801 Chophouse
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4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 3* Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $143 07/18/2025 I've heard great things about this place and always wanted to give it a try...but knew enough about them to realize it would take a very special occasion to justify a dinner here with my budget. That special occasion presented itself this week with our 38th Wedding Anniversary - so I made the decision to splurge for the night! While the rumors I had heard led me to believe that the restaurant was on the top floor of the building, it didn't take long to find the elevator access blocked. We then followed the signs to the location on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs and on the East side. While the entrance from the building was a bit hidden (see pictures), once we stepped inside we immediately transitioned into a what would be expected of a high-end restaurant (see pictures). We started with a Troon (grapefruit vodka & grapefruit juice - see picture) and an 801 Special Martini (vodka, gin & blue cheese olives - see picture). The Troon was especially tasty and the martini was a bit strong for me, so I asked for some brine to 'dirty it up a bit' - which I liked. Following the delicious Table Bread (see picture), we ordered the Prime Beef Carpaccio (see picture) and Wedge Salad (see picture) - shared them both and would highly recommend both of them. While I kind of wanted to try all of the seafood on the menu, since this was a reknowned steakhouse, we decided to share the 30oz Porterhouse (see picture). While we ordinarily order medium rare, our server (Laura) advised us that their medium rare is cool in the middle, so we adjusted to medium along with the suggestion to precut it and were extremely pleased with the results (see plated picture). It was cooked to perfection, with the butter and mushrooms only enhancing each bite! Of course we couldn't leave without the capstone of the meal and neither of us had ever had a souffle, so we went with the Chocolate Souffle (see picture) - and OH, was it delicious!! As if it wasn't good enough by itself, it was also served with 3 different sauces to add (Chocolate, Vanilla & Berry Compote) - you will want to try it! Our experience was a great as it gets, with various staff members wishing us "Happy Anniversary" throughout the evening, a personalized Happy Anniversary menu and a complimentary dessert. The only thing I struggled with on a review like this is how to rate "Value" when the cost is more than double the high side of what we usually spend when we go out for dinner. For us and our budget...we just have to reserve our return trip for another very special occasion! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com
This is a great date spot in the heart of downtown Des Moines. While not located on the rooftop (to my surprise) there is still an ambience of elegance. Staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. We ordered the Delmonico steak with bone marrow butter, sautéed spinach, mac and cheese, beef carpaccio, house bread, and two glasses of Malbec. The food was delicious, with a few notes. The Delmonico is a hefty, 24-oz bone-in steak. We ordered it medium. It came out quickly, yet overcooked. Upon inspection and taste, we expressed concern with our waitress who removed and replaced it with a perfectly cooked medium. After this substitution, absolutely no complaints. The manager complimented us with a beef carpaccio, which was kind of him. It was covered with a bed of arugula, which was a bit more than necessary for the quantity of meat. Stellar mac and cheese, good balance of pasta and sauce, with texture from breadcrumbs. Great eating experience. The spinach was well seasoned, with very strong garlic flavors. A bit of extra sauté time would do a lot for a milder, more palatable flavor. Heavy wine pours to celebrate or Valentine's day dinner. Thank you 801 Chophouse!
Bravo!! All round, the classy steakhouse hit every mark. We left happy and more than satisfied. Located in a grand office building, walking through the restaurant doors, we were met with a dark, warm and inviting room. Dark varnished wood, touches of green accents and a giant brass bull, create the perfect backdrop for a fabulous meal. We had 2 servers that could not have been more helpful. They were so sweet and worked in unison to care for our every need. Every aspect of our meal was perfect. The warm sourdough bread was soft and crunchy. The special lobster bites were crunchy. The steaks cooked perfectly. The sides were better than usual. But our desserts finished with perfection. The cream poured by the server, the extra rich ice cream and my soufflé were all masterpieces.
We love going to 801 Chophouse, the atmosphere is amazing and quiet. We also love the design of the restaurant. The food are always delicious. And the staffs are amazing. Highly recommend
Very fine establishment with great food and service! When in Des Moines a must stop! Great steaks and seafood, made our own surf & turf!
Nice steakhouse downtown in Des Moines. Came home late from work and wanted a nice dinner. Everything around it closed at 9pm and this place was open until 10pm. I came there starving and I was very surprised of how expensive it was even for a steakhouse but I figured that the steaks must be amazing. I ordered the filet mignon with bearnaise and garlic mashed potatoes. The sides are expensive but they make smaller portions on request if you want just enough for a single person. I normally order well done which I did this time too, however I ordered it butterflied. The steak was ok but tasted burnt as it was overcooked even for well done. Cool ambiance and great personnel!! Not sure if I want to come back $100 with tip for an 8oz overcooked steak and the mashed potatoes was also subpar.
