This is a little foodie heaven for quick bites and drinks. The drink menu is impressive, but I feel their food really shines. There is care put into all the dishes and the small details are all there. It's all easy to eat and not messy. Kudos to the kitchen staff here, they really make this place what it is. read more

If there was another star to give this place...I still don't know if it would be enough! This was one of those experiences that are rare where everything just comes together from the atmosphere, the service, and the food. (Be aware...this is the longest review I've ever written but we ate and drank a lot!) First of all the atmosphere....dark, comfortable, great energy but not overly loud, romantic, yet fun. They have a variety of seating, and the lighting is low so people all look beautiful...perfect date night lighting actually ;). It was a very busy place on a Saturday night, but particularly before a show. We were able to get in shortly after a bunch of people left to get to a 6:30 show, but if you are going to a show or concert, make reservations or anticipate a wait. Secondly, the service was impeccable! Molly was our server and she was absolutely incredible! Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and just the right amount of attentiveness for a group of people on vacation who have planted themselves in her section. She was lovely and made the experience even more perfect. Finally...the Food! Over the course of a few hours (yes...that's right...3.5 hours Molly put up with us...and we tipped accordingly :), we ended up ordering 9 tapas and numerous drinks and martinis over the course of that 3 hours. I will proceed to touch on as many as possible and took pictures of everything :) First round...Mini Chimis (4 delicious, filled with chicken and surrounded by pico, lettuce and a wonderful spicy sauce), buffalo chicken Croquettes (perfectly cooked, chicken and rice seasoned well inside, crunchy and was a surprise how much I liked these since I didn't want to order but my table mates did), almond chicken skewers (super crunchy, good flavor but almost too much coating to the amount of chicken. A little thicker piece of chicken would have made this much better because it bordered on dry). Martinis: started with an Orange Cosmo (terrific..not too sweet), friend had the XXX (very good), and a standard martini which was well crafted. Second round, steak bruschetta (wonderful, plenty of steak, with some veggies and tasty horseradish sauce, and drizzled with balsamic), bacon-wrapped dates (two small skewers with 3 per skewer, so it felt smallish but was amazingly tasty), and a pork tapa (sauce was very interesting but good, and had basically 4 slices of pork tenderloin...my least favorite honestly as it felt incomplete somehow). Martinis: Better than Sex (OMG...I'm not a sweet person but this thing is SOOO good!!), Grasshopper (very tasty and tastes just like a Grasshopper ice cream drink in martini form). Other drinks... Caramel Apple (tastes just like one!), Garlic Mashed Potato (VERY garlicky!), And the Big Winner....Salted Caramel martini!! I can't even explain how good this was! My friend ordered it, but truly incredible!! Final round.... Spinach Artichoke dip (very flavorful, with a crispy cheese/crumb type crust and very good garlic bread triangles but maybe a touch less topping would be a better balance), and two orders of fries (spicy type and a Parmesan olive oil...both pretty good). We called it at this point...finally right? Had an amazing time and if you are looking for a great night out with friends or a romantic night, don't pass this up if you are not a martini person or think tapas won't be enough. They have a full bar, and also have entrees in addition to tapas. And IT'S ALL SOOO GOOD!! read more

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Stopped here while in town visiting my son. It's a great spot for dinner and a cocktail. I had an amazing meal. The Cajun salmon with risotto was fantastic. I'll definitely go back just for that dish the next time I get to visit! read more

Humiliating experience! Made reservations to take our friends to celebrate their birthdays. Ordered drinks, then another round and apps. Third round and more food ordered. Took a while to get the food, no big deal until the waitress tells us that they have reservations and basically we need to hurry up and get out. I could totally understand if we were sitting and chatting and not ordering anything, but our food was just delivered! We definitely would have ordered more drinks, but we quickly finished up our food and left. Horrible way to treat customers. Spent over $200 and we got pushed out the door like bums. Never again! read more

