I take beer recommendations with a grain of salt as I have never been much of a beer drinker..but Lua came highly recommended by a couple of friends so I thought I had to try it for my birthday meal and I was blown away. They have a great selection of beers which I've heard has rotating options but everyone I tried was great..they had options for those of us who don't generally go for the classic craft beer flavor and those that do both. The food was all amazing..the Avocado toast was seriously something I could eat everyday.. read more

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I love lua for a lot of reasons. 1) the beer is just GREAT. One of my favorites in all of Iowa. But the reason we come again and again are the incredible and hearty vegan options. The menu changes regularly but we love the Buffalo cauliflower, the impossible smash burger, the squash sandwich and sooooo many more plant-based options that are still comfort food. The waitstaff is wonderful, kind and attentive every time. We bring our young daughter regularly and she has fun inside and out. We snuggle into tables inside and sprawl out on the patio with dogs and scooters. I like that it isn't too big and tell people just passing through on the highway to make a detour here! read more

Lua Brewing - Hazy IPA; brussel sprouts; fries; not pictured is the mushroom tempura we ate too quickly! - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

If you're a sour beer lover this is the place for you. Lua has the best sour beers along with many good IPAs and food items! One of my favorite parts about Lua is their amazingly fast, friendly service and their space. The patio on a summer day - you can't beat it. read more

Lua Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Hip Hops Hooray. Another Brewery! Yes Des Moines is becoming quite the hot bed for cold craft beer! Lua is a fantastic edition! A sleek space that has in door and out door capabilities (come summer) and food too. The food menu did not supply this vegan with many options, but when I go to a brewery I'm not thinking about food, I want some beer! And yes they have that covered nicely! I tried a couple, and both hit the spot! The Double IPA was my fave for sure! All the beer are pretty high alcohol content if you are used to slamming Busch Lights, so be prepared! We sat at the bar, and I was a little confused if we had to go up to the ordering spot or if we would be served as some were being served and some were going up to order.. Either way.. the staff was great! The beer was awesome, and the facility is really cool! And it will be the perfect hop, skip, and a jump from the Arts Festival or 8035 if you need a place to cool down with a great beverage.. Come summer. It's also stumbling distance to A-Dong if you need some noodles after some afternoon beer delights! read more

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Really good surprisingly good burger. Service is weird because you order online. Sadly, we enjoyed the Oktoberfest and ordered some to go - but get home and find out it's not the same beer and it was actually non-alcoholic. Would've been good to know, especially since the beer was cost prohibitive. So watch out! read more

Obviously popular place and I can see why! Great indoor and patio space. Helpful servers that New how to discover the beers as well as attentive. The food smelled great even though we weren't there to eat. Always support local! read more

Great atmosphere, friendly staff, tasty beverages. Stopped in for pre dinner drinks on a weekend and the place was bursting. We grabbed a couple seats by the bar and watched some hockey for a couple of rounds. The food coming out looked delicious. Restaurant was open to the outside and had a great open air vibe. read more

Lua Brewing - Candy Paint sour - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Lua Brewing hosted a buyout tasting lunch for my company and I was BLOWN AWAY! The food was exquisite (massaged kale and roasted beet salad, pumpkin soup with seared scallops, airline chicken with root vegetable purée and creamed spinach, and cake for dessert), beers were delightful, staff were kind, and director of ops gave such great bite-sized stories about each beer pairing that were perfect for a corporate crowd. The sours sang out the strongest for me. If I were local, I'd for sure be a regular! Don't miss this place. Bravo to the chef- I licked my plate. read more

Lua Brewing - Berry sour - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Cool little spot tucked back off the main road. First brewery I've been to while in town and it did not disappoint. Had two sours and a hazy ipa, all three of which were delicious. Got the opportunity to meet Scott, one of the owners and brewers, really nice guy who seemed very passionate about what he was doing. I always love seeing an owner being present at their establishment creating a relationship with their customers as well as being a part of the team. Definitely recommend checking this spot out. read more

The venue is good size, the bar is big. Several food options are available. The beer is good and several options for almost every palate. During the wonderful Iowa weather there is a huge patio area, always lots of people and pets to be found. This brewery never disappoints. read more

Lua Brewing - Avacado toast - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Super friendly staff, great food, great atmosphere! The buffalo cauliflower was delicious, and the avacado toast is the best avacado toast I've ever had. read more

