I went in one time and the bartender remembered my name. Kevin's always quick to greet you with a…read moresmile. The female bartender who comes in after him (don't remember her name, unfortunately) is also great and makes sure you're taken care of. The place looks like it would only have Budweiser and Busch Light on tap, but they have all kinds of craft options for very reasonable prices. This month, they have a very tasty beer from Boulevard called Easy Orange for only $4/pint. You're probably looking at $2-$3 more/pint at other places around Ankeny. I'd get there by 4PM, otherwise, you're going to be sitting at a table, not the bartop.

I am pleased that this bar is here. It is a local stop and…read moreeveryone who goes here loves it. I am not a regular but we were stopping in to try something different. Small parking lot around what appears to be a house, but it's so much more. It's a dive bar. Multiple TVs had a golf tournament on but that didn't keep the conversations from being lively. Even we were greeted with smiles from the bartender. We bellied right up and made friends. She was so fun to talk to even while being worked hard with the busy crowd. We did discover that the name was changed to Careny Tap about 5 years ago, but there are still hits of the old name, and Google also had an old name on the map. We started a tab and they took a card or cash. We had a couple drinks and I loved watching the bartender work. My husband was very pleased with the beer options available. They had some beers that not a lot of places carry and I think he was so excited to find some unique ones she had to offer. We did not eat anything, but really like this place and its been here forever. I recommend.

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $32 03/28/2026 We saw that Arcadia was a Top 10 Finalist for Iowa Burger of the Year, so knew that we needed to give it a try - and last night was our opportunity. Arcadia is a short drive north of Grimes in a newly developed area of Polk City just after you cross over the long bridge over Saylorville Lake. We were impressed with the new building as we drove up (told that it opened about 1.5 years ago) along with the lively, open atmosphere & modern decor as we entered the building. We started our meal with a couple of local craft tap beers - a nice selection was available. Since we came for the Burger of the Year contender, the Smashburger was one of our orders (see picture) and we opted for the Fish Tacos as our second meal (see picture). Both were delicious and highly recommended. While I offer my Kudos for offering Marshmallow Creme for a dipping sauce with the sweet potato fries (we haven't found many places that do this...and we LOVE it), my only knock is that it was way too watered down and runny - with most of it running off the dipped fries rather than sticking to them. We finished with a Salted Carmel Old Fashion...and yes, it too was delicious and highly recommended! More information on the drinks and Happy Hour specials can be found at: HappyHourDesMoines . If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

Ambiance is amazing. Food is always hot fresh and delicious. We've always had great service and…read morelove revisiting!

Founders Irish Pub in Bondurant is one of our regular midpoint stops on bicycle adventures, and…read moreoverall it is still a place we enjoy coming back to. The patio is nice, the location is great, and the weekly specials and prices are still fair. On this visit, I believe we got some complimentary chips and salsa, and I ordered the Southwest Eggrolls for $9.99. The eggrolls were awesome. Most of the time we are here more for drinks, sunshine, and a patio break than a full meal, but the food we have had has been good. That said, Founders can be a little hit or miss. Service really depends on who is working, and the patio and patio games are starting to feel a little tired. I get it -- good help is hard to find, and it is probably tough to predict how busy any given night will be. We forgive you, and we will likely be back again and again. My honest note to ownership would be this: take a close look at the place and do not let it slip much further toward the "dive bar" category. The location is a gold mine, especially for cyclists and patio people. A little freshening up outside and some staff training on drink making and beer selection would go a long way. Still a good stop, still fair prices, and still a place we will keep coming back to -- just hoping it gets a little love before it slides too far.

This place has gone steadily downhill over the last few years. Was one of our favorite stops on the…read moretrails, no more. Today was the last time. We sat down and waited 10 minutes to get anyone to stop by our table. All the while we watched the servers stop and drop shots off for a big table, watch them consume their shots, cleared their table, then walk away from us again. We left. Never had a server acknowledge us. And it wasn't busy. A similar experience happened last season and we gave them yet another shot. Really sad to see a great location like this turn away previous happy clients.

4.2* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $36 05/16/2025 My wife and I decided to give Pally's another try, as we have been there before and enjoyed their food and live music on the weekends. This place has solid food, good service and friendly owners who interact with the patrons. Tonight my wife ordered the Cheeseburger (see picture) and I went with the Kickin chicken Sandwich (see picture). We each tried each others meals and liked both options, so would recommend them along with the delicious extra Dirty Martinis!

Great service on a quiet Sunday evening. The restaurant had 4-5 tables full was all. The bartender…read morewas very attentive to our needs and served us at our table during the entire visit. The beer selection was good and cold. We ordered two of the burgers (sriracha and Jasper). Burgers were well prepared and topped as advertised. We hope to come back to order more of the spicy cheese curds that were on the sriracha burger!

My wife is a cheese curd snob and absolutely loved them here. Battered, not breaded, and fresh.read more

Best wings in town! Service was incredible and atmosphere was fun and lively. Lots of locals, which…read moreis always a good sign.

Good local spot Cold drinks friendly service…read more Chicken on nachos was only knock on the place

Taco Tuesday is ok, not good. Service sub par at best,…read more STOP assuming everyone that walks in the door is a lifer and knows that just because the locals know it's Taco Tuesday that it means no point in the menu, except it doesn't. I had no idea if there was meat choices (there isn't) or toppings or sides (there are sides like fries) I'm glad I asked for the menu, as I almost thought about the nachos. Which I would have not known about if I hadn't seen a menu. We did not appreciate the rudeness when she asked if we were ready to order and I replied how would we know we haven't seen a menu. Just for her to roll her eyes and come back and toss them on the table. That attitude made me not want to spend my money there and my tip absolutely reflected her poor behavior. She could have earned 20 from me alone out of our group, instead of what was left over from the change. I work in the service industry and I appreciate both good food and service and it also would have been nice if our checks were correct but I have learned to pick and chose my battles but that also helped contribute to her not super tip. To the taco loved the shell it's like fry bread and one taco is the entire basket you have been warned. Sadly it wasn't really warm my fries were not even close to warm and definitely floppy. Really the stinker of the show was the server, so don't expect much.

