Ceviche Bar

Felt like I was in Key West at a local Cuban restaurant. Great food, happy hour specials, and friendly service.

A fun, uniquely decorated place that has great food and friendly service! The Cuban is pretty good, and not heavy on the bread. Thats a positive in my mind- better tasting meats and pickle spear with a tasty mustard that isn’t overwhelming. Has a patio for when the heat’s out, and nice, quaint indoor seating until then. The art is fun to look at. Humidor with cigars available too. Can you find Bigfoot?

In the past this has been so good, maybe a year ago. But the last two times we went were disappointing. Last time the rice was so dry and seemed old. The burger we had was overdone, everything was bland and dry. The drinks were good! But for the price, it was a lame meal.

Super cool spot we always meant to try but couldn't. Very nice decor & layout. We took advantage of the Mojito special. We also had Yuca fries, Cubano, Pan con Lechon, Ropa Vieja & Flan

I have ordered takeout here and eaten outside with friends another time. I was disappointed both times. I was craving ceviche and this was the first place that came up. I ordered ceviche to-go the first time with tostones. It was really underwhelming. The ceviche here is salmon and shrimp that is barely marinated or seasoned with avocado and cilantro. Fatty salmon with fatty avocado in a "citrus" marinade that can barely cut through the oils. It tastes like there's not enough acid or spices. The salmon and avocado take over the whole dish. I felt like I was just eating Crisco lard. The salmon just does not work. It's not the ceviche you would think of if you've ever been to Central or South America. Ceviche is normally made with shrimp and whitefish and/or squid/octopus. The combination of these firm, mellow proteins soak up the tangy, citrus marinade which normally renders an exciting dish teeming with explosions of flavor. That's not what I experienced at Ceviche either time. Not only that but the Cuban bread I got with the "ceviche" the second time was thick and soggy. This place is a no go for me. I love to support local, and I tried to give them another chance, but no. Just no. The other two entrées we tried are also over-priced and unremarkable. If you want large servings of real ceviche that is cheap, go to Isla del Pacifico by the capitol building! UPDATE TO OWNER: No one is asking you to sell cheap food. If you go through all of the negative reviews your diners are saying that the quality of food +/ service doesn't match the prices. If you actually go through my reviews like other restaurant owners you can see that I'm happy to pay hundreds of dollars for good food. Making a slight against one of your competitors by saying that you won't use fish from China shows that you lack emotional intelligence. And, in reading your response to other reviews that also shows. Being a restaurant owner requires you to be able to take criticism and use it to your advantage. People aren't asking you to sell cheap food. People are asking you to do better. Not everyone is going to like your food. I eat, I leave reviews. I am not responsible for your actions or emotions. You are.

If you’re a paella lover, like us, check out Ceviche’s Cuban seafood (or vegan) paella! Tuesdays is a $10 special on paella. It was delicious, so much so that we ordered 4 of them. Different than a Spanish paella (not in concept but overall flavor), but still amazing. Served with awesomely seasoned plantains and bread slices, plump shrimp and a mix of other seafoods, this dish was fantastic. Definitely something worth not skipping out on, and would be great as take out, too. Ropa Vieja: shredded beef and vegetables was very flavorful. Hard to beat the paella but we still loved it and all tried a bite. Flavor was on point. Diablo Shrimp: spicy shrimp with tons of capers, if I could combine this with the paella I would be in heaven. Very different flavors, but the diablo shrimp was sooooooo good. The latter two dishes came with an option of rice and beans or a salad. We opted for salad but they both came with rice and beans. No worries, a salad was brought out anyhow, which I loved but the others did not; tons of green olives, onions, avocados and peppers, this was definitely a “Jessica-style salad”! Espresso martini was awesome. Really really good (wasn’t mine but I tried a sip and it was fab).

Megan is so amazing! She’s so cute and funny and made our experience for our girlfriend’s birthday amazing: we love her!!!

Stopped in for lunch with some co-workers, I love the ambiance and decor of this place. I could see myself coming in late for drinks and just hanging out. Looks like they have alot of wonderful cocktails. I had the paella, it had great ingredients and tasted great. However, I was really hoping it had the nice crispy bottom. Overall, I am excited about coming back to their Cubano. Went back for the Cubano and the Ceviche, needless to say I did not regret it. Loved the crispness of the sandwich with such great flavors. Didn't know what to expect with the Civeche as I had never had this dish. It was good, just a little to tart for me. You definitely need to check this place out and enjoy the ambiance and great food. Servers are great, check it out.

