I've been here a few times and usually have an ok experience. We often sat with empty glasses even when we've gone on slow days because the wine attendants usually seem to be caught up in their own conversations. But tonight was awesome! We did a wine tasting and our attendant Gabby recommended wine that made my non wine loving husband reconsider. She found a wine he greatly enjoyed and we got a bottle just for him. She was so much fun and her knowledge was astounding. She said she'd only been there about a month but you could tell she took her job seriously. We never had an empty glass. I was super disappointed that she left before we could fully cash out because we wanted to tip her. She was super busy running back and forth between multiple guests but kept a smile on her face the whole time and still found time to talk to us like actual guests and not just paying customers. Her knowledge on the new Vinho Verde was spot on! We had to get two bottles! I definitely recommend her as a wine tasting attendant if you go there! She's amazing and very attentive! read more

Great service and cool wine bar vibe here! Definitely the type of place you want to come with a group and do some wine tasting and share some nice apps. Overall the food was good, but nothing blew me away. The chicken picatta was not overly flavorful and neither was the Asian salmon. We enjoyed the crème brûlée dessert but it was a little more pudding on the inside than I usually like. Even though food is fine, the wine tasting aspect is fun and the servers are great about helping you pair wine and food and making recommendations! read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Salted Caramel Crème Brulee - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

We are wine club members and love the food, wine, and service. Have been enjoying for 3 years. Tonight we had Myles as our server and were really impressed by his attentive service and calm demeanor despite the volume of customers. He was obviously busy, but still made sure we had everything we needed and had a really chill vibe. We'd love to have him every time! read more

Came here for a corporate dinner and we had the best server. Unfortunately, I forgot her name but she was a lovely woman who kept us on our toes. I tried to the mahi mahi which was delicious. For the table I also got to try the meatballs which were good, and the brussel sprouts which were also tasty. I had the espresso martini which was average (a bit sweet) and one of their beers. Overall a pretty cool place. I would say it is upscale Olive Garden. Would come back again! read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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Love the drunken shrimp at cooper's hawk. Love the appetizers better than the entrees!

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4* Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $71 06/27/2025 My wife made the reservation so I agreed to go back, even though my last experience left we doubting I would return and I admittedly walked in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Overall, I'm glad we went back to give them a second chance as this experience was much better than the last. This is a very nice restaurant that is a part of over 55 in the growing chain that started in Overland Park, IL in 2005. Our friends in Wisconsin recently mentioned Cooper's Hawk and how good their Ahi tuna was - and given how much we enjoy Ahi tuna, that likely played a significant role in my wife's decision to make a reservation. Beyond the wine flight that my wife ordered (see picture), we started with Asian Ahi Tuna Sashimi (see picture). As you might expect (sashimi), the portions were quite small...but it was quite delicious. Food and Drink Guy Tip: The soy dipping liquid was also great and the leftover mix was quite tasty on the pretzel bread loaf. For our main courses, my wife ordered the Trio Medallions (see picture) and I opted for the Chicken Giardiniera (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each other's dishes and the Trio Medallions were fantastic - tender, juicy, flavorful and perfectly cooked (medium rare). While our waitress Jennifer (who was great by the way) described the Chicken Giardiniera as spicy - neither of us found it very spicy, but we both found it delicious - tasty breaded chicken breasts soaking in that wonderful giardiniera juice! Food and Drink Guy Tip: Given my love of good bread soaked in tasty juices and sauces, I asked for another loaf of the pretzel bread and used it to soak up all that remaining delicious juice on my plate and sauce on my wife's plate. I highly recommend this, as it was so good that I treated it as my dessert! The plates were so clean after this that a member of the wait staff commented that we mustn't have liked our meal very well... While this clearly isn't the cheapest place in the area for dinner, they do serve high quality food in a clean, modern atmosphere with above average service, so deserves to be on your short list for your next special occasion. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com read more

The service was slow and staff is rude.the food was ok but took a long time to come out and when it did came out wrong

I have been to Cooper's hawk several times now- I can't believe it's taken this long to leave a review! Their atmosphere is my favorite for a happy hour or date night! They offer wine tastings for a super decent price which is a great girls night activity- they even let you swap wines so you're not stuck with something you don't like! I've gotten several things on the menu and honestly, they haven't missed. They triggered a Caesar salad addiction, as well! Any place that can make you crave a salad gets 5 stars in my book! Oh and gluten free people- you're very safe here! You will be overwhelmed with how many options there are! read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Wine tasting - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

Espresso martini and gnocchi carbonara were so good! Prices were reasonable and our server was friendly.

