Eatery / A

Very nice surprise. Really delicious food in a pleasant setting. Varied menu and everything we had was a winner. Veggie pizza, brussel sprouts, asapragus, and more.

Been there for a friends birthday dinner and happy hour a few times and had an amazing time each time. The food was amazing and service was even better except when the server called my friend Holly when her name is Molly.

Ended up at Eatery A for pizza during lunch since Rock Power wasn’t open for unknown reasons (pretty bummed about it still). Anyway, turns out Eatery A is actually a pretty cute place! Service was decent, food was pretty good. I would say the main reason that I didn’t enjoy my meal as much as I could was because of some annoyingly loud and obnoxious family that sat down in the booth behind us shortly after we ordered. I guess I’ll have to come back for happy hour next time so at least there will be beverages that I can tune out people like that with! 15 unique pizza choices available (not your typical pizza joint flavors), but you can also build your own. There were also many non-​pizza menu items available that I would definitely like to try out!

Awesome food here. Their pizza is cooked in a brick oven and it shows.
I’ve had their pizza here twice now and love the flavor of the dough. It’s nice and toasty from the fire and they offer many flavors. I also had their steak hash today for lunch that was cooked to perfection. Although the portion on the steak was small, it was delicious.
I would say if you have never been here then definitely get their pizza. After you have experienced that you can try other menu items.
Good stuff.

Superb brunch today! My wife had the savory bread pudding with an egg and prosciutto and a side of chorizo; I had the fried chicken and waffle. The latter was a great savory dish with just a bit of sweet. Great mix of salad greens with grilled pineapple. The bloody Marys are great, too. Server «McManus» was attentive and helpful.

Our first visit did not disappoint. We had the brunch and started with the spicy bloody Mary. They pickled the veggies that topped it. Nice touch. Savory bread pudding with egg, a lovely white sauce and prosciutto was perfect. Wait staff was excellent. Ambiance nice and the dining area was not noisy at all, as some mentioned in other reviews.
We will be back for happy hour. Keep that pizza oven hot!

After attending their happy hour with some coworkers, enjoying their herbal tea, and becoming jealous of those around me ordering pizzas (they smelled SO good), I convinced my fiancé to give this place a try. We went on a Friday around 5:30, and still had no problem finding a parking spot. The inside of the restaurant is very neat, with a lot of rich hardwood and metal work. Our only issue with the inside was how loud everything was. I could clearly hear every word of the people around me, but I think that has to do with the curved woodwork of the interior.
As for food, it was very good. We ordered the fiery baba ganoush, and it was okay. It only comes with one piece of naan, which was not enough to eat even half of the ganoush, even if we piled it on high. If you like baba ganoush, go to Open Seasame instead.
We ordered the number 5 pizza, which is like a gyro pizza with lamp, feta, and pickled onions. It was AMAZING. The onions had a bit of sweetness that paired really well with the saltiness of the feta. We were happy to see that, unlike other «fancy» pizza places, the pizza came on a crust that wasn’t thin. Sometimes you want a nice, chewy but crisp piece of pizza, you know? Eatery A definitely delivered in that regard.
For dessert, we ordered the salted caramel budino, with really no idea of what it was (the menu is very vague with all of their dishes). It was essentially a thick caramel pudding with whipped cream on top. We finished every bite! I do recommend sharing it, as it would have been too rich for one of us to finish on our own.
The place was pretty busy when we went, but our service was overall good. My only complaint was when the busboy came by to take our appetizer plates, he took our drinking glasses as well. My fiancé and I were confused and just watched him carry them away before laughing about the situation later. It was an easy fix. I think he was just busy and didn’t realize we weren’t done eating yet.
We are planning on coming back soon!

Great option for a private event. I had a group of 25 people I was hosting in town for work. We used the larger of the two private rooms which worked out wonderful. All my guests were happy with the space, food, and service. I was able to create a set menu for my group. The wild mushrooms with polenta and soft egg was the huge entrée hit. The golden spice soup & salted carmel budino were other items that stood out. I would definitely use this space for an event again.

Arrived on a Friday night with a 7:15 reservation and we were promptly seated inside. It was one of the first beautiful summer-​like evenings in Des Moines, and when we asked about the possibility of patio seating, the hostess told us there were people camped out since 3:30 that were still there, so our odds of getting a table weren’t good!
Oh well, we were starved, so off we went to our table and the waitress got our drink order. In contrast to the outside, the inside is pretty dark. That can set a nice mood, but it can actually be a bit tough to read the menu for those with ‘mature’ eyes. The wine selection is pretty good, so we were off and running.
I got the #5 lamb pizza and my spouse got the chicken breast entrée. The food came in about 15 – 20 minutes and was, as usual, excellent. The pizza’s are unique and creative — which I love — but not so creative that your less adventurous friends or kids can’t find something they’ll enjoy. The pizza was big enough that I had some leftovers for lunch. The chicken was nicely prepared and does come bone-​in. It was just right for a dinner with the accompanying veggies.
Service was excellent — attentive, without being too much. If you can get there early enough for a patio seat, enjoy, but the food inside is just as good!

