The Johnston Brief

Mexican: Flame The Taqueria, Pico De Gallo, El Mariachi, Amigo

Italian & pizza: Marino's Italian, Pagliai's Pizza

Breakfast & brunch: The Happy Egg, Cozy Cafe

Steak & date night: Trostel's Greenbriar

Sports bars & patios: 1908 Draught House, Zeke's Rooftop & Grill

Sushi & Japanese/Thai: Wasabi, De Rice Thai and Japanese Cuisine

BBQ & comfort: ShortE's BBQ, Charlotte's Kitchen

New American / Latin: Roots95 Craft Kitchen & Bar

The full rundown: best restaurants in Johnston →

• Blue Bean Coffee & Coworking (6205 Merle Hay Rd), 4.5★, coffee + a work zone
• Caribou Coffee (5260 Merle Hay Rd), drive-thru + indoor seating
• Starbucks (5560 Merle Hay Rd), Johnston's first freestanding location
• Cozy Cafe (8385 Birchwood Ct), coffee alongside all-day breakfast

The full local coffee scene: the best coffee in Johnston →

New spot opening? Tell us →. We run a "new this month" feature.

Always worth a look. Current standing deals (we refresh these weekly):

Kids eat free: ShortE's BBQ, all day Friday & Saturday (12 and under, from the kids menu, with an adult meal).

Happy hour: Wasabi (Mon-Fri 3-6pm, dine-in) and Roots95 (Sun-Fri 4-6pm: $5 tap beer, $6 house wines, $8 select cocktails, $9 select appetizers).

Nightly at Roots95: Monday Burger & Brew $14, Wednesday half-price wine bottles, Thursday Ladies' Night $8 cocktails, Friday & Saturday chef's weekend special, Sunday Steak Night $18. All 4-9pm.

Nightly at ShortE's BBQ: Wednesday Rib Night ($15 full rack, $10 half, $5 off rib dinners) and Thursday $1 smoked wings in orders of 6 or 12 while they last. Open Wed-Sat.

Sushi & wine at Wasabi: a Sushi & Wine special all day Sundays and Mondays through Nov 30.

Got a deal or happy hour we should list? Add it here →. Owners, send us your current specials and we'll check them each week.

• Splash Pad at the Johnston Town Center (6245 Merle Hay Rd), free, sensor-activated, 27 water features; Memorial Day-Labor Day, 10am-8pm
• Johnston has no city outdoor pool (the old Camp Dodge pool closed in 2001). The closest lap option is Summit Middle School Pool (9500 Windsor Pkwy), an 8-lane competitive pool run through Johnston Community Education: lap swim, private lessons & Parent-Child Aquatics. 515-986-0951
• For a true water park with slides & a lazy river, Ankeny's Cascade Falls (largest municipal pool in Iowa) is about 15 minutes away

• Johnston Parks & Rec: youth track & field, T-ball, outdoor soccer, basketball
• Johnston Little League & Johnston Girls Softball run independently
• Youth golf at Button Hole, ages 7-17
• Sign-ups largely run through Johnston CSD's Community Education / Eleyo portal
• The school district feeds the Johnston Dragons from there

Flix Brewhouse, a dine-in cinema with in-seat food and an on-site brewery, just south at nearby Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines.

The Johnston Public Library (6700 Merle Hay Rd) runs a full Summer Reading Program: kids, teens and adults each get their own track, plus a Thursday Night Book Club, a Teen Book Club, and an Audiobook Walking Club that meets at Terra Park.

The Johnston Partnership for a Healthy Community runs a daily food pantry: non-perishables, fresh bread, produce and personal-care items, no ID required. 515-528-2379.

ChildServe (5406 Merle Hay Rd), headquartered right here in Johnston, offers respite care, an Adaptive Therapy Playground, and adaptive activities for kids with special healthcare needs. Families looking for an inclusive sports league can reach the Miracle League fields in Urbandale or at Principal Park in Des Moines, both a short drive away.

