This place has been a staple for the past three years I've been in law school @ Drake. The student…read moreburger deal is a godsend, happy hour is perfect, and the servers are always great. I've take family who've visited DSM for the first time and they love it. I've had rough days where the chicken bacon ranch flatbread is all I want and it satisfies every time. I've done schoolwork here (including group flash card study sessions) while sipping on a cute cocktail. I've shared so many drinks and laughs with my classmates here, I hope they stay open forever. HIGHLY recommended!!

I've been here a handful of times. Never a complaint…read more Food is is always tasty and delivered in a reasonable time. And I've never sent anything back, it's always been good. Waitresses are always attentive and friendly. They know the menu & drinks as well and are doing a fantastic job. Decent prices. Close and also private parking. Decent restrooms.

This place is starting to become one of the places we pop in to when we are downtown. Atmosphere is…read morefun with an obvious nod to the Chicago Bears but still feels like an old, big city bar rather than a new sports bar you'd see in the suburbs. Their special drink seems to be a "mini beer" which is a shot that looks like a beer. Personally, I am not a fan of the scented candles, but they moved it for me when I politely asked when there wasn't another place I could move to. Definitely a place to check out when you are in the East Village, and a must if you are a Bears fan.

A great location and space for all Bear's fans. And even if you are not a Bear's fan, you will…read moreenjoy hanging out in this cozy sliver of Chicago here in Des Moines. I have never had a bad time in my visits and you can get all the classic Chicago beers and drinks you can think of!

Always looking for a great breakfast place after church. OMG - this was the BEST breakfast ever!…read more Hubby had biscuits and gravy and I had the breakfast bowl. Portions were huge and delicious. We sat at the bar and chatted with friendly locals and bartender. We ate the leftovers today...and will definately be back to try out lunch/dinner menu too!

We came here on Wednesday and shown a table right away…read more Since I like to try local beers when traveling, I ordered a Pseudo Sue Pale Ale. Pale ales are usually not my choice but it was worth a try. I ended up ordering 3 before we left. For food each ordered 2 tacos each a la carte. I ordered one grilled shrimp taco and one blackened chicken taco. My friend ordered one fish taco and shrimp taco. We ordered 1/2 order of the jumbo pretzel appetizer which came with one jumbo pretzel, queso, and nacho chips. The queso had a good amount of heat. The pretzel was soft and not too much salt. Our server was professional and friendly

Out of towners in Des Moines for the State Fair. Wanted to try a Pork Tenderloin before the State…read moreFair and found Kelly's Little Nipper on Yelp. Also tried the corn and fried mushrooms. Small quirky bar with high top tables and large standard table with a pool table. Great bar with great daily specials of both food and drinks. Highly recommend. So good went back next day!!

We stopped into Kelly's Little Nipper after our trip to the Botanical Gardens and somehow ended up…read morehanging out with a room full of friends we didn't even know we had. The bartenders, Skye and Hailey, were awesome -- super fun, welcoming, and made us feel like special guests right away. They were even coming up with new holiday drinks just for us. Bree also deserves a shoutout -- she wasn't even working but clearly loves the place and was hanging out with us. And yes, the chocolate cake shots were amazing. Thanks, Bree. We were snacky but not starving, so we ordered the nachos. I won't overhype them -- solid bar nachos with plenty of cheese and toppings. We tried the brisket nachos. I'm not personally a fan of smoked meat on nachos, but Kim loved them, which is really what counts. They were also great about keeping the spicy stuff on the side. We were hoping for live music, but it ended up being canceled that night -- no big deal, we were still having too much fun. We ended up chatting with the owner, who sold us a bottle of their house vodka, "Why Not," and told us the story behind how it came to be. That kind of personal touch says a lot. The vodka itself was surprisingly smooth -- honestly good enough to sip. Great vibe, great people, and one of those places where you walk in as strangers and leave feeling like regulars. We'll definitely be back!!

Upstairs closed, downstairs a bit difficult for a handicapped person in our group. Very very noisy…read more Food- decent with generous portions. Waitstaff seemed minimal and worked hard but pleasant. The whole place was disorganized and no team leader. Long wait time from seated until we ordered then another 30 minutes until food arrived. Appetizers arrived with our dinner.

