My husband and I moved to the WDM area about a month ago! My in-laws came into town and we wanted to try out local beer and good bar food. After looking up a couple of bars, Blue Shark kept coming up as a fantastic place to go! The bar is easy to find, and it was crowded inside, but very spacious. The waitress took our drink order. I ordered the sherbet sour beer! Highly recommend if you like sour beer! Probably the best I've ever had. My husband and father-in-law ordered The Blue Shark house beer. It was very smooth and good. We all ordered different items on the menu. Our favorite was the all you can eat beer battered fish! (It tasted just like cod, but was called pollock.) On Fridays they have all you can eat fried fish, and on other days they have other types of fun specials! The only reason why I put this restaurant a 4/5 stars is because there were quite a few flys and that made it annoying to eat. read more

Pretty slow service with certain teammates. Service can be slow sitting at a table or at the bar. My last experience is don't trust them with cash. I paid my tab with cash. She shorted me $5 when giving change. I don't believe it was a mistake because when I brought it to her attention she gave me the $5 and the cash receipt. Managers might want to cash flow. read more

Enjoyed the spicy peanut butter jam burger. Thursday special included 5 wings for an extra dollar. Crinkle cut fries were nice. Domestic pints $3 on Thursday. Good prices and service. read more

Blue Shark - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

The camera never eats first so sadly no pictures I'm sorry guys. They cleaned off a booth for us so it was so cozy and spacey just us two. We ordered the Fried Calamari which came in a very generous portion along with the 'Goat on a Date' pizza. We had no leftovers it was too good. Our server was so funny and sweet, just made sure we were having a good time. So relaxing and just a wonderful way to end our busy weekend. The Loaded Bloody Mary was delicious with their house made mix, I think about it still read more

Blue Shark - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

If there is a way to give a zero star, I would. Definitely will not be back, will tell my friends not to go. We arrived on unlimited wings night, waited 25 minutes for the food to come out with maybe half capacity of the restaurant. The sauce was absolutely horrible and I could not eat it. Sent it back and got garlic Parmesan. Both the wings and the sauce were ice cold. The server was actually terrible, gave nothing but attitude up until the check arrived, then was bubbly and full of personality. Literally, don't go. read more

Stopped in with friends for a meal and a visit. The waitress was attentive and quick with the service. The food was average quality and size. The atmosphere was very loud and open. Not a place to have a conversation. But a good place to watch sports with friends. read more

May be one of the worst restaurants we have ever been to. Service, drinks and food were subpar and overrated. We will not be going back to this joint when there are many others to choose from. read more

The service was beyond disappointing. Our server was rude and was always in a hurry to respond to other tables. She never checked in with us and I had to flag her down for another beer. By time we closed our check she was the most polite, friendly, bubbly, and talkative in an attempt to receive a good tip. News flash- you have to work for a tip and it's based on the quality of service, rather lack thereof. I DO NOT RECOMMEND. read more

I'm not a fan of the fries. Burger was well done as was egg but tasted good. My Long Beach was not very good either. While it was not busy, our waitress was not attentive. The chairs were uncomfortable. And they charge a fee for using a credit card. I'm glad to have tried this place but would not recommend it or go back. read more

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Gave it another shot. Service still sucks. Thank god the beer is cold. Shame on me, won't happen again.

Came here the other day with my boyfriend for dinner. It was a last minute decision as we were going to go to Buffalo wild wings but they had an hour long wait. I was definitely not disappointed with our choice. This place has really good specials and in general they just have really good prices for the food that you're provided. I got the 10 piece chicken strips for $15. The chicken strips were beer battered and were honestly some of the best chicken strips that I've ever had. They didn't come with a side but I honestly didn't mind because it was enough for me to eat and I went home with leftovers. For my drink I got a cherry limeade and it was very good and I couldn't even taste the alcohol in it but I definitely could feel it a little bit later after drinking it. I did try one of my boyfriends onion rings and I was not very impressed by those. They kind of tasted like those frozen onion rings that you can get at the store. But I didn't get them so I didn't really mind. He liked them though so it may just be me that doesn't like the taste of them. It is a nice establishment and they have a lot of food to choose from. The service was a little slow which I was a little confused by because there wasn't many people in the restaurant but I didn't mind too much about that. Overall, I will definitely be coming back here to try more food on some of the days that they have specials and it's definitely worth giving a shot if you haven't already. read more