Know a family gem we're missing? Recommend it →

• Terra Park (6400 Pioneer Pkwy), an 8-acre fishing lake stocked with largemouth bass, channel catfish & bluegill, plus a fishing pier, 3 pickleball & 2 tennis courts, playground, outdoor fitness stations, and a summer Art Walk featuring local artists
• Fully ADA-accessible, with adult changing stations in the restrooms
• Connects directly into the Beaver Creek Natural Resources Area and its trail network

• Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail, Johnston's most popular trail for running & biking, following the creek through town
• Johnston Interurban Trail, built on the old Inter-Urban Railway corridor (used 1906-1948), running into Des Moines
• Trestle to Trestle Trail (3.7 mi, opened 2007), connects toward the restored Wakonsa Bridge in Beaverdale, linking onward to the Neal Smith Trail and the Des Moines River trail system
• Beaver Creek itself is a designated Iowa state water trail, alongside the Des Moines River

A short drive northwest of Johnston:

• Bob Shetler Recreation Area sits right on Saylorville's shore near Johnston: swim beach, bike trail access & reservoir fishing
• Saylorville Lake Marina (Polk City): pontoon & tritoon rentals, Apr-Oct
• Big Creek State Park and Jester Park (bison & elk herds) are both within about 20 minutes

All part of the U.S. Army Corps' Saylorville Lake system, within about 20-30 minutes:

Reserve early for summer weekends, May-October.

• Hyperion Field Club (7390 NW Beaver Dr), Johnston's only course, private, 18 holes, par 72, designed by Tom Bendelow in 1910
• 37 more courses (16 public, 8 municipal, 13 private) within 20 miles
• Bombers Golf & Family Entertainment District (5225 Merle Hay Rd, now targeting Dec 2026 after funding delays) will add a Toptracer driving range & putting course

Johnston Parks & Rec also runs adult programs: call 515-727-8091 for current leagues and facility rentals.

Standard Iowa DNR seasons apply around Johnston, same as the rest of central Iowa. Polk County Conservation also runs a controlled urban bowhunt for antlerless deer at several county parks each fall to manage the urban deer population. Check polkcountyiowa.gov for participating sites and dates. Terra Park's 8-acre lake is stocked and open to fishing with a valid Iowa license.

Already wrapped this year: RAGBRAI (Jul 18-25), Hinterland (Jul 30-Aug 2) and the National Balloon Classic (Jul 31-Aug 8), all back next summer.

More on the way: Bombers Golf & Family Entertainment District (indoor golf, bowling, arcade) has broken ground but hit funding delays, with the target completion now December 2026. Ignit's planned adjacent entertainment district is also still under construction.

Ignit (208,000 sq ft, opened Feb 2025) has an indoor track, a full-size indoor soccer field, and 8 multi-purpose courts, the go-to when it's too hot, cold, or wet to play outside. Crown Point Community Center, next to Terra Park, and Simpson Barn at Johnston Commons are both rentable community spaces.

• Johnston Running Club: youth track & field, cross country and winter conditioning since 2011
• Johnston Public Library: book clubs incl. a joint Silent Book Club with the Grimes library
• Johnston Parks & Rec adult programs: call 515-727-8091

Run a club we should list: car club, garden club, anything? Tell us →

Worth planning a whole day or evening around:

Beyond the lakes north of town (see Outdoors), these are the metro's signature green spaces:

No ticket needed: great when you just want to wander:

When you want more than Johnston's own lineup:

A little farther, but easy round-trips and a true change of scenery:

Pack a bag. Within a half-day's drive: a big-city zoo, Mississippi river towns, Iowa's lake country, and a baseball field in a cornfield.

The full rundown, with what to do and who each trip is best for, is in our day trips & weekend getaways guide →

Drive times are rough door-to-door estimates from central Johnston. Add a little for downtown parking or game-day traffic. Got a favorite spot we're missing? Recommend it →

Running since 1989, the market sets up Tuesdays, 4-7pm, at the Johnston Town Center (6221 Merle Hay Rd, between City Hall & the GrandStay Hotel), May through the first week of October. Produce, cheeses, honey, baked goods, crafts, garden art, live music, and usually a BBQ or food truck. SNAP/EBT, FMNP and WIC accepted at most stalls.

Details & vendor list: cityofjohnston.com/FarmersMarket

We refresh this list weekly in season:

No sales posted this week, check the live maps below.

