My cousin recommended this place for margaritas. I was talking about licking tajin on the rim of my…read morecup and she brought me here. Nice vibe when we walked in, bar side was dark yet intimate. The patio was nice and well lit, weather was nice so it was perfect to sit outside. I heard there's an upstairs dining area but was closed when we were there. I checked out the food menu and looks delicious, however we already ate dinner and was there for drinks. I'll have to come back to try the food next time.

Wednesdays are a great night to visit as it's happy hour until 6 PM where you can get half off…read moretheir chips and dips. And then they're buy one get one margaritas till 9 PM. When we arrived, it was just after six so we missed the half off apps, but still took advantage of the margaritas which I failed to get pictures of. I got the blackberry which you can't go wrong as it is sweet and hides a lot of the tequila flavor, which I prefer since I'm a whiskey drinker. My husband got the spicy Mezcal, which is a smoky jalapeño flavored margarita. There weren't that many people there which is why I think they added these deals so take advantage soon. Our server was amazing and the ambience is great. However, I prefer a little bit more light when I'm trying to read the menu.

Definitely a slow, cold night downtown, but that meant a…read morenice night for us at The Continental. Bartender was attentive and fun. Our drinks were full of flavor and we shared the double smash burger. It was decent, had flavor, but the fries sealed the deal. They were crispy and had great flavor and I was always not a fry fan. On the weekend they have live jazz so we will probably be back for that.

The bartenders were super friendly and knowledgeable about the cocktails on the menu. It was a…read morequiet Thursday afternoon so we had a great opportunity to chat with the service staff and owner. The whiskey smash ($12) was a lot like a whiskey mojito and refreshing. The beer taps ($6) are limited but the few on tap are solid beers for the season. Oh the truffle mushrooms!! Yum. Pleasantly surprised with both the flavor and portion size! Flatbread is pretty standard, all ingredients were definitely fresh. I would have like the beer to be a little colder, especially for a standard lager. They don't offer a Happy Hour at this time so that was a negative for us being that we could get some great drink specials walking distance from here.

Good Chicago-Themes food and drink. Met a friend for dinner and enjoyed a couple of drinks and some…read morefood She got the Monday Night special-burger and fries l, and I got the Chicago Italian Beef with onion rings. Interestingly, our server didn't ask for us to pick sides, but I got onion rings (very good), and my friend got fries (also, very good). The Italian Beef was very good, with hot Giardiniera that was great and tender meat. There are indoor tables and a bar and outdoor seating as well. Our server was excellent too.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $40 04/25/2026 We were looking for a sports bar to watch the Minnesota Wild playoff game, so thought we would try 85 Bar West...even though they were a Chicago-focused venue. Fortunately, they came through and put the game on several screens for us to watch during our visit. We started with an order of Onion Rings (see picture) - and they were the best onion rings I've had in many years. They were uniformly battered, uniformly fried to nice, crispy light brown color, and most importantly - a slightly crunchy onion inside that bit off cleanly so that you could dip it again! The picture itself does pretty good justice on their quality - and the dipping sauce was quite tasty also! For dinner, my wife ordered the Low Carb Beef Bowl w/ Pepperjack cheese & Rice (see picture) and I went with the Classic Wings split between Lemon Pepper Dry Rub and Mango Habanero sauce (see picture). We both really enjoyed the Low Carb Beef Bowl, finding it just as tasty as the name implies (all of the peppery zing of an Italian Beef with a melted cheese top - with rice replacing the bun). I was admittedly a bit disappointed with the wings, especially given the award-winning claims in the menu. My first impression and comment to my wife was that they were quite small in size. Secondly, while they tasted reasonably moist and tender, as the picture shows - they appeared to be dried out / overcooked...with meat pulling away from the bone. The Mango Habanero wings had very little spice given their name and very little sauce, with some barely wet and essentially none in the serving tray to use to add. While the wings would give me pause before ordering again, we REALLY liked the onion rings and everything else that we've ordered has been above average. The other thing I enjoy is their reasonable selection of craft beers (really liked the Chicago local Cold Time) as well as the unique cocktails. This is a solid stop.

Gerri's has become a staple for my family and I when we are in the mood for some wings. We stopped…read morehere for the first time on a bar crawl and have been back 10 + times since. The wings are the best in town. They are crispy and full of flavor. You can only with the wings baked or with buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce is delicious you don't even need ranch. There's a kick to the sauce but it's not too spicy. A platter and an extra 8 wings with a side of fries serves 4 of us. Most people here are coming for wings, so sometimes it is a little bit of a wait, but it's so worth it. The place is seat yourself with the bartender as the server. It can get busy on weekends, we have always had quick and attentive service. There are a few TVs but not a bunch if you're looking to watch a game. If you're on the hunt for some good wings and cold beer this is the place to be!