Excellent traditional steakhouse with an extensive menu and wine list. I highly recommend the wet aged rib eye and the oven baked cream spinach. Excellent professional service. Reasonable pricing for what it is. Note that the nearest entry is on High Street, not Grand.
Another fabulous visit to the top steakhouse in town. Tonight was daddy daughter date night for another 4.0 semester. The evening started with oysters and escargot. Both were awesome. Steaks were as expected and the lions head mushrooms were awesome. No trip here would be complete with out a soufflé. Every trip here is memorable and you can't put a price on a fabulous celebratory meal with your daughter.
Fabulous experience from start to end. My husband and I started with the oysters, which were amazing. We then both had the New York Strip. The server went through the menu and thoroughly described each cut of meat and how it was prepared. We finished it off with New York Cheesecake and Death By Chocolate Cake. This is our favorite place to eat in Des Moines!
Pretty good spot. Picked this place since it was one of the nicer restaurants opened later at night. The Prime Rib was one of the best that I've ever had. Lamb was pretty good, as was the fish. The aged blue cheese potatoes were interesting and tasty. We brought along a Roy Piper 2013 cab. Corkage was fair. Service was attentive and the ambiance was chill.
We went to celebrate some recent life changes and we enjoyed every second of the experience! We did not have wine, although I love the wine list. Very well curated (except the Pinot Noir option- which we had a good chuckle about). The steaks were perfect, and we even received a complementary dessert, which was a welcome surprise. It was the best I've ever had! The service was above spectacular. And the ambiance was wonderful- it felt fancy and welcoming at the same time!
Had reservations for 801 chophouse tonight. Occasion: birthday. They were flexible with us for scheduling. Ambiance was a little bit noisy, but warm. Great variety of food to select from. We ordered: Baked escargot appetizer Violet Collin's alcoholic beverage Busy bees cocktail Filet mignon 12 oz x 2 Sides were mashed potatoes, Mac n cheese and grilled asparagus Wine- Rioja Spanish wine 2019. Server had seamless service. Host made us feel welcome for the occasion. Good steak cooked well and sides were good also. Keep in mind: parking and entrance may take a bit to find if you're a first timer. read more
A very good steakhouse in Des Moines. I visited after a long day traveling and was not disappointed. I started with the daily special salad, it had a ton of flavor and was very large (should have ordered the half portion that the waiter offered). I am a prime rib fan so ordered their prime rib, the bone in version. Again a very nice sized portion (probably took two days to digest), particularly healthy rib eye cap (the most flavorful part of the prime rib) and a lot of meat on the bone. I found it a tad over cooked for medium rare but not too much that it bothered me. It was also nice they offered the brussel sprouts as a half portion, which I could not even finish with my focus on the beef. A strong candidate in the prime rib category. read more
4 months ago
First time guest, but not last time. We had the shellfish platter (on the dinner menu) as an appetizer because we wanted to try a variety of things. It was SOOOOO GOOD!! I'll probably go back just for that. The Sea Scallops were out of this world. We ordered a Delmonico steak, which was ok, not bad, but not as good as I expected considering the delicious appetizer. The creamed corn was nice and sweet (for those who like sweet). Serviced was exceptional. Our waitress did a great job. read more
4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 3* Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $143 07/18/2025 I've heard great things about this place and always wanted to give it a try...but knew enough about them to realize it would take a very special occasion to justify a dinner here with my budget. That special occasion presented itself this week with our 38th Wedding Anniversary - so I made the decision to splurge for the night! While the rumors I had heard led me to believe that the restaurant was on the top floor of the building, it didn't take long to find the elevator access blocked. We then followed the signs to the location on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs and on the East side. While the entrance from the building was a bit hidden (see pictures), once we stepped inside we immediately transitioned into a what would be expected of a high-end restaurant (see pictures). We started with a Troon (grapefruit vodka & grapefruit juice - see picture) and an 801 Special Martini (vodka, gin & blue cheese olives - see picture). The Troon was especially tasty and the martini was a bit strong for me, so I asked for some brine to 'dirty it up a bit' - which I liked. Following the delicious Table Bread (see picture), we ordered the Prime Beef Carpaccio (see picture) and Wedge Salad (see picture) - shared them both and would highly recommend both of them. While I kind of wanted to try all of the seafood on the menu, since this was a reknowned steakhouse, we decided to share the 30oz Porterhouse (see picture). While we ordinarily order medium