If you're driving through West Des Moines, make a stop at Waterfront Seafood Market! What makes this place so unique is that it's both a seafood market and a restaurant, so you're getting some of the freshest seafood you'll find in the Midwest! We ordered sushi, clam chowder, boiled shrimp, and one of their daily specials. Everything tasted fresh, and there were so many options on the menu that we'd happily come back to try more! It's just outside of downtown Des Moines, making it a great stop on your way into or out of the city. If you're craving seafood while you're in Iowa, I'd definitely recommend adding this one to your list! read more

See all

The food was outstanding. We had a little bit of everything. The one problem was not enough room to enjoy it all. Sadly, we will have to return again to try the things we didn't get to try? Staff did an excellent job. Danielle took care of our group of five. She was on top of our service needs. Great with sharing recommendations. read more

Virginia oysters were delicious . I chose the first three on the menu and they were very nice. My choice of wine, the Librandi from Italy I swear was watered down. I would not order that wine again. Trying to pace myself today so only chose Gumbo seafood soup but dumped at least three packets of oyster crackers in It just the memories of being on the coast eating at The Oyster Bar on Chuckanut drive passed through my mind. Shaking it off I realize that this restaurant is a great place to reminisce and enjoy great food and service! So comfy and friendly! read more

If you love seafood then go to the Waterfront off University in WDM for a delicious walleye or fried oyster poboy New Orlean style. The seasoning on the seafood gumbo will perk you up. The fried oysters are rich, crispy and deliciously good with a few fine bones that bypassed the skillful hand of the sous chef. Nathan -- the wait staffer -- was very attentive and alert to my table which made the meal more enjoyable. The pleasant atmosphere was suitable for all types of gatherings whether solo, business, groups or casual diners who just wanted to relax at the booth or bar to just "chill" in a friendly crowd pleasing atmosphere. read more

See all

Have been here quite a few times. Never a dull moment. Our recent time there were 7 of us. They did not have the seared Ahi tuna but did recommend the bacon wrapped scallops which I actually liked. They did not have the oysters rockafeller so 2 in the party were upset as there's no substitutions. Someone else also couldn't get what they wanted. So several items out of stock. No issues with our drinks. Very quick service given how busy they were. I was a little irritated that after we rejected the tap water, later the hostess came around trying to make us all accept the tap water. I sent mine back. As this is a in WDSM and staff were aware of the nitrate issues. I have 100% been double checking that locations have filtered or we don't want the water. Everyone at our table enjoyed their food except 1 person who tried a new sushi roll. And when a member of our group had an ordeal, the staff were very helpful and kind to them. Will definitely be back. read more

See all

The fish was fresh and the portions (especially the nigiri and sashimi) were huge. The vibe is kind of odd - very busy restaurant packed with people 65+ and terribly slow service. The food was fine but nothing stood out or would bring us back. Masao - the high end seafood, sushi, and french restaurant with the same owner as Waterfront - is far superior in every way. read more

Waterfront Seafood Market - Nigiri Platter - Seafood Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

we ordered to-go and we ordered A LOT! we got the king crab roll, girlfriend roll, spider roll, volcano roll, salmon roll, spicy crab roll, and the chuck norris roll. you can't go to waterfront with out ordering a bowl of clam chowder of course! the sushi was delicious. our favorite was the girlfriend roll and the volcano roll. the spider roll is usually my favorite but this one was a little on the fishy side so it was a little off putting. i feel their pieces are bigger than the other sushi spots around town. so i feel there is better value here. something small but i really liked that they gave us a tray of sushi rather than multiple boxes! the staff i interacted with were friendly and professional. this is now my go to spot for sushi! read more

Waterfront Seafood Market - New England Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

I love waterfront. I'm from Los Angeles and feel like I have a great perception of quality fish. This man, this is it. And the price... you genuinely can't go wrong. I love you waterfront. read more

See all

Fantastic fresh seafood. Excellent service and freshly made sourdough bread! I ordered the snow crab legs, they were fresh, ample serving and decently priced. Everything is made fresh in house! read more

Always enjoy this place. Staff are always friendly and the location is always clean. Love the vibe later in the night when the lights dim. Food is always fresh and well cooked. My go to is the hurricane shrimp pasta with a side of scallops blackened in Cajun spice. The glazed mushrooms are me and my wife's favorite app. Price is consistent with most seafood places. The total for all the food in the pics and a Long Island ice tea came to 101 before tip. read more

