Grounds For Celebration

Great spot for some coffee and even brunch/​lunch. Not too pricey at all, and quick service. They have two kinds of breakfast quiche that are available daily. From their lunch menu I have to recommend their turkey melt sandwich. They have great portions. The service feels very personal despite the quite large seating area. The only thing I am a little hesitant on giving 5 stars for is the ambience is a little bit lacking– it’s just a large seating room where people can see and hear everyone else’s conversations. The acoustics aren’t that great either– not as quiet as other locations because of it, and the dining area can feel a little cold at times. They do have some cool merchandise for sale though– several unique coffee mugs and a good selection of books! Overall a pretty good place to bring friends for a little brunch or coffee.

Grounds for Celebration is a nice local location that has good iced coffee drinks and a calm, quiet atmosphere. Seating is similar to Starbucks in size, but with a cozier feel. It’s warm inside during the winter months, which makes it a good spot to stop when you’re in the area.
I’ve never been in here and felt like I couldn’t get work done. The service is very friendly and I get the feeling this place has been here for several years. The barista was friendly and helpful if you are a first timer and don’t know what to order.
They also have baked goods and bars that are quite good to go along with an iced coffee. Overall I’m giving this place ⁴⁄₅ stars.

I really dig this location of Grounds for Celebration! It was the perfect little romantic spot to finish off our date the other night! Vegan cookies by the fireside, can’t beat that!
There was such a homey vibe when we stopped in… people reading books, playing cards, working on their computers! I really loved it. Only weird this was the music was so quiet at first I didn’t think there was any playing!
It’s a pretty open space and they sell coffee mugs, books, local t-​shirts and more! I will be back for sure!

Wow 20 min after getting my americano I still couldn’t drink it! For the first time I had to ask for some ice. Maybe the reason is their older cliental. Older people tend to like scolding hot coffee because they lost all sensitivity in their mouth. That’s why the older you get the more salt you dump on your food. Don’t get me wrong I like a hot cup of coffee, but I would like to drink it at least 5 min after I get it.
The espresso they used for my americano wasn’t the best I’ve had. It really ended up tasting more like a light roast coffee. It’s a good priced coffee place but you pay for what you get. The baristas behind the counter were very friendly and nice.

Coffee is OK. Not great. But not bad.
I had a rude staff member. The woman at the register was really nice. The other woman, who I assume was the manager, given her commanding tone, was rude. I ordered a coffee to stay, and instead of saying «enjoy,» or «thank you,» she only said, «Just so you know, we close at five.» It was 2:30PM. Pretty rude.
Free wi-​fi, which is pretty standard these days.

Apparently this is the best coffee in Des Moines. Went out of my way to stop here on a road trip. Environment was odd and the coffee was good but not great. The employee working hooked my kids up with a gelato sample, which was nice.
I appreciate a local place that does its own roasting. But all in all I’m not convinced it was worth the extra miles out of the way.

This is probably one of my favorite coffee shops in DSM.
It’s comfortable and has a good vibe and closes at 9 PM on most days. I love how you can mix and match teas on their tea list because they brew their own tea. They have a house iced tea as well
Price: Very reasonable. My tea always costs $ 1.95
Parking: Easy to find, private lot shared with the stores around
Service: Great! The baristas are always friendly although there is only 1 at a time. It sometimes might take longer because of that, but that has never been a problem.
Food & Drinks: I’ve never had their food but it looks like they have a good selection. They even have gelato and have waitress table service from 10:30 to 2 on Monday through Saturday. Other than that, quiche & chicken salad are served all day.
I love their teas. Of all the coffee shops I’ve been to, this place is one of the best.
Notes: Great vibe. A lot of groups meet here, but they usually take the bigger tables in the middle of the place. I tend to stay on the perimeters where there are outlets so that’s never a problem for me!
Gluten-​free-​ers: They have a good selection of gluten free snacks.
Overall: This place is my go-​to coffee shop if I need to get things done but not stay too late. This place is also good for hanging out with buds and catching up on life. I’m a fan!

I love this place! Friendly, efficient staff, great coffee (I highly recommend the caramel latte!), and a great place to either work (free wi-​fi, of course), sit by the fire (or on the patio in the summer) and read or meet with friends. I love that it’s locally owned and operated, and much prefer it over Mars or other locally owned shops.

Friendly staff, great coffee, roasted at the Beaverdale location. Great soups, salads and sandwiches. Every time I’m there I’m served quickly and always with exactly what I want. I highly recommend the iced coffee or Mango smoothie, my fav.

Great selection of tea, clean, comfortable, and very fast Free Wi-​Fi.

This is one of my favorite coffee shops in Des Moines. The staff is super friendly and the lunch is always super yummy.
This location is especially nice in the winter when they have their fireplace going. Great place to sit and read and sip on some coffee.
Also dog friendly patio and they have a water bowl outside for pooches and treats inside.

I purchased a groupon for Grounds for Celebration and was finally able to use it. I wanted to take advantage of their lunch menu, but unfortunately I was not able to stop by until after 2pm (their lunch menu is from 1030am to 2pm). Thankfully for me, their chicken salad sandwich on croissant is served all day. I ordered it for carry out and tried it when I got home. Their chicken salad sandwich was really good!!! The salad included walnuts, grapes, and celery. It was delicious! I would come back again just for that sandwich! I also would want to try the Cubano sandwich.
The café itself was really nice on the inside. There was a lot of seating, with nice lighting and a working fireplace. I found it to be quite cozy. Service was friendly and efficient. The café also has a lot of pastries, cookies, and other baked goods. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Not a place for espresso drinkers. Sorry. Anybody can roast their own beans. Anybody can buy an espresso machine.
Small cappuccinos start at 12oz and by default are in paper cups. Not only does this size dilute the espresso by almost double what it should be the paper cup immediately lowers the temperature of the coffee affecting the taste. I would gladly pay the same amount for a 5 or 6oz drink made properly in a porcelain mug.
The atmosphere was fine and the staff perfectly friendly. If you care about coffee as a product (and why wouldn’t you care if you’re a coffee business?!) you may be disappointed. If you just want a place to gather with friends and drink something, go for it.
FYI — I tried two locations, so this wasn’t a one-​off experience.

First time visiting (usually a Mars Café customer) — I walked in at about 7:30am on a weekday. The place was completely empty, except for a couple guys sitting together inside, chatting over some coffee. I parked smack dab in front of the entrance. I walked in and noticed a barista tinkering with a machine behind the counter. I thought to myself «Nice! Empty place and I’m a little late for work… I should be able to get in and out quickly here.»
Wrong. I stood there for a 2 minutes and the barista… most definitely… saw me standing there. But I was ignored. I thought this was really, really strange. Stood there for 2 more minutes… still ignored.
2 – 3 more minutes later — finally someone else came out from the back and helped me out. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable and unwelcome at a business. What was the deal here, Grounds For Celebration? Is this how you treat all new customers who aren’t regulars? Why was cleaning out the espresso machine more important than helping your only customer in line?
2 stars for the decent coffee. It would be 5 stars if I wasn’t rudely ignored. Will not be returning, ever.

Very nice espresso, nice ambient.

Great business! Locals who make your coffee, biscoti, or sandwiches. I’m not sure if they still do, but they used to run catering and a shop out of the Des Moines historical building too.