El Bait Shop — Restaurant in Des Moines

Very poor. We called ahead to let them know we had a party of 14 to make sure they were able to accommodate us. When we arrived they were busy. We waited for a table, had to ask several times for a menu. We finally gave drink orders, of the 6 beers ordered they were out of 4. Margaritas were good but it took 30 minutes to get the drinks and then at least 2 were missing and had to be reordered. Basically the same thing happened with the food. 30 minutes at least and 3 meals missing. The sandwiches were ok and warm, the fries cold. When we asked the waitress how much longer it would be she said "chicken takes longer" I'm not quite sure what that had to do with us since no one ordered chicken. (though I have been told they have good broasted chicken and I almost ordered it - glad I didn't.) Since we had already spent 1 1/2 hours waiting on the food I asked for to go boxes and the checks as the food was delivered.Good thing. I went inside and spoke to the manager. She said well this is a holiday and all her wait staff wanted today off. Hmmm. Management problem? Her reply to that was "oh well" and a shrug of her shoulders. Since when does a good manager go into a holiday weekend understaffed when she knows they will be busy and why when we called first did they not tell us they were swamped and expected a delay. So basically it took 2 hours to get our drinks, food and checks. In comparison the following day I stopped a smaller restaurant(Roma's in Bonham Tx) that was also swamped,The had at least 3 tables with 10 or more per table besides the normal 2-4 people per table. The service was excellent, never once did I ask for a tea glass to be refilled, the bread basket was never empty. The waiter was hustling, never once complained about how busy he was. The food was hot ( and very good by the way). I told the manager/hostess that the service was fantastic. If you have 2 hours to wait and willing to take what ever they happen to have on hand the Bait shop is the place to go. Wasn't real happy with the waitress but really the blame here is on the management. The customers should not have to deal with her inability to manage...

While the food was hit or miss, the atmosphere and beer list was incredible. Plus the pricing was extremely reasonable. The service was fast and friendly, and they were so accommodating with our large group.

I went twice this week - and the food was a different experience both times. Across the board, appetizers are solid. the cheese curds were delicious, and the fried pickle spears were great. The second time, we got the Lil smokies and I thought they were tasty.

For main the first time I got the rarebit burger. Not my favorite - but not bad either. The patties were a bit dry and the sauce had to do a lot of heavy lifting. Second time I got the prime rib sandwich. That was excellent - though I gave half of it to my friend who got the pork tenderloin sandwich and did not care for it at all. The pork cutlet was dry and tough, overall a very boring sandwich. I would recommend the prime rib though! They seem to go heavy on the salt for a lot of things - the gravy on the mashed potatoes, the poutine, the prime rib dip sauce, so order extra water 😅

The beer selection was bonkers. I could go on, but I'll keep it short - there is truly something for everyone, and they all tasted fresh.

The atmosphere is great with some really dope murals. Ecclectic and chaotic in the best way. Something to look at in every corner.

If I'm ever back in Des Moines, I'd certainly go back for some cheese curds, a prime rib dip and a couple of beers. We kept remarking how we wished this was closer to our hotel so we could pop down for some apps and...

A must-stop for anyone who loves beer whether you live in the area or are from out of town. As advertised, it has the largest selection of American craft brews in the world with 262 on tap (at the time of writing this). If you can't find a favorite, old or new, on their extensive menu, you must be doing something wrong.

Besides the beer, it also has a fun and extensive menu. Choose from favorites like the Velvet Elvis Dip, Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots, Broasted Chicken and more. Several items have been featured on The Travel Channel. Whatever you do, make sure to get a side of tots instead of fries. It's not like you can just get tots anywhere.

The restaurant itself has a roadhouse feel with plenty of tables surrounded by the huge tap wall and beer signs and stickers galore. I don't think there's a bare piece of wall without some sort of art or decor. On nice days, feel free to sit out on the large patio at the picnic tables or belly up to the outdoor bar.

Lastly, come for the staff. I've made many friends out of the friendly, fun, knowledgeable staff here. Give Pete a shoutout -- he's usually working behind the bar and man does he know his beer. Whether it's Pete or anyone else on staff, I love to just tell them what I like and ask for a beer recommendation. They usually know best.

One of my favorite places in Des Moines....