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    Backpocket Pin & Pixel

    3.3 (48 reviews)
    ModerateBreweries, Arcades, Pizza
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Backpocket Pin & Pixel Takeout or Delivery

    Backpocket Pin & Pixel Photos

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    BACKPOCKET PIN & PIXEL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Backpocket Pin & Pixel

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    Reviews With Photos

    Duckpin for everyone!
    Shannon C.

    We were visiting from out-of-state and pretty impressed with the whole concept! Hostess wasn't very hospitable, but our server was great! We loved the food and the drinks! Cheese curds and fried pickles were amazing! The duckpin bowling was such a hit and the arcades are fairly priced and offered a wide variety of games for everyone! Casual and fun setting with clean amenities. Such a fun night and hope to be back soon! This would be a great place for a birthday party both for adult adults and for children!

    Mikhala F.

    Only played duckpin bowling and drank here - here's my thoughts: The concept of the Johnston community hub here is SO awesome - I would have loved this when we were growing up! It's awesome to have multiple businesses in one spot that are centrally located. My family was staying at the hotel in this hub on a recent trip home, so this was walking distance and a great option for hotel goers and out of towners. The place is HUGE with some great amenities and decor! I didn't eat here, but they were able to accommodate ~12 of our family members and they shared service was good. We got a round of Old Fashioneds that were delicious, and played two rounds of their duckpin bowling. This was SO much fun and a really nice amenity to offer! It's so casual without having to rent shoes and do the big walk up thing that normal bowling requires. We had an absolute blast with this. It's great to have in Johnston for a date night, family outing, or company happy hour!

    $4.50 flights on Wednesday
    Dawn M.

    Busy night with limited seating is a good problem but service at the bar is a little slow. There wasn't consistency in staffing. I think there was trivia happening but it wasn't explained and wasn't a priority, I could hardly make a drink order let alone ask a question. After the rush we were able to order an appetizer. The brisket was good but the fries were cold, so not a great display of service tonight. The space is large and open so it does get loud. It's good for a group as table settings are bigger tables. The game section looks fun and if there is a next time, maybe we will give them a try.

    Beer flight w/flight card
    Mark O.

    Wednesday are the day to come- if you're a beer fan--flights are half-price. I'm certain I was undercharged the most recent time I was in here--the entire flight was $4.50. $9 doesn't seem like much to charge for five beers. Perhaps I'm mistaken (and I'll take it), but want to throw it out there as a warning so no one thinks I'm posting #fakenews. They certainly have beers for every taste--orange creme ale and the Forever True are two of my personal favorites. I would skip the food. I've had the pizza, tacos, and chips/dip and all have seemed a bit off. It's hard to put your finger on it--but the chips seem to be more of a pita/tortilla hybrid. Maybe it would be better with some tzatziki or hummus, but serving salsa or elote corn dip doesn't seem very suitable with them. I've never had an issue with service here--the bar staff has always been friendly and responsive. Stay for the beer, go down the street to Flame or China Cafe first for dinner.

    Classic Burger
    Hannah V.

    It was not busy at all when we came on a weeknight. We were seated right away and then it took awhile for anyone to come up and get us menus and then to take our order. We started with cheese curds and they were alright. Then I ordered a pepperoni pizza with hot honey. I enjoyed the pizza. Everyone else seemed to like their food as well. We didn't try out anything from the bar or do any activities, but there seems to be plenty to do here inside and out when it is nice. They had fire pits, patio chairs, booths, inside bar, many arcade games, and duck pin bowling. Seems they also have trivia and a beer group to be apart of. Overall, service could be better but I should come back when it's nice out and get the full experience.

    Emily B.

    Service wasn't that great. Food was just alright. The menu looks good but when we got our food our appetizer was really the only thing we liked. We went on a Saturday afternoon & it wasn't too busy. Loud as to be expected atmosphere. The bowling was fun & cheap for what it is. The only downfall was having to wait for ball retrieval. I had higher hopes but worth checking out at least once, maybe you'll love it! They had a ton of beers on tap to choose from. Small bar seating available or booths/tables. Also has an arcade but we didn't check that out. Kids probably love it!

    Kristyn M.

