“Great local shop, perfect for meetings or working in a unique space with both chair and table and floor seating. Spiced coffee is a fun option, and their more standard coffee choices are delicious too. They carry pastries from Cha Cha’s. Great addition to the southwest Des Moines area!“
“This place is so good!! Has many unique and delicious drink options. I got the Mexican chai latte with a shot of espresso and it was so good! Definitely coming back for matcha and other specialties. Parking is a little tricky, but does have free street parking. Also limited seating. Looks like a bright enjoyable environment to work in if your lucky enough to get a seat. All seating was full at 9 am on a Saturday when I arrived, so plan accordingly.“
“Stopped in for some coffee while we were visiting from out of town. We were super impressed with this place! The owner was very engaging, conversation was good and the coffee was amazing. If I lived closer I’d definitely come here all the time. Great selection of canned beverages and local honeys too. The latte art on our drinks was a nice touch. It was so refreshing to find a local business with stellar customer service and great products.“
“Phenomenal coffee. Had both of their single origin pour-overs, both excellent. Even stopped by a third time on my way to the airport. Love the glass reclamation project - glass is easily my preferred coffee vehicle so getting a glass jar to GO?? With a koozie to keep it warm? Perfect for a walk around the sculpture garden. Had three different baristas, all wonderful and knowledgeable.Will be back every time in Des Moines - no question.“
“We visit here fairly often for breakfast/brunch and it's definitely the best breakfast place I've ever been to. Great mix of a modern, chic place but with the friendly staff and portion sizes of a mom & pop type restaurant. Food quality is also very good. A lot of the stuff clearly made in-house.“
“Don’t knock this place just because it’s on 6th. Beautiful shop. Makes me motivated to open a similar atmosphere in Ankeny. Thank you for the oatmilk latte. It’s very rare that I order twice.Dietary restrictions: The oatmilk is actually very good!“
“Good people!!! I was with friends.....bikes loaded.....route picked.......me......not one, but both of my tires.....FLAT!!! We barged in. They stopped, mid-bike build and got me back in the saddle in the time it took me to drink a beer in their incredibly cool space!! Will return again & again!!“
“This was the first coffee shop I ever visited so I was a little anxious, but the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff really helped me out. The sale of trading cards and other merchandise was really interesting and was what brought me there in the first place as I'm a collector myself. I definitely plan to visit again.“
“I always have a wonderful experience at Freedom Blend. One of the best spaces in Des Moines for relaxation, connecting with friends, a peaceful environment, and an affective work space to get studying and work done.The drinks are delicious as well! Anything I order is amazing. Today I chose the Green Pastures drink which is matcha, steamed milk, vanilla and lavender and I love it!Grateful for this space and their mission.“
“The place was buzzing and I was lucky to find an open table. The tables are inches apart from another so you can't be the claustrophobic type. I had just spent 30 minutes photographing outdoor sculptures at the DM Art Center and was chilled to the bone. Placed my order at the counter. Sat at my little round table waiting for my order about ten minutes. The sandwich and drink were brought to my table and both were fantastic! I didn't know an egg sandwich could taste so heavenly. The hot chocolate was served in a tall clear glass mug with a handle and topped with lot of whip cream. The temperature was perfect. Walked in frozen and moody, left feeling fully thawed, refreshed and pampered. I can recommend going here.“
“First time visiting Smokey Row since all my coworkers rave over it. Coffee was delicious and came out the perfect temperature. Chocolate Muffin was not what I was expecting but it was SO GOOD. Environment is very chill and the staff was very friendly!“
“One of the best selections of chocolates available anywhere. They're pricey but offer a wide selection of milk and dark chocolates. I've ordered a box of chocolates here and had them shipped out of state at a very competitive price. During hot weather, they package the box with ice packs.“
“I've been coming here for the loose leaf tea since I first learned they carried a tea I liked; it's a great selection at a good price. I've looked online (out of curiosity) and I couldn't find a better price on the tea I drink, and I'd rather support a great local spot. Friendly service and great pricing for the tea connoisseur. They can also prepare the drink for you, but that's not my thing. Overall, I would recommend this place over any other.“
Vegetarian • $
“Came in here this morning to grab coffee and a small breakfast for my family. I ordered the large iced pistachio rose latte and it was superb. The pistachio/rose flavor makes it the perfect combo of creamy and delightful. My husband had a large iced pumpkin spice latte which was exactly that deliciously pumpkin and spice. The staff was very friendly and I believe one of the owners was there and she was very nice smiling at me snapping pictures of her beautiful business. My husband and I shared the mexi bowl which I unfortunately didn't get a picture of because my kid was into it picking out the beans and we devoured it up right away too. It had egg, salsa, cheese, black beans, bell peppers and avocado slices. The mexi bowl was the perfect balance of all the good things we love. They have quite the variety of dishes for everyone. We are gluten free so the young lady who helped us recommended it for us and it definitely hit the spot. Highly recommend for everyone to try!“
