Fleur Cinema & Café — Local services in Des Moines

So, if you want to see a smaller, indie or “arthouse” release, where do you go? Fortunately, Des Moines has the Fleur Cinema & Café. While free-standing single or limited-screen theaters are declining in the Age of the Multiplex, the Fleur is thriving.

There's a reason for that. Would you like coffee or an adult beverage with your date in a cinemaphile atmosphere? Fleur has you covered. Feel like an actually home-made brownie or rice-chew instead of popcorn with your show? Try finding that down at the chain theater! Ohhhh, with REASONABLE concession and ticket prices, did I add that? It's not glass, chrome and stainless-steel with self-serve multi-pour dispensers for your drinks, and add-your-own popcorn butter, but I like that.

Ask the kid at the chain what your movie's about, and they'll probably know the principle cast. Ask a server at the Fleur about the cinematography and you might get a fifteen-minute compare-and-contrast. If you're waiting for theater seating, there are comfortable group seating areas in the lobby. You can play one-up guessing games with the movie icons on the wall posters, see how many of these films you know by image alone, said servers to be final arbiters.

It's a little bit hard to find, set-in on the east side of a rather busy section of the same-named street (look for the wedge-shaped Fleur Cinema signs at the street entrance north of the Hy-vee), but, for a different kind of movie experience, worth the hunt. Highly...

I find the Fleur Cinema & Cafe the best place in the Des Moines Metro area to go to movies. I have always enjoyed watching movies in a theater because the experience is so much more engrossing. You don’t have the chatter, the household disturbances, the temptation to check your email or your texts. It just allows you to be able to fully immerse yourself in the story unfolding. Plus I like being out of my house, it feels more like an event.

The environment of the Fleur is welcoming and comfortable. Parking is easy and plentiful. . The staff more than friendly and very efficient and theaters are clean and comfortable. We always get the popcorn with real butter. I like the hot majestic mint tea and my husband usually gets some of the freshly made treats. They also have beer and wine.

They show really good movies. I hope more people come out and give the Fleur a try. The pandemic set them back and now that they are reopened and better than ever they deserve a chance to...

Fleur is my favorite theater in the Des Moines area. They tend to screen smaller indie films, and will typically have about 4 films showing at a time. They serve coffee, beer, wine, and baked goods, in addition to popcorn and soda. The lobby is really cute, and the theater is staffed by really nice people. The auditoriums are not the fanciest new technology, the seats are old and outdated, and due to the location near the airport, you might hear an occasional plane fly overhead, but I still find the experience of watching a movie here to be very immersive. The crowds tend to be older than at standard theaters (I expect partially due to not playing many films that directly cater to children), and I get the impression they care more about quality films. As a MoviePass member, I always choose to see a film at Fleur, even if it is playing elsewhere. It's nice to be able to support a true local establishment, and I'm happy to have them...