This was the only 3rd wave coffee shop I could find in Des Moines. It was cheaper than most. $3 and some change for a 16oz Chemex. They have complimentary sparkling water and the barista was nice. I didn't try the espresso. The Ethiopian coffee that I ordered was good, but I've had better in other shops around the globe. Either way, nice lil place. I'm taking away a star cuz it had a gift shop and ice cream shop, and I usually prefer a more specialized institution. read more

Always great coffee, great food, and great service. I basically lived there during my formative college years, had my first drink there when I turned 21, and never pass up a visit when I'm back in Des Moines. There's nothing I don't love about Mars Cafe! read more

Great coffee. Upbeat and hip atmosphere, but not so hip that us regular folks are out of place. My go to coffee shop. Say high to Matt O'Mealy, the best Barista in town. read more

Surprisingly good coffee! Today's Ethiopia on v60 was great. However, it was SO slow. I am accustomed to waiting for a pour over but not 30 minutes. The guy that ordered before me left angrily without his coffee. I don't really understand it since there were several baristas and really not that many people ordering. Idk, maybe it was an off day or maybe it was an organization issue but they certainly needed some help in the efficiency area. But like I said, good coffee! read more

Just go!! Too many things that is right about it. I like reading Yelp reviews and simply put, you will enjoy it.

This is such a great local place. They whip up some great drinks and put together fantastic food. Doesn't hurt that some great music is played there from time-to-time. Mars is an awesome place to hangout with friends or coworkers. Pretty much every time I'm there, I can look around and know that something creative is happening there - lots of different cultural groups like to meet up here and for good reason. If I lived in the area, I would stop by here almost every day. read more

Chocolate chai is delicious. Friendly staff and plenty of room to work or visit with a friend.

The coffee and tea are decent, but the atmosphere leaves much to be desired.

I had the caramel late. It had an interesting name... Price was along the same line as any other coffee shop. The drink was delicious.

Good food, when we finally received our order after 30 minutes. Poor Service! Lots of orders came out after we had already ordered. Received excuses that they were just busy. Didn't know it takes over 20 minutes to make a coffee drink. Not even a sorry for losing your order. read more

Probably one of the few "third wave" shops in Des Moines. They use Black Cat Intelligentsia beans for their espresso drinks so you can expect a certain baseline quality from that fact alone. The barista was not the most efficient and overall her approach was on the sloppy side (it's clear she knew how to pull a shot appropriately, but wasn't paying as much attention for my order.) The latte "art" was on the interpretive side, but it was the first place in DSM that has even tried it. Overall, I'm glad to know Mars is bringing good coffee to the area. Keep it up. read more

It has a great atmosphere, and I like to come here to have a yerba mate tea or lemonade while I journal. The veggie sandwich can sometimes be hard to handle without making a mess, but brunch is usually great. read more

This truly was a little saving grace. I had tried finding two other coffee shops on yelp and this one by far was the easiest. Parking was a breeze (they have some street parking by the front entrance and a small private parking lot by the back entrance). The baristas were charming and helpful, suggesting almond milk when they didn't have the soy milk I asked for. I got the daily special (lavender and honey- a personal favorite) iced latte, a strawberry rose tea lemonade, and a croissant (which was a monstrous and deliciously unique pastry to say the least). If you're not a coffee person, the tea lemonade isn't a bad route to take! Not super sweet and you can definitely taste the tea without it being watery, it had a very spa-like quality. The latte was hands down one of the best lavender lattes I've had in DSM. Delicious, creamy, and big considering I paid $12 for the whole haul (could've easily been more at Starbucks). All in all, would definitely bring friends there if you want somewhere to sit, type, talk, or people watch. read more

I used to love Mars, but on my first review I gave it 3 stars due to poor service. Several years later, I went there again with my friends to taste the Gemini/mocha shakes again. Since it was under new management, the menu had changed, and we saw nothing resembling the frappes we used to love. They had plenty of food items (seemed like more than the variety of coffee drinks) and flavoring syrups for the coffee, so if that's what you're looking for, go for it. Unfortunately we never go to coffee shops to get food, and we were completely turned off due to that one item missing and nothing similar in its place, we left. To add to that, parking still sucks. read more

This cafe is my husband's favorite coffee house in one of our favorite areas of DsM! Free wifi is available. I had a pumpkin spice steamer here, this Autumn, that was to die for! Try the apple cake with your java...so worth it! read more

I remember when Mars first opened in Des Moines. The coffee was amazing, as were the pastries etc. Over the years it has seriously gone down hill in both quality and service. I honestly would rather crawl on my hands and knees to one of the other (non-Starbucks) coffee houses, than go into Mars ever again!For the prices they charge, they do not deserve the business! read more

I love this place, it's the closest thing to Los Angeles so I've come here 3 times in the past week. the Chai is made in house- yum. my latte was yum. the energy is good. read more

Love this place! It is a great place to meet friends day or night or to bring books to study. The atmosphere is great, and there is tons of personality! The food/coffee aren't bad and the people working there are always friendly. There is live music there in the evening on certain nights of the week. It is a hot spot that I miss having moved away from Des Moines. read more

I love this little cafe so much. So much character and spunk. They have unique food and drink options! I love their banana and peanut butter sandwich. Definitely a must try! read more

Great coffee, better barista! I like the monthly features of local artists. I recommend getting a Chemex.

It is okay. Nothing special, but that is my opinion. Some people love their coffee. they get it from intelligentsia in chicago. Okay, so i am spoiled on west coast coffee and I say that stumptown and blue bottle put this place to shame. Case closed. Anyways, if you need to get some work done and can tolerate the loud music go there. Free internet is a plus. read more

Great coffee!! But if you are getting anything more than the drop, be prepared to wait! (It took 20 minutes to get a vanilla latte on a Saturday afternoon!) read more

This was my third and final coffee shop while visiting from Nashville. The first two shops I went to, I was not impressed with at all. I will say that out of those three, this was my favorite. I ordered just a latte. The first thing I noticed was the barista taking my order had no emotion at all. I'm usually pretty pleasant when ordering, and I'm not the type that just walks up and starts ordering without actually greeting the person. But still the barista was just like "whatever". So I figured maybe she had a bad day. But then I noticed other customers going up and she was being pleasant with them. When you choose who to be nice to in the service industry, you essentially are deciding who's going to give you tips or not. I've been working as a barista for almost 4 years now, and as much as some days suck, I put a smile on my face and connect with customers. Not only does it make their experience better, but it almost guarantees better tips. Moving on to the latte. It was a really good. It wasn't great or perfect by any means. The foam was a bit too airy. Too many bubbles. But that can be fixed by focusing more on the foaming technique The taste of the espresso was really good though. And there was latte art, which definitely proves the barista is taking pride in his work. Which is important. So overall, Mars was my favorite coffee shop in the Des Moines area. When I come back next year, I'll most definitely go again. read more