This place is great! The martinis are perfect, you get to listen to live Jazz on Tuesdays, and I love how small and intimate it is inside. Also, the rotation of local artists' work is awesome. read more

The best casual bar in the area when you don't want to be surrounded by the usual Court Ave crowd. Live music on Tuesdays, film nights, and the local wall art (which is also for sale) is awesome. Love the martini menu but also Tuesday PB&Js (PBR and a Jameson shot). The bartenders are friendly and treat their regulars well. read more

Perfect place for a martini and great company. A bar you can be you. Great tunes, friendly bar staff. Monday is Ipod night. Wednesday Martinis on special. Local art on the walls Go to the lift. www.dmlift.com read more

Love this bar! All my girl's come here for ladie's night. We meet here after we meet up for dinner, as the Lift does not serve food. However their martinis are to die for! Among all the different martinis they have on menu the Judy Bloom is my favorite! This place can get busy on weekends but during the week its pretty quiet. Perfect place to go and relax with a few drinks. Give it a try. read more

Great place to hang out after work. You can't beat two for one martinis on Wednesday nights. It's a laid back bar with an eclectic assortment of folks and the music isn't too loud, so that's cool I'd like to echo somebody's earlier advice to steer clear of the couches, you'll be happy you did. Aside from the couches this is a nice bar. Stop by! read more

Loving this place. Landed late tonight after a delayed flight for the one day a year event that brings me here. Great beer (exceptional IPAs), friendly staff, chill and really great music. Not for everyone I'm sure but man, you ever had a place just hit the perfect note for you - that was this place tonight. read more

Perfect and cozy bar. Plenty of unique drink options, but also delicious old standards. Variety of seating options. Cutest bartenders in town. read more

I've been once before and thought it was a decent bar. Good martini and relaxed environment. As of tonight I will never return, however. The Lift just posted a picture on their Facebook page of open tabs. Several customer's debit/credit cards can easily be read. I refuse to support a business that so blatantly and ignorantly compromises customer's financial information. read more

"Horrible service and people! On 3/14 I wrote a review on their FB page about their bartender Tyler. On 3/20 they reply by attacking and saying bad words to me because I talked about what I witnessed/experienced (see picture). I will try to keep calm, but a customer should be able to give a review, good or bad. read more

The Lift - My experience/review. you can disagree, but no need to insult. - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This is a conversation bar and I like conversation bars. The décor is sparse, which I didn't mind--it had the functional quality of some bars I remember from Prague. Bring your own conversation and make your own party on the blank canvas of The Lift (and we did). The cocktail menu was lengthy and interesting, though I stuck to my standby bourbon and soda. The bartender could have been friendlier (he seemed completely uninterested that we were out-of-towners), but, oh, well. I liked the little metal cage/gazebo thing over one part of the bar--it looked like something you would find in a park or transit station in Europe. If they wanted to make the décor more interesting, they could build off this piece. And no smoking! This was refreshing, coming from Indianapolis, where you leave almost every bar smelling like a walking ashtray. read more

Best martinis in Des Moines. Great drink specials during the week. Knowledgable, nice, smart, funny bartenders. Very happening place with great ties to the music scene. There are no televisions - don't ask! Local artists featured on the walls. A nice lineup of craft beers too ($3 pint night on Thursday). Always good tunes playing whether it's a live DJ or just the bartender's choice. read more

Usually love this bar... however they kicked our 25 year old friend out (with proper documentation, expired ID) they dragged him by the collar and told him "get out of my bar" extremely unacceptable... probably shouldn't treat your guests like that... won't be coming back when That bartender is there..... will not recommend read more

I'm going to open by saying I've only been here once, so this might not be a fair review. This place creeps me out. It's dark and dank and would be a great place to go if I was totally into those things. I had two drinks that weren't bad, but in my opinion, there are much better places to spend your money on Court Ave. read more

Cool little dive bar with strange artwork on the walls. I came in during the day and got a pint of Guinness for $2!! You can't beat that!! Seems like it's a cool chill place. read more

Great service in this tucked away little gem. Nice selection of drinks and a cozy comfy area to hang out. Unless you get lucky, parking is a few steps away, but nothing bad. With a room full, I was still able to get service quick. I'd go back! read more

My favorite place to grab a martini. I've lived in Kansas City, Los Angeles and now Des Moines and this is my ultimate, favorite martini bar! I love the key lime martini and the mint cookie martini! They are so delicious and reasonably priced! Definitely check it out! read more

This is a hidden gem! It's small and a bit of a hole in the wall but the art is nice, lights are dim and the music is moderate. They make the best cosmos and martinis in the downtown area by far! A few of these drinks from here and you'll be set for the night :) read more

Yes, a dive bar...with that old couch in the corner, lost (young) souls on the stools. We stumbled in on Apocalyptic Night, in the middle of a screening of "28 Days After", and had a (very hefty, I might say) night cap. read more

This place was a good spot for meeting new people, but the bloody martini left something to be desired. I thought I was drinking ketchup + a tiny bit of shitty vodka + a shriveled wrinkly olive. Barf. read more

Solid martini bar. Love the martini night and they also do Movie Mondays! Great place to booze and catch up with friends.

