The drinks are ALWAYS strong. So you know we can appreciate visiting!! There is always a line, which is good in my eyes. Meaning the staff is making their bread because they're busy at work providing great service. Again, allow yourself a little time. Only negative is drinks are a lil dependent on who is bartending - totally fine as it's fun to find your favorite and keep with them for the evening, however if you want consistency youll need to be a lil specific! read more

Would die for the staff here because everyone is always so sweet. Vibes are immaculate. Popular summer spot since they have a nice patio and a cheeseburger food truck. Wide variety of canned and bottled drinks. I highly recommend their specialty cherry limeade shot, so good! Can get pretty crowded and busy on the weekends, but the staff handles it very well. They are always fast, friendly, and attentive. Elijah is the GOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

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The bartender Jay is a fun, good conversationalist and we liked the bars vibe! Coming from CA their prices we just silly inexpensive! Met some great people, real good time! read more

Great outdoor patio. friendly bartender. Very reasonable prices. Not a stop for food, just FUN! read more

Ernie's Boondock - Such A Fun Little 'Dive Bar' - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

If you ever want to meet the human embodiment of a red flag, his name is Joe and he bartends at Ernie's Boondock. My friend and I came in for something simple -- a High Noon Peach and a Mango White Claw. That's it. Joe decides to play "fun bartender" and slides us a shot with a smile, saying nothing except the unspoken implication every customer knows: this is on the house. Spoiler alert -- it wasn't. The "gift"? Jeppson's Malört. If you've never had it, imagine drinking grapefruit rind steeped in regret and battery acid. Neither of us asked for it, neither of us wanted it, but in good faith, we drank it. Big mistake. Huge. Then Joe pulls the shadiest move in the book: "Hey, it's shift change, can you close out?" And what do we find on the tab? Yep -- the disgusting shots HE decided to give us, added to the bill like we'd ordered them. Before we could even argue, Joe bolted like a little coward, leaving his mess behind. Thank God for Elijah, the next bartender, who had decent hair, basic manners, and didn't try to scam us. Props to him for proving this bar can employ normal humans. Moral of the story: if Joe offers you a shot, don't walk -- RUN. The only thing free about it is the secondhand embarrassment. read more

Cool aesthetic. Like the connection to music and retro vibes. Whole lotta dudes work here.

Great outdoor bar atmosphere with a food truck and friendly staff!! Loved the burgers and cheese curds.

Let's take a trip to yesteryear. Maybe you find yourself in a small town in Northern Minnesota, or in the woods of Oregon. You pull off to the side of the road at the nearest neon lights and what do you find. The bar of your dreams. Wood decor, cheep beers, and a friendly fire a blazing! Ernie's Boondock is a brand new bar that feels like an old dive bar! I love the theme and concept! Like I said think old school north woods. They have a giant buffalo head above a fire place, they have rad what looks like security camera footage of a bear getting into some trouble by the bathrooms. The bathroom have that old powder soap and dispenser, and one of those classic pull towels to dry to hands! They have specialty Folger's coffee alcoholic drinks, they have a great supply of old school beers and they are priced to sell! They have a huge patio which will rule in the summer and a food truck parked in it for those late night cravings! This is a very, very welcome addition to the bar scene in Des Moines! Sign me up! read more

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This place has a cool north woods vibe by combining a cabin look and crappy beer on tap. There is options for indoor and outdoor seating along with their own food truck to grab some bites from. We opted for a busch light tall boy, but at $5/can we would have been better off price-wise getting a mug of tap beer. Looks like they have games on a shelf if you feel like lingering with your friends for a while. read more

Ernie's Boondock - Ernies food truck - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Solid Dive bar. Decent atmosphere. Food truck on the weekends. Bartenders were good. Coffee drink recipe is new- and similar to a frozen Irish coffee. Nice patio. read more

Yr favorite hipster's favorite hipster bar. Dank, full of cement, and cheap drinks.

