Looking for a dive bar in Iowa, we found this little gem. I guess it recently changed over to…read more Notm's. So we gave it a go. Great little place. Karaoke Trivia was the game of the evening. Not too crowded so we won a free drink and a $$ prize. Pool table was also free that night, outside in the transformed garage where there was also a pickle bar court I think. It was raining so I couldn't tell. You can also smoke outside if you choose. The bartender was very nice and the drinks were good. It was our lucky night at Notm's. We will visit again.

Norms is a magical place full of the craziest and best people you could ever meet. Darts, pizza,…read morebesties, and beers. What more could you ask for. Sarah is goated

This place delivers serious Chicago bar vibes in the best way possible…read more Service? On point. Our glasses were never empty, and the staff checked in just enough to feel attentive without hovering. Now let's talk food, because it slaps. The onion rings are the real deal. Proper onion rings. Perfect batter-to-onion ratio, no sad, hollow rings here. The jalapeño poppers are equally legit, crispy breading, creamy filling, and just the right kick. And the wings? On a whole different level. Plump, meaty, and absolutely delicious. Sunday special: 20 wings for $22. That's not a deal, that's a public service. If you like great food, solid service, and classic Chicago bar energy, this spot delivers across the board.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $40 04/25/2026 We were looking for a sports bar to watch the Minnesota Wild playoff game, so thought we would try 85 Bar West...even though they were a Chicago-focused venue. Fortunately, they came through and put the game on several screens for us to watch during our visit. We started with an order of Onion Rings (see picture) - and they were the best onion rings I've had in many years. They were uniformly battered, uniformly fried to nice, crispy light brown color, and most importantly - a slightly crunchy onion inside that bit off cleanly so that you could dip it again! The picture itself does pretty good justice on their quality - and the dipping sauce was quite tasty also! For dinner, my wife ordered the Low Carb Beef Bowl w/ Pepperjack cheese & Rice (see picture) and I went with the Classic Wings split between Lemon Pepper Dry Rub and Mango Habanero sauce (see picture). We both really enjoyed the Low Carb Beef Bowl, finding it just as tasty as the name implies (all of the peppery zing of an Italian Beef with a melted cheese top - with rice replacing the bun). I was admittedly a bit disappointed with the wings, especially given the award-winning claims in the menu. My first impression and comment to my wife was that they were quite small in size. Secondly, while they tasted reasonably moist and tender, as the picture shows - they appeared to be dried out / overcooked...with meat pulling away from the bone. The Mango Habanero wings had very little spice given their name and very little sauce, with some barely wet and essentially none in the serving tray to use to add. While the wings would give me pause before ordering again, we REALLY liked the onion rings and everything else that we've ordered has been above average. The other thing I enjoy is their reasonable selection of craft beers (really liked the Chicago local Cold Time) as well as the unique cocktails. This is a solid stop.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $32 03/14/2026 While certainly not our first visit here, it is the first time that I'm finally getting it documented. Tonight we stopped with friends who are neighbors with the owner after Mass. We started off by sharing a Wisconsin "Charcuterie" appetizer (see picture) - which was great to share with 4 people. Each of the items served in the pretzel were great - and we really enjoyed each of the dipping sauces. For our meals, my wife ordered the Chicago Beef (see picture) and I opted for the Mediterranean Bowl (see picture). As we always do, we shared our plates. While both were very good, I was especially impressed with the Mediterranean Bowl - it was so cool, light and tasty! Merll's is a relatively recent addition to the Waukee pub scene and worth a stop to sample some of their great food! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

I like Merll's! The service is really good. It is classic bar food. Tons of TVs to watch sports…read more They have a huge amount of drinks to try at decent prices, and rotating cocktail flavors. I'd definitely recommend pizza, bowls, and cheese curds.

The Kee downtown Waukee - breakfasts 10am-1pm on Sat/Sun. Don't chintz on this place, if you're…read morelooking for a lil dive barish breakfast. Small menu, but good food! Sausage and jalapeño breakfast pizza (I got 10"): loaded 10"or a large pizza crust with eggs, cheese, sausage, gravy and jalapenos was super good. I added more red chili flakes on top but that's personal preference. Flavor-wise it was good and was very very cheesy! Loaded potatoes: diced seasoned potatoes served with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, toast (add 2 eggs on top, cheese, and gravy +$3. Coffee: it's from a Keurig not my personal favorite, I prefer a plain ol coffee pot cup of coffee myself. Definitely a small, fun place for breakfast that isn't overpriced, over-fancy, nor over-rated. Give it a go if you want a low-kee breakfast. -- eating breakfast at The Kee.

Awesome breakfast and very affordable! $3 Mimosa Sunday! Very friendly staff and make you feel as…read moreif you are a regular even on your 1st trip!!

We were originally were in the area to try a different restaurant down the street. The wait at that…read morerestaurant however, was ridiculously long. We saw Shirley's and decided to give it a try. While we didn't get served right away because they were busy as well, once we got service everything was great. The menu has a nice selection of options, all bar food of course, and there's a nice selection of beers and drink drinks.

