Restaurants in West Des Moines

Behind Whatta' Dish's handsome, unpainted wood exterior lies a treasure trove of similarly unadorned pottery that awaits the caress of a paintbrush. Ensconced in warm light and bright, multihued walls, guests embellish a wide array of bisque pieces, such as ornaments, pet dishes, and plates. As the last coat begins to dry, Whatta' Dish's staff whisks finished pieces away, glazing and firing them to give each item a protective gloss that makes it safe for use with food and trips through the dishwasher. Guests are free to tote along their own snacks and beverages of choice.

Irina’s Restaurant and Bar combines American ingenuity with Russian hardiness in a way not seen since the purchase of Alaska. The eatery’s menu is a melting pot of culinary influences, made evident in the Moscow fillet, a cut of beef stuffed with mushrooms, onions, spinach, and a photograph of Ellis Island. Other examples include Russian pork shashlik skewers or beef stroganoff with Angus beef, peppers, and mushrooms. To wash down meals, the bar—which stretches out across the floor like an elongated wooden horseshoe—is stocked with Russian beers and a lineup of vodkas, served by a trusty barkeep or by your fellow patrons during Immature Bartender Night, held every evening after 9 p.m.

Hailed in Metromix as the top-ranked Italian restaurant in Des Moines, Sam And Gabe's Italian Bistro earns its crown of laurels with a menu that features Northern Italian pastas, house-made Italian-American entrees, and a robust selection of wines. Servers ferry entrees of veal piccata and fresh gulf shrimp to tables as diners toss back bottles of imported beer or virgin olive oil. Spaghetti strands slither into the shapes of quarter notes as live musicians pepper the air with the sounds of modern jazz and baroque opera Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

The Alohana Hawaiian Grill revolves around the plate lunch, a staple of Hawaiian cuisine that consists of an entree, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a scoop of steamed rice. In the restaurant’s entrees, you can see the American and Asian influences that converge in Hawaiian cuisine: spam musubi, for instance, features a slice of grilled spam atop a block of rice and cinched with nori seaweed. In another dish, strips of deep-fried chicken come with bowls of katsu dipping sauce. Diners can also sample a variety of ramen-noodle bowls as well as piquant barbecued pork and beef dishes.