Blue Shark - Chicken Strips - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

If you are waiting in line anywhere for brunch, and not at Blue Shark, you're missing out. We had a phenomenal breakfast for Father's Day. The portions are plentiful, plenty of room and excellent service. Steak skillet was awesome. Blue Shark skillet was equally as tasty. Biscuits & Gravy was sooooo good. Omelet, pancakes and hashbrowns Early Bird (bacon, pancakes, eggs) also delicious. We will be back for sure. -- at Blue Shark Ale House west. read more

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terrible service got ignored for the full meal bar taking our order. once we didn't order steak they basically ignored us, burgers chewy, chicken burger hard and cold. wouldn't advise going if you've got young children either. read more

Love the Goat on a Date salad! Their back patio is the place to go if weather is good and you want to talk to the people who come with you. Otherwise, it's a typical bar atmosphere with TV's. We go there often for the salad. read more

Arrived around 2 pm for my 45 minute lunch. The place was nearly empty but it was clean and the server was very nice. I ordered the "Blue Shark Burger" and fries. The wait for the food was about 20 minutes. The server kept my drink full and was very polite. My food arrived and I knew immediately it was not what I ordered. They delivered me a club sandwich with fries. I was the only one in there at that moment so I knew I wasn't given someone else's order. But the server didn't catch the mistake. Well I didn't say anything. Because I needed to get back to work and didn't have time for them to remake it. So I ate it. It was good. Just not what I would have ever ordered. I wasn't a fan of the fries. Large thick crinkle cut fries. There were a lot of them but they are just blah. The crispy to potato ratio is just not right. Too potato-ey. I'd order a different side next time. And hopefully get the burger I ordered. I'm not upset. It is what it is. Food was still good. And service and atmosphere was great. read more

Blue Shark - a bar with a large screen in the background - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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This is a must go location, have a drink and meal. My search was to find a place in the area that offered good fish for a good price. You have found that place, even though it was all you can eat I was so full after my first plate. I wanted more but simply no room for more. The fish breaded nicely with a little kick to it so be prepared for some spice, but its a good flavor and very tasty. Wasn't a fan of the coleslaw for me it was missing something to be a wow. Asked for a side of honey mustard which went so well with the French fries, but I'm not a normal ketchup dipper. While sitting there my guest and myself watched as food was coming out to other tables, like seriously who does watch the food as its being delivered. The burgers look amazing and when I return will need to be my next try. Hope others enjoy their time and meal when they go. read more

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You've got to try this place! We stopped in on a whim, had THE BEST goat cheese pizza (Goat on a date) and some yummy, well seasoned chicken strips (like really good, elevated chicken nuggets-you know, how McDonald's chicken nuggets tasted when you were 8 and you only got to eat out once a month). Our server Jadyn was awesome and very timely on drinks and food. Seriously, go try this place! read more

Way too much sour cream on the loaded fries...... absolutely absurd. And cheese had the texture of skin.

Stopped in with the office for an employee birthday lunch. Seated ourselves at a high top and ordered drinks right away. Our server was friendly and kept our drinks replenished. Orders came out correct, hot and tasty. The menu was huge and had lots of great choices. We've been back, and will be back again! read more

Blue Shark - Menu - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

We went to 165 today at 1pm. It was great, server was prompt, drinks were refilled before they even went dry. My crispy chicken salad with homemade ranch was real good. Vanilla Mules, perfect. The only hiccup was my appetizer never came. Not a huge deal, party of 10 women, all on separate checks, for me, that's not a deal breaker. One server balanced all of us plus another group. Even after we finished eating we sat and visited and mapped out our shopping plans. I never felt rushed to leave. This may be our regular spot to meet for our yearly "girls only" shopping putting. read more

Blue Shark - Sports Bars Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Atmosphere: Your average sports bar and grill with TVs for sports. Nothing bad about it, I love a good sports bar and grill. I will say, the one unique thing that I love is their huge garage door that opens up to the outside to kind of bring that inside/outside seating on nice days. Seating: Long bar, tables, and booth seating. Food & drink: They offer a wide variety of food including pizzas as well as lots of local beers. I had boneless garlic Parmesan wings and the taste was good (although I'm not too picky when it comes to wings) but I thought they were fairly small in comparison to other restaurants' boneless wing offerings in the area. Even their celery seemed smaller than normal. I also had breaded cauliflower and it was pretty tasty and came with chipotle for dipping which was delicious! read more