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Atmosphere: Very chic and modern, LOVE their decor. Perfect for either lunch or a date night. Seating: Bar, tables, and a huge patio with an awesome view of the Des Moines skyline. Dog friendly patio too which is a HUUUUUGE plus (other places with patios need to take note). Food & Drink: I was SO bummed because this place has been on my "to-try" list forever and wanted to love it. I had the buttermilk hot chicken sandwich as did my friend. I was PUMPED to try a hot chicken sandwich for the first time. Both of our chicken was not good AT ALL. It was dry and yellow and stringy and overall, kind of grossed us out. I wish I would have taken a photo. The breading was good though, but idk if it was an off day or what. I was expecting white meat juicy chicken, but this was not it, unfortunately. Even the fries were kind of flavorless and a bit disappoint as I love fries. We also had the tempura mushrooms as an app which I thought were awesome though. So again, maybe it was just an outlier situation with the chicken. Service: Due to covid, they have you order and pay and do everything thru your phone which is nice for safety. So essentially, you don't have a waitress. However, speaking strictly as a convenience factor, you have to order and pay separately every single time you want another drink or anything at all which isn't the most convenient thing and I would guess may be causing them to lose some business. Especially as a brewery people are going to go there to drink and by having to actively order and physically grab your phone to punch in your info again to pay every time you want a drink vs. just conveniently saying "yeah I'll take another," it's going to have people think about it and probably lose some that way. I think I'll definitely give Lua another try though, because I've heard so many good things, so could have just been a little off day! read more

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My partner and I were passing through Des Moines and wanted to visit a local watering hole. Food and beer selection seemed decent enough, so to Lua's we went. Overall, the beer was very good, albeit pricey. $8 pints are the norm for most pours; high for Des Moines (apparently after visiting a few other breweries, including the one across the street), high for the east coast too. Where I really get held up is the cost and quality of the food. Burgers seemed like a good idea when viewing Lua's website ($15 there). A little perturbed to find that the menu price conflicted with their own website ($16.50). While the burger was indeed was good, I would have expected more than elementary school cafeteria fries. I would rate Lua's a solid "OK". The food and beer were decent, but cannot justify that quality with the cost. Parking was also a bit difficult in the area, but just an FYI and not reflected in that rating. read more

Food was good enough. Waitress was more interested in her phone. We had to go find her to get our bill to leave.

I'm bumping up to a five star. This is easily one of the top breweries in the DSM area. read more

Lua Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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First time here tonight. Perfect night for patio-sitting. Easy to navigate the menu( you scan the code and go from there) You can request samples of their different beers on tap- being a non-beer drinker that was nice and I did find a very mild,mellow one that I enjoyed) Burger was the Best and their French fries are the best I've had. read more

This is a review of the food. The beer is 5. Wasn't impressed by the burger. Fries are decent. Korean fried chicken wasn't that great. Looks huge but they pound the chicken way too much. Sauce only covered half of the chicken. read more

Great atmosphere to sample very balanced beers. The bartender had point on recommendations for beers to try. Call it dreaming was a great Hefeweizen with a touch of coconut that did not overpower. Hoth broth was a wonderful sour. read more

Made plans to go to Lua Brewing with some friends on a Friday afternoon. Unfortunately our plans were shared with intense storms that rolled through the metro - big bummer because I have really wanted to enjoy the mild weather and try their patio seating. (I guess I'll be back!) They were busy on the inside with the post workweek crowd but we were still able to find an open table. The ordering system is without waiters, you order on your phone via QR code or can go up to the counter. They then have runners who brings your order (they are quick!). I have seen this system pop up at several places post-covid so I think it is worth mentioning, but seems to work well for them! We did not order any food but many people around us did and it looked good (particularly the hummus plate at the table behind us). I am not a big beer drinker but I really like fruity sours. Lua has some great options! My recommendations are the "Sunbather", "Am I Going Up", and "Strawberry Daquiri Smoothie Seltzer". The SD Smoothie Seltzer is not "seltzer-like" at all and was my favorite flavor. My only complaint is that I did not see they offer flights, which would of been ideal since I wanted to try several drinks. But they do have a 4.5oz size option which is what I got to sample. Otherwise I enjoyed and like I said, will be back to enjoy the outdoor seating! read more

Best vibe in DSM. Great location. Amazing food and drinks. Tons of items you will not find at any other place in Iowa.

