I used to live in Pella Iowa where they also have a shop. I enjoy their selection of beverages. The offer the basic coffee shop deserts, scones, cookies etc. They also serve meals. Their food is always fresh and warm. The staff are friendly and professional. I have been a Smokey Row customer for almost 11 years. The Des Moines location is amazing and I was excited to learn that now I have a Smokey Row in this city. I have several favorites here but you should find your own. The small downside is it is busy a lot, especially lunch I would not expect a fast line. The parking lot is small but there is additional parking across the street. Free WiFi connection as well. read more

We waited 45 minutes for a cinnamon roll to be heated in a microwave for 15 seconds and brought out to us. We had to ask the people at the counter three times for it. Horrible costumer service. read more

Awful coffee. microwave food. I am not sure if they really care though since its busy all day everyday.

I used to be a huge fan and we frequented there for their sugar free white mochas. However the gal at drive through said they are now using powders. We tried one anyway and it was very bad. Aftertaste of weird cherry. Darnit! Love their monster cookies and banana bars too. Won't be back though with that powder thing going on. Really cool place and location! read more

Pretty vanilla coffeeshop overall with a good mix of people. Their coffee and tea selection is pretty good though Java Joes definitely has better quality espresso for us coffee snobs. Give the spiced chai a shot during the wintertime and their drip coffee is decent. If you are a rootbeer fan, you'll be spoiled for choice here. Give the Peace Tree rootbeer a try. Food, on the other hand, is outrageously bland - midwestern. I ordered the "Hippie Chick" bagel expecting a toasted crunchy bagel with flavorful guac and the fixins only to get a strange rubbery white ring of dough and completely tasteless fillings. The one exception is the chicken-pot-pie. Yuuuummmm The space is wide open and not too loud with plenty of large widows. Be prepared to fight for a parking spot and a table. Sometimes used dishes sit on empty tables too long but I more blame the patrons. Clean up after yourselves ya'll! I usually just clear the table myself. As mentioned in other reviews, this place has a definite identity crisis but who really cares? Just give it a shot. read more

I relocated here from Portland, Oregon (where there is a cool coffee shop on every corner it seems) and have had a hard time finding places I really enjoy here in DM, but I enjoy my time at Smokey Row. It has a very welcoming atmosphere and you see everyone here..... mothers with children, business people having meetings, people writing/working on laptops, people reading, etc. I love that its a place where all are welcome, and have never had a bad experience here myself. Sure, you might wait a couple of minutes in line, but really? Are you in such a hurry that you can't wait in line to get good coffee and food, and to hang out in a cool place and enjoy yourself? I never thought it was an excessive wait and would totally recommend this place. read more

The atmosphere is chill and the coffee and food are sure to please! Only downside is the food you order will make it to your table before you get your coffee due to inefficiency. My average wait for coffee is 11 minutes. read more

Wow. How rude are the people that work here?! Been to the Pleasantville one and thought I would get the same product and service here. Wrong!! Will never come here again for a third of a cup of 5 dollar coffee. read more

Poor service. Ordered two cones and an iced drink. Got one cone and one cup of ice cream. Normally, I would not consider this any big deal -- or any deal at all -- because it is very fixable. When I explained the problem, however, the young woman at the counter sort of frowned and offered to put a cone on top of the cup of ice cream for my son. I explained he wanted a cone and asked her if she could just plop the ice cream into a waffle cone. (It was a generous cup and would not have fit in the regular cone.) She got rather indignant and insisted that I had ordered a cup by gesturing at the receipt. I pointed out this was their mistake (pretty noisy at the ordering area, so understandable) and offered to simply pay the difference between a regular and waffle cone. (I have no idea what the difference is because no prices are posted.) She then disappeared. *Poof* The cashier then showed up and scooped my son a regular cone about half the size of what my daughter got. Friends, this is not a huge deal, but there plenty of places to buy (better) ice cream. Go to Stam's or Bauder's and support local businesses within 5 minutes of Smokey Row. read more

I ordered a (decaf) breve today with cinnamon and initially thought it tasted funny, but suspected it was just the cinnamon not tasting right because I am pregnant. When I went to heat it up at work, the cream was curdled and it smelled really bad. Because I'm pregnant this sent me into a little bit of a panic. I go here all the time, but feel this will be my last. Not to mention I paid $4 for a drink that tasted like vomit. read more

I have family here today from out of state to pick out my daughter wedding dress . Decided to stop by smokey row for lunch . 2 of our coffees were called and we found a bug in a bagel !!! Manger / store employee came and took the 3/4 eaten bagel with bug and never came back to our table with apology or anything !! Not to mention the filthy ceiling fans and water dripping from the ceiling . We well never be back !!!! read more

