The Garage bar is a local hang out in Indianola, I have met many good folks going here on a regular…read morebasis now for 3-4 years. The owner Deb is a fantastic bar tender ! The best prices in the area featuring 2 for 1 every Tuesday! Sundays $2 domestic beers, you cannot beat that! They do have the Heggie's frozen pizza they cook as we order, and provide parm cheese and crushed pepper condiments. See ya soon at the Garage bar :)

Madison is amazing. She is friendly and on top of her shit. Love her and this place. She is…read morewelcoming and even though it's mostly regulars, everyone and the bartender are welcoming. Ten ten recommend.

Really nice downtown barn Indianola with a British vibe, oh nice but then if I get more, you can…read morestill add to it if need be all right thanks for serving poutine, Guinness beer and a bunch of similar stuff. The Irish eggrolls with corned beef were pretty darn good and the local beer that was a lager from Des Moines hit the spot, but I don't remember the name.

The homemade chips (served w/fish) are worth the visit! We had great service from our wait person…read moreas well. Very friendly & helpful!

Came back for Simpson's homecoming (Class of '08). It's been 10 years since I've been here but it…read moreessentially looks and feels the same. The Zoo is still the motherland of all dive bars for me since it was my college bar. Glad to see it's still going strong and even got to get my groove on a bit. Side note: You never realize as a college kid how weird it is to have two toilets right next to each other with no separation. Just part of the charm now!

In my travels to hundreds of bars throughout the Great Plains I have discovered several fundamental…read morelaws of bar nature. One of these laws is that any bar named "Zoo" is awesome. This particular Zoo is no exception. We had a kick-ass bartender who welcomed us out-of-towners with free shots ("FMS", apparently the bar's staple) as we settled in for our visit. We had a lot of fun chatting with him throughout our stay. Upon entry you find yourself in the middle of a stairwell. Go up and you find the main bar, with lots of seating and a handful of bar games. Downstairs is foosball and a pair of vividly purple pool tables. If I lived in Indianola, this would be my hangout. If you're just visiting, it's well worth stopping in.

I recall coming here earlier in the year and thinking this place was pretty good. Either I have…read moreamnesia or this visit was awful. Food wise: If you like salt, this is the place for you. The seasoned fries were far too seasoned, the au jus was far saltier than au jus should be. They did add onions to the French dip as requested, but the bread was cold and obviously came out of a bag without any additional prep. The chocolate martini was supposed to come with whipped cream and sprinkles; obviously from the picture this was forgotten as well. The chips/dip had queso that had been sitting in a warmer for a long time, as a film had developed on top. Our server was friendly, but flighty. "Are you guys ready for your checks"? "No, I'll probably have more to drink". "Here's your checks, no hurry". Asked for extra napkins, she forgot those too.

3.1 It had been 12 years since I have been here or the Pella…read morelocation(gone). It was formerly a stop. It has not changed enough in all the best way's possible. But the Food is old and the recipes are tired. It's fine but fine don't fly in 25. Indianola is 1990 all over again. Good job though. Best!

I have been to this place twice and been disrespected by either the owner or the bartender for no…read morereason at all both times. The owner called me "big" and the bartender last night, Luke, was simply the worst. Not welcoming, not friendly, would just play darts with his friends the entire time and play shitty music. Just an overall like, HOSTILE vibe for no reason we weren't loud and drunk or obnoxious at all. Just chillin. I gave it a second chance but Luke was such a DICK and wanted to close at midnight while money spending customers so badly that when we walked in he put his hands up and said he was closed. Then a half hour later we wanted to play darts and rudely just told my friend "are you serious? No" like we weren't even the only ones still IN the bar but we weren't one of HIS friends so he told us he wanted to close early. I looked up the Google information. They close at two. Guess the owner doesn't want to make any money on slow nights! Never again. Do NOT GO HERE IT SUCKS.

New owners kick ass and can get busy on the weekends. But what Bar don't right! Always good timesread more

This was an interesting experience. 5/5 unique…read more4.7/5 personal 1/5 niceness - stole me candy 4/5 covid safe - Bartender mighta had it but ya neva know 5/5 nice 1/3 roommates there 6/5 respeck for this place 10/10 would recommend Thank you. Goodnight.

Small town and good food. There is nothing better! Pizza was great with ham chunks and graziano…read moresausage. I would like the cheese a little more bubbly but I still thought it was a great pizza. The burger was nominated in 2024 for one of the best burgers in Iowa. I have had the 2024 best burger a week ago and this burger is better by far. This burger has great flavor, thick and cooked perfectly. The bun had a crisp to it and didn't get too mushy. Onions rings were good but not the best I have ever had. I would still order them again because they were crispy and not overly greasy. The ranch wasn't Hidden Valley. Service was great. Ambience is a nice, clean, small town bar.

If you find yourself in this very small Iowa town, you won't go hungry! Houston's is a quaint…read morediner/pool hall/ bar that serves it up right. Very casual, come as you are. They have boothes, multiple pool tables several tv screens , sit down bar. Service is great and cheerful. The menu is extensive with tons of varied options! All our meals were well presented and enjoyed. Nothing fancy, just real good! Recommend.

What a cute little place! I love small town charm and this…read moreis a perfect example. On the main square this little place holds it own. It has a cute little patio out front. We didn't go inside as our friend wanted the fresh air. We met on a hot July evening. There are a couple tables with umbrellas but with the sun setting on the horizon it was hard to get shade from them. This is of no fault of anyone on this beautiful summer afternoon. The waitress was on par. She had already brought out drinks for my friend and was right there when I sat down to get my drink order. When our friends arrived our waitress was right back out there to help us. She handled our drinks well and kept the water flowing on this hot day. I asked her what her favorite item was. She asked me a couple questions to help me aim for what I was craving and let me know that she loves their flatbread but told me about a chicken sandwich that she really likes. I told her it sounds a little heavy and she said she sometimes puts it on greens and its good. It told her that sounded perfect! It was perfect. The rest of the table ordered flatbread and an order of dolma savored every bite of my angry chicken. I wish I had taken a picture of the menu because my memory is not serving me the best remembering what exactly it was called, but so good. You can get your choice of drinks on tap or bottle, but the heat was having me enjoying the water tonight. I tried dolma, but it wasn't doing it for me and the flavor was in my chicken. My other friend had the chickpea side salad. Everyone was able to have something they wanted and our meatless eater also had lots of options. I suggested if you are a local you already know this place, but if you haven't, please do. Very tasty and worth the stop. I would go again.

Wonderful & locally owned. Encourage you to drop in for Saturday bottomless mimosas. For $20 you…read moreget a Meat & Cheese or fruit n yogurt platter to accompany your mimosas. Great deal... amazing taste

A great bar. Very low key. Low lighting. Low noise. Good job blocking out background noise and…read morenearby table noise as well. Drinks were on point and perfectly crafted. They also looked good. The staff were friendly & attentive. Would recommend.

Beautiful space, attentive and expert bartender, appropriate and interesting playlist, curated and…read moreinteresting drink menu - YAY!! It's telling when the other bartenders in town all agree that they love the same place - and this is that place in Des Moines. The craft cocktails are exquisitely made and the menu is organized for success, grouping drinks by their primary liquor.