Oh Bait Shop, I love you and hate you. The food is decent (Wings are excellent), atmosphere is AWESOME and service is blah. When you can actually get service (especially on the patio) the servers are awesome!!! But half the battle is getting someone to help you, then getting your orders right and it not taking hours. I live just across the street from Bait so I go there more often than I would if it wasn't for the convenience. Avoid the hour or so before an ICubs game. The place is always packed. read more

Unique decor on the inside the food was amazing. The service was great. A fun place to eat in Des Moines if you're looking for good burger and some fries. A must eat if you're driving through. read more

If you're looking for a place in Des Moines to try beers, this is the place! They carry hundreds of beers on tap and in bottles--everything from local favorites to domestic beers to foreign brews. Their concentration in craft beers allows you to try beers you can't necessarily find other places, and their prices are great! For food, try shrimp tacos (a specialty there), but they also serve yummy bar food that satisfies and fills you! TIP: Can't decide on just one beer? Choose one of their pre-selected beer flights or build your own! read more

5/5 would recommend just based on their huge wall of beer! My first time going to El Bait Shop, I was a little over whelmed with all of the options of beer. Luckily the bartenders were super nice and let me try some before I made a purchase. The countertop to order your beer can get a bit crowded, but they always have someone walking around checking if you need anything. It's in a great location, walking distance of Principle Park and Court Ave. I haven't had the food here, but I do keep hearing it's amazing! read more

I've been in a lot of joints in a lot of towns and drank a lot of beer..... But this is the only place I know of with a Farrah Fawcett poster! Wrestlers too, picture after picture of all of the WWF greats. Just the ambiance of this place makes it one of DeMo hot spots. The big sister to the Highlife lounge, literally right next door. They share the same kitchen, but not the same beer selection. The El Bait Shop is the more refined divier sister with a huge patio. Just the place to enjoy 1 or 2 libations from their huge draft and craft beer selection. Over 100 taps on the wall!! This has always been one of my favorite destinations while on a bike ride. With bike parking, huge patio, and access to one of the finest mom type kitchen menus El Bait Shop should be on everyone's radar. There is one remnant of note from the original, now long gone, El Bait Shop menu their fish tacos. They always satisfy!! read more

El Bait Shop - Good cold beers and a great destination for a bike ride - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Come on, the food is terrible... just greasy poor executed bar food and the service is bad too. The beer selection is tops as is the junky atmosphere. Skip the food and eat before you go but try the great beer selection. I really liked the beer flights. read more

Are you kidding me with the beer selection at this place????? I am a beer joint maniac and this place had the best selection I have seen in any of the places I have visited in the 50 states!! I had an oktoberfest style beer flight that was great. Bartender, i forget his name, gave me several samples of some of his favorites before I made my selections. He deserved the 40% tip that I left him!!! I didn't try the food but I saw a bunch of people eating the nachos and they looked good. I did go next door to High Life and get the tots and they were outstanding!! read more

I love Bell's Oberon. El Bait Shop currently has it on tap. Therefore, I love El Bait Shop. I didn't really consider any of the 100+ other beers they have on tap but its nice to know I could have branched out to another summer wheat beer. The bartenders will give you free samples if you want to test any out before having to drink a whole glass of a vanilla stout, for example. They have live bands, food (including awesome sweet potato fries) and a patio for those 4 months where its warm enough to sit there. read more

If you live anywhere near Des Moines and you consider yourself a beer aficionado, then you have to check out El Bait Shop. They've got a tap selection that is bigger than any place I've ever seen in Chicago. The only place that surpasses it in terms of variety, as far as I've personally seen nationally, is Zeitgeist in San Francisco. There are a few other things that I really liked about El Bait Shop: (1) The restaurant and bar have a weird and welcoming feel with vintage posters, lacquered wood, brewery stickers everywhere, and a random miniature WWF Hall of Fame near the bathroom...this place makes it easy to feel comfortable. (2) Their food menu, if you don't mind pub food, is not too shabby at all...I was really satisfied with the enormous Mexican burger. (3) They've organized their bank of available beers into a more manageable set of taster glass flights. I got the Iowa beer flight, featuring 5 beers that you can't find in Chicago, and if I didn't have obligations in the morning, I would have been on board for at least one other flight series. (4) The wait staff is really laidback and they appear to really enjoy working here, which makes for a better experience for us guests. Lastly, it may be worthwhile to note that we visited El Bait Shop on a Saturday night around 8:00 in mid-October and there were plenty of tables available, no wait. El Bait Shop was so good, it may stand alone as enough of a reason to go back to Des Moines soon. read more