My burger was okay but the ice cream is awesome, I had the chocolate peanut butter and I enjoyed it a lot. It was very salty peanut butter, just a warning for anyone considering it. The place is super cute and I'll defiantly come back soon. Nice place to have a quick meeting, study, or have a coffee with friends! read more

I am writing this review as I sit in the drive thru. It has been 10 minutes, and I just placed my order. Can't speak for the quality of the coffee or food because it is going to be another 5 min before I get it and there is no good way to get out of line once you're in. The point of a drive thru is to get your coffee quickly in your way to work not write a Yelp review while you wait. read more

There coffee and lattes taste like butt... no better way to describe it. I know someone who works there and apparently they never clean the esspresso machines so what your getting is a mix of new and burnt beans with every cup. Foul! The only good thing is the breakfast sandwhiches and the chicken tortillia soup. But it doesnt make up for the coffee... i used to go everyday for my morning coffee but now i make it at home or go to Mars cafe. read more

I live in the area and really wanted to like this place, however, I just don't have anything good to say about my experiences there. Bland, prepackaged food prepared by kids who don't care. Coffee has been awful and carelessly made. Slow service and bad attitudes. Also, they really seemed to make a mess out of the neighborhood with a huge muddy parking lot. Show some class SR. I will not be setting foot in there again. read more

Ok, I'm going to start with the good news: You can fairly regularly expect good coffee and food. Granted, my girlfriend and I order the same stuff usually (iced lattes and rise & shine sandwiches). More often than not, you can expect a good sandwich and coffee. Occasionally, like others say, the sandwich can lean more towards the bland side. And every time we'll get the sandwich, it seems to be made different than the last time (missing ingredient, varying levels of ingredients). The bad, and this will take a while: I can say that I'm guilty of continually subjecting myself to the same problems over and over with them. But now we're just fed up. The lack of management and customer service at this place is appalling. I'm not talking about once in a while when we go there, because we've been regular customers for over a year. We'll stop by there or go through the drive through a minimum of twice a week. And EVERY time we do, the line inside is a 15 minute wait (EVERY time we go). There is only 1 register at checkout, and the line always has 15-20 people ahead of you. There is room for a second register but they don't do it. It would save SO much time for the customers if they did this. Then, half the staff you'll talk to at the register will not enter the order correctly, and usually seem confused at how to use their system. While on the topic if getting the orders wrong, something you can expect to experience: Normally, this is not a big deal. But when it happens EVERY time, it becomes an issue to a bigger problem; When you order your coffee, if you're asked specific questions about how you would like it made or you specify something about how you want it made, it should be done that way. When we get out coffees, my girlfriend prefers hers with whipped cream. 9 times out of 10, they will already ask me "Would you like whipped cream with that?", to which I'll always answer Yes. If they don't ask, I will specify it. EVERY time the drinks are handed to me, it will not have whipped cream on hers. NEVER. They miss this every time. I recall one instance where her and I went inside, we're sitting at the bar waiting for the coffees to arrive. The woman who made the coffees hands them to us. I tell her that one of them is supposed to have whipped cream on it. Her response: "Then maybe next time I'm making the drink you can tell me that before it's done". WHAT?! Its not my job to tell you how to make the drinks that you were already supposed to be instructed on how to make! What's the point of asking your customers how you would like your order if you DO NOT FULFILL THE ORDER CORRECTLY?! Its one thing to make incorrect orders, its totally different when you're rude to your customers for your OWN mistake! Then there's the drive-through: Wow. Even if you are the ONLY person in the drive-through, expect to waste 10 minutes of your life. You'd think it would be more convenient. Let me tell you, it is not. Sometimes we're hopeful the service will be quick. We pull up and get our coffee order in, then pull up to the window... you then spend 5 minutes waiting for someone to take your payment, then spend another 5 minutes waiting for your drinks. We've decided that if we see more than 2 cars in the drive through, to forget it. It will be 30 minutes. Every time, no exceptions. Moral of the story: If you plan to go to Smokey Row in Des Moines to receive fast-food type of service even for drinks... skip it. You will be waiting a very long time. If you want to work with a staff that is well equipped and trained to handle customer service... skip it. The one thing this place needs is an overhaul of management. A skilled manager will be able to fix the many problems with this place. It lacks process and structure. And for what it's worth, I am not one to formally complain about bad service. And this is the FIRST TIME I've done so. read more

even though the food is good i am giving them 1 star as parking is bad,trying to find a place to sit and staff is somewhat rude as they will find a way to get you to leave even if it means lieing by saying things like inapproapite language read more

Great atmosphere, but sometimes can get really noisy. Not great quality food or fresh coffee. Chai lattes come in a mix and are very thick and too rich to handle. The only thing I might get would be the tea. read more

A great place to decompress, hang out, or do some work. The interior is great with a retro feel. Very cozy and great location next to the DesMoines UN. The food is ok, but the charm of this place more than makes up for any want for better gourmet. read more

Love the atmosphere, it is a great mix of families, college students and business people. The coffee is amazing and the food is yummy.

