Kelly's Little Nipper — Restaurant in Des Moines

I'd like to give this place more of a 3.75. I went with a friend who was on a quest for the perfect tenderloin. It had to be thick & have a perfectly proportioned amount of breading to meat. She ordered the tenderloin with onion rings.

We were sitting outside and there was a divine smell of smoked pork. There weren't any smoked pork items on the menu. I asked about it and the waitress told me she had completely forgotten they had cooked pork as well as brisket and there were pulled pork sandwiches. I had been looking at their loaded nachos that could be ordered with brisket and asked if they could be served with pork. I ate so many smokey nachos in Memphis that just the memory makes me happy. The waitress agreed to make my nachos with pork and brought our food out.

Everything was as ordered but I should have asked more about the nachos. Apparently, according to my dining companion, nachos are normally served with this gooey nacho cheese sauce. It was a shock to me. I remember my southern nachos where the chips were laid out in a thin layer and sprinkled with a blend of smoked cheeses then popped into a broiler to melt. Hunks of pulled pork were added on and BBQ sauce and any traditional toppings you wanted came on the side. The nachos I received were a far cry from that. The pulled pork that was on them was good but had a bit too much sweet sauce or rub. Again though, this was my fault for not asking questions.

My friend said her tenderloin was appropriately thick and good but it lacked flavor in the meat and the texture of the breading was too consistent. She grew up in southeastern Iowa and the sandwiches she ate were from pork sourced from local farmers so the meat had more flavor. They were hand breaded with bread crumbs and crushed saltiness. Good luck finding that these days unless you can find a small restaurant in the country. She thought her onion rings were just okay but I thought they were great. I like thin batter and real slices of onions and these definitely fit the bill.

The service was good and the waitress was very nice. When you walk in though, it is definitely a bar first & foremost. When we walked in at lunch time, you would be hard pressed to guess the time from the dim interior. We sat outside though on a small but cute patio so the interior...

Birthday brunch at Kelly’s Little Nipper! We’ve been meaning to check this place out for a while, and I finally made it one of my birthday wishes—and I’m glad we did.

We grabbed seats at the bar (because of course we did), and were lucky to be served by the owner’s daughter, who was also training a new hire. Even after a late night, she didn’t miss a beat—friendly, efficient, and totally on top of things. Absolute rock star.

The vibe here is eclectic and full of character—definitely a bit old and quirky, but clean and packed with personality. You can tell this place has seen its share of good times. Heads up: the floors are decidedly not level, so tread carefully!

We kicked things off with some solid Bloody Marys—simple but done right. (Yes, I added a beer back. No regrets.)

Kim ordered the Kelly’s Steak Sandwich ($16)—loaded, fresh, and delicious. I went for the brisket tacos ($15) with a side of onion rings (+$2). The tacos had great flavor thanks to the tender brisket, but they were a little heavy on the sauce for my taste. Still a solid pick.

Being Sunday, we were treated to a free order of Kelly’s Corn ($6 value), with explicit instructions not to eat it too early and to try it with the house bread. We followed directions—and yes, it was delicious.

The cook was super friendly, working hard in a very tiny kitchen, and even popped out to check on us a couple times. You don’t always see that level of attention.

By the time we left, the place had really filled up—clearly a neighborhood favorite. We’ll absolutely be back.

Pro tip: Check their website or social pages for live music nights. The outdoor venue looks awesome, and we were kicking ourselves a little for not planning around that.

One small note to the owner: There were quite a few flies around the dining area—not terrible, but noticeable. They mostly kept to themselves, but still a bit...

Don’t count on them answering or the kitchen being open when it’s supposed to be, even on a Saturday night.

I checked online at 10:10pm and it stated they were open until 12am and the kitchen was open 11pm. I tried calling to place an order just for a few appetizers just as their website said to do and no one answered so no worries, I gave it a couple minutes and called back and again no answer. I decided to get in the car and head over there and just place an order in person if they wouldn’t answer the phone by the time I would arrive at 10:35pm.

Sure enough, no answer and I arrived at 10:35pm. I asked to place an order for a few appetizers to go and they said the kitchen was closed.

It is not hard to answer the phone and simply tell someone the kitchen is closed early to prevent them from driving all the way down there to place an order when your website says the kitchen is open until 11pm and the kitchen it already closed at 10:35pm.

Would have loved to try it because the appetizers looked great and I love supporting local businesses but I will now never even...