Insane...tastes like you're on the East Coast or somewhere hundreds of miles from Iowa…read more Apps are crazy delicious, especially the bone marrow and lobstercargo The steaks are amazing. The service is top notch. You'll not find a better equipped bar in the state and the deserts are killer (if you have the room)

Oh you better run to Prime and Providence if you know what's good for you! (And if you like steak…read morehouses and have a couple hundred dollars to spend). We loved our first visit to this joint, let me tell you this is the best steak house I've been to across many states and with my steak house loving family who make it a point to visit all major chains and local spots. That this place is a solo, homegrown Des Moines steak house is incredible, and they are going toe to toe with the giants like Ruth Chris and Capital Grill. Our server was a cut above, pun intended, so knowledgeable and so accommodating. We ordered oysters, delicious bread, filet, t-bone, rainbow carrots and bacon creamed corn and we loved it all. No complaints, no notes. And don't think "why would anyone order carrots?" Because they transformed those colorful babies into a sweet, creamy delicacy you won't soon forget. We brought our own wine for a chunky corkage fee but my parents love wine so it was worth it to them (not me!) My dad accidentally ordered a $40 old fashioned because he picked the most expensive bourbon on the menu, so maybe ask the price before you order some of their more fancy concoctions. But like I said, bring a heavy wallet, an empty stomach and get ready to be blessed by the steakhouse gods in this gorgeous, classy environment.

We had a great experience here with family! My parents had dined here a few times and recommended…read moreit for a nice lunch before we left town. The space itself is stunning: live-edge wood tables, moody decor, and a clear attention to ambiance. The service is impeccable: our server was so kind, attentive, and welcoming. It really made an impact on our visit! My brother was obsessed with his pork belly quesadilla, and I loved my chicken picatta. Highly recommend!

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.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 5*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $28 02/06/2026 We were running out of time for Happy Hour availability on Friday night, so picked something closer to home and decided to give The Club Car a try since we enjoyed previous visits. For drinks, we started with a Pineapple Jalapeno Mule and a Coconut Mule while waiting for our food. For our Happy Hour food options, we chose the Boursin Mushrooms (see picture), Nachos with Beef (see picture) and BBQ Shrimp Kabob (see picture). While the Mushrooms and BBQ Shrimp Kabob were worthy of 5* ratings (both were fantastic and highly recommended), the Nachos were average at best - as the chips tasted like a cheap no-label variety and the beef had little taste. We finished our meal with a couple of sweeter martinis (see picture) at the bar. We have been impressed with the drinks and bartenders during each of our visits and tonight was no different - both martinis were delicious!

I should review Club Car every time I eat here...though not much would ever change from update to…read moreupdate. Lol Love the railroad themed ambience... Retro railroad memorabilia, original framed posters, model train cars, and signs, all in a casual atmosphere... You'll be at home here in a three piece suit or jeans and a t shirt. Always great food and friendly staff...! Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... This is one of my favorite places to take people when they are in for work from out of town... Or to recommend to them to check out if the are staying in the general area... Our most recent lunch visit was a party to six. Three of us were local and the others were from our St Louis and Atlanta offices. Not long ago I recommended Club Car to some visitors we had in from Virginia. Not only did they love their first dinner experience there... They went back for dinner there every night they were in town . I'd given them an extensive list of local places to try. Broken down by location, cuisine type, price, etc... They didn't see a reason to check any of the other places out. It was cenvenient and easy to get to from their hotel. They loved the environment and the service they got... They were content to keep going back and explore their entire menu while they were here in the metro. Irina's recently took their boursin mushrooms off their menu. I love this dish and have been wanting to try them a Club Car. I had my chance on this latest trip. My manager and I split and order. They didn't disappoint. Very good! On this recent stop I had the Cajun Seafood Pasta. My manager had the Beef Stroganoff. Others at the table had the Pastrami Reuben the Rarebit Burger, a Patty Melt, and one of the flatbreads. Everyone enjoyed their meals! Our server on this visit was fantastic from start to finish! They always are though... A taller bald gentleman with a gray goatee. Isiah maybe? Took care of us well from start to finish. None of our glasses ever hit empty. He was attentive without hovering. I'm not sure Club Car has been around long enough to exactly call it a classic (opened in 1996), but it's certainly a staple, and one of my go tos, on the West side of town!

