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    The Copper Cup

    4.0 (26 reviews)
    ModerateCocktail Bars
    Open 5:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    The Copper Cup Photos

    THE COPPER CUP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Trix Cereal
    Lesley H.

    First time here and was surprised by their selection of fun cocktails, too many to choose from! I asked the bartender for her fave off the menu and she recommended the cocktail with Trix cereal. Such a great choice! Super fruity and delish. I ordered 2 and was def feeling it! Overall a good bar for unique cocktails.

    In the place
    Patrick H.

    Great place to go for drinks or an evening or an outing. Servicesis great fast . Must give this place a try.

    Delicious and the cups keep it so nice and cold :)
    Michelle O.

    Reading other reviews I expected this place to be significantly larger, but it was tiny!! Either we missed a section somewhere, or something?? When we came in off the street we went down and came to a dark area that felt like a backroom with bathrooms and broken looking video games? That's where Google sent us so I'd be interested to know if we missed another Main entrance. OK...so the size and ambiance was a bit off-putting, but the bartender was personable, the tables had penny tops (see picture) that was a really cute idea, and the mules were very good. I had the Sexy (good...not too sweet), my friend had the berry (sweet but tasty!), and our husbands had the Old Fashioned (very good). I've had a number of mules over the years and some places don't use actual copper mugs, so this place was great for that. The crowd was younger...20's-early 30's (we are in our 40's), and everyone seemed to be having a nice time. Volume was decent where the music was audible, but you could still have a conversation. Again, unless I missed a secret area other than the additional small area down the stairs, this place is small so just keep that in mind if you are a person who likes to be able to sit, or doesn't like being crowded.

    Cheers to mules!
    Chelsea S.

    I have never had a mule before, so our local friends asked if we wanted to try one. We got four different mules; two traditional, a berry and a sexy mule. They have a huge menu full of different selections. The sexy mule was ginger beer, coconut rum, oranges, and other fruit. I was extremely pleased with the taste of it. It was refreshing and delicious. I could still taste the ginger beer which is definitely different. I tried the berry mule and it was good, but so sweet. You could only drink one or two of these for sure. The bartender was really friendly. The only complaint I have is that it is super dark. We had a hard time reading the menu at first.

    The traditional mules are sweet but strong so 2 thumbs up!
    Margie A.

    Too cute - from the name of this place to the drinks! Glad I tried The Copper Cup while in town quick. The place is quite small and in a area with plenty of places to drink but there's nothing else like this here. The drinks were a good balance of sweet & strong. The place is full of young white people so feels a little weird if ur neither but the large selection of mules makes this place worth checking out!

    Cheapo D.

    Fresh off a flight from Miami to Des Moines, 92 to 52 degrees... Needed a cold beer, and they had plenty. Music was good current hip hop, had Monday night football on. Bartender John was helpful in getting me acquainted with Iowa. Yelp did not help me find this place, my travel tactics saved me this night, but I felt it deserved a review. Cold beer, warm dive bar with a modern hipster feel to it. Definitely worth stopping in for a cocktail or cold one.

    Jeremy F.

    A bit bigger then a hole in the wall, or in this case the basement, but not too large. Don't bring too many friends or you may over run the bar. The bar tenders were amazingly personable, which I find always makes the bar more fun to come back to. Their thing is different takes on the Moscow mule, all I have tried are good, although some are in my opinion distinctly better then others. There mules are also 16 oz which is bigger then most of the 12 oz'ers floating around town. They use cab co's ginger beer in their mules. This place is definitely worth the half flight of stairs down on your night down court ave!

    This one!!!

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    11 years ago

    This is a fun place to go with friends. It's super busy, small, and crowded because the mules are good and the atmosphere is great!

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    Ask the Community - The Copper Cup

    Review Highlights - The Copper Cup

    The only regret I have is that we do not live in Des Moines to frequent this place more often.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Revival House

    Revival House

    4.5
    (33 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    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".

    Simone is the coolest bartender. She went way above and beyond with her service, up to pulling out…read morea light and taking pictures for me and my friend. They have such a lowkey cool vibe here. This is a great place to pull thru with a group of friends.

    Photos
    Seating
    Seating
    El Colmillo
    El Colmillo
    El Colmillo

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    El Colmillo
    Good News, Darling

    Good News, Darling

    4.7
    (19 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    This is my second time/ year back for the holiday pop up. Last year i got the grasshopper and…read moreenjoyed it. This year i got Tom & Jerry, and my friend got the Cider. We both really enjoyed our drinks. I wanted to get the chocolate later but it was sold out! A bartender let us try the menthol foam by itself and it was yummy. We had great service and the vibes was fun. All of their drinks are really delicious. Cant go wrong.

