Thao and Kara welcomed us to our first visit to the Smoking Goat Pub like we were family. We…read morestumbled upon this place through a different channel, and decided to give it a try. We are so glad we did. The atmosphere is a dicey but very clean and the vibe looks like a great time. It was a quiet afternoon but the ladies went out of their way to make us feel like we belonged. This visit was only for a couple of cocktails but we saw some food come from the kitchen and it looked on point! Kara made a tasty treat and shared it with some of at the bar and that sealed the deal! We will be back in to give it a shot. I will update my review on the food after that! See you soon!

Stopped in for lunch, had the (really good) house specialty burger. The service was excellent and…read morethe staff was friendly. Didn't get to sample any of their beers but the selection was definitely appealing.

I was in town visiting and Iowa Taproom was my first stop for dinner on recommendation from a…read morecoworker. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Iowa taproom, the beer is great and they have a very wide selection of options as well as sours too. The tenderloin was perfectly fried and crispy along with the fries. The cheese curds were very perfectly crispy and cheesy too. And we loved the Philly cheesesteak eggrolls. If you like Philly cheesesteak get these. Overall had a great experience at Iowa taproom and the service was great

I stopped in on a Friday night with a small group of friends and we were seated right away. It took…read morea little bit for our sever to come to us, but we didn't mind. We ordered drinks and food. Both came out without having to wait too long. Everyone enjoyed their meal here. I wouldn't say there's anything super special we couldn't wait to eat again, but good food and reasonable prices is a win for me. Our favorite part about this place is how many beers on tap they have. It's so fun to get a flight and try lots of local craft drinks. Definitely the place to be for a few drinks and good vibes with friends.

Was a little confused about where to go because the exterior didn't match the name of the business…read more But I trusted my nose and followed that amazing smell of chicken! The women who welcomed us and took our order were so friendly and the chef let us know it would take a bit because he was dropping it in hot. I was surprised to find several drummies instead of a big piece of chicken but made sharing much easier. Chicken was hot and crispy and seasoning was amazing! The waffle was good but was outshone by the chicken. Overall amazing experience and will be following this business and checking them out again!

Chicken, Waffle and syrup, who knew!!!!! My first time eating this combination, experiencing the…read moreKitchen Space and eating from GG's Chicken and Waffles. It was also my first Yelp perks event. Instructions were not clear on what to do when I arrived. Was able to see someone was asking who were at a laptop. A man came out and announced they were going to be making our meals fresh and they would start coming out. I made the assumption he was the chef and owner. I would have enjoyed hearing the history of the business and more from the event coordinators. Hearing their story would add to my word of mouth references when someone asks what have we been doing that is new. When the food came out it was piping hot. It would have easily made a 20 minute drive home and still stay fresh. I choose the original chicken. It had good classic flavor and appearance. I was surprised it was wings and drumsticks as I was expecting a large chicken breast or thigh. The smaller chicken was easier to eat and manage. Chicken was not crisp which made it feel more home made then other restaurant too. It looked and tasted hand breaded which was a great treat and I prefer. The waffle was nice sweet add to the meal. I will definitely try this combination again. As we were eating, we were served fresh peach cobbler. It was so hot it steamed when I opened the container. I immediately stopped eating the chicken and moved to the dessert. It was delicious. Runner then cobblers I typically have. There was enough food I shared with my spouse when returning home.

Gerri's has become a staple for my family and I when we are in the mood for some wings. We stopped…read morehere for the first time on a bar crawl and have been back 10 + times since. The wings are the best in town. They are crispy and full of flavor. You can only with the wings baked or with buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce is delicious you don't even need ranch. There's a kick to the sauce but it's not too spicy. A platter and an extra 8 wings with a side of fries serves 4 of us. Most people here are coming for wings, so sometimes it is a little bit of a wait, but it's so worth it. The place is seat yourself with the bartender as the server. It can get busy on weekends, we have always had quick and attentive service. There are a few TVs but not a bunch if you're looking to watch a game. If you're on the hunt for some good wings and cold beer this is the place to be!

Dive bar just next to the Iowa State Fair Grounds. Small…read morelittle parking lot that will be completely full when the fair starts. This place has been know for the awesome wings for a long time. It has been a long time since my last visit. We got a hankering and decided to go out of our way to make a stop. W - We stepped right in and sat at the bar on a Thursday evening, I - I was helped right away by the lovely waitress behind the bar. N - Naked wings or smothered in their sauce they come out hot. G - Getting the platter of wings. It was lots of wings for 2 people. S - Sizzling platter and very tasty. The cost of everything has gone up over the years. Nothing you can do about that if you want a place to survive. We shared the platter. The hubby got 2 on tap beers. The tab was $55. The crispy wings are great. I ate my fill and we still left with some. They came out in good time. Ranch provided in squirt bottles so you can get your fill. I really enjoyed the service, the ambiance and food. Yes it was a little high, and yes it smells like a dive bar but the wings are still good.

