Where to Go for the Best Seafood in Iowa [PHOTOS]
As a landlocked state, Iowa isn't known for its seafood. But, that doesn't mean we don't have a few great seafood restaurants!
24/7 Wall Street recently published a list outlining the best seafood restaurant in all 50 states, and I honestly wasn't sure what to expect for Iowa. We don't have a ton of restaurants that specialize in seafood, but I know there are a few out there that could be recognized by the publication. The winner ended up being a place I've never heard of before called Waterfront Seafood Market!
Waterfront Seafood Market has locations in two different Central Iowa cities: West Des Moines and Ankeny. According to the official website, the family-owned business actually started out of the back of a pickup truck! The first restaurant and seafood market opened in 1984, and the rest is history. The site reads:
"Today, we source the finest quality seafood from all over the world and we bring it right here to you. Once it reaches the dock, we fly our seafood whole and uncut to our locations where we process everything to the highest standards of quality."
The cool thing about Waterfront Seafood Market is that it's not just a restaurant. Both locations include a "fine dining restaurant," but also a sushi bar, a seafood market, and an events room. The article from 24/7 Wall Street says:
"...this fresh seafood market and restaurant sources its catch directly from fishermen and will serve any market filet in the restaurant, cooked however you like it. The large menu features sushi, raw bar appetizers, fried baskets, pastas, po’boys, and house favorites like halibut royale and Maryland-style crab cakes."
Some of the other house favorites listed on Waterfront Seafood Market's dinner menu include Coconut Shrimp, Alaskan Style Salmon, Opilio Snow Crab, Trout Amandine, and Scallop Marucca. The fish available in the market are dependent on the fishing season and the weather conditions. Here are a few photos posted by satisfied customers on Instagram:
Waterfront Seafood Market has a 4.6-star rating on Facebook thanks to over 1,700 reviews, plus a 4-star rating on Yelp! You can check out the menu and hours for both locations on the official website HERE.
Where's your favorite place in Iowa to order seafood? Let us know in the comments!