We are spending a week discovering things to see and do in and around Des Moines, Iowa. So, why Des Moines you might ask? Well, we wanted to get away for a quick trip and we threw a dart at a map. Bullseye lands in Iowa. I must admit we’ve never been to Iowa. Since Des Moines is the capital, I knew that there would be lots of sights to explore. So, off we go on another adventure!
Exploring the sites of downtown Des Moines
We checked into our apartment in the historic East Village, as it’s very walkable to the many downtown sights including the Iowa State Capitol building. The East Village is filled with diverse businesses, boutiques, restaurants, galleries and bars. It’s also the home to the almost 50 year old PrideFest. Here are a few photos around the East Village.
After an enjoyable walk exploring this area (and a happy hour or two 😉), it’s time to eat. We decided on a local quirky favorite called Fong’s Pizza. According to their website, Fong’s Pizza started in the home of Des Moines’ oldest Chinese restaurant before moving to its current location. Previously this location was home to King Ying Low, once the oldest Chinese restaurant in the United States that opened in 1907.
Featured on the Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, and mentioned by Alton Brown as his favorite stop on tour.
Fong’s is a fusion of Asian, Italian, & Polynesian cooking creating unique pizzas and other dishes. Oh, and there’s also a tropical Tiki bar. What more can you ask for?
We had to order their famous Crab Rangoon pizza. It’s a crab rangoon base, crab surimi, green onion, mozzarella, and asiago topped with crispy wontons and sweet chili sauce. Quite the Italian-Asian fusion.
So what’s the verdict? We enjoyed the egg rolls we ordered and the pizza was really good. It does have the perfect flavors of a traditional crab rangoon. I’m glad we visited this fun and quirky dining spot.
However, we do admit that our favorite crab pizza (Marie LeVeaux) is at Deano’s in Lafayette, Louisiana. Real “blue point” crab meat is the main ingredient on this pizza. I may write a post highlighting all of our favorite Louisiana foods sometime in the future.
Iowa State Capitol
Construction began in 1871 on the Iowa State Capitol building, the country’s only five-domed capitol. The main dome is covered with 23 karat gold. There are many of the original furnishings and artwork still on display. It is the seat of government for Iowa and includes the Governor’s private office, Old Supreme Court Chamber, House of Representatives, Iowa Senate and the beautiful State Law Library.
This is an incredible must see sight if you’re in downtown. It’s free and open to the public.
Des Moines City Hall & Rotary Riverwalk Park
Let’s continue our walking tour of downtown. We walked past City Hall (1909) which serves as the seat for the city government. Then we crossed a bridge to explore Riverwalk Park.
Papajohn Sculpture Park
This 4.4 acre park and public green space is home to more than 30 sculptures from local and international artists.
A Cajun restaurant for lunch?
As all of you know, we are born and bred Cajuns from south Louisiana. We typically avoid Cajun food outside of Louisiana, unless we cook it ourselves. However we threw caution to the wind and ate lunch at Buzzard Billy’s, “the best Cajun Creole food in central Iowa”. The original location is actually in Waco, Texas.
After a delicious frozen beverage to cool off, reminiscent of the drive through daiquiris in Louisiana, we finally decided not to try the seafood after all. Since we’re in the Midwest, I am craving something with cheese curds. I see they have poutine on the menu and I couldn’t resist. Their menu reads “a taste of Canada in the Bayou!” If you don’t know what poutine is, it’s crispy fries with melted Wisconsin cheese curds topped with pot roast and gravy. Yummy, but the appetizer size fed us both with leftovers. I’ve mentioned poutine in a previous post about Costco Canada.
Their Ragin’ Cajun burger is a 1/2 lb. Angus beef patty topped with grilled Andouille sausage, Jalapeño Muenster cheese, jalapeño bacon, spicy aioli and served on a bakery fresh roll. Both delicious, but we’ve overeaten. Though we can’t really say how good the Cajun food here is, what we did eat is absolutely worth the stop.
A winery in town
We then discovered Jasper Winery near downtown. This local winery grows their own grapes and produces wine at this location. They also offer free tastings, so we decided to check them out one afternoon. We enjoyed a couple of their dry red wines.
There are over 100 licensed wineries in Iowa, so hopefully we’ll stumble upon a few more before we leave.
Downtown Farmers’ Market
The Downtown Farmers’ Market is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025! It’s located in the historic court district of downtown and open every Saturday 7:00-noon from May-October. There are lots of vendors lining the streets selling food, flowers, arts, crafts, wine, cheese, fruit, vegetables, and much more. We woke up early to enjoy the sparkling skyline of downtown and after breakfast walked to the market. This is a great thing to enjoy while you’re in town on a weekend.
The market spills out in front of the beautiful Polk County Courthouse built in 1906.