Stopped in after a convention as this restraint is a block away. As a group, service was non…read moreexistent for a while. Had to get our waiter after almost 40 minutes. Not sure if it was a lack of staff or just bad service. Food arrived and most were happy with their meals. Unfortunately, most were not happy. I ordered the turkey and pulled pork. Was not very good. Lacks seasoning. Had to drown food in sauce just to eat the bbq. Hopefully this was an off night. Will not return.

Just had a great experience at Buzzard Billy's. The food was genuinely impressive. Everything came…read moreout hot, fresh, and full of flavor. I had the Crescent City Chicken, and it was enough food for two. The kitchen was clearly putting in the effort. But the standout was our server, Allianna. From the moment we sat down, she made us feel genuinely welcome. She checked in at the right times without hovering and had a way of making everyone at the table feel taken care of. I highly recommend Buzzard Billy's for its great food and excellent staff.

May 4, 2026. Monday. Dinner…read more I hadn't eaten all day. Had an almost seven hour delay in DFW due to a broken monorail and false gate information on the American Airlines phone application. I'd missed my connection and got bumped by a last minute female runner even though I was first on the standby list. I stepped off the hotel shuttle, checked into my room, dropped off my baggage and walked here for dinner. Needless to say, I walked in the door quite hungry. I sat at the bar for the quickest service. I ordered a local lager, Des Moines Exile's Maria lager ($6.75/5% ABV). To eat, I seldom go wrong with fried catfish. This time I got the fried catfish strips, with tartar sauce, 2 large hush puppies, and a bunch of fries ($16.99). The smooth lager hit the spot and the fried dinner really filled me up. Catfish average, hush puppies had great texture and taste, and fries were hot. The bartender/waitress really wasn't too attentive. Spent most of the time talking to other customers and staff. I ordered another lager from Exile. This one was an award winning Ruthie Gold lager ($7/4.9% ABV). I preferred this lager to the first one. It had a more rounded taste and mouthfeel. The huge meal didn't wow me, but it did feel me up. Thumbs up to the two local lagers I tried. They were good. Come here if you need a large meal and mediocre service.

This place kicked ass. We needed a snack and this place delivered. The host that helped us was…read moresuper friendly and nice. I wish I lived close to this place so I could go there every day. I wish I could buy this place and move it to where I live.

Probably my new favorite neighborhood sports bar and tavern. Great food and drinks priced right!…read more And close to Capital and East Village.

University Library Cafe may be a bar, but showing up late morning before noon felt like discovering…read morethe quiet study section before the crowds arrived. The funny part? Once the food hit the table, everyone suddenly got focused and very quiet. Shhh like we are in a library! Apparently we were all majoring in comfort food with a concentration in burgers, fries, and bar food done right. Nothing fancy here, just great service, generous portions, and food that earns an A+ in comfort. You definitely will not leave hungry!

Really cramped inside so not super plus size friendly, but I was thankful to get the big booth on…read morethe corner. Amazing food, worth the price. Waitress was really busy and wasn't super attentive but she was polite and accurate with our orders so it all worked out :)) Really want to try this place out at breakfast time soon. Great Moscow mules with a ton of flavor options, one of my favorites in DSM so far (other than copper cup, of course!!).

Stopped by while waiting on some friends. Definitely glad I did. Really enjoyed chatting with the…read morebartender. Theur a/c was on fleek. They have totally cleaned up and organized this venue since it was previously Buddies. I'm definitely glad they are still friendly. Prices were very reasonable. Service was the fastest in town. With a little dance and a tune on the side. I'm so glad I wandered in here on such a peaceful evening.

New bar in the east village with a strong nod to the original Gas Lamp. Small stage for live music…read more(super small!), popcorn machine and dart board (plus some other games. Limited seating but they also have a patio that we didn't check out. According to their Facebook page they have happy hour and late night specials. Hot dogs available after 9pm and some nights they have activities (Wednesday is trivia night). Definitely going to be a stop on our EV bar crawl.

This used to be Es Tas for years and opened as Stan Tap last January. I really like the food and…read moreservice under new management. I would recommend.

Private parking lot out back. Enter on the backside or out front. Lots of locals stop here. They…read moremake their own chex mix which was fantastic. The drinks were cheap and done well. Bartenders were very friendly. Locals were also friendly which is not always the case. Great experience and would definitely return.