After dinner drink here to get the Pella vibe! Such a totally cool place. Service was excellent. We…read moresat out back after getting our drinks. It was picturesque and relaxing. They are known for their Mules and Bloody Mary's. My Bloody Mary (Original Classic) was another meal! And it was excellent. Definitely will return next time in Pella, IA!

Great bar spot in Pella! Let me tell you, they have an ABUNDANCE of peanuts here! It's great. They…read morehave a bunch of tvs with different sports games on. They also had board games and 2 arcade style game machines in the back! Their draft beer options are super expansive! I was here on a Tuesday and it was packed!! Only issue was because of this being a popular spot, the service was very slow so keep that in mind if you are in a rush to be somewhere after. Otherwise, I loved the vibe in here and there were a ton of 4 person high top tables you could seat yourself at that offered great views of the tvs. There were also a few larger tables for big groups, as well as ample bar seating.

What an unexpected gem. Not a large space and very popular. There is a nice outdoor space and…read moresometimes live music! Cool imported sodas, beer, cider, mead.... Wow. And then there is the food. Solid. Delicious. Fish and chips, Shepard pie, some curry. So much more! The whole place is an homage to all things British. Service was attentive, friendly... all the servers, not just the one serving our table. Makes for great vibes.

The pub was pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm. They have an outdoor seating area. The…read morepub is decorated with British signs and posters. The service was very good for how busy it was inside and out. The food was delicious! We had the cod & chips (added coleslaw) and the German platter (a bratwurst, weisswurst, pork schnitzel, mashed potatoes & gravy, red cabbage and sauerkraut). There were various other items we'd like to try, so we will have to come back! It seemed a little high priced, but it is Ames.

What a fun/family pub&bar. Had Pub Cheeseburger/Spinach Artichoke dip&Onion Ring appetizer. Food…read morewas very good and excellent atmosphere and served.

I was told they had an amazing cheese steak sandwich. The bread was dry and flakey, the meat was…read moresuper salty, hardly any cheese and don't remember ever really tasting any green peppers or onions. With enough ketchup I was able to hide the salty taste. The side of fries wouldn't have satisfied a 6yr old. A lot of little crinkle cut pieces. I did notice they were hiring for an evening cook. Hopefully that person won't report to the day cook. They had very nice menus. The bartender was nice, I tipped my regular 30% never to go there after again for food after a day of fishing. The atmosphere was local, nice people having beers and watching football. If you're planning on getting drunk I am sure the food would fit perfectly.

We stopped in for dinner before an event at Stevens auditorium. We were seated right away and got…read moreour orders in. It's a very relaxing Irish pub vibe with a variety of seating options and lots of TVs. Our drinks came out quickly and the food followed shortly thereafter. I got a martini and it was very well prepared. My wife got a glass of wine from their decent wine list. For dinner, I had the lamb burger, which was quite tasty. It was a good combination of flavors and the fries were hot and crisp. My wife got a naked burger with a side salad. The creamy Parmesan was very tasty and it was a nice bed of greens. A table next to us had some sort of a problem with one of the dinners and the server tried many many times to get the customer to order a replacement, but he said he was OK with what he got. When she brought the check to them she made sure to take that off since he did not eat it and would not accept a replacement. They seem shocked at this, but I wondered why they just didn't get a replacement! Great service by that server. She was also our server and did a fantastic job with us. We had very tasty food and great drinks , so I would definitely recommend it and would go back if I was in the area.

Thursday evening. Meeting up with some friends for a double date…read more One of them has a gluten allergy and suggested this stop since they had some good options for her. Pulled into the parking lot and it was packed. Walking from the car was nice on this warm January evening, however if you have problems with mobility or it just took old and want to be dropped at the door then they have a nice pull up drive to the door. We got a text that our date had already arrived and was at booth at the bar. We walked in past the hostess and rounded the corner to meeting them at the booth. We slid right in and the waitress was there to help us with our drinks and menus. She had already been talked up by our friends and everyone was smiling and enjoying their time. The set up in this area was nice. It was a bar with high top tables and with booth also. The staff were all very friendly and you could see others sitting up at the bar enjoying their meals. The lamb burger was our choice for the meal tonight. We got one to share with a side of Brussels sprouts. Like we were told, the Brussels sprouts were really good. I ate them like candy as they had a nice fresh taste to them. Then I bit into the lamb burger. - Drool. Can I please go have another? The flavor of the meat was really good. It was a nice juicy burger with a great taste. I also got to taste the spinach artichoke dip. It also was good. While we were talking our friends told us that the last few years at this restaurant there has been a turn around on the menu and food quality. While I don't know details about that, I can share our over all experience was perfect. Good food, good service, good drinks, good attitude all around. The atmosphere on the bar side is lots of Irish beer decorations and lots of fun stuff on the walls and decorations everywhere you look. If you haven't been here, I recommend.

The service was great and efficient. The food was well above average for the basic food we got…read more(chicken tenders and a burger) The fries were very good. My favorite though was the ranch, it was AMAZING. If you order the goldfish as an appetizer, beware they are very spicy. They are baked with I believe heavy sriracha. Yet I still couldn't stop eating them! Also, very cool atmosphere.

