Iowa State Fair Food on a Stick is a street-food stop in East Village, Des Moines.
Editorially verified June 26, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Address: E 30th St and E University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317
Operating on Saturday mornings from May through October across 12 city blocks in the Historic Court District, the Downtown Farmers' Market supports over
Worth the queue: Iowa sweet corn, local honey, breakfast burritos, kettle corn
The soul of Des Moines' south-side Italian-American community, Graziano Brothers has been producing house-made Italian sausage, cured meats and Italian
Worth the queue: Italian sausage by the pound, Italian beef sandwich
One of Des Moines' most-loved taquerias, El Rodeo serves birria, al pastor and a full range of traditional street tacos to the south-side community that
Worth the queue: Birria tacos and al pastor street tacos
The specialty grocery Gateway Market maintains a deli counter producing sandwiches, prepared salads and grab-and-go meals from seasonal local ingredients.
Worth the queue: Seasonal sandwiches with house-made provisions
The most famous tenderloin shop in Iowa. Since 1966, Smitty's has hand-breaded and flat-griddled Iowa pork tenderloins using a family recipe that has
Worth the queue: Hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
The original Des Moines-adjacent Maid-Rite, best visited via day trip to Ames, serves the loose-meat sandwich that is a uniquely Iowa street food
Worth the queue: Loose-meat sandwich (loose ground beef in a soft bun)
