800 Bottles Deep in the Midwest
West Des Moines · Des Moines · New American · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 12, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Urban Cellar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're not expecting 800-plus wines when you pull into a strip in West Des Moines, but here we are. Urban Cellar hits you immediately as a place that actually takes this seriously — there's a sommelier on staff, a market attached, and a list that would embarrass most big-city restaurants. The warm, modern room feels like someone decided a proper wine destination belonged in Iowa, and then went and built one.
Eight hundred bottles is not a number you throw around — that's a legitimate cellar, not a curated shortlist. The list leans into Paso Robles with solid Broken Earth representation across Fiano, Rosé, Cab Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which suggests someone here actually knows what's happening on the Central Coast right now. The global ambition is real, though without a full published list we can't dig into every corner — what we can say is that the depth and the sommelier presence signal this isn't a list that got built by accident. Gaps in transparency around pricing and by-the-glass options are the only thing holding this back from a full Rager nod.
The by-the-glass program isn't fully published online, which is genuinely frustrating when the bottle list is this ambitious. What's clear is that Wycliff Sparkling shows up in the lineup — fine for a house pour but a surprising low-end anchor for a program with this much ambition behind it. We'd push staff for their current glass pours the moment you sit down; with a sommelier in-house, the answer should be interesting.
Broken Earth Cabernet Sauvignon — Unknown
Broken Earth punches well above its price point out of Paso Robles — ripe, structured, and crowd-friendly without being generic. On Wine Wednesday when bottles under $100 are half off, this becomes a genuine steal. Order two.
Broken Earth Fiano
Fiano from Paso Robles is still under most people's radar, and that's exactly why you should order it. It's an Italian white grape doing something genuinely interesting in California sunshine — textured, slightly nutty, and nothing like the Chardonnay the table next to you just defaulted to.
Wycliff Sparkling Wine
Wycliff is a mass-market California sparkler that belongs at a brunch buffet, not on a list with 800 bottles and a sommelier. If you want bubbles here, ask what else they're pouring — there has to be something better hiding in that cellar.
Broken Earth Cab Franc + Roasted Chicken and Jalapeño
Cab Franc's natural herbal edge and medium weight cut right through the heat of the jalapeño without steamrolling the chicken. It's a smarter move than reaching for a full Cabernet, and it's the kind of pairing your sommelier will nod approvingly at.
Wednesday — Wine Wednesday: All restaurant wines regularly $100 and under are half off, all day.
The Bottom Line
Urban Cellar is the kind of place that quietly makes Des Moines a legitimate wine city — 800 bottles, a sommelier, and half-price Wednesdays that should have locals lined up out the door. Go on a Wednesday, ask the staff what's drinking well, and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by what's possible in West Des Moines.
Downtown Des Moines · Des Moines · American, Regional
Proudfoot & Bird is the kind of place where the room earns a star the wine list can't quite match — solid enough for a business dinner or a date night in a stunning space, but don't come expecting to find something you've never heard of. If you're in Des Moines and want a dependable glass in a beautiful room, it works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
· Lake Geneva · New American
Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sonoma · New American
El Dorado Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's set up squarely in one, and the list reflects that self-awareness. Fair pricing, smart local representation, a few genuinely interesting outliers, and the full list available by the glass make this a reliable stop for a well-poured evening in Sonoma. If you're after a deep cellar or something truly adventurous, look elsewhere — but if you want to drink well without stress, this delivers.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlanta · New American
Siren has a wine list that punches above its weight in a few key areas — particularly the by-the-glass whites and the Champagne bottle program — but the markup structure means you're spending real money to access it. If you're the kind of diner who wants to order Furmint on a Tuesday night in Atlanta, this is one of the few places that makes that possible, and that alone earns it a spot on the shortlist.
Solid Range
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.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