Had a good meal here despite our poor waitress's newby jitters. You have to start somewhere and she did the best she could, but I'd highly suggest management have the servers really study up on your wines since that is 80% of your image and product. Having said that, I did think it was kinda weird to see the servers downing glasses of wine through the expansive kitchen window while on-shift but maybe that's some strange way of training them ‍ Overall the meal (grouper) was excellent and we'd go back read more

The "Leonard Burger" had an aesthetically appealing presentation that unveiled a single juicy meaty entree covered with cheese and a flavorful special sauce on a textured soft bun. The Lobster Bisque was silky smooth with a creamy texture circled with lobster bits. One tops the entire meal off with a slice of their opulent "Key Lime Pie" engulfed in a dollop of delicious whip cream. Ashley P - My wait staffer- had a trove of trivia information related to the brand from their extensive wine list to their popular menu features. The decor of blue and green allowed one to sit back and enjoy not only their meal, in addition enjoy the calm and relaxed upscale environment. read more

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Our first time eating here, really loved the atmosphere as soon as we arrived! You can wine taste while you wait for a table at their tasting bar right when you enter. Highly recommended to make a reservation. Our waitress Renee was knowledgeable and gave us several suggestions and pairings as it was our first time. I chose a build your own wine flight to try a few different ones- generous pour on each. And was a great way to try four of them. The food was delicious as well. So many great options to choose from we've got to go back and try something different each time! Overall we really enjoyed the service, atmosphere and food. Definitely will be back and a must stop in the Des Moines metro! read more

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I really enjoyed the food and the wine at the restaurant. I had the spaghetti for dinner and it was quite good. I hope to come back more when I visit my family in the Des Moines area. read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - The wine selection at Cooper's Hawk. - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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I wanted to love everything about this place. I wanted it to be our new spot. Sadly, it wasn't. We were a party of 10, id made reservations for my mother's birthday over a month ago and I confirmed the reservation the day before our dinner party. We arrived on time and were told to wait and they'd seat us soon. It was about 10-15 minutes and we were seated. The waiter (I forgot his name-strawberry blonde hair, quite tall) showed up at the table and had an attitude that not everyone was immediately paying attention to him. He had the nerve to say HELLLLO!!?!? Service started off rocky but I was hopeful it would get better. The waiter was kind to my mother, which is probably the only saving grace. 9/10 of us received food that was cooked correctly, albeit warm, not hot food. I requested a substitution of vegetables and was simply told "no". My brother in law ordered a well done burger and it came out rare. The burger was remade and brought to the table after everyone else had finished eating. That meal was not comped. The waiter didn't return until he brought the new burger back, to see if we needed drink refills or anything else. The food was mediocre at best and the price point didn't justify mediocre food. Overall, it's a miss for me. There are places that provide better service where I'll spend my money. read more

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I'm just gonna say our entire table was given complimentary dinners and wine tasting due to the service read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

This place is always awesome! Food is always great and service is outstanding. It's the one place we know we can always count on! It's a great environment! read more

We ordered sandwiches to go tonight. It was a horrible experience! It took 50 minutes from the time I ordered online to getting my food. I only live about 7 minutes from the restaurant. When I got home the food was cold. Cold fries, even the small pieces of Mahi were cold on my sandwich. The Mahi was on top of the bun. It had no flavor. To top it off, all the plastic cups of condiments were placed on top of the food. I don't want any anything that was sitting on a counter on top of my food! I can't belive o paid so much for that food. read more

We have been CH members for years and have always enjoyed the food and wine. The food was awesome for this occasion as well. The problem was our server, Peebles. She was not on top of it. 2 salads never showed up, so we cancelled them after we got our main entree, and the bread wasn't delivered before our meal. She seemed hurried and scattered, with her attention to detail being somewhere else. I have had many meals at CH, but she wasn't what I would expect on a $400 dinner for 6. read more

