Smash Park Des Moines

Fun place! I dunno if we were there during a less-staffed time period or time-of-year, but that was my critique...overall, very fun place for people to try!

We went Smash Park for my birthday and had SO much fun playing pickle ball!! This place has all kinds of games and things to do! Huge games, arcade games, inside games, outside, bouchée ball, yard shuffleboard, corn hole and I’m sure we didn’t even see everything. The menu was really fun and yummy. The drinks we got were really good too, unfortunately the service was not great. We ordered a round of drinks, and our food, our waitress never came back. We arrived 2 hours before our pickle ball court reservation. When our food arrived, we asked the guy who brought it if we could get a refill, he never came back. Then a bus boy was clearing a table next to us, we asked him if we could have napkins, he said yes, but also never came back. Finally our waitress came to the table next to us, we asked her if we could all get refills and napkins she said yes, but also never came back. By the time our pickleball reservation rolled around we still hadn’t gotten refills or napkins so that’s a bummer, we would’ve liked to try a couple more of their special cocktails and dessert. We had the wings, freitobowl, Caribbean shrimp bowl and sheet ton of nachos, all of which were good. However, we had SO much fun playing the games, we will still come back and try it again. We ended up asking someone near the door to get our check since we never got it.

Loved this place. Tripple chocolate cake was a delicious, good-sized portion. Excellent tater tots. The nachos go on a dang cookie sheet! Huge! Enjoyed the arcade. Going back to throw some axes next!

Under no circumstances would I recommend using their catering. For $29 per person (before tax and mandatory 20% tip) I assumed they would have enough food for all 43 people in our group. I was told they could not refill food. Silly me for thinking at that cost we could get more rice or pico. There was half a pan of rice for a group of 43, but a manager told me that was the fault of the kids for taking too much food, and they don't refill. They cleared plates throughout our stay, which seems nice, but if someone went for more chips, we were then left without enough plates for everyone. Same with cups. No one came to check on us, I had to find people when issues came up. It would have been cheaper for me to buy everyone any meal they wanted. The venue was nice, though I would never recommend zone 2, as countless people used it as a walk through the entire time we were there. Two stars are for the activities, zero stars for catering. Avoid at all costs.

First time here at Smash park, I am visiting from California and Bob the bartender made my family and I feel very welcomed here. I truly appreciate that Bob went out of his way to feel welcomed here!! His kind gesture of offering jello birthday shots was welcoming and went along way for us! We will come back again due to his kindness! Thank you!

This place is fun for all ages! Highly recommend even if you dont play pickleball. In fact, ive been here probably 15 times and have never played pickleball! I think the head chef guy, Don is just amazing with the food options. Always something new and fresh to try out.

This was our first time to smash park and we were impressed. The atmosphere was very upbeat, the staff seemed to know when to come by and were super attentive. The food was way better than we expected. Everyone seemed to be having an awesome time. We will definitely stop by again.

We had such a great experience at Smash Park during our trip to West Des Moines! Kam was our bartender and honestly one of the best we’ve ever had. He was incredibly friendly, genuine, and made us feel so welcome from the moment we walked up to the bar. You can tell he really enjoys what he does, and it shows in how he treats his guests. The drinks were great, the atmosphere was fun, and having Smash Park just steps away from our hotel (Hyatt Place) made it even better. Kam went above and beyond to make our night special, and we’ll definitely be back next time we’re in town. Give that guy a raise!

Went here with some friends on a Saturday night. It was packed with a lot of people and lots of kids. Many of the games you need to reserve in advance, so make sure you download the app and reserve plenty of time ahead. Servers come around and bring you drinks, but the food you have to order inside. You get a buzzer for when your food is ready. The food is ready really quick. Lots of staff come around to see if you need another drink or anything. I'd like to go when it's not quite as busy, but overall a great place with good food and lots of things to do.

Felt like a run-down adult version of Chucky Cheese. Food was slow, very soggy, and missing utensils. Drinks took forever and weren't made right. Servers didn't know the drink menu well. Our server disappeared partway through service never to return. Building smells and felt like a place parents would use as a last resort to get late night kids food.

Stopped here midday during my youngest daughter's basketball tournament. There are so many game options and tvs. The food is order/pickup and service was quick. Even though it's February...we got outside to play pickle ball! Great spot, come check it out!

Fun calendared events, great for family outings and work events, and the food is actually really good. Gluten free options and dedicated fryer options are really nice. Happy hour options are half off shareables as well. We loved the dachshund dash event.

