Stopped in on a hot Sunday for a frozen drink. I saw they have a patio online; however, with the…read moreheat of the day, I ended up taking a seat inside. The server was efficient and quickly served me a mug of water. I started with the flamingo, which is a frozen daiquiri. I loved the glass straw and my drink stayed frozen to the last sip. Then I switched it up and got a mocktail. The Karate kid was carrot forward with a hint of ginger and spice. It was all around refreshing. I couldn't leave without taking a picture of the art above the table where I sat. I especially liked, "Be a Good Loser."

Great vibe. Perfect place to get drinks with friends or for a date night. Huge cocktail menu and…read moreall great drinks ranging from your classics to super unique flavor combos.

We wandered in on a week night and had so much fun! I imagine given the gorgeous space, incredible…read moredrinks, attentive serve, and delicious bites, this place is packed on the weekends. Oh and BTW... The Contrary in Des Moines has also been recognized as a national semifinalist for Best New Bar ( 2026 ). The Food is elevated Bar Bites The Drinks are contemporary craft ( both cocktails and mocktails ) and the Vibe is New York Chic with Iowa Elbow Room.

I've been here a few times this is a beautiful, Chill, Great Vibe's bar that speaks to you like a…read morespeakeasy with the crafted cocktails it has it all, but prior to visiting before I wasn't a fan of the cocktails. I'm not sure what change but the menu got an upgrade and the cocktails were fantastic and the small bits were sickening. That Date dessert needs to be studied because it was too damn good. I'll be back!

Run, don't walk, get to this bar and settle in. Great drinks, vibes and service. If you get down…read morewith retro, it's your groove.

My friends and I had an amazing time at Marjorie Bar! The drink menu offers a fantastic selection,…read morewith something for everyone, and everything we ordered was excellent. We spent the evening out on the patio, which had such a fun and relaxing atmosphere--it was the perfect place to catch up with friends. Even though the bar was busy, the staff provided outstanding service. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and attentive, and we were impressed by how quickly our drinks arrived. You could tell the team genuinely cared about making sure everyone had a great experience. Between the incredible drinks, the inviting atmosphere, and the exceptional service, Marjorie Bar is definitely a place we'll be returning to. I highly recommend stopping by if you're looking for a great spot to enjoy drinks with friends!

Amazing place with very cute interior and vibe! The drinks were absolutely fantastic and very…read moreinnovative and complex. Excellent place for bar hopping and their outdoor patio was cute .

I loved the Sandy's Recipe with NUTELLA COCONUT, a very rich and sweet drink doesn't taste the…read morealcohol. My friends had the cookie shot glass (you can eat it) and Serenity Now and they enjoyed theirs.

Tiki bar that transforms you to the beachy vibes. Very cute interior with great service and drinksread more

This tiny house is giving Des Monies the vibes it's missing…read more.. On a short layover in Iowa, I was looking for good drinks and food without a lot of waiting or being overcrowded. What I found was a little gem off of one of the main roads in downtown Des Monies. Even before you enter this self described "Tiki Bar" you see all the brick buildings, and then you see an actual grass covered roof...yep that's the place and a really nice touch. The interior is equally cool and spacious, you are greeted by the bar area immediately when you walk in. To your right are comfy couches and instagram friendly neon wall signs, with that signature tiki touch of floral patterns and great lighting. The location is connected to a Asian food restaurant, so they get their food from them as you drink some of the most well crafted adult drinks I've had in a while. I came for happy hour on a Saturday 4:00pm-6:30pm. The drinks were basically 2.00 off with discounted food, the menu is limited to mostly chicken wraps and crab rangoons etc. I will say the portions were filling and very delicious. The star of the show was my El Colmillo, a tequila based drink with lime, orange juice, lime. The bartender did say it's all pre mixed, and that day she subbed the tequila with Casamigos, because the house tequila was out. Customer service was great, until it wasn't. Our server was excellent, until a guy came in off break and they seemed to have some tension. She really didn't have that same positive energy as before, otherwise an overall excellent experience. Pro Tip: Take a walk over to "Hello, Marjorie", it's a completely different vibe but drinks there are just as good...if not better. Go see Travis, he is 10/10 at "Hello, Marjorie".

