Hoq - Des Moines

Seriously incredible. Their chef does an amazing job of elevating locally sourced food. From tasting bites to end of the meal drinks we were very impressed. The staff create a gentle dinning experience, relaxing and engaging.

Our group had salmon, lamb and steak. All were pleased with their meals and portions. The burnt carrot appetizer was nice. The wait staff was very good prompt, fun and helpful.

Very good! Everything tasted excellent and the portions were plentiful.

My experience at this restaurant was extremely disappointing. We visited during restaurant week in 2023. I ordered the fried green tomato for my first course, followed by Tempura-battered Gulf shrimp with Tomato Risotto. My husband opted for the Bangladeshi Chicken as his first course and the braised local sirloin with summer vegetables for his main course. Unfortunately, my fried green tomato was lukewarm and the cheese on top was ice cold, resulting in a combination that did not work well together. The cheese was not spreadable and lacked flavor. The shrimp, which was supposed to be tempura, turned out to be blackened and we only received three medium-sized shrimp. The seasoning overpowered the shrimp, and the risotto was undercooked - not al dente, just simply undercooked. As for my husband's meal, the meat was tough and lacked flavor. He did find the vegetables to be tasty, though. The meat portion was disappointingly small, only 3-4 ounces. For dessert, we shared the house-made churros with cinnamon ice cream. Unfortunately, the churros were doughy in the center and the ice cream was plain vanilla. I have had better churros at a food truck. The service was good, but overall, we will not be returning. It is a shame that during restaurant week, the restaurant did not put their best foot forward to impress potential repeat customers. Our experience left us feeling underwhelmed.

We are new to the DSM area and decided to visit HoQ for a quiet Tuesday night dinner for my wife's birthday. We had a really nice experience. Understandably for early on a weeknight, the restaurant was pretty empty. The staff greeted us, led us to a window seat, and we enjoyed prompt and friendly service the entire time. The food was delightful. We were excited to try out a farm-to-table place in support of local farmers and produce and products from central Iowa. We enjoyed the masa empanadas and burnt carrots for our starters, and for our main dishes ordered the lamb shank and braised short rib entrees. We finished off the dinner with the seasonal fruit crisp (rhubarb). Everything was cooked excellently and was very tasty. We plan to visit again in the future.