New diner near Principal Park in downtown Des Moines offers comfort food, a salad bar
Chelsie Lyons had a problem. The city planned to take her bar, Players Sports Bar & Grill, in Beaverdale by eminent domain to fix the intersection at 41st Street and Beaver Avenue. Last May, the City Council voted to acquire the property. Lyons knew she would have a 30-day window to close her bar perched on that corner for 13-plus years. Then she had to be out.
Instead of waiting, Lyons decided to find a new home with a fresh name. She opened Chelsie’s Courtyard Diner with some dishes from Players making the move to the 300 MLK building across from Principal Park in early February.
“At any point, the city can give me a 30-day notice that I have to be out,” Lyons said in December as she prepped her new restaurant to open. “That’s the hard part that I've been trying to deal with. I’ve been at Players for 13 years. That's my home and my second family.”
More: Beaverdale sports bar's days are numbered as Des Moines seeks to fix troubled intersection
The new location in the former 300 Burger space includes a larger kitchen than Lyons had at Players, as well as a walk-in cooler and office space. Outside, she has a patio.
“It kind of feels like I'm graduating a little bit in the restaurant business,” Lyons said.
Lyons learned the restaurant business while at Iowa State, working at Perkins for nine years. She started as a waitress and moved on to become a certified trainer, shift leader and helped open new stores. She trained new managers, worked overnight shifts and then started working in the kitchen, learning how to cook and bake.
When she moved to Des Moines, she worked at the Perkins on the east side.
One day, she was scrolling online and found a restaurant and bar for sale. That’s when she decided to open Players in Beaverdale.
Now as she graduates into her new space, she has room for 79, while Players fit around 50.
What’s on the menu at Chelsie’s Courtyard Diner?
Lyons brought over some dishes from Players, including her burgers, and focuses on comfort foods.
For appetizers, she has Reuben latkes and fried green tomatoes to start. Crispy cordon blue chicken, bodega chopped cheese and a juicy Lucy are just some of the sandwiches, all for $15.75 or less.
Lyons also has quick lunches of lasagna or chicken pot pie from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday for less than $10.
Entrées include Cajun pork chops, a rack of ribs, fried cod, and lemon pepper salmon.
A salad bar includes broccoli or macaroni salad, ingredients for salads and an upcharge for premium meat such as salmon, chicken or smoked turkey.
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Chelsie’s even has breakfast dishes such as biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash, and a Monte Cristo.
Sundays feature breakfast all day and bottomless mimosas starting at $20 until 3 p.m.
She also serves red and white wines on tap, soft-serve ice cream and hot chocolates.
Where to find Chelsie’s Courtyard Diner
Location: 300 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy., Suite 170, Des Moines
Contact: 515-630-8873 or facebook.com/p/Chelsies-Courtyard-Diner
Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.
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.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chelsie's Courtyard Diner opens near Principal Park in Des Moines
