The Grateful Chef — Restaurant in Des Moines

This was my 1st visit, I became aware of it from other Google guides & was looking forward to my visit. I called ahead Fri 04/28/23 @ 12:30 pm & spoke with co-owner John. I had several questions & he answered all of them, was through, patient & kind. That day I had a late morning appt & knew I would be arriving well after lunch hour, so I managed my expectations, knowing my food choices would be limited. I arrived around 1:30pm & was met by Lori & Kiki who were also very pleasant & great customer service. I purchased 2 Turkey sandwichs in grab & go, 1 quart Chorizo + Beef Fiesta Chili, 1 Dinner Peanut Chicken + Broccoli Pasta & 2-2 packs of Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookies. The service was quick & prices reasonable. Food Healthy & Delicious. When I arrived home we enjoyed the Turkey sandwichs with fresh herb aioli spread, lettuce, red onion & tomato on wheat & cookies, very delicious. I planned on eating the Chili & Dinner portion later, so I placed them in freezer for another day. I noticed the cardboard lid to the dinner was loose & separated from the container where the aluminum pan crimping had failed to keep it sealed. I just used a fresh freezer quart zip lock bag & that worked to store it in freezer for later use. Overall everything was great. They are open Thursday-Saturday only. On Monday's around 10:30am through Wednesday morning you may place on-line orders for pickup on Thursdays. Some of the more popular dinners can be sold out within the 1st 2 hours, so plan accordingly! If you have have not been here, I highly recommend you patronize this business who use fresh herbs & spices in their food preparations & it comes out in the flavor & quality dinners, sandwiches, wraps, soups & chili's. If you have further questions, please call ahead. If I missed anything in my descriptions or offerings, remember it was just my 1st visit. I will definitely be returning soon and highly recommend you visit this locally owned & operated business, focusing on real, healthy, delicious food. Quick & convenient service is their focus & facilities extremely clean & inviting! Thank you for your services,...

I visited The Grateful Chef to grab something quick and healthy for lunch recently and was surprised by how unique and wonderful this place is. It seems like more of a location to grab larger, pre-made lunch and dinner meals - there is a giant selection of really creative, delicious sounding meals that need to be taken home and baked off. As for me and my needs, I was wanting something immediate and had a hard time between choosing the grab-n-go options... so I got the two that I wanted most: A fresh veggie and hummus sandwich and a smashed chickpea salad. The sandwich was very fresh, had unique flavors and texture, and was both light and balanced, and the smashed chickpea salad was also exciting with the flavor combinations and texture (red onion, dill pickles, turmeric, mustard). I don't have any allergies and haven't adopted any sort of diet (gluten-free, vegan, etc.), but these options both fell under those categories and I completely loved them both. I am new to Des Moines, and even more new to what the south side has to offer, so this was such a wonderful surprise. I will definitely be back and plan on telling more people about this place - especially friends and family that are looking for exciting vegan &/or gluten...

I stumbled upon this Gem last fall and am a weekly patron. Brandy, John, and their team are passionate about their mission. Inventive, Real, wholesome and minimally processed food is at the heart of their weekly menu. I've tried many items from freezer and frozen cases. Chia pudding, stuffed pepper soup, chicken pot pie, tuna salad crunch, chickpea hummus, are just a few of my faves. The quality is superb and I love that they arent afraid to season the foods with spices and herbs. This is a Far better option to have healthy meals from a LOCAL small business than ordering the food boxes online....