Halal dishes and Nashville hot chicken could all land in the Des Moines metro

Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register
·4 min read
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If you think the dining scene in Des Moines has a lot of variety now, just wait until a new pack of chain restaurants open in the city. These smaller chains bring Nashville hot chicken, Hawaiian lunch plates, coal-fired pizza, chicken wings and halal meats. Only one of the five, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, has two of its five locations announced, with one ready to debut next week.

Take a look at five national chains that plan to open a location in the Des Moines metro.

Hawaiian Bros.

White rice, a cold macaroni salad and chicken are staples of a plate lunch at Hawaiian Bros.
White rice, a cold macaroni salad and chicken are staples of a plate lunch at Hawaiian Bros.

Kansas City-based chain Hawaiian Bros Island Grill opened the first of 10 fast-casual locations across the state in Davenport last year.

Future locations are on the agenda for Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City by 2027, according to Grant Kreutzer, the head of franchising at Hawaiian Bros.

Hawaiian plate lunches feature a protein, cold macaroni salad and two scoops of white rice. This dish gained prominence in the 1880s as Hawaii’s pineapple and sugar plantations grew. The workforce, who predominantly came from Asian nations, brought their lunches, made from leftover meat from the night before.

More: Get a taste of aloha when Hawaiian Bros brings its plate lunches and spam musubi to Iowa

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

A Caprese salad, charcuterie, salads and pizzas are on the menu at Grimaldi's.
A Caprese salad, charcuterie, salads and pizzas are on the menu at Grimaldi's.

Brooklyn-style pizza baked in a coal-fired oven arrives when Grimaldi’s Pizzeria comes to Ankeny and West Des Moines.

The pizzeria chain that originated in New York opens at the District at Prairie Trail next week and then at West Glen Town Center in the former Club Envy and dueling pianos bar Blue Moon space at 5485 Mills Civic Pkwy. in West Des Moines later in 2024.

The New York-style pizzeria uses a coal-fired brick oven to cook its pizzas. The menu also features calzones, salads and desserts, along with gluten-friendly options.

Grimaldi’s plans to open three more locations across the state. Tom and Annie Baldwin of Des Moines hospitality group Dark Side of the Spoon, which operates Wellman’s Pub & Rooftop in West Des Moines and on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, Italian restaurant Anna Dolce Ristorante, and many more, will operate the locations.

More: Coal-fired brick oven pizzas head to West Des Moines next. Find out where Grimaldi's lands

The Halal Guys

The Halal Guys specialize in Middle Eastern dishes such as beef gyro, chicken, falafel and more. The white sauce makes the dish.
The Halal Guys specialize in Middle Eastern dishes such as beef gyro, chicken, falafel and more. The white sauce makes the dish.

Platters of beef gyro meat, chicken, and falafel over rice as well as sandwiches wrapped in pita bread head to Iowa when The Halal Guys restaurant opens five locations in Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

The restaurant that specializes in Middle Eastern casual fare didn’t announce locations yet, but already has more than 100 around the world with another 400 in development. Most brick-and-mortar locations have a walkup counter.

The restaurant started as a food cart in New York City catering to the lunch crowds in 1990 and grew into a favorite of cabbies who wanted quick halal meats. The secret white sauce brings every dish together.

More: New York's The Halal Guys restaurant brings gyros, falafel, hummus and more to Iowa

Atomic Wings

Atomic Wings features 12 signature sauce options for its bone-in and boneless wings.
Atomic Wings features 12 signature sauce options for its bone-in and boneless wings.

Atomic Wings plans to open 10 locations in the Midwest, including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the Quad Cities. Franchise operators Eric and Stefanie Engelstad plan to open all by 2031. So far, no Iowa locations have been announced.

The restaurant specializes in wings made with all-natural, antibiotic- and hormone-free chickens. Diners can choose from 12 sauces, most of which are gluten-free.

Dave’s Hot Chicken

Dave's Hot Chicken serves jumbo tenders with seven different levels of heat, all the way up to "reaper."
Dave's Hot Chicken serves jumbo tenders with seven different levels of heat, all the way up to "reaper."

Dave’s Hot Chicken with celebrity investor Drake wants to open locations in Iowa. The specialist in Nashville hot chicken got its start in 2017 in Los Angeles and now has 800 or so locations in the United States.

"Dave’s is focusing their attention on Des Moines to sign agreements with multi-unit operators to bring new stores to the area," a publicist for the brand said in July.

The restaurant, which usually features a mural specific to the store's locale, offers fast-casual hot chicken tenders and sliders, as well as kale slaw, mac n’ cheese, and French fries. Dave’s features seven various spice levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper, which requires a signed waiver for those who dare. Each heat level uses a different spice blend.

More: The 17 biggest restaurant openings in the Des Moines metro in 2024

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Halal Guys, Dave's Hot Chicken want to open outlets in Des Moines metro