Restaurants in Waterloo

Metromix ranked Claxon’s Smokehouse and Grill as one of the five best barbecue spots in Des Moines—but that’s just the start. More than a decade's worth of accolades trail behind the restaurant like drops of warm barbecue sauce, leading all the way back to 2002, when a perfectly cooked pork loin nabbed the eatery first place at the World Pork Expo. Today, grill maestros Adam, Andy, and Ronald helm the kitchen, hand-rubbing turkey, chicken, and baby-back ribs in their signature black gold rub before slow-smoking each succulent cut over hickory, oak, and smoldering cook books. Claxon's open dining room, complete with a mammoth stacked-stone fireplace, surrounds guests as they tear into ham, sausage, and tender brisket. Modern lights hang above the full bar, casting plates of pan-seared shrimp and fried pub pickles in a tobasco-colored glow, while umbrellas shield diners from the sun and rain on the outdoor patio.

Fiery red paint splashes the walls of Casa Tequila Authentic Mexican Grill, creating the illusion of heat. Sizzling plates of fajitas emerge from the kitchen, fanning the flames with soft tortillas and hot strips of chicken. Nearby, grilled T-bones and rib eyes amplify the warmth with spicy jalapeños and ranchero sauce. Like most of the menu’s selections, these dishes are made from scratch using super-fresh ingredients. To lower the temperature, barkeeps craft margaritas that are cooler than an iceberg wearing an Elvis wig. Available in a variety of flavors and sizes, these drinks showcase a lineup of more than 50 tequilas. Diners can also enjoy their meals at outdoor tables, amid refreshing breezes and the shade of patio umbrellas.

Nominated for Best Family Restaurant on CityVoter's 2011 A-List, Steamboat Garden has been serving up affordable family food since 1933. Today, guests at the boat-shaped restaurant can peer through its bright red portholes to watch as the friendly staff fills tables with steaks and seafood, breaded pork loin sandwiches known as Tug Boats, and seven incarnations of a signature hamburger that has been a Falls Avenue favorite since the 1940s. Between bites, diners sip old-fashioned floats made with 1919 draft root beer and then send instant photos of their empty plates to mom by accessing the restaurant's WiFi with a laptop or aluminum foil helmet.

Spearheaded by a duo of cousins, Pita'z fuses traditional Lebanese flavors with American dishes. The meeting of culinary traditions yields burgers draped in gyro meats, pitas crowded with philly cheesesteak fixings, and cowboy ballads that rhyme “tzatziki.” The chefs also extend their culinary services to catering for large parties and gatherings.

At Azul's Tequila Cocina, seafood from the Pacific coast and fruity margaritas serve as the cornerstones of an extensive Mexican menu. Drizzled with fresh sauces, the burritos, enchiladas, and tacos pack the palate with juicy flavors. The enchiladas de langosta unite lobster and roasted Mexican garlic sauce in the warm embrace of corn tortillas topped with jalapeño cream sauce. Azul's Tequila Cocina spurns lard, peanut oil, and animal fat in its cooking, promoting health and helping waists stay as narrow as Santa's path through a gingerbread man's chimney.