🐷 Local Des Moines Meal Deals
Smitty's Tenderloin Shop
The King Pork Tenderloin
The south-side king of the breaded pork tenderloin since 1966 — the King Tenderloin still hangs over the bun and runs under $10, so two people eat the Iowa classic for under $20. Mon–Sat.
Tasty Tacos
The Original Puffy-Shell Taco, 1961
The Des Moines original since 1961 — the puffy flour taco is about $4.59 now, so two people at two tacos each land around $18–20. Multiple metro locations, morning to night.
Fong's Pizza
Original Crab Rangoon Pizza
The tiki-Chinese-pizza mashup moved to East Village in 2025 — crab rangoon pizza is still the calling card, and the lunch special (two slices and a soda for $10) is the two-for-$20 play.
Tursi's Latin King
East-Side Italian Since 1947
The east-side Italian institution since 1947. Lunch runs about $23 for two now (toasted ravioli $9, pastas from $14) — just over the line, but still the cheapest way into a Des Moines legend.
B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli
Deli Counter Since 1922
A working corner grocery and butcher since 1922, B&B doubles as one of the city's best sandwich counters — so good that Andrew Zimmern featured its tenderloin on Bizarre Foods. Stacked deli subs and that famous pork cutlet come cheap and unpretentious. Two eat for around $16.
A Dong
Vietnamese Pho & Banh Mi
A longtime local go-to for Vietnamese comfort — big steaming bowls of pho and proper crusty banh mi at prices that have stayed gentle for years. Exactly the kind of warm, generous meal Des Moines does well. Two eat for around $18.
Tacos La Familia
Birria Tacos
A south-side taqueria where the order is birria — rich, slow-braised beef folded into tacos with a cup of consommé for dipping. Add a couple of regular tacos and you've got a generous, soul-warming spread for two. Two eat for around $16.
Hessen Haus
German Bier Hall
A cavernous downtown German bier hall where you can order a beer served in a glass boot and a plate of schnitzel, currywurst or sausages to split. Communal tables, big steins and shareable platters make it an easy, fun two-person stop. Two eat for around $20.
Mi Patria
Ecuadorian (DDD-Featured)
Tucked into an unassuming strip mall, Mi Patria earned a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives feature for its Ecuadorian cooking — empanadas, sweet plantains and skirt steak you won't find anywhere else in town. Generous and genuinely different. Two eat for around $18.
El Bait Shop
Good-Value Bar Food & 100+ Taps
A downtown beer hall with one of the biggest tap lists in the Midwest — 100-plus beers — and, crucially, a kitchen that keeps prices honest. Wings, fish tacos, burgers and Mexican favorites pair with the pours without emptying your wallet. Two eat for around $20.
💡 Pro tip: All deals are community-verified, and we've linked each spot's official menu where one exists. For the tenderloin spots, a single sandwich is enormous — order one with a side to split if you're not starving — and at the Italian and bier-hall sit-downs, the two-under-$20 move is to share a big plate. Hours and prices change, so check before a special trip. If something's expired, flag it on our main directory so we can update it.
📍 Regional Chains
Bigger than one storefront, smaller than the home-page national list — verified on each chain's own published menus.
Taco John's
Daily Deals — $1.39 Taco Tuesdays · $2.79 Taco Bravo Thursdays
The Cheyenne-born West-Mex chain (1969, ~300 stores in 22 states) blankets Des Moines with six stores — Ingersoll, Douglas, Euclid, Hubbell, Army Post and SW 9th — all running the chain-published Daily Deals: $1.39 crispy tacos all day Tuesday (they invented Taco Tuesday — and held the trademark until 2023), $3.19 Meat & Potato breakfast burritos Wednesday, $2.79 Taco Bravo Thursday, and $1.39 crispy tacos after 8pm every single night. Two people taco-crawl for $8–12 on any deal day, Potato Olés on the side. Prices are published chain-wide on tacojohns.com (exclude tax, participating stores, limited-time guarantee) — confirm at your store.
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
Breakfast Burritos All Day — Two for $14–17
The Fort Worth-born Baja taco chain — about 100 shops across 14 states — parks its Des Moines store on W MLK Jr Pkwy downtown. The Breakfast Whenever menu is served all day: bacon-potatoes-egg-&-cheese and chorizo-potatoes-egg-&-cheese burritos are $8.49, bacon-egg-&-cheese is $7.99, and potatoes-egg-&-cheese $6.99 — two burritos run $14–17 any hour the store's open. Prices read from the store's own online menu, July 2026.
🇺🇸 Also Valid Nationwide
These chain deals work anywhere in the country, including Des Moines.
Firehouse Subs
Two $5 Snackers — $10.75 · Born in Jacksonville 1994
Jacksonville's biggest food export reaches here too: founded in 1994 by two firefighter brothers, now 1,200+ stores — with one store in town at 2708 Ingersoll Ave. The $5 Firehouse Snackers (BLT, Cordon Bleu, Sweet & Spicy Ham, Turkey Jalapeño half-subs) feed two for $10.75 all-in, and two small 4-inch Hook & Ladders run $12.78. The 8-inch mediums most people order run $10-plus — the only medium pair that stays near the line is the build-your-own ham or turkey. Priced on the chain's own ordering system at its Jacksonville San Marco store, July 2026 — prices vary by store, so confirm at yours.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Pick 6 — Meal for Two from $19.99
The Pick 6 lets two people build a shared meal — choose six items across wings, tenders, and sides — starting around $19.99. A reliable two-for-$20 play at any BWW. Dine-in or takeout; pricing varies slightly by market.
Applebee's
Two $9.99 Really Big Meal Deals — $20
Each $9.99 Really Big Meal Deal pairs an entrée — Classic Bacon Cheeseburger, Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich, or Big Bangin' Burger — with endless fries and a fountain drink. Two combos feed two for about $20, dine-in.
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