









With over 100 beers on tap and an impressive selection of over 150 bottled and canned beers, El Bait Shop boasts what is easily one of the world's most extensive selections of American craft beers. While the staggering array of taps behind the bar will surely dazzle you, the decor is a conversation starter in itself. Vintage posters, games, and curious knickknacks line the walls of this lively watering hole. Apart from being a haven for beer lovers of every caliber, El Bait Shop also serves up a variety of delicious Mexican and American treats, including bar favorites like chicken wings, tacos, and juicy burgers. Although bustling, lively, and brimming with cheer all through the week, the live musical performances held here are especially popular and draw crowds of cheerful revelers. Keep an eye on the website for the latest updates on an ever-growing beer selection and event schedules.
Website: elbaitshop.com
Phone: (515) 284-1970
Cross Streets: Near the intersection of SW 2nd St and Market St
Closed now
- Sun 11:00 AM - 2:00 AM
200 SW 2nd St Des Moines, IA 50309-4706 ·792.28 mi
Is this your business? Verify your listing
Amenities
- Family friendly
- Accessible
Reviews
tripadvisorFUN BAR! Our server Donnie was the BEST! Over 200 beers on tap. He was so patient and helpful and really loved this place - it so showed. Food was fantastic. Tried flights of beer - 4 x 6 oz so much fun choosing them and tasting them. Every beer we tried was great. Highly recommend! It was very cold outside so we were just inside -- but this place has a ton of outdoor seating and we will definitely be back this summer.
MoreIf it hadn’t been recommended, we never would have stopped! It doesn’t look like our kind of place. It turned out to be a good stop. Wide variety on the menu. We each had something different and were both satisfied. The atmosphere was fun! Fun to sample a local small business.
MoreThis is a fun place to hang, look at the decor, and drink as it has a lot of beers to choose from. The staff was friendly but forgetful. A quick summary, “Where’s the MEAT.” My wife ordered the fish tacos and each one came with a piece of fish the size of your thumb buried in all slaw and sauce. My son ordered the poutine with roast beef and cheese curds that had 2 curds and one piece of pot roast the size of your pinkie. My other son and I ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich and the pork was pounded so thin it was all breading and no meat, and barely larger than the bun. Not up to IA standards at all. We had to ask for condiments 3 times and at the end I told the waitress the iPad said the printer was out of paper and didn’t print the receipt. She said that’s ok, it always does that and I will get it for you. I had to wait 20 minutes to remind her to go get it, again.
MoreWe liked the staff, service and beer. The food was what I expect after midnight at a dinner. Cheap food. For example, my fish taco had less than 2 ounces of fish. Everything is fried other than lettuce and it is hard for me to find any protein that was not processed or fried. Come for the beer and atmosphere. Eat elsewhere!
MoreWe were seated outside minutes after a downpour. We were fine with that as we are much more comfortable outside since covid. No one even offered to wipe the seats or table dry for us. So my husband got a stack of napkins and took care of that for ourselves. Sort of. Didn’t really absorb much. Waitress took our drink order with her mask on. Came back with the drinks without the mask and leaned over us to hear better. Seriously! She took our appetizer order and would come back for our order. It was about 30 minutes to get the app which was burnt! And not a little. Burnt! We waited a few minutes for her to return to say something about it which she never did. It was an hour and twenty minutes and we hadn’t even been able to eat order our food. So she finally came back and acted like non big deal. No apology! My husband tells her we are just gonna go and she says “awesome”! No, girl it wasn’t! Now we are two hours from home at 9:30 at night and still starving. Ridiculous
More