Vegan Des Moines: Options in Iowa’s capital

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In recent years Des Moines has really stepped up its game where vegans are concerned! It used to be that when I was visiting my hometown, it was a strain finding exciting vegan-friendly options. But nowadays, the choices are plentiful and growing.

Today I’m highlighting some of the Des Moines vegan options at restaurants, food trucks, and grocery stores.

Des Moines vegan options

Brightside Kitchen

Brightside Kitchen is a vegan establishment owned by Deanne & Steve Bryce. It’s tucked away inside of Mercy’s Health & Fitness Center in Clive, Iowa.

They serve plant-based fare for breakfasts & lunches throughout the week. You can check them out Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 am and 2 pm. They also serve brunch on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.

The eatery focuses on whole foods, plant-based cuisine. Order at the counter and then you can eat it at one of the handful of tables or take it to go.

They offer smoothies, soup, salads, wraps, sandwiches, and a bowl of the day that changes throughout the week.

When I was there recently, I ordered the bowl. That day it was Mexican-inspired in flavor and included seasoned lentils, roasted vegetables, and a fresh green salad.

It was popping with flavor and incredibly fresh. There was enough left over for lunch the next day.

I also had one of their signature BBQ sporc sandwiches at an Iowa Farm Sanctuary event. It’s pictured at the top of this post.

I’m looking forward to going back again soon and sampling more of the menu.

Zombie Burger

Zombie Burger is a Des Moines favorite amongst vegans & non-vegans alike.

They have locations in the East Village of downtown Des Moines, as well as locations in Ankeny, Jordan Creek, and the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville.

(You can read about the Coralville location in my vegan Iowa City post.)

One note about the East Village location – it does get busy. So if you’re going during a popular mealtime, prepare for a wait.

My favorite thing to order is the Undead Glenn, which is the Beyond Burger topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, and vegan zombie sauce. (My husband orders this one with a double patty, like a vegan Big Mac.)

The zombie sauce is similar to a spicy Thousand Island dressing with sriracha instead of ketchup.

I’ve also heard high marks for the Lucile, which is the Beyond Burger topped with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, guacamole, and vegan chipotle mayo.

Zombie Burger really gets the Beyond Burger preparation right – crispy around the edges and meaty on the inside. Plus, the bun is nice and fresh.

Order the burgers with a side of regular or sweet potato fries. Just make sure to get them without any non-vegan dressing.

Ice Cream El Michoacano

Ice Cream El Michoacano is a casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant on Merle Hay Road. There are tables for dining in at the restaurant. Or food can be made to go, which is what we did.

It’s a non-vegan restaurant. However, everything at Ice Cream El Michoacano can be made vegan. That includes flautas, sopes, empanadas, burritos, tacos, and velvety refried beans.

They have soy-based vegan meat, as well as vegan cheese that I’ve heard is Follow Your Heart.

Currently, they don’t have separate vegan menus available in the restaurant. (It would be great if they had one or two printed vegan menus available at the counter for easy ordering.) However, on the El Michoacano website they have a vegan menu link.

If you go into the restaurant, they will simply point to the menu above the counter and say, “Everything can be made vegan!” It’s a wealth of options.

I’ve only had a chance to visit once so far. But there will be many more visits to follow.

I had the vegan flautas, which were filled with mild potatoes. The fried tortillas were topped with non-dairy cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado.

They were served with a fried jalapeño on the side. That jalapeño is delicious, but no joke. It’s seriously spicy.

I also ordered a side of vegan refried beans topped with non-dairy cheese, and guacamole. They said that typically they serve a thin avocado sauce as their guacamole. But if you want a chunky guacamole, just ask for the thick style.

The guacamole had lots of bright lime flavors and tasted very fresh. The refried beans were beautifully smooth.

David ordered three kinds of tacos, served with a variety of sauces. He especially enjoyed one with a pineapple salsa. But they were all terrific.

Since “ice cream” is in the name, you may be wondering if they have vegan ice cream as well. It’s my understanding that they offer mango chile & lime non-dairy flavors. Although, on the cold November night we were there, I didn’t spend a lot of time looking in the ice cream case.