rare, our server (Laura) advised us that their medium rare is cool in the middle, so we adjusted to medium along with the suggestion to precut it and were extremely pleased with the results (see plated picture). It was cooked to perfection, with the butter and mushrooms only enhancing each bite! Of course we couldn't leave without the capstone of the meal and neither of us had ever had a souffle, so we went with the Chocolate Souffle (see picture) - and OH, was it delicious!! As if it wasn't good enough by itself, it was also served with 3 different sauces to add (Chocolate, Vanilla & Berry Compote) - you will want to try it! Our experience was a great as it gets, with various staff members wishing us "Happy Anniversary" throughout the evening, a personalized Happy Anniversary menu and a complimentary dessert. The only thing I struggled with on a review like this is how to rate "Value" when the cost is more than double the high side of what we usually spend when we go out for dinner. For us and our budget...we just have to reserve our return trip for another very special occasion! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com read more
8 months ago
This is a great date spot in the heart of downtown Des Moines. While not located on the rooftop (to my surprise) there is still an ambience of elegance. Staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. We ordered the Delmonico steak with bone marrow butter, sautéed spinach, mac and cheese, beef carpaccio, house bread, and two glasses of Malbec. The food was delicious, with a few notes. The Delmonico is a hefty, 24-oz bone-in steak. We ordered it medium. It came out quickly, yet overcooked. Upon inspection and taste, we expressed concern with our waitress who removed and replaced it with a perfectly cooked medium. After this substitution, absolutely no complaints. The manager complimented us with a beef carpaccio, which was kind of him. It was covered with a bed of arugula, which was a bit more than necessary for the quantity of meat. Stellar mac and cheese, good balance of pasta and sauce, with texture from breadcrumbs. Great eating experience. The spinach was well seasoned, with very strong garlic flavors. A bit of extra sauté time would do a lot for a milder, more palatable flavor. Heavy wine pours to celebrate or Valentine's day dinner. Thank you 801 Chophouse! read more
Bravo!! All round, the classy steakhouse hit every mark. We left happy and more than satisfied. Located in a grand office building, walking through the restaurant doors, we were met with a dark, warm and inviting room. Dark varnished wood, touches of green accents and a giant brass bull, create the perfect backdrop for a fabulous meal. We had 2 servers that could not have been more helpful. They were so sweet and worked in unison to care for our every need. Every aspect of our meal was perfect. The warm sourdough bread was soft and crunchy. The special lobster bites were crunchy. The steaks cooked perfectly. The sides were better than usual. But our desserts finished with perfection. The cream poured by the server, the extra rich ice cream and my soufflé were all masterpieces. read more
5 months ago
We love going to 801 Chophouse, the atmosphere is amazing and quiet. We also love the design of the restaurant. The food are always delicious. And the staffs are amazing. Highly recommend read more
7 months ago
Very fine establishment with great food and service! When in Des Moines a must stop! Great steaks and seafood, made our own surf & turf! read more
2 years ago
Nice steakhouse downtown in Des Moines. Came home late from work and wanted a nice dinner. Everything around it closed at 9pm and this place was open until 10pm. I came there starving and I was very surprised of how expensive it was even for a steakhouse but I figured that the steaks must be amazing. I ordered the filet mignon with bearnaise and garlic mashed potatoes. The sides are expensive but they make smaller portions on request if you want just enough for a single person. I normally order well done which I did this time too, however I ordered it butterflied. The steak was ok but tasted burnt as it was overcooked even for well done. Cool ambiance and great personnel!! Not sure if I want to come back $100 with tip for an 8oz overcooked steak and the mashed potatoes was also subpar. read more
3 months ago
5 months ago
6 months ago
Excellent traditional steakhouse with an extensive menu and wine list. I highly recommend the wet aged rib eye and the oven baked cream spinach. Excellent professional service. Reasonable pricing for what it is. Note that the nearest entry is on High Street, not Grand. read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
Another fabulous visit to the top steakhouse in town. Tonight was daddy daughter date night for another 4.0 semester. The evening started with oysters and escargot. Both were awesome. Steaks were as expected and the lions head mushrooms were awesome. No trip here would be complete with out a soufflé. Every trip here is memorable and you can't put a price on a fabulous celebratory meal with your daughter. read more
2 years ago
Fabulous experience from start to end. My husband and I started with the oysters, which were amazing. We then both had the New York Strip. The server went through the menu and thoroughly described each cut of meat and how it was prepared. We finished it off with New York Cheesecake and Death By Chocolate Cake. This is our favorite place to eat in Des Moines! read more
