Court Avenue Brewing Company
| Address: | 309 Court Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309, USA |
| Phone: | +1 515-282-2739 |
| Site: | courtavebrew.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12:30AM 11AM–12:30AM 11AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Benjamin Gibson
Court Avenue Brewing Company (or CABCo, to those in the know) has been a staple of downtown Des Moines for at least a decade, and for good reason. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the service is usually great, and the food is reliable. Of course, there are plenty of good in-house brews available too. After being away from Des Moines for several years, my wife and I returned to CABCo for a recent date night. We shared the soft pretzels as an appetizer; thick, soft pretzel logs served warm with caramel, coarse ground mustard, and spicy beer cheese sauces on the side. If youre not into caramel or mustard, just get three sides of the cheese. Its not the standard nacho cheese, and its amazing. For an entree, we split the Sage Gorgonzola Fillet, a beef fillet served over a sage gorgonzola sauce, with charred asparagus and a sweet potato hash on the side. My wifes half of the steak was slightly overdone, but still good. The asparagus was perfect, charred on some edges, but still crunchy. The $3 split plate charge was justified too. The steak was split prior to cooking, and each was cooked to order. Both plates were presented nicely, and it seemed like we each got a full serving of the sides. I enjoyed a pointer brown ale, and my wife had some fruit cider which she enjoyed as well. They have a fully stocked bar with capable bartenders and a variety of house cocktails. The kerosene candle at the table did produce a slight odor that was distracting. Perhaps the wick was too long. Not a deal breaker though. If you havent been to Court Avenue Brewing Company yet, make a date! You wont regret it.
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Christopher Wright
Having been to Cabco several times, it is hands down my favorite Downtown restaurant. They sells growlers and retired Mug Club mugs along with sturdy bar-ware. I have been back a few times just to fill up my growler with their new beer. The food is always excellent and cooked to my preference if I have one for my order. I dont get favoritism there, asking politely and being patient wins over the waitstaff. Oh geez, the waitstaff! These people know their beers, menu and if you come in often enough, what you like for your first drink! I have yet to see this kind of waitstaff at a 2 Michelin star restaurant. They know pairing and if they dont know, they will find out if you are set on a particular beer or food. Again, polite and patient is the key. If you are visiting one night, this is a top 3 choice. If you are in town for a week, this is a 2 time visit. Since we live in Des Moines, we make this a once a month visit, or if its a good month, twice. But do plan a bigger budget than the West Des Moines eateries, this is downtown and you are paying downtown prices. I do think the cost reflects the service and experience, but you can judge that for yourself.
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Heather Doxstader
This place deserves a negative star! My friends talked this place up. I was so excited for the food. We tried to come in for a late dinner (we are from 3 and 6 hours away) and were treated the worst I have ever been treated. Because there were 6 of us and my toddler, we asked for a bigger table than what was in the bar area. She had to check becauae the dining room was "closed" After we were finally (15 min later) given a table in the dining area we were ignored. The manager looked at us... didnt greet us... The host Sat us then left, so who knows if she told the staff she sat us in the dining room. The server was giving us glares when we were in the bar area so she knew we were there. WE SAT AT THE TABLE FOR ANOTHER 15 MIN before finally getting up and leaving. So 30 to 45 min later... WITH A TODDLER... We finally are eating somewhere else.
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Crystal LaFollette
Fantastic Brewery and Great Wings! My husband and I have been to CABCO (Court Avenue Brewing Company) many, many times. We usually go on Sundays, because they have $.45 wings in the bar and patio. The bar and patio are very comfortable and the dining area has a very "high-end" and possibly romantic feel (if thats what youre looking for). The only time to avoid the bar is during a game or an event that might pack the place. However, weve only experienced standing-room-only once and it didnt last too terribly long before we found a place to sit. The service is great and the beer they brew is fantastic! The brew master has created some wonderful beers and we love to see whats new. Ive always had a great experience no matter what Ive ordered and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good food and great beer.
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Ryan Poff
Took my girlfriend out to dinner here on a Sunday night, arrived at about 8:30. Service was fairly slow and inattentive and my girlfriends Pepsi was flat. We waited for around half an hour on our food - her hamburger was slightly overcooked, my food was spot-on. Ive come in several times for a half-price appetizer and beer after work around 5. Beer highlights would be the Two Rivers Light and Honest Lawyer IPA. With as good as those appetizers have been in the past, I expected more from a proper dinner here. Id go back for a half-price appetizer or a beer, but otherwise the slightly higher than average menu prices dont justify the average food.
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The Boognish
Go for the beer, stay for the food, leave before you eat yourself into a blissful coma. I ate at this restaurant on several occasions during my time in Des Moines. In short they offer a wide range of delicious micro brews, paired with a robust menu of classic comfort food, all served in a casual atmosphere. The steaks are good, the pizzas are good, the sandwiches are good, the beer is good. Im not sure I have anything negative to say about this place. If youre in the area, do yourself a favor and stop here for a bite to eat.
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Ian Griffith
Everything we had was great, looking forward to the next time I go back. Service was great, really chill atmosphere even though we were greeted at the door with 5 star restaurant customer service. The homemade ginger beer was really good- not as strong ginger as some others I have had so if youve never had ginger beer dont hesitate even if you not big on ginger. The fish and chips was bordering too much breading not enough fish, but thats the only bad thing I could say.
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Jim Corder
Had a great experience here tonight, after many other good trips. Great food, great drinks, attentive staff. What put things over the top tonight was a staff member noticing our Cubs gear, and inquired if we were going to the game. We were, and he promptly gave us 10 tickets for our whole group to the game. Completely unexpected, but so much appreciated. Thanks again Court Ave for helping make a great night!
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Kayla Styles
The food tasted great but in the middle of our stay we switched servers because our first server had his own area he was supposed to be tending to but they were short staffed at the time. The second server never checked on us and made us wait ten minutes after we were clearly finished to come to the table to get our bill. Other than having to sit and wait for that server everything else was great!
