Shirley's Bar & Grill (West Des Moines, IA) Review

4.0* (out of 5)

Yelp Review

Google Review

Food: 3*

Atmosphere: 5*

Value: 4*

Service: 5*

Would I go back / Recommend?: 4* (Probably)

Total check/person: $38

06/14/2025 Shirley’s Bar & Grill +1 (515) 414-8986

We stopped here for drinks last weekend with our son who lives nearby, so when it was my turn to choose a place to eat after Mass tonight I thought we’d give it a try. We enjoyed the music from the 70s and 80s last time and in addition to that, they had a live band tonight and the place was pretty full, so we sat at the bar.

They try hard to say they aren’t a sports bar (on the back of the shirts on all the wait staff), so I asked a bartender what they were then if they weren’t a sports bar. After discussing the 70s / 80s theme, we ended up getting a history lesson. We were told that Shirley was the original name of the town of Waukee, but it was changed after lobbying from the Milwaukee Railroad that came through town to name it after them. The Waukee website gives a slightly different take…saying Gen. Reid of the Des Moines Valley Railroad stated that the ‘powers that be’ in the railroad office in Keokuk insisted that it should have an Indian appellation, and hence Waukee it had to be.

For dinner, my wife ordered the French Dip with tots (see picture) and I opted for The Rachel with cottage cheese (see picture). While I really enjoyed the Rachel – great taste with the smoked turkey and nicely toasted bread, my wife and I agreed that the French Dip and tots were average bar food at best. I didn’t like the bread, the size of the tots were smaller than average…leaving mostly breading and she asked for Ranch to dip them in and instead received some type of sweet homemade sauce.

Overall, I liked this place – especially the drinks, service and 70s/80s music and theme.

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Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com