Great Korean Fried chicken!…read more You'll spend a decent bit, but you will end up with lots of food and sides! Great flavor on the wings and the sides were well prepared as well. Service took just a few minutes to have our food delivered on a decently busy Friday night, but I think that was more so due to having to make our food to be fresh!

We have eaten here a few times and we like it. The chicken is a little hit or miss i feel like…read moresometimes its so super saucy and pooling in the container and other times its half naked? We tried every side today because my in laws were visiting who havent had much Korean food and were not sure what they would like. And a little of each sauce. The black garlic was my fav but its very thick so not a great texture for everyone; not overwhelmingly garlic. The lava egg was delicious, very spicy especially with the little red pepper slices. I eat a lot of spicy food and it still gave me hiccups, but not so spicy I was sweating or tearing up. A healthy pang of spice but not a complex flavor and it disappears pretty quick from the mouth. The double dunk everyone liked very good texture good mix of sweet and spicy. The sweet butter one we got the kids was good not spicy at all but extra sticky. I liked it but preferred the double dunk. The asian bbq I really disliked but everyone else liked it; it was very strong saltiness and sweet. MiL ordered the pork ribs which were fine, a little tough but good flavor. The kids wanted fries so we added some on but they tasted a little stale and the spice mix on them wasnt popular they were barely eaten. The cucumber kimchi is just the cabbage with cucumber added! We got both and I was like oop. It was a little dry and not very strong to me. The sweet potato was disgusting nobody liked it. VERY strong salty muso flavor overpowering, very soft mushy sweet potato. We threw it out. The egg salad the kids loved and it was a good flavor, pretty crowded pleasing. LOVED the daikon perfect flavor texture etc. A nice snap just a bit sour. The mac was popular with the kids, I did not like the extra thick cheesy sauce personally. LOVED the spinach side dish what a surprise! Very refreshing and well cooked, a bit of sourness but not too much.

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $10 04/28/2026 Bix & Co. Our primary reason for stopping back tonight was for 'research and development' for my happyhourdesmoines.com website. This meant a smaller total check, as we only sampled a couple of Happy Hour specials - and they were quite tasty. We shared an order of Chicken Wings (see picture) and I ordered a House Margarita (see picture). The chicken wings were very good and I'll say that I enjoyed the House Margarita as much as the better ones in Mexican restaurants. We have enjoyed all of our stops at Bix & Co. and tonight was no different.

We choose Bix & Co. before a show at the Val Air…read more We started with the Cheese Curds. Cubed Wisconsin white cheddar cheese in a light and crispy beer batter with Bix's pizza sauce. Wow, amazing flavor that just smacks your taste buds awake. What a fantastic start. The Burger & Tots were good which we split. The burger is chuck, brisket, and short rib ground to perfection on a South Union Bakery Bun. The tots were nice and crispy. The pizza was fantastic! We choose Tony's combo no olives or shrooms, add onion with the Cup & Char Pepperoni and Graziano Sausage. Cracker this crust and the Bix's pizza sauce. What a fantastic pizza, so delicious and perfect. The service was great and we will be back.

The Ultimate Stop for Bikes, Beer & Bites…read more After a day of biking, we made it back to El Bait Shop with some friends. This place is a solid choice, whether you're in the mood for the world's biggest selection of tap beers or some fantastic gastropub and comfort food from the lounge next door. We love it here because we can park our bikes in the provided area off the patio and still keep an eye on them. The outdoor service area is semi-shaded and the service is just as good as you'd get inside. As a beer lover, I can tell you the selection is ridiculous and expansive. If you want it, they probably have it, and from four or five different breweries at that! The menu is also loaded, with choices from both El Bait Shop and the High Life Lounge. Today, our food order was as impressive as the beer list. While I can't recall all the beers we had, the food included a Prime Rib Sandwich with tots ($14.99), the Pizza Burger also with tots ($11.99), the Philly Style Pot Roast Sandwich with a side of potato salad, and a massive bowl of Macaroni and Cheese ($11.99). We were starving after our ride, but that didn't change the fact that the food was all delicious, well-prepared, and served by our very attentive waiter, Kyle???, May. No one had any complaints, and the beer was cold and on time! Overall, we love the eclectic vibe of this place. Its downtown location gives you some great views, and more importantly, you're within walking distance of almost everything downtown Des Moines has to offer. This is a go-to spot for me, and I love taking first-time visitors here because it's so unique and the quality of both the service and the food is always on point. Oh, and did I mention the beer selection is completely insane? If you haven't been here yet, you are missing out, and you don't even know it. PRO TIP: Come here, and before you leave, slip over to the High Life Lounge for a throwback moment. Next time, start there and slip over here for a beer!