My husband and I went here for our anniversary and his like every other time the food was great. Good service and nice atmosphere. Would highly recommended. read more

Food is surprisingly good while the wine is disappointing considering they spend a lot of effort on the wine side.Service and ambiance are outstanding. read more

Awesome service we stopped by just for wine tasting. We were promptly greeted by the hostess and showed to our table. They have an extensive menu of tasting options. We opted for a flight of reds and sparklings so we could taste an array of their offerings. By far this is the best winery we visited. We highly recommend the make your own or the lux read more

We decided to give this place a try. It's been here for a while and I've been hearing good reviews. We got a reservation for 6:45 on a Friday night. The parking lot was completely full when we arrived so we parked to the west in front of another business. We checked in about 10 minutes early. The lobby was full of people tasting wines and waiting for their tables. We were called right on time to be seated. The atmosphere is very upscale but accommodates casual as well. Daniel, our server, was very attentive. He talked to us about the food and drink options and offered to let us taste some of the wines before paying for a glass or bottle. We ordered the crispy Brussels sprouts for an appetizer. I wasn't able to get a photo because my wife started in on them as soon as they were brought to the table. She said the thought occurred to her that I should get some before she ate them all, but she wasn't willing to stop eating to let me know that. Our entrees were taking some time getting to us so Daniel offered some complimentary soup. It was a crab, shrimp, and lobster bisque. I'm not a big fan of either crab or lobster, but the bisque was delicious. That was a recurring theme here. I kept silently hoping I wouldn't like the food after seeing the prices, but I kept being happily disappointed by how tasty everything was. I narrowed down my main dish choices to my top 3 picks and our server helped us decide what to order. My wife ordered chicken piccata. It was delicious with a nice lemony finish. I had the pan seared mahi mahi. Delicious would be an understatement. See the photos below. For dessert, we were offered a couple of different truffles. I also ordered some key lime pie. It reminded me of the pies at Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop on Maui. Maybe it was the wine speaking, but my wife said the pie tonight was better. I regret to report that everything we tasted tonight was excellent, and my wife will likely force me to come back soon, much to my wallet's chagrin. EDIT: After we got home, my wife suggested 3 additions to this review: 1) We were out to eat for her birthday tonight. She believes this information is important and somehow relevant to the review; 2) All of the wine we tried tonight was delicious. Her favorites were the sparkling raspberry and the chocolate noir wines, and my favorites were the Gewürztraminer and the ice wine; and 3) the truffles will melt in your mouth but that's no excuse for skipping the sauces that come with them. read more

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My wife and i went here for dinner. the ambiance is beautiful. How ever that is where it ends. I had the surf and turf, pistachio grouper which was gummy and under done. with some chimichurri steak . the steak was a thin slice that tasted much like liver and the Chimi was watery, green and awful which was not presented with the meal. I had to ask for it and was disappointed due to no flavor. My wife had the fillet which she thought was not a true fillet because it was tough. the wine was pinot which was excellent. read more

Last night I visited Cooper's hawk winery and restaurant with my beloved husband. It was our anniversary date and it was delightful. Chloe was our waitress, and wow was she awesome! She was very patient as my husband didn't know what to get. She gave us many options whether that be wine or food. I got Dana chicken, yum yum yum. Hubby got fish filet and yum yum yum! I've been here before and all I can say is good things. Chloe was incredible and very remarkable. I would come back here just for her! Thanks Chloe read more

Get same order every time I've been there. Filet Trio Medallions, broccolini, potatoes. Never fails, always good.

