85 Bar West (Waukee, IA) Review

Written by

Webmaster

Iowa_DSM NW (Clive Urbandale Waukee)

4.4* (out of 5)

Yelp Review

Google Review

Food: 4*

Atmosphere: 5*

Value: 4*

Service: 4*

Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely)

Total check/person: $40

04/25/2026 85 Bar West +1 (515) 800-8558

We were looking for a sports bar to watch the Minnesota Wild playoff game, so thought we would try 85 Bar West…even though they were a Chicago-focused venue. Fortunately, they came through and put the game on several screens for us to watch during our visit.

We started with an order of Onion Rings (see picture) – and they were the best onion rings I’ve had in many years. They were uniformly battered, uniformly fried to nice, crispy light brown color, and most importantly – a slightly crunchy onion inside that bit off cleanly so that you could dip it again! The picture itself does pretty good justice on their quality – and the dipping sauce was quite tasty also!

For dinner, my wife ordered the Low Carb Beef Bowl w/ Pepperjack cheese & Rice (see picture) and I went with the Classic Wings split between Lemon Pepper Dry Rub and Mango Habanero sauce (see picture). We both really enjoyed the Low Carb Beef Bowl, finding it just as tasty as the name implies (all of the peppery zing of an Italian Beef with a melted cheese top – with rice replacing the bun).

I was admittedly a bit disappointed with the wings, especially given the award-winning claims in the menu. My first impression and comment to my wife was that they were quite small in size. Secondly, while they tasted reasonably moist and tender, as the picture shows – they appeared to be dried out / overcooked…with meat pulling away from the bone. The Mango Habanero wings had very little spice given their name and very little sauce, with some barely wet and essentially none in the serving tray to use to add.

While the wings would give me pause before ordering again, we REALLY liked the onion rings and everything else that we’ve ordered has been above average. The other thing I enjoy is their reasonable selection of craft beers (really liked the Chicago local Cold Time) as well as the unique cocktails. This is a solid stop.

10/25/2025

While we admittedly aren’t Chicago Bears fans (yes, we cheer for the Super Bowl winless Vikings…), we have taken a bit of a liking to this place and have stopped several times since they opened. Tonight we stopped to see the NDSU / SDSU football game on one of their many TVs over the bar. While it took them a bit to find the game, we enjoyed most of the game

I started this visit with a Windy City Caramel (see picture) and my wife opted for the Spicy Pineapple Margarita (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each drinks and would highly recommend both of them. We followed those up with Cadillac Margaritas (see picture) and again, would recommend them as a good balance between tart and sweet.

For our meals, my wife ordered the Italian Beef with extra Au Jus on the side (see picture). Ordering the Au Jus on the side seemed like a good idea, as you had plenty to soak your sandwich in as you ate it – but it wasn’t soaked and falling apart as you tried to eat it. I went with the Buffalo Chicken Wrap (see picture) and we both enjoyed our meals.

If you found this review helpful, please Share, Follow & Like.