"Stopped in at El Bait Shop and had the homemade chili, and brother… that stuff sticks to your ribs the way good chili is supposed to. Thick, hearty, and honest. No fancy nonsense, just deep flavor, real spice, and the kind of warmth that settles in and lets you know you ate right. Perfect pairing with a cold drink in a place that already feels like a second living room for folks who appreciate things done the old fashioned way. Dame good chili, and I’d order it again without thinking twice. Some places chase trends. This one just feeds you well. While I was there at El Bait Shop, I grabbed a glass of blackberry hard cider and that was a mistake in the best possible way. Crisp, just the right amount of tart, and smooth enough to make you forget you planned on only one. Next thing I know, I’m buying a to go sample and they bottle it right in front of me in a tall 40 oz can. Fresh, sealed, and done proper. Watching it get filled felt like an old school soda fountain moment, just upgraded for grown folks. Good food that sticks to your ribs, a cider that goes down easy, and a place that still does things the hands on way. Hard to beat that kind of honest experience."

"Totally not expecting to find a bar with over 250 beers on tap in Des Moines Iowa but I'm glad we did. This place has a great atmosphere and the service is wonderful they checked in on us regularly and made sure the next beer was on the way. The food was good and they have many old fashioned type offerings, I had the meatloaf and my father in-law had the liver and onions both were great. This is definitely a stop if you're in the Des Moines area."

"Great food and a large drink menu. Went for the funk'd beer special. Me and friends tried lots of wild, tart, and funky beers. We didnt find a bad one in the lot. Funky has ended but there are still lots to try."

"The food was excellent! The number of craft drinks was exquisite. They will even make you a craft drink. BUT really the experience was the service by the server named Shoe. Shoe's table side manner was spot on and he knew what would be the perfect drink for us. Shoe was extremely knowledgeable and had great listening skills to help make the experience amazing. We also played a game of HOT ONES with the hot sauces which was a blast with the onion rings!! We will definitely be back and before our 11th anniversary."

"I'm so glad that I decided to walk over and give this place a try. I drove a 2nd grade field trip up to the Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center and had about an hour. There was a lot to look at, sports memorabilia and Supernatural on one of the TVs. I ordered the burger with fries. I wasn't disappointed, it was delicious and there was plenty to eat. The waitress was delightful, we talked about the show, some of the many beers on tap and the nostalgic wrestling photos in the back. What a great place, too bad I didn't have more time to look at it more, maybe next time."