Open Sesame

Open Sesame Lebanese café is a located in the Des Moines East Village. It’s a small space, but decorated in such a way that feels like a special, hidden gem.

The vegan options are not marked on the menu. However, when we were there, the staff had no problem pointing us to vegan dishes and/or telling us how to modify non-vegan offerings.

I had the vegetarian sampler plate with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabouli, and dolmas. It is vegan by default.

Everything was excellent, even the tabouli, which I don’t typically like. (I’m not a big parsley fan.) However, the tabouli had a perfect hit of lemon to balance the bitterness of the parsley.

David had the hummus wrap, using spicy hummus instead of the traditional. It usually comes with feta, and so he had them omit that.

Wraps come with a choice of soup or salad. David opted for the lentil soup, which is vegan. Everything was flavorful and well prepared.

They’re open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11-2, and for dinner from 5:30-9. They are closed Sunday & Monday.

Krunkwich Ramen House

Krunkwich Ramen House is a super casual, order-at-the-counter type of place on Ingersoll Avenue. It’s a non-vegan restaurant with lots of interesting vegan options.  Be sure to check out the separate vegan menu while you’re there.

My favorites include their vegan burnt ends sandwich, dandan noodles, and vegan ramen.

(Pro tip: Ask for the udon noodles in the vegan ramen for extra bite and chewiness. I also prefer mine without the nori in it. That fishy taste is stomach turning to me.)

My husband’s go to order is the Krunk rice with seitan.

See a full review of Krunkwich here.

5 Borough Bagels

One of my favorite low cost things to do whenever I’m visiting New York City is to walk into almost any random bagel shop and get a vegan bagel.

In places like Iowa, vegan bagel toppings are usually limited to peanut butter or hummus. But in New York City, non-dairy bagel spreads abound with fillings like olives and mixed vegetables in their vegan cream cheese.

When I’m in the city, I’ll pick up a toasted bagel, filled to the max, and walk to Central Park to sit on a rock and tuck into breakfast.

Now that experience can be repeated at 5 Borough Bagels in Clive. (Sorry. Central Park not included.)

When owners, Sarah & Toney Chem, moved to Iowa from NYC, they decided to take a doughy piece of the Big Apple with them.

A few months back they added vegan cream cheese options to their line-up of fillings.

They currently have two offerings – spinach artichoke and cinnamon walnut. Both fillings are tofu-based and taste homemade.

The spinach artichoke spread reminds me of Kristy’s tofu chèvre with a definite taste of tofu and highlights of spinach and artichoke. The cinnamon walnut is also tofu-based with big chunks of walnuts and some sweetness to make it more of a dessert-style filling.

They don’t skimp on the spread, which I appreciate. It pushes the bagel into meal category. They can be topped with additional vegetable slices as well.

Toney suggested adding cucumber, tomato, and spinach to my spinach & artichoke spread on an everything bagel. You know how I love a good bagel sandwich. This was perfection.

David opted for the cinnamon walnut spread on a sesame seed bagel, which he also enjoyed. The bagels were fresh and chewy, just like you want.

With the exception of the chocolate chip bagels and cheese bagels, the rest of the bagel options are vegan.

Toney checked with their bagel baker, and she confirmed that the seeded bagels do not include an egg wash. The seeds are applied right after the bagels are boiled.

They also have three types of non-dairy milk available for coffee drinks. Soy, almond, and coconut milk are on the menu. My husband ordered a black coffee, and I went with a soy latte. Both were full-bodied and delicious.

Des Moines Farmers Market

The downtown farmers market runs from the first Saturday in May through the last Saturday in October. It has a festive, fair-like atmosphere with food vendors, locally grown produce, live music, arts and crafts. It’s a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy the summer vibes.

Grab a smoothie, juice, or raw tacos at the Fresh Café & Market tent at the corner of 3rd & Court Avenue.

Malo

Malo is a Latin restaurant in downtown Des Moines with a nice outdoor patio and a few menu items that are vegan upon request – including a portobello taco & crispy onion and avocado taco.

The onion & avocado taco is vegan by default. It comes with fresh avocado, chipotle crema made with cashews, pico de gallo, and crispy onions like you might find on green beans at Thanksgiving.