Staff, restaurant, and location in downtown Des Moines was great. I was pleasantly surprised. The ambiance is nice, intimate, and upscale. I am giving 3 stars for the food. Granted I shouldn't have ordered a crab dip in the midwest, but it was really salty and I was disappointed in getting white bread to eat it with. The salmon taco's are on flour tortillas and living in AZ/SoCal, I was underwhelmed. This establishment has a lot of potential !!! Just need to redo the menu tbh. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Grilled Salmon Tacos - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Great food and good service. Meet some friends here for drinks and appetizers after work. They offer drink specials for happy hour which was nice we each tried different martinis and liked them. We ordered appetizers to share and thought they were really good. We all agreed we would come back here again for another Happy Hour! read more

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This is my go to martini bar and it pains me to give a less than 5 star review but my recent experience had me disappointed. The new location is beautiful and even more busy than before so I know to make reservations in advance. 3 weeks in advance I made it for the wine down Wednesday. We got there and there was patio seating open which I asked to be sat in. I was told it was already full for later reservations. So I asked how I would request that for future reservations and she said he hat it was first come first served. My confused look was followed up by her saying "oh well except for today". Still confused we were lead back to the separate room to the rear of the restaurant where we could not hear the music that we had come to listen to. We were told to order right away as it was busy night and once our food and a drink came we did not see our waitress again Normally we get wonderful service. This time it was sub par and we felt very much like they wanted us in and out. read more

Decent food and a very large drink menu that was surprisingly lackluster. Not a bad place to stop in for a happy hour but there is some better options in the area for dinner. read more

I went here with my sisters, brother, and brother's girlfriend and we all really enjoyed it! Despite not having a reservation, we were seated in a very comfortable, large booth. The hostess and server were both accommodating and helpful. Now to get to the good part - the martinis! Sooooo yummy. Between the whole table we ended up getting about 12 different drinks and we'd try each others and they were so delicious! They literally have over 100 options so whether you like sweet or spicy, creamy or fruity, classic or adventurous- there's something for everyone! I had the lucky charms martini which was silky and sweet- very tasty! Next I had another one from the St. Patrick's Day specials but I can't remember the name. It had Jameson so I think it technically was not a martini but it was good - just a bit too strong for my taste. This is a great place to go out with friends or it would also be a great date night. read more

Ok, here's the deal. If you want to drink, especially martinis, come here. If you want a nice dinner, this is not the place to come. The steak was chewy, mushrooms without seasoning, salmon tacos in a cold flour tortilla with leaves of wilted lettuce. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Inside - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This place gets an A for the drinks, but it's pretty middling when it comes to food. I'll give them four stars because, hey, it's billed as a tapas bar, not a restaurant. It will fit the bill for some drinks and snacks, but don't come here expecting gourmet dinner. They have a nice, dark atmosphere with polished wood tables - no booths, sadly. Our group came on a Monday, and the special was two martinis for the price of one. The martini list is enormous here, and looking through it, you quickly realize that here, "martini" just means "drink that is served up in a conical glass" That's fine by me when they are half price (meaning $4.50 or $5 per drink). And, it turns out, they make some mean drinks here. The group consensus was that we got well made, boozy drinks made with quality spirits. The entrees were . . . OK. We had a blackened chicken sandwich, "build your own" mac and cheese, and the Tilapia tacos. All were universally mediocre - nothing wrong with them, but nothing superlative of flavorful. Come for the nicely priced and well-made drinks. If you must, grab a bite to soak up the booze, but this is a bar, not a gourmet restaurant. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Blackened chicken sandwich, which was middling - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The Stuffed Olive has a remarkable spirits selection and martini menu. However, the food there is lackluster. Small portions that often lack flavor, i prefer to grab a bite to eat at some of the other nearby downtown restaurants and then grab drinks at The Stuffed Olive. read more

I love the stuffed olive in cedar falls. So I was really disappointed with this location. We had appetizers, the pecan crusted chicken and the mini chimis. They were both dry and bland. We asked for salsa and they didn't have any so we had to use ranch to help with the dryness. My friend had the grilled chicken and it was really good. This location didn't have sushi so I was bummed about that also. The atmosphere is nice and drinks were good. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Mini chimis have dry chicken inside - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Happened on this place while walking down the street headed to another restaurant. Very glad I did. Great service from Katie and an excellent meal followed with a scrumptious creme brule'. Definitely coming back here again and again. And just a hop from the Civic Center makes it ideal to pair with a performance outing. read more