Check gsalr.com or GarageSaleFinder for the live map.

Johnston Town Center's outdoor gathering space runs three free summer series, all at 6245 Merle Hay Rd, no tickets required:

Full schedule: johnstontowncenter.com/events

Running a food truck or a market stand we should feature? Tell us →

• Johnston High juniors & seniors can earn free DMACC college credit, at the high school, on DMACC's campus, or online
• 1,059 Johnston students took DMACC classes last year with a 92% pass rate
• 8 Johnston seniors earned a full DMACC Associate degree before high school graduation in 2026, four times the year before

Johnston Middle School and Johnston Senior High both run Gifted & Talented programs and Project Lead The Way curriculum alongside AP coursework and standard special-education/504 support.

Johnston High's mascot is the Dragons, competing in the CIML (Central Iowa Metro League), Iowa's deepest conference. The trophy case includes 7 state baseball titles, 4 girls' basketball titles, 3 boys' cross country titles, and back-to-back Class 4A boys' soccer state titles in 2023 and 2024.

Johnston's drama program and three competitive show choirs are also standouts in the district.

Follow schedules, scores & standings at Johnston Dragons Athletics. The weekly scoreboard lives in the Sports section →

Northern Polk County, Johnston included, sees its share of severe summer weather and flash flooding along Beaver Creek. If it happens, here's who to call:

Permits and where the growth is, straight from the City of Johnston's monthly building report.

• City issued 48 permits worth $10.27M in its most recent monthly report (March 2026)
• Biggest chunk: 21 new townhomes from Genesis Homes on Marigold & Iris Ct ($6.74M)
• Plus 4 new single-family homes ($1.44M)
• One commercial build-out: a new $908,000 building at 5445 West Pkwy
• Two new residential pools permitted ($240K combined)

Capital projects underway:

• Improvements planned at Greenwood Hills Park and Crosshaven Park
• NW Beaver Drive trail extension
• New Prairie Point Dog Park (6 acres), with day passes on sale online while the grand opening is scheduled
• Full development-projects list →

• FY2026 city property-tax levy: $11.4379 per $1,000, unchanged from last year
• Higher than neighboring Ankeny ($9.90) and Urbandale ($9.98), roughly in line with Grimes ($11.19)
• (the city's just one slice of your bill: county, DMACC, DART & schools levy the rest)

• City Council meets the 1st & 3rd Monday of the month: work session 6pm, regular meeting 7pm, City Hall (6221 Merle Hay Rd)
• Open to the public, with time for public comment
• Agendas: Agenda Center → or BoardDocs →

Council seats are at-large, not by ward. Here's what actually lands on the agenda:

Here's who holds each office right now (mid-2026):

Sen. Blake, a Johnston-area Democrat, flipped this seat from a 20-year Republican incumbent in 2024 and was elected Senate Democratic Whip in May 2026. Rep. Andrews ran for Governor in the 2026 GOP primary and continues representing District 43.

• Johnston CSD Board of Education: 7 members elected at-large, plus 2 non-voting student representatives
• President Jennifer Chamberland, Vice President Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher
• Newly elected Nov. 2025: Rexford Davidson, Kaycee Schippers & Justin Smith
• Board meets at the district office, 6510 NW 62nd Ave
• Schedule & agendas: School Board page →

The general election is Tuesday, Nov 3. (The June 2 primary set the matchups, including the open U.S. Senate race and the crowded governor's field.) No city council or school board races this year. Those run on Johnston's odd-year cycle (next: 2027).

• On the 2026 ballot: Governor
• U.S. Senate & House
• Other statewide offices
• The Iowa Legislature
• County races

• Sen. Ernst isn't seeking reelection, leaving the U.S. Senate seat open: Ashley Hinson (R) vs. Josh Turek (D)
• Rep. Nunn is seeking reelection in IA-3 against a Democratic field led by state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott

Bring a valid photo ID (Iowa voter-ID law). Early voting begins Oct 14; registration/mail-ballot deadline Oct 19; same-day registration allowed on Election Day with ID & proof of residence.

Yours not listed? Add it →

The stuff every resident ends up googling, answered in one place, or browse the full Johnston guides index →