Service was excellent, food was solid - some really good, some just OK, and wine was good and reasonably priced. We had a reservation on a Thursday night, which was a good thing as they were quite busy. The restaurant seats a lot of people! My wife wasn't sure about which wine to get, so our server brought out generous samples of 3 wines that he thought might be close to what she was looking for. She tried them and settled on the Cabernet. I ordered a martini - it was pretty good, but I believe set a new DSM area record price of $16. Not way out of whack, but I do think it's the most I've paid for a martini in DSM. For dinner my wife got the Lean Menu Steak Medallions. They were very flavorful and tender. There were 2 vs. the serving size of 3 on the main menu, but the price was less, and her dish was under 600 calories. It is nice they have the lower calorie option section with a lot of selections. I got the Pan Roasted Mahi Mahi. Now, we just got back from Gulf Shores, AL, so the fish was obviously not as fresh, BUT it was tasty, and the preparations was very nice. We did splurge on the chocolate cake for dessert, and our server brought another wine sample that might go well with it, but we decided to stick with what we already had for beverages. The cake was pretty good, but not all that memorable. Probably wouldn't do it again, but some of the other options looked good and may be worth a try. There was a table close to ours with a small dog that had it's own chair. The dog ate off it's owners plate, and was fed by them using their fork. Not entirely sure what the laws are regarding this, but that's the first time I've seen an animal at a table, dining off an entree inside a restaurant. Prices are a bit on the high side for DSM, but the service was excellent and the food was very good. read more

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Food is too expensive not worth the price all they want is money they make you pay a lot on tips. Too greedy why pay 25 for a burger when you can have the same at bbops for not even 10 dollars?? Exactly they over charge you for their food that ain't worth it no one should be eating here I highly don't recommend this place last time I got sick eating and was throwing up I'm not taking my chances. read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

Came here again for lunch with our daughter! Really great food, service, and atmosphere! Nice to come back and have an amazing experience again! Consistency in a restaurants service and food is great and appreciated! read more

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We went here for lunch to celebrate hubby's birthday. The host was very soft spoken almost to the point that I couldn't understand what he was saying but we followed him, assuming he would lead us to our table (he did). Our server, Heather, was a vast improvement - personable and knowledgeable about the menu. We ordered a red wine flight and there was discussion over the optimum order to try the wines and we agreed with Heather that the order should be different than what was presented. The wines were all good but not necessarily stand out. Hubby had short rib risotto which he liked very much and surprisingly took some home as it was filling. I had the roasted veggie enchiladas and they were a delicious melty concoction baked in a ramekin but I would be hard pressed to tell you exactly what the specific veggies were. Hubby received the complimentary birthday dessert of two truffles - decadent but we also shared the salted caramel crème brûlée, also decadent. We were told all desserts are made in house. It wasn't crowded when we arrived just before 1:30 pm so we enjoyed quiet ambiance and were not rushed. read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Roasted veggie enchiladas - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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Always a hit! Come for the wine tasting and stay for the meal - or vice versa! We like the tasting first in order to identify which wine we will prefer for the meal. I appreciate that the portions are the right size, consistently high-quality, and they gladly handle any modifications. All staff is always so friendly, knowledgeable, and coordinating well with each other. Wine tasting counter can get crowded by mostly in a friendly environment. Restaurant seating is distant enough to feel some privacy but not overly intimate. Bar seating is less formal but still upscale. This was my first time having the Drunken Shrimp. I will definitely have them again! read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Drunken Shrimp - Wine Bars Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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WOW&OMG. What a wonderful experience. First of all our waitress was fantastic. Very knowledgeable about the menu and the wine. I had cheeseburger w/frys and take home piece of Chocolate Cake. Only ate 1/2 of burger. Finished off two days later w/new bun&it was just as delicious. If you're a Pino Grigio fan, I strongly recommend a glass or more, if you're not driving of course. Enjoy read more

Wine tasting and great food both in a relaxed yet formal setting? Yes! This is what you'll get when you visit Cooper's Hawk. No more waiting outside or in boring sitting areas - you can taste a glass of wine or do a whole tasting while you wait for your table. Once you get to your table, you'll find a menu with specific wine pairings for each meal option you have. I can confidently say we have never had a bad meal here. Everything is well made, delicious and a beautiful spin on many classic American dishes. The Prime Sandwich and Short Rib are tender and flavorful. The fish is lightly yet richly coated while the burger is a comforting classic. We ate the appetizers too quickly to eat pictures but give the brussel sprouts, meatballs, and shrimp a try - they're incredible. Parking here is easy and I would recommend making a reservation so you can plan when you want to go for your wine tasting. This is my go to when I'm back in the Des Moines area. Try it out! read more

