Don't just belly up at the hotel bar, order some pay-per view and call it a night. We might not be "The City that Never Sleeps," but Des Moines is packed with wacky watering holes and clubs that'll make you want to stay out past your bedtime. (Heck, if you don't get to them all, you might even want to extend your visit!)
Des Moines for out-of-towners: Nightlife edition 
Brianne Sanchez
February 10, 2009
Hessen Haus
101 Fourth St. -
Des Moines
515-288-2520
Here's where you start your To-Do List. We could even get cute and call it a "To DM List," but whatever. Number One: Drink a boot at Hessen Haus. (Repeat again at the end of the trip.) There's something about sharing saliva that turns strangers into friends. Let's just say you can make a lot of friends at the Hessen Haus. Styled like an authentic German beir hall, Hessen Haus features a large assortment of draft and bottled brews from Germany (along with a few domestics). The bar is known for The Boot, a giant glass boot filled with your table's favorite brew.
Liars Club
216 Court Ave., Suite 201 -
Des Moines
515-237-5427 or515-321-9138
This punk bar opened in March 2007 with a party atmosphere. Packed on the weekends, it's a place to see and be seen. Don't miss the funky bathrooms, pinball machines, sunken bar and VIP area. You'll also like the live DJ, even though he doesn't take requests.
People's Court
216 Court Ave., third floor -
Des Moines
515-422-5128
This is a Cyclone bar, but it's also just a regular weekend hotspot and concert venue. A night at People's will probably be like a mini reunion if you've ever lived in Ames.
El Bait Shop
200 S.W. Second St. -
Des Moines
515-284-1970
Take a hunting lodge, mix with a garage and a 1980s arcade and you'll have an idea of what El Bait Shop looks like. There is a mural of characters from "Where the Wild Things Are," a wall of professional wrestlers and some remnants of when the space housed Hairy Mary's. Oh yeah, there's also a working shower. Basically, El Bait shop looks like a million awesome ideas exploded all over the walls. Exploded awesomely.
The Fleur Cinema and Cafe
4545 Fleur Ave. - Des Moines515-287-4545
This is definitely a much more chill option when it comes to nightlife. If you're looking to catch the films that might not make it to big screens near you, this independent theater is the place to go. They also serve wine and coffee along with the popcorn, so arrive early and you can have a little cocktail hour.
Grand Piano Bistro
506 E. Grand Ave. -
Des Moines
515-243-2380
The Grand Piano Bistro is an urban piano bar with concrete floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, cobalt blue walls and an open floor design sprinkled with black and silver tables. The bar area is intimate and simple: No fancy backlighting or high-tech features, just liquor bottles lined up and packed refrigerators. And of course, the pianos: two grands by the windows with the guts ripped out, replaced with electronic keyboards. Interesting drinks, sophisticated cuisine, live piano music and an urban ambiance make for an experience unique to the metro.
Drink
8410 Hickman Road -
Clive
515-270-6274
Drink is one of the most popular bars in the suburbs and a great spot to be seen/people watch on weekends. The bar has a large, heated patio and is a good home base for checking out other bars along the 86th Street/Hickman corridor.
Cabaret West Glen
560 S. Prairie View Drive, Suite 105 -
West Des Moines
515-225-1105
This West Glen nightclub has it all. The main bar area is nonsmoking, but there is a screened-in smoking patio. Live music is a regular feature.
Graze
West Glen Town Center, 5513 Mills Civic Parkway -
West Des Moines
515-223-5477
The "food guru" started his latest restaurant in Des Moines in the West Glen area. It's a great place to go with a group before you hit Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar. It's easy to order a bunch of delicious food to share, and you can all fit into a big, cushy booth.
Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant
5485 Mills Civic Parkway -
West Des Moines
515-564-7300
The Blue Moon opens Aug. 16 and will feature regular music, including dueling black grand pianos. The West Glen Town Center-area establishment features an all-green kitchen.
Trostel's Dish
12851 University Ave., Suite 400 -
Clive
515-221-3474
Dish has an upscale contemporary feel and offers live entertainment every weekend. This sister restaurant to the Greenbriar has a menu of mostly small dishes. The large menu is divided into American, Spanish, Asian, European and Latin categories. The best way to eat here is to order several and share among friends. Enjoy a specialty martini at the bar or inexpensive wine flights that allow you to sample different wines.
Uncle Buck's Bar
1720 25th St. - West Des Moines515-221-2317
The bar has an actual beer truck inside serving as the bar. Other attractions include a mechanical bull and the Templeton Rye Moonshine Bar, featuring the Iowa-made whiskey.
Front Row
6555 University Ave. - Windsor Heights515-255-6912
If you're a Hawkeye alum, this is the bar to revel in pride for your alma mater. It's off the beaten path of downtown and the west side bars, but it's a comfortable place to hang out among people who know all the words to your fight song.
What other people are saying...
Mongo from West Des Moines - February 17, 2009 at 9:56 PM
The sad but true thing is, the only place out of towners in for the "wrasslin" tournament would fit in or feel comfortable on the list is Uncle Buc...
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