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday......Civoche is the place to go. 2 for 1 mojitos and 2 for 1 mules. The summer mule was delicious. Revelton mulberry gin, pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger beer. Sooooo good. It was not too sweet, refreshing drink. My friend had a mojioto with hibiscus in it. We ordered the pizza. You get to pick two toppings we did the prosciutto and olives. It was salty, but that was due to our choices. We sat inside since it was a hot/humid Iowa day. The music was great but was very loud (there were not that many people inside), so it made it hard to talk. We will definitely go back for 2 for 1 Wednesdays.

What an awesome restaurant to discover! All my life I thought I hated beans until I had the arroz frijoles! Love those little beans! Stephanie was the best waitress ever. Very attentive. The prices were reasonable. What a great discovery on a lovely Sunday! I highly recommend!

Food was Unique and delicious. Ordered the vegan paella, camerones diablo, grilled Yuka, and shrimp cocktail. Shrimp cocktail was ok. Light in flavor. Vegan paella was ok. Made to order. Flavor was a little bland to me. Everything in it was all carbs. I was hoping to see more plant protein. Camerones diablo was just the right spice. Grilled yuka was bland. Service was ok. The server wasn't very attentive but that was fine. It was a quiet weekday dinner and we were one of 3 families. Outdoor seating was ok. Faces a busy road; there is a lot of road noise. Indoor seating looked rustic. It was a nice experience. I don't have previous Cuban food experience so if it was authentic, it was good.

We eat salmon and ceviche a lot but never salmon ceviche. It was good so we ordered another. We had good service and conservation with the bartenders.

I enjoyed the Cubano sandwich. It is different than those I've had. I'd like it pressed and a few more pickles but I'll be back, menu looks great. ***both the ambiance and service were 555s. Nice people and a real Cuban feel to the place. Great date place.

Hands down the best cubano I've had in Des Moines! Most of us ordered this and no one left with leftovers. They also have a vegan menu. The interior is a little smaller and they have a nice patio. Fun vibes overall.

What a waste of time and money. I can make a better ceviche. Their shrimp cocktail is even worse. Cuban old fashioned is just a splash.

If you're a paella lover, like us, check out Ceviche's Cuban seafood (or vegan) paella! Tuesdays is a $10 special on paella. It was delicious, so much so that we ordered 4 of them. Different than a Spanish paella (not in concept but overall flavor), but still amazing. Served with awesomely seasoned plantains and bread slices, plump shrimp and a mix of other seafoods, this dish was fantastic. Definitely something worth not skipping out on, and would be great as take out, too. Ropa Vieja: shredded beef and vegetables was very flavorful. Hard to beat the paella but we still loved it and all tried a bite. Flavor was on point. Diablo Shrimp: spicy shrimp with tons of capers, if I could combine this with the paella I would be in heaven. Very different flavors, but the diablo shrimp was sooooooo good. The latter two dishes came with an option of rice and beans or a salad. We opted for salad but they both came with rice and beans. No worries, a salad was brought out anyhow, which I loved but the others did not; tons of green olives, onions, avocados and peppers, this was definitely a "Jessica-style salad"! Espresso martini was awesome. Really really good (wasn't mine but I tried a sip and it was fab).

Stopped for lunch & sat outside on their little patio. A couple was there with their Great Dane, which was cute & well behaved. Waitress was very pleasant & efficient. She readily split our Cuban sandwich & accommodated our different sides. Our sandwich was good. It didn't have as much meat as most Cubans do, but was enough for lunch. I'd like to go back & sample their drinks. Nice little bar/restaurant.

I was at Ceviche for the first time a couple days ago when it was over 100 degrees. Their AC was out and it was rather hot inside; I note this because the staff was still very pleasant, kind, and positive. Their Cubano was amazing and my mojito was refreshing! The rice and beans were so good I would even order those on their lonesome. Looking forward to coming back and exploring the rest of their menu!

