Possibly the best cocktail bar. EVER.
Quite surprising to get the high end mixologist treatment in what appears to be a hipster dive bar or coffee house. Their sidecar - bourbon, Â Grand Marnier, and lemon juice - is one of the best that I've had. It's not even on the menu, but they knew exactly what I wanted! The other cocktails on their menu are excellent, too.
DSM is currently my home during the week, and my coworkers and I live for Wednesday night 2 for 1 cocktails. Who put $$ as the price point for this place?! Even the regular price tag of $8 is excellent for these artisan cocktails. If you want some perspective, one cocktail in NYC costs the same amount as 4 in DSM on Wednesday nights at The Lift. On second thought, maybe you should stay home so I can grab a booth for my team :-)
We went here on a week night and while it is categorically a dive bar, I guess, its wood everywhere motif and cleanliness and well-made drinks puts it in the la creme de la creme of dive bars.
The special for the night was an old-fashioned and it was made right. An orange was muddled in the glass. The right liquor was added.
There were only a few people and we stuck around long enough to hear the jazz band play, one with more members than the bar had patrons. Wait. Did I write "week night" and "jazz band"? I was really impressed that there was actually a band that sounded okay playing somewhere in DSM on a week night. Smart idea, Lift!
This is a conversation bar and I like conversation bars. The décor is sparse, which I didn't mind--it had the functional quality of some bars I remember from Prague. Bring your own conversation and make your own party on the blank canvas of The Lift (and we did). The cocktail menu was lengthy and interesting, though I stuck to my standby bourbon and soda. The bartender could have been friendlier (he seemed completely uninterested that we were out-of-towners), but, oh, well. I liked the little metal cage/gazebo thing over one part of the bar--it looked like something you would find in a park or transit station in Europe. If they wanted to make the décor more interesting, they could build off this piece. And no smoking! This was refreshing, coming from Indianapolis, where you leave almost every bar smelling like a walking ashtray.
Review Source:I like The Lift for the extensive list of delcious martinis. Â I also like that it's downtown, but not skanky downtown (you know who you are, Liars Club). Â
The atmosphere is relaxed, and I've seen everything from Indian businessmen to pierced and tatted Goths enjoying their drinks and conversation.
One thing...ok, two things to avoid: Â the skeevy couches in the side room by the potties (a la dirty fraternity house basement), and the face-melting Bloody Marys. Â I love me a good tomato-based drink, but either someone working for "Man vs. Food" is making them, or we got a bad batch. Â HOT!!!!
Recommend!
I usually come here for the martinis, on Wednesdays there's a special two for one. I like the whole atmosphere there. It's a pretty small place and very "chill" music they play is not really to any specific genre which is nice. The bar staff are actually nice and personable, they are quick in getting your drinks to you even on a really busy night. Highly recommend this place to anybody of any age... (well of course over 21)
PS: You may want to consider going some place else to quickly use the restroom...
Great drinks..especially the martinis. Â I liked the size and ambiance of this bar. Â The lift has the feel of a local hangout with quite a few regulars. Â The bar staff were attentive even while extremely busy.
The night some friends and I were here they were playing some great tunes over their speakers and then allowed some one to come in and play terrible, overly loud techno music...had to leave due to the same but I will definitely be back.
I swear Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue was sitting next to me at the bar...I even talked to him....drink of choice...red bull & vodka doubles!
A Saturday night out in Des Moines in July yielded THE most bachelorette and bachelor parties I have ever witnessed. No joke, my friend and I saw eight different parties at four different places. Sadly enough, two of such parties made their way to the Lift, but after our experience at the Liar's Club where I literally got groped by one guy and told that I "made [him] sick" when I rejected another lame-o's advances... even two bachelorette parties of screaming girls adorned with plastic penises and sparkly leis could be handled. What I liked about The Lift was the laid-back atmosphere and the mix of patrons (although could have done without the screaming girl parties). What sucked about the place was the art on the walls - apologies to the artist, but really, these paintings aren't that well done and are just trying so painfully hard to be edgy and controversial, spelling out the obvious themes in a way that really just detracts from the place. We get it, you're troubled. But the art in the bar? Total buzzkill and pretty juvenile.
Review Source:Perhaps one of the best bars I've ever been to.
It's got the vibe of a coffee shop (sofas, etc) while still feeling like a bar. Â Very casual vibe, not too loud, friendly folks, and two dollar drafts (yes, all of them) on Thursdays. Â I say yes.
And if you go soon, you may see some art on the wall that will have you and your friends talking for days.
If you go for martini night make sure that Nick is the bartender. (short blonde hair, sometimes wearing a hat). Wed is martini night and they are by far some of the best in town. My usual drink is a straight gin martini or gimlet; hard to get right unless your seasoned but they are done very well.
Thursday nights are 2 dollar pints and the place starts to fill around 9.
the best thing about this place is that its always been casual and is the perfect place to go after work and stay and watch the place gradually get busy, but never too crowded. The people who have drinks here are not trying to impress, but rather looking for a good time in a place they can still hear each other talk.
P.S. the bartenders pick their own music, and you will often find yourself asking who's playing because its something you've never heard but you know its good....
Why is Des Moines so far behind all the major cities on smoking bans in bars and restaurants?? Â Oh wait, I forgot. Â It's Des Moines. Â Luckily, we have places like the Lift which are ahead of the curve. Â
You can't beat 2-for-1 martini night on Wednesdays, and it's always fun to see the revolving art gallery on the walls. Â As a bonus, you can actually hear your friends talk - you know, if you're interested in having conversations and stuff. Â The only way I could love this bar more is if 2-for-1 martini night was every night.
EDIT: Â Even though we (thank god) finally have banned smoking in bars, I still maintain that the Lift is the best place to find a martini. Â Oh yeah - and they have beer specials on Thursday. Â What? Â I don't go there all the time or anything...
Great place. Â It's smoke free, which is awesome. Â Music is good, atmostphere is very laid back. Â It's never too loud, always different and interesting artwork on the walls and a wide variety of martinis. Â
It's so laid back here that I took my parents and didn't feel weird at all. Â Great place.
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