Malcom
Malcom, IA · Food & Drink
The Des Moines Register
3 Des Moines restaurants serving global comfort food worth trying
Across the Des Moines metro, some of the most soulful meals come from kitchens shaped by migration and tradition. These restaurants aren’t chasing trends or courting hype; they’re cooking the food of home — dishes that carry stories, techniques and flavors passed down through families and across continents. The service is warm, often familial, and the menus reflect the culinary identities of the owners. These places offer global comfort foods such as Burmese coconut chicken soup, Ethiopian Doro Wat and Puerto Rican mofongo. Try one of these immigrant‑driven gems worth seeking out. Gursha Ethiopian Grill Gursha’s dining room blends Ethiopian warmth with modern simplicity using soft lighting, earth-toned walls and the unmistakable aroma of berbere drifting from the kitchen. Staff explain dishes and encourage diners to share at this counter-service restaurant. The doro wat is the star — a slow-simmered chicken stew with hard-boiled eggs served atop pillowy injera. Its deep red color hints at the spice and comfort within. Eating here feels like being welcomed into someone’s home, where meals are meant to be shared. Details: Gursha Ethiopian Grill, 2316 University Ave., Des Moines, 515-630-1077, gurshaiowa.com . MinGaLaBar Burmese Restaurant MinGaLaBar’s dining room in Urbandale is modest, bright and
Fabulous Iowa
Erin Swisher’s Five Stops for the Perfect Night Out in Des Moines
From must-visit hotspots to local favorites, this Erin Not Karen night out promises good times, a few questionable decisions, and plenty of Des Moines memories. The post Erin Swisher’s Five Stops for the Perfect Night Out in Des Moines appeared first on Fabulous Iowa .
familyvacationsus.com
Iowa Locals Keep Coming Back For The Pork Tenderloins At This Old School Cafe
Some restaurants win people over with shiny signs and fancy plates, but Smitty’s Tenderloin Shop does it with a crispy sandwich bigger than the bun. This old school Des Moines cafe has been feeding hungry locals, road trippers, zoo visitors, and tenderloin hunters for years. People talk about the...
WHO 13
Iowa's Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin of 2026 revealed
CBS News
Let’s Dish marks 23 years as its meal kits expand into Target stores
Axios Des Moines
First bite: Bali Bulay brings Indonesian food to Des Moines
Bali Bulay Indonesian Satay has opened a permanent downtown Des Moines home. Why it matters: The restaurant gives the metro something new: Father-son owners Franklin and Kaleb Creighton Crum say it's Iowa's first Indonesian restaurant. Driving the news: The restaurant opened last month inside Local Bites International Food Hall at 700 Locust St. Catch up quick: The family spent about a decade living in Bali, Indonesia, before moving back to Iowa. They debuted their food at CelebrAsian last year, later used the Mickle Center shared-use kitchen, and served at events including the Valley Junction Farmers Market On the menu: The star is satay — grilled meat skewers served with sauce — alongside Indonesian dishes including rendang, a slow-cooked beef dish with coconut milk and spices. A rotating selection of sambal, the spicy condiment central to Indonesian cooking, rounds out the menu. On my plate: I tried the $15 lunch combo: three skewers — two chicken and one beef — plus noodle salad and sweet-and-spicy sambal. It was flavorful, filling and worth a return trip. If you go: 11am-2pm Monday-Friday.
islands.com
'The Ice Cream Capital Of The World' Is A Charming Iowa City With Quaint Shops And Colorful Local Art
The average traveler passing through landlocked Iowa, known for its fields of towering corn stalks and romantic covered bridges, may not realize that the state is a big-time production hub for a popular frozen dessert. Tucked in Iowa's northwest corner, the charming city of Le Mars is colloquially called the "Ice Cream Capital of the World" because it churns out more of its Blue Bunny ice cream in the same location than any other brand in any other city in the world. And it's a message the town loves to proclaim. You'll see the slogan on a massive downtown sign as well as on its water tower as you explore the local shops. The theme also filters down to its public art installations and a yearly summer festival.
allamericanatlas.com
5 Mom and Pop Restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa that Locals Swear By
Des Moines, Iowa — a city where the river bends and the prairie wind carries stories, where neighborhoods bloom with lilacs and laughter, where the skyline is a gentle rise of domes, spires, and the golden glow of streetlights after rain. Here, the city’s heart beats in the rhythm of farmers’ markets, porch swings, and the sizzle of something good on the grill. Des Moines is a crossroads — of old-timers and newcomers, of artists and entrepreneurs, of families who’ve called these blocks home for generations and dreamers just finding their place.
Amest Tribune
Behind growing Iowa barbecue destination is a leader focused on people
When Gwen Page talks about receiving an award, she almost immediately mentions other people. Ask the owner of Whatcha Smokin? BBQ + Brew in Luther what it means to be named the Iowa Restaurant Association 's Rural Operator of the Year and she redirects the spotlight to her employees. More: Ames dog named Bo is adopted mommy to a litter of orphaned kitties "The thing they love is the people they work with," Page recently told the Ames Tribune. That answer says a lot about the woman behind one of Iowa's most talked-about restaurants, headquartered in a town of about 120 people in Boone County. On Oct. 19, Page will be recognized during the Iowa Hospitality Showcase at Prairie Meadows . The annual honor celebrates restaurant leaders serving rural communities. Page views the award less as a personal achievement and more as a reflection of the people around her. "When I receive this honor, it's accepted on behalf of our team," she said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." That people-first approach has shaped nearly every step of her career. Whatcha Smokin? owner found her calling in hospitality Page's restaurant story began long before barbecue entered the