El Bait Shop

Address » 200 SW 2nd St, Des Moines IA     (Map)
Phone » n/a
Website » n/a
Downtown » No
Type »Bar | Restaurant
Tags »American | Lounge
Avg User Rating » 3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating  (based on 4 reviews)
Details »From the same guys that brought you High Life Lounge, Hessen Haus, Royal Mile, and Red Monk comes El Bait Shop.

El Bait shop features a serious fishing theme and has 105 beers on tap, which are nearly all American microbrews. In addition they have several bottled beers.

Open 11am-2am daily.
User Reviews

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User Reviews (4 reviews)

Apr 14, 2008 3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating cambohooker

The beer selection is great, beating Old Chicago in selection of both tap beers and bottled beers. Also the atmosphere is pretty cool. That's the good. The food, it's another story. I have eaten here a hand full of times and have not really been totally satisfied. Not that the food was horrible, but there definately is something lacking. Personally, I like the High Life Lounge next door better.

Jun 26, 2007 3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating3.5-star rating eagan24

Nice beer selection and atmosphere, but I wasn't too crazy about the food (my rice was crunchy!). I'll definitely go back in the future, but for drinks and maybe an appetizer next time rather than a full meal!

Jan 29, 2007 2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating2-star rating Nick

Although it's better than High Life which also owns this joint, it puts up a better front than it really is. The beer selection is mostly crappy micro brews that no one else wants, and they probably get real cheap because of this. They have no imports afaik. Service is a little slow, but not outrageous. Atmosphere is different and a little upbeat, keeps you awake.

Apr 26, 2006 4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating4-star rating mh

Unlike some of the other themed bars from the same owners (The Royal Mile, The High Life), El Bait Shop is more of grab bag of influences. The airbrushed wall, the fishing lures around (and in) the bar, the... shower...

The menu is Mexican-inspired and fish-populated for the most part and the beer is... well, there's a hell of a lot of it. The selection on tap is mostly domestic with local brews from a number of states. Notably, most of the Rogue and Flying Dog brews are on tap, along with multiple beers from several other breweries.

Enough about the restaurant itself. We had the chips and salsa as an appetizer -- fresh and a little greasy, but the salsa was good. There are a couple specialty salsas to order on the side that I plan on trying when I return. My first meal there was the Tilapia Fish Tacos, served with black beans and rice. The beans are well-seasoned and room temperature. The tacos were tasty and seasoned with mango salsa -- more of a diced vegetable salsa than a paste-like one.

I'll definitely be back soon. My only regret is that the beer selection will likely rotate before I make it through all 105 that are on tap.