Photo: Claire Zellmer
Writers: Hailey Evans and Kylie Petty
Early summer in Iowa means longer, brighter days — ample time for happy-hour bites at patios all around the city. But if you’re really looking to soak in the great outdoors over an evening meal, you may want to head out to the country. Either way, you won’t have to go far.
Big Grove Brewery, Des Moines
The big covered patio with fire pits helps guests enjoy their summers outside, even when the evenings cool down. Big Grove occasionally hosts live music, plus yoga on the patio on summer Sunday mornings. The brewery is also available for private events.
Big Grove sells its own canned drinks, including hoppy IPAs, citrus wheat beers and a rich stout. Those who don’t care for beer can choose from wine, cocktails, wine and an array of non-alcoholic beverages, all with an extensive food menu of hyper-local specialties (like the Steak DeBurgo Frites) and a few global surprises (like the Tuna Poke Bowl or Thai Green Curry).
To give back, the brewery has partnerships with several local nonprofits and grassroots initiatives to strengthen and grow the community. Big Grove for Good focuses on social equity, community development and environmental sustainability. Beer, after all, is an agricultural product.
Des Moines Biergarten, Des Moines
For centuries, biergartens have been a German tradition. The Des Moines Biergarten is a family-friendly pop-up space under a grove of towering oaks at Water Works Park, between Gray’s Lake and the Lauridsen Amphitheater. Just follow the sound of live music and yard games.
The concession stand offers traditional steins and German-inspired street food like brats and pretzels.
The biergarten is open, weather permitting, Wednesday through Sunday every week from May to October.
Either/Or, Des Moines
When the team from Lua Brewing set out to create a space for date night, an evening out with friends and/or a fun place to take the kids, they came up with Either/Or. Its outdoor area features a dog-friendly covered patio, fire pits, a children’s play area, and an acre of green space on Grand Avenue.
E/O’s menu of elevated yet familiar American cuisine. The burgers are made with 100% Iowa certified Angus beef, ground in-house daily. The team flies to California every year to personally select their caviar.
During Fridays at the Farm at the Middlebrook Agrihood in Cumming, residents and visitors gather to enjoy food trucks, live music and fresh produce from Middlebrook Farm. Photo: Claire Zellmer
Middlebrook, Cumming
Middlebrook’s concept for Fridays at the Farm began in summer 2020, in the thick of the pandemic. Restaurant closures and various lockdowns meant people cooped up inside were longing for activities outside their own four walls. The Middlebrook Farm and nearby Agrihood development was in a unique position to host concerts outside, where folks could spread out in the vast, open-air expanse of the property.
The events have evolved, and this year’s series is set for 4:30-7:30 p.m. every Friday (except July 4) through Sept. 26. If you go, you’ll find local food trucks, farmers market vendors with fresh produce grown on-site and even a gaga ball pit for the kiddos. You can also whet your whistle at the Middlebrook Mercantile Wine Wagon. Admission is free.
Five summers in, the weekly gatherings have caught on, especially among city slickers looking for an easy escape to the country. Some nights attract up to 600 visitors, spread out on blankets and lawn chairs.
Photo: PepperHarrow Flower Farm
PepperHarrow Farm, Winterset
Adam and Jenn O’Neal have cultivated a bucolic paradise over their 20-acre flower farm in Madison County. Meadows of lavender, dahlias, roses, sunflowers and more rise around the main farmhouse. The couple also grows herbs like fennel, chives and oregano. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting for a special meal.
This summer they’re offering a five-course al fresco dinner on Sept. 26, catered by Tangerine Food Co. You’ll have a table to yourself surrounded by the flora of your choice, dahlias, lavender and more.
For something more laid-back, the farm hosts evening tours, when guests can enjoy charcuterie and watch the sun set over the fields. Later on, artisan pizza nights are set for Sept. 13 and Oct. 4.
The Hall, Des Moines
Three years ago, The Hall’s food options came from a rotating fleet of food trucks. Now, the kitchen operation is stationary, offering four diverse menus served daily.
Take a seat at one of the long communal tables or the outdoor patio, where conversation among friends (and friends of friends) flows freely. The Hall has 54 beers and wines on tap, signature cocktails and nitro coffee to keep the chatter going.
The Hall hosts trivia and Bingo on Thursday nights, open for all. And profits from all food sales support the Justice League of Food’s Culinary Job Training Program to help disadvantaged locals prepare careers in hospitality.
Photo: Wallace Centers of Iowa
Wallace Centers of Iowa, Orient
When the historic Wallace House in Sherman Hill started hosting Thursday dinners about 10 years ago, the resurgence of farm-to-table meals was still relatively new. But guests were quick to embrace the idea, and farm-to-table concepts filled restaurant menus over the next decade. That’s exactly what the centers set out to do: “to connect Iowa’s food, land and people.”
Pizza on the Prairie started in much the same way at the Wallace Farm in Orient, where Vice President Henry A. Wallace was born. In 2019, a “pizza farm” sprung up with a brick oven to bake pies topped with ingredients grown right on the farm. Whatever isn’t grown on site is typically sourced from other Iowa producers like Milton Creamery and Graziano Brothers. House-made sides and desserts are also crafted from farm produce. This year’s series runs 5-9 p.m. every Friday (except July 4) through Sept. 26. Reservations open a few weeks ahead of each event.
During the pizza nights on Fridays, guests can walk the prairie paths to see Iowa-made artwork and get a sense of where their pizza came from. Signs explain the site’s history, the Wallace family’s legacy and their worldwide impact on agriculture.
This article was updated on July 2025. It originally published in 2024.