Stopped in on a Saturday evening and we found parking to be a breeze and were seated right away. We ordered a few drinks, as well as the chorizo charcuterie board and three orders of ceviche. Drinks Flamenco Rosado - tasted like a banana smoothie and was SO pink and cute. Perfect if you like a super sweet and non-alcohol tasting beverage Cuban Margarita - delightful and refreshing in every way. Perfect if you love a good margarita! Now, on to the food! Chorizo Charcuterie Board - This was okay. The chorizo was smokey and tasty and wasn't spicy at all, which I liked. It came with two meats, one cheese, some candied walnuts, olives, mustard, and bread. It wasn't a super balanced board, as there wasn't much sweet or acid to balance out the savory/salty. While it was overall okay, I wouldn't order it again. Ceviche - I've never had ceviche before, so keep that in mind. I really enjoyed the mixture of salmon and shrimp, and I thought the portion of salmon was generous. I preferred the salmon to the shrimp and I loved the toasted bread it was served with. The avocado was delicious. Being nitpicky, having only 3 small slices of avocado left some of my bites unbalanced and not as delicious as the ones with it. Overall though, we all enjoyed it. Perfect for a refreshing dinner, especially in the summer or on a hot night. Our service was good and the ambiance of the restaurant was very enjoyable. The bathrooms though need major work. I was shocked at how frankly gross one of them was (it had a literal hole in the floor and the faucet was stuffed with paper towels that looked like they were trying to stop a leak). So, just go before you head in or use the other pink bathroom

I noticed this restaurant while searching for interesting eats for my weekend stay in Des Moines. I'm here for a wedding. Never visited before. I am a Latin-American with Cubans in my extended family. I have eaten a great many Cuban meals in NYC where I live, and in Miami where my extended family lives. In short, it was great. I walked into a nearly empty room on a cold Des Moines night. Just one table was occupied plus the barkeep, Jamie, and a younger assistant. The room is pleasant and congenial, with tables along the length of the brick walled room, pictures on the wall and a wooden bar at the front. I sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple of cocktails while making small talk with Jamie, and co. They were very friendly and engaging and we had a nice, rolling conversation. Eventually the room started to fill up and it became more lively. When it came time to order food, I chose the Ceviche and the Chuletas de Puerco. Both were absolutely delicious. Iowa raised pork chops are simply sublime. Quite tasty. The rice and beans were super flavorful. The ceviche was a nice combination of shrimp, salmon, avocado, peppers an onions in a vinegary brine, plus chewy medallions of toasted bread. I had to stop myself from cleaning off the plate - portions were generous and the meal was filling. The bill was also reasonable. Recommended.

Great little find. Cubano sandwich, rice and beans was very good. Friendly servers. Highly recommending trying in your looking for something different downtown.

Great food and fantastic service! One of the best cuban sandwiches i've ever had. Their mojitos are good too.

Small place. Great atmosphere! Love the patio. Drinks were delicious! Food was was even better. Service was quick and attentive. We will definitely bring friends and family back here!

The outdoor patio has 4 tables, so a great place to social distance on patio. The servers are not wearing masks though. Food is delicious!

Had dinner with old friends here, tonight. Food was incredible, drinks were great, service was perfect. Will definitely come back here again..

We stopped in late afternoon on Monday. Place was not at all busy that time of day. The building is an old building in downtown des moines with street parking so you have to pay a meter. The bartender/waitress was very friendly. We had the chorizo cheese plate appetizer, would recommend it! It has chorizo sausage imported from Spain, cheese, olives, roasted red pepper, prosciutto, and bread. I had the cubano sandwich which was on special on Mondays for only $8. Super delicious! It has ham, shredded pork, cheese, mustard and pickles. I took half home and reheated in a moist paper towel in the microwave and it heated up like new. My husband had the cuban burger stuffed with olives and onions and topped with cheese and also prosciutto - I had a bite and would probably go back to have that next time!

A must on my list !! So far we've tried the Cuban sandwich and the pan con carne, both were delicious . I had the intention to not have alcohol drinks that day, but trusted the bartender recommendation and ended up getting a Flamenco rosado and a fresh strawberry mojito for myself and rum runners for my husband. Food and drinks were totally worthy!!! We were so happy with the bartender service and we can't wait to visit soon

Great food. Great drinks. Great service!! The ceviche app is 5 stars! The outdoor seating made us feel like we were in Florida again!

First off the drinks and food were amazing I would recommend the cuban sliders and the gourmet cuban burger. They're mojitos we're good as well with a good amount of kick to it. The service was also amazing the whole crew and kitchen staff were very friendly. Jaden and Estefany always make sure I'm taken care of. The restaurant vibe is very welcoming and I love to eat here great music, great people, great food.

