801 Chophouse (Des Moines, IA) Review

4.6* (out of 5)

Yelp Review

Google Review

Food: 5*

Atmosphere: 5*

Value: 3*

Service: 5*

Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely)

Total check/person: $143

07/18/2025 801 Chophouse +1 (515) 288-6000

I’ve heard great things about this place and always wanted to give it a try…but knew enough about them to realize it would take a very special occasion to justify a dinner here with my budget. That special occasion presented itself this week with our 38th Wedding Anniversary – so I made the decision to splurge for the night!

While the rumors I had heard led me to believe that the restaurant was on the top floor of the building, it didn’t take long to find the elevator access blocked. We then followed the signs to the location on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs and on the East side. While the entrance from the building was a bit hidden (see pictures), once we stepped inside we immediately transitioned into a what would be expected of a high-end restaurant (see pictures).

We started with a Troon (grapefruit vodka & grapefruit juice – see picture) and an 801 Special Martini (vodka, gin & blue cheese olives – see picture). The Troon was especially tasty and the martini was a bit strong for me, so I asked for some brine to ‘dirty it up a bit’ – which I liked.

Following the delicious Table Bread (see picture), we ordered the Prime Beef Carpaccio (see picture) and Wedge Salad (see picture) – shared them both and would highly recommend both of them. While I kind of wanted to try all of the seafood on the menu, since this was a reknowned steakhouse, we decided to share the 30oz Porterhouse (see picture). While we ordinarily order medium rare, our server (Laura) advised us that their medium rare is cool in the middle, so we adjusted to medium along with the suggestion to precut it and were extremely pleased with the results (see plated picture). It was cooked to perfection, with the butter and mushrooms only enhancing each bite!

Of course we couldn’t leave without the capstone of the meal and neither of us had ever had a souffle, so we went with the Chocolate Souffle (see picture) – and OH, was it delicious!! As if it wasn’t good enough by itself, it was also served with 3 different sauces to add (Chocolate, Vanilla & Berry Compote) – you will want to try it!

Our experience was a great as it gets, with various staff members wishing us “Happy Anniversary” throughout the evening, a personalized Happy Anniversary menu and a complimentary dessert. The only thing I struggled with on a review like this is how to rate “Value” when the cost is more than double the high side of what we usually spend when we go out for dinner. For us and our budget…we just have to reserve our return trip for another very special occasion!

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Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com