Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Des Moines by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Des Moines area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Des Moines were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

W-Tao Sushi

1 / 30

#30. W-Tao Sushi

- Rating: 4.4/5 (434 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 400 Walnut St. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Japanese, Asian Fusion, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Aposto

2 / 30

#29. Aposto

- Rating: 4.4/5 (91 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 644 18th St. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Mediterranean, Venues & Event Spaces, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Main Street Cafe & Bakery

3 / 30

#28. Main Street Cafe & Bakery

- Rating: 4.4/5 (377 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2510 Southwest White Birch Drive Ste 1 & 2 Ste 1 & 2 Ankeny, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes, Sandwiches, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp

The Station on Ingersoll

4 / 30

#27. The Station on Ingersoll

- Rating: 4.5/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3124 Ingersoll Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers, American
- Read more on Yelp

Parlor

5 / 30

#26. Parlor

- Rating: 4.5/5 (67 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4041 Urbandale Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Pizza, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

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B & B Grocery Meat & Deli

6 / 30

#25. B & B Grocery Meat & Deli

- Rating: 4.5/5 (135 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2001 Southeast 6th St. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Grocery, Meat Shops, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

Sam's Fine Food Egg Rolls

7 / 30

#24. Sam's Fine Food Egg Rolls

- Rating: 4.5/5 (129 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3300 Southwest 9th St. Ste 4 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Panka Peruvian Restaurant

8 / 30

#23. Panka Peruvian Restaurant

- Rating: 4.5/5 (168 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2708 Ingersoll Ave. Ste 200 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Peruvian, Latin American
- Read more on Yelp

Flavory Bistro

9 / 30

#22. Flavory Bistro

- Rating: 4.5/5 (194 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1450 Southwest Vintage Pkwy Ste 160 Ankeny, Iowa
- Categories: Mediterranean, Salad, Gluten-Free
- Read more on Yelp

El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill

10 / 30

#21. El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill

- Rating: 4.5/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 3751 Ep True Pkwy West Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Mexican, Seafood, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Francies

11 / 30

#20. Francies

- Rating: 4.5/5 (179 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2100 Wakonda View Drive Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: American, Sports Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Bix

12 / 30

#19. Bix

- Rating: 4.5/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 111 5th St. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Sports Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp

The Stuffed Olive

13 / 30

#18. The Stuffed Olive

- Rating: 4.5/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 216 Court Ave. Ste 100 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Tapas Bars
- Read more on Yelp

HomeGrown - Des Moines

14 / 30

#17. HomeGrown - Des Moines

- Rating: 4.5/5 (376 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 555 17th St. Ste 102 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Cooper's on 5th

15 / 30

#16. Cooper's on 5th

- Rating: 4.5/5 (221 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 227 5th St. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: New American, Cocktail Bars, Comfort Food
- Read more on Yelp

Harbinger

16 / 30

#15. Harbinger

- Rating: 4.6/5 (191 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2724 Ingersoll Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Lucky Horse Burgers and Beer

17 / 30

#14. Lucky Horse Burgers and Beer

- Rating: 4.6/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2331 University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp

Mi Patria Ecuadorian Restaurant

18 / 30

#13. Mi Patria Ecuadorian Restaurant

- Rating: 4.6/5 (440 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1410 22nd St. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Latin American
- Read more on Yelp

La Cuscatleca Pupuseria & Restaurant

19 / 30

#12. La Cuscatleca Pupuseria & Restaurant

- Rating: 4.6/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1240 East 14th St. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Salvadoran
- Read more on Yelp

Curbin' Cuisine

20 / 30

#11. Curbin' Cuisine

- Rating: 4.6/5 (90 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1325 Southwest Oralabor Road Ste 200 Ankeny, Iowa
- Categories: American, Pizza, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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Coaches Kolaches

21 / 30

#10. Coaches Kolaches

- Rating: 4.6/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2777 100th St. Urbandale, Iowa
- Categories: Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Tito's Lounge

22 / 30

#9. Tito's Lounge

- Rating: 4.7/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3916 Northwest Urbandale Drive Urbandale, Iowa
- Categories: Mediterranean, Sports Bars, Lounges
- Read more on Yelp

Charlotte's Kitchen

23 / 30

#8. Charlotte's Kitchen

- Rating: 4.7/5 (94 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6150 Merle Hay Road Johnston, Iowa
- Categories: Salad, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

A Taste of Italy

24 / 30

#7. A Taste of Italy

- Rating: 4.7/5 (81 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8421 University Blvd. Ste D Clive, Iowa
- Categories: Grocery, Italian, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

La Barista Coffee

25 / 30

#6. La Barista Coffee

- Rating: 4.7/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1963 Grand Ave. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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Pally's Bar & Grill

26 / 30

#5. Pally's Bar & Grill

- Rating: 4.7/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 1800 Northwest 86th St. Clive, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos Degollado

27 / 30

#4. Tacos Degollado

- Rating: 4.7/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1817 University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Mexican, Patisserie/Cake Shop, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

La Cuscatleco South

28 / 30

#3. La Cuscatleco South

- Rating: 4.7/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 2580 Fleur Drive Ste 101 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Salvadoran
- Read more on Yelp

Freedom Blend Coffee

29 / 30

#2. Freedom Blend Coffee

- Rating: 4.8/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2329 Hickman Road Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

El Michoacano

30 / 30

#1. El Michoacano

- Rating: 4.8/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 2922 Merle Hay Road Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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