My wife grew up in Indianola nearby. She and her sister visited this fine place a week before and…read moresat outside on the patio. She had some appetizers and delicious cocktails! They do have full entries also. She brought me to this finely decorated establishment for an after dinner drink. The building had been the local country club; had many fascinating pictures and romantic lighting! She had a caramel cream drink and I had a Habanero Whiskey Mule! Loved it and the bartender was prompt and friendly! We will definitely be back!

4.3 Fantastic experience every time! The best server in the…read moreDSM area is now the Sunday bartender here? Awesome, so I risked a Painkiller cocktail even though the Rum selection here is lower shelf. Well, I had two and they were darn good. I also must call out the French onion burger as top notch, easily top tier burger in the area. Quality costs a bit more but it is worth every penny. Great Job !!!

I liked Black Sheep from the second I stepped through the doorway. Down the stairs toward the red…read moreglow of what Ralphie might have also called "electric sex," whoever it is that makes up the "we" in "we are your shepherds" must have forgotten that black sheep resist being in the herd. Maybe that's the point though, in what feels like a much, much less scary walk down into hell (not a regular hell but a cool hell, right Regina?) put extra emphasis on any word in the sign and you're still left with a mischievous message. The average person will not come to this bar, and that's a good thing. The "bar scene" in general is mostly gross and average and can have the bulk of the flock, and flock right off with it. Black Sheep seems to attract a whole lot of "other," and I really dig that. On top of being a really great concept, the execution thereof is impeccable. It makes its point without coming across as inauthentic, contrived or gimmicky. Hard to do when your schtick is so niche and obvious. Applause. Bartenders were very nice. Crowd of people were very nice. I like being able to dance next to people without dancing with them. I did this here and it worked out well. Just some pleasant eye contact, "hey, you're having fun too, we're twins!" nods, brief mimicry of one another's moves, and that's it. That's exactly how it should be sometimes. Music was mostly okay. There were moments where it was sublime, moments where it was just fun to dance to, moments where I zoned out, and moments where I went "What in the actual hell is this guy on and why am I being audibly assaulted with such nonsense?" I kinda like that though. Just because it's not my jam doesn't mean it's not someone else's. There's a sign above the tables that reads "No Requests" which is awesome. Whomever is spinning gets to do their thing and everyone just needs to handle it. Yes. Yes. Yes. I'll be black for sure. I mean back. Back to the black. Back to Black Sheep. Baa. Did she just....? Yeah. Yeah I did. I Haikcoup de grâce'd the fkcu out of that review.

Didn't have any food here but did have a few drinks. No complaints…read more We kind of accidentally went here on our way to Ceviche. I'll definitely be back. Really enjoyed the vibe.

Tiki bar that transforms you to the beachy vibes. Very cute interior with great service and drinksread more

This tiny house is giving Des Monies the vibes it's missing…read more.. On a short layover in Iowa, I was looking for good drinks and food without a lot of waiting or being overcrowded. What I found was a little gem off of one of the main roads in downtown Des Monies. Even before you enter this self described "Tiki Bar" you see all the brick buildings, and then you see an actual grass covered roof...yep that's the place and a really nice touch. The interior is equally cool and spacious, you are greeted by the bar area immediately when you walk in. To your right are comfy couches and instagram friendly neon wall signs, with that signature tiki touch of floral patterns and great lighting. The location is connected to a Asian food restaurant, so they get their food from them as you drink some of the most well crafted adult drinks I've had in a while. I came for happy hour on a Saturday 4:00pm-6:30pm. The drinks were basically 2.00 off with discounted food, the menu is limited to mostly chicken wraps and crab rangoons etc. I will say the portions were filling and very delicious. The star of the show was my El Colmillo, a tequila based drink with lime, orange juice, lime. The bartender did say it's all pre mixed, and that day she subbed the tequila with Casamigos, because the house tequila was out. Customer service was great, until it wasn't. Our server was excellent, until a guy came in off break and they seemed to have some tension. She really didn't have that same positive energy as before, otherwise an overall excellent experience. Pro Tip: Take a walk over to "Hello, Marjorie", it's a completely different vibe but drinks there are just as good...if not better. Go see Travis, he is 10/10 at "Hello, Marjorie".

