Hey, I usually don't do this. But I waited at least 30 minutes for a drink. Was finally greeted by a server which didn't look professional at all. This was just a total waste of my time. I'm sad I was hungry. So I decided to go somewhere else where they care about their customers read more

I dont typically write reviews, but the service was terrible, not due to the food or the drinks, not due to the set up but the fact that the owner himself asked a random girl that he doesn't know, from a bias opinion. to leave from a birthday party of someone with a reservation at the establishment, because one of his servers didn't like her. That business isn't professional, but condescending, and quite rude. Just seeing first hand the owner of this establishment, be rude, bias, and prejudice. Completely astounded, and in disbelief. and this is why this is the review is being written. The COSTUMERS SERVICE is TRASH. read more

Five stars for the martinis alone. Massive selection and, while there's no way I'm anywhere near trying all of them yet, none were disappointing. Haven't fully tried the food, but the several appetizers I had were shockingly impressive. Would recommend to any martini lovers. read more

Cool place, came in to order a Gibson. I was brought a martini class full of vodka with no cocktail onions. The whole idea of the Gibson is the cocktail onions.. maybe ill try this place again but I dont wana pay $14 for a glass of vodka. Tell me in advance next time? read more

What a great place with awesome atmosphere. Sat by the window and enjoyed (1) calamari, which was lightly breaded and paired with a buffalo type dip, (2) tuna tartar, big chunks of tuna with two different sauces, one a wasabi type ranch and the other a soy sauce and finally (3) the stuffed mushrooms, which were a delicious way to end the evening with the smoked cheese and toppings. We also enjoyed a dirty Bombay sapphire martini, extra dirty with the house jalapeño stuffed olives and other half enjoyed the sweet kinky pineapple martini which was like a jolly rancher. Definitely recommend checking out, and the staff was super friendly. read more

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Great date night spot! The Tuna TarTar was by far my favorite thing of the visit. My husband and I made a reservation, which I highly recommend if there is an event at the DMPA (Civic Center). We sat on couch and had a romantic date night me with shared plates and a couple drinks. Love every minute of it. The food was excellent! The ambiance was great! And the service was good. Thanks for a great date night spot! read more

PSA: If you haven't been here please run (don't walk) to this restaurant My boyfriend and I were looking for a place to eat/drink with gluten free entree options. We visited on a Monday night and sat at the bar and discovered an overwhelmingly large menu of martini selections. The bartender was incredibly helpful by recommending us a variety of choices specifying how sweet/unsweet they were. She also informed us that Mondays are BOGO martinis which was music to our ears. The martinis were spectacular and the food was delicious as well. The small menu was appreciated after having to choose from their 100 martini options. I ordered the chicken sandwich without the bun and my partner ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna. Everything was cooked and presented to perfection. 10/10 would recommend. We will be returning very soon! read more

Fabulous selection of unique martinis... Great spot for date night! Be sure to go during the happy hour times for a better value. Friendly staff.... Cross section of customers from travelers to professionals. read more

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

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My husband and I visited this restaurant recently for a date night and we had a great time! Martinis were excellent... and very strong! Appetizers were excellent. Service was friendly and are orders were fulfilled quickly. A great spot for an evening out. Only complaint is that the background noise and college crowd were noisier than we anticipated, it was hard to hear each other and the waitstaff. All in all, I would highly recommend! Can't wait to go back. read more

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

Stopped in late after a graduation. Waitress extremely nice and accommodating considering the time. Food was excellent. Had Chick pea salad. It was spectacular well made, fresh tasting. Chicken sliders were also excellent. Great little place, decent prices, excellent food and Vibe. read more

Great place for drinks and appetizers. I sat at the bar, the waitress was super friendly and had a great recommendation! I will definitely come back when I'm in town. Cheers! read more

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Very creative menu that is small enough to not be overwhelming but large enough to have options. I enjoyed the fun fall drink options. It's a small space and there was live music which made it loud, but a fun atmosphere for an evening out. They have full meal options in addition to the more advertised tapas. All the dishes eaten by those in my group were delicious! read more

The 3 burger appetizer is okay, nothing special just okay. The brisket burger entree was a 4/5 so pretty good. The sunset martini was hard to swallow, not because of alcohol but because of the taste. The strawberry gimlet was good. We never got napkins or silverware. After we paid our tab and were about to leave, we got 1 napkin. Ridiculous. read more