My new favorite hangout place. Super clean and nice light plus the staff is always super helpful. Board games in the corner and a jukebox, can't get much better. read more

Ernie's Boondock - Beer Bar Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Okay, so I scanned a couple of the reviews and all were like....5*....so I went expecting a nice friendly place. Well...I should've delved into the reviews a little more. I agree with the one star reviews regarding the bartenders...not overly friendly....the cheeseburger was good....1+5/2=3 stars for me. And doubt I'll be back. Peace out! read more

Great new bar. Good swag. Beer and a bump ie, a shot of BV w a can of Dog Style, Old Milwaukee or Schmidt for $5. Just tried the ice coffee w BV, delish read more

Took my girl to Des Moines while on a business trip. Got a recommendation from another service person at a tourist bar downtown. This place was great - both the service and the atmosphere. And a wall-mounted, powdered soap dispenser in the men's room just like when I was in grade school - bonus! Low key but really fun. Highly recommended. read more

this place is very cool - except for all the shitty death metal songs, love the food and the service slams! that new blonde guy is very cute! read more

Ernie's is a fun place to meet friends. Wether you sit by the fireplace or outside on the picnic be cheaper. In the summer they have a good truck right in side their fenced patio. So fun to sit under the outdoor lights and enjoy the laid back vibe. The bartender suggested a blood orange chilli press seltzer. It was actually great. Nice orange flavor and as it hits your throat the chilli kicked in. Can't wait for it to be warm enough to hangout on their patio again read more

This place gives off a "Me" vibe super chill and laid back. I've been living in Iowa for a couple of months now, I've decided to explore the night life a bit! This will definitely be my new go to. Next time I'll bring my bf or friends so I'm able to sit on the patio! read more

Found this place by cruising downtown during a road trip. Some patio lights and a food truck outside the bar caught my attention. Place has yummy greasy food (ate a double patty cheese burger, cheese curds, and fries), cheap price for drinks, and a few table games inside the bar. What else can you ask for!? read more

Favorite new bar in town. It has a comfortable atmosphere, and the staff are friendly and great conversation. The food truck Thursday-Sunday is super tasty. Always feel at home here. It's become a very regular east village stop for my friends and I. read more

Great bar that accommodated a group of 50+ surprise guests. We were in town for the World Axe Throwing League US Open. They set the TVs to ESPN2 for us and even turned on the outdoor speakers for the group to watch from outside. Drinks were very affordable and the bar tenders were on top of their game. They promptly escorted out a homeless man that was sexually harassing female patrons. read more

We were new to the area and stopped in, the bartender was very rude during our short interaction. Originally, my friend and I were excited to give it a try as it was ascetically pleasing and looked like a fun environment, but walked straight out after the bartender was rude. read more

Loved this place. Combines food truck (very cheap) with outdoor patio and good music that isn't too loud that you can't talk. The food was 5 stars (dinner for 4 for $20), and the bar should be 4 stars, so we will round up. Perfect place when (like us), you don't want to wait in line for Zombie burger so you stumble across the street read more

I spent an afternoon on the patio here recently. My group loved the location and the overall vibe of the place. The beer was a decent price and you can't go wrong with a buffalo head on the wall. The only reason for not 5 stars was we didn't feel the staff were overly friendly. Any attempt at small talk while ordering drinks was meet with a blank face. They were not rude or anything it's just when I think dive bar, I'm thinking of the character behind the bar that always has something to say! read more

No food, no food no food. I read the reviews and thought it would be a great place for my last lunch before flying out of town. We walken in and were told they did not have a kitchen they were "just a dive bar." Looked like a nice bar, but we could not stay to find out. read more

Mostly sucks. Bartenders are passable. Guy with a beard is a dick. Too fresh to be a dive bar, but also a wannabe dive bar. "Oh it's another new bar with no creativity and wood panels!" If I wanted wood panels, cheap beer, fun atmosphere, loud music and a dive bar with food I can get inside, I'll go to High Life Lounge. read more