I moved to the Des Moines metro in 1992 and have been coming to Iowa Beef Steakhouse for years. Iowa Beef Steakhouse opened in 1982. It changed ownership in early 2015 when two previous employees purchased the steakhouse from the original owner. For me it's the quintessential steakhouse in the metro... That's not to knock any of our other long standing locals like 801, AJ's, Chicago Speakeasy, Johnny's, John & Nick's, The Big Steer, Rube's, Irina's, Jesse's, Trostel's, etc. Probably others I've forgotten to mention along with many other recent additions... We live in Iowa. We have some of the best beef in the nation! It's hard to throw a rock without hitting a restaurant that serves up a good cut of beef. Outside of the ownership and some slight changes to the menu (weights, additional items, prices) not much else has changed since I started coming here. Same signage, same building exterior, same dark hardwood walls and furniture, even the same carpet I think... It's an old school vibe. One of my friends had a recent trip to Mayo. When they were up there they called me and told me about a horror show of a visit they had with a chain steakhouse up there in Rochester. I listened and I probably smirked a little on the other side of the phone... I told them when they got back in town, had recovered from their procedure, I'd take them out for a good steak. To me Iowa Beef Steakhouse is the place to go. We were greeted right away at the host station up front as we walked in. A later dinner on a Friday evening... We were shown to a low topped table towards the rear half of the restaurant. Seating is low top tables and chairs for the most part along with a standard bar area and seating. After a short wait Jess came by and introduced herself and took our drink order (Pepsi products, wine, beer, and anything else you may want from the bar). The drinks hit the table after a couple of minutes and it was on to our food order. 1x fountain drink 1x unsweetened ice tea 1x large sauteed mushroom skillet 1x 16 oz ribeye (medium), with fries, and salad bar 1x 20 oz sirloin (medium rare) with fries, and salad bar They offer seven cuts of steak, pork chops, chicken, ribs and more. Served with a baked potato and salad bar. The salad bar is one of the better ones! Boasting standard lettuce and fixings along with multiple dressings. On to potato, pasta, coleslaw, cucumber and onion, broccoli, bean, pea salad, etc. Pudding and fluff. No more pickled herring though... Guess the demand for that one is no more. I used to grab a piece or two now and then. I kind of missed seeing on there, but mostly from a nostalgia sense. Lol They started offering burgers on their lunch menu after the ownership change in 2015! Don't sleep on these! One of the best burgers you'll find in the city. We were able to sub the baked potato choice for fries, but Jess warned us they have a pretty small fryer in the kitchen and when it's busy at dinner time it's at their discretion whether they can do this or not and it may not always be an option. I have an issue with some textures. Lumpy mashed poatoes being one of them...so it's really hard for me to enjoy a baked potato. No matter how good it is. Lol I'm just really glad they have a fryer again... They went a few years without one at all. Jess was a rockstar! Attentive. Quick on refills. Welcoming and she had a very enjoyable personality. The steaks were cooked perfectly to temp. In all my years of eating here I've never sent anything back to the kitchen. And even back in the day when they offered to let you cook your own I always paid the extra $ to let them take care of it for me... The mushrooms... Little morsels from the gods themselves! The fries and Texas toast. So good. Rochester tragedy not forgotten... But Iowa Beef Steakhouse restored their faith that meat can be cooked properly the first time and there is still exceptional service out there. Frankly..., I hope this place never changes! Subtle is fine... There's just something so comforting about walking into a place you have been coming to for over 30+ years and it's still like you remember it. Kind of like walking back into your parents' house when you come home for a visit, no matter how old you are, and your childhood bedroom is still pretty much the same. Another great visit to Iowa Beef Steakhouse... I know I'll be back...! https://iowabeefsteakhouse.com/ read more

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My wife and I decided to come here on a random Wednesday rather than cook at home. She said she hadn't been here in years, and I wasn't sure I've ever eaten here before. Although they have a salad bar here, this isn't the kind of place where you come for the salad bar. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the salad bar, but it isn't very exciting. They have iceberg letter and a few toppings and a few standard dressings. Then there are the potato salad, pasta salads, cottage cheese, sliced and pickled beets, and sectioned peaches in syrup. No, chances are, you come here for the steak. They also have a bar area, and I'm told they used to allow people to cook their own steaks. Apparently, they cook all the steaks now, and that's okay with me. My wife ordered a ribeye and I got a New York strip. We didn't get photos because we ate them too quickly. We both ordered our steaks medium rare, and they came out fairly quickly. My New York strip was pretty thick. It was brown round the edges and red in the middle. My wife's ribeye was thinner. It was brown around the edges and pink in the middle. They were both very good. In fact, my steak was one of the most tender steaks I can recall eating, and I feel like I eat a lot of steak. The waitress gave excellent service, and addressed many of the other customers by name so I assume they were regulars. We enjoyed the meal and would definitely go back. read more