Lau brewing has great beers. The selection is constantly changing. They have big garage doors so the outside and inside seem to merge together. There pushpop beers are amazing. read more

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Awesome dinner for our anniversary! Rebecca, our waitress. Treated us special with a crowler of Candy Pint beer that goes on sale this Saturday and two glasses. The food was delicious and filling! The beer was tasty at just the right temperature. I Love sour beers and they had two great ones! read more

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Awesome selection of sours - the beers were very unique and tasty. Food menu is somewhat limited, but what we did get we enjoyed! Amazing patio area and dog friendly - it was the perfect date night spot for us when we were camping nearby! read more

Fantastic sours and an absolutely amazing smash burger. I loved "Some Grace" and "Napping Under the Echo Tree." Both were refreshing and not at all too sweet, well balanced. They have a great patio and I love the way they do the ordering on your phone. Can't wait to ce back! read more

Lua Brewing is a great brewery with some great food. Have been here a couple times. Their beer is very flavorful, their sours are very good and colorful. It is a very laid back vibe here. After our 1st visit here the food sounded real tasty, so we had to come back for that reason alone. We tried the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich with fries. The sandwich was phenomenal and fries were simple, but some of my favorites I've had. We also got the Korean Philly Cheesesteak, a home run to me, amazing flavor. The outside patio here is great too. This place is doing an amazing job with social distancing tables and keeping everything sanitized, one of the best we've seen. This is now a go to for us for some great food and beverages. read more

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We have come a couple times. Food is delicious, although menu options are limited. Fries are always good. Burgers are juicy and filling. Kale salad is yummy. Beer options are mostly IPAs but other options include sours and ciders. Flavors vary seasonally (I think) which is fun. Everyone in our group said they would come back for sure. read more

Stopped in for a pre-holiday work get-together; sat at the big wood table at back. Ordered a couple of the beers, a fruity sour and a pilsner, I believe. I tried looking these up on the official website, but no beer menu is available so I'm going off memory. In any case, the beers were good enough to get seconds. Some people in our party ordered food, which looked good - they said it was great. Only a few critiques: ordering and paying for food/beer was confusing with multiple windows. We got through it, but this got cumbersome as things got busier. No one came by to give you another beer, so if you want more, you have to go wait in line, even when it's not that busy. Also, the menu had one beer that was "on deck" but couldn't be ordered - why? I guess to get me to come back? Ended up being confusing for a bunch of us wanting the beer but not being able to get it until "next week". My advice: only write a menu with items someone can order, I don't really care what's on tap next week, next month or next year. What's more, you can't see a menu online because it's "always changing" but you can apparently print one that's got beer only available next week? Overall, looking forward to a return trip. read more

Went here for the beginning of a bachelor party a couple months ago. The food is fantastic. I ordered the pork tenderloin and it was one of the best ones I've had recently. The beer is also very good and varies in styles to fit something for everyone. If you are looking for a good brewery in the DSM area, check this place out. read more

cool new brewery in the Sherman Hill area! Really spacious place, beautifully decorated with cool chandeliers and a huge mural on the back wall. We went pretty early evening and the place still filled up fast. The ordering process was a bit confusing, as we sat at the bar-werent served-went up to the ordering station and ordered but then later people were ordering at the bar and we were able to as well? Maybe it was a staffing thing, either way the drinks were good. They have a few different size options so if youre just wanting a little taste or wanna go for the full 16 oz. The food looked good but not really much options vegan wise. This would be a nice place for a party and a great spot for the patio come summer time! Im sure Ill definitely be back again soon! read more

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Visited Lua Brewing December 22nd. They had just opened and we had time. Very nice atmosphere. We sat at the bar. With their beer offerings we asked about flights. At this time they are not doing flights however had 5oz pours available. Our two flights were $50 so a bit more than usual flight pricing. Pints were perhaps $1 more than most venues but it was the taster pricing we thought a bit off. We didn't eat so I can't comment on the food. Staff was great and overall we enjoyed our time but hoping they figure out if they will have true flights or just over-priced tasters. Recommended nonetheless. read more

Lua Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Lua is among the best breweries I've been to and I've been to my fair share. Everything from the beer to the service to the decor and patio was great. I also like the ability to order on my phone and having the beer delivered promptly. I can't wait to go back. read more