The Portobello taco is vegan by request. (Just ask them to leave off the queso fresco.) It’s topped with guacamole and salsa roja. The Portobello mushrooms are marinated in a spicy chili sauce.

All of the tacos can be served on corn or flour tortillas.

I was prepared to have the avocado tacos be my far and away favorite, but the Portobello mushroom tacos came in for a surprising win. They had a good spicy kick to them and a well-rounded flavor.

Cool Basil

For more of a sit-down restaurant vibe, Cool Basil in Clive is a great option.

While this Thai restaurant isn’t entirely vegan, they’re happy to prepare dishes without fish sauce, oyster sauce, and eggs when possible. You just have to ask.

Plus, when you get your receipt at the end of the meal, the words “no fish sauce, no oyster sauce” are printed right on it.  That gives some assurance that the message got through to the back of the house.

They don’t offer seitan.  However, tofu is available or they can replace meat with extra vegetables.

I like to get something different every time I go, as there are plenty of vegan-izable options to go around to vary your order.

Fong’s Pizza

Fong’s Pizza in downtown Des Moines is a quirky, divey restaurant, specializing in unusual pizzas.

They have one listed vegan pizza on the menu, or you have the option of building your own.  The white crust is vegan, but the whole wheat isn’t since it contains honey.

They offer Daiya for vegan cheese, or you can go cheeseless, as is my preference. For the base, you can go with marinara or olive oil.

When we were there, we ordered one half and half pizza. Mushrooms, tomatoes, bell pepper, and onions on one side. On the other, sauerkraut and potatoes.

The potatoes taste like they are simply blanched and sliced, as opposed to being browned on the stove or seasoned in any way. The pizza was pretty bland, but if you happen to be in downtown Des Moines, the atmosphere is fun, and they have late hours, which is nice.

(There is a second location of Fong’s Pizza in Cedar Rapids. For more Cedar Rapids options, check out this post on Cedar Rapids vegetarian restaurants.)

Another pizza option in downtown Des Moines is Blaze Pizza. They also have vegan cheese on the menu, and they cook them in a brick oven. Although it is a fast food-style pizza experience, I actually prefer the flavor of Blaze Pizza over Fong’s. Read all about Blaze Pizza in this post.

Centro

For a sit-down option, Centro in downtown Des Moines has some vegan options.

Tofu gnocchi is on both the dinner and weekend brunch menus. The dish includes lots of vegetables in a coating of garlicky olive oil.

When I had this dish, I found it to be inoffensive but dull. It reminded me of something you might get a hotel restaurant, where they’re feeding a lot of guests from around the globe and don’t want to be too daring with flavor.

Although I almost never use one in a restaurant, I was glad there was a salt shaker on the table to add something. I’ve heard that asking for marinara sauce instead makes for a more tempting dish.

Centro has pizzas on offer, which can be ordered without cheese. David went that route and ordered a tomato, basil, and mushroom pizza. He also got a small salad on the side.

He liked the wood-fired flavor of the crust, but didn’t think it would be a pizza he’d go out of his way to get again.

Centro offers brunch on the weekend, and it’s one of the few places in town that has a tofu scramble. It’s served with potatoes & fruit.

Campbell’s Nutrition

Des Moines has a number of natural grocery stores with the usual vegan suspects – produce, grains, beans, and vegan specialty products.

The capital city’s natural grocery stores include Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Fresh Thyme, Gateway Market, Campbell’s, and Trader Joe’s.

(Be sure to check out my 16 favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products.)

At Campbell’s Nutrition on University Avenue, they sell vegan meats & cheeses from Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis. (Campbell’s other location in Urbandale currently does not carry it, however.)

They’re the second grocery store in the state to carry HB’s products. (The other is New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City, Coralville, and Cedar Rapids.)

While you’re there, you can also pick up my favorite garlic sauerkraut.

Des Fresh Foods

Des Fresh Foods is a vegan food truck in Des Moines.

The menu & location changes, of course, but has included things like a chick sandwich, mac and cheese bites, summer squash tacos, street corn, and lotus cookie.

I recommend going early, as when I went it was near the end of the night. And they were running out of food.

Check out their Instagram or Facebook page to see where they are and what’s on offer.

For more vegan Des Moines options (and beyond), check out this vegan Iowa post.