    A beautiful building in the Johnston area. The building is on a busy Merl Hay and the perfect setting for a good time. We walked into the building and there is some roped offsides that direct you to wait so that you can be seated. Being a Thursday evening, we weren't expecting the crowd that was there. They were hosting a party and there was a big enough "after work" crowd that was enjoying the drinks. We "bellied up" to the bar. Tracy is bartending tonight and was very nice and informative. We went over all the options and got to try a couple things. I settled in on my sour and he got my husband onto another brewed beer. Tracy was very attentive and was helping anyone within moments of noticing them at the bar. We chatted with Tracy about food options and specials throughout the week. They have space to rent, and they cater to groups and parties. Then on top of the renting of the space they and drinks and food. They have duckpin bowling. We didn't partake that night but it was fun to see. We also wandered over and checked out the arche that was tucked around the back. For not as big as it is, it has a lot going for it. We enjoyed our drinks and I think we will be back soon.

    Employee fixing your food. It's state law that all hair is covered including beards.

    Posted a review . But for some reason my review has been removed but picture still here. I've called state inspector due o no head coverings and health risk. Found a 5 inch hair in my hamburger. Cooks had no appropriate head coverings on. If u don't mind hair and scalp issues in your hair this is a great place eat!

    Beer Flight
    Todd B.

    4.67* (out of 5) Food: n/a Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4* Service: 5* 01/24/2023 Backpocket Pin & Pixel Stopped here to meet a friend after work this week and was impressed with the beers and the atmosphere. If that isn't enough to capture your attention, they also have an attached arcade area with lots of fun entertainment. The beer selection is good, it is served cold - and if you like sampling different beers, their beer Flight (see picture) is a pretty good value (5 samples for $9). This place is definitely worth a stop after work or for a casual stop out before or after dinner. The have a pretty good selection of 'Bytes'...so will have to try the food during a future stop. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Pretzel stout is fun
    Cody M.

    I have driving past this too many time so we finally stopped for a beer. I was in shock when I seen how awesome the food looked at other tables. I will be stopping back for happy hour specials as they seemed like a good deal most days. The bar tender was really nice and so was a couple of the beers they had on tap. I was really interested in duck pin bowling on my next trip back I hoping it will be with a few friends so we can try that out.

    Jaci S.

    For sure go for a drink! Food, we give like a 2/10 - pizza was super thin & extremely oily. When I picked up my slice the oil dripped through my fingers. The pretzel bites had little to no flavor & tough, I thought the cheese would rescue it, but, it was so peppery it wasn't delightful either. We couldn't finish our steak tacos. They were super dry & I wish there had just been a sauce or something. I love pickled cucumbers & onions & it just fell short for me also. Drinks were incredible, games were so very fun & atmosphere was incredible to be in watching the bball games. A tip: When you first enter, you'll need to use QR codes for everything. It is wonderful you can keep a tab open, and you can see when you can make bowling. I think our wait was 117min, and we just kind of decided we weren't going to see that through. Maybe another time. You can have the host help seat you, you just have to be able to find them (and also scan another QR code to be on that list) While getting sat someone sat themselves in our location, so we had to go to our third seating option (totally okay, as that seems to be the norm) but, once sat we were on our own & you order food from your phone & pick it up yourself. A genuine question as someone who serves. What is the point of tipping at a place like this, and who am I tipping? I respect tipping on drinks because they still serve you them, however, on ordering & picking up my own food? Thoughts?

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    Food and service was just average. Ambiance ok, you seat yourself and order everything on your phone, no servers. Bowling was fun.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Backpocket Pin & Pixel

    Review Highlights - Backpocket Pin & Pixel

    We got a round of Old Fashioneds that were delicious, and played two rounds of their duckpin bowling.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    4.5(17 reviews)
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    We finally made it to Pepp's on Sunday so we could try this long awaited Pizza spot. (Kim is a…read morepizza nut and she has had her eye on this one!) Pepp's is located in a strip mall just off of interstate 80 and 86th on the northwest side of Des Moines in Urbandale. Surrounded by some other hotspots including Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt and Friedrichs Coffee so you really could make this an all day stop! (haha). The shop is small and only has seating for about 25 people (max) The open kitchen and walkup ordering works so you can see and hear everything going on. Decorations are eclectic and fun without being obnoxious. The place is clean and well lit. Menus are displayed in multiple locations and easy to read. Order Pizza by the slice or the whole thing along with sandwiches and extras. Grab a cup and a number, get your drink (no alcohol) and sit down. The lady at the counter was patient and kind while we deliberated our choices. Once we decided and ordered our Meatzilla Pizza ($21.50) we only waited about 10 minutes before it was delivered with a smile. First impressions - it is a well made pizza with ample toppings, the crust is thin, chewy and crispy and perfect! We really enjoyed the combination of canadian bacon, sausage and pepperoni with the little bits of ham. I had a little buyers remorse that we only ordered one pizza so I ordered a slice of the 'Pepp's Pie' to go. It was also delicious with the pepperoncini adding that nice tangy spice to the already tasty slice! While we were eating we witnessed one of the chefs come out and check with every table to make sure we were all happy - this was a very nice touch. In addition the manager came out at the request of our neighboring table to discuss catering options with them. Very good customer service all around! We are looking forward to coming back to try another option! Great Job Pepp!

