6/13/25 Des Moines Food News: Food Truck Edition
Des Moines, have you hugged your local food truck lately? 🚚
Des Moines Gems, Guides, and Goodies (G3) is the weekly food and restaurant resource for the Des Moines metro. 🚚 This week is a long one because I have some tying up of loose ends to do. If there are a lot of errors, please forgive me.
🚨 G3’s ending affiliate marketing. PLEASE purchase something now! Read why below! 🚨
Love: Openings, Closings, Updates, & Events
Click the word “Events” above to see the excellent Reddit list!
❣ This is AMAZING. Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (RACI) has a Des Moines World Refugee Day Restaurant Passport Challenge. This is SO in our wheelhouse! Details are at the link, but here’s a quick rundown:
Print a passport or get one at Franklin Library, EMBARC, or Global Greens.
Visit as many of the ten participating restaurants as you can like All Pho You, Home Touch Kitchen, and Mo’z.
Show the restaurant your passport and get something free or discounted.
Send pics to RACI by the end of the month to win stuff!
Des Moines Public Schools free summer meal sites are here.
Cup of Rice Chinese fast food truck, coming soon
Saffron Indian Cuisine is the restaurant going where Mandarin Noodle House was in Johnston (Reg).
Xio’s Deli, Salvadoran food truck, 415 Euclid Ave.
Antojitos Ojilvia, food truck, coming soon
JoyRide Ice Cream Co., ice cream cookie sandwiches, home-processor
La Fondita grocery, near Chicago Speakeasy, La Fondita Mini Market on FB
Ice Lab, Italian ice push cart, see FB
Triple B’s “bakery, soda shop, and steakhouse,” Johnston in the old Jethro’s ☕
Out of G3’s Range
Orchestrate Hospitality opened West Side Social in the old SmashPark
Iowah Island Noodles (FoodTrucksDSM), pop-up vendor, St. Charles
This isn’t unusual, but the contrast caught my eye. They have vegan noodles but also have roasted sweet corn “dipped in real butter.”
Event of Note: Filipino Fiesta
If you’re curious about the menu at Rook Room, a Redditor shared a photo.
Chain News
The franchisee of Tous les Jours shared an update on Reddit. The Reg’s Susan Stapleton wrote about it as well. The estimated date open date is August 30th.
This is half chain-half local. Costco now carries Thelma’s. (WHO 13)
Donuts:
Dirty Mind
Something called “Daddyfest” is going on at the Varsity Cinema, and it’s not what I thought it was. *cough*
Vote with Cash
We’re always here for local anti-MAGA content (Reddit).
Cash Mob
Our first Cash Mob at Dinner Delights was low key and a success! Gems stopped in, got to know Andrea and the business, picked up some goodies, and left happy! I snagged some interior shots for those who couldn’t make it (see below).
One Gem (you know who you are) asked about DD’s Furious Fish, which ended in a Puppy Chow purchase, I believe.
A couple of Gems popped by before I got there, so I didn’t get to see y’all, but I’m so glad you made it!
I sat next to the Starry Night Lego piece the whole time, and Andrea showed me some of the other piece her kids have gotten her . . . which led to me ending up on the Lego website coveting some gorgeous stuff. But back to food!
Andrea’s main coolers in back were failing, so she had to move everything up front. The time though! Look at how organized and lovely the front cooler is! The chicken Caesar salad I ordered (top, left) fed me for two meals. The gold brick (in a good way) of chocolate cherry bread (top, right) absolutely floored me. I can’t wait to tuck into more of that tonight. Before I left, I grabbed a turkey bacon ranch sandwich for dinner that was $8 and very much a deal. And I keep forgetting (even though I was talking about this AS I WAS SITTING NEXT TO THEM) to pick up the hot chocolate mix.
I haven’t even gotten to Dinner Delights’ 4th of July menu. I’m trying not to order 13 of the 14 products. That’s such a good looking menu. Hubster immediately spotted the lemon bars. We will not be hurting for dessert on the holiday.
Andrea, that seasonal décor keeps getting cuter.
Future Cash Mobs
The question is: Do you want G3 to host another Cash Mob? This time, we’d open it up to everyone. We might do Dinner Delights again just to test it one more time. Then we’d have to test in an actual eatery. So, I want your feedback.
Did you know this exists?
One of the middle niblings asked if I’d heard of Hotel Luna. I said I had, but I’d forgotten about it entirely. Their branding is cute. I like being confused by the name. And honestly, we have a serious shortage of Italian food trucks.
Where’s This?
Last week was an old special from Zombie Burger + Drink Lab! This week’s photo sticks with the theme.
Programming Notes
Billing will be paused 8/1-28 with no weekly news on 8/1, 8, 15, and 22.
The End of Affiliate Links
Why I’m done with affiliate links after this edition:
Annually, Uncommon Goods makes $175 million; Bookshop, $103 million; Professional Contrarian, $1,480.53 with $0.00 from affiliate marketing.
Why am I giving them my energy for free?
I quitting no matter what, but if I quit, I forfeit anything beneath the payout thresholds. I’m below both:
Uncommon Goods’ threshold is $10. I’m at $1.25.
Bookshop’s threshold is $20. I’m at $5.70.
I’d like to make SOMETHING after years of effort. My ask: PLEASE buy one thing from either Uncommon Goods or Bookshop using my links.
Don’t want to? Please become a paid subscriber!
Don’t want to do either? Please Venmo me!
All I want out of this is the minimum $30 to meet the thresholds, so I can cash out and be done with yet another values-misaligned time waster.
I still like both companies, but affiliate marketing is bullshit.
The Last Bookshop Affiliate Links
Just Finished: Dating Dr. Dil, sexy and very cute, relatable for Indian fams lol. Yet again, I cried. I have a free copy if anyone wants it.
What I’m Reading: Laziness Does Not Exist. Had to take a break from this because it hit me HARD. So, I’m technically reading Disengage, but that’s not on Bookshop nor is it at any standard bookstore.
The Last Uncommon Goods Affiliate Links
Things on my wishlist:
5-in-1 Tool Pen (I’m a sucker for multitaskers)
Planter Water Alarm (ADHDer dream!)
Adventurer 8-in-1 Multi-Tool Necklace (told you)
SolarPuff Collapsible Light (cute prepper goods!)
Fix-It Kit (I mean)
Apocalypse Survival Set (yissss)
Make Your Own BBQ Sauce Kit (food blog. This is a food blog.)
DIY Edible Butter Candle Kit (prepper AND food!)
☕ Spilling the Chai: Wrecks and Recs ☕
This week: Judging a restaurant before it even opens? Yeah. I’m going there. Plus, food truck recs and, uh, wrecks. Not actual food truck wrecks. That’d be a tragedy.