I stopped in here this last weekend for the first time while bar-hopping in East Village. It’s probably my favorite bar I’ve tried so far. This place has a really unique theme and the darker, gritty atmosphere was really fun! They even had someone spinning vinyl, which I thought was a really nice touch! The staff were all very prompt and friendly and took the time to chat with me and make me feel comfortable all the while being attentive to the rest of the patrons. I will definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Shane Murphy
Used to be more Lucifer themed, kinda lost its edge but the bar selection and service are still good.
Tony Nguyen
I had an extremely disappointing and frustrating experience with this business. They lost my debit card, and instead of taking accountability or even expressing concern, they responded with denial, rudeness, and absolutely no sympathy.
What made the situation even worse was how poorly the manager handled it. Rather than listening, investigating, or offering any kind of resolution, the manager was defensive, dismissive, and unprofessional. It felt like they were more interested in avoiding blame than actually helping a customer who was put in a vulnerable and stressful position because of their mistake.
This is not how you treat customers—especially when their financial security is at risk. The lack of empathy and the refusal to accept even basic responsibility was shocking.
If this is the level of care and leadership coming from management, I have no confidence in the rest of the operation. I will never return, and I strongly recommend others think twice before trusting this business with anything important.
Edit: After reading the response from this business, I feel obligated to clarify the situation and correct the misleading narrative they’ve shared.
The bartender who took the card outright lied and claimed he never had it, even though we saw him handle the transaction. There was no real investigation, no accountability—just denial.
When we brought this up and asked for some kind of rectification, the manager literally told us to “shut up” and laughed. That’s how they chose to respond to a serious situation involving someone’s financial security.
Eventually, they offered 15% off the bill—not as a goodwill gesture, but only after we pushed back on the disrespect. Their response here now suggests we were just “looking for a handout.” That kind of passive-aggressive, defensive tone only confirms how poorly this was handled from start to finish.
Gaslighting the customer, and turning blame onto us is not how any reputable business should behave. Their passive-aggressive response here, full of backhanded apologies and minimizing language, only reinforces what we experienced firsthand: a complete lack of empathy, professionalism, and responsibility.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Matthew Toher
East walnut Street, whattup!
Christopher Anderson
the long story short is it's lame. it's like a bar in the midwest trying really hard to be a trendy east coast bar. there's lots of spooky ambiance that looks like it was sourced directly from a haunted house or the hot topic store in the mall. the staff pretty much match the ambiance. drinks are overpriced. djs are hit-or-miss
edit: look at the wounded reply, oh goodness! "dadaist concept with elements of cinematic influence." what was the cinematic influence, the rave scene from blade? you guys have the same décor all the time, it didn't change for halloween so nice try. sorry you can't handle criticism. be less lame and you won't need to
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Addison Hosner
This place is a vibe. The outside is so unassuming you’d think you’d be walking into some random basement in the middle of nowhere but once inside you are engulfed in an experience of good drinks, good company, and great music. If you like tequila and mezcal this will be a great spot for you! Coming from out of state I am glad I was brought here as it certainly was a unique experience to be offered in Des Moines.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hornitos Plata
Josh
This place is definitely a vibe. What a unique little bar.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Morgan Wright
The best bar in
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Randy Carter
Smaller club playing eclectic mix of music genres. No cover charge. Real DJs doing live mixes makes it a fun time.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Colton Kvapil
Great vibes, good tequilas, but felt like a tourist trap in the end.
Great selection of tequilas, only a few standard mezcals (Iowa is a control state). Bartender immediately pushed us to top shelf "shots" which kind of fits some of the other up-sell-related reviews. We sipped them instead, and both were great, so we hung around.
Ordered two rounds of cocktails next that were a bit disappointing. Bartender told us the menu wasn't great and to order whatever we wanted, so we picked some standard tequila-based cocktails. 3 of 4 leaned too sweet and the tequila was totally masked – they just felt unbalanced. Not sure if the menu cocktails would have landed better.
Overall, staff were attentive and the vibes were great, but I'd expect more thoughtful cocktails and quality control at this price point.
Cant rate this Bar highly enough! Came in with unrealistic expectations due to recommendations, but Erica, Rogér, & Michael/Matt were so great! Quick drinks, Well made drinks, great Convo. If your coming to Des Moines or local THIS is your hidden gem. Thank you for making a tough week into a fun start to the weekend! ††
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Trent Moorman
For a Des Moines hole in the wall, the combo of snobby bartender ego + overpriced drinks really don't make sense.
Coming from out of town looking for something goth or alternative I guess this is what Iowa has ??♂️
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 2
Rob Henderson
Awesome underground tequila bar with a dark voodoo theme.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Mason
Defo not what you expect from the metal references. Metalheads looking for a metal bar steer clear. But for a chill Vibe IMVU chatroom vibe in real life. This is the place. The menu may be Metal themed with System of a Down, Slipknot, and other iconic metal references even down to the name of the place. But this is EDM/House with a rave mentality. A speakeasy themed bar with a questionable atmosphere. However service is great. Drinks are good. Prices match the quality of drink. Defo relaxed vibe atmosphere with a wanna be hype music vibe. Idk the confusion seems to go through the reviews. Along with the in person experience. Id take someone here to a date. But wouldn't bring the bros. Fix the disconnect. Maybe I'll reencounter this review.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
Jesse Brunes
I love this bar, come here if you like having an excellent evening.