See all

The food here is AMAZING. Every time it is mouthwatering, whether you get the seafood or the sushi. Their gumbo is maybe my favorite food in the whole world. They also have daily specials and features which are fun to try out. read more

Still a solid 4 in my opinion. A group of 3 of us stopped in for lunch on a Tuesday and they were VERY busy, but there were still tables available. Our fantastic waiter Matt M quickly got our drink orders and later our food orders, and took great care of us. I got the Salmon lunch, and the others got the Tuna Reuben and the Alaskan Salmon Special. Mine was very good - blackened nicely, with a great flavor. I got the baked potato for my side and it was fine. The sourdough bread is a must! The diner in our group who got the Tuna Reuben got it at the recommendation of the server and he said it was fantastic. The other diner also enjoyed his salmon and it was a much better deal at $2 more than my lunch portion. Super casual environment, but still one of the most reliable, if not THE most reliable, places in this area to get solid seafood with a varied selection. read more

We highly recommend Waterfront Seafood Restaurant. Waterfront's meals are always fresh and flavorful. Their bartenders and servers are very friendly and very accommodating. Waterfront has kept the same staff for years which is a sign of a well managed organization that takes care of their people. read more

Waterfront Seafood Market is hands‑down my favorite place in Des Moines for seafood -- period. Any style you're craving, they've got it, and they do it well. And if you want the freshest fish to cook at home, their market section is unbeatable. Consistent, fresh, and always worth the stop. read more

We waited 5 mins for a booth but there was seating at the bar. There wasn't anything that we ordered that we didn't like. They have such a great selection of items and have lunch specials. Definitely will come back if we are in the area. read more

See all

Giving 1.5/5 mixed review. Intriguing place, part bar, restaurant and fish market. Market had excellent product. Bar area tables were full and larger dining room was busy for a Thursday night. Cute place but understaffed for the amount of business. We started with a shrimp cocktail. Figured a seafood place would have large shrimp. Not so, just average sized but sweet. Followed with salads. Wifey ordered the salmon. Generous protein portion with sweet potato and mixed green vegetables. Vegetables came late to the table. Not sure why. We had to ask for them. A few minutes later 5 asparagus sprigs arrived. I wanted sword fish. Two options were available - a baked version as a daily special and a fresh cut prepared as ordered. I ordered the fresh cut blackened, actually double blackened, with a sweet potato side. The fish came to the table and it looked odd. It was shinny and light brown in color. I wasn't paying attention but I was complaining to my wife about it. It looked baked by I didn't put two and two together until later. My error. Later that night we figured out what happened. They subbed the baked swordfish for my fresh prepared request. The fish had no flavor and definitely was not double blackened. I called back to the restaurant and told the manager what I thought happened. He said sorry and he would check on my concern. No offer for compensation was made. After sleeping on it over night I called again in the morning to speak to the owner. Well, the owner I spoke with didn't have time to talk and asked me to call back the following day to speak to his brother and partner. Well, you can imagine how that went. Absolutely no satisfaction. I tried to explain I wasn't talking about a $10 appetizer issue, I was complaining about a $30 entree problem and expecting a refund. The gentleman said he would have to check on it and would get back to me. I've heard nothing as I write. Bait (no pun intended) and switch really ticked me off. Then to charge the higher price was even more of an insult. read more

Soo many good menu items, we struggle to pick just one. Our favorite spot for fresh seafood. I love the rock shrimp and grilled or fried fish. The sumo salad on the sushi menu is delicious! Kids meals under $10! read more

See all

4.5* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4* Service: 5* 09/13/2023 We had friends visiting from France and when asked what type of food they wanted for dinner, they suggested seafood - so we thought a return trip to Waterfront would be just the ticket! For an appetizer, my wife ordered the Mini Chuck Roll and Mini Godzilla Roll (see picture) on the waiter's recommendation - and really liked both of them. My wife ordered the Seafood Scallops (see picture) with New England Clam Chowder (see picture). I sampled both and we each thought they were both delicious. I ordered the Rock Shrimp Basket Dinner to save a few dollars for our friends who were paying and although it was a more typical mass market-type fried food dish, I found the rock shrimp to be quite tender and tasty and also thought the sweet potato fries were very good. Our friends ordered the Halibut Basket Dinner (see picture) and the Coconut Shrimp Dinner (see picture) - and they enjoyed both of them (although it was way more food quantity-wise than they are used to eating in France). If you are looking for a solid seafood restaurant with a lengthy 'fresh-catch' Market Entrees list in the Des Moines area, you will enjoy a stop at Waterfront Seafood Market. read more

