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Colorful, upscale American restaurant & wine bar with reclaimed doors hanging from the ceiling.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 524 E 6th St, Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 244-0261
Website: http://albadsm.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
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Reviews
D A Hargens
It was ok. I don’t get the 4.5 rating. This was our second visit, with a several year gap between. We ordered the herb and cheddar biscuits which tasted only of lemon and not even a hint of cheddar. Main entrees were the filet and pork chop, both of which we asked to have medium and both of which were cooked beyond well done. Off night? Maybe. But it was early in the evening on a Friday and all I can say is that it was ok. Probably will be several more years before we try again.
… moreAndrea Voyna
Absolutely fantastic experience! We had the fritters, scallops, lamb shank, Yukon potatoes and bread pudding. The service was great and the food was excellent! They were even very concise of food allergies. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about the entire evening. I can’t wait to go back.
… moreIsaac Throndson
Very disappointed to show up Friday, Feb 13th and see the only available option: regular/standard menu (literally nothin new or special)… but with entrees ~100% marked up. (Photos of valentines vs standard menu provided)
We watched 2-3 other parties show up, sit down, see the menu, and leave — all within 15 minutes. Incredibly disappointing; restaurant is 100% past-its-prime, just doing money grabs. At the very least, save yourself $50-100 by not going on a high-traffic weekend.
… moreWe watched 2-3 other parties show up, sit down, see the menu, and leave — all within 15 minutes. Incredibly disappointing; restaurant is 100% past-its-prime, just doing money grabs. At the very least, save yourself $50-100 by not going on a high-traffic weekend.
JL Warren
We had a grand time with the restaurant week three course menu and choosing wine. Our service was timed perfectly between courses so we could savor every taste bite and wine. Every food item was delivered hot from the kitchen, presented beautifully. we were given time to enjoy this restaurant has a wonderful list of wine selections both by Glass and by bottle. Consistently good food fresh and seasoned appropriately. minimalist deco. Attentive but not hovering service .
… moreShawn McNeeley
Took my wife and daughter to Valentine’s dinner. The wheels began coming off almost immediately. The winter menu had been replaced with a ridiculously overpriced version containing maybe around half of the dishes we saw, and got excited about, online. No indication online that this would be the case. Folks were not amused.Then the food begins to come out. First course, french onion, was the most lukewarm, wine heavy, soup I have ever eaten. It was comprised primarily of half raw onion and tasted of alcohol. Lacking any cheese or cruton. Second course we order porterhouse steaks with a potato dish and chard. Imagine our surprise when the porterhouse (expecting beef) turned out to be a $75 very overcooked pork chop and the chard, again, luke warm at best, cold really. As was the potato thing. Now the desert comes out. Lava cakes. Nope surprise. Some sort of unsugared cocao tart so bitter as to be inedible. My wife’s still had part of the pan attached to it. None of us finished any of the courses which didn’t appear to concern anyone at all. This was an awful dinning experience. The food was uninspired and very poorly executed. I have been here many times in the past and my expectations were much higher. Too bad this was a great place.
… moreChristopher PinkRolo
We celebrated our anniversary last night at Alba and it was the best choice for dinner. My wife and I each had a steak, a side, a salad, and a dessert. Every person on the crew, from our waiter to the host ensured we had everything we needed, cleared plates, filled water, etc. All of the food was meticulous and delicious. I would highly recommend Alba for your next dinner choice.
