Diners' Choice: Good for special occasions restaurants in Des Moines

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best special occasion restaurants in Des Moines? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Fleming's Steakhouse - Des Moines

4.8

4.8 (906)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

West Des Moines

About the restaurant

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is an outstanding choice to enjoy an exceptional Prime steak, glass of wine, or handcrafted cocktail. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion, hosting a business dinner, or simply wanting to enjoy an excellent culinary experience - we will create a safe and memorable evening for you. If you prefer to enjoy your fine dining experience at home, you can order and pay for lunch or dinner online and then pick up curbside or select from one of our delivery partners.

Top review

KariVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Always good. Tiffany and Andres are our favorites. Excellent service, as always.

801 Chophouse – Des Moines

4.8

4.8 (3179)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Downtown Des Moines

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of downtown Des Moines, enjoy beautiful views and excellent customer service at 801 Chophouse. We value our guests and want to give you the best dining experience possible. Our restaurant has only prime USDA steaks, paired with innovative side dishes and an award-winning wine selection from around the world to create an upscale dining experience you won't find anywhere else in Iowa. 801 Chophouse is the premier steakhouse in Des Moines and even offers private dining room options. Book a reservation online or via phone today.

Top review

Julie

Dined 3 days ago

Food was excellent. Appreciated that we were offered smaller portions (at a reduced price). Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Made every effort to assure us a pleasant dining experience. Definitely recommend for a special night out.

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Popular dish

Grand Marnier Souffle

Popular dish

Sliced Prime Rib au jus

Popular dish

Roast Prime Rib

Alba Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (407)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Des Moines

About the restaurant

Alba offers a creative culinary twist on traditional American cuisine. Dishes are prepared using fresh seasonal ingredients, the finest cuts of meat, and the freshest fruits, vegetables and herbs. Our menu changes often, we invited you to join us to discover a new favorite.

Top review

Jake

Dined 7 days ago

Sam and the team were excellent. Great date destination with the food, service, and ambiance hitting it out of the park!

Mulberry Street Tavern

4.6

4.6 (568)

$31 to $50

American

Des Moines

About the restaurant

Mulberry Street Tavern brings a fresh yet nostalgic vibe to Downtown Des Moines. Once a hub for the city transit, it is now adorned with rich woods, leather, and a zinc bar that create a warm and timeless social destination. The open-hearth kitchen produces shareable worldly tavern fare, hearty entrees and, hands down, the best burger in Des Moines. Enjoy perfect classic cocktails, eclectic award-winning wines, and interesting regional and foreign beers on draught.

Top review

Tiesha

Dined 1 day ago

Delicious food, excellent service and staff, and a beautiful atmosphere. My only wish is that there were more dessert options with less nut ingredients (for those who can’t have them; this made the dessert menu very limited). But the appetizers, dinner, drinks, environment, and superb customer service still made the dining experience 5 stars!

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Popular dish

Half Chicken

Aura Restaurant & Lounge

4.6

4.6 (220)

$31 to $50

American

Urbandale

About the restaurant

Lively & flavorful tapas along with vibrant cocktails offer a unique shared experience that challenges the traditional. At Aura, it's good vibes only! Our invigorating environment is the perfect place to gather friends & family.

Top review

Mitch

Dined 1 day ago

Awesome wine dinner. Meal was delicuous and wine was superb and well paired. Very fine staff and service!

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Experience

Happy Hour Everyday!

Blue Sushi Sake Grill - Des Moines

4.6

4.6 (205)

$30 and under

Sushi

Des Moines

About the restaurant

Blue Sushi Sake Grill unites creative ingredients with energetic vibes, premium cold sake with happy moments to give you a fresh and fun new way to experience sushi. Our sushi and grill menus allow you to explore your sushi favorites in new and unexpected ways. We like to say that sushi is for sharing, and our menu encourages it. Order a spread of all your maki, nigiri and sashimi favs from the sushi bar, and throw in a few orders of starters from the grill. We'll stagger your plates so you can savor it all bite-by-bite, and maximize the sushi experience you've been craving all week. If you're not sure where to start, tour the menu during Happy Hour, where all our guest favorites — from our sushi, grill and drink menus — are available at an amazing value. We offer Happy Hour every day of the week at Blue Sushi Sake Grill!

Top review

Laura

Dined on Dec 8, 2024

EVERYTHING was delicious, fresh, excellent presentations, perfect timing between courses❣️ Dipping Crab, Tuna Tower, Godzilla Bomb, Everything Smoked Salmon. Our waiter Tristan's favorite Amazon Roll is now one of our favorites too❣️. Thank you Open Table for recommending Blue Sushi Sake Grill when we arrived in Des Moines.

Ruth's Chris Steak House - West Des Moines

4.6

4.6 (850)

$30 and under

Steakhouse

West Des Moines

About the restaurant

Ruth's Chris Steak House is a premier dining establishment renowned for its specialty in serving USDA Prime steaks. Each steak is expertly prepared and served sizzling on a 500-degree plate, ensuring a delicious and unforgettable dining experience. Located in West Des Moines, Ruth's Chris Steak House has been recognized as the 2024 OpenTable Diner's Choice Winner and 2024 Wine Spectator's award recipient, a testament to its commitment to exceptional quality and service. Whether you're a steak aficionado or simply looking for a remarkable dining experience, we invite you to join us and indulge in our award-winning cuisine.

Top review

Amelia

Dined 3 days ago

Great food and experience overall! Highly recommend!

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Splash Seafood Bar and Grill

4.5

4.5 (1953)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Downtown Des Moines

About the restaurant

DiRoNA award winning Splash Seafood Bar & Grill serves only the freshest seafood flown in daily and expertly prepared in both traditional and contemporary styles. Splash Seafood bar and Grill also serve the Midwest's finest cuts of steaks and chops with the same care as they give the seafood. Be pampered by the highly experienced wait staff in one of Des Moines most unique and elegant dining rooms surrounded by whimsical wall murals as well as 9 large salt water aquariums. Splash Seafood offers an extensive wine list, recognized with an Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator, as well as a full bar specializing in tropical drinks. Also enjoy a more laid back atmosphere in the raw bar, Splash Oyster Bar & Seafood Market, just across the hallway from Splash Seafood. Enjoy all the fresh oysters and shellfish that the raw bar has to offer as well as the full menu from Splash Seafood. Also be sure to take advantage of the raw bars Seafood Market to enjoy the freshest seafood at home.

Top review

DanVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great food and service as usual! Danny served us well.

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Firebirds Wood Fired Grill - West Des Moines

4.5

4.5 (1846)

$30 and under

Steakhouse

West Des Moines

About the restaurant

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is an American Restaurant and Steakhouse serving authentic wood-fired steaks, seafood, specialty cocktails and select wines. Join us for Happy Hour at the FIREBAR® or on the patio for drink specials and bar bites. We offer top-notch service and upscale dining at a modest price. Reserve Your Table with us today.

Top review

David

Dined 4 days ago

Another outstanding meal at Firebirds. Service and food were exceptional.

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