32 Best Cocktail Bars in Des Moines

“I got a chance to see Napoleon Douglas perform his “For Once In My Life” show here. Breathtakingly good! I hope to catch it every time he does it moving forward.“

“What a fun New Year’s party! Thanks for hosting a great event. We all look forward to coming back. Great drinks, fun decor, and super friendly staff. Thank you!“

“Exceptional decor! I don’t know if they do this for all holidays/seasons, but I felt like I was at a cocktail bar in the North Pole when I stepped foot in here. Really cool spot! My wife’s drink was extremely well done. Very fancy in appearance and delicious. Awesome place to impress a date, catch up with pals, or even schmooze your boss.

In conclusion, loved it!“

“The vibes were immaculate, I was blown away by the staff, the energy, the time they took to explain/recommend the cocktails. And on top of all that, it started at the top, the owner was behind the bar, greeting and conversing with every customer. It felt like the most well run business run by mind reading best friends“

“Love the location and food trucks on occasion“

“Amazing drinks and atmosphere!“

“Finn’s is a great bar!! Everyone is so kind and welcoming, the staff are all awesome, and the drinks are great! It’s such a vibe there and as a lesbian in and interracial marriage, my wife and I have never felt uncomfortable at all. All the patrons are great!“

“A tight knit clan rolls there, the regulars, but ever expanding I think. I didn’t feel too much an outsider, but the guy sitting next to me was there exactly for that reason, to wander and be the quiet stranger at a mid town pub. It’s quaint and an asset to the neighborhood. Thank you.“

“5 stars for atmosphere and live music. Can consistently find live music here and drinks a very reasonably priced. If you're looking for fancy go elsewhere. If youre looking for consistent service, cold drinks and music then head on in.“

“We just celebrated our marriage there with drinks and tacos! They had a killer beer and taco deal going on. We thought the drinks were delicious, the ambiance was perfect, and the staff and service were top-notch!! I would highly recommend, and can’t wait to head back!“

“And amazing waitresses!! Had a blast night listening to Stark Raving Madge😊“

“We had our wedding reception here and our guests were blown away by the staff and the atmosphere! Such a great place and awesome staff!“

“I want to start by saying this with full respect: running a restaurant is incredibly hard. I know this firsthand — I’m in the industry myself. I can also see that your family is involved in the business, and that’s something truly admirable.

My intention here is not to hurt your business, but to share honest feedback in hopes it reaches the owner and helps protect your long-term investment. Instead of giving a 1-star review (or zero, if I could), I’m choosing 5 stars so this message actually gets seen.

With that said, my dining experience at Tulpa was extremely disappointing — not because of a lack of effort, but because the fundamentals of Peruvian cuisine were not respected.

From what I understand, you’re not Peruvian yourself, which is perfectly valid. But the person you’ve trusted to run your kitchen is Peruvian — and that makes the issues even more concerning.

Here’s the breakdown:

Ceviche: Made with bottled lime juice instead of fresh lime. This alone completely changes the dish. The tilapia used is farm-raised, and you can taste the muddy undertones that should never be present in ceviche. The sweet potato was over-simmered in a syrup that made it sticky and inedible. The calamari (5 small pieces) were overcooked and rubbery, and the breading fell off due to poor technique.

Pollo a la Brasa: What I was served appeared to be a leg quarter from the W store.cooked grocery-store reheated in the fryer. This is not representative of the dish.

Chicha Morada: Unfortunately did not resemble authentic chicha in flavor.

Lomo Saltado: Lacked the core flavors and technique expected of the dish — no resemblance to traditional Peruvian cooking.

Your sign mentions Novo Andina, but nothing served reflected that or any fusion concept. Instead, it felt like someone convinced you they could cook Peruvian cuisine when, respectfully, they cannot. This is dangerous for a new restaurant. Business may be okay now, but long-term sustainability requires consistency, authenticity, and proper technique — especially with a cuisine as beloved as ours.

Additionally, I was automatically charged a 10% gratuity without any note on the menu. I understand why (Peruvians can be picky about tipping), but for your protection, please list this clearly so customers aren’t surprised.

I’m sharing all of this because I truly don’t want to see your business fail. You’ve invested money, time, and your family’s effort — and you deserve better support from the people working behind your kitchen doors.

If you’d like a more detailed breakdown or want to chat privately, please leave your email and I’ll gladly provide additional feedback. I’m rooting for you, not against you.“

“Four of us dined tonight at Oak Park on Ingersoll. We were welcomed at the door and thanked for coming out on a snowy evening. After being seated we were presented with menus from our server (who did a great job throughout the entire night). The menu was explained well to us and we made some choices that everyone loved from starters and through the entrees.

Some of the best starters were: the Brioche bread and the potato gnocchi. The gnocchi was truly the hit of the evening with everyone. My Filet Mignon was wonderful (and I am picky about steak having grown up on an Iowa farm where Dad raised Black Angus). My wife and SIL both had the Chilean Sea Bass which was also wonderful. I tasted some of it and it was better than any other I have had at high end restaurants anywhere.

We brought our own Magnum sized bottle of wine to share for which we paid one corkage fee. The desserts we ordered included Crème Brûlée and scoop of sherbet and some fresh-brewed French Press coffee. Overall we all agreed that dining at Oak Park tonight was a better experience than any other fine restaurant in the Des Moines area.