Eastside eddies, where you can go to a racist atmosphere. Where the customers use the N-word freely…read moreas the staff laugh along and condone it! I will never ever order anything from there again or have a drink there. Now I know why I was so uncomfortable when I walk in and it would get so quiet. Proven fact that the customers drop the n-word frequently, which the staff laugh along with them joyfully and condone their comments attitude and atmosphere. How fitting for a Des Moines neighborhood bar.

This morning I wandered down I235 Eastbound to East Side Eddie's Neighborhood Bar & Grill. Not far…read moreoff the Euclid exit. Along with a regular menu they serve breakfast from 800 AM - noon on Saturdays and Sundays. The business is located in a small strip with a nice sized parking lot. I stepped inside and it was what I expected. A neighborhood bar and grill. Subtly lit. A bar and bar stools and quite a few low top tables and chairs for seating. It's seat yourself and order an pay at the table (cash or card). A server takes your order and payment can be done through your server or by a QR code available on your receipt. I walked in and took a seat at a table. I was spotted quickly and greeted. I was asked about a drink. Turns out the staff member who greeted me was actually one of the cooks. She was training a new cook and just happened to be on the floor. She passed along my drink order to the person who would be serving me who dropped by with a menu after another min or so. The breakfast menu is one page, but has all the standard bases covered. The lunch and dinner menu is a little more extensive. They have a happy hour and daily food specials. I ordered a Bloody Mary ($5.75) and the country fried steak and eggs (over medium) with white toast ($13.50) and a Coke ($3.00). A could hear a few conversations happening around me and it sounds like the new cook was having a few issues getting the system down, but both staff and customers were taking everything in stride. I heard a couple items being comped but no one was really unhappy. More like forgotten elements and nothing badly cooked... There were probably a half dozen people at the bar and two other parties at tables for breakfast while I was there. I grew up in rural Iowa and the Boondocks truck stop near Williams IA on I35 was the closest regular restaurant to us. We had a cafe in town, but it closed and reopened with new ownership every few months. As much as our family traveled small town diner and truck stop meals were a regular thing. They're not easy to find anymore. I think the neighborhood bar and grills are filling this breakfast gap...at least on the weekends. Most of us know Waveland, the Cafe on Douglas, Mullet's and so on...and the big names like Village Inn, Perkins, Denny's, etc. of course. But there are lesser known places like East Side Eddie's, the Hitchin' Post (in Bevington), the Norwood Inn, Kelly's Little Nipper and probably more that exist that I'm not aware of... Where there's no wait for a table at breakfast, the food is as good if not better, and is reasonably priced too... Well that was a tangent... Back to the food. The country fried steak and eggs plate. Everything was cooked well. I'd asked for my hashbrowns extra crispy. And in training or not they nailed it. Hashbrowns sound simple, but it's one of the most common breakfast items that I get screwed up on my order. Cold in the middle, only cooked on side, etc... These were perfect! Very well done. My eggs were a little North of over medium, but they were were fine. Love the crispy edges! Eggs are kind of an after thought for me where the hashbrowns, meat, and gravy are under a spotlight. The steak was tender. The gravy was excellent. You can tell by looking it's not the typical white country gravy. It was seasoned and littered with sausage. I drug my toast through it and cleaned every spot off my plate... Well worth the $13.50 price...! Service was great and I couldn't have asked for a better Sunday morning breakfast. Go into these neighborhood bar and grills with the right expectations. They're not going to be a 5 star atmosphere. If you're looking for that probably stick to new and shiny options or chains... But if you are looking for good people and good food. Get off the main drags and explore the many neighborhood spots throughout our metro area. I've lived in the Des Moines IA area now for 30+ years and I'm still finding and trying spots that are new to me. If I hadn't been so full from breakfast I might have stayed to check out lunch... https://www.facebook.com/eastsideeddiesbarandgrill

Heard from our hotel reception that this place just opened and is good…read more The food were very nicely presented but the taste was just too salty to even swallow! I left my carbonara untouched after just a few bite. The server Megan was great and very attentive and she even took my dish off the bill! I must say the dessert were good though!

Love Coopers in Valley Junction, so we met a friend here for dinner on a warm summer evening. We…read moresat outside on their nice-sized patio. It's on the west side, so when we got there at 5, the sunshades were effectively blocking the sun's rays, but by 6 we were in the sun. Just depends on what you're looking for and what time of year, but it is a nice space. We got in our drink orders, and the two ladies in our group had drink questions, so our under the legal age server cheerfully went in and got all their questions answered. Our drinks and food came out fast. They have some items tthat are also available in Valley Junction, and some unique to this location. One in our group got the Meatloaf Meltdown. It was good, but maybe not quite what we've had at the Valley Junction location. Their recipe is great though! My wife got the Protein Bowl with Chicken. The veggies were fresh, and the chicken was a bit dry. Overall pretty good. I got the Sonoma Chicken. That was a clear winner! It was a great combination of flavors that melded together very nicely. The coleslaw was a bit soggy and not all that flavorful, but that was a minor inconvenience. Fries were good. They have a good drink menu, and an OK selection of wines. Service was friendly and pretty efficient. With the sun warming things up, we did move inside for our final drinks. Service at the bar hightops was excellent and the drinks were tasty. It was a Tuesday night and they were either filling up or full the 3 hours we were there. I'd definitely give it another try!