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Well let me start by saying, I think I have had the best cheeseburger I have ever eaten , today at Iowa Beef Steak house. Jessica helped me with this to go order and she was wonderful. Now , I am 73 years old and have eaten my share of burgers . Buy this was by far the best . The bun, the toppings and the meat itself was placed in separate tin foil . This is the special touch that made the burger so special. We got a baked potato and there was butter, and sour cream enough to make the potatoes special also . The patty's were fresh not frozen , you can tell . Well did we like it ? That's a understatement, you got to try it yourself read more

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Love the salad bar. Old school with peaches and jello. Ordered the rib eye. Also got fried pickles and pepper jack cheese sticks. The pickles are cut thick and had a thin batter. The cheese sticks had. Nice kick and a flavorful batter. Great service and she made sure we were taken care of. This place has a 70s 80s feel. read more

We went on a Friday lunch at noon. It was not very busy at all. We each ordered a steak medium rare, one teriyaki siriloin, one rib eye and one new york strip. Two without seasoning for my seasonaphobic mother. I could hardly taste any teriyaki, Steve's steak was very rare, mom and I's were were almost more medium. they didn't really have much for steak flavor. The salad bar was pretty good. Service was good. The garlic bread was very tasty. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Went back recently for another company dinner. Made the mistake of ordering rare since a lot of places overcook steak if you order medium rare, figured I'd play it safe. Got the steak, slight grill marks on the side that was showing, cut in and start eating it was pretty much the rarest steak you could possibly eat. I guess it'd be blue rare but not even that. I flip it over and look at the other side and there were no grill marks or anything. Like they literally did not even cook it on one side. Just completely raw, whole steak was cold. I was hoping I wasn't going to get sick later. I wish I would've taken a picture but didn't think of it since I was with a bunch of people. read more

Got full rack of ribs. It was huge. The server Lisa was awesome. Kept our glasses full. It is the Friday before Valentines day, so it was packed. Great service, great food, great staff. I would highly recommend. read more

Wow. When I was told about this place I knew I had to go. It was incredibly impressive watching the employees cook their way through the orders. When my steak arrived I knew I made the right decision to come. That was probably the best steak I have had in over 10 years. I tend to like my steaks cooked mode than others so when I got this tasty juicy beautiful steak I knew I was in heaven. I will dream about this steak and come back anytime I am in town. Great value for the price. I would have paid double for that piece of deliciousness. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - 10oz Sirloin - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I looked on the wait times that night and it said 15-30 minutes wait, so I called there... yeah the phone rang about 5 times before they picked up but was assured that we could get right in with two of us... We arrived about 15 minutes later and we're seated immediately and the waitress came over. I don't know what her name is, but she is the one lady with long blonde hair who's always smiling... And reminds me of one of my friends... She took our drink orders and then we got up and went to the salad bar, which as usual was Stocked, but being even more refilled by the efficient guy who does that... I got my favorites and salads and salad dressing and sit down to eat... the staff is very friendly and helpful and will go check to find out what the ingredients are in certain salads because I can't have onions due to an allergic sensitivity... Our waitress check back list every few minutes for Philly drinks without us, even asking her too, and they never got below Half full... We bought our usual sweater stick option because even 6 ounces of steak is too much for me and so that gives my husband almost a pound of steak to eat while I eat what I can eat... Everything was cooked perfectly and so was our sautéed mushrooms... I don't know why we don't go more often because we spend more at other restaurants than we do at Iowa beef steakhouse ...! Our waitress was so nice that I asked to take her picture to brag about her to my family and friends! Iowa beef steakhouse always makes you feel welcome even when you have kids with you, and accommodates them well too! the plant is always clean an inviting like going to dinner at your parents house... This is where we take our off state friends for a good steak great food and drinks and the friendliest people serving you! read more

This place is old and needs some attention. That's ok with me if the food makes up the difference. It doesn't. Salad bar was pretty good, actually the best thing. Our steaks were overcooked and dry and tasteless. Baked potato was fresh and hot. Side of mushrooms was tasteless. Overall very disappointed in this place. read more

I questioned my decision when I walked in the place, then I stood at the post to stand for about five minutes without being acknowledged or seated. There is junk and surplus materials stacked up all over the restaurant, not sure how the health inspector hasn't shut them down. Salad bar straight out of the 70s, I think I've seen some of the staff on On Patrol. Food was just OK, quite a bit of gristle in the steak, it did have a nice smoky flavor from the charcoal, but definitely not worth the money. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - 20oz Sirloin - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Great food, awesome decorations and nice service. Salad bar was great too and nothing looked old or wilted

Staff was friendly, and helpful with allergies. Salad bar was large and very good. Sandwich was ok, mild flavors and basic. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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The 3.7 rating this restaurant has is pretty accurate, people giving 5 are being way too generous. This restaurant was probably pretty great at one time but every last corner has been cut at this point. The salad bar had brown lettuce and rubbery eggs. No bowls for the pudding/jello and a sign that says one trip only. The menu says the ribs are smoked, which I believe to be a lie. I observed zero pink/smoke ring and were absolutely not cooked to 200F. The ribs were tough and HAD to be cut with a knife. They keep them in the fridge and warm them up when ordered, who knows how long ago they were cooked. read more

Excellent steaks, cooked to perfection and full of great flavor. Service was great and super attentive. Definitely with the stop!