Lunch on a Monday! It was busy as usual. We started out with soup. My chicken tortilla was…read moredelicious and the mushroom soup that my sister had was just OK. Her pasta was tasty and she wasn't able to finish it. My chicken crunch salad was the same salad I had before. It could've used a little more chicken. The pieces were small. The dressing is yummy. Our waiter was attentive. Everybody is very friendly.

Y'all. We need to have a serious conversation about this salad…read more I ordered the ahi tuna salad expecting something that might actually qualify as a tasty meal. What arrived was essentially lettuce wearing a little tuna hat. Lettuce, shredded carrots, quartered tomatoes, tuna and dressing. That's the entire cast. No interesting textures, no creative ingredients, no little something that makes you think, "Oh, THAT'S why I ordered this." Nothing. This salad had side salad energy so aggressively that I half expected someone to bring me an entree afterward. In fact, I'm giving Urban Grill the gold medal for one of the least interesting restaurant salads I can remember eating. And that's saying something, because I have eaten a lot of salads. At least give me some nuts. Some cheese. Fruit. Avocado. Something crunchy. Something unexpected. Hell, throw a few croutons on there and let's pretend we're having fun. The restaurant itself is actually pretty nice, although it's apparently designed for groups of four or fewer. We had five people and had to wait for a table because there are only two tables in the entire restaurant that can accommodate more than four people. In a restaurant that size, that seems odd. The saving grace was our waiter, who was excellent. I didn't get his name, but he was attentive, charming and genuinely pleasant, and he deserves credit for making the experience better than the food did. The people I was dining with didn't have anything particularly bad to say about their meals, but nobody seemed to be having a religious experience either. Mostly sandwiches and salads, and nothing that made me think that I need to come back here and try that. And that's the problem with Urban Grill: nothing is really wrong with it. Nothing is particularly right with it, either. It's pleasant. It's serviceable. It exists. But in a city with plenty of restaurants competing for your attention, "perfectly adequate" isn't exactly a compelling reason to return. So, Urban Grill, I'm afraid I'm going to have to channel Randy Jackson from American Idol: It's gonna be a no from me, dog.

What a wonderful place to have lunch!! It is a place relax, enjoy food and friends. Had a wonderful…read morelunch of salmon sandwich (the best I've had w aioli) wow!!! Was sooooo good. Restaurant was clean& comfortable ... perfect place to meet with friends & gab. Staff wonderful.cost of meals was perfect! Would definately recommend and will go back. (No photos was to perfect for photos)

4.25* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* 01/26/2024 Based on a recommendation from my wife's coworker, we decided to give Nick's Bar & Grill a try with our son and daughter-in-law. We weren't quite sure as we pulled up to what appeared to be a strip-mall, but the storefront for Nick's (see picture) was reassuring. We started with a round of drinks (see pictures) and while the Tequila Old Fashioned (see picture) was unique, I wouldn't order it again - struck me as a straight shot of inexpensive tequila. We both really enjoyed our main course meals. My wife started with the Shrimp Bisque soup (see picture) based on her coworker's recommendation followed by the Ribeye (see picture). I went with the Blackened Salmon (see picture) and really liked it - done just right with the perfect amount of 'kick' in the blackening seasoning. Last but certainly not least (for my sweet-tooth), we shared a piece of Key Lime Pie (see picture). While our waitress was apologizing for the appearance (falling apart) due to it being fresh out of the oven - we especially enjoyed it and the warm temperature only made it taste that much better. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

Tried this place not too long ago. Definitely enjoyed my food & tea was fabulous…read more Always see their food truck but never tried. So glad we stopped by. And the waiter was so patient and kind in dealing with us. I plan on going back with less of us to try some drinks and different bites.

An inviting bar / restaurant interior - friendly/ attentive staff. Food was fresh cooked - onion…read morerings were amazing/ homemade. Vegetarian panini was great. A solid option prior to a concert at Hoyt Sherman.

We have been to Irina's a few times and it has always been a delicious experience…read more Irina's has one of the best steak offerings in the metro. Their sides are always delicious as well. We tried the bang bang shrimp for the first time and is now an all time favorite. The service is always a bit slow but it's a restaurant that creates that kind of culture, so not a big deal. The ambiance is dark and moody, but the vibe is great. The servers are always kind and attentive. Definitely a must visit steakhouse.

