DINING

This Des Moines restaurant was the only Iowa spot to make 2024's Best of the Midwest list

Paris Barraza
Des Moines Register

Oak Park, considered one of Des Moines’ biggest restaurant openings in recent years, is now a Best of the Midwest award winner.

Midwest Living, the magazine dedicated to the culture and lifestyle of the region, rolled out its Best of the Midwest 2024 Award Winners in March. Editors selected 25 newer destinations across five categories: lodging, family, arts and culture, food and drink, and outdoors.

And Oak Park, the restaurant that opened last October on Ingersoll Avenue, was the only destination from Iowa to make the list.

More:Learn about the menu, the players, the wine list and more at Oak Park before you visit

What did Midwest Living say about Oak Park?

The publication first noted how Oak Park attracted the attention of Rene Redzepi, a chef behind a three Michelin-starred restaurant that’s across the Atlantic Ocean.  

“Rarely does a restaurant generate enough buzz that the chef of Noma in Copenhagen, arguably the most famous restaurant in the world, comments on Instagram saying he hopes to visit one day,” Midwest Living wrote.

The publication described the interior of the restaurant as an “architecturally stunning Prairie-style dining room.”

Dinners are “long and luxurious, enhanced by whimsical cones of caviar, prime meats cooked on a Josper charcoal grill and a wine list the size of a book.”

What other bars and restaurants made Best of the Midwest 2024?

Executive Chef Kristen Schwab calls the food on her menu at The Wolf on Broadway "cute and craveable." Much of it is inspired by her travels and part-Indonesian heritage.

Six other places made the food and drink category for Best of the Midwest 2024. Those are:

Who owns Oak Park in Des Moines?

Executive chef Ian Robertson, left, and his wife Jess pose for a portrait in the kitchen at Oak Park restaurant on Thursday, November 30, 2023 in Des Moines.

The new American restaurant using French techniques is part of a project known as Block 39 from Kathy Fehrman, managing partner of Fehrman Investments and a community philanthropist.

The executive chef is Ian Robertson, who trained in Michelin-starred restaurant Daniel in New York City and worked at 801 Chophouse in Des Moines. The executive pastry chef is Jess Robertson, whose previous experience includes working at the former Baru 66 in Windsor Heights. Damon Murphy, a former longtime 801 Chophouse general manager, is general manager at Oak Park.

What are the hours for Oak Park in Des Moines and its address?

Oak Park is located at 3901 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines. The restaurant opens at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Des Moines Register entertainment editor and dining reporter Susan Stapleton contributed to this article.

Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.