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    Ernie's Boondock

    4.2 (27 reviews)
    InexpensiveBeer Bar, Burgers
    Closed 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Ernie's Boondock Photos

    Business Info

    ERNIE'S BOONDOCK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Ernie's Boondock

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    Such A Fun Little 'Dive Bar'
    Paige G.

    Great outdoor patio. friendly bartender. Very reasonable prices. Not a stop for food, just FUN!

    a man and a woman sitting at a bar
    Patrick T.

    Let's take a trip to yesteryear. Maybe you find yourself in a small town in Northern Minnesota, or in the woods of Oregon. You pull off to the side of the road at the nearest neon lights and what do you find. The bar of your dreams. Wood decor, cheep beers, and a friendly fire a blazing! Ernie's Boondock is a brand new bar that feels like an old dive bar! I love the theme and concept! Like I said think old school north woods. They have a giant buffalo head above a fire place, they have rad what looks like security camera footage of a bear getting into some trouble by the bathrooms. The bathroom have that old powder soap and dispenser, and one of those classic pull towels to dry to hands! They have specialty Folger's coffee alcoholic drinks, they have a great supply of old school beers and they are priced to sell! They have a huge patio which will rule in the summer and a food truck parked in it for those late night cravings! This is a very, very welcome addition to the bar scene in Des Moines! Sign me up!

    Ernies food truck
    Maggie F.

    This place has a cool north woods vibe by combining a cabin look and crappy beer on tap. There is options for indoor and outdoor seating along with their own food truck to grab some bites from. We opted for a busch light tall boy, but at $5/can we would have been better off price-wise getting a mug of tap beer. Looks like they have games on a shelf if you feel like lingering with your friends for a while.

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    27 days ago

    Unapologetically a dive bar. It was clean. The drinks were cheap. The bartender was kind and attentive. I liked it and will return.

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    10 months ago

    Cool aesthetic. Like the connection to music and retro vibes. Whole lotta dudes work here.

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    1 year ago

    Great outdoor bar atmosphere with a food truck and friendly staff!! Loved the burgers and cheese curds.

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    3 years ago

    Yr favorite hipster's favorite hipster bar. Dank, full of cement, and cheap drinks.

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    7 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Ernie's Boondock

    Review Highlights - Ernie's Boondock

    Combines food truck (very cheap) with outdoor patio and good music that isn't too loud that you can't talk.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    The Mucky Duck Pub - Regular Fish DInner

    The Mucky Duck Pub

    4.6(268 reviews)
    27.9 mi
    $$

    The pub was pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm. They have an outdoor seating area. The…read morepub is decorated with British signs and posters. The service was very good for how busy it was inside and out. The food was delicious! We had the cod & chips (added coleslaw) and the German platter (a bratwurst, weisswurst, pork schnitzel, mashed potatoes & gravy, red cabbage and sauerkraut). There were various other items we'd like to try, so we will have to come back! It seemed a little high priced, but it is Ames.

    I wanted to love this place. I really did. The atmosphere is a perfect combo of British style pub…read moreand Midwest bar and grill. The wide availability of British goods for purchase/take home (teas, sauces, biscuits etc) is adorable. The service was first class. The UK beer choices were wonderful despite not having Speckled hen available. I was torn between the fish and chips and the pork vindaloo having been a fan of across the pond fare for decades. I opted for the former. While the chips were perfect and the curry sauce second to none, midway through the meal I realized why I didn't love the fish. The batter. On advice of other reviewers I ordered the dish crispy and I think that helped but I finally realized not only did I not love the fish-the batter made me hate it. I finished the latter half inside out if you will and that made it acceptable. Maybe the vindaloo will turn my opinion but in inquiry I was told it was a medium hot-which in the Midwest typically means mild. Maybe next time.

    Photos
    The Mucky Duck Pub - Bar and mugs

    Bar and mugs

    The Mucky Duck Pub - Fish and chips

    Fish and chips

    The Mucky Duck Pub - Hot sauces!!!

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    Hot sauces!!!

    Lua Brewing - Frail ~ English mild

    Lua Brewing

    4.4(159 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    Chose Lua Brewing for Dinner because it was close to Hoyt…read more We had a little bit of a wait. I started with a Climbing Kites Mixed Berry which tasted fine. The Smush Burger with American Cheese, fried onions, pickles, and Lua Sauce. I wasn't expecting it to be so incredibly delicious. I got the Lua Sauce on the side because I wanted to taste just the burger. This has to be one of the best burgers. How does this place not get recognized or have I just been sleeping because the burger is phenomenal. Juicy, great flavor, and the Lua Sauce is excellent as well. The fires were very good too. The Service was good. A minor annoyance is the 3% fee for CC. Paid cash and still got the 3% fee. Just figure it into the price of business if you're going to get charged for it either way. Just an annoyance. Will definitely return for the burger. Sorry haters I felt it was better than Lachelle's, better flavor. Just my opinion.

    Just left here. Had high hopes as I had been wanting to try Lua for a while, so I thought, while…read morein Des Moines... It was hot out so we sat inside at the bar. It was a touch past lunchtime but the bar area was still busy, yet had seats open. We sat at the end and after some time was given some a water carafe and 2 small glasses (with no ice). She (never gave us her name) then came back for our drink order. And immediately asked for food, which we were not ready for. We gave her our drink order, after that we never seen her again. Sat there awhile. For so long we started looking at other restaurants around to eat. Then we she finally looked our way my husband made a motion to pay so we could just leave. Name on the receipt said AM B. Needless to say, we won't be back. Nor will we ever recommend it.

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    Lua Brewing - Brussels

    Brussels

    Lua Brewing - Grilled zucchini

    Grilled zucchini

    Lua Brewing

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    Barn Town Brewing - Morning poutine

    Barn Town Brewing

    4.0(374 reviews)
    11.7 mi
    $$

    I stopped in during a recent road trip and I wish I would've had more time to spend here. The…read moreinterior is pretty big and has table and bar seating. Everything was clean and service was friendly. They have lots of cool merchandise and several to-go beers. They do serve food but I didn't try any. I only had a beer because I wasn't at my final destination but they have a pretty wide variety with lots of different styles. I went with one of their flagship beers-the Neon Hazy IPA. I really enjoyed it and even got some to go so that I could enjoy back in KC. Next time I'm passing through, I'm definitely going to stop and hopefully plan a little better so that I can try more beer and food.

    Good service and creative beers, especially in the sour and sugary spectrum. The unfortunate part…read moreis that some of those beers are TOO sugary that it doesn't taste/feel like beer anymore. I had experienced Barn Town at a beer festival and researched them before visiting town, so I know the experimental candy-influenced collabs are kind of their thing. The PB and Grape Jelly sour was nice and the Watermelon Sour Batch Buddies was the best of the State Fair themed bunch. Everything else packed too much of a flavor punch for me... to the point of upsetting my stomach which NEVER happens when I drink beer. I would actually go back and try some of their flagship (normal) beer offerings and food specials to get a more well rounded opinion of the brewpub.

    Photos
    Barn Town Brewing - Bar

    Bar

    Barn Town Brewing - Hand cut fries

    Hand cut fries

    Barn Town Brewing - Brisket Bao Buns!

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    Brisket Bao Buns!

    Ernie's Boondock - beerbar - Updated September 2026

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