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The service was 10/10, waters always refilled, great wine recommendations. The truffles are to die for, def get them. Also recommend coming early for the wine tasting. The crab, shrimp & lobster bisque was great. We really liked the free pretzel bread. We both ordered surf n turf. Parmesan-crusted filet medallions and pistachio-crusted grouper were amazing, prime churrasco grilled steak and soy ginger Atlantic salmon were also tasty. Place had a relaxed but fancy aesthetic, perfect for anniversary/celebrations! read more

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Sadness. I don't enjoy writing bad reviews. I'd much rather have terrific food that I can encourage others to try. That wasn't the case here. Cooper's is a stand-alone restaurant in a predominately business-heavy area near West Des Moines. They want to be higher-end/finer-dining - and they have the ambiance and even some of the staff to pull that off...their price-points are certainly in line with finer-dining and they have the added panache related to calling themselves a winery - all great for marketing. Unfortunately they are a mall restaurant without the mall. Hubby and I had: Crab, Shrimp, and Lobster Bisque: nice thick creamy and rich broth with a nice vegetable background and a slight seafood flavor but no discernible pieces of lobster or crab. The shrimp were the tiny (tasteless) cocktail-size shrimp that were maybe 3/4" in size. The broth was over-salted by a factor of 2-3. House salad: big plate of lettuce. A cherry tomato cut in half. Three pieces of cucumber. Four croutons. Blue cheese dressing. $9.99. Gnocchi Carbonara with chicken: Nice flavor - distinctive sage in the background. Way over salted. The gnocchi was tough and the chicken reminded us of the pre-cooked chicken you buy at the grocery and warm up - chewy and tough. Shrimp and Scallop Risotto: the seafood in this dish was well made and had a buttery flavor. That's where it ended. This wasn't risotto. It struck me that they pre-cooked rice then added it to a base. Anyone who has prepared risotto knows how the delicate rice kernels absorb the stock and creates a creamy and cheesy bowl of love. This was a watered down soupy mess. In fact, they should be fined for serving this and calling it risotto. The wine flights were good. The wine is acceptable but it's not anything that will make you go WOW. The service was nice and it was busy but I'm not sure why. Maybe this is the best these burbs can pump out, but we're not going back. read more

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I couldn't say better things about our experience. Our server Peebles was AMAZING, she had an excellent sense of humor as well as she was knowledgeable and personable. Everything from the tuna crispy rice, to the dirty martini, and don't even get me started on the entrees. We were traveling for work and could not have made a better choice. Thank you for a wonderful night. read more

Our second visit here. Love the atmosphere and service. Food is snacking. Great presentation. Good place for a date night. They also have wine tastings when you walk in the door. We joined the wine club. Happy hour prices are affordable. read more

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The food and wine were outstanding. My server was amazing. A true asset to your winery. I will definitely be back. The ambiance was beautiful and very relaxing. read more

First timer at Coopers Hawk, my family and friends have been raving about this place, I missed an opportunity to try the restaurant in Elk Grove, Illinois, got a second chance and went to Cooper's Hawk in Des Moines Iowa, it did not disappoint. The meal was delicious, had the Arrachera meat meal, the mash potatoes was the best I've tasted in a while. Most definitely will be back to celebrate life or something else. I met the head chef who was born in Puerto Rico, I told him how impressed we were with the meals we had and he said that he moved from PR 3 years ago and hasn't looked back. read more

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Brought my team here for dinner while I was in town. Ambiance is top notch. The food and service were great, too. Even though this restaurant was busy, they tended to us quickly and kept checking in on us. Thanks for a great time! read more

Very good! I got my wife a 3 month membership for Christmas and we arrived to our reservation 45 min early to do some wine tastings. If you do the 2 month you get free wine tastings! The wine was very good. Even if you don't like wine I think you would enjoy it! As for the food, we started off with complimentary pretzel roil and butter that was really good! Then we got our wedge salad ( pic attached) it had blue cheese and another really good dressing with bacon. Also we ordered the sausage flatbread that was really good(pic attached)Then my wife ordered the 3. Medallions entree (pic attached) that was melt in your mouth amazing we will definitely be back- get the membership online for a loved one! read more

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