Five Points: scratch-made comfort food in Dallas Center
Hand-battered onion rings, Graziano pasta, chislic, and smothered steak, worth the short drive west.
Some of the best meals around Des Moines are a short drive west of it. Five Points, in the heart of Dallas Center, is a small-town gathering place that makes almost everything from scratch, from the hand-battered onion rings to the slow-braised entrees. They like to say it's a place where neighbors become friends, and the portions are generous enough that you may leave with a box.
Start with the onion rings
They're thick-cut, hand-battered, and the thing people mention first. If you want to go a little further, the chislic is a good call: flash-fried steak bites with garlic toast and chislic sauce. The bison bacon quesadilla, made with Midwest bison, is another one you won't see on most menus.
What to order
The Graziano pasta is a Five Points original, with Graziano sausage and marinara over cavatappi noodles, served with garlic toast. For a sandwich, there's a Chicago Italian beef with giardiniera, a breaded pork tenderloin, a Cuban, and a Five Points Philly. The burgers are a third of a pound and come stacked: the Mac Melt puts homemade mac and cheese and bacon on Texas toast.
After 4:30
Entrees start at 4:30pm, and that's when the comfort food comes out. The smothered steak is a sirloin with sautéed onions and mushrooms over mashed potatoes. The country fried pork comes with brown gravy, and the hot beef sandwich is an open-faced Texas toast piled with mashed potatoes, roast beef, and gravy. There's chicken Parmesan and chicken bacon Alfredo too. Kids get their own menu, with plenty of options under $10.
Bring the whole group
Five Points has a private dining space for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and holiday gatherings, and they cater off-site, from office lunches to weddings, with everything from appetizer spreads to taco and BBQ bars. If you're planning a party west of the metro this season, put them on the list.
Good to know
It's open seven days a week, and they take reservations. It makes an easy stop if you're riding the Raccoon River Valley Trail or headed out to Adel.
Go: Dallas Center · Mon to Thu 11am to 9pm, Fri to Sat 11am to 10pm, Sun 11am to 8pm · 515-971-7441
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