See the 2025 Des Moines Register Essential Restaurants
What are the best restaurants in Des Moines? These entries from the Des Moines Register’s Essential Restaurants list won’t let you down.
Hugo’s Wood-Fired Kitchen, the Mediterranean restaurant at 3206 University Ave., Des Moines, temporarily closed while sorting through “unexpected changes in our kitchen team that have led us to make one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make: a brief pause in service.”
The restaurant near Drake University, from chef Lynn Pritchard, opened in June 2024 with a menu of pizzas baked in a custom Marra Forni wood-fired oven and dishes such as lamb shank and cauliflower steak. The appetizers of seasonal hummus, baked feta and lamb meatballs made great dishes to start a meal.
“Our commitment to you is to provide a place where every meal is crafted with care and every visit feels like coming home,” a post on Instagram said. “To uphold that promise, we need a little time to regroup, retrain, and ensure that when we reopen, we’re stronger and better than ever.”
The restaurant recommends following on Instagram or Facebook for updates.
Pritchard also owns Table 128 at 220 S.W. Ninth St., #120, Des Moines.
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
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