12 BIGGEST RESTAURANT OPENINGS THIS SPRING
Spring 2024 may be one of the most memorable seasons for new restaurants opening in the Des Moines metro yet. Get ready for two new restaurants from Lynn Pritchard ⬤ including the return of the beloved Table 128, while a modern steakhouse from Dominic Iannerelli promises to bring a local approach to surf and turf with an oyster bar and open-hearth grill. Look for Japanese shabu-shabu, two Korean fried chicken restaurants, and ⬤ Korean hot pots, while Vietnamese cuisine expands to the East Village. A martini and small ⬤ plates restaurant moves into larger space and a brunch restaurant expands to West Des Moines.
And maybe the biggest (if that’s possible) brings chef Matt Steigerwald, a James Beard award ⬤ semifinalist, to a new location for Wilson’s Orchard. Get excited for these restaurant and bar ⬤ openings coming to the Des Moines metro this spring.
Chikin Lickin
Opening date: April
Location: 1196 S.E. University Ave., Waukee Chikin Lickin promises double-fried Korean fried chicken in Waukee. Owner Thi Thank Nguyen originally planned to franchise a restaurant from friends in Orlando, then they decided to sell him the recipe instead. Korean corn dogs, kimchi, chicken sandwiches, and more join Korean beer, beer on tap, Soju and others spirits as well as a cheeky logo of a chicken with sunglasses.
HomeGrown Kitchen
Opening: April Location: 950 S. Jordan Creek Pkwy., West
Des Moines
The brunch restaurant that opened in Sherman Hill in 2023 plans a second location in West Des Moines next to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. HomeGrown specializes in “cage-free eggs, homemade pastries, fresh-squeezed orange juice, mimosas, bloody Marys and more,” according to the restaurant’s website.
Hugo’s Wood Fired Kitchen
Opening date: Mid-April
Location: 3206 University Ave., Des Moines Chef and owner Lynn Pritchard plans to open Hugo’s Wood-Fired Kitchen in the same building as the new WesleyLife Meals on Wheels location in the Drake neighborhood. Pritchard, who has 503 Cocktail Lab & Tasting Room in the East Village, will serve Mediterranean food in the space named for his son. Expect pizzas as well as dishes influenced by the flavors of northern Africa, Middle Eastern countries Lebanon and Turkey, and the lighter touches Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal at the restaurant, where the patio is bigger than the dining room. A half wall surrounding the kitchen gives diners a view of the pizza oven and chefs making last-minute touches to plates before they reach the table. A small cocktail bar tucks into the front of the space that looks out on the patio and University Avenue.
K-Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
Location: 7105 Mills Civic Pkwy., West Des
Moines
K-Pot promises to be coming soon to the former Wahlburgers location in West Des Moines. The restaurant from the Wahlberg brothers closed last January. The website describes KPot as an “all-you-can-eat experience that merges traditional Asian hot pot with Korean
BBQ flavors.” For the hot pots, diners select a soup base from options such as Sichuan spicy or Korean seafood tofu, choose thinly sliced meats and seafood with vegetables, and dip each into the hot broth to cook the dish at the table. The Korean barbecue side of the menu focuses on beef, pork, seafood and vegetables cooked at a grill at the table.
Prime & Providence
Opening date: Mid-April Location: 595 S. 60th St. in West Des
Moines
Chef Dominic Iannerelli, who most recently served as executive chef and director of restaurants for Splash Seafood and Jethro’s BBQ, is opening a steakhouse in West Des Moines with local attorney and businessman Cory F. Gourley and his investment group. Prime & Providence promises bold flavors, steak and seafood options at an oyster bar, and dishes cooked on an open-fire hearth. The chic space features elevated booths, a chef’s table at the oyster bar, a cocktail lounge and bar, two private dining rooms, and patio space. Kobe beef, wagyu, tastings of different types o beef, and hot and cold seafood towers are just some of the delicacies Iannerelli plans to offer.
The Stuffed Olive
Opening: March 29
Location: 216 Court Ave., Des Moines The Stuffed Olive, home of a long list of martinis and tapas, makes the move to a new home in the Court Avenue entertainment district. The long-time restaurant plans to relocate into The CC, the revamped entertainment hub at 216 Court Ave. The restaurant takes over the first floor the former Court Center Building. The Stuffed Olive closes at 208 Third St. in Des Moines, a space that it originally took over in 2014. The new space will triple the restaurant’s size.
Table 128
Opening: Late April
Location: 220 S.W. Ninth St., Des
Moines
Construction is nearly complete on a new home for Table 128, chef Lynn Pritchard’s farm-to-table restaurant that ran for a decade in Clive. Now it heads to the Gray’s Landing neighborhood of downtown. Jacob Demars, formerly of Barbarian inside Kinship Brewing, comes on board as the chef de cuisine. Expect some crowd favorites such as the Brussels sprouts and chocolate chip cookies to return, as well as a new concoctions Pritchard and Demars are working on. The space includes a patio and a private dining room, as well as a small bar area. The design looks nothing like the original Table 128 in Clive. It’s very likely that Hugo‘s and Table 128 will open back-to-back in April.
V Shabu Shabu Hot Pot & Grill
Opening date: Spring 2024 Location: 6960 EP True Parkway, West Des Moines
A Japanese shabu-shabu restaurant V Shabu Shabu opens next to the new Putts & Pins north of Jordan Creek Town Center. The restaurant specializes in allyou-can-eat Japanese hot pots, where customers cook the meats and vegetables in kombu dashi broth, as well as Korean barbecue.
The Waiting Room
Opening date: Spring 2024 Location: Uptown Ankeny, 617 S.W. Third St., Ankeny
The owners of the Mullets that opened in July in Ankeny plan to debut the Waiting Room, a craft beer and cocktail lounge, next door in the spring.
What Dak Korean Fried Chicken
Opening date: Spring
Location: 9250 University Ave., Suite 113, West Des Moines
Korean fried chicken is having a moment in Des Moines. What Dak plans to offer its double-fried chicken with two sauce options: spicy or soy garlic. The restaurant also plans to offer Korean corn dogs, bulgogi, kimchi, pot stickers, and more Korean dishes.
Wilson‘s Orchard & Farm
Opening date: Late April/early May Location: 3201 15th Ave., Cumming Wilson’s Orchard plans to expand to Cumming with a new farm, cider bar, restaurant, bakery and farm market in early 2024. Chef Matt Steigerwald, a James Beard award semifinalist when he ran the Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon, oversees the restaurant, which features products from the orchard and regional farms on the restaurants’ menus.
Zavy Kitchen
Opening date: Spring Location: 111 E. Grand Ave., Des
Moines
The owners of Pho Real Kitchen & Bar, the Court Avenue restaurant that specializes in Vietnamese pho and Asian cuisines, plan to open Zavy Kitchen with “modern Vietnamese” fare in the East Village. The restaurant owners say the name “Zavy” (zah-vee) is a wordplay on “gia vi,” which means seasoning in Vietnamese. 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.