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Like Angela who posted a week ago, I am going to stretch my review -- mine's going from a 3.5 to a 4. Overall, the staff was attentive, the food was a mix of good and very good, and the atmosphere was lively, but not too loud or boisterous. I'll start with the service - when we arrived one host went to get a table ready and another stopped by to make sure we'd been taken care of. Once seated, the manager stopped by to get our drink order since our server hadn't made it over yet, and our drinks arrived and then our server came to take our order. I'd rank our server average, but the others who helped out were very friendly and attentive! On to the food - I ordered a Patty Melt. Our server said all burgers but one were $5 since it was a Thursday, but it turned out this one was not included. Sides are extra on Thursdays, so it wasn't a big difference in price. The sandwich was fine, but not as flavorful as I've had in a patty melt. I opted for their homemade coleslaw, which was exceptionally creamy, and had a hint of Dijon, I believe. It was very unique and pretty tasty, and definitely a different twist. My wife had a salmon salad. It was very reasonably priced, had a great mix of dark greens (which is what she really wants to see) and a decent piece of salmon, a smattering of veggies, and crumbled goat cheese. She got the raspberry vinaigrette, which was very tasty, but was thick and probably a bit sweeter than at some restaurants. Prices are very reasonable; my martini was excellent and as mentioned earlier the service was good overall. Another rating site shows them at 4.8 so give them a try! read more

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Food was cardboard pizza, chicken wings from a frozen bag . Service was spotty, And the ambiance was perfect for teens and 20's.

We were driving through and found them on yelp, we decided to check them out. It isn't too far from the freeway so decided to check it out. We stopped in around 230ish (winter) mid week, they weren't too busy. They have lots of televisions for when your wanting to watch some games, it is a bar atmosphere. I really liked the tables and booths (comfort, color and style). The place looks clean and tidy all around the main dining areas. We were approached right away and it didn't take too long to get our food. I enjoyed the California Burger and my husband got the fajitas, both looked delicious. The fajitas were a bit salty (could have been the cook that day) however my burger was delicious. I'm not one for those crackle cut fries so I didn't finish them and their ranch was a bit weak. The place has a glass garage door that looks like it may open up in the summer months to a patio area which would definitely make the atmosphere more inviting during those nice summer months. One thing is this place needs is for the restroom to be cleaned better, in dire need of a deep clean. When I went to use the woman's facilities before we left the bathroom smelled like urine. The floors are tile and though I'm sure they have moped now and again the black in the crevices and around the base of stalls separations and corners was a bit much. Yes I know it's a bar however a clean bathroom on a Tuesday afternoon should be a normal thing. The restaurant is in a nice area of town and has decent parking available as it is in a strip mall. Close to major stores and shopping areas so if your looking to dine and get some shopping done in the area you would be in the right place. read more

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Went yesterday and ordered the Nachos Grande with Chicken. Super filling and tasted amazing! (May 2022) read more

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Server sat us and forgot about us for 15 minutes. Ordered kids food first. It sat in the kitchen window and ended up coming out with our food. The plate was so hot I couldn't even touch it - it sat there so long. No water was brought out or offered. She rarely checked on us. Food was eh. By the way there were 3 tables (including us) in the whole place. We wanted split checks and she just split up the food to what she thought would make sense rather than using the split or 50:50 button so we paid weird different amounts. This place has potential but it was terrible. We went somewhere else after and they agreed read more

Food and ambiance is always great. Only issue is service speed. Multiple visits have been cringe because we finished all of our food before we even see a second round. We ended up cancelling our next round. Both times. Hopefully 3rd time is a charm. *shrug emoji read more

I ate here for my first time and was very satisfied with the food and the service. The prices are a little spendy but the quantity and quality of the food you get is totally worth the price. There are tv's all around the restaurant playing sports games. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant, maybe even for the sunday bottomless mimosas read more

