Where to find old-school supper club dining in Des Moines
The Midwest supper club has always been more than a restaurant with low lights, stiff drinks and sizzling steaks. While Iowa never developed Wisconsin's dense supper‑club map, Des Moines has long embraced the spirit with neighborhood institutions with loyal regulars, retro charm and menus built around steak, seafood, pasta dishes and comfort food. While there's no one definition of a supper club, some of the telltale signs include dim, moody lighting with interiors that feel cozy, retro and unhurried. Wood-paneled walls, vinyl booths and vintage neon signs often decorate these spaces. A good supper club treats the bar as a main social hub. Diners often wait for a table here with a cocktail in hand. Often a supper club offers steaks, walleye, a prime rib night, pastas, a relish tray and ice cream drinks such as a Grasshopper, Pink Squirrel or Golden Cadillac. Of course, not all of these elements are necessary. Some supper clubs from the past include Sam & Gabe’s, a long-running local favorite known for fine dining, Italian-American dishes and supper club flair, with past locations in Clive and Urbandale. Silhouette Restaurant was a staple from the mid-1950s to 1970 at Douglas Avenue and Merle Hay Road,