Pretty good spot. Picked this place since it was one of the nicer restaurants opened later at night. The Prime Rib was one of the best that I've ever had. Lamb was pretty good, as was the fish. The aged blue cheese potatoes were interesting and tasty. We brought along a Roy Piper 2013 cab. Corkage was fair. Service was attentive and the ambiance was chill. read more
2 years ago
We went to celebrate some recent life changes and we enjoyed every second of the experience! We did not have wine, although I love the wine list. Very well curated (except the Pinot Noir option- which we had a good chuckle about). The steaks were perfect, and we even received a complementary dessert, which was a welcome surprise. It was the best I've ever had! The service was above spectacular. And the ambiance was wonderful- it felt fancy and welcoming at the same time! read more
This restaurant has been on my top list for a few months. I had decided to host a graduation dinner here for all our friends. Needless to say it was a HIT. I feel horrible I did not get out servers name but he was phenomenal and attentive. We had the Sunday dinner and it comes with two options of salad and three options from the main course which include filet mignon, prime rib and salmon, they offer an option of two desserts and you can pick one. It was a totally of 7 of us. The Sunday dinner special is $47 per person. Everything was flavorful and delicious. We will definitely be back. Once again I went to thank 801 Chophouse for helping us out with dinner reservations and being so helpful with allowing us to go in earlier to set up our table. Thank you PS they are very busy so please make reservations before hand! read more
2 years ago
10 months ago
2 years ago
When in Des Moines my wife and I love to have Dinner at 801 Chophouse. The Prime Rib is the best I have ever had... anywhere!! I have tried for year to find other places closer to Cedar Rapids and nothing even comes close! The service is outstanding and overall fair price for the quality of food you get. We love this place and is our go to for special occasions. read more
3 years ago
We travel to Des Moines once a year to visit the wonderful staff at Meredith. And every year we eat here. It's a Des Moines institution. It's a very expensive steak house and the steak is good. The sides are great and the wine list impressive. But like most steak houses, everything is a la cart and it adds up quickly! The staff are true professionals and they have been there for years, which in the restaurant industry now is truly a testament to how they treat them! We started with the calamari, the meatballs and tuna tartare. All good, but the tuna was the standout. I had the tomato and onion salad and it was fresh and beautiful presentation. The best part is the Maytag blue cheese. I mean everyone should have Maytag cheese in Iowa!! I didn't have a steak but had the lamb chops. It was cooked perfectly so was everyone's steaks (the rest of the table had a petit filet). Our sides were the CREAMED CORN ( do not walk out of 801 without tasting it -like Maytag when in Iowa, have the corn), scallops potatoes and Brussels sprouts. They were all delicious . The Brussels were a tad over done so a bit mushy. When you walk in, you feel like you walked into a rat pack song- beautiful wood, white table clothes, dim lighting and a few of the Soprano's in the corner (kidding). read more
11 months ago
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4 years ago
I can not RAVE about this place enough! For the quality of your meal and the service you get, it's totally worth the price tag. My husband and I came here the night we eloped to celebrate getting married. This place holds a special place in our heart and our stomachs. The atmosphere is lightly lit, spaced out enough that your conversation won't overlap with those next to you, and it's a clean environment. Our water glasses never reached the bottom of the cup, and our food came out fresh and hot. I will say, the sides are family style, so one side to split would be more than enough. We ended up getting two sides with our two meals, and we had to take it home! I highly highly HIGHLY recommend getting the steak with the lobster Oscar. I dream of this meal to this day. The cheesecake didn't last long between the two of us. I highly recommend getting a serving of that as well. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Dined at 801 this week with another couple. I have to say we all left disappointed particularly with parts of our dinners. The GOOD I ordered the 8oz Filet and it was perfect. Cool center, great flavor and nice exterior crust. My wife decided on the lobster tail($87). The presentation was underwhelming. Giant tail on a plate with nothing to off load the shell. Unfortunately the lobster was dramatically overcooked. It was rubbery and difficult to cut. You expect soft sweet meat that melts in your mouth. Everyone tried it and ALL agreed it was not good. Not what you expect. It is called Chophouse not Seafood house. For dessert, the table split the crème brûlée and the peach and blueberry crumble. The brûlée was really tasty. Tough to mess that up. The Peach crumble was a miss. The peaches wee not ripe. They came out hard. You would expect the peaches and blueberries to begin to breakdown during cooking and marry with the sauce. Order the steaks and HARD PASS on seafood. Skip dessert, we don't really want to waste calories on poor execution. That dessert and lobster should have NEVER left the kitchen. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
