Your Guide to the Best Lunch Spots in Downtown Des Moines
The best lunch in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) is just a short skywalk, bike ride or free bus shuttle away! If you need a quick bite on the go, a sit-down place optimal for an important Noon-time meeting, or perhaps somewhere to show off your local foodie prowess while hosting a visiting friend for lunch, Downtown Des Moines restaurants certainly fit the bill.
Lunch in Downtown Des Moines
Location: Inside the 801 Grand Building
Skywalk Access: YES
This quick little Italian bistro is ideal for a grab-and-go lunch or an informal meeting spot. You’ll find insanely tasty soup, salad, pasta or pizza slices here. Walk to this Downtown Des Moines lunch restaurant using the skywalk system on a cool day, too! Be sure to peep their Facebook page for each day’s specials including the daily featured soup.
Location: Near Western Gateway Neighborhood
Skywalk Access: NO
Three words: Buttermilk. Fried. Chicken. Make it hot, make it honey hot or add country gravy and you just might need a siesta after eating this yummy lunch! Bubba’s menu is chockful of Southern goodness like pimento mac and cheese, shrimp and grits and Jambalaya, too!
Location: Historic East Village
Skywalk Access: NO
Reimagined diner classics is what Clyde’s is all about! Order the ol’ faithful: The BLT! That’s bacon, lettuce, tomato accompanied by some tasty dill garlic mayo. Yum!
Location: Historic Court District
Skywalk Access: YES
CABCo. falls under the category of “Old Faithful” as a Downtown Des Moines lunch destination for workers, residents and visitors, alike. A local fave is the “Black & Tan Reuben:” a double decker sammie with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing atop marble rye bread. Might we suggest a side of the “Cheeseburger Soup?” Make it an Aloha Friday and pair your Reuben with the Pointer Brown Ale, brewed in-house! Pro tip: Sit on the patio on a warm day and soak up the Downtown DSM sunshine!
Location: Near Western Gateway Neighborhood
Skywalk Access: NO
As its name suggests, this Downtown Des Moines eatery is all about freshness. The menu is seasonal and features local ingredients from Iowa farms. The lunch menu spans starters, greens, tacos, sandwiches and flatbreads. Fresko also offers a helpful guide on their menu for individuals with dietary restrictions, identifying menu items that are vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or can be made gluten free upon request. For a recommendation: Try the beet and goat cheese salad. Enjoy!
Location: Sherman Hill Neighborhood
Skywalk Access: NO
Stop in for a quick lunch at the café located inside Gateway Market, and opt to sit inside or use the patio on a warm day. Choose from menu items like soup, salad, burgers, wraps, deli and other sandwiches, tacos and Asian-style noodle entrées, with tons of sides to choose that go well beyond boring ol’ French fries. Give the fish tacos a go, made with seasoned tilapia, chipotle coleslaw, tomato, avocado and salsa atop corn and flour tortillas.
Location: Downtown Core
Skywalk Access: YES
This Downtown Des Moines skywalk restaurant offers the same quality and many of the same tasty menu items as its location off of 42nd Street in Des Moines. Head here for a grab-and-go lunch or dine in with a coworker or friend. The menu includes 10” artisan pizzas hot and cold sandwiches, salad, grains, a full coffee bar and the very best lineup of La Mie pastries. (Pro Tip: Go ahead, take a few French macarons to-go for your team, your partner, your kiddos or your roomie!)
Location: Inside the Greater Des Moines Partnership Building within the Downtown Core
Skywalk Access: YES
This food court in Downtown Des Moines’ core area makes for a happening lunch spot for Downtown workers during weekdays. There are several local food stands to choose from: Teriaki Boys, Fernando’s Mexican Grill, Michelangelo’s pizza and pasta, What The Fries, Burger Shop and China Star. You can choose to dine in the food court area, place a carry-out order online, take your food to go or even opt for catering if you’re feeding a large group! Pictured below is the beef, bacon and cheddar pizza from Michelangelo’s.
Location: Historic Court District
Skywalk Access: NO
Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Mulberry Street Tavern within the Surety Hotel offers a lunch menu featuring salads and sandwiches to enjoy with a San Pellegrino, hot tea or other beverage. Enjoy this timeless lunch spot with friends in a cozy booth or seated at the bar.
