Louie’s Wine Dive

With this being the first time I have ever been to Des Moines, Iowa I made it a mission of mine to explore and discover all the city had to offer. With that being said I was fortunate enough to take up a friend’s recommendation and check out Louie’s Wine Dive, they definitely didn’t disappoint. A couple of friends & I checked in for brunch and had a great time. They have an exceptional variety of mimosas with each one unique and flavorful. I can still taste the subtle hints of cinnamon that was tucked in the Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich. I highly recommend if you are in the Des Moines, IA area that you check them out.

Four Pork Gnocchi was amazing! Our server Myles was fantastic! Had the Bruschetta as a starter… Could have just ate that, it was so good!

Every time I come here I always have a good time. Wait staff are nice and friendly and very attentive. I love their cheese plate and it’s even better paired with a bottle of wine.
I love their outdoor patio seating, but it does get pretty packed so I would get there early.
One if my favorite dishes there is the Diablo pasta with either shrimp or chicken! This time I tried their crab cakes… it was stuffed in a light fluffy puff pastry. Overall they were pretty good.
This is a definite must try… bring your friends or your significant other… won’t regret it!

This was a great brunch experience. Their patio was full on this sunny day, so we got a high table by the window. Our server was great — so funny, helpful, and very attentive. They were busy, but it didn’t feel overcrowded or too loud. I liked the variety of music they had in the restaurant.
The hibiscus (cranberry mimosas) were sweet, but very good. The carafe is $ 12 now, but was enough for 6 glasses and a way better deal than ordering by the glass.
They just updated their brunch menu so it’s new and the prices are a little more expensive than before. I ordered the maple glazed chicken wings with biscuit, gravy, and fried egg ($ 12). I absolutely loved my dish — it was a good portion size and the sweetness of the maple glaze was a perfect balance to the creamy saltiness of the gravy.
My dining partner got the SCB with quinoa salad ($ 11). He liked the smokiness and hint of slice from the Serrano cream cheese and the sweetness from the bacon jam. The quinoa salad with the strawberries and feta was very good.
Overall a great experience and I’d definitely come back for brunch and to try their happy hour/​dinner.

A friend and I went out for dinner. I order the hogfish which was what I believe they referred to as the «chef’s recommendation» that night. About 15 minutes after I ordered the waiter came back and said there may be one or two bones in it. Not wanting to reorder and wait longer, and generally not put off by one or two bones in fish, I said that was fine. The flavor of the fish was ok, but I spent the entire meal pulling bones out of my mouth and placing them on the edge of my plate. Nearly every bit I took had one or two bones in it. Someone had apparently made a very ineffective attempt at a filet. The waiter said he would «take care of it». When he returned he carried the full price bill and a coupon for a glass of wine and a free desert, apparently to entice me to come back and pay full price for another poorly done entre. No thanks.

This was our first visit… We will definitely be back! Excellent brunch choices, great service, patio seating, and lots of variety in drink choices!
I ordered the biscuits and gravy and a Malbec flight. The biscuits were large, crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. There were two types of gravy on the biscuits-​both savory, and seasoned deliciously. The plate was a generous portion (i’ll have the leftovers for lunch) and cost$ 10. My favorite wine in the flight was the Louie, oak and pepper flavors. The flight was $ 12, but more wine than I could manage comfortably (i am a light weight, and had not eaten yet).
There is a large bar inside, and a relaxed modern décor. Monday’s are all evening happy hour… Give it a try!

Came here on Saturday for brunch.
We had a reservation and were seated right away.
Our waiter was super friendly, and, after each ordering a mimosa, told us the better deal was the carafe of mimosas. Definitely the better deal as the carafes were huge. However, me and my buddies all experienced a severe case of the sugars later on due to the high sugar content of the champagne and the cranberry, grapefruit and grape juice in the mimosas. So, when I return to Louie’s, I won’t be getting the mimosas again. I’ll try sangria next time… ha.
The food was very good, though.
My eggs were cooked perfectly… and I’m an egg snob. My dining companions all enjoyed their dishes thoroughly. Our only complaint was the sugar situation of the drinks.
Will return though!

The drink selection is nice. The atmosphere is good. The service ok.
The food was very meh. I was actually disappointed in price for what you get and left still very hungry since the portions are very small. Don’t think I will ever go back for their food. Wouldn’t be my top 5 choice but would come for patio and drinks if there are die hard wine drinkers in the group.

Wow, an interesting experience. Walked in and was sat immediately at a sticky table. Said something the the host about this, and instead of cleaning the table, he proceeded to take a dry towel and spread the stickiness around, and walked off. My wife spotted another towel and spray bottle at the host stand, so she cleaned our table.
Our server came by and got us water, and then told us about half a dozen things that they were out of. My wife asked about getting something on the regular menu, not the brunch menu, to which the server flat-​out refused. To her credit though, she did get my son and I an ample amount of our favorite sauce (green goddess).
Shortly after we ordered, the local wineo stumbled in with a bottle he had just purchased at the adjacent drug/​liquor store (Sutter Home White Zinfindel to be exact), asking the host if he could open the bottle for him. The host referred him to the bar, and a server nearby opened the bottle for him. The wineo thanked her, and promptly left. The host bolted from the stand to the server. The server said «I shouldn’t have done that, should I?». (Total face palm).
Food was great though!

