By Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register
The owner of a south-side Mexican grocery eyeing downtown Des Moines’ long-empty Spaghetti Works says she wants to turn it into a Mexican-themed restaurant and bar.
Karina Cruz of El Valle Tienda Mexicana told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday, June 10, that she isn’t planning to open a grocery in the Spaghetti Works space in the Historic Court District at 310 Court Ave., despite preliminary city permit documents that indicated the proposal was for a combination market and restaurant.
Cruz, who serves grab-and-go meals at her 101 Army Post Road store, said the downtown venture would be her first dedicated restaurant.
While still in the early stage of the permitting process, Cruz said she envisions a sit-down restaurant with drinks and possibly live music or a DJ. She would continue to operate El Valle Tienda Mexicana and use the same name for the restaurant.
Her business partner and fiancée, Bianca Hernandez, said the two hope to open a restaurant similar to Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge, a popular Court Avenue dining spot and bar that closed in 2015. It’s now the home of Blue Sushi Sake Grill.
“Our idea is to create a fun Mexican restaurant space,” Hernandez said. “We’re thinking of the time when Dos Rios was around, like that kind of vibe just with our own spin, of course.”
Cruz grew up helping her parents with their grocery store, which led her to open El Valle Tienda Mexicana. From there, Cruz was able to further her love for cooking, serving fresh tamales, empanadas and more.
She said Hernandez’s experience in serving and management made opening a restaurant a natural step.
“Together, I think we have what it takes to create a fun environment in a restaurant,” she said.
What happens next with new restaurant proposal?
Spaghetti Works had a 45-year run in the converted, 126-year-old former hat factory before it shut down in March 2023. Efforts to turn the 8,000-square-foot space into a new location for TeeHee’s Comedy Club, formerly located in downtown’s Western Gateway, or a game bar failed to get traction, so it has remained empty and on the market.
El Valle Tienda Mexicana must schedule a pre-application meeting with the city before formally applying for a building permit. Hernandez said she and Cruz will share a timeline when the process is farther along.
The city has launched a $7 million incentive program called Restore the Core to support new investments in long-vacant commercial space as downtown anticipates the addition of 1,000 residential units in the next two years.
“We frequent downtown and love to go to the other restaurants,” Hernandez said. “So we just want to be part of that revitalization of downtown, create more traffic down there and try to do our part.”
Kate Kealey is the growth and development reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @Kkealey17.
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