    There are not words strong enough to describe how incredible this experience was. Some of the best…read morecocktails of my life. Incredible flavors, theming - this is art and storytelling through cocktail. The ice cream on the cake was the sample ice cream flavors we got to sample. I'm not exaggerating to say this was also some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. I'm legitimately and justifiably upset that I can't buy it anyway to have it again. The atmosphere is fun too, but the cocktails and the obvious time and passion that go into them are the draw. This is not a place where the theming outshines the drinks, I'd be blown away by these offerings even in a brightly-lit Chuck-e-Cheese. I will be back every single time I'm in Des Moines, and I hope it's packed with a waiting list because this kind of artistry deserves to be shared with everyone.

    Photos
    Bar scene
    Bar scene
    Thad the Jack and Norman which was made with Bourbon, Allspice Dram, black cherry, root beer reduction, vanilla bitters!
    Thad the Jack and Norman which was made with Bourbon, Allspice Dram, black cherry, root beer reduction, vanilla bitters!
    Something tart and fruity and another that was a white Russian type drink but had an extra flavor we couldn't pin point.

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    Something tart and fruity and another that was a white Russian type drink but had an extra flavor we couldn't pin point.
    In Confidence

    In Confidence

    3.6
    (16 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    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.

    Photos
    The entryway
    The entryway
    In Confidence
    In Confidence

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    Table 128

    Table 128

    4.3
    (293 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Train wreck-in every way. We flew into Des Moines from AZ and a friend suggested this restaurant…read more We arrived at 8pm for our 8:15pm reservation. There were two other tables in the whole restaurant so needless to say it was quiet. Our server was sweet but obviously not trained on efficient and fast service but was probably encouraged to run like a bunny when things go sideways. We ordered two glasses of wine and an old fashioned. Figured I just got off of a plane so why not get the evening going with some bourbon and have a Plan B with the glass of wine when I am ready. Two glasses of wine were delivered but no old fashioned. Who does this? Anyhow, old fashioned came out next. We ordered a cup of soup and a small salad to start with and then ordered a burger, medium, with fries and the pasta bolognese. The soup and salad came out but there was a long stretch of time before entrees came out. When they finally arrived the burger was very rare inside so my wife let the server know and she apologized and scurried off. I tried to wait but it was getting cold so I slowly nibbled. After 20 minutes, I flagged down our server and asked if the burger was coming out and she said "oh, do you want another one"? It was now 9pm and they were closing but we were not leaving until we enjoyed a medium burger. When the new burger came out, she said the "owner made it himself. We cut it in half to check the temperature it was still pink. How can an owner of a restaurant not know how to make a medium-medium well burger? And why didn't he walk out and deliver it himself and apologize? Not a word! My dish was finished and plate was gone while my wife finally had her burger. We had planned to eat together that was not going to happen tonite. She ate half and we took the rest of it to go. With wine, an old fashioned and the worst dinner experience, we spent $174 with tip. Huge mistake. Here is my tip: train your servers on how to take care of customers. To the cooks, invest in a thermometer if you can't tell when a burger is medium. To the owner, step out and make sure your customers are happy and enjoying your food.

    Colleagues and I were on our way to airport flying to Houston and one of them recommended this…read moreplace because he came during the last trip to des moine and was impressed. He was absolutely right! The food was really good and fresh! The interior decor was very nice and comfy and great service too! Will be back if we are in the area.

    Photos
    The dining room at Table 128, downtown Des Moines. Perfect for Business Lunches, Happy Hour, Date Nights, or Celebrations.
    The dining room at Table 128, downtown Des Moines. Perfect for Business Lunches, Happy Hour, Date Nights, or Celebrations.
    Bacon cheeseburger-
grilled beef, provolone, applewood-smoked bacon, chipotle aioli, brioche bun, choice of side
    Bacon cheeseburger- grilled beef, provolone, applewood-smoked bacon, chipotle aioli, brioche bun, choice of side
    Chicken salad tartine | 
yellow curry, roasted chicken, celery, cranberries, argula, marcona almonds, toasted focaccia, choice of side

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    Chicken salad tartine | yellow curry, roasted chicken, celery, cranberries, argula, marcona almonds, toasted focaccia, choice of side

    The Copper Cup - cocktailbars - Updated June 2026

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