Try these 6 sports bars with good food in the Des Moines metro during football season
Are you ready for some sports action? It's football season in Iowa, and that means weekends filled with college teams from Iowa State, the University of Iowa, UNI, Drake and your other favorites, as well as NFL teams. Or maybe you're following your favorite volleyball squad. You can cheer on your favorites at a local sports bar that serves good food worth the trip. Breaded pork tenderloins, pizzas, burgers, novelty wraps, great sandwiches and more make the menus at these sports bars across the metro. Here's a look at six that offer great food and loads of screens for watching all the football action.
Is your favorite sports bar with great food missing? Drop us a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
Bix & Co.
Good food comes in the form of comfort dishes and menu items celebrating Des Moines' favorite restaurants at this Valley Junction spot. Bix & Co. offers around 30 big screen TVs that mean the game is never far away. Chef Joe Formaro serves green pepper rings fried with a light batter, Wisconsin white cheddar cheese curds in a beer batter, and Italian nachos with Graziano's sausage and peppers for appetizers, as well as a crispy tavern-crust pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and a smoked Gouda grilled cheese with a caramelized onion and mushroom hash. If your game is in the morning on the weekend, pick up dishes from the new brunch that just launched.
Location: 111 Fifth St., West Des Moines
Contact: 515-661-1595 or bixandco-wdm.com
Hours: Open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Brunch runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
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The Chicken Coop
Consider The Chicken Coop with its three locations across the metro to be the candy shop of sports bars, serving a little bit of everything. The food here represents the staples of a sports bar: wings with sauces such as garlic jalapeno, Jamaican jerk, garlic Parmesan, and more, and rubs ranging from a sweet to ghost pepper; deep-fried popper bites, Irish nachos with taco meat and queso topping seasoned waffle fries; and even golden fried gizzards kick off the appetizers. Order the off-the-menu Porky Pie pizza, swapping out the barbecue chicken for pulled pork on the barbecue pizza, or try the Drunk Italian pizza with Italian sausage, onion, mushrooms, and red peppers, all marinated in Red Ale beer. Loads of TVs and draft beers on tap make all three Chicken Coop sports bars ideal locations to root for your favorite team.
Locations:
1325 S.W. Oralabor Road, Suite 212, Ankeny; 515-289-1578 or ankeny.chickencoopurbandale.com
12725 Meredith Drive, Urbandale; 515-334-2667 or urbandale.chickencoopurbandale.com
5906 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines; 515-362-8168 or westdesmoines.chickencoopurbandale.com
Hours: Hours vary by location.
More: A visitors’ guide on things to do and places to eat in and around Des Moines
G. Mig’s 5th Street Pub
Back in 2012, chef George Migliero left the Wakonda Club after 17 years and took over Valley Junction’s 5th Street Pub, revamping the menu to reflect his more upscale cooking style. He’s turned this restaurant into a destination for those who love novelty foods with their sports. The Pride of Iowa wrap came straight from its award-winning days at the Iowa State Fair with a mix of hickory smoked bacon and pork carnitas in a jalapeño cheddar tortilla, while the walking taco wrap combines ground beef taco meat and a queso drizzle. George‘s prime rib burger comes with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and Monterey jack cheese, while the baked potato pizza brings the potato wedge stuffed with bacon, a cheddar jack cheese, ranch and green onion to a pizza. Do try the Buffalo chicken dip served with warm pita. Omelets, pancakes, a breakfast croissant sandwich, and the Benedict George with thick Canadian bacon on a toasted French roll with poached eggs and hollandaise make up the weekend breakfast.
Location: 128 Fifth St., West Des Moines
Contact: 515-255-4550 or gmigs.com
Hours: Open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Order breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
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The Iowa Taproom
Located in a historic building in the East Village, this beer hall has dozens of Iowa brews on tap in a silo that houses the 100-plus kegs and a big menu of pub-grub favorites. Order Iowa favorite, the breaded pork tenderloin, for an oversized pork schnitzel on a bun, or go for the appetizer version of breaded pork tenderlings served with a honey mustard. Ham balls and cheesesteak egg rolls get any meal going. The taproom updates its long list of beers on tap weekly, so check online for your favorites.
Location: 215 E. Third St., No. 100, Des Moines
Contact: 515-243-0827 or iowataproom.com
Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
Truman’s KC Pizza Tavern
Fans of the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and especially the Kansas City Chiefs have a home for cheering on their teams at Truman's KC Pizza Tavern. Start with funnel cake fries that come with a strawberry sauce and sea salt caramel dip. French dip pizza uses a homemade Alfredo and au jus sauce as the base, then smothers it with beef, sautéed mushrooms, onions, and mozzarella, while the Penny pizza comes with Alabama white barbecue sauce, burnt ends, pulled pork, and pineapple chunks. Go for a grinder with Graziano's sausage with marinara with onions and bell peppers or a chicken corn bowl with mashed potatoes and sweet corn topped with chicken gravy and topped with boneless chicken wings. Breakfast brings puffy breakfast tacos, a breakfast burrito, chicken fried steak, and a biscuits and gravy pizza daily in the Market District, inside or out on the patio.
Location: 400 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines
Contact: 515-214-2759 or trumanstavern.com
Hours: Open Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Truman’s serves breakfast on Monday through Friday from 7 to 11 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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The Angry Goldfish Pub & Eatery
Of course there are Angry Goldfish, Sriracha-seasoned Goldfish crackers, at this south-side pub, but do try the poutine or fried pickles to start as well. The Angry Goldfish really shines with its burgers. During brunch, order the hangover burger dolled up with hash browns, bacon, an over-easy egg and cheddar cheese. Other options include a Boursin burger with sautéed onions, the Asian PB and J burger with Thai peanut sauce and spicy strawberry bacon jam, or the AG burger with two patties and cheese. Gluten-free bun are an additional $1.50. Any burger can be a veggie burger. Do try the pot roast smothered in gravy with buttered corn or the Graziano's meatloaf with skin-on mashed potatoes for a comfort meal.
Location: 2301 SW Ninth St., Des Moines
Contact: 515-288-2358 or angrygoldfishdsm.com
Hours: Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Have a dish she should try? You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The best sports bars with good food in the Des Moines area