This was our first time at the Blue Shark since we live in Venice, Florida! We had Ann as our server! We were her first table serving at the restaurant! She did an excellent job! She was polite, clean, friendly and good at her job! Kristina Gourd, the general manager owes you a dinner! Kristina was excellent, also! She was welcoming and came to our table to see if everything was okay! We will definitely be back when in Iowa again! We thank you! read more

Genevieve is the literal best server I've ever had in my entire life. She was so efficient and knowledgeable about the menu and drinks and so friendly and welcoming while me and my husband were so unfamiliar with the menu. She served us good food and good drinks and we can not wait to come back !!! A+++++ service !!! read more

I had the Friday fish special and it was great, large pieces of battered fish with fries. Service was quick and they were also quick to do a reorder of the fish. read more

The all you can eat fish and chips were wonderful and very filling. They were very friendly and the service was good.

I always have a hard time rating these types of places. The food was great for a sports bar. Can I compare it to my favorite sit down steakhouse in Des Moines? No. The food in the same category however, if you are looking for a great place to watch the game, hang out, have a burger, and drink...this is your spot. Pros: *Lots of TVs. Good quality. None of that grainy projection junk. *Waffle Fries-OMG can they work a deep frier. This shouldn't be a hard skill but I have been a ton of place with soggy...under cooked fries. These things were golden perfection. *Quick, courteous staff. The girl that serves us had some seriously amazing eyeshadow blending skills. On top of that she was prompt to serve us and bring refills. *A salad menu with actual greens! Usually sports bars have some fried chicken, cheddar cheese, on a bed of wilted iceberg. The chopped salad that I had included grilled chicken, avocado, and blue cheese! *Clean *Good area Room for improvement: * it was a slow lunch hour when I went and I felt like it took a while to get our food. I would be concerned that during a busy time you would be waiting for a while. We will bring our friends back to try some drink specials! read more

They will charge you a 2$ fee for ice and i think that this is ridiculous to do and serve was not that good thats a one star for me

The appetizers were good. The third star is for the appetizers. The burgers were sub par. Group of 4 and none of are burgers were warm. They were room temperature. The drinks were weak. Nothing really stood out. Lots of staff standing around talking but only a few actually looked like they worked hard. read more

This place is awesome....TV's are fantastic.. Grace is wonderful....definitely will be back!!! Thx Grace!

The food is always amazing! And Danyelle is a very friendly and caring server. Totally worth it.

We visited 165 around 5pm on a Friday night, with around 5-6 of our co-workers. It wasn't busy at all, there was actually a ton of room. They have these very large booths along the back wall, along with high-tops throughout the rest of the bar area. We grabbed a high-top sort of close to the door and the bar. They have the same lacquered high-top tables that wobble just like every other bar, but they weren't noticeably uncomfortable. We had 2 servers, which was weird, but it seemed they were maybe in that shift-change period. We were there for about an hour and a half, and it never got busy either, despite it being Friday night. My SO and I ordered Crispin ciders, while our co-workers all chose local brews. No complaints with the servers or with the drink selections. They appear to have a pretty alright food menu, though no gluten-free or dairy-free options, so we didn't order any. All said, we were looking for a low-key place to enjoy some drinks with our teams after a long, hard work week, and that's what we got with 165. read more

Was expecting a nice dinner with good service here as I've had great experiences at the other location. The manager of this location is extremely rude. She spoke to me with little respect and I will never be coming to the Jordan Creek location ever again. The waitresses also seemed to be very stressed out and I assume she was the cause. The food was ok, but not worth the poor treatment. I will only be going to the Urbandale location from now on. read more

Located in a plaza with other well known businesses, 165 American Sports Bar & Grill can be easy to miss, especially if you don't already know it's there. Admittedly, I've only been here once, but I don't see myself coming back again. There was nothing special about this place. As soon as you walk in, you don't know if you should be seated or if it's self-seating, as there's no one there to greet you. Awkward use of space. Seems too big for itself. Lots of TVs but most seemed to be playing the same thing. Food is typical of what you'd expect for bar food. I ordered the Hawaiian chicken sandwich and it was serviceable. We did have a nice bartender though. She made the experience much more enjoyable. Like I said before, don't see myself returning any time soon. There are other bars I would visit in the Jordan Creek/West Glen area before trying this place again. read more