Jun 2, 2026 - Food and Drink

A new Mexican meat market is opening in Des Moines

Linh Ta

Left: a smiling man in a checkered shirt and white apron holds a large wrapped steak in a butcher shop with meat displays nearby. Right: a white building with red trim under a blue sky. — Cerro Grande Meat Market co-owner Jose Lopez (left) and the new Des Moines location (right). Photos: Courtesy of Cerro Grande

A family meat market with roots stretching back generations in Mexico is opening this summer at 2517 Hubbell Ave. in Des Moines.

Why it matters: Cerro Grande Meat Market aims to offer products not found at your typical grocery meat counter. It will sell Latino and Mexican specialty cuts, rotating seasonal sausages and ready-to-cook foods.

How it started: Co-owner Jose Lopez is a fourth-generation butcher, he tells Axios.

His great-grandfather ran a meat counter in Mexico in the early 1900s, and the craft passed through his grandfather, grandmother and father, Ramon Lopez, before reaching him.
A fire in July 2025 destroyed Jose and his father's Ottumwa butcher shop after a piece of equipment short-circuited, but the family decided to use the moment as an opportunity to relocate and rebuild in Des Moines.

Zoom in: Jose said he plans to sell over 42 sausage varieties, ranging from simple breakfast links and garlic flavors, to a cordial cherry-and-chocolate sausage.

He will sell marinated fajita meat and core Latino carnicería cuts, too. Meat will be sourced from USDA Choice and Prime distributors.
Jose also takes inspiration from European butchers, known for being neighborhood stops and for displaying their meat products almost like art around their shops.

Plus: Jose's sister, Ariana Lopez, is opening a Mexican-style ice cream shop inside the same building.

What's next: Cerro Grande expects to open in July.

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A new Mexican meat market is opening in Des Moines

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