We went to 801 Chophouse for Mother's Day. It was fabulous! For appetizers we had the scallops wrapped in prosciutto and oysters on the half shell. Both were superb! I had the wet aged ribeye medium rare. Always my favorite. What blew us away were the sides. The mushrooms with boudin cheese (I think that's the name) were so good! Along with the Mac and cheese plus creamed spinach. The best in town. For dessert we shared the Devine chocolate mousse, crème brulee, and chocolate maple cheesecake. The atmosphere is always great, as was the service. Our waiter's name was Billy. We will ask for him in the future. I encourage everyone to try 801, it doesn't matter if it's a special occasion or just want a great meal. So worth it! read more
I came to meet a coworker and I was excited as I have heard a lot great things about the establishment in question. Here is my story. I was running 15 minutes late so I called to let the staff know and it went to voicemail 3 times. Even when they were 10 minutes away from opening, they did not answer their phone. Finally at 5pm they answered and I verified that my party was seated and entertained while I arrived. When I got to the restaurant, it was a fiasco to find parking. Oh. My. Gosh. !. If you are not from Des Moines, make sure you add at least 15 minutes to your travel for parking. Finally, I was able to make it into the restaurant but first, I had to ask the security personnel where was the restaurant as the door looks like just like a business. Once in, I was greeted warmly and very welcoming. My waitress (Laura) was amazing and she did a great job explaining everything including the specials. I ordered a wedge salad, prime rib, broccolini and a carrot cake to share. The wedge salad was great! The prime rib was extremely dry and I could have used it as a shoe. It was that leathery and dry. Maybe I could have made pulled beef sandwich. I was suggested that I add the rub so I do. For the sale of the animal! Don't. Do. It. !. The broccolini was so spicy that I could not taste anything other the the cayenne pepper. There was no salt, no acidity, nothin but just the spiciness from the cayenne pepper. It was served with the hollandaise sauce and that balanced the flavor a little bit but it was still spicy. I only ate one piece. The best part was the carrot cake and I am not sure if it was made in house. I think the service was outstanding and it should be recognized. The food, I was less then satisfied. If I could do it again, I would go to another restaurant that has better steak or at least I have never received a leathery steak. read more
i'll give it a four stars for general ambience, service, quality of the food, and some of the side dishes. but if i'm honest my particular steak was 3 stars, maybe even 2, which is not great for a steakhouse. however, i feel like my steak was a fluke compared to others so i'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. service was on point all night, they were friendly, efficient, and provided great recommendations when you asked. i really enjoyed the service. we got the calamari and the shrimp cocktail appetizers. the calamari was actually cooked pretty well, not overly rubbery like some places. it's interesting because all the calamari was sliced up into strips, no rings, which is uncommon. the calamari also came with thin julienned zucchini also deep fried. overall solid. the shrimp cocktails were huge! also good, not overcooked, juicy plump shrimps. i also got their chopped salad, which had gruyere and sopressata, i thought it was tasty. but my dining companion got zero sopressata and i got too much; maybe they doubled up on mine by accident. ordered the porterhouse for 2 to share, and this is where i was disappointed in my steak. everyone else's single order steak had a nice char on it but ours came out looking sooo undercooked. granted we ordered medium rare, and to their credit, it was cooked medium rare, but the color on the outside was so pale and unappealing. i could have cooked that steak at home myself. the quality was fine. and everyone else super enjoyed their steaks, which is why i felt like ours was a fluke. the sides were all pretty good, mash, gratin, hash brown with cheddar all good. asparagus was grilled well and broccolini was nice. i enjoyed the mushrooms as well. the desserts were whatever, but i'm not much of a sweets person. but i think everyone had the same consensus on dessert being fine, not amazing. place is pricey, so i'd probably save it for a special occasion or a business dinner. better than flemings in WDM though. read more
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801 Grand Ave
Ste 200
Des Moines, IA 50309
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(515) 288-6000
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http://801chophouse.com
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