I have been to Ceviche Bar exclusively for their libations. This spot is high on my list for its atmosphere. I absolutely love the patio/secret garden/bird sanctuary. The service I've received each visit is exceptional. I've only ever ordered two drinks: a mojito or a mojito with strawberries. I've never been disappointed and my mojito has never been burned; it's always refreshing and mixed well. Ceviche is definitely one of my favorite new spots on a nice day, and I'd recommend it to any of my friends.

Cuban Burger I stopped in late night on a weekend and was very hungry. Food is served until 11pm on the weekend so fortunately I made it just in time. I chose the Cuban Burger cooked medium well with rice as the side. I was very pleased with my order - everything was cooked to order and very tasty! The burger had some tasty spices added to it and was served on a warm, toasted bread roll. Would definitely order again!

Simply put... I LOVE this place!! I'm a big fan of Cuban food and whenever I eat here I'm never disappointed. I've had several different entres from the ropa vieja (seasoned shredded meat, rice, beans, etc) to the Cuban sandwich. The food is always excellent! The ceviche appetizer is one of my favs as well. This is a great place for a drink as well. Their mojitos are the best of any I've had anywhere. The jalapeno Moscow mule is awesome too!! Great atmosphere too...quaint little corner bar...ambiance galore!! Daily food and drink specials. If you haven't tried Ceviche, what are you waiting for??!! You MUST try it! You'll be obsessed like I am.

We ate here for lunch and had a great meal. We ordered the Cuban sandwich and ceviche. Both were excellent and I would highly recommend both along with the tasty cocktails. The outside is a little unassuming but the inside is where the party is at. The day we were there it was a free Bloody Mary with an entree purchase. I will definitely go back.

We arrived on a Friday night around 6pm and as soon as we walked in we were asked if we had reservations. We did not so the lady said "ok let me see what we can do". There were plenty of tables open and we were seated by the door. As other patrons came walking in, no one else was asked if they had reservations. They were told to pick a table and sit anywhere. Weird. We ordered the plantains with mojo. The plantains were prepared as if they were green plantains but you could tell they were yellow plantains because they were sweet and mushy. The mojo tasted out of a supermarket bottle and I could barely taste the garlic. I would skip this dish. I ordered the Camerones Diablo which was supposed to be flavorful spicy jumbo shrimp that you could get scampi or diablo. I didnt realize that by ordering scampi I lost the "flavorful spicy" of the dish. I thought by ordering scampi it just meant I'd get more of a garlicky flavor. When the dish arrived, the shrimp was not jumbo (they were regular store bought size) and there was no flavorful spice in it. It was very bland that I had to ask for some hot sauce. When I asked for hot sauce I was told they had "run out" of it. Its a local hot sauce brand that I've seen at Hyvee so I'm not sure why they didn't buy more of it for their patrons. Service was good in the beginning but our waitress slowly started disappearing at the end. She was hanging out more at the bar making drinks (shouldn't that be the bartenders job?) than checking on the tables. I'm not sure if this experience would make me come back to try other items on the menu.

Service was lacking. Food is pricey. The cuban is and cocktails are great! Until we find a better ceviche location, we'll continue to go here.. :-(

I first had ceviche in Costa Rica in 1999. Since then I've loved to try the many variations of ceviche. When I heard there was a restaurant in town whose name is Ceviche, I jumped at the chance to go check it out. On my visit I enjoyed the ceviche entree with extra bread and plantains. I thought the seafood in the mix was well prepared and the citrus was on the high end but not overbearing. The bread was OK. The plantains were less matured than I typically like, but I really enjoy the maduros...the pretty much black plantain cut up and fried. It's so much more flavorful. The menu is small but has many dishes I'd like to return for. We sat at the bar and service was fast and friendly. Unfortunately it was a weekend night and the guy next to us was drunk and interruptive to both us and the hosts so we all just switched languages to avoid his interaction. All in all it was a great visit and I'll be glad when I get a chance to go back!

The mojitos we all ordered were terrible. I went with a group of friends and we all drank each other's and they all tasted different and neither of them had a hint of rum or mint. Even though the mint was in the drink it didn't seem muddled in and it just tasted simply like sugar water with lime. I also ordered the Ceviche which was not terrible but I may go with something else next time as it felt very little fish was used and I do prefer a little more fish in the mix. The waitress we had was not attentive that we actually had flag another waitress we kept seeing to get our original waitress to come back to us. I don't know, it could have just been a bad night since most of these reviews are not reflecting my experience there but we definitely did not have a great experience with the inconsistencies of the drinks and the inattentive waitress.