Wow this is not a dive bar, no matter who calls it that…read more We came in for a bite to eat and a beer while passing through Des Moines based on Yelp reviews. Had a sour with three fruit flavors that was lovely, and lunch of broasted chicken and beef stroganoff. The beef was surprisingly tender. Friendly service. Highly recommend this place!

Food was excellent . The service was wonderful and Scott, the manager, along with Michelle and…read moreRiley, were very polite. The other thing I didn't know is that I would be selling my children's book there.

Great food and drinks...came here for the brisket! We've…read morevisited before and received great food and service. Got the brisket AND the Memphis style ribs. Great flavor. Memphis flavor is medium level spicy. Cowboy beans, cornbread, and coleslaw were our sides. All were flavored very well and Smokey. Ordered the Mango margarita and the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Beer. Margarita was a nice light flavor. Service was excellent and very accommodating to dairy intolerance. Our server did everything she could to keep us happy. We would def go back

I really can't leave anything but five stars for this review…read more.. I walked in and the bartender/host/our server was a dear friend and former co-worker of mine who I hadn't seen in years. It took me a few seconds to recognize her. She'd went from "a kid" to a young woman since I'd last seen her. I heard the Striking Sparrow Lounge has gone through an ownership and menu change recently. That didn't mean much to me since this was my first visit to any iteration of the Striking Sparrow Lounge. Lol I popped in for a quick lunch with a current co-worker and friend of mine. The parking lot is along the West side of SE 6th St and there are quite a few spaces available. Dala greeted us right away as we walked in. She called me out immediately. And like I said it took a minute for recognition to set in. I'm 55 now. Sometimes that happens. We took a seat at a low top table and chairs. There are high tops and booths available too as well as a long "L" shaped bar and barstools. Dala popped over and took our drink orders and gave us our menus. We ordered: 1x Fountain drink (Pepsi products) 1x Unsweetened ice tea 1x Smashburger (two patties) and fries 1x Tenderloin and fries 1x Onion rings The onion rings are hand cut and breaded. We tried them with the chipotle ranch. Served hot and fresh out of the fryer... Very good! Jeremy got the smashburger. He sets his bar for burgers at Lachele's level and comes to the Striking Sparrow Lounge as a regular for trivia on Wednesday nights. He said today's was one of the best burgers he's had here. It didn't disappoint! He's probably going to order the same when he goes back tonight. I got the tenderloin and I hate to beat the same drum, but it was very compareable to the one served at Lachele's too. I really like both! Thicker and fits the bun it's served on, not a hub cap, cooked perfectly and not dried out... The kind of sandwich you want for lunch and don't need a nap to recover from when you get back to the office. Fair warning. It's served with lettuce on it so if you are a pickles, onions, and mustard purest make sure you let them know to hold the lettuce. When you're literally a stones throw from B&B you better have a decent tenderloin and burger... Lol The fries were fantastic. A little thicker. Seasoned. Fresh and hot. I wouldn't be surprised if they were double fried. They had that unmistakable crisp to them... Dala was great. Attentive. Made sure everything was good and we had what we needed. But like I said...I'm biased. We're friends and it was really great seeing her again and catching up a little. Your mileage may vary... But I doubt it. She's just always been that kind of a person. Lol Standard table service. You can pay via Toast using a QR code on your receipt and ask about their punch card program. Buy nine pizzas and/or sandwiches and get the 10th one free. Don't quote me on that... Ask your server. I also heard from Jeremy the console video games might be free to play? I should have checked out the Galaga machine to verify that! If you've never made it over to Striking Sparrow Lounge... Stop by and check them out! If you haven't been in for a while... Maybe stop in and look over the new menu!

Have seen photos before and finally went for lunch. Wasn't too busy, so we were greeted and ordered…read moretaken right away. It's a dive bar/slash bar food, but fantastic bar food. There are lots of TVs and a long bar. It's pretty dark, but they have fun lights. Service was outstanding and, again, food was great. We will be back to try more.

I looked at their menu on their website. It said my order would cost $15…read more I went to the nearby Wingstop and the wanted to charge me $22. I was quite pissed and simply walked out

great customer service fast and easy to order friendly staff store nice clean parking lot small but…read moredefinitely a great place to eat