The hottest new restaurants in the Des Moines metro, February 2025 edition

Des Moines area restaurant fans love to know what's new, what's hot and what favorite chef just launched a second effort that should be tried.

With that, the Des Moines Register updates its hot list, a look at some of the newest restaurants that diners can't get enough of.

Here's a look at 10 of the hottest new restaurants in the Des Moines metro, an alphabetical list that will be updated monthly as new restaurants arrive with newcomers removed as they reach six months old.

Is your favorite new restaurant missing from the list? Drop us a line at sstapleton@gannett.com and we'll check it out.  

Arcadia

Head to Polk City between Saylorville Lake and Big Creek Lakes for Arcadia, an upscale restaurant that leans into fusion fare. The seasonal menu takes its inspirations from fresh ingredients, local farmers, and executive chef Mikel Nguyen’s Vietnamese heritage.

Start with Vietnamese eggrolls in pork and beef that he hand rolls with his family, or Korean fried wings. Chef Axel Hernandez throws his Mexican heritage into the mix with aguachile made with shrimp or a roasted poblano chicken sandwich. For entrees, try a honey-soy glazed pork chop, sticky ribs, or beef bourguignon.

The cocktails from Antonio Aguilar have their own elevated spin with Light the Beam made with gin, lemonade and lavender honey or a Japanese highball that uses Japanese whiskey and ginger ale.

Location: 1010 Tyler St., Suite 4, Polk City

Contact: 515-207-0011 or arcadiapolkcity.com

Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Happy hour: Tuesday through Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m.

Café Madeleine

Chef David Baruthio returns to the Des Moines dining scene with a reservations only restaurant with tasting menus. Café Madeleine offers 16 seats, two services, chefs serving diners, and nine courses.

The first menu, which runs through early March, features a lineup of French food, with Italian on the menu next, followed by a seafood-forward menu in mid-April through early June.

The result? An up-close experience with the chef as he presents dishes and discusses the stories behind the food. Truly something different for Des Moines diners to experience in a café-like setting in downtown.

Location: 218 Sixth Ave., Des Moines

Contact: 515-815-0924 or thecafemadeleine.com

Hours: By reservation only.

Hawker’s Kitchen

This new restaurant in Ankeny pays homage to street food culture and Singapore's iconic hawker centers, where people gather to dine in open-air food courts. Owner Jennifer Vayding features dishes from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan on her menu, made with her son Zach Tan.

Head to the counter to order laksa, a noodle soup with spicy coconut broth and a pile of shrimp, tofu, fish cakes, bean curds and hard-boiled egg, as well as nasi lamak — fried chicken with coconut rice, roasted peanuts, cucumber and chili paste — and the roti john sandwich, with curried beef, egg, mozzarella, shredded cabbage, mayor and sweet chili sauce. Other options include fried shrimp pancakes, marinated chicken bites, egg tarts, lemongrass chicken salad with vermicelli, beef bulgogi with rice, taro bubble tea, mango sticky rice and much more.

Location: 1975 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 101, Ankeny

Contact: 515-901-5268 or hawkers-kitchen.com

Hours: Open from Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

HiFi Brew Lounge

This new brewery from the team behind Cooper’s on Fifth and more opened this ode to music in Valley Junction. Spend some time looking at the wall of albums that line the staircase heading to the second level with its entertainment space and access to the two-level patio, as well as framed artwork of rock legends, including David Bowie from his Viva Glam era, the Beastie Boys and more.

The menu here has fun riffs on classic favorites. Dig into dishes such as birria grilled cheese, eggplant gyro, disco tots, pork belly bites in a jalapeno sriracha, or brisket BLT, and many items have a hint of heat.

HiFi also brews beers such as the Brown Eyed Girl mild brown, Foxy Lady Irish red, California Love West Coast IPA, and Jagged Little Pils.

Location: 103 S. 11th St., West Des Moines

Contact: 515-415-1085 or hifibrewlounge.com

Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Brunch: Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a ratatouille omelet, steak de Burgo eggs Benedict, blueberry ricotta stuffed French toast, and birria and egg burritos. Order bloody Marys, bloody Mary verde, beermosas, spritz's and $20 bottomless mimosas.

Happy hour: Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m.