Friday Night At the Angry Gold Fish…read more This is usually a solid place to get a burger, but came up short. We arrived around 7:30 and it was busy. I asked for the corner table which was large and there were two of us. I chose it because it was quiet and it was so loud. The waitress seamed super annoyed. I am deaf in one ear and this was the best place so I could hear and actually enjoy the place. I didn't feel her attitude was justified. If she would have kept pushing the point it was going to get pushed to the manager as I have several disabilities and I don't use them, but I do choose certain places to sit to help manage them. My expectation is for the waitress to be kind and shouldn't matter if it's two people, four people, or six people. Should be glad to have a customer and business. My wife and I got a Knob Creek on the rocks to start off. We also each got the old fashion, one with tots and one with fries. The burgers have really good flavor, but wasn't even hot. The bun was super dry and I wound up leaving the bun and eating the burger. The tots were really good, but also not hot. My wife's was the same. The French fries were good, but not hot. I didn't say anything to the waitress because based on her attitude it was just going to make the night worse and I was out to have a nice evening. I have been here several times and this is my first bad experience here and I hope it's not a sign that the restaurant is going downhill. This is one of my go to spots in Des Moines to get a great burger and it should be fire on a Friday night. Fresh and delicious, not cold and dry, is the new requirement, an angry waitress to complete the Angry Goldfish vibe?

Great little place to have some amazing beer. The rotating taps keep it fresh. Beer tender was…read morehelpful and knowledgeable about what's on tap.

Cute, local dive bar with intimate seating and a nice outdoor area. Plenty of variety when it comes…read moreto beers and the bartender (Jason) was patient in helping us find our perfect selection. Would definitely recommend stopping if you are in area.

I want to start off this review with an absolute SOB of not living in the area and probably never…read moregetting to eat here again. Atmosphere: Located at the end of strip mall. Huge bar, but not a ton of seating. Large parking lot. There is no area to wait and there will be a wait if you don't have a reservation. We waited about 25 minutes for a table without a reservation. Clean bathrooms. Service: Super friendly staff that were rolling with the punches as it was absolutely packed. Food: OH MY GOD. So good, so so soooooo good. The food here honestly reminded me of my time in Ireland, this is the closet I've got to that level of amazingness without actually being there. Even the brown bread reminded me of many meals in County Clare. I forgot to take a photo of the corned beef and cabbage and potatoes but I will never forget them. Perfectly tender, and seasoned. I will dream about this place and hope that some day I end up back in Iowa.

Cute dinner or drinks spot in Ankeny! It is an Irish themed pub/restaurant but the food quality is…read moreamazing!! We got the fish and chips and it was great! I will say for the area, the portion did seem a bit small for the price, but that is the only downside I have! They have an option of seating types from booths, tables, and a bar area. They had sports on multiple tvs so you could watch that as well! The server was super kind and hopeful with recommending various things on the menu. They have a large selection of draft beers as well as unique cocktails. Even some fall themed ones! If you go certainly try the fish and chips!

Cool place. Obviously British themed. Very chill when we went. Really neat bar - very historic…read morelooking. Mix of young and mature. Good specials and friendly bartenders. Good Mules and Pimm's Cup specials.

My wife and I came here on a pubpass and we parked in back. When we first arrived at this hidden…read moregem, I thought "am I at the right place?" Then I noticed the big flag and I decided that we were There was cool music playing at a reasonable volume, The bartender was very welcoming. They have a cute menu with a descent happy hour menu (pic attached) they had Paulener Hefeweizen on tap so I was happy. My wife ordered Slingshot from local Backpocket. Then she ordered a cucumber mint mule that was delicious. If you're looking for a nice,chill, dimly lit atmosphere, then London Underground is a great choice. I will definitely be back here again!

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $32 03/28/2026 We saw that Arcadia was a Top 10 Finalist for Iowa Burger of the Year, so knew that we needed to give it a try - and last night was our opportunity. Arcadia is a short drive north of Grimes in a newly developed area of Polk City just after you cross over the long bridge over Saylorville Lake. We were impressed with the new building as we drove up (told that it opened about 1.5 years ago) along with the lively, open atmosphere & modern decor as we entered the building. We started our meal with a couple of local craft tap beers - a nice selection was available. Since we came for the Burger of the Year contender, the Smashburger was one of our orders (see picture) and we opted for the Fish Tacos as our second meal (see picture). Both were delicious and highly recommended. While I offer my Kudos for offering Marshmallow Creme for a dipping sauce with the sweet potato fries (we haven't found many places that do this...and we LOVE it), my only knock is that it was way too watered down and runny - with most of it running off the dipped fries rather than sticking to them. We finished with a Salted Carmel Old Fashion...and yes, it too was delicious and highly recommended! More information on the drinks and Happy Hour specials can be found at: HappyHourDesMoines . If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

We've visited this place three or four times now and feel like it's worth the drive to Polk City…read more Today we decided to try their burger, which has recently been recognized as the best in central Iowa. It is worth the hype! Delicious! It was on our table almost as fast as we ordered! Our server was attentive and kept our water glasses full. We had a couple of cocktails and they were excellent too. They have a mix of booths and tables, and you can dine at the bar if you choose. The place is in a newer building and very clear. The parking lot is shared with a few other businesses but there is ample parking. Check it out,

Nice college town bar. Very friendly and very reasonable prices. We stopped by here twice while at…read morean AAU basketball tournament at nearby Iowa State.

Gayle, Scott, Dad, and I had just experienced a forgettable meal experience at the nearby HyVee…read moreCafe. Instead of heading straight home, Scott suggested that we drive past our former Ames house and then stop for a drink at Mother's Pub, which was known as Dugan's Deli when he attended ISU. We had a nice time, as we ordered our drinks, took them to the patio outside, and let Scott reminisce about his college days. And even though I graduated as a Hawkeye, I could tell my own Ames stories, like the time Bob Merrill and I stormed onto the old Clyde Williams Field with others to cheer the ISU football team during coin toss. As ISU is not in session, Mother's Pub was a bit quiet, like we were almost the only ones there. I wouldn't mind coming back to hear some live music and hanging out with family again.