Feeling one with your couch? Busy day and can’t cook?  We’re thrilled to have Audra of DSM Dine & Dish, an awesome local food blog, break eleven of the best take out options in Des Moines for you. Keep scrolling for the reviews and bookmark this for later! In no particular order…

Words and Research: DSM Dine & Dish’s Audra Ketelsen 

Korean Fried Chicken + Sides at Basic Bird 

  • Tuesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Basic Bird, 2607 Beaver Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310

A counter service Korean Fried Chicken restaurant in Beaverdale from the owners of Harbinger and Little Brother! This buzzy new spot is perfect for take out. Check out our first impressions from this delicious new spot for take out.

Kathmandu Restaurant

  • Windsor Heights
  • 7229 Apple Valley, Windsor Heights, IA 50324

This Nepalese spot is one of a kind. First let’s start with the vegetable samosa and garlic naan then followed by the lamb biryani. Don’t forget to add on any sauces you can at any chance you get. 

Sam’s Fine Food & Egg Rolls

  • Downtown
  • 3300 SW 9th St UNIT 4, Des Moines, IA 50315

Sam’s Fine Food & Egg Rolls is not joking around with them egg rolls, they are an absolute MUST. My favorite dish is the beef pad thai, but I have no issues stealing food from whoever I willingly drag along for the ride. This spot on the south side of Des Moines is the definition of, “Why you so obsessed with me.”

Fresh Mediterranean Express

  • Waukee
  • 15 NE Carefree Ln, Waukee, IA 50263

The fresh platter is a chef’s kiss. It includes a side salad, hummus & pita, sauteed vegetables, rice, and your choice of meat. If you’re thinking to yourself there is no way you get all that, think again. 

Lucky Lotus

  • Ingersoll
  • Lucky Lotus, 2721 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines Iowa

We don’t care if you’re vegan, gluten free, or a carnivore, there’s something for everyone at Lucky Lotus and it’s ALL great. Don’t miss out on the crispy rice wraps as an appetizer and the noodle soups as a comforting dinner or the after school fried rice to please even the pickiest eaters.

Habenero’s

  • Drake Neighborhood
  • 3200 Forest Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311

Margarita’s to go! Need I say more? I would end this right here, but the food is what really keeps me coming back. Top it off with every order getting chips and salsa as well, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”

Gursha Ethiopian Grill

  • Drake Neighborhood
  • 3300 SW 9th St UNIT 4, Des Moines, IA 50315

Located in the Drake neighborhood or Dogtown as the cool kids call it, this place brings the flavor. The authentic Ethiopian restaurant has many different meat options as well as many different veg dishes. Do yourself a favor, get the Injera and an order of sambusa. 

Teriyaki House

  • WEST DES MOINES, 9250 University Ave Suite 106, West Des Moines, IA 50266
  • ANKENY, 1802 SE Delaware Ave #108
  • DES MOINES, 1014 E 14th St

You want all the secrets? Here they are, steak teriyaki, noodles, add on the fried rice, do the ginger dressing for your salad, and yum yum sauce. Oh, and did I mention the extra yum yum sauce. PS get the crab rangoon. Do not take this exact order lightly, I’ve perfected it.

Dough Co. Pizza

  • Drake Neighborhood
  • 2330 University Ave, Des Moines, Iowa, 50311

Slices the size of your head is one way to describe it, another might just be that Dough Co. knows how to do pizza. If y’all have not put cream cheese on your pepperoni, meatball, and pesto pizza then question yourself. Yes, that is my specific order and yes, the secret is out. Thank me later.  They have good gluten free options too! 

Centro

  • Downtown
  • 1003 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA, 50309

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again–best meatballs in Des Moines. Not only do you get the meatballs, but an amazing salad that I am truly obsessed with. On Mondays they still do half price pizza even for takeout. What a steal. 

Cool Basil

  • 1250 86th St, Clive, IA 50325

The menu is endless and so is the pure joy you feel from takeout at Cool Basil. After your kids finally decide what to eat you can check off their reading log, the menu counts, believe me. The coconut chicken is my absolute favorite and why not add on a side of fried rice or a sushi roll to any entree, it’s the smart thing to do. 

About The Author

I grew up in Iowa – in a small town where my dad was the principal and where my mom had her Kitchenaid running before six a.m. every day. The quintessential Midwest life felt comfortable and warm, and while I did spend my college years in Milwaukee, it didn’t take me long to find my way back home again.

I wasn’t born a great cook. In fact, it took me until the Quarantine of 2020 to break out my own Kitchenaid mixer. By then, I had spent thirty-three years telling myself that I hated mixing and measuring, kneading and breading. But it didn’t take long for me to realize the joy it brought into my life. I’d call my mom at all hours – “But is it supposed to look like this?” I’d ask. Or, “How do you make …”

That’s the thing about food, isn’t it? It brings people together, which is at the heart of what DSM Dine & Dish really, truly is. What started out as a few girlfriends that wanted to carve out time to see each other every month has morphed into something incredible. We connect with each other, we create new friendships, and we try new restaurants. It feels like a life of adventure with good food and yummy drinks right at the center – and what more could a woman ask for?

Want articles like this in your inbox once a week?

We sporadically send out emails with round ups of our favorite articles. We’ll include special deals in there for you too!

Subscribe.