About Table 128
When I opened Table 128 in 2013, I didn't just want to build a restaurant—I wanted to create a table worth gathering around.
For eight years, our original Clive location became a home for meals shared, friendships formed, milestones celebrated, and seasons experienced through food.
When we closed that location in 2021, it was bittersweet. But it wasn't the end. Over the next few years, I carried that same spirit with me—traveling, tasting, learning, and thinking about what might come next.
In May 2024, Table 128 returned, this time at Gray's Landing in downtown Des Moines. It was a new dining room and a new chapter, but the heart of the restaurant remained the same: thoughtful food, genuine hospitality, and the belief that some of life's most meaningful moments happen around a table.
Just a few weeks later, Hugo's Wood-Fired Kitchen opened in the Drake neighborhood. Hugo's was never intended to be another Table 128. It had its own personality, its own food, and its own story—but both restaurants were built around the same belief in gathering people together and taking care of them.
On July 29, 2026, Table 128 welcomed its final guests.
Closing the restaurant wasn't an easy decision. Table 128 had been part of my life for more than thirteen years, and its story had become intertwined with the lives of countless guests, employees, farmers, producers, friends, and family members.
Looking back, I don't measure those years only in dinners served or dishes created. I think about proposals and anniversaries. Birthdays and business dinners. First dates that became marriages. Guests who became friends. Team members who became family. And thousands of ordinary evenings when someone simply trusted us with their night.
That's what Table 128 became.
The physical restaurant may now be closed, but I don't believe everything that made it special disappeared when we locked the doors for the final time. The people, relationships, lessons, and philosophy that grew around these tables continue.
Many members of the Table 128 team have continued their journey at Hugo's Wood-Fired Kitchen, where I remain involved and where that commitment to genuine hospitality continues in its own way.
Table 128 will always be an important part of our story.
And if you ever sat at one of our tables, it became part of yours, too.
Thank you for pulling up a chair.
— Chef Lynn Pritchard
Two Homes, One Table
Table 128 called two places home during its life.
The original restaurant opened in Clive in 2013, where the Table 128 story began and a community grew around its tables.
When the restaurant returned in 2024, it found a new home at Gray's Landing in downtown Des Moines. The surroundings changed, but what happened inside remained familiar: neighbors met travelers, friends gathered after work, celebrations unfolded, and strangers became regulars.
Both dining rooms became part of the Table 128 story—and we're grateful to everyone who walked through their doors.
Our Story & Timeline
May 2013 – July 2021: Table 128 opens in Clive. Chef Lynn establishes a loyal following with inventive, approachable cooking and a welcoming atmosphere.
2022 – 2023: While Table 128 is on pause, Lynn travels, explores new flavors, and begins dreaming about a second concept—one rooted in fire, flavor, and gathering.
May 1, 2024: Table 128 reopens at Gray’s Landing in downtown Des Moines, continuing its legacy with a refreshed space, expanded menu, and renewed energy.
May 29, 2024: Hugo’s Wood-Fired Kitchen opens its doors, bringing Mediterranean-inspired flavors and wood-fired cooking to the Drake neighborhood, adding another layer to our story.
July 29, 2026: Table 128 welcomes its final guests. After more than thirteen years of memories, meals, and relationships, the restaurant closes its physical doors—leaving behind a community and legacy that extend far beyond the dining room.
The Philosophy Behind the Table
Throughout its life, Table 128 was guided by seasonality.
Ingredients at their peak inspired the menu. Our cooking was Modern American at its core—approachable, inventive, and constantly evolving—but the philosophy behind it was always simple:
Cook with care. Honor the ingredient. Take care of people.
Menus changed. Locations changed. Seasons changed.
That philosophy never did.
It continues to influence the way Chef Lynn approaches food and hospitality today.
The Story Continues
Table 128's dining room may be closed, but the people and spirit behind it haven't disappeared.
Many familiar members of the Table 128 team have continued their journey at Hugo's Wood-Fired Kitchen, our Mediterranean-inspired, wood-fired restaurant in Des Moines' Drake neighborhood.
Hugo's is its own restaurant, with its own identity, menu, and story. But if you were part of the Table 128 family, we hope you'll find something familiar there—the people, the care, and the belief that hospitality begins with making someone feel genuinely welcome.
We'd love to have you pull up a chair again.