By Jared Curtis
Copa Cavana
The soul of the Caribbean, in the heart of Des Moines
After more than two years of construction and remodeling, the festive island-themed Copa Cavana has finally opened its doors.
“It’s been a lot of work, but once we got going we were excited about the potential and we knew it was going to be a success,” said Belefia Parks, co-owner.
Located in the former Ingersoll Dinner Theater, Copa Cavana brings a new dynamic to the popular Ingersoll scene.
“We wanted to take the Ingersoll bar scene a step further,” Parks said. “You can stop by for dinner, grab some drinks and then dance the night away.”
Inside you’ll find large booths and plenty of tables spread throughout the three-tier restaurant/bar. There is a VIP area where guests can receive bottle service, and the walls showcase tropical themed paintings. Even though it’s all appealing, the giant stage catches your eye as soon as you walk in.
“The stage is the center of entertainment,” said Mic Check, entertainment director. “We’ll be having live entertainment — music, plays, comedians, arts shows, hair shows — Wednesday through Saturday. It’ll be a great mixture with something for everybody.”
Hungry patrons will enjoy a wide variety of Cuban and tropical themed dishes including roasted pork, jerk shrimp/chicken, fried plantains, salads, sandwiches and dessert. Other gems include refreshing cucumber water and a tasty mango salsa.
“The menu is based around Cuban and island flavors,” parks said. “We have something for everybody from pork to chicken to fish to vegetarian dishes.”
Happy Hour runs from 5 to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Patrons can enjoy $3 Coronas, $2 domestics and $3.50 margaritas. The bar also serves a wide variety of specialty drinks including the Rude Cosmo, the Exotic Bird, the Havana Mojito and their most popular drink — the Pink Flamingo.
“We brought the Pink Flamingo back from Jamaica. It’s kind of like four drinks in one. It has a fruity taste and goes down smooth, but it packs a punch,” Parks said.
Along with Happy Hour, the bar will be offering nightly specials.
“Every night will offer a different drink special every hour, so customers can get a taste of our wide varieties of drinks,” Parks said.
The bar will hold its grand opening red carpet event on Friday, Oct. 22. Patrons can enjoy free champagne and appetizers from 5 to 8 p.m. There will also be live music from Bella Soul. The party rolls onto Saturday, Oct. 23 with Miami VJ Julian Serrano.
“Our goal is to become the home of live entertainment in Des Moines,” Check said.
With so much time and effort put into the remodeling process, the owners of Copa Cavana are excited for patrons to finally enjoy the finished project.
“We offer a safe and comfortable tropical atmosphere with a friendly and knowledgeable staff and a wide variety of live entertainment,” Parks said. “No matter how your day is going, stop in and let all your worries go away.” CV
caption: Head chef Alejandro Alvarado, co-owner Faisal Samara, co-owner Belefia Parks and bartender James Winters show an array of the items to eat and drink, available at Copa Cavana, 3711 Ingersoll Ave. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch) and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m.) daily.