New speakeasy below hotel fort Des Moines. Went here on a Friday night around 9pm. You are led…read moredownstairs where the bar is. The decor was super nice and certainly have a speakeasy vibe. Most of the seating here seemed to be targeted towards large groups so there wasn't a ton of option for a party of 2. We did not have a reservation so there was only 1 high top area that was honestly super uncomfortable. I would recommend making a reservation if you want a chance to sit at one of the lower chair areas. The biggest issue was the service. It took over 20 minutes for anyone to come over and take our drink order. This is a newer spot so I'm hopeful things can improve. It was super loud and not the most inviting space. Some of the seating was a bit awkward with spacing. The drinks were small but I would expect that for a higher end cocktail. For DSM, I did think some of the drinks seemed a bit expensive. The drinks were okay but seemed pretty weak where they were super juice heavy. Overall I would probably not come back unless I had friends who haven't been and wanted to try it. Super bummed as I do think there is potential here but need to work through some of these issues.

This speakeasy bar is located inside the hotel fort in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. To get there,…read moreyou will enter the coffee bar, once you walk around the bar, you'll see a velvet rope. Somebody will ask you how many people in your party and then open the wall pantry. This will lead to the stair that goes downstairs to the basement. Bar lighting is dim, intimate feel. There's bar seating, high tops, tables that accommodate large parties and VIP room that has a curtain for privacy. We ordered cocktails that were unique crafted. Bathroom is available, hallway of pictures of people dressed in the 1920s all over the wall. We enjoyed this speakeasy bar and will definitely come back with more people.

Excellent happy hour charcuterie board and bourbon bacon. Pork sandwich is a must try.read more

Stopped in for a cocktail and found a lovely bar with tons of seating. The bartender was so kind. I…read moreordered the Southern Living, which is a very sweet cocktail as described by the menu with peach puree and simple syrup and a lemonade popsicle. Even still, I was not prepared for the first sip! It was way sweeter than the cocktails I generally enjoy, but no complaints from me. It was perfectly executed. The bartender asked me what I thought and when I said it was sweet, she insisted that she could make me another cocktail that I'd enjoy better. I appreciate the thought, though committed to the drink. She did add some club soda when I drank it down a bit which helped! Very kind of her.

Didn't have any food here but did have a few drinks. No complaints…read more We kind of accidentally went here on our way to Ceviche. I'll definitely be back. Really enjoyed the vibe.

Incredible little low-key spot. It's grungy, it's cool, you meet creative and interesting people…read morethere. Everyone is very friendly, and it's a great vibe. We just moved back here and my coworker recommended it. We've now been twice and loved it both times. There's absolutely nothing like in Des Moines-- It feels like New York underground, but Des Moines, down to earth, easy parking and SO welcoming. Also, bartenders are super nice. The girl bartender servicing us even said she would make us a custom cocktail, based on what we were in the mood for. My husband told her what he was craving and she made him exactly that. Might I add...with little information on his part. (He's not the biggest talker hehe!). He said it was his favorite drink he's ever had. Tonight was a little more chill, but the first time everyone was dancing and it was just as fun both times. This is our favorite new little spot and we will definitely be back!!

Amazing service and darts. Super sick atmosphere would come back here 10/10. From Arkansas, would…read morerecommend.

I won't lie, the floor is sticky everywhere and it's definitely hole in the wall vibes. But I am a…read moreproud lover of a Moscow mule and you won't find another place in DSM that has this many flavor options. I've been here when it's packed with hardly no place to stand and never had a problem, and I've also been there when we basically had the place to ourselves. The bartenders can be hit or miss, we've had really nice ones and others that seem to hate their lives. Wish they had more dart boards, but with the small space it's not feasible. The front claw machine area near the bathroom never gets used so wondering if they could expand?? Nevertheless, fun place and worth checking out if you're doing a bar crawl downtown.

My how I have missed my favorite restaurant in the Midwest! This was my first time at their new…read morelocation and it did not disappoint. Chef Lynn greeted me when I walked in and took time to chat with me. Everyone and everything here is fabulous and I will be back as often as possible. The food, service and ambiance are fabulous!

We had a good experience! The restaurant was busy when we visited, but the staff handled everything…read morewith a positive attitude. Even with a full dining room, everyone was friendly and worked hard to make sure we were taken care of. However, we spent more time there than we originally planned waiting. The food was good. You could tell the kitchen and staff were doing their best to keep up with the crowd without sacrificing quality.