Wednesday BOGO Drink Review Only ---------------------------- Wednesday's BOGO Mojitos and Mules are mediocre. Not trying to be anything but honest. The mojitos are rarely muddled and you don't taste the fresh mint or the zesty lime, and the flavor rum is lost in seltzer, but for $4.00 it's not too bad. The best BOGO drinks on the menu are the Mules. However, the prices, pleasant service, outdoor patio and rhythmic music make for a plesant atmosphere. I will keep coming back and eventually try the food.

Service was fast, food was AMAZING, drinks were fantastic. No complaints. Very authentic!

I have never been here before today and it was delicious! if it wasn't for the amount of things I had to get done at home, I would have loved to order a mojito to go! Thank you, Ceviche, for the amazing food! We had Cubans and tres leches cake! Also thank you for letting my friend try ceviche for the first time!

Great, fast service. Full bar and good drink options. Food was delicious (plantains and Cuban burger). Will definitely recommend and return!

This place was stellar. Brooklyn took care of my girlfriend and I for my 30th birthday and even introduced us to a new app for my friend and I's professions. Drinks were made with a perfect balance of alcohol to flavor.

Went here for a late afternoon drink, and was pleasantly surprised by the new lay out of the old New World Cafe, now Ceviche Bar. It was so beautiful out, the front door was open, and Cuban music was blaring it made me feel like I was in Cuba! Which made me want to watch Godfather 2.. but that's a different story! Our waitress was just finishing her shift but she got us drinks, I had a brew and Ash had a martini which I tried and I loved, it tasted like an adult Shirley Temple so in other words I could pound a few of those down! We were told a different waitress would take care of us after she left, and she was super nice, too. We changed our son's diaper in his carrier and they didn't even care! Which was awesome! Drinks were great, Im looking forward to going back and trying the food! This is a cool new spot in DSM!

I love that the mojitas are loaded with fruits. The sangria also has some fruits too but not quite as much. We ordered the ceviche appetizer and the cuban sandwich. The ceviche is so delicious! It had large pieces of fish which i liked alot. It also came with whole shrimp. The Cuban sandwich came with rice and beans. The rice and beans alone are so good! I really love the cuban sandwich here. We will definitely be back for more. The price is great. With 3 drinks, 1 appetizer, and 1 entree -late at night, it was a reasonable price. The location is good too bc its in the east village. We easily walked over to other bars nearby.

We were very excited to try this new place. I bought the Groupon for 4, which included: 4 cocktails, 4 entrees, 4 cuban coffees, and 4 desserts. The atmosphere is nice for the small space it inhabits. The decor is appropriate and the place looks upscale. Cocktails: I ordered a mojito and got a really watered-down slightly minty, iced drink. My wife ordered a glass of wine and it was $8. If our drinks weren't included in the groupon, we wouldn't have ordered them because they were all overpriced for the product that was served. Entree: I ordered the pork chop dinner which was served with rice and black beans. They advertised the pork chop as "seasoned" and being a cuban restaurant, that intrigued me: What kind of cuban pork chop was I about to enjoy? Unfortunately, when it was served, it tasted as if it were only lightly salted and peppered. My wife ordered a chicken dish with onions and peppers in tomato sauce served with rice. Her chicken and my pork were well cooked and moist and all food served hot. However, it was a pretty bland and unmemorable experience. Our dining mates declined to comment on their food. Coffee + dessert: The last course was cuban coffee and dessert. The coffee was delicious and the flourless chocolate cake was out of this world! We came to find out through conversation with our server that the dessert was actually from La Mie bakery -- no wonder it was amazing!! My wife had the flan, which is house-made, and she was able to vouch it was tasty and worth every bite. I don't think we'll be back anytime soon. The place was nice and service was on point, but everything is way too expensive for what you actually get. This place is trying to come across as more upscale than it actually is.

