Gas Lamp

Ok… so I had the opportunity to visit this place after a dinner with a group of friends. It is definitely a place to visit if you are in town. The theme is old school… black and white TVs decorating the joint as well as some old video and pinball machines.
The Cooler is stocked with some of the old time favorites some of us Gen X’rs grew up on like PBR, Old Style and Hamm’s and of course offering some craft brews on tap.
Bar also features a band stand for live acts. We enjoyed Karaōke…, but that didn’t impact my rating.
Fun place to visit but I didn’t get the chance to try any food. Lost 1.00 when I out four quarters in the pinball machine only to find out it didn’t work… even though I asked in advance.
Had a good time., could be a really fun place on the weekends!
Cheers!
John

I love this venue. It’s a newer venue in Des Moines, but it has quickly become my favorite place to play and to see bands. Good sound. Good drink selection. But the highlight is the food. They somehow have a master chef making brilliant food in the Hole in the Wall. Even if you don’t want to hear a band, stop by for some food.

Party! Party! karaōke Tuesday nights! Great staff and way cool old school bar!

Gas Lamp is a solid joint. Nicely decorated place and good beer and drink selection. Staff is friendly and helpful. Men’s bathroom is a hoot! It can get crowded at popular shows (get to know your neighbor) and loud but it’s a fun place to be at those times. They usually throw a big St. Patty’s Day bash but not in 2015? Good stuff and good location.

This bar and music venue is housed in the space that used to be filled by Des Moines’ Blues on Grand. It holds onto some of this history by having something going on most nights of the week. The bar itself is cozy and has a lot of dark wood and photos of past shows. They have a decent craft beer selection, and have gourmet food from Hole in the Wall. It’s definitely a fun place to go to see live music, or to just hang out and play pool. Prices are decent and staff is always super sweet. It’s definitely a great venue, with lots of tables and standing room.

I’m a little bummed Hole in the Wall doesn’t have their own Unilocal page, but SINCE THEY DON’T, I have uploaded one million delicious food photos to this page to illustrate to you exactly why you need to book it to the Gas Lamp on your first available Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday and EAT SOME FOOD. Summer’s coming, so if you’re not interested in hanging out at the bar, or you’ve got kiddos with you, or there’s a show at the bar and you don’t want to pay the cover, you can wander right up to the window and buy your food, and wander into the sculpture park to chow down. PRO TIP #1: Tuesdays & Thursdays generally don’t have a cover so those are good nights to go eat. PRO TIP #2: Don’t walk away from the window without grabbing cutlery and napkins. I made that mistake with the deep fried soft shell crab (NOT THAT IT STOPPED ME, I just made a mess all over myself). Look, guys, I would probably eat this food every day forever if I could swing it. It’s a little more than you’ll spend down the street at the Subway, but it is absolutely worth it. Hole in the Wall has a small regular menu, with a rotating «hot plate of the week» depending on what fresh ingredients are available, and a rotating dessert item. FOR REAL. IT IS WORTH IT. Yo, dude: they are growing their own microgreens in a little tub on a top shelf. Is that not the best thing?
Re: the Gas Lamp, I dig this place. I have had some very good times in this bar seeing bands, having drinks. They have really great bands coming through, and a variety of other fun biz. I don’t know why but I think the Blonde Fatale tastes better at the Gas Lamp, or at least it did that one time. Never had a bad experience. You should go. You’d probably like it.

*Vegans of Iowa*
Let’s just start by saying this place is beautiful, there’s always a show, and they serve some of the best darn good in town!
I’ll start with the food because it’s so important; their version of bar food, Hole In The Wall, features a 5 star restaurant spin on fast bar food but serve it on paper plates or in a basket. It’s mostly organic, and almost solely sourced from local farms. Not always a vegan/​vegetarian option, but a lot of times there is, and he knocks it out of the park!
I can’t tell you how many great shows I’ve seen here. There’s plenty of good views, the sound is great. Plus, there’s plenty of tables and standing/​dancing room!
I’ll finish by saying that the staff (which features table wait service!) is always a joy.

Cool place! Live music! Good beer selection.

This is a great place to see a show! It’s got that punk rock feel to it, but it’s still pretty clean and looks fresh. Definitely a good balance.
I’ve seen some good bands play here! The stage is pretty big and there’s plenty of standing and sitting room.
The beer selection is great, and they even have table service so you don’t have to go up to the bar every time you need a new beer. This is especially nice when the place is crowded.
It gets pretty loud in here, so if you’re interested in just hanging out and not checking out the band playing, you might want to get there early!

This place confuses me. It, like the business that called the building home previously (Blues On Grand), is meant to be a music venue. There is some sort of event going on there every night, which is awesome, however, I think that the place has a split personality.
Because you can get food here and the setup is condusive to hanging out with a group, a different type of crowd is drawn here. Rather that being filled with people that are there For whatever event is going on there that night, there are a lot of people there just for the sake of being there — sometimes the needs and desires of these two types of customers clash.
On a side note, there isn’t really a great spot for bands and artists to put together merch table that is very visible. Also, I don’t think that there is enough open space center stage for the people that want to lose themselves in live music.

Their late night food menu is fantastic for a dive bar. I had Mushroom sliders that were very tasty and satisfied my beer filled belly appetite at 1am. Great prices on drinks and I liked the atmosphere.

Gas Lamp is a rad rock n roll club that also has some good grub. The Gas Lamp moved into the old Blues on Grand location so the stage is still in the same spot but they have done a lot of renovations to make it a much nicer place to hang out in while still leaving some of the classic things about Blues on Grand like the mens bathroom is still the same, you will have to go into it to see what I mean!
The music is sometimes super loud here, so if you going to just hang and have a conversation you might want to do it pre-​or-​post a show!
It’s a good place to hang though, lots of tables, pool, and video games, and an open aired smoking room for the summer! The bartenders are polite and they have table wait staff service which is not a thing you would get at most music clubs that focus on punk rock, Americana, and power pop type bands!
The food is pretty good as well I would call is next level bar food, with better ingredients then your average sandwich and fry type place.
They also on St. Pattys have a big outdoor event that is pretty fun. GREEN BEER AND ALL!

I’m a big fan of live music. I’m also a fan of a good beer with cool people in a great atmosphere. They have all of those things at Gas Lamp. The location is just outside the heart of downtown Des Moines, so there is plenty of street parking. The walls are filled with cool artwork and photos from amazing musicians, both past and present. The tables are what get me. They look like old doors. Talk about originality. Plus the staff is really cool and on top of keeping the tables clean and a cold drink in your hand.
If you’re looking for a great venue for live music and cool people, you found it!