The service from everyone was truly fantastic.“

“Great place to celebrate with bottle service. Variety of music to keep everyone dancing. 2 for one drink on Friday and $100/bottle service. Posh place“

“A delightful meal for the price! We were there for the restaurant's 13th Anniversary 4 course dinner. All the food was delicious. The first course, the Soup Duo (half roasted corn, half tomato) was amazing! Portions were moderate. Servers were very pleasant and accommodating, although a bit undertrained & seemed stretched too thin. It was a Tuesday, and the restaurant was half full.“

“Every time we come to Des Moines, Iowa, one of our must-stop places is The Breakfast Club. The food is always great, but what really makes it special is the service. Our waitress, Michele, helped us each day we came in and she was absolutely wonderful—so kind, positive, and welcoming every single morning. She truly makes you feel at home and starts your day off right. If you’re visiting Des Moines, do yourself a favor and stop by The Breakfast Club for breakfast and ask for Michele. We’ll definitely be back!“

“We hired Nightingale to bartend our wedding reception. Can not recommend highly enough! My husband and I had a pretty specific vision for what we wanted for the bar, and from the first meeting Heather and Tovka clearly committed to learning and achieving that vision. Great communication throughout the months leading up to the day, and heard a ton of compliments from guests about the service and drinks. The bar they set up exceeded our expectations! Hire these folks right now.“

“Savory, rich, and oh so good! The staff made our experience over the top. We will be back.“

“The bison dinner was a work of art! This was my first time having bison and I would definitely come back for the dinner again! And their specialty drinks have great names with amazing flavor…. Staff was phenomenal and I really can’t say enough great things… Definitely a must to eat here!“

“Bears fans need to come and watch a game“

“Great little place if not on patio.“

“Ken’s is a very nice speakeasy and it’s no secret. Food was good and drinks were also really good. Being from Texas it was nice to taste some of the local beer. Sorry no pics I can’t believe it myself. Well I guess your gonna have to come see for yourself. Thank you to all the staff. We were on a company sponsored event and Ken’s knocked it out of the park. Overall a great experience.“

“Very good. We will return. Clean place also.“

“When the food is this good, the celebration gets even better 😋🔥 Celebrating my son & my new daughter-in-law’s birthdays at DZO Korean Restaurant — highly recommend! 💕🎂Seriously you can’t go wrong to coming here!“

“Absolutely amazing experience!

We barely had time to sit down at the bar before they already brought us fresh chips — that alone set the tone for the whole visit. The service was incredibly fast, friendly, and welcoming.

The beer was served in ice-cold frosted glasses, which was an instant win for us. The staff took their time to explain the menu, recommended what to try, and every suggestion was spot on.

And the margarita… WOW. One of the best margaritas we’ve ever had — perfectly balanced, fresh, and absolutely delicious.

Great food, outstanding service, and an awesome atmosphere. You can really feel that they care about their guests.
We will 100% be back and recommend this place to everyone!“

“We were visiting with friends on a Thursday night sitting at the bar.

Service: Excellent
DRINKS: Wonderful
Food: we had chips, queso and salsa. I highly recommend this!

The pariaso ahumado was very delicious. The pineapple puree and hot honey was a fantastic combination of flavors along with the mezcal. I had 3. Get one for yourself!“

“Spent my birthday on 1-30-26 dinning at Splash. What an amazing experience. They made it so special. I had Chilean seabass,mashed sweet potatos,and rossotto. The chef is so spot on with everything. The service was caring and excellent. Absolutely best place ever. Thank you for the experience.“

“I love sushi and I had been on many sushi places From San Francisco Ca, Guadalajara Jal and this one Blue Sushi Sake Grill in Des Moines IA and this one was special different and I loved it; Not only the food, the service was exceptional, the lady that helped me was amazing cause when she learned was my first time there she gave me edamame and the way the do it was a little different, I loved it; all the rolls were amazing but the one that I loved the most was the one with cucumber that I forgot the name, but was not all; honestly I could not finished all and she told me let me put this for you to go, OMG this beautiful lady packed my stuff really well even I got this lil plate for the soy sauce, so I really recommend this place to eat there or even to go, cause their service and the food is exceptional, and definitely if I am close I going to come again, thanks !!!!“

“I was in town visiting some friends when we decided to stop in here. Food was AMAZING, drinks were FANTASTIC although I think a lot of that had to do with our amazing bar tender Adrina. She was super quick with the drinks and made the best expresso martini I've ever had! Thanks Adrina/Civeche “

“As a Marriott Bonvoy member, I wanted to try Mash & Marrow while we were near the hotel, and it ended up being a great choice for lunch. The service was excellent, our server was attentive, friendly, and quick with drink refills, which always makes a difference. I ordered the Caprese sandwich with chicken, and it was fantastic. Fresh, flavorful, and really well balanced. The sweet potato fries were also delicious, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, exactly how they should be. The other entrées at our table were the Asian salad and the corn chowder, and both were excellent as well. Everything tasted fresh, thoughtful, and well-prepared. Overall, a really good lunch experience and definitely worth stopping by if you’re staying at the Marriott or nearby. Friendly service + great food = an easy recommendation.“

“Service, food. Ambiance is great.“