Courts are too expensive!!!!! Food not that great. Servers are nice and it's a good facility but I wish courts were more reasonably priced.

We walked in and sat ourselves. We got our drinks pretty fast but after 20-30 minutes nobody came to get our order. They need to be more aware of who needs to be served. Good food when they do wait on you.

Our bartender Carson went above and beyond for us watching college football! 10/10 service!

Menu was surprisingly good for order at the counter. I had the açaí bowl and my sister had the quinoa salad. So nice to eat well while the kids were entertained!

Service is nonexistent. They got rid of the order station and are supposed to take your order at your table but no one ever came to help us.

Sally to say this was the worst restaurant I've gone to first of all it took like two hours for our food to come in the waitress to come and get her order. Going to ask the manager times about our order and nothing was done. I want to say that we think it was because we are from another race that nobody came to take a order. They were taking other peoples order except us. I'm sorry to say I will give you a zero and hopefully you will embrace other cultures to go into your restaurant thank you.

This is a cool place to drink and play games. Plenty of cool activities and great for groups. It is a self-service place for food. You walk up to a counter to order and pay. They give you a buzzer and you pick up your food when it buzzes and lights up. The food is hit and miss. Our food was mostly miss. The cheese nachos were ok. My friend said she didn't see an option to add meat. Maybe she missed it. She didn't like the sauce on her teriyaki meatballs. Another in our group ordered boneless wings with Asian sauce and parmesan sauce. What arrived were tiny pieces of what I'll describe as "popcorn chicken" and he was not a fan of the sauces or texture. You should be able to see and taste chicken when you bite into a boneless wing. I tried one of the Asian sauced pieces spit it into a napkin after biting into it and tasting it. It was gross. His tator tots were hard and barely seasoned. My cheese curds started out great until half way through when the pieces got smaller and harder. I never had an "Iowa Tenderloin" sandwich, so I asked the young woman taking food orders if it was a beef tenderloin. She said yes. She was wrong. I ordered it grilled, thinking it was beef, and received a grilled pork tenderloin. Damn! My sandwich was surprisingly ok. The bun was soft and raw onions and pickles helped the flavor of the unseasoned and nearly dry pork tenderloin. I will say I really liked my crinkle cut fries! Another in the group ordered her Iowa Tenderloin breaded and fried. She gave me a chunk, and that was actually good! She did not like the gravy with her mashed potatoes. So, if you go, you may want to eat somewhere else first, and just come to drink and play. If you must eat, I recommend a breaded and fried Iowa Tenderloin and crinkle cut fries.

In town from Kansas City for youth soccer and this was right across from our hotel. Same concept as Chicken n Pickle with yard games, pickle ball, etc..Lots of room inside. Great bar, service, food and lots to entertain. Open up a tab and just order food at the register, order drinks from the bar, or drinks from server no matter where you are at. Good game day sports viewing. I would recommend.

Great place for good competition, great food, and amazing service. Everything was on point but if the service wasn't on point, enjoying the atmosphere in such a big facility could be difficult. However Caroline, and the rest of the staff made it easy to hang out by our pickle ball court and get everything we wanted with practically no wait. Super impressed and will be back!

Great place Not from the area but went here with a group during sports travel. Very fun for all ages Food and drinks were good Service very attentive Something for all ages. Definitely a place to visit!

I will start with a positive and say that the food and drinks we had were fantastic. Tried the pickleballs and they were pretty good. So why the three stars? It was the service. There were plenty of workrrs there but trying to get a drink or refill was difficult. They even had a meeting in the middle of happy hour.

Made plans on Tuesday the 13th , decided to make reservations on the app for axe throwing at 7:30pm Got to Smash Park and saw a sign on the door that said private event. Waited at the front counter for 5 minutes before someone finally greeted us. Was told they were closed for a private event. Then why would your app let me make reservations?? A very minimal apology, and a refund was made. Will definitely be a while before I think about making plans there. Definitely got burned by you,thanks for wasting my time when I could have gone anywhere else.

In town for business have eaten here multiple times. It's just me so I always sit at the bar instead of a table. Good food, GREAT SERVICE, and coldest beer in town.

Exceptional place to visit with friends and family. There is so many things to do here, from pickle ball to table games and more. The food is typical "upscale" bar food, but there are plenty of options to choose from. We had great service, and really enjoyed the energetic atmosphere. Plan on calling ahead during busy times, but they can accommodate large groups. It's in a great location if you are at the Rec Plex for a tournament and would be a fun choice for a night out with the team.