First off! What a beautiful display of what Iowa has to offer as far as a good Ribeye steak! The steak was not only beautiful & hearty, but it was TASTY too! I am not a man of side dishes so I wont review them. However, from what you can see, the food was beautifully plated! They also have a salad bar that comes with your meal. Also, this shouldn't matter but to some it does: This place seems safe for black people visiting Des Moines metro area as well! Oh! The bartender was awesome too! Thanks Iowa Beef Steak House! read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Ribeye, Green beans w/bacon, and a side of grilled onions for my steak. Oh! And garlic toast! - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Good food, good bread, food came out quickly. Kind of has a supper club environment with limited but good menu and buffet /salad bar.

Simply put I go to steak houses for well cooked steak. (Not well done!!lol) they have always cooked my steaks perfectly. Usually above good service occasionally great service. I like sitting in front of the fireplace whenever I can. i will say the baked potatoes are not rubbery also, very well done in fact. read more

Came here for the ribeye and it was worth it. Perfectly done. 10/10. You can watch your steak being cooked right there. The inside felt like an old saloon. Good vibe. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Ribeye - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

What an amazing dinner! The steak was beefy and delicious, cooked perfectly to order. The chicken tasted like it came right off a campfire, bursting with backyard flavor. The server helped us determine the best way to get our daughter to share with us while also being able to enjoy the salad bar. Everything was delightful and made for a great evening. read more

If you want the 1980s experience of a mediocre steak house then this is the place for you. The decor looks like the idea of updating is a foreign concept, and stay the course is the mantra they prescribe to The service would best be described as glacial, slow moving it took almost 20 minutes for anyone to take our drink order or to acknowledge our existence. The menu doesn't offer much variety but if you want meat this is the place. I ordered ribs and they can best be described as meh. The seasoning was good but the texture was a bit dry and tough. The sauce was the best a bottle can provide a little kick but nothing to extreme. The others in the party ordered a burger that they said was under seasoned and the salad bar. I am not a fan of a salad bar but the friend that had said he was hard pressed to get his 8 dollars worth and that Pizza ranch does a better job. We also had issues with getting drinks that were ordered. So all in all it could best be said that this place is a testement to doing the same thing for years and that mediocrity can be profitable. Doubtful that we will go there again anytime soon. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Many steaks to choose from - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

My steak was tough, a lot of gristle , salad bar was poorly maintained, expensive for what you get.

Best steak I've had in a awhile! The sweet tea was as good as the tea back at home in Alabama. Would highly recommend if you want get to get a steak in the Des Moine area. The server was very friendly and the free salad bar was a nice bonus. The environment is that of a humble restaurant and is great for a relaxed food dinner! read more

Loved it! The place is the same as it was in the 80's. Just an old Iowa steakhouse. Traditional salad bar and a cooking pit right in the dining area. Fabulous food. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Steaks with flavor! - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I love this place, I'm going to try to work my way thru the entire beef menu, tonight was the 20 oz t-bone, cooked medium. It an Iowa stake house and the cow on the wall emphasizes that. The staff is down to earth, pleasant and efficient. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - I asked for it to be cooked medium, and it was spot on! - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The food was excellent as usual. Our waitress was top notch! I hope we tipped her enough because she deserved it!!!

We were extremely disappointed with the service, food & ambiance. The hostess was immediately snotty when we arrived & needed a table for 7, keep in mind it was 5pm & the restaurant was less than a quarter full. Then our server was extremely slow, I had to ask twice to order drinks, & had to go to the bar ourselves for refills. We were never asked if our steaks were cooked correctly & they were NOT. One steak was so tough our friend couldn't eat it, & my husband's was so overcooked that he brought half home to later just throw away. We will pay the high prices for good steak but will not return here. Also, I emailed the manager with my concerns two weeks ago & haven't received any response...terrible customer service, we will go elsewhere & will share with others! read more

It's a very outdated place, however, ignore that because the meat is perfection. The food is so delicious. They know how to season the meat just right, and cook it perfectly. Service was also excellent, very nice and speedy. If I ever get back to Iowa I will be back here for a nice steak and potato dinner! read more

Food was top notch. Salad bar was awesome. Service was good. Great prices for good quality food.

