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The Contrary

5.0 (10 reviews)
Closed • 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
Updated 1 month ago

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Frances S.

The Contrary is exactly what Des Moines has been missing! A swanky cool bar with elevated but approachable cocktails. We followed our favorite local bartender Ben here and he is still mixing up some killer craft cocktails as per usual! We got to try some of his newest creations along with some on the menu, all of which were well-balanced and thoughtfully made. And not to mention getting you to where you wanna go! We stopped by after having dinner so we didn't get to try their food, but the drinks and vibes were 10/10! All in all, we are extremely hyped about The Contrary and can't wait to see what they have in store. Big things coming for sure! Check them out, and grab a seat at the bar. You will not be disappointed.

Our cocktails
Tippy P.

We were in the area to check out a bar, but they were closed. After walking around I found this bar, very chic! The name of the bar made me laugh, I had to tell the bartender about it. My friend who's a lawyer would say "on the contrary" all the time. Menu was a folder with outlining of ingredients and pictures for the cocktail, which was super helpful. I loved my drink! There's a food menu in the back, just few bar bites but the kitchen just announce last call. Bartender was super cool, definitely check them out if you're in the area.

Oreoz (Oreo Espresso Martini)

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7 months ago

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11 months ago

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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5 months ago

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3 months ago

Unique experience and unique cocktails tucked away in downtown Des Moines. Highly recommend for a memorable experience

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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Review Highlights - The Contrary

“In Des Moines for a work trip, went to The Contrary on a recommendation from the bartender at Clyde's Fine Diner.”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Revival House

Revival House

4.5(34 reviews)
0.6 mi

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".

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Revival House - Seating

Seating

Revival House - El Colmillo

El Colmillo

Revival House - El Colmillo

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El Colmillo

In Confidence

In Confidence

3.6(16 reviews)
1.0 mi

Loved this place! I did not have a reservation, and was seated immediately. It probably helped…read morethat it was like 5:45 on a Saturday night. ha! Anyway, this place is located in the basement of the hotel but you wouldn't know as it's decorated beautifully and lots of thought was put into the decor. You must check out the restrooms! The best bunny wallpaper I have ever seen. The drinks are great. A little on the pricey side. Two drinks + tip was over $40. It's worth checking it out for a fancy before dinner drink.

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.

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In Confidence - The entryway

The entryway

In Confidence
In Confidence

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Black Sheep DSM

Black Sheep DSM

4.1(42 reviews)
0.2 mi
•$$

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.

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Black Sheep DSM
Black Sheep DSM
Black Sheep DSM

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The Contrary - cocktailbars - Updated November 2026

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