Panera Bread opened at Jordan Creek Town Center on June 19, 2006, and closed on May 19, 2026, about a month short of 20 years. Five months later, on Oct. 22, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar opened in the same space near Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD. It is Iowa's first Kura.
Five months is quick for this part of West Des Moines. The former On The Border, the former Bar Louie just south of the mall, and now the former Bravo! Italian Kitchen are all on much slower timelines. Kura moved fast for one reason. Its deal was public before the old tenant left.
The Deal Came Before the Vacancy
The Des Moines Register reported Kura's plans for the former Panera space in November 2025, roughly six months before Panera served its last soup. When the Register covered Panera's closing in May 2026, it already named Kura as the replacement.
So the space was never empty with nobody lined up. The other spaces around the mall have worked the other way around. The restaurant closed first, and the next tenant showed up much later.
The Ledger Around the Mall
Here is where each space stands, using dates from the Register's reports on On The Border, Meddys, Ugly Dumpling and Bravo!.
| Former tenant | When it closed | What's next | Status as last reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panera Bread, near the Cinemark | May 19, 2026 | Kura Revolving Sushi Bar | Open since Oct. 22, 2026 |
| On The Border, 140 S. Jordan Creek Pkwy. | Closure reported Feb. 25, 2025 | Meddys | Opening in 2027 |
| Bar Louie, south of the mall | September 2025 | Ugly Dumpling | Listed as "coming soon," construction about to begin |
| Bravo! Italian Kitchen, on the mall's edge | Closure reported Sept. 4, 2026 | None announced | No replacement named as of that report |
The On The Border space is the longest wait on the list. The Register reported the closing in February 2025 but didn't know the exact last day. The next tenant wasn't announced until Oct. 9, 2026, about 20 months later. In its Oct. 9 report, the Register's Susan Stapleton called it "a long-vacant Tex-Mex address." The new tenant is Meddys, a Mediterranean restaurant that started in Wichita, Kansas. The Register describes it as "polished casual" and says it opens in 2027. No month has been given, so 2027 could mean almost three years between On The Border's last meal and Meddys' first.
The former Bar Louie is on a similar track. The Register put it this way: "It's been more than a year since Bar Louie closed in West Des Moines south of Jordan Creek Town Center." The replacement is Ugly Dumpling, a Shanghai-style street food restaurant. It's listed as coming soon, construction was ready to begin as of Oct. 8, and there's no opening date yet. It sits near the Town Center but isn't part of it. It belongs in this list because it's part of the same ring of restaurants people pass on the way into and out of the mall.
Twelve months or more between a closing and the next tenant has been normal here. Kura's five months was the exception.
What Opened in the Old Panera Space
Kura's official address is 101 Jordan Creek Pkwy, Space 12530. The Register's opening-week guide describes twin conveyor belts, touchscreen ordering, robot servers moving through the aisles, and a prize game called Bikkura Pon. The chain runs more than 650 restaurants worldwide, including 96 in the United States, and West Des Moines is its first Iowa location.
Some practical points for a first visit:
- Book ahead if you can. Kura recommends reserving through its Rewards app. Its FAQ says you can also reserve online or at the kiosk inside the restaurant, and walk-ins are welcome.
- Use the waitlist. The waitlist runs during business hours and texts you updates. Once your number is called, you have 15 minutes to get there. If you're seeing a movie at the Cinemark next door, that 15 minutes is your window.
- Count in fifteens. Empty plates go into a slot at your table's tablet. Kura's own site says the prize comes after every 15 plates. One syndicated version of a Register preview said every five plates, but Kura's figure is the one to go by. The Register's guide also uses 15.
- Check hours before you go. During opening week, Kura's location page listed special noon to 9 p.m. hours for Oct. 22 through 24, not a regular weekly schedule. The West Des Moines location page is the place to confirm current hours.
The mall's own posted hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. If you're pairing dinner with shopping, plan around the mall closing at 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The First Holiday Season Without Bravo Since 2006
Bravo! Italian Kitchen opened on the mall's edge in 2006, the same year as Panera. When the Register reported the closing on Sept. 4, it noted the restaurant "became a go-to for families, especially on holidays, when it offered takeout and dine-in service."
That makes this November and December the first holiday stretch in 20 years without Bravo at Jordan Creek. Families who ordered Bravo takeout for the holidays will need another plan this year. As of the Register's September report, no replacement had been named, and the On The Border space shows how long an announcement can take on this ring.
Inside the mall, the turnover has gone the other way. Toys"R"Us held its grand opening on Nov. 1, 2025, in the former Forever 21 space on the upper level, across from the food court. WHO 13 covered the opening, and this season is the store's second holiday at Jordan Creek. Jordan Creek's events page also lists Photos with Santa on the lower level at Von Maur Court.
The Order Things Are Likely to Fill In
Going by what has been announced so far, the next openings around the mall should come in this order:
- Ugly Dumpling, in the former Bar Louie space south of the mall. It's furthest along of the three, with construction set to begin as of early October.
- Meddys, at 140 S. Jordan Creek Parkway, opening sometime in 2027.
- The former Bravo! space, with no tenant named as of Sept. 4, 2026.
If someone signs for the Bravo space before it sits empty for long, it could follow Kura's quick path. If not, the other spaces suggest a wait of a year or more. By late 2027, three of the four spaces in the ledger will likely have new restaurants: Kura, Ugly Dumpling and Meddys, all of them new to this stretch of West Des Moines. The fourth depends on when Bravo's space gets a tenant.
We live and work in the western suburbs, and we keep track of how places like Jordan Creek change, from a 20-year-old café becoming a sushi conveyor belt to the next restaurant on the ring. If you're thinking about how changes like these affect your part of West Des Moines, or you're planning a move nearby, Marc & Jill Lee are glad to help. Get Moving With Marc & Jill Lee.