This place is EVERYTHING Ludacris was talking about in "What's Your Fantasy." Highly Recommend getting a Push POP and drinking it from its head to its toes. And then moving from the bed down to the down to the to the flo' with their Korean Philly. read more

Lua Brewing - Bixby, Remember, Push POP: Ordinary Shoes, and Unbearable Lightness of Being. - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Indoor and outdoor area are beautiful. Extremely night and attentive server. And for such a simple menu, they knock it out of the park! The caesar salad and turkey panini were amazing. Plus they welcome pups! read more

Just a lousy excuse to be the next big hit on the block but what it actually is is a pretentious over priced nightmare. The food is pretentious the drinks are pretentious and the food isn't even worth how much you pay for it it's absolutely horrible Beer was pretty good. read more

Located down the street from ADong's Vietnamese restaurant (very good) is Lua Brewing. The feel is upscale bar with a nice open dining room which also opens up to an outside patio. The menu is limited but has interesting variations. My companion and I both ordered the Lua Smush burger which in reality is in between a burger and a Maid-Rite if you get my meaning. The fries were good but slightly over salted and the burger itself was fine but had too many pickles for my taste. I also ordered a small beer which was enough for the tasting purpose. My companion thought it was good but not overly impressed while I was more enthusiastic. Ordering is interesting as you can order via the app or at the counter. Servers bring it out to you but my question is do you tip? If so, how much? We tipped a 10% which was fair I think. read more

Recently reserved their large 'Harvest Table' for a surprise birthday celebration, Lua was super easy and great to work with the entire time. Whitney and Scott are a great team. They helped me arrange some food to be out for guests when they first arrived and from there ensured that we were well cared for the entire time. The beer and food were both great (and we sampled a lot of food over the course of the evening), everyone in our group enjoyed themselves, and I know we will all be back at some point on our own. The space is also super beautiful. Great place to grab a drink, get some food, and although it is a brewery...the kids in our group also had a great time! So happy with this addition to Des Moines and highly recommend to anyone looking to try it out. Cheers! read more

I was in Des Moines the other day for a work trip and have been following this brewery on Instagram for several months. The first thing you'll notice from the street is the massive patio which was filled with people and dogs, and a really fun band the night we went. The vibe inside was really cool and on trend. Love the barstools and the big mural behind the bar. We really enjoyed a couple IPAs and sours. My girlfriend and I split the Buffalo cauliflower which was fantastic. The other dish we split was the salmon poke-not good. At all. I'm not usually one to complain about bad food and I'll eat almost anything, but this was down right awful. Poke is typically light and refreshing with a soy or sesame sauce, but theirs was covered in a terrible white-ish sauce that tasted nothing like any poke I've had before. If it weren't for that, I would have rated 5 stars. The service was friendly and prompt. Overall, we had a really good experience and I'll definitely go back next time I'm in the area. read more

Lua Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The beer here is imaginative and delicious! The chef is outstanding. We had a burger and the fish and chips and they were absolutely delicious. I have heard some people complain about the pricing, but you get what you pay for here, which is spectacular food for a brewery or any restaurant! The service was friendly and fast, with a very urban atmosphere, with wide open spaces. I can't wait to go back! read more

Lua Brewing - Fish & chips!! - Breweries Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Get to Lua ASAP! We stopped in on a recent spring evening, and the place was packed; Iowans love their beer. I tried the three sours that were on the menu: The Honeymoone Suite (a fruited sour made in partnership with Bellhop), the Baby Blue Sedan that's berry-forward, and the Words Make Less Sense, another fruited sour with flavors of pineapple and blood orange. Each was unique, and I'm looking forward to trying their future brews. We also grabbed some food during our visit. We started with the celery root bites. I belive my exact words were, "Oh. My. God." If these are on the menu when you visit, do not miss them. I went with the avocado toast for my main. The combination of avocado, radish, carrots, sprouts, and aioli was a hit, and the dish was surprisingly filling. My husband went with the chicken sandwich and fries. While I skipped trying the sandwich, the fries were well-seasoned. If you're looking for a relaxed neighborhood spot, get to Lua. I'm especially excited to try their patio! read more

Visited due to reviews and we love a good brewery with good food. Underwhelmed by both the food and the beer.