Elsie's Restaurant Bar & Bowling Center

I have drove by Elsie's so many times and had never been. I always thought it looked packed but we went on a Saturday night at 7pm and needed ~4 lanes for our family to bowl. We had about 20 people. I believe a reservation was made. When we arrived the parking lot was full but there's a lot of street parking. Once we got in it wasn't as busy as it looked on the outside so that was nice. We ordered a few drinks directly from the bar which were priced a lot higher than ordering mixed drinks at the lanes. We also ordered a good amount of food. The waffle fries w/ seasoned sour cream was good. Our waitress was amazing and did a great job at keeping all the orders straight as we were on multiple tabs. We ended up booking/playing for 2hrs on each lane. It was good time. I'd for sure come back again.

Stopped in here after a long bike ride. We both had the double cheeseburger special with a cup of wild rice soup. The burger and the soup were both very tasty. Our waiter treated us very well. Our friend had two pancakes that were good and very filling.

This is a fun, lowkey, old fashioned establishment. I met up with a group here on a Wednesday night and every lane was full. It was a fun but laidback atmosphere with great service right at the lane. Drink service was fast and it was easy to extend our game play as more of our party trickled in. I'd totally come here again.

Had an early lunch on a Friday. Service was quick. This is one of our top breakfast places, but lunch was just as good. I had fish and chips. The fish was perfect. Not greasy. The French fries were even perfect. My husband had an open faced prime rib sandwich . He said it's one of the best cuts of prime rib he's had. With tip, $44

I honestly cannot say enough about how fantastic Elsie's is. I've been coming here since I was a kid, but my partner and I had our wedding reception in their event space over the weekend and that's what prompted the review.As a restaurant & bowling alley:Solid food! I love coming here for breakfast. My favorite is their garden vegetable omelet. The tuna melt on their dinner menu is also pretty good. As an event venue:PERFECT. From planning to the day of, things couldn't have been better. I can't recommend Elsies more!Dawn, the general manager, had beyond excellent communication the entire time and was a dream to work with. She made each one of our requests work. The day of couldn't have gone any better. We were able to come on early and set up. The food was incredible, the bartender and catering staff were honestly the best, and there was plenty of room for our 150 guests.

4.0* (out of 5)Food: 5* Atmosphere: 3* Value: 4* Service: 4*12/17/2022We stopped here for breakfast / brunch before the Vikings / Colts game (an epic in its own right...) and really enjoyed the stop. Our waiter had some personality (always appreciated) - giving our son (the lone member in our party wearing a Colts jersey) grief that everyone was welcome but the Colts fan.While the atmosphere was average (somewhat aged, but clean), the value and service were above average and the food was great. I ordered the #2 (Two eggs, hash browns, w/ toast - see picture) and found it a very good value for $8. My wife ordered the Elsie's Supreme Omelet (see picture) and while it was a bit pricey for breakfast at $15 - there was a lot of food and it was Delicious! Lest I forget...the Bloody Mary with beer chaser (see picture) tasted fantastic and was the best value of all!Overall, we loved the food and would definitely go back if we are in the area again - I would highly recommend it. Shout out to Michael D. (our waiter) - great job on the service side!If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.comFor the latest Food & Drink Reviews - follow on Twitter: @TheFaDGuyLatest Happy Hour & Specials Updates - follow on Twitter: @HHDesMoinesFor the best Happy Hours and Food Specials in Des Moines, visit: happyhourdesmoines.com

i've been there several times food good atmosphere great service sometimes off....but i do like the place..

Stopped by for dinner and drinks with friends on a Friday. Fun atmosphere and clearly popular with neighbors give Elsie's a homey charm. Service was fine but our food was delivered cold and unseasoned. Typical bar food fare wasn't anything noteworthy, but the higher prices on top of the tepid temps left much to be desired. Drinks were fine, but also felt overpriced.

We had an office party there and I hadn't been there in years. It's not super modern but the lanes have been updated. It's nice to be able to put selfies on the scoreboard. The pizza was what's to be expected from a bowling alley. The staff was attentive and refilling drinks and clearing plates right away. There is a free parking lot on site. They do have Pepsi products. Overall a great experience.

Always great food and service! A gem in NE Mpls! Traditional burgers, Rueben's and the best hot beef and turkey plates!