Location: Historic East Village
Skywalk Access: NO
Dine in for a casual sit-down lunch environment with authentic Greek food: Greek salad, gyro, shish kabob, hummus, tzatziki, vegetarian dolmathes, spanakopeta … you get the idea! If you want Greek food for lunch Des Moines’ Downtown area, here’s your spot.
Location: Historic East Village
Skywalk Access: NO
Discover new flavors and spices at this Lebanese restaurant, great for lunch in Downtown Des Moines. Try authentic dishes like kibbeh, kafta, baba ganouj, shawarma, falafel salad (pictured below) and lots more! Step inside and be transported to the Middle East!
Location: Downtown Core
Skywalk Access: YES
Fuel up at this beloved deli restaurant with soups, salads, sandwiches — both hot and cold — making for a great lunch place in Downtown Des Moines. The soups change daily, with many local Downtown workers favoring Tuesday’s featured soup of the day: “Chicken Enchilada.”
Location: Historic East Village
Skywalk Access: NO
The menu here is surprisingly vast, and a great place to go where your crew’s tastes are varied! Food at this Downtown Des Moines lunch restaurant ranges from salads to bread bowl soups, loaded baked potatoes, house mac and cheese, sandwiches, burgers, warm appetizers and hot dips perfect for a chilly day. Check out the “Ringer Burger:” beer battered onion rings, pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, banana peppers, crispy bacon and mayo on a seasoned, hand-pattied burger with a Brioche bun.
Location: Downtown Core
Skywalk Access: YES
This BBQ restaurant in Downtown Des Moines’ skywalk is an oldie but goodie. Snag house-smoked BBQ like chopped pork, pulled chicken, pit ham, beef brisket and burnt ends. The full line-up of sides makes for a perfect pairing, including mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, jalapeño corn — to name just a few. Save room (if you can!) for dessert like an Iowa favorite, the “Scotcharoo.” There’s a reason loyal customers keep coming back again and again!
Location: Western Gateway Neighborhood
Skywalk Access: NO
Their “Pepperjack Potato Soup” and fully stocked salad bar is worth ditching your leftovers for. South Union’s menu includes hot and cold sandwiches, and chili too! Pro tip: Don’t skip mixing up your own customized bread dipping oil to pare with the complimentary house-made garlic focaccia!
Location: Inside Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Skywalk Access: NO
You’ll find fresh, local ingredients on the menu at this Downtown Des Moines lunch spot, along with sweet views of the Botanical Garden and the Downtown skyline from the outdoor patio area. The menu is refreshed each month, so a trip today will lend to new flavors compared to your last visit! Regulars here have come to expect the best warm soups, hot sandwiches, crispy flatbreads and fresh-from-the-garden salads. Kids can also eat here for just $8 a pop!
Location: Downtown Core
Skywalk Access: NO
Did you know? The Walnut used to be The Spot food truck! Now in its brick-and-mortar location, you can stop in for a Downtown Des Moines lunch Tuesday through Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday). The “Pretzel Bites” appetizer are expertly served with incredible creamy garlic cheese sauce, the tacos — whether you choose chipotle chicken, veggie or mahi-mahi — or the “Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad” look to-die for!
Looking for even more Downtown DSM adventures? Each week we publish a list of five events you just can’t miss coming soon to Downtown. Explore the recent stories posted on our blog to learn more. Plan your visit to Downtown Des Moines (DSM) with these tips for parking and navigation and follow @downtownDSMUSA on Instagram for more epic, things-you-just-can’t-miss happening around Downtown.
Greater Des Moines Partnership
DSM USA is the regional identifier for Greater Des Moines (DSM). DSM USA is a bold statement to the world: This is a welcoming, diverse and vibrant community with affordable and accessible amenities for residents and businesses. This regional identifier is the result of significant quantitative and qualitative research.
The Partnership will champion the DSM USA message, and encourages its Investors, its more than 6,500 Regional Business Members and DSM USA Ambassadors to help share the region's story with One Voice.