We were disappointed. Everything sounded phenomenal but maybe a bigger menu isn't better. We got for food the mini chimis, the zucchini fritter, and the poutine. The chimis were actually fantastic. Nothing bad to say about those bad boys. The fritters were good not great, we agreed they should be flattened instead of round because the inside was mushy but still flavorful. The poutine...the fries were..fries, could've been crispier considering Gravy was going to be poured on them, the cheese curds and beef were super tasty and all we wanted to eat, but the Gravy was a gelatinous flavorless mess and ruined the whole thing. We got a candied pear Martini and a caramel apple. The pear one wasn't anything I'd come back for, but wasn't horrible. The caramel apple however was swimming with melted ice chunks and thoroughly watered down like it'd been sitting in a tumbler for a good while. We were celebrating a bday so we got the creme brulee which was a slight redeeming quality, but still this was a way overpriced lower than average experience read more

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I loved finding this spot in Des Moines. My husband and I fell in love over Martini Mondays in Cedar Falls so our evening was very nostalgic! I was not disappointed. This has got to be one of the greatest dates ever. Our waitress was attentive but not clingy and we were given ample time to relax and sip on delicious martinis. The bacon wrapped dates were a little weird, but I loved my appletinis and tried (probably too many) others and all were delicious! If you want a romantic spot to take a date, get here early, snag a booth and talk all night. read more

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Great downtown place for drinks and dinner! The staff is very friendly, the service is always great and bathrooms are clean. I have tried probably 20 different martinis and have loved them all. The food menu is well thought out and changes sometimes. One of my favorites is the house spiced fries. My 12 year old nephew loved his cheeseburger sliders as well on his first visit. The mac and cheese is soooo good too! read more

The Stuffed Olive - Harry Potter themed martini! - Tapas Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Our waitress was very personable. The martinis were great. Our food also wonderful. The wait to get our food was a bit too long just shy of 60 minutes after we ordered our food. We had planned on getting dessert but we were going to see The Lion King and since our food took so long we did not have time for dessert. We were also never told it was a long wait, nor did we get any updates that it may come shortly. We honestly thought we may not even get to eat. Giving a 4 star because the food and drinks were so yummy. read more

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

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We stopped here on our roadtrip across the country. I'm so glad we did! Great and affordable cocktails! The brisket sandwich and french fries were also great. Parking next door is only $6. read more

This is a cute place with a wide selection of appetizers and drinks. I've taken my family here for birthdays a few times because you can share the tapas with a group. The only downside is that it can can a little noisy when they have live music and the place is full because the venue is small. The martinis from the big menu were a little strong for my taste, but if you like martinis I'm sure you'll find something good. read more

Never had more then the martinis but soooo many choices and they'll usually have a special

Went here for an impromptu celebration dinner and it was good. Good service and nice atmosphere but the food was a bit of a mixed bag. Sliders were great! French fries too. Other items were meh. read more

There isn't a whole lot of tables here, but the food was excellent. I got the ahi tuna appetizer as well as the crab cake dip, and I would order both again in a heartbeat. The atmosphere is super pretentious, but its a good place to be if that's your thing. read more

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

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By far the worst place I've ever ate at, I was charged $130 for unnecessary crumbs then we got the actual meal and it was okay but everything else was highly overpriced. If your going do not go the whole month of February overpriced eating small portions of salad and fried mushrooms that don't even taste good than you're gonna get taxed a whole pair of shoes. By far worst restaurant price wise, service wise, and the restaurant didn't even look good. I DO NOT RECOMMEND eating here. (I am not one to leave reviews unless positive, but I feel as if I were scammed.) read more

The service at the bar was great. Really liked our martini's and our crispy cauliflower with romanesco. They have an extensive selection of Martinis which prompted us to try something new. I had the Jalapeño with Franks Sauce Martini, and my wife had the Perfect Martini. We enjoyed our stay. read more

Guests at our table ordered Bruschetta, Brussel Sprouts, Risotto Croquettes, Cajun Salmon, Salmon Tacos, and Seared Ahi Tuna. Everything was amazing! read more

After a disappointing 15 minutes at RoCA with no table service, my partner and I left and walked to The Stuffed Olive. We were greeted and sat immediately upon arrival by the hostess. It felt as if my partner and I were the only ones in the restaurant, even being seated closely to the next patrons table. The atmosphere was wonderful, dark and romantic, yet fun and lively on a Friday night. Grant was at our table within moments of us being seated. Grant, who lived in Napa Valley, CA for sometime made suggestions for drinks, friendly banter and was thorough. I ordered a Gin Martini with Bleu Cheese Olives, a bottle of Alisia Pinot Grigio, Chicken Skewers, Stuffed Mushrooms, Brussel Sprouts and Rissoto. To say the least we were thirsty and hungry. We were advised of the buy two martinis get the third free by our helpful server Grant. Very impressive Grant! We decided on a Raspberry Lemonade and Snickers martini, which were both equally fantastic. Our visit was most enjoyable and we will be back! Food, atmosphere, drinks and service was five stars! Thank you Grant! read more

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

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

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

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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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

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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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

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

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

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