Visited a couple times now and so I feel my review can finally go up.
First visit was with a group of girls for brunch.
It was lovely and perfect setting for a Saturday brunch. Amazing selection of brunch items. It was so hard to choose.
The lemon ricotta pancakes, Belgian waffle, cheese strata, and pizzas were fantastic.
Second visit was Mother’s Day dinner. Also great selection but items but seemed more unique.
Ordered the hanger steak, potato gnocchi, bay scallops, and #10 pizza.
What I noticed on the dinner menu was that they leave out items that are part of the dish. I don’t really like that. I’d like to know what’s on my food. Example: the bay scallops were served with farro, brown quinoa, and garnished with arugula. It did not say anything about quinoa and arugula being part of the dish on the menu.
So you get surprised and have to guess what you’re eating.
Overall I like Eatery A’s creative menu selection and beautiful environment. LOVE the pizza. I will come back for happy hour for sure. The dishes are European portioned and have unique flavors which earned the 3 stars from me.
The two lost stars are due to:
People are scared of new and different. So then people stick with pizza. I feel that this will be their staple item. Eatery A may be a winner for this favorite food but we already have so many pizza joints in DSM.
I also see room for growth in service.
Great for adult groups but not really with children.
Try out Eatery A if you’re adventurous on a date night.
(Message me if you want a FULL detailed review!!! I did not want to make my review really long on Unilocal.So this was a shortened review)

We ate here Sunday morning as a family. The place was busy, but not overwhelming. The atmosphere is trendy and energetic, but not too loud. If you can, I recommend sitting on the patio — it’s amazing, especially in the am.
Our service was poor at best. 15 minutes to first service from the time we sat down, after that it was okay but not exceptional. I think this place is most enjoyed leisurely.
The drinks were great, but not really memorable. We had mimosas and bloody Marys. For an appetizer we had a meat and cheese plate, it was okay as well. Breakfast was excellent with one exception — the waffle was terrible. Eatery A has a great omelet, and the ricotta lemon pancakes were really nice. If you like chorizo, try the sausage.
Overall, I think this place is a gem. It’s ideal for a group outing where time is not an issue and you want to have fun or share a bunch of small plates. Try to eat outside if you can. Eatery/​A would be great for dates, friends, breakfast or special occasions — Kids are welcome, but there is no kids menu. We will eat here again.

Came here on Saturday night for a quick bite with my buddies.
We ordered cocktails and the brussel sprouts, fried gnocchi and a pizza… the chorizo, pineapple and jalapeño jam one.
The cocktails were very tasty! I had the one with coriander and whiskey! Scrumdillyumptious!
The brussel sprouts are kick you in the pants fantastic! They’re little morsels of heaven!
As for the fried gnocchi, they were perfectly fine. The best part of the dish was creamy magic that the fried gnocchi rested on top of.
The pizza was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet! Yum to the max!
My only criticism was our waiter. He started strong but dwindled with his attention. He was cute, though… that always helps. Ha

I came here with a group of about 30 people for a birthday party. The parking is really hit or miss during Happy Hour. I didn’t think it would be packed the way it was but they do have street parking if you can’t find any parking there.
The Service: Kaia (sp?) was our server and she did great with the amount of people we had. She was very efficient and came around often to check up on orders and on us.
The Atmosphere: Casual, trendy, and nice. Décor was nice and the set-​up was great. I’m glad they we able to accommodate us.
The Food: It was happy hour so pizzas, beers, and wines were half off. It was a great deal and just for the pizza alone, we would come back.
#15 Potato, soft egg, and one other ingredient on white sauce. — ⁴⁄₅ It was phenomenal. Loved every bite of it! Crust was tasty and pizza was light.
Pork Bruschetta — ³⁄₅ it was tasty but a lil too sweet for us. There was a great amount of pork but very little bread. The ratio was off because I needed more bread to off-​set the sweet pork. Not bad though!
Bacon-​wrapped Dates — ²⁄₅ I was disappointed with these. For almost $ 8, it came with a piece of flatbread, some tomato sauce, and only FOUR dates. It was not worth the price.
Everyone else at the table literally ordered a pizza each and they all loved the different combinations they got. For around $ 7/​pizza during happy hour, it makes it worth it to stop by again. We will definitely be back. Next time I’ll try an entrée as well.

Came here on a Friday night and it was so busy. There was no parking at the restaurant and it took an hour to get a seat at 6pm.
The food was delicious. Their pizza is amazing. It was a perfect place for a vegetarian. Their eggplant dish was okay, but everything else was super good.

