Mezze Mediterranean Kitchen Opens in Downtown Des Moines
The fast-casual restaurant serves theater patrons and office workers from a historic venue.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Mezze Mediterranean Kitchen has opened in downtown Des Moines, operating out of the historic Temple for Performing Arts. The fast-casual establishment offers pitas, salads, and grain bowls designed for nearby office workers and theater patrons.
Why it matters
The opening adds a new fast-casual dining option to the downtown corridor, filling a specific service gap for midday office traffic and evening theater crowds. By leveraging the historic Masonic Temple building, the developers aim to drive foot traffic into a high-visibility, renovated venue.
The menu features a $12 starting price for pitas and a $16 price point for bowls. These offerings cater to local office workers and residents, with operations running Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The players
Orchestrate Hospitality
A professional management firm that oversees restaurant operations and service execution.
Pamela Bass Bookey and Harry Bookey
The real estate developers who acquired the historic Masonic Temple building in 2001.
The details
Mezze Mediterranean Kitchen utilizes a customizable assembly model where customers select a base, protein, and various dips or sauces. The kitchen staff employs specialized preparation methods including dry-brining, marinating, and low-and-slow braising to manage food quality at volume. The restaurant occupies space within the Temple for Performing Arts and features a covered patio equipped with heating lamps to extend usable seating capacity during cooler months.
Timeline
October 28, 2026: Mezze Mediterranean Kitchen officially opened.
Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Standard operating hours for the restaurant.
Market Landscape
The launch marks a new phase in the ongoing redevelopment of the historic Masonic Temple building, which the owners first acquired in 2001. This addition follows a multi-year strategy to integrate food and beverage offerings into the venue's existing performing arts infrastructure.
Operators in the downtown sector should monitor this venue's performance as a benchmark for high-volume, quick-service integration into historic performance venues. The reliance on outdoor patio heating suggests an operational focus on maximizing square footage during the city's shoulder seasons.
The takeaway
The successful integration of dining into specialized venues relies heavily on matching service speed to the surrounding business and arts traffic. Operators should track how the restaurant maintains meal quality during high-demand theater intermissions versus standard weekday lunch rushes.
Further reading
For more on new businesses entering the area, explore our Des Moines Openings & Closings section.
More information
Review the full menu and service options at the Mezze Mediterranean Kitchen website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Des Moines Register.
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