As much as I hate to see small businesses run into difficulties, I took advantage of a sale that…read moreNew World Kitchen was having due to some tech issues to finally try their food. I ordered online and the food was delivered Monday. Delivery was super easy, the delivery person texted me and let me know when they would be there. Also could have left a cooler out for no hassle. The food is amazing so far! The first thing I tried was the Peanut Crunch Noodle Bowl. I am not vegan, and you forget how filling vegan food is! One serving easily turned into two for me, and it was absolutely delicious, I was scraping the sauce out of the bowl with a spatula. I will absolutely be purchasing again! The only reason I'm writing this review instead of ordering online right now is because I will be out of town on Monday. Can't wait for the following week to see what's on the menu!

I learned of New World Kitchen when I saw one of their salads while shopping on Small Business…read moreSaturday and immediately started ordering weekly - I was hooked! Hubby is a carnivore who will only reluctantly and occasionally eat kale so appreciate that I can get a single serving (but generous) size salad. Had the rainbow kale salad last night and it was yummy! I look forward to seeing what the offerings will be each Tuesday and don't mind driving from WDM to pick up my order the following Monday. I've also enjoyed offerings from Cottagescapes Bakery (funny my husband will eat the scones!). Madeline is passionate about her business and appreciates her customers so I am happy to support another small business, especially one that prepares such good vegan food!

Came in here this morning to grab coffee and a small breakfast for my family. I ordered the large…read moreiced pistachio rose latte and it was superb. The pistachio/rose flavor makes it the perfect combo of creamy and delightful. My husband had a large iced pumpkin spice latte which was exactly that deliciously pumpkin and spice. The staff was very friendly and I believe one of the owners was there and she was very nice smiling at me snapping pictures of her beautiful business. My husband and I shared the mexi bowl which I unfortunately didn't get a picture of because my kid was into it picking out the beans and we devoured it up right away too. It had egg, salsa, cheese, black beans, bell peppers and avocado slices. The mexi bowl was the perfect balance of all the good things we love. They have quite the variety of dishes for everyone. We are gluten free so the young lady who helped us recommended it for us and it definitely hit the spot. Highly recommend for everyone to try!

I was only here for a stop-in smoothie, so take my review with a grain of salt…read more Servers and ambiance were great. The smoothie was...not worth the money charged. $7.50 for something that tasted like $1.50. I would come back and try something else

There's a particular kind of romance at Lachele's Fine Foods on Ingersoll. The old-school diner…read morefeel. The promise of beef meeting a hot griddle. By the back door, the stale stench of cigarettes lingers like the last guest at a party nobody remembers throwing. Hardly perfume, but there it is. Some places come with a little baggage. I ordered the Uncle Denny: a smash patty with grilled onion, lettuce, Dijon, Duke's mayo, pepper jelly, and American cheese on a sesame bun. Yeah, I stole that from their menu. A combination that understands desire better than most dating profiles. The beef is where the courtship starts. That dark, griddle-kissed crust. The cheese surrendering to the heat. Grilled onions settling into the whole delicious mess. Then the Dijon cuts through, and the pepper jelly slips in with sweetness and a little trouble. Duke's makes sure nobody leaves clean. You lean forward. Both hands on the bun. For a few minutes, your phone can go to hell. There's something deeply intimate about a good burger: the attention it demands, the small indignities you willingly accept, the sauce you discover on your wrist after you've already decided you're in love. Bourdain said it best: "I'm just a cheap, nasty, low down, trailer park burger slut". The tots belong here, too. Little fried accomplices, useful for stretching out the affair between bites. The Uncle Denny, tots, and a drink came to damn near $18. Enough to make you pause before paying. Enough that the burger had better give you something to remember. This one will. I'll go back. Probably order the same thing. I always do. There's a point in every romance when you stop pretending you're interested in seeing other people.

Fun little burger spot with a retro dinner vibe. The burgers, fries and tots were great and the…read morestaff are really friendly.

Recently had a Veggie Thumper "Bougie PB&J" and I literally drool remembering that sandwich. Who…read moreelse but Lyssa could make something that sounds so plain and turn it into something so delicious. Anyway if you haven't made it to Veggie Thumper in a while I highly recommend hitting them up. It is hands-down the best food truck in town.