A nice view of downtown
Today is going to be a scorcher with full sunshine and a high of 98 degrees. So we decided to do a couple things outside before we melted. First stop is the EMC lookout in MacRae Park. The overlook is a triangular viewing platform 96 feet long and extends from a bluff 40 feet over the hillside.
Historic Valley Junction
Valley Junction, founded in 1893, became the commercial heart of the region due to the railroad. Originally known for its groceries, banks, and shops, Valley Junction had a reputation due to its saloons, pool halls, brothels, and bootleggers. Today, historic Valley Junction, the original downtown of West Des Moines, is a charming and vibrant district that exudes the feel of a “small town in a big city.” With over 140 locally owned businesses, you’ll discover a diverse array of shops, home decor boutiques, antique stores, restaurants, art galleries, and specialty stores.
How are we staying cool?
It’s now 98 degrees, so it’s time to head indoors. We headed to the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall, with over 450 dealers and 36,000 square feet of air conditioned shopping. That’ll give us lots of time to cool off.
A second way to stay cool is happy hour! I read an article about The Bartender’s Handshake. It’s a local neighborhood bar with a patio and a great daily happy hour. We drove by it twice as there isn’t a sign on their awning. Recently named one of the “29 best bars in America” in USA Today’s 2025 list for its unique cocktails and neighborhood feel. We loved the $6 Aperol Spritz! Another fun pitstop while exploring Des Moines.
Our final cooling off stop of the day is Classic frozen custard. This is a family run walk up ice cream shop specializing in frozen custard and is often cited in “best of” ice cream stops. We have to admit we really LOVED the pumpkin frozen custard special flavor. As the motto on their sign says, “once you lick it…you’ll luv it!”. What a way to end the day!
Sunday Entertainment
Today we spent a relaxing day and enjoyed lunch of fish and chips at an old-world German bier hall downtown called Hessen Haus. The food is great and it’s a nice place to hangout if you’re in downtown.
We spotted a flyer about a Sunday evening drag show with drink specials at both The Garden and The Blazing Saddle. We decided to check them both out, as it’s just a few blocks from our apartment. Apparently even dogs can attend if dressed up too. We had lots of fun watching the performers.
A surprise encounter
While we are enjoying our beverages between the shows, we met Andrew Fuller. He’s the season 1 winner of the Netflix series “Is It Cake?” Contestants create cakes that replicate common objects in an effort to trick celebrity judges who must decide which is the real object or is it cake? Andrew now owns Sugar Freakshow, a specialty bakery in town. He’s been on multiple baking competition shows and is soon flying to London for a meet and greet with fans. We enjoyed visiting with him.
Steak de Burgo—a Des Moines food creation
So, what is Steak de Burgo? It’s beef tenderloin seared to order and sautéed in lots of garlic, fresh oregano, basil, butter, & spices.
To this day, Des Moines residents dispute which local restaurant is credited for this recipe: Vic’s Tally Ho or Johnny & Kay’s. The 1964 edition of Better Homes and Gardens, titled Famous Food From Famous Places, asserts that Johnny & Kay’s is the original creator, featuring its buttery and herb-infused version. It’s believed that Johnny Campiano may have returned with the dish as a “souvenir” from his service in the Coast Guard in New Orleans. The oldest known record of Steak de Burgo comes from Vic’s Tally Ho restaurant, where they allegedly had it on its menu in the 1930s.
Where did we try this local specialty?
I read all the “best of” reviews for Steak de Burgo in Des Moines and although it was a tough choice, I decided we’d have dinner at Simon’s. They are only open 5:00-9:00 today (Monday) and they don’t take reservations, except for larger parties. We read you need to get in line by 4:00 to get a table when they open at 5:00, or you’ll wait a couple hours. It’s a small neighborhood restaurant with limited tables. So, here we are in line with 30 other people at 4:15 for dinner. While waiting for a table after they open, they have a “waiting room” speakeasy next door until your table is called.
The steak dinner came with a soup or salad, steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. I had the soup—a delicious seafood bisque. The eight ounce filet perfectly cooked with the garlic, herb butter sauce was amazing! You won’t be disappointed, even if you do have to wait. The owner and chef, Simon, sat with us at our table and shared they will open up the wall soon between the lounge and restaurant, but he had no desire to expand. He is celebrating 20 years of dining service and is happy with things as they are. Oh, did I mention that they also serve everyone a complimentary homemade red velvet cake for dessert? Awesome…
Final thoughts
We had no idea what to expect on our trip to Des Moines. We are pleasantly surprised with the many diverse things to see and do. Traffic is virtually nonexistent compared to Houston and everything seemed to be an 8-9 minute drive from downtown unless you’re headed out further into the suburbs. If you’re considering a trip to Des Moines, be prepared to encounter super friendly and welcoming people who love to chat. There’s also lots of great things to see and eat.
I’ll post more soon about our exciting Des Moines day trips from covered bridges to windmills.
Happy Travels!
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