While in Des Moines talking with the locals, they suggested Carl's Place. They explained that it…read morewas an absolute dive bar, but a great one to visit and one not to pass up while in Des Moines. So, naturally, my friend and I gravitated to Carl's. The outside of the bar isn't labeled, so if you didn't know where it was, you might miss it. We were there at the height of the early afternoon in July and the sun was out in full force. When you walk into the bar, you wouldn't know what time of day or night it is, there aren't any windows to really shine the light through. You definitely get the "dive bar" experience. The bar itself appears a little older, but the patrons and the bartenders were bar none! It was a great bunch of people just there to hang out and enjoy the day. The bar has a small stage that has live music during the weeks. None while we were there, but heard it's pretty good! They had darts and there three different "sections" within the bar. We only had a few drinks but it was well worth the stop! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Awesome dive bar. Cheap beer, great live band, sketchy bathrooms. What else can you ask for? We…read morealways have a great time here.

Always fun and friendly. I lived down the street in 1993 and we were here a lot. Fast forward to…read more2020 and it's still a great place to hang out. They've painted and updated a bit, but the vibe and the layout remain pretty similar. Good drinks, and a few food options. Plenty of TV's to watch your favorite sports action.

Awesome local dive bar. Just don't eat the hot dogs out of the communal hot dog pot!!!…read more Dark, dirty, cheap beer specials, and always a lively croud. I would score it higher, except the juke box is a little fussy.

A chain wings placed closed at 10:30 p.m. and we needed a place to drink as we are out-of-towners…read moreand we googled "bars." This place came up. What didn't come up was the fun location that caught us by surprise. It's literally located BEHIND this random hotel. The sign on the hotel is confusing because it's on the other side but didn't bother us. What are out-of-town adventures for? We find it. We love the music. We loved the atmosphere. Bartender was dope. Made me a shot from my hometown and it tasted almost identical. If I'm ever back in this area again, I'd come here. I love how "dive-y" it was.

$2.00 bottomless drinks until the keg runs dry, $1.00 hamburgers and hot dogs on the first Friday…read moreof every month. Pool here is $1.00 per game with two tables. Mat has own parking behind Days Inn. Bartender and patrons are friendly. Worth a try for cheap drinks and food.

Stopped in for lunch while on this side of town. Great selection at reasonable prices. Friendly…read moreservice with a great back patio. Stop in when on north side.

Bar food! I love a good dive and we found one. Right on the…read morecorner of a heavy intersection is a bar /diner. Stopped in for a late lunch on a Sat and a few tables were open. Sunday our Waitress was kind and right there when we sat down. Drinks came out right away and I ordered fried pickle SPEARs! The pickles came out super hot and fresh with a side of ranch. I can never help myself and of course burned the roof of my mouth on the hot pickles goodness. The tables around us looked like they were snacking on the wings, and another review said they were good. However my hubby got the special which was the Ruben and fries. I got the breaded tenderloin and fries. The Ruben.. Holy moly! Yum! I got to try it and it was great. It was smaller but so good. Sunday said she made it and I have to say she did great! My breaded tenderloin was good as well. It was nothing super special but fulfilling. Probably frozen patty. The fries where skinny crinkle fries which all came out crispy and hot hot hot! I think we'll be back due to location from home and we liked the feel and the crowd.

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.

This was a nice little dive bar with a welcoming atmosphere and great service. The staff was…read morefriendly, attentive, and made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. Since Miller High Life is the bar's signature drink, I decided to give it a try for a bit of nostalgia. Unfortunately, the taste just wasn't for me. In fact, it took four Coors beers afterward to wash the flavor out of my mouth. That said, if Miller High Life is your go-to beer, you'll probably feel right at home here. If you're like me and just trying it for old times' sake, be prepared--it may not hit the same as you remember. Overall, it's a great place to relax, grab a drink, and enjoy the dive bar vibe. My advice: stick with your regular beer unless you're feeling adventurous or chasing a nostalgic memory.

It is one of those Des Moines staples, and i am so glad that we did it, because it is a damn good…read morevisit. Street parking, busy indoor environment, casual attire. A fun stop, full of energy and good food. Our server, Michelle, was outstanding, mixinga fun personality with a terrific energy and awareness. Loved my High Life Burger basket, and our Chicken Pot Pie was incredible. Coke products.

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.

It's been a while since we were here last, so it was time to check it out. We came in during happy…read morehour and there were several people there. We were hoping they had a pinball machine, but they had several other games to choose from instead. We were especially happy that the 2 for 1 happy hour was still a promotion. And we could use our freebie on the same purchase or they would give us a poker chip to redeem our drink later. Love that flexibility!

Little surprised that there were only 5 people inside on a Friday night after 10 pm. The bar was…read moreclean but the regulars definitely had a sense of entitlement and were intrusive to our conversation. Definitely glad we were a group of 3. Short stay.