The food was more of a fast food type frozen patties. You have to order from the counter and clear your own plates. The prices are pretty pricey for a fast food restaurant and they still expect a tip

This place was the best to join fellow sports fans to watch the Super Bowl Sunday evening. Great food, great service and a lot of things to do while you're there. Will definitely go there again when in the area.

Very pricey just to go up and get your own drinks. Plus Food has gone way down hill it was good but not any more!!They don't even get the food to you, you have to go get it !! which is hard for because I have one leg!!!!

Wow 22.00 dollars pitcher's of beer, that is actually the highest I have ever seen beer priced at anywhere! Food is edible just what you would expect at a place like this. Funniest part was when I went to pay the bar tab, it was almost 100.00 dollars, that was 4 pitchers of beer and 2 sodas. At the bottom of the ticket it gave you tip amounts lol a good tip it said would have been 25.00 dollars that is absolutely comical lol, just because you are charging twice as much as anyone else for a pitcher of beer you must be crazy to think, no way am I tipping more than 2 dollars for a pitcher of beer that I had to go to the bar and order myself. You're lucky you got your full 8 dollar tip!

Came here because we had a Brew Pub Pass to fulfill. The ammenities at the facility seemed over priced to participate in which was a huge let down. The layout of the business is different. When placing a food order you need to go to a separate counter as the staff won't take your food order for you at your table. Apparently try drink orders can be taken at the table and any server can help you if you have an open tab. Happy hour prices seem reasonable for location of venue, but full price is spendy so plan accordingly. They do have large jenga games on some of the tables, lots of tvs and some of the tables along the outside have table games. There are arcade type games for your enjoyment as well. Since we visited in the winter, I'm not sure what they offer for outside games. Plastic glasses are used for drinks due to the activity level in pickleball courts for safety. Totally fine by me. Not sure I'd go out of my way to stop here again.

We went on a Saturday night to watch the 49ers-Packers game. The food was delicious, the service was good. We have also tried the ax throwing and it was a blast!

Painful to get food ordered during busy times. We've been here twice, and both times with the entire establishment packed full, they've had ONE register open to take orders for food. I do not enjoy missing out on visiting with friends while standing in line for 20-30 minutes just to place an order. The manager did come to talk to me about this after I sent an email to let them know about the problem but unfortunately seemed more interested in convincing me that their way of doing this is the best way rather than trying to understand the customer perspective and how it's very frustrating to waste this much time standing in line just trying to place an order at a counter.

Came here for lunch happy hour with a group of 6. The happy hour lunch prices are great so no complaints here. The food was good and a generous portion especially for the price. My issue was the bartender. He had little to no customers and was rude to my dad and I. He set the mood and really irritated both of us with his poor attitude. We had a great time playing shuffle board and connect 4. I will likely return for lunch and definitely in the summer for some pickle ball. The facility is nice and I love the concept. Unfortunately, first impressions and service put a bad taste in ones mouth and that's the case for us. Maybe next time the staff won't be so rude.

I usually like this place but unfortunately the last time I went they were very rude to me. My stomach completely hurt so I had to use the bathroom. When I came out they immediately kicked me out. They didn't ask me the situation, didn't ask me how I felt, didn't offer help - just kicked me out. Another time I ordered a mule during happy hour and they charged me $6 when in reality they're usually half off. I asked if that was the deal and they snapped back with "you should've ordered a West Des Moines Mule" well spoiler - the ingredients for that is a normal mule. Disappointed. Not returning.

By far one of my favorite spots in the Des Moines area. It's essentially a big play place for grown ups. There's indoor and outdoor seating and activities, several bars, a food area with a lot of different options, and so many sports areas. The indoor tables have tabletop games, giant jenga, and card games. Indoors and outdoors both have courts for games. Outdoor also has benches, couches, and corn hole areas. You can also pay to have groups here for events, and they'll section off the area you want - either indoor or outdoor! You can order your food through their app or by going up to the food counter. If you're outside, a bartender will come by and get your tab started so you can just chill with your buddies. They also have theme nights sometimes - my favorite so far is Thursday night dog nights where your dogs can hang in the outdoor area with you, water bowls and water are provided.

Cool concept! Would enjoy if they had one closer to home. Food was good especially for bar food. Garlic bread, as well as Cinnamon Toast Crunch dessert bread- amazing!

