Daytona's Sports Bar
| Address » | 4875 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines IA (Map) |
| Phone » | (515) 331-0996 |
| Website » | n/a |
| Downtown » | No |
| Type » | Bar | Restaurant |
| Tags » | Pizza | Sports Bar |
| Avg User Rating » |
   (based on 7 reviews) |
| Details » | Look for the red monster truck and stock car off the side of Merle Hay Road and you'll find Daytona's sports bar. Needless to say, there's an obvious racing theme, and a subtle Hooters theme. It's actually sort of a Hooter's knock-off which is a bit lame, but the food makes up for it.
Inside you'll find a couple motorcycles on display and random car parts throughout (including lights made of air filters and bar stools made of wheels). Some of the waitresses probably shouldn't be wearing such small clothes, but the same goes for the Hooter's girls also... but you're going for the food anyway, right? As for food, Daytona's has some great bar food - good pizza, good wings, good sandwiches, and a lot of beer on tap. Plus they have some awesome lunch specials. So the next time you're looking for a sandwich and fries, pizza, or wings, I'd encourage you to check out daytona's (as long as you can look past the Nascar stuff). |
| User Reviews | |
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User Reviews (7 reviews)
Apr 10, 2008 Gunther
Good concept, better than avg food, but lousy atmosphere. I used to go there frequently---mainly for the beer/food, but haven't for a couple months or so---couldn't deal w/ the negs below:
The good:
1) Portions are huge; food is consistently good.
2) Servers are nice/attentive most of the time--but don't bother going because of the servers, except one stunner.
3) Owner/mgr seems like a nice guy--had an issue a few times w/ the food, and he was very responsive.
4) Lots of different beers.
5) Lots of different beers.
The bad:
1) Env control is poor---sometimes FREEZING, sometimes STUFFY; apparently no smoke movers---so smoke looms thickly. To amplify, cigar smokers seems to hang out here.
2) Large screens are junk---up-front TV is almost unintelligible---it's either old, or miscalibrated. Also, tap handles and bar junk obscure lower portions of the screen---game scores are often hidden. They did install a bunch of new flat-panels on the sides---which helps some if you're in those areas.
3) The annoying gong or bell they ring periodically. If you don't have a headache but want one, then step up to the bar--you won't have to wait long.
4) A wierdo sometimes work the bar---can't quite tell what's wrong, but something's very wrong.
Hope this help---definately not down on Daytona's, but there are some issues you should be aware of.
Jan 03, 2008 Danielle
Daytona's is a great place to go. The atmosphere is great, the wait staff is awesome, and I definitely disagree with Amanda, maybe she is just a little jealous that she doesn't look as great as the waitresses there. So what if they have runs in their pantyhose? They are working! What do you expect?! The food is awesome, and there are 30 beers on tap, PLUS they have a TON of tvs, including 2 big screens!
Mar 29, 2007 Amanda
This place is a cheap version of Hooters. The decor is tacky, the waitresses are tacky, and the service is poor. Not recommended unless you want cold, lacking food served by trashy waitresses with runs in their panty hose.
Dec 01, 2005 Dave
The food is good and the waitresses are hot! I think this place is better than Hooters!
The racing theme is more subtle than I would have thought considering the name... I passed this place up for a long time thinking it might be a redneck bar, but it isn't.
The only bad thing I can say about Daytona's is they no longer have Lazer's Humpday Happy hour, because that was a lot of fun!
May 28, 2005 Jenaside
Lazer103.3's Humpday Happy Hour. Moose. Great food. Good beer. All of these factors combine to make a wonderful hangout on a Wednesday night. Come join Moose from Lazer103.3 and (sometimes) the Lazer Rock Girls at Daytona's on Wednesday nights and you surely won't be unhappy. Great music plays while games are on the tvs (including that one game where you play against everyone in the bar -- always a blast!) and inevitably there is a Challenge of some sort. I've seen people freezing their tushes off while their legs are soaking in a bucket of ice and water (mostly ice), I've seen people eat jalapenos as fast as they can, and much more. Moose and company's challenges are always disgusting and rarely lame. The prizes are worth fighting for -- concert tickets, DVDs, movie tickets, and other entertainment-related items. Check it out!
May 13, 2005 NicoleK
Daytona’s A Better Hooters.
Not only do I think the atmosphere is better, but so is the food. There is no question who their target audience is: Men (and women who love them some Nascar). But the uniform is nothing you wouldn’t see at The State Fair. However, the staff that wears the uniform are usually rude and not very focused
If you want to watch the big game, enjoy some decent (better than most) bar food, then round up some friends and go to A Better Hooters. They also have good after work specials and game day specials.
Apr 08, 2005 Shane
Been here a couple times to watch a game or whatever. Never had any problems. Waitress's dress similar to Hooter's girls, but the atmosphere is a little more conducive to a date or family outing IMO. Decent wings and beer, that's all I've had. Easy to get to: south of 35/80 on Merle Hay, look for a monster truck
Go during an NFL game, grab a wireless board and play the points game, you try to call the next play, it's fun, you play against everyone else in the restaurant