Drive the loop around Jordan Creek Town Center this month and you'll pass a building where you might have planned a December family dinner for almost 20 years. Bravo! Italian Kitchen, with its pasta, pizza, cocktails and Roman-ruin decor, opened on the mall's perimeter in 2006. The Des Moines Register reported in early September that it had closed for good, and described it as a go-to for families, especially on holidays, when it served both dine-in and takeout. As of that September report, no replacement had been named.
Bravo is the newest gap in a ring of restaurant buildings that has been turning over since early 2025. Four of those spaces now have new tenants lined up. Most of the incoming kitchens are Asian or Mediterranean: conveyor-belt sushi, halal Turkish doner, Lebanese-inspired plates and soup dumplings. The timing matters for anyone heading to the mall between now and New Year's. Only one of those perimeter replacements is serving food yet. The rest open in 2027.
Five Buildings, One Open Kitchen
Here's how the outer ring stands this week, building by building.
| Former tenant | What's replacing it | Where things stand |
|---|---|---|
| Panera Bread, near Cinemark | Kura Revolving Sushi Bar | Opened in late October 2026 |
| On The Border, closed February 2025 | Meddys | Opening planned for 2027 |
| Joe's Crab Shack | Yard House | Under construction, projected April 2027 |
| Bar Louie, closed September 2025 | Ugly Dumpling | Listed as coming soon, expected 2027 |
| Bravo! Italian Kitchen, closed September 2026 | No replacement named as of Sept. 4 | Closed |
Meddys and Yard House sit next door to each other, and the Register reported Yard House under construction with a projected April 2027 opening. According to the Register's report on Yard House, the restaurant will have 100-plus taps and a menu of burgers, tacos, pizza, steaks, noodle dishes and gluten-sensitive options. Meddys started in Wichita, Kansas. Its signature dishes include hummus that can be topped with grilled chicken or beef, garlicky chicken, falafel, and lamb or chicken shawarma bowls, with gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, vegetarian and halal options.
Ugly Dumpling's future home is just south of the mall at 7105 Mills Civic Pkwy., Suite 150, next to K-POT Hot Pot & Korean Dining. According to the Register, both are run by the same operator, Vertex Hospitality Group, which is based in Flushing, Queens. K-POT opened in November 2024, and Ugly Dumpling had 15 locations from New York to Austin when the West Des Moines site was announced. The plan is soup dumplings and dim sum in the room where Bar Louie used to be.
Where the New Food Already Is
The part of the turnover that's already open is clustered near Cinemark and the food court, so that's the side of the property to plan around this season.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is in the former Panera space near Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD. The Register called it Iowa's first Kura Sushi. It has twin conveyor belts, touchscreen ordering and robot servers, plus a prize game called Bikkura Pon that pays out a reward for every 15 plates. Its address is 101 Jordan Creek Pkwy., Space 12530. Kura's location page lists these hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. You can also make a reservation there. If you're pairing dinner with a movie on a December weekend, a reservation is easier than guessing at the wait.
Doner Street opened in the food court on July 21 at Suite 12510. It's the halal Turkish expansion from the owners of Istanbul Grill Cafe & Bakery in Urbandale. Layers of spiced chicken, lamb or beef are stacked on a vertical spit and sliced to order. It's the quickest way to eat between stores without leaving the building.
Exotic Snack Guys is inside the mall near The Cheesecake Factory and Rally House. It stocks imported snacks and drinks like regional Kit Kats from Europe and South America, international Lay's flavors, Peach Fanta and Cucumber Pepsi. For stocking stuffers, it fills a gap the department stores don't.
Toys "R" Us is a year in now. It held its grand opening on Nov. 1, 2025, in the former Forever 21 space on the upper level, across from the food court. That puts toy shopping and Doner Street on the same floor, steps apart, for the store's second holiday season.
Just outside the mall, Osaka opened May 5 at 640 S. 50th St., Unit 1140A. It sells sushi, onigiri, Japanese snacks and drinks, and has no indoor seating, so plan on takeout.
The Holiday Calendar, Mostly Indoors and on the Lake
The mall's holiday schedule mostly happens in two places: the amphitheater by the lake and the Lower Level Von Maur Court.
- Holiday Kickoff, Friday, Nov. 20, 6 to 7 p.m., amphitheater. Music from Gimikk, a tree lighting, fireworks over the lake, Santa's arrival, and hot chocolate and cookies. The Salvation Army will collect toys and donations, and the Angel Tree program will be running.
- Photos with Santa, daily from Nov. 20 through Dec. 24, Lower Level Von Maur Court. The mall's event page takes reservations.
- Pet Night with Santa, Mondays and Tuesdays from Nov. 23 through Dec. 15, 4 to 7 p.m., same court.
- Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26. The mall is closed.
- Black Friday, Nov. 27. The mall is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Individual stores and restaurants may keep different hours.
- Santa Cares, Sunday, Dec. 6, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Lower Level Von Maur Court. Sensory-friendly photo sessions before the mall gets busy.
The Kickoff runs only an hour, from 6 to 7 p.m. That leaves time for dinner after the fireworks. With Bravo closed and Meddys, Yard House and Ugly Dumpling not due until 2027, Kura near the theater and the food court counters are the closest options that night.
The Thursday Alternative Across Town
If you want a holiday evening that doesn't involve the mall, Historic Valley Junction holds Jingle in the Junction on four Thursdays: Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. on 5th Street. Admission is free, shops stay open late, and there are more than 100,000 lights. All four nights have trolley rides, food vendors, carolers and Santa. Nov. 19 adds live reindeer and a 6 p.m. tree lighting, the December dates add ice carving, and Dec. 17 finishes with a cookie swap. The first Jingle falls the night before Jordan Creek's Kickoff, so West Des Moines has two tree lightings on back-to-back evenings.
By next holiday season, Meddys, Yard House and Ugly Dumpling are all expected to be open. The mix of restaurants around Jordan Creek will look very different from the one Bravo opened into in 2006.
I keep an eye on how places like the Jordan Creek perimeter change because what opens and closes near a home affects how it feels to live there. If you're in West Des Moines and wondering what the next year of construction around the mall might mean for your part of town, Christopher Lewis is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.
