Alba Restaurant

We had a grand time with the restaurant week three course menu and choosing wine. Our service was timed perfectly between courses so we could savor every taste bite and wine. Every food item was delivered hot from the kitchen, presented beautifully. we were given time to enjoy this restaurant has a wonderful list of wine selections both by Glass and by bottle. Consistently good food fresh and seasoned appropriately. minimalist deco. Attentive but not hovering service .

Wow! Where to even begin with Alba! Hands down the best meal me and my boyfriend have ever had. We started with Alba’s Old Fashioned, the Gong Fu Spritz, and their fritters and had the duck breast and gnocchi as main courses. An amazing mix of unique flavors and the freshest tasting ingredients! To finish, we had the crème brûlée, wow…one of the best tasting desserts I’ve had during this trip to Iowa. Ash was our server and she was absolutely amazing. She is super knowledgeable and passionate about the menu and very attentive and is super friendly!

We came largely due to the review scores and comments. However, I have to say that I left a bit disappointed. Food: 3-star | Service: 4-star | Atmosphere: 4-star For service and atmosphere, nothing wrong and the host and waitress are super nice. But also nothing stands out from the service or the restaurant atmosphere that would deserve a 5-star. The hanging door decor is an interesting / unusual one. But it can also be kinda creepy (if you watch enough horror films...). Now on Food, they do make their own noodles (in house), which is really nice and their noodles do taste fresh. But the reason for 3-star is that the food tastes fairly *bland*. On one hand, I appreciate that they don't over-season or over-butter their food to make them heavy and unhealthy; but on the other hand, the taste of their dishes (from appetizers to main courses) is just very ... subtle. BTW, the two dishes we ordered are based on their recommendation (their specialty). As such, I cannot offer anything more than 3 stars, based on the food. If you've never been here, it might be worth a try; but I'm not sure I'll be back in the future though.

We celebrated our anniversary last night at Alba and it was the best choice for dinner. My wife and I each had a steak, a side, a salad, and a dessert. Every person on the crew, from our waiter to the host ensured we had everything we needed, cleared plates, filled water, etc. All of the food was meticulous and delicious. I would highly recommend Alba for your next dinner choice.

Service was top notch. The cook on my NY Strip was excellent. I was slightly disappointed in the deviled eggs (thought they were under-seasoned), but sprouts and duck fat potatoes and truffle fries were very tasty. Potato pave and mushrooms were great add to steak sides. The tarragon risotto was good but perhaps slightly overcooked. Still good!! Finished it off with lava cake, which albeit small for the price, delicious.

Came here for happy hour and got burgers and a few apps. The was very good, especially the fritters. Definitely coming back for regular food another time

The last time I came to Alba was 2013 my freshman year of college, and although I spent 4 years in Des Moines I never made it back. At the time I don’t think my palate was refined enough to appreciate the good food I was eating, so I am so glad I came back tonight while back in town! I love a menu that changes seasonally and Alba is dishing out some major flavors. I had the fritters which were crunchy, salty and the soy aioli that comes with them was amazing. For a larger plate I highly recommend the NY strip stroganoff. It had the perfect tang that a good stroganoff should have, the steak was perfectly tender and the crispy shallots and sautéed mushrooms added a good flavor punch. I sat at the bar and my waitress was very friendly, definitely a good spot to pop into if you’re in town!

This was the perfect place for a date night. The brussel sprouts were amazing and the Gnocci was *chef’s kis*. Highly recommend and am excited to try out their happy hour sometime.