I had high hopes for this place and was expecting more. When I heard it was a Cuban place, I was expecting actual Cuban food. It's more like an American version of Cuban food. The vibe inside the place was nice. It's a cute little cafe and had nice ethnic music playing. Our server was friendly and told us we could sit anywhere. My Cuban sandwich was good, but small. It came with the smallest salad I've ever seen. Seriously, it was the size of my fist. I finished it in four or five bites. My husband got the steak sandwich that was tasty but very gristly. He was chewing gristle for more than five minutes. His sandwich was also small and he got rice and beans with his sandwich. The rice was just white rice with black beans; nothing fancy. Both of our sandwiches were $10.99. For the small portions we got, we were really overcharged. Although the sandwiches were good, there was nothing extra special about them. They really should have been a couple dollars less. Plus, I was still hungry after we left. Their menu is very small. And most of their stuff is overpriced in my opinion. Also, they got our sandwiches wrong and served me my husband's sandwich with my salad and gave my husband my sandwich with his rice and beans. It was not a huge deal, but kind of unprofessional. And when we got our bill we noticed they overcharged us a dollar for my husband's beer. When we asked our server about it, she said there was a misprint on the menu so the price on the bill was correct. She didn't offer to change the bill for us because it was their mistake. Most places would have done that, or least have told us there was a misprint on the menu before the beer was ordered so we would have the choice of ordering a less expensive beer. You would think they would cross off the wrong price and write the correct price on the menu so incidents like this wouldn't occur. I really wanted to like this place. I always like supporting locally-owned restaurants and want to see them succeed. But after this experience, I don't feel there is any reason to return.

Something must have changed in the management. Imagine my excitement--as a Cuban-American raised in Miami but interning in Des Moines--when I found this place. I was excepting thin-sliced mariquitas, properly fried tostones, white garlic mojito. Instead I got sawgy tostones, no mariquitas, and salmon that clearly hadn't spent enough time in the ceviche mix. I'm very disappointed. I was saving my visit here for when I felt homesick, and it missed the mark. I seriously recommend the staff take a business trip down to Molina's Ranch Restaurant in East Hialeah to learn how to make these dishes. I'll have to come back later for palomilla con arroz y frijoles. Maybe that recipe is still on point. Idk, maybe I'm holding it to an unfair standard... but no, Iowans deserve to try proper Cuban food. It pisses me off that someone might leave here thinking "Cuban is not that good."

We went to the ceviche bar for a little get together wedding reception prior to leaving for our destination wedding. I could not have had a better experience! What a way to celebrate! We always love the ceviche bar- and I couldn't have imagined a better experience! Thank you for making our night so special!

I was lured in by their National Coffee Day offer of a free sample of Cuban coffee and free full size coffee with any entree. I had been to this restaurant before when they had first opened and was less than impressed. The food just did not have a lot of flavor, and Cuban food is known for bursting with flavor. Decided to give them another shot because I love Cuban coffee, and free Cuban coffee sounded awesome. Turns out that while the sample was free, the server offered her version of a mocha Cuban iced coffee, and that ended up being $5. We hadn't even ordered that, we specifically pointed at the photo they had put on their Facebook event of a plain iced Cuban coffee. Anyway, after she brought us those coffees she told us that they could not be given for free and that they were stopping their free coffee offer because they were getting a crowd. Most seats in the place were filled but there was by no means a line out the door or anything crazy like that. I thought it was a little unfair that they had been advertising it on Facebook and then were going to stop offering the deal, considering that it was National Coffee Day. Even before leaving I saw people posting on their event that it was a hoax, a lie, and there was no free coffee. They stopped serving the free coffee less than 2 hours after they opened which to me isn't really good business practice. As for the food, I was underwhelmed yet again. I got the Cuban steak sandwich that came with fried onions and roasted red peppers on what they call Cuban bread, which tasted a lot like just regular old baguette and it came with a side of either salad or rice with black beans. I don't normally salt my food but I had to keep salting the rice and beans to give it any semblance of flavor and the sandwich was nothing to write home about. My friend and my boyfriend got the Cuban sandwich which had ham and roasted pork and mustard and swiss cheese and whole slices of pickle, also on Cuban bread. For as many ingredients as that sandwich had, it was not bursting with flavor either. They each got salads which actually had a lot of salt, but was soggy. The one highlight of the meal was the Cuban Margarita. That tiny drink had more flavor than anything that had been brought out on a plate. While the ambience was fine and the place is cute, as was the food and drink presentation, but it was not enough to justify the hefty price tag of the tasteless food, and the $5 coffee we did not even order which in my opinion should have been free. It was a disappointing experience and I won't be returning.

