The best way to get inside this popular Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant is to park behind the building and enter via the back entrance. A Dong's periwinkle building and décor, including linoleum floors and vinyl upholstery, are unassuming, but the food is extraordinary. The cooking is authentic, and items such as the pho soup are accompanied with fresh accoutrements like bean sprouts and herbs that diners add on their own to further enhance the food's flavor. The restaurant is a favorite with the Des Moines Asian community.

Seafood is the specialty at this combination restaurant/market. The Waterfront serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. The menu is diverse and even includes three steak entrées and a savory chicken breast dish drizzled in lemon sauce. Diners can enjoy the casual ambience or grab carryout from the market, which means choices are limited to salmon or seafood salad. Extremely popular with businessmen, this restaurant makes a nice lunch alternative.