Oh my. Understaffed and not well managed. Arrived at 5:40 pm tonight and told 30 min for a table of 4 (due to reservations). Found a seat at the bar and bartenders were swamped (lost income) so waited to get our bottle of wine.
WE had to seek the hostess to learn our status twice even though sitting at the bar w/​in visual distance.
Seated well after 7 pm but no waiter. (Should have called in a reservation from our bar stools.)
Douie finally gets the assignment and his fun and friendly attitude saved the evening. His dinner recommendation was spot on. We all liked our dinner choices. Hopefully this evening’s experience was not the norm.

Ordered the calamari (which was frozen, then fried), charcuterie (which was cheap, store bought cheese and deli meats) and the carbonara (which had an egg shell in it, was most definitely not freshly made pasta and contained chicken breast which had been sitting in the fridge for far too long).
The silverware was spotted, the glasses weren’t clean, and the experience just wasn’t very good and I truly, truly wanted it to be. I like what they are attempting to do here, I just don’t think they’re executing it to the highest standards.
Great selection of wines, and OK selection of beer, and a menu that looks good on paper, but didn’t deliver.

I was pleasantly surprised! Being from out of town, I came here as a recommendation from a local. I had the Tandoori Salmon. It came with quinoa and a green sauce that I think was mint. One of the BEST salmon dishes I have had. Great dinner portion and the taste was savory and comforting. In a good way, like I was eating at home. The atmosphere is great, for a wine place. It was casual and the staff provides excellent service. I will be making a return visit the next time I come back to Des Moines. Thank you Louie’s!

Nice outdoor seating and a great night to sit outside. The wine and beer list was nice
As a vegetarian there are only a couple choices. I looked at the menu and was going to get mushroom ravioli. The waiter came over and gave us 4 or 5 items there were out
Of. I understand once in a while having
One thing sold out but at 630p they shouldn’t be sold out of that much. So I look at the menu again and decide on a Caesar salad. We order and ‘oh o forgot to tell you, we are out of that too’. So I get a different salad. It was well prepared but with too much dressing
I went with my daughter and son in law who had been before
And really liked it. So maybe I just caught them on a bad night but if hadn’t been for their positive thoughts I would never go back

We came for brunch on a Sunday morning and sat outside on the patio, which was lovely. Relaxing and spacious!
The food was solidly tasty — we got the Harvest Eggs Benedict and the honey butter chicken sandwich.
Sadly the oven wasn’t working so that took a few options away that we were interested in. And our server was a sweet kid who didn’t seem to know much about the place he was working which provided us some laughs but wasn’t impressive.
Overall I would recommend and we’ll be back!

I have been to Louie’s Wine Dive a handful of times. I’ve had 5-​star worthy visits, and 3-​star worthy visits (hence the 4 stars). The service can be inconsistent — except at the bar! The last few times we just sit at the bar and have a great experience each time. The bartenders have been able to recommend wine that fits my mood and my food.
The gnocchi is great — several variations of pork with crispy gnochi. I also really like the quinoa/​arugula side salad. Today I had the tiramisu and it was awesome too.
I recommend reservations during dinner on Friday and Saturday. They are on OpenTable.

Went here for brunch on a rainy Sunday morning. They had some very unique breakfast entrees. I had the mac and cheese omelet with potatoes and my dining partner had the bourbon french toast with a grapefruit mimosa. Both were delicious and the portions were great! The dive is nice and the prices are very reasonable. I’d go back again — for brunch or lunch or dinner. They have bottomless mimosas during brunch and it’s a good deal!

The food is great, but the service is not great. I’m normally pretty understanding with busy days, but not getting refills and waiting to the point of going to the host station to pay for our bill is too much. We probably won’t be back, which is too bad because the food is damn good.

Our waiter was incredible. Our food was insane. The bone on the 28ounce ribeye was larger then my arm. Everything was very Tasty.

Louie your place is not a dive at all? It’s actually really nice! I love your high top tables, your huge salads, and if I was an avid Wine drinker you might have to call me your new roommate! Because your selection of the grape goods is pretty remarkable! But have no fear beer drinkers, they got that stuff too!
They also have an awesome patio for summer sun, and sipping.
And the service is delightful, looking forward to Louie inviting me back over for more!

My review is for the weekend brunch. The bottomless mimosa menu caught my eye. And we were meeting friends for breakfast. This little neighbor spot in the uptown shopping center did not disappoint. A brief brunch menu — about 12 items. A Bloody Mary and mimosa menu $ 6 a glass or $ 12 for bottomless.
Service was great, coffee and water always full. Food came out hot and had great flavor. Brunch prices $ 8-​$ 12.
I would like to come back and try their dinner and see the wine list.