I'd been out of town all week fixing the mistakes of people who think the world owes them a living, smoking to much, drinking to much, ingesting questionable substances from questionable people in questionable places for far to much money. I hadn't seen Nova in a week and I missed her. She was leaving the day after I got back for a few days to do her thing. I drove back home, sore, beaten, poorer then when I started but happy to be heading in her direction because seeing her reminds me of why I do what I do to begin with and makes its all worthwhile. I'd heard of Ceviche Bar from Moonshine who had told me that we'd love it. Shine's idea of good food however is a double cheeseburger from B-Bops with fries and a side of mayo to dip it all in. His opinion doesn't exactly instill confidence in me. Neither of us wanted to cook so we decided to give it a shot for lunch. This place has a very Southern Florida, Hemingwayesk vibe to it from the moment you walk in. Of course it didnt hurt that it was 80 degrees outside with a nice steady breeze blowing through. We were greeted before we even stepped inside by what turned out to be one of the bartendars who was outside writing on the sidewalk sign...Fedora Fridays. We sat at the bar as we always do when a bar is available. We do this not because we have anything against tables or booths but because sitting at the bar is always more fun...and informative. The bar is where all the cool people sit. You learn things sitting at the bar that your just not gonna learn from sitting at a table. Dark things, like the truth. No one knows the ins and outs, the ups and downs the eat this but don't eat that better then the bartender. We started with bloody Mary's but (see comments about the bartender above) were asked if we wanted their Cuban version. Rum instead of vodka It was a good choice and she made them to our specific taste. "How spicy do you want them" "Just remind me that I'm still alive but don't kill me either" They were delicious. 3 olives, a pickle, and a salted rim. What more could you possibly want. I ordered the Cuban. Nova ordered the steak sandwich. Having spent a considerable amount of time in southern Florida, especially Miami and the Keys, I've had my share of Cuban sandwiches and to this point the best Cuban I'd ever had was at a place called Las Olas in South Beach. Maybe it's because of its proximity to my favorite place on earth or maybe it's just that good. The Cuban at Ceviche is different in 2 very noticeable ways. The first and visually the most notable is its not pressed flat like every other Cuban I have ever had. While this didn't bother me and it won't bother you either it doesn't look like a Cuban. However, one bite and your gonna notice the next, even more different take on the traditional Cuban sandwich. Every Cuban I've ever had has had sliced pork. What sets this one apart is the pork is shredded, no doubt slow roasted, exceptionally juicy and as tender as a mama is with her newborn. The pork makes this sandwich and in my mind elevates it to one of the best I've ever had. The other thing that really impressed Nova and myself was Tanya, the owner who took the time to talk with us about her place, both Ceviche and the Black Sheep which is downstairs and an entirely different review as we did not visit it this time around. They also sell cigars Tanya, I have two words for you... Vaca Frita Next time we're going for dinner on a Friday. I've already got my fedora and I look amazing in it. Well done Ceviche Bar

This place was one of the best restaurants we've been to in Des Moines. The indoor and outdoor seating are very nice areas. The service was excellent. The food was amazing. We tried every type of meat on the menu and it was all delicious and tender. The Mexican Mule was refreshing. Highly recommend this place!

Love the vibe. Love the location. GREAT patio with a nice garden, and it's along the street which makes it fun to watch the world go by. Inside the seating is great, too. High ceilings and antique architecture add to the charm. The lighting is romantic and atmospheric. Great vegan options on the menu! It's a must. One of my go to's.

Awesome food. Great Cuban flare. Cuba liber was perfect. I had the chicken and tomato dish. Beautiful. Nice patio. Slapping desert.

I would love for this review to be longer but honestly I found this place on a drunken night the food was amazing so was drinks I would like to visit again sober lol.

One of my favorite spots in Des Moines. Small Cuban restaurant with the cutest patio that is dog friendly! They even have a yappy hour *for our furry friends* and fedora Friday's! Their craft cocktails are delicious and on Wednesday's mojitos and mules are buy 1 get 1!

Beware. This restaurant is cute inside but that's about it. If an establishment is named for its ceviche and claims it as their signature dish, it's important to follow through. The ceviche here is tiny (appetizer sized at most) and too expensive for what you get. You will get two shrimp and a few cubes of salmon. Cocktails are weak.

I've been to alot of restaurants and had some fantastic food but this place is on a whole different level. Food is to die for and staff is very attractive and nice to top it off. I'm definitely coming back.