Updated October 1, 2026. Every soup below was on the restaurant's own online menu when we checked on that day, and every restaurant showed current hours. Prices are what the menu listed and can change. The earlier version of this guide sent readers to restaurants that have since closed and to soups that aren't on the menu; those are gone.
The soup to start with this fall is the Guinness Stew at The Royal Mile downtown, $5 a cup or $7.50 a bowl. For pho, go to A Dong on High Street. For a soup-and-sandwich lunch with a different lineup every day, Pickerman's in West Des Moines rotates French onion, clam chowder, chili and more. And if you're downtown, Splash serves New England clam chowder ($9) and a bowl of lobster bisque ($22).
Des Moines soups at a glance
| Restaurant | Area | Soup | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Royal Mile | Downtown | Guinness Stew | $5 cup / $7.50 bowl |
| A Dong | High Street | Pho (several kinds) | See menu |
| Splash Seafood Bar & Grill | Downtown | Clam chowder, lobster bisque | $9; $22 bowl |
| Bubba | Downtown | Cajun chicken & sausage gumbo | $6 / $8 |
| Hessen Haus | Downtown | German bier cheese soup | $5 cup / $7 bowl |
| Centro | Downtown | Tomato basil with tortellini | $6.49 |
| Zombie Burger + Drink Lab | East Village | Vegetarian chili | $4.50 |
| Gateway Market Cafe | Sherman Hill area | Rotating soups | $4.99 / $6.99 |
| Latin King | East side | Minestrone | $5 cup / $7 bowl |
| Pickerman's Soup & Sandwich | West Des Moines | Daily rotation | See menu |
| Hokkaido Ramen House | Ankeny | Tonkotsu, miso, shoyu ramen | See menu |
Downtown
The Royal Mile: Guinness Stew
A pub on 4th Street whose menu lists a Guinness Stew, $5 a cup or $7.50 a bowl.
- Where: 210 4th St, Des Moines
- Menu: royalmilebar.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Splash Seafood Bar & Grill: clam chowder and lobster bisque
The downtown seafood restaurant lists New England clam chowder at $9 and a bowl of lobster bisque at $22.
- Where: 303 Locust St, Des Moines
- Menu: splash-seafood.com (opens in a new tab)
Bubba: chicken and sausage gumbo
Bubba's menu on 10th Street includes a Cajun chicken and sausage gumbo, $6 or $8.
- Where: 200 10th St, Des Moines
- Menu: bubbadsm.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Hessen Haus: German bier cheese soup
Hessen Haus, a German bierhall, has three soups at $5 a cup and $7 a bowl: German bier cheese, Jager chili and creamy tomato basil.
- Where: 101 SW 4th St, Des Moines
- Menu: hessenhaus.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Centro: tomato basil soup with tortellini
Centro's tomato basil soup comes with cheese tortellini, $6.49.
- Where: 1003 Locust St, Des Moines
- Menu: centrodesmoines.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
A Dong: pho
A Vietnamese restaurant on High Street, on the west edge of downtown, with a page of pho on the menu, from Pho A Dong to Pho Tai and Pho Tai Chin. Closed Mondays.
- Where: 1511 High St, Des Moines
- Menu: A Dong online menu (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
East Village and Sherman Hill
Zombie Burger + Drink Lab: vegetarian chili
The East Village burger bar lists a vegetarian chili for $4.50.
- Where: 300 E Grand Ave, Des Moines
- Hours posted: Sunday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm
- Menu: zombieburgerdm.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Gateway Market Cafe: rotating soups
The grocery's cafe lists chicken corn tortilla, chicken noodle, a vegan veggie chili and tomato basil bisque, at $4.99 and $6.99.
- Where: 2002 Woodland Ave, Des Moines
- Hours posted: daily 8 am-9 pm
- Menu: gatewaymarket.com (opens in a new tab)
East side
Latin King: minestrone
The Italian restaurant on Hubbell Avenue lists minestrone at $5 a cup and $7 a bowl.
- Where: 2200 Hubbell Ave, Des Moines
- Menu: latinkingdsm.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Suburbs
Pickerman's Soup & Sandwich: the daily rotation
A soup-and-sandwich shop whose rotation includes French onion, clam chowder, chili, chicken tortilla, Italian wedding and potato cheddar. Not every soup is on every day. The dining room is open weekdays, 11 am-2 pm.
- Where: 6750 Westown Pkwy, West Des Moines
- Menu: pickermansdeli.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
Hokkaido Ramen House: ramen
An Ankeny ramen shop with tonkotsu, miso and shoyu ramen on its menu. The menu images on its site are from late 2024, so prices may have changed.
- Where: 2732 SE Delaware Ave, Suite 310, Ankeny
- Menu: hokkaidoramenankeny.com (opens in a new tab) | Our listing
What changed from the earlier version
- Django closed; its last day was March 14, 2026.
- Ritual Cafe closed on August 1, 2025.
- Malo's own site announces a final day of service, so it's out.
- Lucca and Fong's Pizza are open, but neither menu lists the soups the earlier version named.
- 801 Chophouse, Jethro's BBQ, HoQ and Thai Flavors may still serve the soups the earlier version described, but we couldn't see them on a current menu, so they aren't listed.
Sources
Checked October 1, 2026:
- The Royal Mile food menu (opens in a new tab)
- Splash Seafood Bar & Grill menu (opens in a new tab)
- Bubba menu (opens in a new tab)
- Hessen Haus food menu (opens in a new tab)
- Centro menu (opens in a new tab)
- A Dong online menu (opens in a new tab) and adongdesmoines.com (opens in a new tab)
- Zombie Burger + Drink Lab (opens in a new tab)
- Gateway Market cafe and carryout (opens in a new tab)
- Latin King menus (opens in a new tab)
- Pickerman's West Des Moines menu (opens in a new tab)
- Hokkaido Ramen House menu (opens in a new tab)