I have been following Veggie Thumper on IG for some time and was SO EXCITED to see that the bus was…read moreout and about near my favorite ex-stepmother, so I made it a point to pop by the extremely small Waukee Farmer's market just to get my hands on some of this delicious food. Already stuffed from a late lunch, the fiancé and I split the fried chick'n sandwich with mac & cheese (with added hot sauce, of course) and our tastebuds were blown away. Not only was the flavor on point, but so was the texture. Not even exaggerating, idc if you're a meat loving omni, you need to try the food if you ever come across this bus. Definitely hope to find the bus again when I'm in town again next year. Thanks for making the extra trip worth it!

Amazing creativity, highest quality. And thoroughly knowledgeable service. Small plates with the…read morefreshest local ingredients, often done with an Asian twist. We've gone to happy hour, dinner, and restaurant week. All are amazing. Happy hour and restaurant week are excellent value. Last night we had sweet corn tartlets with a savory cream and white truffle. I wanted them for dessert as well as the amuse bouche. Corn ricotta pasta and an Asian glazed beef tenderloin were standouts. Always order yuzu anything for dessert. The dining room is fairly small but with tables arranged so you're not listening to your neighbor's conversation. Natural decor (moss, branches, grasses, etc.) soften the space. Cocktails are inventive and the wine selection really interesting (in a good way). A biodynamic Spanish selection was one of the most pleasantly versatile bottles I've experienced, and the wine pairings for restaurant week were well conceived. If you're not sure what to select, staff will knowledgeably do it for you. Portland, Oregon is the city where we dine most often, and is one of America's best food cities. We did not expect this quality in Des Moines--were blown away by it--and return every time we're in town.

Everything here is worth trying - truly. What bold, bright and wonderfully composed plates. The…read moreteam took such good care of me! Recommend to anyone, especially those who fancy tapas and savory, beautiful flavors!!!

I ordered "I am the Walrus" pizza. This was my 1st time ordering from the restaurant. The flavor…read morewas glorious and the staff extremely helpful. I ordered thru Doordash and didn't notice the wrong address was chosen until later. I called the restaurant and they were able to give the correct address to the delivery driver by actually swiftly running outside to give it to him. I am so grateful and am curious to try everything from the menu.

The wings were flavorful but a little more crispy than I prefer. The pizza is fine; it is unique…read morebecause the dough is essentially a foccacia rather than a true detroit style dough-y crust. Service was very friendly. Perfectly acceptable meal, just not anything I would go out of my way for.

I have been ordering delivery and pick up from this company and before that when they had their…read morephysical location I visited there as well. Their business model has changed, they no longer have a physical location but they are present at the Downtown Farmers' Market when we have in person and they also offer delivery and pick up. Its been hard for me to get fresh and healthy food the last couple months, so this company has been lifesaver for my health! They offered a wonderful range of juices, smoothies, plant based food options such as taco meat, veggie burgers, black bean brownies, salad dressings and mac and cheeze sauce as well meal kits! The owner is not only talented at the food she makes but also very generous, polite and gives back to the community by donating some proceeds of her products to different causes. I highly recommend supporting this wonderful company, your health and tastebuds will thank you!

I absolutely love eating at this spot; there are tons of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free options!…read moreThe raw vegan taco was delicious. I really enjoyed the vegan chocolate mousse as well, and the free cucumber water dispenser was a lovely, refreshing touch. I highly recommend this spot for lunch, and I think it's my new favorite place to study over the lunch hour!

All I knew about Iowa before my first visit to the state was this is where Slipknot hailed from…read more.. and corn (or is that Nebraska?). Luckily, a fellow Yelper told me me about Zombie Burger so I added to my list and took an Uber directly from the airport here for my first bite of food in the state. It's in Downtown Des Moines across the street from The Pink Beaver Waxing Boutique (I'm not joking, I'm just observant). It looked to be mostly street parking from what I could tell, so if you find a spot, you might as well get a Brazilian to pair with your Columbian Necktie burger. They had a bunch of fun themed burgers and I chose the Army of Darkness, which was a burger with coney chili on it (kind of like Tommy's in LA). It was delicious and messy, probably just like the place across the street. Instead of fries, I had Cheese Curds which was a nice upgrade, although I'm not a huge fan of fries, so it was an easy decision for me. The decor was pretty cool with some manikin zombie dummies to horror themed posters and signs, to clowns and skulls, and hopefully clown skulls (it's hard to tell sometimes without the nose and frown). The signs to the bathroom are funny. Bottom line, the food was good, the service was OK as it was a busy place at lunchtime (maybe ALL of Slipknow was there which is why it was packed), and I'd go back to try some more items. It's probably a good place to hang with friends, both living and formerly living. RIP All that we've lost... maybe we can all meet here and clink brains. Cheers!