Places like Smash Park aren't exactly my deal, but I've heard the food there was pretty decent. Since Court 7 is new to one of our local delivery services so I decided to give them a try. The first thing I grabbed was the bahn mi for $8.99. It just sounded good... Then I noticed something odd... 30 brined bone-in wings, with your choice of sauce, for $13.99? Huh? That can't be right... Every now and then my curiosity just gets the best of me and I order a "too good to be true" item just to see what I end up getting. I do this on eBay and Amazon too. What can I say... There's something a little wrong with me (outside of the normal stuff). So I added those wings too. Sauces on the side. Total cost for my order was $26 and change. The bahn mi was really good. Loved the pork (tender and fresh) and the flavor combinations. Ginger, the crunch of the cucumber, and a sauce that brought some heat to the sandwich... I have no idea if it was authentic or not... I don't really care. The wings. There weren't 30 for $13.99 There were 36... They were a little small (see pic where I'm holding one), but perfectly cooked. Because I'd ordered a ridiculous amount of food I shared the wings with a co-worker so he could try them too. With the size of the wings I was a little worried by the time I got them home and warmed them up they'd be dried out... Better to enjoy them hot. I'm a bone-in wing guy and even 30 smaller wings for $13.99 is a GREAT deal. Bang for your buck I don't know if this deal can be beat for bone-in wings in the metro... I'm still having a hard time believing this is normal deal/menu item for them and not a mistake on delivery site, but I can't find an online menu to verify the price. *** I checked with Court 7. This IS the correct every day price. *** Everything tasted good. For a delivery/take-out order... Two thumbs up. I don't know what the eat-in setup is like obviously, but check them out...

I went to smash park one time and had a blast. I love the outdoor area. The bar is well lit which is nice. very easy to get away with underage drinking. any time Ive gone after that, majority of the arcade side has been closed off for customer use. the only other options are the tables, and the ball courts. It didn't bother me until it happened consistently for months every time I'd go there. Normally wouldn't leave a review but I genuinely don't go there at all anymore and found it all really disappointing.

I have been here many times. The drinks are always fantastic, and the food is always warm and delicious. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. It seems like smash park always has something going on, either drink deals or events.

This place is huge and filled with fun games of all types: pickleball courts, bags, giant jenga, giant connect 4, arcade games, shuffle board, darts, and more. There is a large bar downstairs and a smaller one upstairs. I would've ordered everything on the menu if I could've. Everything looked delicious. I ordered the chicken and waffle sliders and Graziano side with fries. We also ordered traditional wings. The wings are smaller than average but there's 30 of them! We had some leftovers to take home. I enjoyed everything! They have specials on certain nights of the week and parties for holidays. They have awesome merchandise too. I can't wait to go back!

DONT GET THE WINGS. I got the bone in wings here and they are by far in all my years the worst wings I have ever gotten I am completely disgusted.

Des Moines desperately needed something like this! I'm so obsessed with this place and know they will do well here. Located super close to Jordan Creek Mall--this place is so much fun for all ages. Date night, family group outing, work happy hour, or games with friends: you can do it all here. The patio is gorgeous and so much fun for nice weather (garage style doors open to outdoor area!). Plus, the place is a massive game spot which makes this place the ideal hang out spot for winter. It's great in all seasons. The best part? Almost every game here is FREE. Pickle ball court and racket rental costs a small amount (if you've never played, it's a ton of fun!). Otherwise, all other games here: shuffleboard, ping pong, bags/cornhole, life size jenga and connect four, and tons of board games (they have GOOD ones like Catan!) are all free. That's endless entertainment! A bar below and upstairs for drinks, and a fast food style food window where you can order food and pick it up. They have specials on Mondays: $3-5 burgers! Burgers were soooo good, like surprisingly good. Fries were delish. We didn't love the cauliflower side. They have gluten free buns and GF options! They also host trivia certain nights each week upstairs. It's a unique form of trivia where you get to pick your point value for each question--we had a blast! Do yourself a favor and check this place out ASAP.

Smash park is great for groups looking for lively games on a group outing. I've done trivia in the upstairs loft, played with the yard and board games around the main level, and gone for some drinks. Three stars for the activity, but it lost stars on food and crowd levels. I've always gone when it's surrounded by teens and huge corporate groups who reserved a whole side. The food makes me feel awful, but the drinks are fine. Over all, I don't usually pick Smash park for my night outs, I'd rather get drinks somewhere else and I can ply the same games at home in a quieter environment.