Fun hang out kind of place. This can be a nice spot to go before a play or concert as it is close to the civic center. They didn't allow corkage when we called to check about it. Food is fine. Nothing stood out but a fun place to go with friends for tapas read more

Atmosphere and ambiance was great however the food took very long to get to our table and the completely messed up 2 of our orders.

Been here once before and really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Took the wife here for our anniversary this time around. The tapas is awesome...nothing bad on the menu. The stuffed mushrooms, sliders and lobster bruschetta are killer. For drinks, you have to branch out and try a martini if you don't normally like them. She had a Mango Salsa Martini and absolutely loved it. Sweet and hot. I went with the more traditional dirty vodka martini with blue cheese olives. Made to perfection! Service is top notch. Great staff. read more

This was the last place my friends and I went to on Saturday night and it was a perfect way to end the night. The place was clean, modern, and we got served right away. They have a ton of martini drinks, so if you're a fan of martinis this is your place! I ordered a Moscow Mule which was very good. I've had some overly sweet Moscow Mules so this one was just right. They also have specials like buy 2 martinis and get 1 free. I definitely recommend checking this place out! Plus it wasn't too loud so you can have conversations without saying "what?!" over and over :) read more

This place has awesome food. I settled for the steak bruschetta and the beef brisket and fries. Sooo good, prices were great. The ambiance was awesome and the bartender took care of everyone with a smile. Every drink that was made looked like it was ready for a magazine photo. I would try this place if you're thinking about it! read more

The Stuffed Olive - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Christina was great. She gave us legitimate recommendations then asked at the end what our favorite was. Then she said she asked every customer that question to get feedback. That's awesome. We had the steak skewers, chicken skewers, and the pork. They were all great for our pseudo paleo diet. And they sat is extremely quick even tho we showed up early for our reservation. Top notch place. read more

Oh my gosh guys, this could be one of my new favs. SO many drink options and I fell in love with the classic dirty vodka martini that I enjoyed with different stuffed olive choices. Also had the crab dip (yum) and bruschetta. The vibe here is after work drink with friends or fun date night. Will definitely be frequenting here. read more

This place was great We went for a friend's birthday and the service was excellent. Katy was our server and she was on top of everything. The food was great; the drinks were great. The Tuna Tartare was my favorite; the wasabi creme was so good. The Crab Rangoon was so full of Crab; yum. The other food was great as well. The martinis were really well made and the mules were very tasty. read more

Best martini I've ever had. Delicious, well mixed, and fun! Salmon tacos were incredible and worth a trip all on their own.

Very nice place for a drink or dinner. The staff is professional and friendly. They do take reservations and while they tried to set me at the bar as I was a single tonight they quickly found me a table that I requested. Full bar with the focus on martini. Lots of fun starter food. Nice selection of seafood and a little of everything else. I will be back when I can. read more

Best food I've found in downtown Des Moines during my summer here. I highly recommend this for a night out, a late night bite, or just happy hour. Unique dishes and endless martini flavors. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Holy cow is this place amazing. Phenomenal salmon , even better Martinis . Not to mention buy 2 get the 3rd free on Thursdays. I'll definitely be back next time in Des Moines read more

The Stuffed Olive - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The food here was not tasty - and it felt expensive for the quality. If you're looking for only a martini bar, this might be the place for you! read more

This place has a good atmosphere and a long list of drinks to choose from. I was a little less impressed with the food selection and small plate size. Coming here for drinks and appetizers would be best. read more

I have been to this place quite a few times but, last night before the civic center show we had the worst food experience. The spinach artichoke dip was good but, the garlic bread they served it with it was so salty that it was almost impossible to eat. However, the biggest disappointment were these glazed meatballs. They were extremely over cooked and the meatball itself had 0 flavor. They were so dry we couldn't even eat them. The worst part of the whole experience is when asked about them I told the waitress how bad they were; she didn't even apologize. She was like okay. Probably will not be going back there ever again. read more