Both kids had stuff going on and I had the chance to slide off to a last minute invite for dinner…read morewith a few friends on Friday evening. Although I really miss the old location off of Hickman I still get over to Irina's now and then... I was the first to arrive and soon after the hostess had seated me Dmitri came over to say hello. It's always great to see him. Irina was under the weather and wasn't on site. I've gotten to know both well over the years and I really enjoy catching up with them both. He knows how I felt about the old location and I'm in my 50s now and don't always deal with change well. The current location is beautiful, and I'll get used to it, but I still miss that old wooden horseshoe bar and the more intimate feel. This visit was to see a friend who has since moved out of state (Tena). Our reservation was for eight at 800 PM on Friday evening. We went over our planned eight and Dmitri quickly helped expand our table to meet our needs. The first time I met Tena was actually in Irina's (the Hickman location) back in early March of 2021. I was in Irina's trying the poutine that had been added to the menu not long before that and Tena was there planning a birthday party. I recognized her from Facebook...along with a very big pink unicorn pinata she had recently purchased, I introduced myself, and I've been friends with her and her husband since then. As everyone arrived over the first few minutes our server was quick to take drink orders and we moved on to food once everyone had arrived. I started with an espresso martini. I don't think there was an introvert at the table so conversations flowed like efficient drink refills and if service was slow I'm not sure I would have noticed it. We ordered quite a few appetizers that were shared around the table. Bang bang shrimp, tuna tartare, calamari, philly cheese steak eggroll, and stacks of onion rings. I can't honestly say I can remember what everyone ordered for entrees. I had the almost famous lobster macaroni with a side of grilled asparagus and I know Tena had the Iowa farm pork chop that came with a glaze, garlic whipped potatoes, and brussel sprouts. I will say that I was expecting the normal lobster mac n cheese with chunks of lobster meat and I was pleasantly surprised when my bed of macaroni came out with a very nicely sized lobster tail perched on top. The lobster was cooked perfectly. The meat had already been separated from the tail so it was no muss no fuss. Her pork chop was a HUGE chunk of meat balanced on an end making it a can't miss focal point. Presentation at Irina's has always been something that is going to be really hard to beat anywhere else... Say what you want but they put out some picture perfect plates. We wrapped up after a couple of hours and said our "see you laters..." Goodbyes don't really seem to happen with this group. More like... Until next time! I think we all enjoyed the food, I know I did mine, but sometimes dinner is really more about the company you keep at your table. In a lot of ways Irina's can be as divisive. Mannnn... I've heard good and bad. But I can only judge on my personal experience. Yes...I know Irina and Dmitri, however when I go in they are not always on site and their staff doesn't know me from Adam. Maybe Daniel would recognize me... I've been a customer for well over ten years, I don't consider myself a regular though, and I've never been treated rudely or had a bad meal. In fact it's a business I take visitors to from out of town and one I recommend. Are there going to be off days? I'm sure there are. Like any other business in 2024 they sometimes face both staffing and distribution chain issues. Have I experienced slower than normal service there every now and then? Sure have. And I've had that at many other places too that I continue to go back to also... I've always found that easy to forgive for good food. I've written a couple reviews over the years and I've tried highly recommended places and I've went to places intentionally that received pretty bad write ups. The one thing I would always stress with anywhere... Reviews are subjective. Even mine. Don't let a couple of bad reviews, or something you hear, dissuade you from trying someplace new. No one else is writing your book. If someone is going to be the one putting your pen to your paper to tell your story... Let it be you! If you've been putting off a visit to Irina's go ahead and give it a chance... You might just really like it... I know I do! https://www.irinassteakandseafood.com/

Out of towners in Des Moines for the State Fair. Wanted to try a Pork Tenderloin before the State…read moreFair and found Kelly's Little Nipper on Yelp. Also tried the corn and fried mushrooms. Small quirky bar with high top tables and large standard table with a pool table. Great bar with great daily specials of both food and drinks. Highly recommend. So good went back next day!!

We enjoy this homey dive bar! Staff is friendly & waitress was very attentive!…read moreWe started with deep fried mushrooms...Mmmmm Hubby loved his grinder & side salad! I enjoyed my brisket tacos & side salad. I had to take home two of them! To top it off it was free cheesecake day-/we took home two pieces! Hubby had a draught & a Bloody Mary--Saturday special. Both were good.