Still no milk alternative except soy (yuk). And latte was not at all hot. I was disappointed because I love the atmosphere and sandwiches.

I always forget about this place for some reason even though they have really good food and desserts. I don't go here for the coffee. I think I have gotten coffee here once, but they have really good sandwiches, milkshakes, and pastries! The inside of the building is very cozy and is a great place to study or see friends. There is also a drive thru which takes a little longer then your average drive thru but still quicker than having to go inside if you are in a hurry! read more

Always a great place to meet friends for coffee. They make bank on that corner, brilliant location in my opinion. Plus the new parking lot was a great investment, it's always busy. read more

The cheeseburger chowder is delicious. The food is good and the atmosphere is great. Love going here for lunch. I need to go there for ice cream sometime. It always sounds good. read more

Great ice cream and food too. The atmosphere is great, although it can be quite crowded. Wifi and outlets make this a great study spot. They also have board games read more

I would have given it three stars but my wife who is more of a coffee drinker or said it was two at best based on the watery and flavorless coffee. (She threw out most of the cup which I have never seen her do.) They also put miracle whip on their sandwiches which is rather pathetic for a public eatery. read more

Smokey Row is a little gem of a coffee house/diner/meeting place. The food is basic but very good. My favorite are the panninis, especially the turkey and cheese (which I get with guacamole). It's very kid-friendly, with board games to play at the table. Staff is very friendly. They also have a great selection of ice cream. Highly recommended. read more

Ok so coffee just average but a big thumbs up for atmosphere and fun staff! Everyone seemed happy and having a good time! I'd go with a other than coffee drink but great place to hang out! read more

The location is great for me, I like the coffee, but this place needs to figure out how to move at a pace above painfully slow. I don't order anything exotic, black coffee, but inevitably it takes 10 minutes to some how get a cup and pour. I want it to be better. PICK UP THE PACE PEOPLE!! read more

My sister highly recommended this place for coffee. I've tried it on two different occasions and been greatly disappointed both times. The first time I got a very indifferent vanilla latte. Couldn't taste any coffee at all, just didn't taste like much of anything. One of the worst I'd ever had. So a couple weeks ago I decided to try again thinking maybe it was just a bad day. This time they were out of vanilla so the person I ordered from suggested white chocolate latte instead. I was game to try. When I got to the window a different person handed me my white chocolate MOCHA. It was more like a hot malt. It was so thick with syrup and chocolate it was disgusting. Again, zero coffee flavor. As soon as my appointment was over downtown I headed for the Starbucks on 73rd, which should give a pretty good indication of how abysmal the coffee here was. I won't try it a third time. Other minuses, inconvenient location, trying to get back on 235 eastbound and would've missed my exit if I had; terrible parking; I hate using my debit card and having to sign a receipt while I wait in my car. In short, hire yourselves some real baristas that know how to make and serve good coffee and the shortcomings I could overlook. Meanwhile I'll seek out and continue frequenting the better local coffee shops in central IA. read more

I was visiting the Des Moines area from Nashville, and decided to make this my second coffee stop for the weekend. The vibes were definitely different fora coffee shop. It felt more like an older diner, which I guess makes a little sense since they serve food too. A friend had told me about the cafe borgia and how it was incredible. So I gave it a shot. I also ordered a double espresso. The first thing I noticed was that there was no effort in putting art on the latte. Maybe it was just that particular barista that didn't. But I feel that if you work at a coffee shop, and want to be taken seriously, you need to work on latte art. Not only is it for looks, it also makes improvements on your foam for the latte. My cafe Borgia not only had no art, but it barely had any foam. And on top of that, it wasn't even that hot. I don't like anything past 140-150 degrees (which is normal latte temperature) but I felt mine was probably around 120-130 which is almost luke warm. The flavor was there and had potential, and I like the orange zest touch for sure. Just as a whole it wasn't doing it for me. And now about the espresso. I could tell right away that I wasn't going to care for it. There was no Crema to be seen. Just a black void. I'm not sure what happened. But it was not done right. Maybe it's the machine, maybe it was over extracted. Whatever it was, it was not that great. I really wanted to like this place, but it just didn't impress me. Unfortunately I didn't find a shop in the Des Moines area that did. read more