The Ultimate Stop for Bikes, Beer & Bites…read more After a day of biking, we made it back to El Bait Shop with some friends. This place is a solid choice, whether you're in the mood for the world's biggest selection of tap beers or some fantastic gastropub and comfort food from the lounge next door. We love it here because we can park our bikes in the provided area off the patio and still keep an eye on them. The outdoor service area is semi-shaded and the service is just as good as you'd get inside. As a beer lover, I can tell you the selection is ridiculous and expansive. If you want it, they probably have it, and from four or five different breweries at that! The menu is also loaded, with choices from both El Bait Shop and the High Life Lounge. Today, our food order was as impressive as the beer list. While I can't recall all the beers we had, the food included a Prime Rib Sandwich with tots ($14.99), the Pizza Burger also with tots ($11.99), the Philly Style Pot Roast Sandwich with a side of potato salad, and a massive bowl of Macaroni and Cheese ($11.99). We were starving after our ride, but that didn't change the fact that the food was all delicious, well-prepared, and served by our very attentive waiter, Kyle???, May. No one had any complaints, and the beer was cold and on time! Overall, we love the eclectic vibe of this place. Its downtown location gives you some great views, and more importantly, you're within walking distance of almost everything downtown Des Moines has to offer. This is a go-to spot for me, and I love taking first-time visitors here because it's so unique and the quality of both the service and the food is always on point. Oh, and did I mention the beer selection is completely insane? If you haven't been here yet, you are missing out, and you don't even know it. PRO TIP: Come here, and before you leave, slip over to the High Life Lounge for a throwback moment. Next time, start there and slip over here for a beer!

Wow this is not a dive bar, no matter who calls it that…read more We came in for a bite to eat and a beer while passing through Des Moines based on Yelp reviews. Had a sour with three fruit flavors that was lovely, and lunch of broasted chicken and beef stroganoff. The beef was surprisingly tender. Friendly service. Highly recommend this place!

Confluence: A Biker's Paradise…read more Our most recent visit to Confluence in Des Moines was short and sweet--we met up with friends, grabbed a beer, and jumped back on our bikes. It's a fantastic spot for a quick stop or to sit and enjoy. Bike parking is ample and well-thought-out, just a short walk from the expansive outdoor patio. This space is a big draw, welcoming to both humans and dogs, and it fills up fast, especially when live music draws in the crowds. A big bonus is the limited walk-up bar on the patio, where you can order and pay with cash or card, as well as a fresh, cold water spigot to fill up your water bottle or give your furry friend a drink. The beer selection is generous, with a solid variety of their own brews and guest taps. Confluence makes some truly great beers, and the Des Moines IPA is one of my go-to staples. Inside, up the stairs, you'll find a great area with a full bar and plenty of seating, offering views of the brewery's inner workings. I believe they do tours, but I can't say for sure. One thing I can say is that the restrooms are clean and cool!

Added Confluence to our route while biking on a beautiful summer Friday night because they are…read morelocated right off the trail and had a live band playing that night. Plenty of bicycle parking, outdoor shaded seating with an outdoor bar and they were hosting a food truck. More of an A/C type, there is seating inside with the main bar and a variety of board games to keep you entertained. I appreciate the wide variety of beers, including a couple sours, seltzers and NA options. Staff were friendly and super helpful! What a great night out.

Friday Night At the Angry Gold Fish…read more This is usually a solid place to get a burger, but came up short. We arrived around 7:30 and it was busy. I asked for the corner table which was large and there were two of us. I chose it because it was quiet and it was so loud. The waitress seamed super annoyed. I am deaf in one ear and this was the best place so I could hear and actually enjoy the place. I didn't feel her attitude was justified. If she would have kept pushing the point it was going to get pushed to the manager as I have several disabilities and I don't use them, but I do choose certain places to sit to help manage them. My expectation is for the waitress to be kind and shouldn't matter if it's two people, four people, or six people. Should be glad to have a customer and business. My wife and I got a Knob Creek on the rocks to start off. We also each got the old fashion, one with tots and one with fries. The burgers have really good flavor, but wasn't even hot. The bun was super dry and I wound up leaving the bun and eating the burger. The tots were really good, but also not hot. My wife's was the same. The French fries were good, but not hot. I didn't say anything to the waitress because based on her attitude it was just going to make the night worse and I was out to have a nice evening. I have been here several times and this is my first bad experience here and I hope it's not a sign that the restaurant is going downhill. This is one of my go to spots in Des Moines to get a great burger and it should be fire on a Friday night. Fresh and delicious, not cold and dry, is the new requirement, an angry waitress to complete the Angry Goldfish vibe?

The food was amazing, and enough for several meals. I had the bowl, I know the name is longer than…read morethat, but it was so good. My daughter had the pot roast, and it was so perfectly cooked. The waitress was very sweet and attentive. The atmosphere is laid back and full of great little eye catching details. My daughter mentioned that if she ever moves to Iowa it would be for the pot roast!

I stopped in on a Friday night with a small group of friends and we were seated right away. It took…read morea little bit for our sever to come to us, but we didn't mind. We ordered drinks and food. Both came out without having to wait too long. Everyone enjoyed their meal here. I wouldn't say there's anything super special we couldn't wait to eat again, but good food and reasonable prices is a win for me. Our favorite part about this place is how many beers on tap they have. It's so fun to get a flight and try lots of local craft drinks. Definitely the place to be for a few drinks and good vibes with friends.

