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Bar Nico, Des Moines, IA

Bar Nico

4.7
4.7
82 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

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2 people
19:00
Booked 15 times today
  • Innovative
  • Gluten-free-friendly
  • Great for creative cocktails
Our restaurant's mantra is "Sin Maiz, No Hay Pais" meaning "without corn there is no country" as such, our tortillas are hand ground in house from heirloom organic Mexican corn varietals - made daily & cooked to order. As a result of our corn obsession, we have no flour in house & are a completely gluten-free kitchen.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Contemporary Mexican
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 09:00–15:00 Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30–15:00 Happy Hour Daily 15:00–17:00 Dinner Mon–Thu 15:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 15:00–00:00 Sun 15:00–21:00
  • Phone number
    (515) 243-0611
  • Website
    https://www.barnicodsm.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Matt Small
  • Location
    428 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309-1910
  • Area
    Des Moines
  • Cross Street
    East Locust St. & East 5th St.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 82 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Iowa

    Child-friendly

  • Iowa

    Innovative

  • Iowa

    Healthy

  • Iowa

    Hot spot

  • Des Moines

    Innovative

  • Des Moines

    Healthy

  • Des Moines

    Hot spot

  • Des Moines

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bar Nico shines with its "fabulous and very creative meals" that cater to diverse diets, including gluten-free and vegan options. Guests rave about its "great atmosphere," "inventive food," and "amazing drinks," notably the spicy margaritas. The "friendly, attentive service" completes this delightful dining experience in Des Moines.

82 Reviews

  1. amy

    Des Moines

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Always amazing. I had the roared chicken enchiladas. Rich flavors. Fresh tasting. Service was outstanding.

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  2. RD

    Des Moines

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on 7 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Very cool venue. Very good food, limited but logical menu. A little on the high end of cost I think they could do with about a 20% reduction in cost and they’d be perfect.  We will go back. 

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Des Moines

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was amazing and the service even better. We go often, and it never disappoints. Haven't had a bad thing yet. The service staff seems genuinely happy to be there which is a rare find. 10 out of 10!!

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  4. Emily

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 17 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great modern take on classic Latin flavors! Highly recommend.

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  5. Brooke

    VIP

    Des Moines

    47 reviews

    3.0

    47 reviews

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    First visit. Went for happy hour. Nice discount on tapas and tacos. Service was slow for a half full restaurant. Food was okay but portion small. Maybe they make portions smaller during happy hour which then makes it not such a great deal. Really liked the guacamole but not enough chips to eat it.

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  6. steve

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food and cocktails (which are never cloyingly over-sweet as is common in DSM) are consistently well-balanced and excellent in every respect. My lovely dining companion, an amazing cook in her own right, loves it here, and trust me, that is a very high bar. Only demerit in my opinion is the loud Manhattan-esque techno music that makes it hard to hear people. The younger and less curmudgeonly might love that , though. We will go back.

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  7. Joey

    VIP

    Des Moines

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 10 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and atmosphere! Tacos and margaritas are amazing.

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  8. Mary Anne

    Denver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 20 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We enjoyed three different types of tacos, the corn, fundito and rice. For dessert we had chocolate basque cheesecake, coconut flan and churro sundae- all were delicious.

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  9. Kim

    Des Moines

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 20 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food choice's for everyone, I’m vegan . Not your typical items. Nice atmosphere. I will definitely go back.

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  10. John

    Des Moines

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 11 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great food and great service! Got seated early for 6:30 reservation. Went for our anniversary, and they gave us a great dessert. Churros were excellent.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Bar Nico is rated 4.7 stars by 82 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 15 times today
Google Map for Bar Nico

428 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309-1910

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    East Locust St. & East 5th St.
  • Area
    Des Moines
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 09:00–15:00 Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30–15:00 Happy Hour Daily 15:00–17:00 Dinner Mon–Thu 15:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 15:00–00:00 Sun 15:00–21:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Contemporary Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Matt Small
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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