Friday night, 5pm, 1 waitress working probably 7 tables. My calculus comes up with a way too long a wait to get a drink. Then I get this place is trying to be hip and swanky but their beers selection is lacking as much as their managers ability to run an establishment. Lastly, they finally bring my pint of beer missing about 20% of content. It'd be easier if they met me at the door and just said "We're not really interested in being open tonight". read more

We made reservations for before the show at the civic center and LOVED this place. First, obviously the location can't be beat. We were able to walk from our hotel to dinner and then from dinner to theater even on a 100 degree day. The special was buy 2 get 1 free martinis and tapas. Every thing we had was amazing. I had 3 martinis (yes 3!!!) and they were all delicious. I think I had the flirtini, hpnotic blue martini, and peach and coconut martini. I obviously like tropical/sweet martinis. They were all delicious. For tapas we had 6 - crab dip, steak stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, risotto croquettes, chicken skewers and crab rangoon. Everything was delicious but the steak stuffed mushrooms and risotto croquettes were probably the faves. Highly recommend this place! read more

Love The Stuffed Olive! Drinks are always great, and staff is always on point! Love the happy hour specials! Definitely recommend the almond crusted chicken skewers! read more

The Stuffed Olive - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I went here with a group of friends recently. We had a great time. Our waitress, Kennedy, was very knowledgeable about which martinis were the best & she was right! I loved the Lemon martini! We also thought the mini chimi appetizer was tasty, along with the stuffed mushrooms. read more

The Stuffed Olive - Martinis - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

What a fun place to stop in after or before going to the Civic Center. If you do go afterwards, make sure you make a reservation. Even we stopped in after Phantom of the Symphony, the place was mostly empty but we were told there were no tables available but we could sit at the bar or at the couches and order food. I have a puzzled look and was told that they were all reserved. We sat at the couch and ordered food. Spent about 45 minutes there enjoying ourselves and the whole time, only 4 or 5 more tables were seated. They had plenty of wait staff so that still puzzles me. As for the food, it was really good. The Tapas selections like the bacon wrapped dates were perfectly made. The scallops dish was perfect. Too bad I could not order just the scallops because my daughter would have eaten just that. I really loved the TVs at the bar. The volumes were off so it did not distract from the ambiance but still allowed sports fans to keep an eye on the games. read more

We had just arrived, checked in to our hotel, and were exploring downtown. We decided to try this place because we like small plates and trying different things. We were seated quickly and the staff was very friendly. We got three plates: chicken skewers, fried rissoto balls, and steak stuffed crimini mushrooms. All were delicious and reasonably priced. read more

We absolutely love this place! It has become our new go to place and it's a great place to take out of town guests. The drinks are so unique and the tapas are outstanding! The amazing staff makes this place. They are so personable and attentive and make this place home! Don't miss this amazing gem!!! read more

Came here one night after a hockey game, food was OK drinks were amazing. Had a hard time not requesting one of everything.

Good service even though we arrived near closing. Food was outstanding. The steak bruschetta was amazing.

After reading the five star ratings I had much higher hopes. This was solidly average food and decor. Nothing inspiring in the tapas menu. We had Chicken skewers, steak bruschetta, mushrooms stuffed with crab (couldn't detect any crab flavour) and tuna tartare which was the best of the lot. The rest was bland and under seasoned. Martini's were fine. Decor was unremarkable. Not cool or modern but brown and dark and not in a good way. Service was good. read more

If your looking for real good martinis this is the place! Every single one I tried was delicious. I would have gave them 5 stairs if I was just judging the drinks. The food was horrible. We ordered chicken skewers and the chicken was really dry and over cooked. We got Calamari and it was over cooked and the portions was nothing. It looked more like a Calamari salad with all the lettuce underneath it. Also ordered the steak Bruschetta was nothing special but I guess at least it didn't taste horrible. read more