I stopped in here this last weekend for the first time while bar-hopping in East Village. It’s probably my favorite bar I’ve tried so far. This place has a really unique theme and the darker, gritty atmosphere was really fun! They even had someone spinning vinyl, which I thought was a really nice touch! The staff were all very prompt and friendly and took the time to chat with me and make me feel comfortable all the while being attentive to the rest of the patrons. I will definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Used to be more Lucifer themed, kinda lost its edge but the bar selection and service are still good.
I had an extremely disappointing and frustrating experience with this business. They lost my debit card, and instead of taking accountability or even expressing concern, they responded with denial, rudeness, and absolutely no sympathy.
What made the situation even worse was how poorly the manager handled it. Rather than listening, investigating, or offering any kind of resolution, the manager was defensive, dismissive, and unprofessional. It felt like they were more interested in avoiding blame than actually helping a customer who was put in a vulnerable and stressful position because of their mistake.
This is not how you treat customers—especially when their financial security is at risk. The lack of empathy and the refusal to accept even basic responsibility was shocking.
If this is the level of care and leadership coming from management, I have no confidence in the rest of the operation. I will never return, and I strongly recommend others think twice before trusting this business with anything important.
Edit: After reading the response from this business, I feel obligated to clarify the situation and correct the misleading narrative they’ve shared.
The bartender who took the card outright lied and claimed he never had it, even though we saw him handle the transaction. There was no real investigation, no accountability—just denial.
When we brought this up and asked for some kind of rectification, the manager literally told us to “shut up” and laughed. That’s how they chose to respond to a serious situation involving someone’s financial security.
Eventually, they offered 15% off the bill—not as a goodwill gesture, but only after we pushed back on the disrespect. Their response here now suggests we were just “looking for a handout.” That kind of passive-aggressive, defensive tone only confirms how poorly this was handled from start to finish.
Gaslighting the customer, and turning blame onto us is not how any reputable business should behave. Their passive-aggressive response here, full of backhanded apologies and minimizing language, only reinforces what we experienced firsthand: a complete lack of empathy, professionalism, and responsibility.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
East walnut Street, whattup!
the long story short is it's lame. it's like a bar in the midwest trying really hard to be a trendy east coast bar. there's lots of spooky ambiance that looks like it was sourced directly from a haunted house or the hot topic store in the mall. the staff pretty much match the ambiance. drinks are overpriced. djs are hit-or-miss
edit: look at the wounded reply, oh goodness!
"dadaist concept with elements of cinematic influence." what was the cinematic influence, the rave scene from blade? you guys have the same décor all the time, it didn't change for halloween so nice try. sorry you can't handle criticism. be less lame and you won't need to
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
This place is a vibe. The outside is so unassuming you’d think you’d be walking into some random basement in the middle of nowhere but once inside you are engulfed in an experience of good drinks, good company, and great music. If you like tequila and mezcal this will be a great spot for you! Coming from out of state I am glad I was brought here as it certainly was a unique experience to be offered in Des Moines.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hornitos Plata
This place is definitely a vibe. What a unique little bar.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
The best bar in
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Smaller club playing eclectic mix of music genres. No cover charge. Real DJs doing live mixes makes it a fun time.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Great vibes, good tequilas, but felt like a tourist trap in the end.
Great selection of tequilas, only a few standard mezcals (Iowa is a control state). Bartender immediately pushed us to top shelf "shots" which kind of fits some of the other up-sell-related reviews. We sipped them instead, and both were great, so we hung around.
Ordered two rounds of cocktails next that were a bit disappointing. Bartender told us the menu wasn't great and to order whatever we wanted, so we picked some standard tequila-based cocktails. 3 of 4 leaned too sweet and the tequila was totally masked – they just felt unbalanced. Not sure if the menu cocktails would have landed better.
Overall, staff were attentive and the vibes were great, but I'd expect more thoughtful cocktails and quality control at this price point.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Cant rate this Bar highly enough! Came in with unrealistic expectations due to recommendations, but Erica, Rogér, & Michael/Matt were so great! Quick drinks, Well made drinks, great Convo. If your coming to Des Moines or local THIS is your hidden gem. Thank you for making a tough week into a fun start to the weekend!
††
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
For a Des Moines hole in the wall, the combo of snobby bartender ego + overpriced drinks really don't make sense.
Coming from out of town looking for something goth or alternative I guess this is what Iowa has ??♂️
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 2
Awesome underground tequila bar with a dark voodoo theme.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Defo not what you expect from the metal references. Metalheads looking for a metal bar steer clear. But for a chill Vibe IMVU chatroom vibe in real life. This is the place. The menu may be Metal themed with System of a Down, Slipknot, and other iconic metal references even down to the name of the place. But this is EDM/House with a rave mentality. A speakeasy themed bar with a questionable atmosphere. However service is great. Drinks are good. Prices match the quality of drink. Defo relaxed vibe atmosphere with a wanna be hype music vibe. Idk the confusion seems to go through the reviews. Along with the in person experience. Id take someone here to a date. But wouldn't bring the bros. Fix the disconnect. Maybe I'll reencounter this review.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
I love this bar, come here if you like having an excellent evening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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