Dive bar just next to the Iowa State Fair Grounds. Small…read morelittle parking lot that will be completely full when the fair starts. This place has been know for the awesome wings for a long time. It has been a long time since my last visit. We got a hankering and decided to go out of our way to make a stop. W - We stepped right in and sat at the bar on a Thursday evening, I - I was helped right away by the lovely waitress behind the bar. N - Naked wings or smothered in their sauce they come out hot. G - Getting the platter of wings. It was lots of wings for 2 people. S - Sizzling platter and very tasty. The cost of everything has gone up over the years. Nothing you can do about that if you want a place to survive. We shared the platter. The hubby got 2 on tap beers. The tab was $55. The crispy wings are great. I ate my fill and we still left with some. They came out in good time. Ranch provided in squirt bottles so you can get your fill. I really enjoyed the service, the ambiance and food. Yes it was a little high, and yes it smells like a dive bar but the wings are still good.

My spouse and I overnighted at The Savery Hotel on a Friday night. After dinner (elsewhere in DSM),…read moreand upon our return to the hotel, I wanted dessert. I took at look at the menu in our hotel room and the chocolate torte sounded yummy. We got on the elevator and headed back down to the Coda Lounge. It wasn't too busy when we arrived; another couple and two families having drinks and dinner, someone at the bar. We were promptly greeted by Deborah. She was awesome! I didn't ask her, but it seemed like she's been doing this for a while. Very experienced and had an ease about her that made me think it wasn't her first rodeo. I ordered the Blood Orange gimlet and my husband ordered one of the beers on tap. An aside: being from Iowa City, I liked seeing their use of Cedar Ridge liquors in a number of their mixed drinks. We ordered the almond lemon cake and the flourless chocolate torte. Both delicious, but we agreed that the lemon was our favorite. Since the lounge wasn't terribly busy we hung out a while. They had table top bags boards set-up, so we spent a little while playing. A very chill place to unwind if you're staying in the hotel (or not). Very friendly staff and the prices were reasonable. You're sure to experience 'Iowa nice' here. Recommend.

Amazing service! Great conversation w healthy food…read moreselections Did I forget to mention Licor43 key lime Martini made by Kim

4.2* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $23 04/11/2026 This is actually the closest restaurant to our house and we've been here multiple times since moving to Iowa, but just realized that a review was not yet done on my website...so will fix that now. We stopped with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson for dinner last night and enjoyed another solid experience. My wife ordered The Philly (see picture) and I went for the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich (see picture). As is our custom, we shared samples of each others orders and we both agreed that we would order either of them again. While we haven't had a chance to try either of the other 2 locations in the Des Moines metro area, this has been a solid stop for lunch or dinner on each of our stops. If you order wings (which are very good), be sure to order them 'crispy' - a 2nd frying that adds to their already great taste. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

The wings are soooooo tasty! Kicked up Bourbon is the way to…read morego. Excellent place to pop in for a beer and wings with friends. Always a good game on.

Bar Nico had a couple of very nice appetizers and two very good drinks. I tried the Ceviche…read moreSangria and Nico Chip and Salsa appetizers. The ceviche had a very nice spicy heat to it and some other nice flavors to go along with it. The chips and salsa came out warm with four different types of salsa. All the salsas had a nice taste. I did however end up mixing the salsas together. . I also tried the smokey old fashioned and the pineapple margarita. Both drinks had great flavor and the old fashioned even had a bite. Nice job.

I am currently in Spain for the second time this year and let me just say that the chocolate and…read moregluten-free churros that I had at Bar Nico in Des Moines, Iowa of all places were the best I've had - far better than any of the chocolate I've ever had in Spain hands down. I honestly don't know how this place is in business with their incredibly affordable Happy Hour. We nearly got one of everything because it was in the $5-7 range for each dish. Even their normal prices are fantastic for meals. We definitely enjoyed the chicken wings and I loved the black squid ink tortillas that were part of the chimichangas. We loved basically everything we ordered and it was so nice that the entire menu was naturally gluten-free as a celiac. I live in Vegas and have talked about flying back to Iowa specifically so that we can eat here again, that's how much we liked it. Service was fast and polite, the ambiance felt moody and cool. Visited: November 2025

Friendly staff great food my ride group stops here on a lot of our rides and we have never been…read moredisappointed!

Best burger in town! Its a great dive bar. Everyone is nice and friendly to newbies. Best of all,…read more come as you are!