Contrary to what you might think, this is not a bait shop. It is a great place to catch up with friends in the downtown bar district. It is next door to the "High Life Lounge" and you can even order off of either menu. The food is not bad, but the beer selection is where they shine. All sorts of crazy different beers here from all over. They usually have a large crowd of bicyclers who park their bikes there to drink on the weekends. Its pretty laid back and full of great people so definitely give it a try if you don't like the club scene. read more

El Bait Shop - Nice Rack - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Very chill bar with an amazing beer selection. I'm not much of a beer drinker lately but I'll always find something that leaves me wanting a refill here. Cool atmosphere, love the "Wild Things" mural and the old school wrestling pics. Food is great too. Old school tacos. Good chips/salsa. Excellent bbq. We haven't been for the live music, but they have some good free shows. We stop by every time we're back in town. Thumbs Up! read more

In town for a business meeting and - THANK YOU YELP - steered towards this eatery. It was right across the street from my hotel and warped back in time to the "Stag" bars of my youth - where I'd play table top Pac Man, drink icy cold Miller Beers, and foolishly eye the older, elegant wasp waisted lady at the bar ......ahhhh the feel of green shag carpet, high back Naugahyde chairs, and no nonsense bartenders - NOW, combine that with delicious food, and you're eating at El Bait. I ordered the Chicken Pot Pie & a Nitro Sam Adams - blown away by the tasty combo; food snob that I am! BUT YOU SHOULD BE! It's important to try hard in life, and these guys do. They've developed a cool feel to the place, then jammed delicious food in there to yield a winning combo; all that's missing is you, and maybe a hip band like Morphine, or Soul Coughing to down those suds with - rock on hipster doofus, rock on (finger snap, finger snap). read more

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Very good bar/restaurant with a great beer selection from many parts of the USA. Food was good too with many items on the menu. The wait staff was great at helping us through the long list of beers. Decor was fun to look at too. Highly recommended. read more

great food and beer. several vegetarian options and quick service. really great fries and busy atmosphere

Good bar food, relaxed environment. One of our favorite places to get a bite between classes!

It seems the last few months they have been doing a lot of tap takeovers which is awesome because you get some beers on tap from a brewery that are rare and not readily available. With the rush of new breweries coming into the state this year these tap takeovers are a perfect way for beer drinkers to get acclimated with some of the offerings these brewers are bringing to the state. Bait Shop doing it right and still the best beer bar in Des Moines period. read more

Always a good time here. Biggest variety of beer on tap that I know of. Servers are always on point and very knowledgeable about both the food and beers. read more

I have been to the High Life & El Bait Shop dozens of times but usually just for a few drinks and sometimes for a quick bite but recently I went there to have an actual lunch outing with a friend. My first beer choice was unavailable which was a bummer but I am pretty much open to any drink and food item so I quickly picked the Topplinger Goliath ale from Decorah, Iowa - light and refreshing, perfect for a Sunday afternoon meal on the patio. I ordered the chicken pot pie which was delicious and huge which translates to tasty leftovers for lunch the next day! The pie was stuffed full of tender chunks of chicken and hearty vegetables and it was dressed with a savory brown gravy. I also ordered a side of their sweet potato fries because I am always compelled to do so - they are awesome!!! My friend ordered the fish tacos and they were above average but could have used a better flavor profile - the fish and filling just needed a little help with the seasoning. He added some Tabasco sauce to pep them up. I had an Argus Cidery Fermentables Ginger Perry beverage from Austin, TX for dessert. No review from me is really complete without a mention of the service - our gal was Melanie and she is a rock star - friendly and helpful - I didn't need much convincing on what to get but she strongly supported my decision to get the chicken pot pie. She was efficient and attentive without being obnoxiously overbearing. I don't get many Sunday afternoons to relax but I am pretty sure I will be back again when I do. read more

El Bait Shop - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Beer and taxidermy are two of my favorite things which makes El Bait Shop a damn fine bar in my humble opinion. Some might find it a bit hokey but it's a solid spot to cool off with a pint on a hot summer night. Well worth a visit if you find yourself in the greatest city in the world. read more

Had the broasted chicken, excellent! The beer, phenomenal. Great service and ambiance. Check it out.

This place never has to worry about a thing when it comes to being the top spot... other than their 5000 beer rotation of course. The best selection of beer in the region with the customer service to match. BAIT SHOP... I would call it Des Moines Finest. Cheers read more

The Bait shop has been a favorite of mine for some years now but it seems it is getting a little to popular. Great for Beer & Wings.

