A diner's oversize booths and oversize pies have long been a beacon of hope for teens dumped after prom and frowny clowns looking for new novelty-size props. Take refuge in the crispy crust of an old-fashioned eatery with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of fresh American fare and shakes at West End Diner in West Des Moines.
West End Diner’s owners Jay and Betty Lee load an extensive menu of classic diner dishes with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and a slew of heart-healthy options. Fifteen burgers ($7.79+), made from fresh-ground Angus beef, slip into stomachs to curb cravings and to satisfy daily requirements for disk-shaped nutrition. Cuisine crafters douse a generous portion of ribs in homemade barbecue sauce for the barbecue loin back rib entree ($17.99), which is accompanied by an enticing array of savory sides. Sink forks into round-the-clock breakfast options, such as the Durango platter, whose freshly baked biscuit supports a tower of sausage gravy and farm-fresh eggs and is embellished with a green-chili façade ($8.49). Homemade devil's food cake from the dessert menu makes a particularly grand appearance in the cake shake ($4.99), in which the moist baked treat blends into a thick vanilla shake, giving hope to straw-envying solids everywhere.
Black booths, a checked floor, and impromptu salt and pepper drag races imbue the diner with the poodle-skirt feel of the '50s. Diners can relish the sun’s rays on an outdoor patio, while an indoor fireplace thaws frost-nipped appendages with its toasty hearth.