The service is really good! The hostess was friendly, and the waitress was attentive…read more The food is not good. I've been a handful of times, and everything is always overcooked and dry. I finally have decided I'm not going back after a few failed tries; the spinach and artichoke dip literally gave my friend and I food poisoning (we hadn't seen each other in over a week and this is the only thing we shared, and our symptoms started at the exact same time). I do love that they have the gluten conscious menu. But the chicken ranch meal is so dry it's not worth the money. The Cole slaw has the least flavor I've ever experienced (and I love Cole slaw). The burgers come out overcooked. I haven't strayed away from sandwiches or salads, maybe the pasta is good? I won't be going back, though.

The food is so good here. The service is fast and friendly. We keep it on our repeat list due to…read morethe best French Dip in Des Moines. Not kidding! The burgers are also amazing. Get here early or be prepared to wait. Not a lot of space but that keeps it cozy and quiet.

I ordered the New York steak and peppers sandwich with coleslaw. It had lots of peppers which was…read morenice. Had great service from the staff. The inside looked pretty classy for a bar and grill. Not super ideal for large group because seating is mostly high tops. They do have smaller booths so I feel like this is a good date night location.

This place is starting to become one of the places we pop in to when we are downtown. Atmosphere is…read morefun with an obvious nod to the Chicago Bears but still feels like an old, big city bar rather than a new sports bar you'd see in the suburbs. Their special drink seems to be a "mini beer" which is a shot that looks like a beer. Personally, I am not a fan of the scented candles, but they moved it for me when I politely asked when there wasn't another place I could move to. Definitely a place to check out when you are in the East Village, and a must if you are a Bears fan.

A great location and space for all Bear's fans. And even if you are not a Bear's fan, you will…read moreenjoy hanging out in this cozy sliver of Chicago here in Des Moines. I have never had a bad time in my visits and you can get all the classic Chicago beers and drinks you can think of!

Although we did not eat when we went there, it does look like they have some good specials,…read moreespecially in Valentine's Day for that loved one. I love the uniqueness of the building layouts where they use old structures and make the brewery around them. Extremely friendly service was able to answer concerns.

Came here for my sisters birthday lunch and they were all so kind! They accidentally added onions…read moreand truly made up for it! Amazingly delicious! Amazing staff! The music was amazing!

Chose Lua Brewing for Dinner because it was close to Hoyt…read more We had a little bit of a wait. I started with a Climbing Kites Mixed Berry which tasted fine. The Smush Burger with American Cheese, fried onions, pickles, and Lua Sauce. I wasn't expecting it to be so incredibly delicious. I got the Lua Sauce on the side because I wanted to taste just the burger. This has to be one of the best burgers. How does this place not get recognized or have I just been sleeping because the burger is phenomenal. Juicy, great flavor, and the Lua Sauce is excellent as well. The fires were very good too. The Service was good. A minor annoyance is the 3% fee for CC. Paid cash and still got the 3% fee. Just figure it into the price of business if you're going to get charged for it either way. Just an annoyance. Will definitely return for the burger. Sorry haters I felt it was better than Lachelle's, better flavor. Just my opinion.

Given all the local and national press/awards, I expected a lot. Service was fine but the dining…read moreroom was almost too loud to have a conversation. The burger was tasty but nothing special. Fries were mostly salt. The buffalo cauliflower was the only standout. Probably won't return.

First time trying Skip's and now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long...I had a Rarebit with au…read moregratin potatoes...amazing! My buddy had a Steak sandwich with crispy onion strings and garlic mashed potatoes, he said it was amazing. Our waitress was prompt and courteous and we walked right in, no waiting. Top notch!!

Out of towners, looking for a solid meal that isn't a chain restaurant. Skips hit the spot…read more Food is phenomenal. We had the bruschetta, chicken quesadilla and chicken noodle soup. Very good, very big portions.

Daughter and I stopped in to check this out a couple weeks ago! Was smaller that I though but we…read morestill had a great time. We're not much for video/arcade games but we ended up spending an hour and a half here. Definitely like the one time fee. We will probably be back if we need a lil time to kill.

With a wall of pinball machines, a special room full of even more spectacular pinball games and so…read moremany retro games (with a few newer ones in the mix) how can you go wrong? We could have played here for many more hours! One price gets you all the games you can stand until closing time. There's something for about all ages and skill levels. We loved the selection. They have a party room which would be great for a celebration or event. The menu has a variety of fun ice cream treats. There is a slightly higher fee if you're going to use the special room of pinball machines. It would be very worth it if you were intending to play yourself and not there with a small child. The only bad thing is the "all for one price" deal gives rise to many ADHD players who seem to hop from one game to another without having played for more than a minute or two. Many machines are sitting mid-game from players walking away. Plus there's no thrill of winning the extra ball at pinball or extra player in a game because there's no weight to the loss. The space also fills up so much there's little to no walking room so you have to squeeze between players once there's more than a dozen or two in there. As a tip: a couple of the pinball games were stuck at a selection screen or unable to provide any balls. The power switch tends to be on the bottom, front right side. If you reach under and power off for 10 seconds and back on they all reset and appeared to work perfectly. Our six year old loved it and we plan to be back again soon.