always a fun local bar. I haven't been in a couple years but decided to try Monday steak night…read more They never seemed to fail. Steaks were awesome done order. Staff very friendly price is extremely reasonable. For a very, very casual Monday night dinner great place.

This is a nice place to see a band and visit with friends. There is two sides of this place, there…read moreis a bar in both sides but the band is in one side that is wide open and the other side is a bar and more seating for visiting. Drinks are reasonably priced and I believe there was free popcorn. There are a couple pool tables to use when the band is not playing and they are open for parties.

Great place while I'm in town for work. Good people behind the bar and the prices are amazing.read more

Best bar in town! Something' fun is going on every night of the week along with great drink…read morespecials. The entire staff is friendly and provides great service. Highly recommend !

Had an opportunity to venture in on a Sunday (No Food Service) to review the minimalist bar food…read moremenu should I return since I do not partake in libations. The food choices were very limited $$, but there was an array of beers, wines, cocktails, and an assortment of other mixed libations. The decor is like a bar dive if liquor is your main thing. As a non drinker -- nothing stiffer than a Dr. Pepper-- this would not be my vibe, but may be yours if all you want is a solid selection of creative and mainstay libations from a very friendly bartender whose primary purpose was to please all who entered -- this tipsy topsy environment ( Like TV Cheers) -- then this may be the place for you.

There is nothing worse than sitting at a bar, during happy hour and having the bartender working…read moredirectly in front of you and not speaking, not making eye contact and completely ignoring you. He was short in his response when I asked about food and basically told me no, and I was angry when another group was served food. The space is cool and has an awesome atmosphere but dang, first impressions matter. There was 3 of us and the one who recommended it said that service can be questionable at times. Tonight was one of those times. Bummer. And it's loud so be ready to shout a bit.

We joined up with another couple to try out Aura as none of us had been there before. It's kind of…read morea long dining area with a bar on the left and booths on the right and tables down the middle. We opted for a booth and settled in and got in our drink orders. They have a nice wine list and plenty of other options for drinks. We decided on the Korean fried cauliflower as an appetizer and that was an excellent choice!. It had a great flavor and was nicely prepared and came out incredibly quick. I highly recommend it. For dinner, two in our group got the glazed salmon. They both said it was pretty good, but not a lot of heft in the flavor. Another in our party got the pesto pasta. He also said it was good and had a very strong pesto flavor. I got the red trout, which is blackened, but the blackening was on top of the skin, which is something I usually leave behind. I know many people love the skin on fish, but I prefer to not have that as part of my experience. The salsa it came with was good but the trout was very bland without the blackening. Our server was very good and the ambience is nice. It's reasonably quiet and on the night we went they were about 1/2 to 3/4 full Overall, it was OK. Prices are maybe on the slightly higher side of average, but were reasonable for what we got.

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $47 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Kznfyphp0Fk 05/02/2026 Tonight was our chance to get back...excuse being to update my food reviews as well as www.happyhourdesmoines.com. We have really enjoyed all of our visits here - given the modern decor, lively atmosphere, delicous food and unique drinks. Yes, the prices are a bit on the high side, but for an occasional splurge it is always a great time. Tonight we started with The Oaxacan (mezcal & tequila drink that is smoked in a bottle - see video and picture) and a Raspberry Lemon Drop (see picture). We both love mezcal (and it was even Vida...a favorite), so really like the Oaxacan - and the delivery from a smoked bottle is always fun to watch. For our meal, we first shared the Korean Fried Cauliflower (see picture), a recommendation from our great server, Jordan. It was delicious (yes, I was close to licking the bowl for the extra bbq sauce...). We then asked Jordan for her 2nd favorite recommendation, the Mini Wellington (see picture) and also tried it. It too was awesome - very tender beef encased in a light, crispy wrap - and again, a great dipping sauce as a complement!

We came here to see a band we like (Sister Sarah)…read more This place is conveniently located just off the interstate and in a shopping center. We are told it used to be a bank, but we checked the vault and sadly no money was left there for us... There are multiple entrances to use - Front, back side... It looks like the locals use the front, and the band lovers use the other doors...just an observation. The bar is very large and double sided which makes it super accessible There is lots of seating and entertainment to be had. Darts, and Pool tables and televisions - they move the pool tables aside and cover them so the band can play and so there is more dance floor. They respectfully shut the music off and the TVs down while the band plays too - nice touch! We were able to walk up to the bar and get nicely priced drinks served very quickly despite how busy they were. All of the employees were very friendly and accomodating. Food looks like it is limited to the frozen pizza, but hey better than nothing. (There are multiple options just outside the front door if you want other food) The place is large and there is pent of room to accomodate a large crowd, and still room to dance! (Maybe next time) It is still obvious it used to be a bank, but it works for a bar. They should turn the Vault into a VIP room! We will keep an eye out for our favorite bands playing here. PRO TIP: Conveniently enough you can also get here using only back roads.

This place has everything! Pool tables, plenty of TVs, dart boards, two bars, two sets of bathrooms…read moreand an old vault. Yes, part of this place use to be a bank so the old vault is still there. We came out to see a live band and the acoustics were very good. We did bar service and that was good so no issues there. I am told they will be expanding to a food menu so at this time I cannot comment on table service or food. Looking forward to coming back to see how this place develops.

I was here for a work group dinner and we had the upstairs area to ourselves. Great service and…read morevery cute atmosphere. Our buffet was good, although not GF or Vegetarian-friendly. This could very well be our organizer's fault, not theirs. Wonderful salad, though. They had the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. dished separately. The drinks were great. We loved the Vodka Sodas - with chosen flavors, such as blueberry, Strawberry Basil, Raspberry Hibiscus, etc. There are restrooms upstairs as well.

Stopped while out riding bikes at the nearby park. It was lunch on a Friday. The service was great…read more The waitress was very friendly and helpful. Friend's chicken salad had kind of an odd texture because it appeared to be finely ground rather than shredded. It said it was basil chicken salad, but the basil was only there as a little hint. The bread was tasty as was the side salad with fresh ranch dressing. I had the lunch special - - two items for $12 or three items for $15. I had their tasty fries with a half turkey and Swiss. The turkey was meh. Kind of like reheated. I had requested a different bread than offered, and the waitress was unable to put it in the iPad. However, she did remember and it came out with my preferred bread choice. That's great service! We sat outside & it was a great day! We'll be back with our hubbies!

This place hasn't changed. Great "dive" bar. The drinks are reasonably priced. They beers were…read morecold. They have live music. The great part was we were here on a Friday and the music started at 5. The music wasn't too loud. We could still talk. They also had a TV with football on. We enjoyed a few hours here before our movie

The great atmosphere and top-notch bands make this a stellar dive bar! The very reasonable drink…read moreprices make up for the mostly surly bartenders. You just have to learn to ignore their attitudes and enjoy the music and the vibes! Ha ha!