Goosed food nice atmosphere a little pricey but the flavor and service are second to none.

Ive always wanted to try this joint out. This no frills restaurant started in the early 80's and has emerged as a Des Moines staple historically serving up epic steaks. Came in as a party of three... we each ordered three different steak cuts. My 16 ounce Ribeye was grilled perfectly. Each bite melted in my mouth and I was ultimately impressed a few bites in. I ordered the load baked potato which was soft and overflowing in the flavor department. The side order of the beans stole the show. The beans had a combination of onion, brisket and steak mixed in. Their salad bar had a lot of options but failed in comparison IMO to that of Chicago Speakeasy's. I really enjoyed our server Nicki sharing the history of the restaurant. This proudly displays a lot of Western motif as well as Slipknot whiskies available. I can't wait to return and this place has one of the warmest welcomes I've experienced entering into such a fine establishment. Our server was outstanding in quick refills and being helpful and personable. read more

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Very solid restaurant - steak and sides were great. Nice salad bar comes with every dinner. Great bar and good draft beer choices. read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - a steak house sign - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Food was amazing. The staff was super helpful and kind. Very clean! The salad bar had everything! Can't wait to come back next year! Note: we walked in without warning as a party of 10 & they accommodated us perfectly. read more

The steak was cooked perfectly and seasoned very well. The sides were great! I would definitely recommend this place.

Saturday March 5th, 2022, in the midst of a crazy Iowa storm system my family celebrated my parents 49th wedding anniversary as well my Aunt & Uncle anniversary and my cousin & his wife's anniversary at Iowa Beef Steakhouse! We had reservations at 5 when they opened. There was an actual line to get in and the doors opened just as it began to rain. There's were at least 2 other parties as big if not bigger than the 8 in our party. We were seated immediately after getting in the door. Our server was Nicole G. Nicole immediately got drink and appetizer orders and brought them back very quickly from the bar, soda fountain and coffee pot. Our appetizer was skillets of mushrooms and they came before we were ready for the salad bar. Nicole was very EFFICIENT AND DETAIL ORIENTED when taking our entree orders. And she was very gracious when I made a mistake in my order and realized it after she moved on to the next person! The salad bar was well stocked even within almost full house & storms raging outside. The only thing I can say about our entrees is if you love Beef & haven't been here is Iowa Beef Steakhouse is worth every penny! The meat is always the best & cooked exactly how you ordered it. Sides are always plentiful and tasty! The storms raged outside and because of where we were sitting I overheard a conversation between a couple employees. Someone's daughter's house had been hit by a tornado. This crew didn't miss a beat but they also acknowledged and supported their crewmember's need! We were amazed by our service! We never waited for anything our server was excellent and the restaurant planned well ahead of time for having several large parties and walk-in customers! The website prices don't match the end but they are close. The prices are higher than they used to be but that's how the world is now. Money spent at Iowa Beef Steakhouse is well spent and worth every bit! We will return in the future! REMEMBER TO TIP YOUR SERVERS! read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Table for 8 - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Outstanding meal tonight. I enjoyed the 10 oz sirloin. I ordered it medium rare. Came out absolutely perfectly prepared. It is kinda pricey but I highly recommend this place read more

Great place to go for steak or anything else on the menu. I have gone there many times and it has never disappointed me.

A little bit of a wait and their system of writing your name down & then coming to find you did not work. Otherwise, everything was really really good. Good food, good service, reasonable prices. I'll go back. read more

Passing through town and getting delayed due to mechanical issues I needed some sustenance. I'm a steak guy and I picked this spot due to location. Oh how I was not disappointed. So good, I had a sirloin and ribs. The service was above excellent and the meat was above anything I have sampled across the USA. If you are in Des Moines it's a must stop, if you want salad they have it, but let's be fair, I wasn't here for the crunch and bite of a salad but the taste and enjoyment of meat. The sirloin was tremendous, the rub on the ribs was irresistible. If I had enough in me I would have had a ribeye which I heard the place was buzzing about. A truly delicious time and just a great vibe of a true American steakhouse. I'll be back when I pass through Des Moines 100% read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - The RUB - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I'm giving this a 3 because the steak was delicious and cooked perfectly on an open grill and deserved a 4, but the garlic bread was more like Texas toast and the potato was undercooked, and the Salad bar was just sad and deserved a 2. The green beans were very good. The prices have gone up and the size of the steaks gone down from what's on their website. We had the rib-eye. On the website was 20oz for $31.95 now 16oz for $33.95. They have a shared plate charge of $8 but both get the side and salad bar. But again the steak was great but if the fire was hotter and there were seared grill lines it would have been better. I do recommend for the steak. The inside is dated and if you pull your chair in don't put you fingers under the seat to grab-disgusting! read more

Iowa Beef Steak House - Salad bar - Steakhouses Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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