If they don't have a beer you like, you are just to damn picky, I've never had a bad meal here and they support the cycling community so please support them. read more

Great local beer and best fried chicken in the Midwest!!!! One of those places that makes you feel in complete if you don't eat it for a week LOL read more

Will be eating here every time I come back to Des Moines. Amazing food. I wanted to order everything on the menu.

Went yesterday for beer and the outdoors patio. The selection of beer is great! We ordered wings with two sauces. Dry rub and spicy bbq. Ten wings rotal. They were not very good n certainly the smallest pound ever. I would,have rated lower but then we ordered the broasted fried chicken. 2 breasts, sweet potatoe fries and a side salad. The chicken was juicy and tender. What a,difference. Id stick with the chicken and skip the wings!! read more

Velvet Elvis dip is great, add a beer, perfection! Would have snapped a picture, but too busy eating. read more

El Bait Shop - Sorry, it was to good to stop and take a photo until we realized it was nearly gone. - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

BEST BAR IN TOWN. Super casual dive bar, but they have a ton of choices. I got lavender lemon cider. Plus their music is NEVER loud and you can actually have a conversation. I took my parents here and they got the bacon wrapped tots and still talk about it. Great for groups, taking the parents, or the first stop to a date! read more

Almost 5 stars - everything is going in the right direction but a few things could be tightened up. Patio is great, but service drops compared to inside. Beer list is excellent (no drawbacks there). Food is great, but we had a few mishaps with our orders. Overall I'd for sure come back, but I hope that the service can improve. read more

They have a good liver an onions. My dad had the bacon and blue burger, which he said was excellent. Lots of beers on tap and a casual atmosphere. read more

Good food and if they don't have a beer you like, you should stop drinking beer. They have hundreds on tap and one to suit anyone. Cool spot close to downtown. read more

I truly love beer and have been to many breweries before, never had I been somewhere that had so many options . It was somewhat overwhelming to be in there and not be able to try all of their selections. It is definitely a great place to visit if you're ever in Des Moines. read more

Tonight I came to El Bait Shop for my Bachelorette party for my friend's celebration. We had a great time until a bartender named Elisia was offended by penis paraphernalia. She laughed in my face and then disrespected my friend when she ordered a drink. My friend picked another bartender because she didn't want to tip or associate with said party. I will never give El Bait Shop another dime. Professionalism comes before opinion, especially when the offense was a penis. 48 percent of the population have them. Maturity is Paramount and losing customers is clearly bad for business. As a business owner, corrective action/ termination would be wise. Good luck with further offensive behavior. Losing customers is bad for business and I would have expected an apology instead of blatant disregard. read more

Plenty of beer options here! The 'bar food' is also pretty tasty! Great fun for friends to meet here. I'll be back definitely. Only downside I can think of is the seating does fill up quickly as the crowd arrives. Thumbs up to this place! read more

Great hole in the wall restaurant and bar the food was excellent. You will have to like loud.

Meh.. This place is pretty standard.. In my opinion. But I used to live in San Fran and Portland.. Not a place that I would want to grab dinner, because they do not have many gluten free options. On a positive note they have a great selection of beers from all over. I did recognize a majority of them which was pretty amazing. Another positive is that this place is great for meeting up with friends and enjoying a cold drink. Good luck finding a table! read more

Easily the best bar in Iowa. Tons of beers all varieties. A whole wall of beers on tap. Plus good home-style foods from next door at "Miller High Life Lounge" and their own bar foods (good nachos and pretty good wings). Both restaurants share the same kitchen, so you can get food from either. read more

This place is a dive bar to be sure. Which is fun and eclectic. The beer selection is fantastic, they have beers from all over the world; about 100 on tap. If you're looking for local brews, however, they only have about 5. If you're a local and are sick of Des Moines craft beer and want a massive, non-local selection, this is the place. There is ample outdoor seating when the weather is nice. There are TVs inside for game days, although they are a little small. Bathrooms are gross. Our waiter was rude and hurried us even though there weren't many people in the bar. The food was just "OK". I had the fish tacos which weren't anything stellar. My friends had the nachos which were "UGH". With all the fun places in downtown Des Moines, this isn't one I'll be revisiting. read more

The filter is incorrect the patio at El Bait Shop is NOT pet friendly. They do not allow pets at all.

Great beer selection and great service but the food wasn't particularly standout. Wing sauce was way too watery to the point where it wouldn't stuck to the wing at all. read more