The festival may end at midnight, but there is still plenty to do in Des Moines. Whether you are interested in listening to some more live music, grabbing a beer or a bite to eat, or looking for something fun to do, here is a list of some of the hottest places to see and hang when the stages are cleared.
City Guides
See Des Moines – The official convention, sports and visitor resource for Greater Des Moines. Mobile web also available.
Metromix Restaurant Guide – Find great places to ear near the festival grounds.
East Village – Shops, galleries, restaurants, clubs – the East Village has a lot to offer.
Downtown Community Alliance – Everything you need to know when visiting downtown Des Moines.
Ingersoll District – You’ll find a number of shops and eats lining Ingersoll Avenue.
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority – Gas is expensive. Take the bus. DART busses are clean, reasonably priced, cover the greater metro area, and have front mounted bike racks so you can take your wheels along for the ride.
Live Music
The Vaudeville Mews, 212 4th St. (515) 243-3270 – A venue for live music of multiple genres that’s located in the hub of Des Moines’ entertainment district.
The House of Bricks, 525 East Grand Ave. (515) 727- 4370 – For Des Moines’ best live music.
People’s Court, 216 Court Ave. (515) 422-5128 – A huge stage with local and national acts playing.
504 Club, 504 East Locust St. Des Moines’ newest music club.
Eat and Drink
Downtown
The Lift, 222 Fourth St. (515) 288-3777 – With walls covered with local art, the DJs, and great drinks, The Lift is a place you can’t pass up if you are in the area.
Royal Mile, 210 4th St (515) 280-3771 – English pub and restaurant.
High Life Lounge, 200 SW 2nd St. – Located close to Principal Park, the bar’s deck is a popular pre-game meet-up spot, with Old Style on tap and cans for $2.
El Bait Shop, 200 SW 2nd St. (515) 284-1970 – The best beer selection in town. More than 100 American Craft beers on tap.
Hessen Haus, 101 4th St (515) 288-2520 – Des Moines’ only authentic German beer hall.
Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Co., 309 Court Ave. (515) 282-2739 – Stop in to experience award-winning cuisine, highly quality beer in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere.
Proof 1301 Locust Street (515) 244-0655 – Contemporary Mediterranean fare right within the festival grounds.
Ritual Café 1301 Locust Street (515) 288-4872 – Great coffee shop with food within the festival grounds.
Java Joes Coffeehouse 214 4th Street (515) 288-5282 – Delicious coffee in the heart of the Court Ave. District.
Raccoon River Brewery 200 10th Street (515) 362-5222 – Local microbrewery only a few blocks from the festival grounds.
Django 210 10th St, (515) 288-0268 – French restaurant very close to the festival grounds within the Hotel Fort Des Moines.
Centro 1011 Locust St (515) 244-7033 – Italian restaurant.
Fong’s Pizza 223 4th Street (515) 323-3333 – Open until 2am, slices starting after 10pm.
Smokey D’s BBQ 1200 West Locust Street (515) 288-1000 – Award winning BBQ.
Sbrocco Wine Bar & Wine Shop 208 Court Avenue (515) 282-3663 – Huge selection of wines.
Splash 303 Locust St Ste. 100 (515) 244-5689 – Quality seafood.
Indian Grill 500 Grand Ave Ste 210 (888) 402-0813
Canton Korean & Chinese Food Express 501 West Locust Street (515) 282-4202 – The only place in Des Moines that serves Korean cuisine and it’s delicious.
East Village
Miyabi 9 512 East Grand Avenue (515) 288-8885 – BEST sushi in town!
Olympic Flame, 514 East Grand Avenue (515) 243-4361 – Greek food, amazing gyros.
The Underground 500 East Locust Street (515) 243-4322
Baby Boomer’s Café 303 East 5th Street (515) 244-9107
Lucca 420 East Locust Street (515) 243-1115
The Blazing Saddle 416 East 5th Street (515) 246-1299
The Garden 112 Southeast 4th Street (515) 243-3965
The Continental 428 East Locust Street (515) 244-5845
Sherman Hill/Drake/Ingersoll/Roosevelt
Flanagan’s Restaurant & Lounge, 2120 Ingersoll Ave. (515) 243-3333 – A great Irish pub with a hearty breakfast on Sunday mornings.
Carl’s Place, 1620 Woodland Ave. (515) 243-9727 – One of the best neighborhood bars in Des Moines.
Big Tomato Pizza Co., 2613 Ingersoll Ave. (515) 288-7227 – Pizza by the slice and open late.
Palmer’s Deli and Market, 2843 Ingersoll Ave. (515) 274-4004 – Fresh food served daily.
Gateway Market, 2002 Woodland Ave. (515) 280-5410 – A fun and fresh place to eat, shop and hang out.
Mars Café 2318 University Ave. (515) 369-6277 – One of the best coffee houses in town, a lot of 80/35 organizing is done here.
Adong 1511 High St. (515) 284-5632 – Des Moines’ best Vietnamese restaurant.
Manhattan Deli 3705 Ingersoll Ave. (515) 274-1208 – Not to miss sandwiches.
La Mie Bakery 841 42nd Street (515) 255-1625 – great pastries, breakfast and lunch options.
Hoshi Sushi 2314 University Avenue (515) 369-7253
Uncle Wendell’s BBQ 2716 Ingersoll Avenue (515) 288-3207
Woody’s Smoke Shack 2511 Cottage Grove Ave (515) 710-4511
Star Bar 2811 Ingersoll Ave (515) 244-0790 Large appetizer selection and live music and events throughout the week.
Lime Lounge 2706 Ingersoll Ave (515) 333-4643
Greenwood Lounge 3707 Ingersoll Avenue (515) 277-1219 One of Des Moines’ oldest bars. So, if you want a dive bar this is top notch. And yes, this dive bar has a website… It’s historic. Established in 1933.
Jethro’s BBQ 3102 Forest Avenue (515) 279-3300 Good BBQ with a sports bar feel.
Bistro Montage 2724 Ingersoll Avenue (515) 557-1924
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure 2723 Ingersoll Avenue (515) 244-7694
Want to picnic instead of dine out? Try The Downtown Farmer’s Market (every Saturday morning 6:00am to noon), The Gateway Market, Campbell’s Nutrition, Dahl’s, Hy-Vee, Fareway, or try Yelp for listings on a number of other small markets and convenience stores.
Misc fun things to do!
Like the music you heard at 80/35? Stop by ZZZ Records to pick up the CD. Support local music!
Best Place Ever 1159 24th St, Des Moines, IA 50311 (515) 255-4332 Independently owned and operated video rental store with a viewing room for an extremely small fee. They carry over 7,000 rare, foreign, cult, classic, new & indie films!
The Fleur Cinema & Café 4545 Fleur Dr, Des Moines, IA 50321-2331 (515) 287-4545
The Varsity Theatre 1207 25th St, Des Moines, IA 50311-3053 (515) 277-0404
The Des Moines Social Club 400 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 288-3672
Parks / Recreation
Des Moines Parks and Recreation – Look under “Fun in the Great Outdoors” for trails, parks, and other recreational facilities in Des Moines.
Water Works Parks – Located across from Gray’s Lake, the parks maintained by the Des Moines Water Works feature miles of trails, fishing, sports fields, disc golf, and several picnic areas with grills and tables.
Blank Park Zoo – An AZA accredited zoo whose mission is to inspire an appreciation of the natural world through conservation, education and recreation.
Des Moines Botanical Center – Featuring a Geodesic Dome conservatory and a number of surrounding gardens.
Hy-Vee Hall of Pride- 303 Park St Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 280-8969 Located within Wells Fargo Arena.