See all

The seafood was absolutely fresh and full of flavor -- every bite was delicious. You can tell the chef puts real care into each dish, from the presentation to the balance of flavors. The staff were kind, attentive, and made sure everything was just right. It was one of those meals you remember not just for the food, but for the whole experience. I'll definitely be coming back soon! read more

The food was excellent. Andrea was our server and she was wonderful. Very attentive and was always smiling. I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

last night we ate there staying until closed and forgot my AirPod pros. Once I realized this I checked their location and they were at the restaurant, so I called but they were already closed. The next morning the location left because one of the employees stole them and factory reset them so I can no longer track them. I am over all really disappointed with this because we have been going there for years. read more

Disappointing. 10 years ago it was great. Here's my wife's and my experience this week. 2 out of the 6 raw blue point oysters tasted like a sewer. The sautéed shrimp appetizer was overcooked. The butter sauce and seasoning was good though. The fried clam dinner was tiny frozen clams deep fried. The French fries were from frozen and tasted like McDonald's. The sweet potatoes fries were ok but also frozen. The only dish that seamed fresh and scratch made was the gumbo. It had great flavor and some spicy heat, however the seafood in it was minced up fish. No big chunks or other seafood. And then there's the service. After asking if we were ready to order, which we weren't, she disappeared into the kitchen and didn't come back out for 10-15 minutes. She took our order and returned with the food. That was the last time she stopped by for a half hour until I had to shout out "excuse me" as she blew by our table. We'll be trying a different Des Moines area restaurant for seafood. read more

Waterfront Seafood Market - Substituted sautéed shrimp for the fried appetizer. Over cooked. - Seafood Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Been to both university & ankeny locations. Still feel wasabi's are a notch above. If choosing, would pick the Wdm location over Ankeny because of the ambiance. read more

I was there for lunch ordered an iced tea and scallops food was excellent, but the waitress spilled a whole glass of iced tea in my lap did not apologize. Nothing!! did not adjust my bill or anything and forgot half of my food. Very disappointed read more

What a pleasant experience at Waterfront Seafood Market. This is an interesting setup as there is a fresh seafood market with Waterfront on one side and a sushi place on the other. Service here was fantastic! Very quick, timely and helpful. I had a simple meal of shrimp and scallops along with a bowl of soup. Fresh bread was served warm, was very tasty and on the house. Scallops and shrimp were perfectly prepared (I chose blackened) and the soup was excellent. Upon paying for my meal I realized I'd oaid with a personal card (but was traveling for work) and asked if I could switch payment. Server was accommodating in voiding the first payment and rerunning on the correct card. Would absolutely recommend and return to this place! read more

Bacon wrapped scallops. Crabcakes. Halibut, Trout, chicken, walleye. And the sushi - squid, Tabiko, unagi, spicy scallops etc etc. all first grade !!! Very impressed. read more

See all

FOR THE fish market/Resturant in WDM. I was leaving the nail salon, thought I would get a couple of fresh fish to take home to cook. I must have waited 10 minutes and no one asked to help me! NOTE TO SELF & OTHERS, if you want your fish to cook yourself, COSTCO has nice reasonably priced packages of fish. I buy them and freeze in smaller packages with about 1 or 2 in package, depending on how big they are. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I will never darken their door again! They SUCK! read more

Sat by someone dressed like a bum, the wine selection for Pinot Noir was terrible. The fried oysters were rubber no taste. Lobster Bisque tasted very fishy Good waitress but tried to use the restroom. Terrible Urine Smell in the hallway and no Hot water in the men's. Last time there for us read more

Food was great . The fish was cooked the way it should be, not overcooked like a lot of places do.

