Catch Des Moines is proud to sponsor Greater Des Moines Restaurant Week 2020 beginning this weekend and running through next Sunday, August 30. Restaurant Week elevates and celebrates our community's food scene, with more than 60 participating restaurants. New this year, restaurants will be offering both dine-in and carryout options. Dine-in dinner menus will range from $30 to $35 per person, while carryout will be $30. Lunches, both dine-in and carry out, will be $15 per person.
Save your receipts! Send in four receipts from participating restaurants during restaurant week and enter to win the Catch Des Moines Ultimate staycation including a stay at the AC Marriott in the East Village and gift cards to The Republic on Grand, the Science Center of Iowa, The Hall and Fong's Pizza. Learn more at dsmrestaurantweek.com.
To help plan your Greater Des Moines restaurant tour, here are just a few of our favs, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. View all participating restaurants.
Comfort Food
Needing some cozy, familiar dishes guaranteed to bring you back to grandma's kitchen? These stick-to-your-ribs picks will fit the bill.
Bubba Southern Comforts
Bubba Southern Comforts. With 'comfort' right in the name, you know you're in culinary delight, or maybe coma. This beautiful, natural light-filled, cozy establishment will have you fixin' to loosen your suspenders after an indulgent meal, capped with a traditional southern cocktail or sweet tea. For Restaurant Week, your dinner options include spicy deviled eggs or crispy zucchini cakes, coffee & chile-rubbed steak, or cauliflower Veracruz. Y'all be coming back real soon, we expect.
Gilroy's
Known for an incredible weekend brunch spread and one of the best patios in Greater Des Moines, Gilroy's prides itself on crafting creative American comfort foods. For lunch during Restaurant Week, you'll enjoy a salad along with your choice of pizza or hearty sandwiches. And for dinner, take your pick of gooey spinach artichoke dip or fried cheese curds followed by baked Graziano rigatoni, honey bacon alfredo pizza, BBQ porterhouse pork chop, or Gilroy's fried chicken. Top your meal with the decadent warm apple crisp.
Full Court Press establishments
Known for creative concepts that tend to attract national attention for inspired fusions and a strong commitment to a theme, the masterminds at Full Court Press might even put Disney to shame. For restaurant week, you can pick up a $50 gift card at any of their establishments for just $35 for use throughout the week. Allow us to recommend a few comfort food favs: broasted chicken and bacon-wrapped tater tots at High Life Lounge, fish and chips at the Royal Mile, or the undisputed "best nachos in town" at University Library Café.
Upscale Dining
You've done an excellent job meal planning this year, but now it's time to treat yourself. You've earned a night off from cooking - indulge in the best international flavors Greater Des Moines has to offer at these high-class establishments. Better dig out the fancy duds!
Aposto
If you've always wanted to try Aposto (you should check out their special every Wednesday), now's your chance! This European kitchen is located in a historic house in Sherman Hill. During Restaurant Week, you'll enjoy flavors from Southern Italy, such as Calabrian sausage cavatelli, arancini, and vanilla panna cotta.
Splash
The premier seafood restaurant in Des Moines, Splash boasts an award-winning wine list and the city's first oyster bar. Here you can expect the freshest fish selection flown in daily from coast to coast, including seaports in Boston, Seattle, Key Largo, and Honolulu.
Table 128
As the winner of the 2020 Open Table Diner's Choice award, you know you're in for a culinary treat at Table 128. For dinner during Restaurant Week, you might have trouble deciding between five impressive creations, including Beef Bourguignon, roast duck, pork tenderloin, avocado miso mushroom bowl, or baked cod. Allow us to recommend their famous chocolate chip cookies for dessert!
Trostel's Greenbriar
A north side treasure, Trostel's Greenbriar in Johnston, has been serving elegant American fare for more than three decades. That kind of staying power demonstrates a commitment to culinary excellence. For dinner, you'll enjoy Caprese salad comprised of sliced heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, along with your choice of either the grilled top sirloin over warm Greek Iowa sweet corn or pan-seared Hawaiian snapper.
Vino209
Enjoy watching Valley Junction shoppers pass by through large, open doors while you sip on a glass of cabernet at Vino209. For Restaurant Week, you'll enjoy 63-degree egg (if unfamiliar, you'll have to look up this creative dish for yourself), watermelon gazpacho and prosecco, and steak roulade. Or you can opt for the to-go option, a take-and-bake lasagna filled with bolognese, ricotta bechamel, and smoked provolone.
Fresh Flavors
Nothing beats the taste of in-season ingredients, and these restaurants pride themselves on sourcing locally from the grower down the street. Located at the center of America's Breadbasket, there's a reason the country's best farmers' market calls downtown Des Moines home.
HoQ
Fully embracing access to local ingredients, HoQ has perfected farm to table cuisine. Expect to find a rotating menu that evolves to celebrate the season with 90% of their ingredients sourced from local farms. For Restaurant Week, choose from Berkwood Farms pork schnitzel, sea scallops, or the vegetarian option featuring rice and lentil crepes and spiced summer squash.
Trellis Café
Boasting a plant-inspired menu, a lunch at Trellis Café at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is a feast for your eyes as well as your taste buds. Enjoy seasonal soups, pastas, sandwiches, desserts, and kid-friendly meals while overlooking the Botanical Garden's water garden and beyond.