It’s My Jam Cafe

Darren Warth of Smokey D’s BBQ fame ate breakfast at Sorriso Grille in Ankeny every morning. He loved it so much that he bought the restaurant when Melinda Strable decided to retire after a decade in business. Now the breakfast and lunch spot offers dishes such as avocado toast topped with an egg, Cinnamon Toast Crunch-coated French toast, design-your-own loaded hash browns or omelets, eggs Benedicts, cinnamon rolls, and the must-order homemade tarts that look like Toaster Strudel. For lunch, try a brisket French dip, BLT, Monte Cristo, or Italian sub. The restaurant is packed during prime breakfast hours on the weekend, so expect a wait.

Location: 7015 N.E. 14th St., Ankeny

Contact:itsmyjamcafe.com

Hours: Open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Lunch Monday through Friday only.

KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

The long-awaited KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot debuted in West Des Moines inside the former Wahlburgers space just south of Jordan Creek Town Center. The restaurant specializes in both all-you-can-eat barbecue, where diners cook their own meats and veggies over a grill at the table, and hot pots, where customers share meats, seafood, noodles and vegetables dunked in a pot of broth.

One side of the menu is dedicated to barbecue dishes. Diners order meats marinated soy sauce, gochujang or even toasted sesame oil. Flip the menu over to find items to order for hot pots. Start with a soup base, which includes mushroom, tomato, Japanese miso, herbs, Thai tom yum, Szechuan spicy, Korean seafood, or a gluten-free option.

Location: 7105 Mills Civic Pkwy. #160, West Des Moines

Contact: 515-630-1577 or thekpot.com

Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 10:30 p.m.

Oceanside Grill

Oscar Juarez already has Filet Steakhouse and Bubbies BBQ in Ankeny. Now he split Filet in two to make way for Oceanside Grill, a restaurant for seafood lovers. Find everything from crab legs and lobster tails to Mahi Mahi and swordfish on this tight menu. Start with an Oscar-style crab cake or shrimp stuffed with crab. Cod, orange roughy, red snapper and Atlantic salmon all appear on the menu, as do a limited number of steaks and combos with seafood. Try the lobster and crab dinner for $36.99. Note that customers cannot order from Filet Steakhouse at the restaurant.

Location: 1802 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 100B, Ankeny

Contact: 515-289-8200 or oceanside-grill.com

Hours: Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Pho Viet

This new Vietnamese restaurant just north of Jordan Creek Town Center just reopened after the owner vacationed in Vietnam in January. Pho Viet offers the more casual dishes of the cuisine — noodle soups, vermicelli, fried rice dishes, bahn mi, and of course the namesake pho, served in stone bowls. Try Vietnamese egg rolls or spring rolls, com suon bi cha, a pork chop with an egg cake served with rice, or lad na with gravy with veggies, egg, and choices of meat. The restaurant specializes in hot pot with tom yum or sweet pork broth. Diners can then cook their own meat, vegetables and noodles at the table.

Location: 5002 EP True Pkwy., West Des Moines

Contact: 515-599-0055 or phovietiowa.com

Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Country Club

Sam Summers brings the heyday of the supper club back to life under the Val Air Ballroom. Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Country Club offers memories of the original Val Air owner Tom Archer and his family through photos and memorabilia on the walls, old news clippings, and a look back at some of the big names who entertained the crowds over the years. The supper club vibe extends from the decor to the food, from executive chef Ryan Skinner.

Key menu items include popovers made with tallow and baked as they are ordered, chicken liver mousse, French onion soup, and a classic wedge salad with Maytag blue cheese and Nueske’s bacon. The relish tray, which Skinner calls “Midwest charcuterie,” features a “delightful mix of pickled vegetables, meat, crackers and dip.”

Pastas also make an appearance on the menu, with gnocchi made in house, spaghetti and meatballs, or ravioli. Diners can add black truffles, shaved or sliced, to any dish for market price. The entrees include walleye, a pork schnitzel, mushroom Wellington, and chicken Vesuvio, all served with a seasonal vegetable. Beef options, all premium from Iowa, include a filet, New York strip and center cut steak.

Location: Val Air Ballroom, 301 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines

Contact: 515-855-6797 or tomscountryclub.com

Reservations: tables.toasttab.com

Hours: Accepting reservations from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and on show nights.

What Dak Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is having a moment in Des Moines. What Dak offers its double-fried chicken with two sauce options: spicy or soy garlic. The fast-casual restaurant also serves Korean corn dogs, bulgogi, kimchi, pot stickers, and more Korean dishes.

Location: 9250 University Ave., Suite 113, West Des Moines

Contact: 515-842-7002 or whatdak.com

Hour: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

(This article was updated to include a gallery.)

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.