City Bakery

This is a nice little coffee shop/​restaurant. I had eggs and they were delicious. The prices were good and the food was tasty. I was a little disappointed that there was no wifi.

The City Bakery/​La Mie family was a legend in my eyes before I even made my way to Des Moines. I had heard of the ridiculously flaky pastries, great environment and last but not least, the to-​die-​for carrot soup. Needless to say, a visit to the city would have been deemed incomplete without a visit to this European haven in the heartland.
That soup. Oh, that soup. Potatoe-​y, carrot-​y goodness. Like buttah, I tell ya. We each ordered a half veggie panini to round out the meal which was equally delicious. Don’t ask me how but I am awful at eating sandwiches (all that work and hand/​mouth coordination, amiright…), so I appreciated finding that this sandwich was easy to manage given that the bread was not overwhelmingly large.
The final piece to my new love affair with City Bakery? The atmosphere. The sleekness reminded me of a northern European, yet the menu boasted a French/​Italian-​like lineup. Think soups, sandwiches, salads, pastries, spiffy sodas, etc. The floor to ceiling windows didn’t hurt either — this would make the perfect spot for working a few hours on the laptop or hosting the coolest meeting you’ll experience all week. Heads up, there is no wifi available.

Probably my favorite lunch spot in Des Moines. The food is such high quality, the prices are surprisingly reasonable, and the ambiance even gives a hint at what this place is most concerned about — what’s on your plate. Their bare-​bones décor (almost to a fault) leaves the impression that they want you to focus on the food and not much else. They still pull off quite a contemporary vibe, and it all makes sense when you experience it. The pastries, the sandwiches, the soups are all impressive. I’ve walked away excited after each visit.

I ate here this morning. Best Eggs&Cheese ever. Ham was delicious along w/​wonderful Decanter of coffee. Didn’t get any «Pastries» but I sure wanted to. Gives me excuse f/​next visit. Mmmmmmmm

If you can find it, City Bakery is a simple and high quality breakfast + lunch spot. They serve hot dishes + items in a «go up to the counter, bring it to your table» format.
The ingredients they use taste of the highest quality and the service is always prompt and friendly. I love their pizza (wow) and their tuna /​avocado, sandwich, and their pastries are absolutely delicious. They also have french press coffee. (Nice touch)
The ambiance is plain and will take some getting used to on your first time, but it seems to work for them. I would dock them a star on this, but the value here get’s a bonus star.

Went here for breakfast Saturday morning. Fantastic! Had an excellent breakfast sandwich with eggs. Wife loved her omelet and said their french press coffee was outstanding. Nico and the gang are doing great things here.