“I’ve had this place on my list for a while and I was very pleased after finally going. It had many small nooks to sit in besides conventional seating. Which is great if you want a little more privacy or you were reading a book. I was also very surprised at how good the food was as it is a bakery I didn’t expect their meal options to be as good as they were. Overall great choice for a lower cost lunch spot.“
“Hands down the best coffee and coffee shop in Des Moines!!! There is no close second. Very much enjoy chilling inside the University shop with a turtle mocha (hot or iced), good music and a GREAT staff. The quality in-store is always consistently great, never been disappointed. And, they make the Beaverdale/Drake area that much better. And as you can see from the picture, we enjoy the experience at home as well. Again, there is NO close second!!!“
“I'm biased because I know a handful of the Mars crew, and am a fellow coffee nerd. They carry great coffee and know how to make it taste awesome. - Their espresso machine isn't the most awesome thing in the world, but it still makes a good shot. The pour over service can't be beat. Awesome place to hit up when I'm in downtown DSM.“
“I have been wanting to try this place since my son moved to Des Moines. Great place! I had the homemade granola with chia seed yogurt. My son had the spinach florentine with poached eggs and hollandaise. My husband had the breakfast tacos and we were all VERY happy with our choices. Will be stopping in again on our next visit!“
“I'm in there every work day and have been since the late 1940's it feels like. Every single day I receive amazing service. They know you by name, and treat you amazingly well. I cannot say enough about Rhi, Maren, Sam, and the rest. It's the best way to start my day: caffeine and customer service.“
“This is the best place to get an Acai bowl. I absolutely love this place and come here quite frequently and I’m always happy. It’s been the best Acai bowl I’ve ever had and I have lived many places and consider myself to be an Acai bowl fanatic.“
“A nice little bar. Great conversations. Friendly bartenders but they'll kick you out if you're trouble. Loud music on the Touchtunes / jukebox. 5 overhead flat-screen TVs. No food served but chips are available for purchase. Might even see an occasional Amishman come in and sell naked goods.. Pool table for those so inclined. Nice little place. Come on down to sit at the bar and read a book.“
“What a pleasant little place to find below a hotel! This will remain one of the stops whenever we are downtown. Can't say anything about the food (but I figured based on what we saw that it will likely be good as well) - as we only had beer and wine at night and coffee in the morning.“
“Food was so good. Bacon egg and cheese sandwich with a pink drink and mocha cold foam cream on top powered me up for super long. Service and atmosphere were 4 because. The drive through line kinda made it hard to park and the service took a few minutes then normal. But overall 9/10“
“On my way from Eastern Iowa to Kansas City and made this a stop and stretch to get some work done for about an hour.Looked packed in the parking lot, so parked in the back. Plenty of parking and foot to enter there.A lot of seating options inside. Very large wrap around area. Great service. I’ll definitely swing off the interstate for this in future trips.Parking: Go around back if it looks like there isn’t any parking.“
“Great alternative to Starbucks! Most coffee shops has good coffee (it's all Arabica beans nowadays), but few have all day breakfast (++), decent prices, good hours, bike-friendly, and outdoor seating, which is awesome during airborne-transmissible respiratory pandemics. Click on the menu for more details on food choices; all are good!“
“There's a lot of Starbucks but this is my personal favorite everybody there is attentive nice and willing to go the extra mile to make sure you get the drink that you came in for of course it's Starbucks prices but you should know that going in good coffee good people“
“We ordered in the drive through, and one of the drinks we wanted required a syrup that the store was out of. The employee incredibly politely said that they were out of it and than offered a replacement that would make the drink taste similar. Probably the best service I've had at a drive through in a long time, and they didn't even ask for a tip.“
“This is such a great meeting spot right in the heart of Beaverdale. I love that they also have locally made gifts and cards. Definitely a place to check out for your caffeine fix (they have a drive thru if you are in transit) or need a meeting spot for work or social..... today I saw a small knitting group!“
“Best Boba in town. They have games you and your friends can play. Service is always friendly. Get a punch card for a free Boba later.My favorite is a green tea with pineapple and kiwi popping boba.Kid-friendliness: There is a Foosball table too!“