Always a solid clam chowda at Waterfront Seafood. I also love love love their smoked salmon w/ horseradish and dill spread, served with crackers. It's light and simple. Clam strips weren't anything to write home about, IMO. The pan-fried oysters were great, flavorful and HOT! Burnt the roof of my mouff-off but it was worth it. This is always a solid place to lunch, service was great. Never had an empty iced tea glass (and I was very thirsty today)! read more

See all

What a surprise! A fish market and a great restaurant. The menu had so many great choices it was had to choose. One thing you have to order is the soup chumbo. It's not on the menu it's a combo of the seafood chowder and gumbo. It was awesome. For my main I had the fried oysters. The oysters were small and heavily breaded. I could barely taste the oyster. Inspire of my bad choice, I give it high ratings because there are so many choices. The restaurant is huge and has lots of seating. We went at lunch and it was packed. My friend is a regular so we had excellent service. read more

Excellent seafood, excellent service. Seafood is fresh. Good people. XXXX Prices are reasonable. Joel Whipple read more

What a find. Great food and great service. I'll be coming back here many times I've already recommended it to family and friends read more

My partner and I LOVE Waterfront !! Their fish is amazing, we constantly crave their sushi rolls, and the pricing is very accommodating. Not to mention great service. I highly recommend! read more

Waterfront is a nice place for seafood in West Des Moines. It's a little pricey, but that's expected of a seafood restaurant. Very nice but busy staff. Could take longer than expected to get waited on for things like drinks, napkins, etc. It is a good spot for date nights with its low, ambient lighting. Sushi is serviceable, nothing too special in my opinion. But, I do enjoy the oysters on a half shell, blackened swordfish, and tuna rueben and po' boy sandwiches. Overall, I recommend if you're looking for more upscale seafood and in West Des Moines. read more

Top notch legendary place here in Des Moines. They get fish flown directly from the dock so it's as fresh and you can get it in the middle of the country! The staff is rad and its family owned! The sushi bar is top notch and they can even make a vegan smile with the sushi selections.. Casual atmosphere with fine dining type food.. But heck you can also bring the kids for some good fried stuff.. Their is a reason this place has been here for 30 years read more

Waterfront Seafood Market - Nick serving at the market - Seafood Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

The food was fine. I ordered a shrimp pasta that was a bit dry. The fish we tried was pretty good. The service was a bit slow and inconsistent. Not bad but not great. The parking lot is a bit of a nightmare. read more

Ordered blackened swordfish; husband ordered sushi. I finished my meal and my husband was at the front speaking to the manager before the sushi came out. Waitress lied when she said sushi would be out 1.5 minute later. Tartar sauce never came for my fish. If you're this busy, you don't to offer 1/2 price bottles of wine on Thursdays. read more

Wow! This place gets 5 well- earned stars. This location is under construction so it looks a little chaotic at the moment. Not a deterrent. It was a Friday night so it was packed but there's so much seating that I only had to wait about 10-15 minutes for a table. So the people - every staff member that I interacted with was super friendly and professional. Ray was my most favorite person in Iowa (I was in state for business). So funny and attentive. He made some dead-on recommendations. Stephanie and Angie were beautifully pleasant humans that I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with. There were a few others but that's all my buzzed brain will allow me to recall. Just know that pretty much every staff member was a ray of Sunshine. The food- my photo won't do that meal justice but it was hands down the best seafood I've ever had and I've had a lot of seafood in a lot of places near oceans. What a pleasant surprise. I had the pan-fried snapper on special and that sweet, sweet lobster tail. Apparently they fly those poor little suckers in fresh daily. But score for the human consuming them. Even the asparagus had a beautiful light crunch (not overcooked like well pretty much everywhere else including in my home) Holy tomaters! The drinks- If you like blondes (beers not people), I highly recommend the beautifully crafted Confluence Blonde Fatale. Wow. It really reminded me of a Hefeweizen which are my faves. Great find. And if you're too full for dessert like I was, and you're old enough to drink, hit that chocolate martini. Man oh man that thing was delicious If you happen to be in WDM and you're craving seafood, this is your place. You can thank me in my dms. read more

Waterfront Seafood Market - Friday special - Seafood Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Don't let the fact that this place is in a strip mall fool you. Their seafood is the real deal. Some of the best coconut shrimp I've ever tasted! The best part is that you don't have to dress up super fancy to enjoy this place, come as you are and you'll fit right in! Their bar is pretty fun, too! read more