My second visit. Want to escape the feeling like you are in Des Moines? This is definitely a place to escape. When you arrive you barely find a place to park. This place is very popular that it keeps the parking lot full. Once inside you get a wash of excitement flowing over you. On the main floor there is the restaurant and bar. All around on the outside of the bar are courts. The courts are there for pickle ball. There is also bags, ping pong, giant connect four and lots more. You can also get table top games for your enjoyment. There is even old video games set up here and there. The main floor is set up for family friendly environment. Upstairs is the 21 and over area. There is shuffleboard tables, and Foosball tables and so many board games. The first night I visited we played some games and had a few drinks. We got to try the nachos. Tonight we got the try more food. I tried the breakfast burger and the pickle burger. The burgers are really tasty. The meat has a good flavor to it. We were there long enough that they started coming around with fireball shots. The place is very busy and very noisy. It is hard to carry on a conversation at some points. You can reserve areas for parties and you can even play beer pong. There is really a lot going on here. Family friendly or adult fun. The cell service inside the building is a little thin, but who really needs their phone in there anyway? I really think that you should take a evening and swing in here and check it out. When it warms up I will have to go back and check out the outside space and games. I will be back. There is lots of activities to pull you here and check it out.

Came here on a Monday evening with a few friends and had a great time. There was not a large crowd, but I am sure it is packed on the weekend. They have all kinds of things such as ping pong, bocce ball, pickle ball, foosball, darts, corn hole, board games. You must pay for most of the entertainment except for foosball and corn hole, but the things you did have to pay for were reasonable. As far as food goes they had a large menu with all kinds of different food. I had the flaming hot Cheeto waffles with chicken and Sriracha maple syrup and they were pretty good. I would give the food about a 3.5 but the venue as a whole a 5.0 out of 5. Great place for a get together with friends or family.

This place was right next to the hotel we were staying at so we decided to check it out. The lady behind the bar seemed annoyed about something but tried to be friendly so points for that I guess? The food was not great and over priced. They had Bingo going while we were there which isn't a big deal but they could have lowered the volume on the speaker so that it wasn't deafening to those sitting at the bar trying to watch the game

Stopped by on a Tuesday for the happy hour and had a friend coming to visit with me took me 10 minutes to get attention from any of the people working and it wasn't even busy. Drinks were meh

A lot going on in this place and pretty noises but we sat outside on the patio and actually enjoyed watching the chaos! We ordered burgers and fries which came quickly and every thing was great! Wish we had the grandkids with us as they would have had a blast here!

Fantastic experience for all ages! Tried to find some unique adventures in the Des Moines area for my son and grandkids who were visiting from out of state. I reserved a Pickle Ball court and we "You Tubed" how to play, since none of us had a clue! We had the BEST time playing. We stayed to enjoy great food, drinks, and games. They had a wide variety of games and activities for all ages. It was one of the highlights of their visit!

Not just places but experiences. This unique gathering place was shown at the National Recretion and Park Association National Conference in September 2021 education session as a fun recreation place. It's playful, true recreation, it's safe and your're being waited on. We saw kids and adults together creating experiences. Pickleball is big here. In fact they have the largest pickleball paddle in the world. It's well worth a visit. We played pickle ball, shuffleboard and arcade games. Arcade is free on Sundays. The food is also good. We had the Philly.

Manager Alex made the night perfect for my girlfriend and I. He found us an excellent quiet spot to both enjoy the Super Bowl and ourselves. The food was superb and Ally, our waitress was highly attentive. There's so many fun things to do here and I highly recommend Smash Park!

Some food is good and some is not good at all. The games and pickleball/shuffleboard are great. It is a fun atmosphere. The trivia and bingo events are cool, too. Love the modern space.

The food and service here was amazing. It was a fun family friendly location. If I'm ever back in Iowa, I'll definitely visit this location again.

Sundays are free games. Great for kids. Food is typically pretty good. Not what I would expect at 1st glance from a, pickleball/arcade/drunk games place. Lots of tvs for the sports. Great service and atmosphere.

I recently visited your establishment for a bachelorette party. Bob the bartender is fabulous! So friendly and accommodating. Definitely one of a kind. You are lucky to have him!

If you're going to be in Des Moines then Smashpark is a must stop! Not only do they have a great drink menu and good food but you can play a ton of games too! From darts to cornhole to pickleball and even bocce ball there is so much to keep the good times rolling! I had the burger & blue and let me tell you if you're a blue cheese fan this burger hits the nail on the head, it has amazing melted blue cheese and a ton of flavor. I'm a die hard mule fan and had a berry tasty and an apple rhubarb and between those two the apple rhubarb wins. Great time! We need a location in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City!!!!