    High points for Pepp's: Wood fired pizza with that characteristic crust, fresh toppings, creative…read morecombinations. Low points: The toppings on the pizzas with lots of bulk (large amount of toppings) were mostly in the middle of the pie...or had fallen in...but it made picking up the pieces quite messy as they'd fall off. Was also confused because they advertised an upside down pizza, but all of the pizzas we got were "normal" with the sauce on the bottom and the cheese on top and then the toppings on top of that. (Shrug) Our group tried a wide variety of pizzas, but the favorite was the white pizza with the hot honey on it. It really was tasty. Sometimes white pizzas don't have enough cheese or sauce on them and end up being kind of plain, but this one was tops!

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    Pagliai's Pizza - Pizza served fresh out of our stone hearth ovens.

    Pagliai's Pizza

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    My husband and I recently ate dinner here. Neither of us had ever tried this place in all our years…read moreof living in Des Moines, so we decided it was high time for us to check it out. We ordered the House Special pizza and it was very good. The crust was a thin crust but it was very crispy and had an almost crackerlike texture. I really liked it a lot. The sauce was flavorful and the toppings were plentiful. It wasn't the best pizza we've ever had but it was still really good. Next time we'd try one of their other pizzas or pasta dishes just to try something different. We were able to be seated right after we walked in, which was nice. The service was good and there were a lot of items to choose from on the menu. There's plenty of seating and a good-sized parking lot.

    Pizza is still good and expensive. If you dine in be prepared to wait and wait. I swear there is…read moresomething not in balance with having delivery and dining in. Delivery is very manageable and eating in is consistently very slow. Also, my brother, who is in a wheelchair always ask for the pizza cut in squares because that is easier for him. Pizza places accommodate this maybe half the time and forget the other half. Pagliai's usually forgets and we had a server get annoyed about being asked to take it back and have it cut in squares. She solved this by saying it couldn't be done. We didn't ask her to dig a ditch, come on! We've spent a million dollars at this place and we do not frequent near as much.

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    Marino's Italian Restaurant - Baked spinach and cheese manicotti

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    3.8(66 reviews)
    0.6 mi
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    I've driven by here on a near-daily basis on my commute. I've been to the taqueria next door…read moreseveral times--thought I would finally give Marino's a try. The lady who answered the phone was very polite. She quoted me a time of 30-35 minutes for the food. I thought that was quite awhile, but decided to proceed with the order anyhow. When I walked in, the restaurant was nearly empty. One room off to the side was dark; it looks like this was a party room in a former life. I saw a solo diner in the main dining room. It was eerily quiet in there. An older lady (whom I believe also answered the phone) was very polite and seemed like she appreciated the business. I wish I could speak more highly of the food. The portions were all very generous, but most all seemed to be lacking in flavor. The breadsticks appear to have been brushed on top with some kind of butter, but no garlic flavor was present and the bottoms had gone untouched. Just bland. The salads I saw online appeared to have had croutons on them but mine did not. The dressing itself had good flavor--likely homemade. The salad was a basic side salad otherwise. The cavatelli was off in several different ways. The pasta appeared to be actual cavatelli, but lacked the firmness I'm used to. The sauce all seemed to have been on one side of the dish. The sausage was Italian sausage. Will probably try again at some point--other reviews seem to indicate better experiences.

    This place doesn't pretend to be anything other than a very good local Italian restaurant…read more Our server was friendly and helpful and guided us to a simple margarita pizza with a sweet sauce that grows on you with each bite (crust was thin and delicious).

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