… moreJay Shen
A huge part of me thinks that I did not order the right items here, because according to the popular dishes mentioned in others’ reviews and the structure of Alba’s menu, their meat dishes are the highlights. My partner got the gnocchi and the sunchoke & potato bisque. She said the gnocchi was overcooked and therefore too soft, resembling mashed potatoes more than gnocchi. Having Brussel sprouts in gnocchi was also a combination that we had never seen before. My seasonal vegetables and Brussel sprouts were both amazing, and I managed to finish both of them. The so-called “small plates” were not small at all LOL because the vegetables themselves pretty much made me full. For the farmhouse burger, the ground beef tasted like it did not have any seasoning, so the sauce compensated for the lack of taste. According to my partner, the sunchoke & potato bisque was excellent. Finally, we were debating between the rum crème brûlée and the clafoutis, and went with clafoutis after our server recommended us such. The clafoutis looked very different from what we were used to, and contained a very little portion of cherries. However, it still tasted very good! I think if I was to return next time, I should try some of the dishes that they were known for more, which would allow me to enjoy the restaurant more. The place has very good decor. We sat by the window, which had bright lights, but most seats in the room were covered by darkness, which some people may enjoy. The restaurant is also located in a very nice neighborhood, East Village, so it is easy to explore other businesses like Raygun and Storyhouse Bookpub, etc. within vicinity!
… moreCheng Wei
We came largely due to the review scores and comments. However, I have to say that I left a bit disappointed.
Food: 3-star | Service: 4-star | Atmosphere: 4-star
For service and atmosphere, nothing wrong and the host and waitress are super nice. But also nothing stands out from the service or the restaurant atmosphere that would deserve a 5-star. The hanging door decor is an interesting / unusual one. But it can also be kinda creepy (if you watch enough horror films…).
Now on Food, they do make their own noodles (in house), which is really nice and their noodles do taste fresh. But the reason for 3-star is that the food tastes fairly *bland*. On one hand, I appreciate that they don’t over-season or over-butter their food to make them heavy and unhealthy; but on the other hand, the taste of their dishes (from appetizers to main courses) is just very … subtle. BTW, the two dishes we ordered are based on their recommendation (their specialty).
As such, I cannot offer anything more than 3 stars, based on the food. If you’ve never been here, it might be worth a try; but I’m not sure I’ll be back in the future though.
… moreFood: 3-star | Service: 4-star | Atmosphere: 4-star
For service and atmosphere, nothing wrong and the host and waitress are super nice. But also nothing stands out from the service or the restaurant atmosphere that would deserve a 5-star. The hanging door decor is an interesting / unusual one. But it can also be kinda creepy (if you watch enough horror films…).
Now on Food, they do make their own noodles (in house), which is really nice and their noodles do taste fresh. But the reason for 3-star is that the food tastes fairly *bland*. On one hand, I appreciate that they don’t over-season or over-butter their food to make them heavy and unhealthy; but on the other hand, the taste of their dishes (from appetizers to main courses) is just very … subtle. BTW, the two dishes we ordered are based on their recommendation (their specialty).
As such, I cannot offer anything more than 3 stars, based on the food. If you’ve never been here, it might be worth a try; but I’m not sure I’ll be back in the future though.
Tamara Travis
The gnocchi was pillowy but crusted. Hot and delicious. A complementary flavorful cream sauce played very well with it. I definitely would not have ordered the Brussels sprouts as an appetizer had I known that the “vegetable gnocchi “ meant Brussels sprouts. I truly felt repulsed by Brussels sprouts by the end of my meal. Frankly, the Brussels sprouts were way too heavy and overpowered the gnocchi. It was not a good choice for the dish. Also, the dish said gnocchi with prawns. I’m from Louisiana. Those weren’t prawns. They were precooked frozen shrimp heated up (and overcooked). That was disappointing. Overall the dish was ok and off balance but the gnocchi and the sauce were excellent. The bartenders were awesome and knowledgeable except for the one who told me that “next time you should order the chicken” when I shared with him that the shrimp (not prawns) were overcooked.
… morePaz Rulli
Service was top notch. The cook on my NY Strip was excellent. I was slightly disappointed in the deviled eggs (thought they were under-seasoned), but sprouts and duck fat potatoes and truffle fries were very tasty.
Potato pave and mushrooms were great add to steak sides. The tarragon risotto was good but perhaps slightly overcooked. Still good!!
Finished it off with lava cake, which albeit small for the price, delicious.
… morePotato pave and mushrooms were great add to steak sides. The tarragon risotto was good but perhaps slightly overcooked. Still good!!
Finished it off with lava cake, which albeit small for the price, delicious.