HiFi Brew Lounge — Restaurant in West Des Moines

My husband and I went to HiFi Brew Lounge for dinner tonight after hearing a lot about it recently. It just opened a couple weeks ago and occupies the old Fox Brewing location. We were a little underwhelmed with our food but thought the inside looked very nice and had a fun vibe to it.

I ordered the birria grilled cheese sandwich. It had pepper jack and American cheese on it and came with a consommé dipping sauce. My husband got the Bulgogi BBQ Sloppy Joe that came with a kimchi slaw on it. We both got tater tots for our sides. Both of our sandwiches were not very warm and my husband said his meat was cold. I was expecting my sandwich to be gooey and melty with cheese oozing out of it. The cheese was firm and coagulated as it had cooled. Our tots were hot and crispy though. I think they let our sandwiches sit while they were waiting for the tots to cook. I would have have sent it back and had them reheat it but I was hungry and didn’t want to wait.

The birria didn’t taste like it had much seasoning on it and the Bulgogi Sloppy Joe just tasted like lightly seasoned ground beef with pickled cabbage on it. I have no illusions about ordering so called “ethnic” food from a bar and have no expectations of it tasting authentic, but I would expect it to have some of the seasonings/flavor of what it’s supposed to represent. I tasted the Sloppy Joe and it had none of the seasonings that Bulgogi has, so I wouldn’t recommend getting it unless you want to be disappointed. The menu is small but the prices are pretty reasonable.

I will say that the service was very good. Our waiter was friendly and on the ball. He was attentive without being overly so. He did an awesome job. The decor was upscale and had a luxe look with a black velvet damask print wallpaper on the walls. There were also black-and-white photos of various ‘70s bands scattered throughout the restaurant. There’s a dining area downstairs and another one upstairs as well. There’s also an outdoor patio upstairs. The place isn’t huge so it kind of feels intimate and cozy.

I guess it’s really just typical bar food but I was expecting a little better. I would try the place out again but I think I’d wait a few months before...

Response to owner: Hi! We never told anyone that he didn't like his food. You all were obviously busy and we didn't want to add to the stress. He ate some of my food and enjoyed it. Also, not sure where the e-maill would come from because he'd never do that. I'm fairly sure you've got us mixed up with someone else. I still gave y'all 4 stars because my experience was pretty good 😊 He can write about his own if he wishes. This is my personal review. My only complaint is time spent waiting for food. I have faith you'll work on it.

Original Post: My partner recently attended a Christmas work party here and wanted me to check it out since it's a fairly new restaurant. We came in right before 1pm today (Saturday) and looked over the menu which was listed as brunch. Not sure if normal lunch items or dinner were available, too.

We were seated right away in a comfortable booth. Apparently, there was only one server but he did a fantastic job taking care of all the tables! I think I counted 6. We pretty much all sat and ordered at the same time but the server made sure we all had what we needed. Our appetizer came out about 7 minutes after ordering. The cheese triangles were good. Not exactly the gooey type of cheese I prefer, but I liked them--especially with the marinara. The rest of the food took ~30 more minutes but mine was personally worth the wait. I ordered the Ratatouille Ragu with an over-easy egg on top. It's listed as a shareable item, but I got it as my meal. My partner ordered the Birria and Egg Burrito but it was kind of disappointing. Birria is a well-seasoned Mexican stew and fusion dishes that include Birria are usually pretty moist but this burrito was bone dry, flavorless, and cold. The hash brown patty it was served with was also as hard as a puck. Oh well, he'll have to try something else next time! He didn't order anything else this time for fear it would take too long. Other than the burrito, the rest of our...

It's a small place, so even though it's a bit noisy I think they've done a really good job with the interior to differentiate it from Fox Brewing. The branding is fun, but there isn't anything Hi-Fi about the environment. Kudos on the dramatic wallpaper. Each time I have visited there have been small children throughout the lounge, which seemed very out of place. I would have considered Fox a more casual atmosphere, but not once did I see children at the bar.

The kitchen has some good potential, though the prices are up there with the well-established downtown restaurants. The food is hit or miss, though the presentation has been consistently good. It seems to have an identity crisis between an upscale bistro, or hot salty bar food. I appreciate the experimental menu items.

The beer has been okay with few favorites or staples, and few surprises. They have already rotated a few, so it's worth trying on an ongoing basis. The cocktails price themselves like the best in the area, but the ingredients, preparation, and flavor do not match the price. I recommend trying the most unique drinks on the menu, then stick with Juniper, Handshake, Marjorie, Good News, even Winchester.

Service has ranged from curt to overwhelmingly accommodating. Don't expect a single-owner hometown bar vibe. Their staffing is brand new, and the place is still feeling out its vibe.

I don't think I would have given up The Blind Pig for this, though I'm sure a lounge is sexier from an owner perspective. I'll keep checking it out to see how this...