I've been going to this place for a couple years now. This is one of my favorite places to relax at downtown. The space is set in dim light with local art on the wall, they have some couches if that's what you're looking for. The music is usually alternative, and always seems to have a nice chill selection. Now, on to the good stuff... They make some awesome martinis, whether you like a gin or vodka martini, they always do it right. If you are into more "flavored" drinks they have milder martinis that are quite tasty. Additionally they have a few beers on tap, some of which are local which is cool. You won't be disappointed coming here! read more

I went to The Lift on Tuesday night with some friends for their birthdays. We walked in and sat down on the couches, while a few of our friends ordered drinks. My girlfriend and I were't drinking so we could drive. After about 10 minutes, the bartender (Tanner) aggressively walked over to me and told my girlfriend and I that if we weren't going to be drinking, we need to "get the fuck out". We told him that we couldn't leave because we had to take our friends home to which he replied "What's the point of even being in a bar if you're not going to drink". We were kicked out of their bar because we were trying to do the right thing and get our friends home safely. A very disappointing visit to a bar that I have always loved visiting. read more

Great little bar, without the feel of a meat market that most court ave area bars have.

Come here with friends, stay for the martinis! Absolute best martinis in town! The bartenders are pretty awesome, too!

A must stop if you are ever in Des Moines! Great martini's and friendly staff. I love that it's a chill atmosphere where I'm not fighting crowds and listening to terrible music. Highly recommend and one of my faves in DSM! read more

Went on a Tuesday for jazz night and really enjoyed it! Bartender was awesome, love the atmosphere and the alley couches that may or may not be filled with std's ;) some interesting characters when we went but overall great experience and we'll be back! read more

The Lift is a nice "regular" bar choice. It's very unique and has a great atmosphere. They are always selling someone's personal artwork along the walls, they play great music, and its always filled with cool and interesting people. The staff is also super cool as well. If you can't make up your mind or need a nice new hang out spot, I highly suggest going here! read more

They sometimes have Movie Mondays where they play things like Tim and Eric Awesome Show... So that's all I have to say about that. 5/5 yelpz. read more

Le Lift, as the french call it , can be okay. The staff are good eggs but sometimes the patrons can get a bit douchey hispter mixed with khakis martini crowd. A great week night bar where you can hear some decent tunes and have a conversation. They make a great Harvey Wallbanger when the ingriedients are in. All in all I like stopping there on my time traveling adventures. It's definately worth a try. read more

The Lift is its own special place. The Lift is so great because it is so different. It is mellow, hipster-esque, cool, calm, and collected. The Lift is a low-key martini bar near Court Ave. It is in a crevice downtown and holds a specific crowd. It is so original and true to itself. The originality and personal identification is what makes this place amazing. Friendly staff, amazing drinks, low lighting, some live music, and more than fair pricing. It is somewhere you want to take someone to get to know them and have a relaxing night. It is truly unique. read more

Nothing beats a small, intimate bar where the douchebag ratio is low and the cool people ratio is high. Selfishly, it's nice to usually know the bartender and trust them with your life. The Lift always has a superb selection of drinks. They apparently were one of the first Des Moines bars back in the 90's/early '00's to carry craft beers, or just beers that weren't Budweiser or Coors. For that alone they deserve 5 stars. Perhaps The Lift gets a little crowded when a lot of people are in there, but that just means you're in the right spot, where the right people want to be. read more

Amazing place!! Nice and chill, the manager is great, friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable about his alcohol!! Love it!!

The best bar in town. Great drinks, friendly and knowledgeable staff, killer specials throughout the week. There is always good music playing, interesting art on the walls, and no televisions, which make it a great place to hang out and have a good conversation. read more

This is a great bar to hang out at. It hs recently been our starting point for our nights out. Very cool and interesting art that is always in rotation, friendl bar staff, comfortable seating, not too loud, all around a sweet place. Lately the music has been parody type covers of songs such as Dynamite Hack "Boyz n Tha Hood" read more

This is my favorite bar in Des Moines! The martini menu is great and Wednesday night's 2 for 1 is great!

Meh. At least when I went, it was packed with douchebags. Not a lot of sitting room. Could do a lot better, esp. in downtown.

