate are the benchmarks; four sauce styles.

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Italian-American heritage restaurants

The south-side Italian tradition shaped Des Moines' restaurant identity more than any other influence. Tursi's Latin King on Hubbell Avenue has served classic red-sauce Italian since 1947. Centro downtown keeps the tradition more contemporary with coal-fired pizza and house pasta. And steak de burgo, the locally invented dish of filet with garlic-herb butter or cream sauce, appears at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse and several other long-running rooms.

Farm-to-table and seasonal cooking

The Downtown Farmers' Market feeds Des Moines' best kitchens. Harbinger on Ingersoll Avenue uses market visits to set its daily rotating menu. HoQ in the East Village takes the local sourcing commitment further, with a supply chain built around relationships with specific Iowa farms. Alba's Jason Simon has made seasonal ingredient showcasing central to his American cooking for nearly two decades.

What to order on a first visit

Order a breaded pork tenderloin at Smitty's on Army Post Road. Go to Alba for dinner. Visit the Downtown Farmers' Market on a Saturday morning and eat something at the market stalls. Try steak de burgo at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. If Harbinger has a tasting menu available, book it.

Frequently asked: restaurants in Des Moines

Do Des Moines restaurants take reservations?

Most mid-range and fine-dining rooms use OpenTable or Tock. Harbinger books via Tock. Alba, Lucca, and Clyde's Fine Diner require reservations especially on weekends. Counter-service spots like Smitty's and Maid-Rite are walk-in only.

What is the best area for restaurant-hopping in Des Moines?

The East Village is the most walkable cluster. From HoQ to Fong's Pizza to Zombie Burger to Twisted Vine Brewery, you can cover several meals in a small radius on E 5th and E Grand. Court Avenue downtown is the second-most concentrated.