30 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!“

“If anyone is looking for a bar in downtown Des Moines I always recommend this place. We have been here several times and I enjoy it every single time. I feel like I could walk around and look at the decorations and still not see everything. The owner has and opened several bars and restaurants in downtown Des Moines and every single one I've walked into I absolutely love. They all have their own theme/ vibe. He is so incredibly talented and creative. They have a great cocktail menu and we've even had dessert here. I'm a bit older so it's a little dark so I had to use my phone to look at the menu. There are a lot of different seating arrangements so it can accommodate different size parties. You could sit at the bar, tables, booths, etc. I believe they take reservations and if you plan on going I recommend you get one. It always seems very busy. Also, they used to have a speakeasy in this bar but now they are opening a larger space across the street. Which makes me a little bit sad because it was so special! It was so unique and I understand it was very small and they want to have a larger space. But that's actually why it made it really cool! I do wish them the best though! And we will have to try it out when it opens.“

“Love the location and food trucks on occasion“

“We don’t get out much with littles, so when we do we love when it isn’t a disappointment. The Contrary offered something we’ve yet to find here in Des Moines. Being from Southern California where incredible restaurants and bars are in abundance—this place was truly impressive. The cocktails were 20/10. Crafted with intention, fresh, and incredibly tasty. The details from the lighting, wallpaper, and old disposed brick made for a unique modern yet historic feel. Food was great. Music was chill. Went on a weeknight and it was a perfect place to get a drink, light bite, and enjoy good ambiance with great company.“

“Came in to do some karaoke and gotta tell ya...the staff treated me with really good hospitality, had no issues with anyone or anything. Really nice people there, I'd recommend checking this place out if you're out on the town and need something to do.“

“Oh my gosh!!! Sophie!!! If you see this, please know I've been meaning to write this for over 1 yr now. You're the best server- you're so so sweet, genuine, and you go out of your way to help customers.
The food here is great! Their pre-meal snack is so different than the typical bread and butter..and oh so good; it is cooked corn with these 2 amazing homemade sauces. 🤩 You wouldn't believe these creamy sauces are dairy free, if that matters to you.

I also had a delicious chicken entree a few times. Check this place out at the Farmers Market where their pupusas sell out by 11am lol.

Lastly!- the place was low key and perfect.“

“The wife , my son Dalton and I had the most amazing breakfast at the Breakfast club. Shrimp and grits , the absolute bomb.
Terra was our server and she knocked it out of the ballpark. Once again it's highly recommend.100%
Once again we are at the club Love it“

“We celebrated my father's 90th birthday at The Oak with a party of nine, and the entire evening was absolutely unforgettable.

From the moment we arrived, Katie took incredible care of us. She was warm, professional, organized, and managed every detail flawlessly. Her service made such a special occasion feel effortless, allowing our family to simply enjoy being together.

The food was exceptional. The potato gnocchi was outstanding, the filets were cooked to perfection, the salmon was tender and flavorful, the pork chops were juicy, and the duck was absolutely delicious. Every single dish that came to the table was beautifully prepared and exceeded our expectations. The drinks were loved by all.

A special touch was the gentleman who walked us through the tea selection with such knowledge and enthusiasm—it made the experience feel even more thoughtful and refined.

Then came the birthday cake, and it was the perfect ending to a spectacular meal. The portion was just right after such a wonderful dinner, and the flavor was incredible. It had the perfect balance of sweetness with a depth and elegance that's hard to describe—you simply have to experience it for yourself.

Thank you to everyone at The Oak for making my father's 90th birthday so memorable. You gave our family an evening we'll never forget, and we can't wait to come back.“

“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!“

“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!“

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

“The smashburger sliders were amazing and so was the painkiller drink! Also loved the candied yams and fried plaintans!“

“Quesabirrias! Delicious! Never disappointed“

“Great little place if not on patio.“

“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!“

“Bears fans need to come and watch a game“

“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.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Best service food is absolutely amazing and delicious 😋! Strawberry 🍓 margaritas are amazing ❤️

Management is wonderful always welcomes my husband and I when we get there.

Loyal customers who will always return since they come over to where I work and shop 😄 across the parking lot 😊“

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

“You guys were right! Michelle IS GREAT! I was like are you Michelle and she’s like yes! I’m like you have so many positive reviews and she’s like omg really I had no idea! She went over exceptional, it was my and my friends first time too! Had a sampler of dips, elote, and chips! I have been drinking a lot of water and I just asked her to make it look like a fancy flavored water and it was awesome!“

“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 !!!!“

“came in on a Thursday for lunch the bartender was very attentive and knowledgeable and very pretty got a mojito and the porkchop. hands down the best mojito I ever had and the chef / owner made me one of the best porkchops with rice and beans and soft bread I ever had she was very upbeat and personable about her business highly recommend pretty patio for summer drinking too.“

“Splash sent me an invitation to celebrate my birthday with them, so glad we did. Such a classy, delicious time. My waitress Amber treated me like a birthday princess, as well as the entire staff. Kitchen wrote a nice note on my dish, and other servers chimed in to wish me a happy birthday, as well as the very kind hostess and even the manager managed to squeeze in a hello. Splash always makes my martini superb. The oysters were the best! Think my oyster was called prince Edward , that one in particular tasted like a dive into the ocean. Thank you Splash!“

“We were in town for swimming at the YMCA it was a great place for the adults to hangout after a day at the pool.

Emily, Rebecca and all the staff were great! I was extremely happy that they had blue cheese stuffed olives.

My drinks of choice were Filthy Martini's with Tito's, Monk's Old Fashioned and the Smoked Marrow Manhattan. I also had a local beer.“