New speakeasy below hotel fort Des Moines. Went here on a Friday night around 9pm. You are led…read moredownstairs where the bar is. The decor was super nice and certainly have a speakeasy vibe. Most of the seating here seemed to be targeted towards large groups so there wasn't a ton of option for a party of 2. We did not have a reservation so there was only 1 high top area that was honestly super uncomfortable. I would recommend making a reservation if you want a chance to sit at one of the lower chair areas. The biggest issue was the service. It took over 20 minutes for anyone to come over and take our drink order. This is a newer spot so I'm hopeful things can improve. It was super loud and not the most inviting space. Some of the seating was a bit awkward with spacing. The drinks were small but I would expect that for a higher end cocktail. For DSM, I did think some of the drinks seemed a bit expensive. The drinks were okay but seemed pretty weak where they were super juice heavy. Overall I would probably not come back unless I had friends who haven't been and wanted to try it. Super bummed as I do think there is potential here but need to work through some of these issues.

This speakeasy bar is located inside the hotel fort in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. To get there,…read moreyou will enter the coffee bar, once you walk around the bar, you'll see a velvet rope. Somebody will ask you how many people in your party and then open the wall pantry. This will lead to the stair that goes downstairs to the basement. Bar lighting is dim, intimate feel. There's bar seating, high tops, tables that accommodate large parties and VIP room that has a curtain for privacy. We ordered cocktails that were unique crafted. Bathroom is available, hallway of pictures of people dressed in the 1920s all over the wall. We enjoyed this speakeasy bar and will definitely come back with more people.

Hands down one of the coolest bars I've ever visited. We randomly stopped while in town for a…read morewedding and it was the perfect way to end our night. Somewhat nondescript from the street (except for a neon sign), you walk into an office building and wonder if you're in the right place. Yes, yes you are. A hostess greeted us, checked our IDs, and escorted us to a table. The drinks were strong and the service was outstanding. My perimenopausal brain has no recollection of what I ordered, but I came with a mini disco ball charm for keeps! Every time I look at it, I think of Hello, Marjorie. Don't sleep on this place! Highly recommend.

Cute and fun! Loved the decor and laid back, 70s cool grandma's apartment vibe. Great drinks,…read moredecent prices and the location in the old Des Moines Register and Tribune building gives it a nostalgic touch. I got the Old Fashioned and loved it. My friends got a martini and gin and tonic and had no complaints. Service was fine, maybe a tiny bit slow for how empty it was but it's all good. Lots of opps for social media esque photos and even a sweet little Photo Booth you must check out before you go. Parking is uneven because you are downtown but find a metered spot and get ready to party! Err drink responsibly!

The bartender was friendly efficient and the music was wonderful and it was a great place to relax…read moreand enjoy music and dance a bit plan on going again

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

This hole-in-the-wall bar is a great spot for a few drinks with a date or small group. I've been…read morecoming here for Wednesday night martini specials for years. Martinis don't disappoint in my opinion. Not all are equal, but they do have some good tasting ones. I personally like the dirty and gimlet martinis the most. But their more fruity ones are good as well. Atmosphere is great. Walls are decked with local art, which I believe is also for sale. Good music plays throughout and not too loud where you can't have a conversation. Service is always friendly and helpful. Overall, it's one of my favorite spots downtown. Highly recommended.

Best and cutest bartenders in town. Great specials especially the Wednesday martini special. Good…read moreselection of draft beers too. Basically a no-douche bag zone too, which I appreciate. Nearly always open til two am. Would definitely recommend.

Came in for the first time to get a drink and listen to the music. It was very relaxing. Good…read moreservice from the bartenders.

I went years ago and ultimately somehow it slipped my mind this gem was in Des Moines. I went to a…read moreshow as part of a bachelorette party recently and I was so impressed with the venue and the quality of musicians and band they had. It was a wonderful evening! The service was a little slow as they seemed understaffed (one main bartender making cocktails for the whole room). It was horrible though, just took some time to get a drink but the atmosphere and music were stellar. Highly recommend going for a date, girls night, with family or friends!

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

The changes to the menu are not an improvement. The 5 fried pickle spears have been replaced with a…read moreclump of dill pickle chips all fried together and quite disappointing. The taco salad that was the standard by which we rated others has been removed from the menu. We might try it one more tim.

It is one of those Des Moines staples, and i am so glad that we did it, because it is a damn good…read morevisit. Street parking, busy indoor environment, casual attire. A fun stop, full of energy and good food. Our server, Michelle, was outstanding, mixinga fun personality with a terrific energy and awareness. Loved my High Life Burger basket, and our Chicken Pot Pie was incredible. Coke products.