Pretty Room, Grocery Store Wines at Hotel Prices
Downtown / East Village edge · Des Moines · Modern American Tavern with British/European Influence · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The room is genuinely good — warm lighting, buzzy bar energy, the kind of hotel tavern that actually earns the word 'tavern.' Then the wine list arrives and you realize the kitchen got all the attention. What's on the page reads like a greatest hits album from a grocery store endcap.
California dominates, with a few Pacific Northwest and French bottles rounding things out — but the depth just isn't there. The anchor names are Decoy, Meiomi, Cakebread, and Orin Swift: all recognizable, none of them exciting, and every single one priced like they're doing you a favor by pouring them. There's no adventure here — no small producers, no regional curiosity, nothing that suggests whoever built this list had a point of view beyond 'people have heard of these.' If you're hoping for a French Rhône or an Oregon Pinot that isn't Meiomi, keep hoping.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass sounds like a decent spread until you realize it's mostly the same familiar faces — Kim Crawford, La Marca, probably a Cab that rhymes with 'Decoy.' Glass prices in the $8–$14 range feel fair in isolation, but given what these bottles cost at Target, you're still paying a significant premium for the privilege of a stemmed glass and a nice ceiling.
Orin Swift '8 Years in the Desert' Red Blend — $130
This is the least-bad option on a list full of painful markups. At 150% over retail it's still steep, but it's the only bottle here that actually tastes like it belongs at a restaurant with $30 entrees. Big, bold, and crowd-pleasing — if you're committed to ordering wine, at least get something with some personality.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay
Nobody orders Cakebread because it feels safe and expensive — and at $120 here, it is expensive. But if you're splitting a bottle at a table of four and someone insists on Chardonnay, this is the most technically sound white on the list. It's not a hidden gem in any exciting sense, but it punches above its competition in this particular lineup.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
A 237% markup on a $16 retail bottle is where the math becomes insulting. Kim Crawford is a fine Tuesday-night grocery store wine. At $54 a bottle, you're paying for the ambiance of a hotel bar to drink something your neighbor has in their fridge right now. Hard pass.
Orin Swift '8 Years in the Desert' Red Blend + Rotisserie Chicken
The Orin Swift is rich, fruit-forward, and has enough body to stand up to the savory char on a properly done rotisserie bird. It's not a conventional pairing, but on a list this limited, it's the most interesting match available — and the contrast between the wine's dark fruit and the chicken's crispy skin actually works.
❌ The Bottom Line
Mulberry Street Tavern is a legitimately fun place to eat and drink — just don't make wine the reason you go. The markups are aggressive, the list is safe to the point of being forgettable, and Des Moines deserves better from a room this nice.
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Des Moines / Jordan Creek · Des Moines · Italian
Bravo! is a fine dinner out if the pasta is what you're after, but the wine list is purely functional — corporate-designed, safely marked up, and entirely forgettable. Order a glass of bubbles or the Chianti, make peace with your choices, and let the food do the heavy lifting.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.