Definitely one of my favorite places for happy hour. Half off wine and beer and half off pizza? What more can you ask for?
Price: Look to spend about $ 7 for a pizza at happy hour price. and probably $ 4 for beer and $ 6+ for a glass of wine.
Parking: They have a small lot but at peak hours, it is tough. You might have to circle the block a few times to find parking unless you get lucky.
Food: They have all sorts of wood fired pizzas and nothing ordinary, might I add. Ranging from goat cheese with white sauce to red sauce vegetarian pizzas, you’ll probably find something you like. One thing I don’t like is that a lot of the pizzas are sweet. Even the meaty ones.
Service: No complaints, nor highlights
Overall, I’d def hit this place up again during happy hour as the price is right and the food is dank.

Ambitious, and mostly successful.
Walking into this place excites the senses: reclaimed wood, dangling light bulbs, big comfortable booths, an attractive bar, and interesting specials seal the deal in one fell swoop.
Service was prompt, and we got it going: Special harissa pizza, lamb sliders, salad. I say salad because at the time I’m going to press with this review I cannot recall what it was. I think it was the spinach and goat cheese… yes that’s it… but as you might be able to discern — not memorable. And this is not to hate on salad. I love salad. And as proved here, it is hard to do well.
The pizza was much larger than I was expecting, even at $ 16. I understand there is a significant difference between delivery pizza, and a fine restaurant pizza. The structure of the crust tells me a lot of care was put into producing the dough — a fact easily glossed over with pizza — so I feel obligated to call it out here. The flavors were med mixed with BBQ — something I have to also say I’ve never experienced anywhere else in my eating career, and I quite enjoyed the unique combo. Of course, when anchored on their crust, it allows chef to pull off more than the average Joe.
Finally, the sliders were… trying. The gamy lamb was about right, but the bread here (something between sweet Hawaiian and brioche) was a bit flabby and got gummed up with the sauce. My guess, to give the benefit of the doubt, is chef probably toasts it, but it was forgotten by the line. Anyway, by this point it was too much food for the three of us, so were were fine just picking out the patties.
So we’ll be back. I’m game for what they got going. Service was Iowa friendly, atmosphere is great (the fact this used to be a Blockbuster is long lost history), and the menu is aspiring for uniqueness in every dish. That is ambition I’ll support any day of the week. And hell, they have a damn good happy hour to boot.

What a great and unique dinning experience. This place used to be a Blockbuster back in the day. I’ve had both their pizza and normal entrees. The wood fire taste of the crust is awesome. They have great happy hour specials and a neat outdoor patio
This place can get very busy and sometimes pretty loud. The toppings for the pizzas are pretty fancy but very tasty.

The Eatery is a very interesting place because it is very upscale, eclectic inside with the wooden tables, rustic decorations, and the large wine tower in the back of the restaurant. Not only is the venue eclectic, but the brunch menu is too as it ranges from waffles to pizza to hummus. For an appetizer, my mom and I ordered the Hummus. I would pass on this because it is good, but you need a few more of the crackers because they are so thin. For brunch, my mom and I ordered a #1 Oven Baked Pizza, which is smoked chicken, red grapes, goat cheese, with white sauce. The other pizza combinations were very interesting and this was the most basic pizza on the menu. Nevertheless, the pizza was fabulous. The grapes and chicken were delightfully complimented by the goat cheese.
The service was great and the food delicious.

One of my Fav spots in Des Moines — It is still new and is way hip!
A great place for Happy Hour or a romantic date place and yes, a cool bar and relaxed location to meet up with friends.
The staff is friendly and caring and the food is AMAZING!
Notes:
They have booth and outdoor seating.
I came here for dessert one night and came back for Pizzas. I love it so much now and often send people to check out and only hear great feedback and photos of yummy looking food!
Wait update…#3 time for Food– The Gnocci Pasta was amazing!

I know why Eatery /​A has an A in the name! It does not stand for Awesome though the patio is! It does not stand for Amazing though the service was! It does not even stand for Always which is when I want to come back! I think it just stands for the letter grade I would give the over all experience! A! Hell A+
This place rules! The building is beautiful, it’s fancy but not stuffy, the patio is one of the best in the city, the service is great, and the food really nocks it out of the park!
They made sure to customized our order to make sure everything was vegan! The tahini they put on the Brussel sprouts was amazing, but beware some of the tahini they have is yogurt based! But our waiter made sure that we got it without!
Now I have had Pizza from here before but never ordered my own, they made me a fantastic vegan pizza that was just beautiful and perfectly cooked. I love a crispy crust with a little darkness too it and it was done immaculately.
I look forward to going back and maybe sitting inside this fall or winter but the patio is out of this world so when it’s nice out you got to sit out there! It’s first come first serve so you may have to wait for a table but the experence is worth it!