Four of us ate lunch there. Three of us had the tenderloin and I had a hamburger that was…read morefantastic. The others loved their sandwiches too. Service was great and fast. Nice clean place with lots of TV's and bar atmosphere. Will go back soon.

Went here with some friends. It was our last stop of the night…read more The bartenders were friendly and attentive. There's a little dance floor and a DJ was playing for a bit. The crowd was fairly friendly. Sounded like food options were frozen pizza and hot dogs so I'd definitely eat first. Will most likely check it out again. Reasonable prices as well.

Fun dive bar deep into Waukee. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays, a few TVs to catch a game,…read moredarts, pool and cheap drinks. It gets really busy but the staff does a great job trying to keep the drinks flowing! They do fun events like psychics, bingo and other things every once and awhile as well. Highly 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: $20 04/27/2026 Tonight's opportunity to enjoy another stop at Tito's came at the end of my journey updating several locations for happyhourdesmoiones.com. It was getting to be dinner time, so asked my wife to meet me here for my last stop. Every time we've stopped here, we have been impressed with the quality of the food and tonight was no different. I had already enjoyed some Happy Hour specials at another venue, but my wife hadn't yet eaten dinner. She ordered the Gyro & Fries (see picture) and as you might guess, I did try a couple of bites. We both thought it was a very good gyro and were delighted to see that it is the daily special each day from 11-2, so we will definitely be coming back for lunch some day. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

The wife and I tried this place for the first time. I've known about this lounge because of my son,…read morebut he and I never made it here. Don't tell him I went without him :) Anyway, I'm glad the wife and I gave it a try. We walked in at 5:30 on a Friday and it was busy. We didn't wait but for a few minutes and had a table. The greeter was very friendly and our server was super nice and pleasant to have as a waiter. His recommendations were spot on. The whole restaurant was hopping busy but operating very smoothly. Not a quiet place, a true sports bar ambiance. The wings were very very good. Maybe some of the better ones I've had here in town. The gyro was fantastic, and huge. Great value. The wife's flatbread was great too. Excellent food all the way around. Prices for very reasonable. Happy hour helps some of the prices for sure, but still a well priced establishment. We are fans of this place and will most certainly be back.

Brunch and Beer! I would recommend this place if you are looking for a different brunch experience…read more Great options and the food is solid. Service is quick and everyone was friendly. I ranked one down from a 5 due to the Ambiance. It was very loud and the flies around the table were a bit much. Maybe look into blowers at the doors or something.

Visited Barn Town with my high schooler before his awards ceremony. Had the birria Crunchwrap, he…read morehad a burger and we split cheese curds. Everything was great, they were very busy but server was attentive. And the breading on the cheese curds? Amazing!

I think the last time I went out to a bar, smoking was allowed! Well, maybe not that long ago but…read moreit has been many years! We went tonight so we could enjoy "Son of a Nutcracker", the community cocktail feature benefitting Des Moines Refugee Support. We were lucky to snag a booth as the bar was otherwise full on a Friday at 5 pm. Moe was an excellent and attentive server. He apologized that they were mixing up another batch of the special cocktail and that it would take about 15 minutes. We ordered some appetizers - jalapeño and peppadew peppers stuffed with cream and goat cheese and the sweet potato chips and house party dip. Both were good and the peppers had happy hour pricing, a bonus. The bar was festively decorated for the holidays and we enjoyed our time out!

This place is super cute with great drinks! The outdoor patio was the perfect place for us on a…read moresunny day. The service was very friendly. Dogs allowed on the back patio as well

Went here for late breakfast. Had been being advised to check it out for months now but it's not…read moreconvenient to get to from where I live. Anyway. Finally went here and I was not let down. There were only 3 gals working the entire time taking care of cooking and bartending and waiting on everyone in the estaishment. Definitely efficient and friendly staff. We ordered drinks and breakfast. Both were quickly served. My breakfast burger was delicious with layers ofhashbriwns and eggs and bacon and a burger. The diced potatoes were also great. My partner had the meat lovers omlette and was very happy with the entire meal. My only complaint is the price of the state fair lemonade (vodka lemonade) was 8.50$ which a typical vodka lemonade or cranberry is 6$. However it was delicious and the prices in this area are just typically higher than other areas so I do understand. I'd definitely go back again for food & drinks!

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 5*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $20 04/01/2025 We have stopped here a few times since the last review, including a Trivia Night with a great taco value (unfortunately, we ate before the last minute invite to join a team there) - but hadn't taken the time to update my review. We stopped for their Tuesday night Burger Special...which left me wondering why we weren't going there every Tuesday night for burgers! I ordered a Burger (of course - see picture) and was thoroughly impressed with it! Usually when you ask for a medium rare burger, it is brought out medium well to well done. Not only was the burger excellent (a little beyond medium rare, but at least some heavy pink in the middle), but the bun and the lattice fry sides were all delicious! Unfortunately, I gave up alcohol for Lent...so didn't have a beer with the burger - but you can bet that I'll be back for both after Easter! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.