A Saturday night out in Des Moines in July yielded THE most bachelorette and bachelor parties I have ever witnessed. No joke, my friend and I saw eight different parties at four different places. Sadly enough, two of such parties made their way to the Lift, but after our experience at the Liar's Club where I literally got groped by one guy and told that I "made [him] sick" when I rejected another lame-o's advances... even two bachelorette parties of screaming girls adorned with plastic penises and sparkly leis could be handled. What I liked about The Lift was the laid-back atmosphere and the mix of patrons (although could have done without the screaming girl parties). What sucked about the place was the art on the walls - apologies to the artist, but really, these paintings aren't that well done and are just trying so painfully hard to be edgy and controversial, spelling out the obvious themes in a way that really just detracts from the place. We get it, you're troubled. But the art in the bar? Total buzzkill and pretty juvenile. read more

After hearing about The Lift numerous times, I decided to finally check it out last night for the first time with several friends (one of them was celebrating his birthday that night). When we arrived, my first impression of the bar was rather positive. The lighting was a bit bright for a bar, but it was clean and smoke free, with interesting art on the walls, and appeared to be nearly attitude-free, too! A nice liberal oasis in the middle of downtown DSM. When I went up to the bar I checked out their rather extensive Martini menu and immediately wanted to try one of each on the list. I settled, however, on drinking Cosmos for a majority of the evening. The Cosmos were great, albeit a bit pricey compared to other bars in the neighborhood. I was greeted almost immediately with a friendly smile by a bartender by the name of Curt. He made my drink order in a reasonable amount of time, not as slow as others have mentioned in previous reviews, and they were very tasty. My friends and I all gathered at a table on the upstairs level of the bar and were able to have a relaxing conversation up there. There was music, but it wasn't blaring as loud as other bars, which was nice. The place started to pick up a bit more around 11pm and the lines at the bar and the wait for drinks became quite a bit longer, but that was okay. The drinks were worth the wait. I had Curt for a bartender all but about one time, when a female bartender (who seemed at first to be a bit annoyed by my presence for some reason and you'll find out later in this review what she did to me) took my drink order. She was definitely slower at making the drinks I had ordered, but I was patient as it seemed she wasn't having the best of nights. Having been in the bar business myself, I understood completely how hectic things can get when a crowd descends upon the bar. One does need to learn to grin and bear it. After a couple of hours drinking and chatting with friends, I was ready to leave, and went up to the bar to close out my tab. Curt was busy and the female bartender (sorry, don't know her name) was rushing around picking up empty glasses. At about the same time Curt was able to help me, the female bartender was carrying glasses up to the bar and approached to the left of where I was standing. She looked completely frazzled. As I am a gay, touchy-feely person, -in an attempt to cheer her up a bit (which is the kind of person I am) I reached over to push a fallen piece of her hair that was hanging almost into the dirty glasses on her tray back behind her ear and was just about to give her some words of encouragement to HOPEFULLY cheer her up. WARNING: This was not the type of woman that likes to be touched by a gay man (which she already knew I was...it's not like I hide it) and I quickly found this out when she shouted "DON'T TOUCH ME". I was a bit taken back by her reaction. Sure, there are some people that don't like to be touched and I probably should have just left her alone, but geesh! It's not like I was going to attack her or anything and I certainly wasn't hitting on her. I was just trying to cheer her up. Obviously that didn't work. A few words were exchanged (nothing major). And then, immediately, she ordered the bartender, Curt, to close out my tab (which I was already in the process of doing) and kicked me out of the bar! I was rather shocked by her reaction and certainly embarrassed as those nearby turned to look at me to see what the heck I got myself into. That certainly is no way to treat a customer (especially a new one and for the minor thing that I had done). I asked to speak to the manager and she very boldly stated that she owns the bar and once again told me to get out. I closed out my tab, and did everything I could to make sure that Curt would get my tip money (I wasn't going to stiff him as he wasn't responsible for his boss's actions and he truly did a great job taking care of us). Needless to say, what had been a great night that could have ended up on a good note, went completely sour. If what had happened to me had not happened, would I have become a regular customer at The Lift? Probably. I really enjoyed the eclectic crowd and everyone, except the bar owner, was genuinely friendly. I felt comfortable. After what happened to me, though, I (so very unfortunately) cannot recommend this bar to others. At least not until the owner finds a sense of maturity and understands what goes with the territory of bar ownership and how to appropriately react to certain situations. In no way should I, or anyone else, ever be treated that way. If I was trying to cause a scene and disturbing the atmosphere of the bar, or getting into a barroom brawl, that would be understandable. It's sad that I will no longer be able to return to The Lift and enjoy myself. What happened in those brief moments at the end of the evening completely ruined it for me. read more

I've never been more embarrassed and insulted in my life than I was tonight! I had family and friends visiting from NY and the bartender / waitress was very rude and impatient. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy read more

After reading the preivious review about The Lift, I was compelled to write my own opinions and give a true view of the bar. I've been a patron of The Lift now for over three years. I've seen it undergo many changes in staff, cocktails, regulars, and the layout of the U shaped bar. During all of those years, the Lift has stayed consistent in its great reputation of service and drink by offering as diverse of a martini list as the crowd it attracts. The music is always exceptional, especially now with the addition of iPod Mondays, where you can bring in short playlists and get cheap 'Apple' martinis. The artwork is frequently changing, the staff is always friendly (unless you touch them and freak them out - see other review), the ambience is relaxing when its slow, and vibrant when its busy, but prepare to wait an extra second if its busy, cause all those martinis take time and care to make them taste so good. I recommend this bar to anyone in the area and any visitors. I promise you'll fall in love. read more