Posted December 04, 2019in Belly Up To...
Five bars, games are rolled into one. When entering the Lumber Axe on Southwest Sixth Street, a sign is posted with five options. Do you take a left to the Escape Chambers, or do you continue into the Lumber Axe, a combination bar and axe-throwing venue? Or maybe you prefer
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Posted November 06, 2019in Belly Up To...
Classic cocktails are shaken, with a spin. Take a walk inside the Winchester Pub in Valley Junction, and you’ll find the bartenders shaking things up — literally. After they’ve poured the quality spirits and fresh ingredients into the silver shaker, the bartenders expertly create their handcrafted cocktails one drink at
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Posted October 02, 2019in Belly Up To...
Urbandale bar opens early, closes late. Since 1983, Urbandale folks have kissed — or at least touched — the worn blarney stone located at the entrance just outside Mickey Finn’s. The neighborhood bar, located off Douglas Avenue, is tucked in a strip mall next to the fire station. The bar
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Posted September 04, 2019in Belly Up To...
It’s just what the doctor ordered. In a typical hospital operating room, doctors commonly ask for scalpels, gauze or a hemostat. In the Operating Room at West Glen Town Center, frequent requests for Jell-O shots, pizza and slushies are heard among the dinging, clanging and bleeping sounds of pinball and
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Posted July 31, 2019in Belly Up To...
Bellhop Tiki bar opens in East Village. Imagine a tiki bar. What comes to mind? Usually it’s in a tropical place — a hut with a thatched roof, where patrons sit on rattan bar stools, sipping fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas while relaxing with an ocean breeze nearby. So when
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Posted July 03, 2019in Belly Up To...
Striving to keep things local When Confluence Brewing Company opened up in 2012, the staff created a handful of beers inside the brewery in an industrial district close to Gray’s Lake. With potential for expansion, the grassy area in the back offered an untapped gem with the nearby bike trail.
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Posted June 05, 2019in Belly Up To...
Giant taproom breathes life into former Dahl’s grocery store. Two Ankeny businessmen, Shawn McNeeley and Jeff Heng, have taken on a mistress, which Shawn’s wife is OK with. But this mistress is something everyone can enjoy — Mistress Brewing. Mistress Brewing’s first location in Ankeny opened in 2016 with a
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Posted May 01, 2019in Belly Up To...
“Once you’re here, you’re family.” Take a drive north on Merle Hay Road through Johnston, and you’ll find old buildings mixed with new. A new Fareway and a Casey’s sit alongside staples such as Van Dees and Greenbriar. Another 26-year institution is Lynn’s on Merle Hay. The sign outside says,
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Posted April 03, 2019in Belly Up To...
A vibe that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Des Moines Since the flood of 1993, Birdland Marina’s concession stand building along the Des Moines River sat empty. Jack Daugherty lived in the neighborhood and liked the location. He suggested that the city-owned property be developed. Before long, Jack, along with
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Posted March 06, 2019in Belly Up To...
Dive bar since 1940 As I sat chatting with the bar patrons at Kelly’s Little Nipper, we pondered the bar’s appeal. Austin said it’s like the “Cheers” bar, where everyone knows your name. When we asked the millennial bartender, Elsie, if she knew what the “Cheers” reference was or if
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