The server was very nice. We came on Saturday evening and while the place didn't actually look that…read morebusy and half the outside seating was closed, we will waited 20 mins to get sat. We didn't actually walk into the indoor restaurant area, we checked in and were sat outside. Outside waste too pleasant. Idk if just the Des Moines downtown area, but it smelled like hot garbage the entire time we were out eating. The food was delicious! I ordered the sweet potato fries and I wish the menu would have said they had a sprinkle of barbecue seasoning on them because I was not expecting that and I really just wanted some awesome sweet potato fries. I am not a fan of barbecue seasoning so it was kind of throwing me off. I also ordered the peach milkshake, which came literally liquidy and warm so that did not taste good at all. We also took our kids there and the kids were pretty disgusted with the bathroom. We just did not expect clowns and cuss words everywhere so just be warned if you have little kids that can read. Lol

HomeGrown Hit the Spot…read more We stopped at HomeGrown for brunch after a Friday morning ER visit, and it ended up being a really nice way to reset the day. I had the Salsa Verde Pork & Egg with a pancake on the side, and Kim had the seasonal Limoncello French Toast. We both had caramel lattes, and everything was excellent. The place was moderately busy, but service was friendly and excellent. It has a bright, cheerful feel inside, and the outdoor seating looked really inviting too -- I just wasn't dressed for hot weather that morning. Prices felt reasonable for the quality, and the menu has a fun mix of breakfast and lunch options with seasonal specials thrown in. Good food, good lattes, great service, and a really nice atmosphere. We'll definitely be back!

This was one of the best places I have been to in a while. Des Moines HomeGrown did it right…read more We debated on going because we were arriving 30 mins before close, which I hate doing because that's when everyone is trying to clean up and get their side work done. We saw there were a few table so we decided to try it with the intention to be quick. Boy am I glad we did! Started with the sunrise juice, a carrot juice blend and the homemade strawberry lemonade both were so fresh and delicious. We tried the brown sugar and cinnamon pop tart and that was heaven in my mouth. So much flavor and goodness. I ordered the limoncello French toast and it is a slice of fresh baked lemon bread made into French toast. The flavors were rich and the texture was fluffy. A must try while it's in season. Others got the turkey and avocado Benedict and the pancakes with eggs and bacon. All cooked to perfection. Our server Jess was so nice and we did tip her well for being so last minute, but to our credit we were out of there at 6 mins after closing while everyone was still working to close up. I try to not show up late but this one was so worth it!!

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $50 05/15/2026 My wife is fond of her Lebanese heritage, so when we saw Open Sesame on the Des Moines Register's Must Go List in East Village last month, we knew we needed to check it out. Last night was our opportunity and boy was it ever a memorable experience! Their website speaks of it being a colorful decor - and that is true both inside and out (see pictures)! We were warmly greeted and promptly seated - and asked if he could take our picture under the billowing, colorful ceiling (see picture). We started with a a round of drinks - my wife ordered the Ishtar's Revenge (see picture) and I went with the Yazmina (see picture). All of the cocktails are quite unique and we enjoyed both of these. As we started talking with our server, MJ - he looked familiar and his story sounded familiar. We asked and he confirmed that he used to own Gazali's in Clive, IA - a restaurant closer to our home that we enjoyed several times. MJ recommended the the Vegetarian Sampler Plate (see picture) for an appetizer and we loved it - offering the opportunity to sample several different Lebanese menu items on one plate. For our main courses, my wife ordered the Shawarma Chicken Pita Wrap (see picture) and I opted for the Combo Rice Plate (see picture), done spicy per MJ's suggestion. As we always do, we shared tastes of each of our dishes and loved them both! Lastly, the Jalab (rose and date infused water - see picture) caught my eye - so I ordered one of those to enjoy with my meal. Again, it is highly recommended! What visit to a Lebanese restaurant would be complete without Baklava (see picture), which MJ recommended that we enjoy with Turkish Coffees (see picture and video of pouring). We even got an education on how best to each the Baklava - pick it up with your fingers, take a bite, then keep that bite in your mouth while you take a sip of the Turkish Coffee - then enjoy! While it is hard not to enjoy Bakalava, it was even better when paired with the Turkish Coffee. If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.

MJ and his family are so awesome and kind! I stopped in to try a refreshing drink on my walk in my…read morefirst time ever in Iowa on my walk to the beautiful golden capital and what a warm welcome it was. I met his whole family and he introduced me to all the customers. It was so fun and familial and inviting. Not to mention the decor inside is gorgeous! I love supporting local and trying new things. Definitely give this place a visit if you want good vibes, good energy, and delicious food made with love for real.