A hidden gem in Des Moines’ Drake neighborhood serving up craft beer and creative homemade takes on traditional bar fare. The University Library Café offers an eclectic mix of food, beverages, and customers all in a cozy, old-school, just-around-the-corner bar setting.Consistently voted by Des Moines for Best Local Nachos. An intimate neighborhood bar with 41 beers on tap. Serving unique breakfast dishes on Saturday and Sunday.
Old-school bar with classic pub grub & draft beers, including local craft brews. Based on 780 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.6 stars. Price $
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Curbside pickup ✔️ Delivery
Address:
3506 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311
Phone: (515) 255-0433
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Sunday | 8 AM–12 AM |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed
Holiday hours
|
| Tuesday | 11 AM–11 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–11 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–12 AM |
| Friday | 11 AM–12 AM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–12 AM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
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Reviews
Danny MacAskill
Cute little hole in the wall, comfy dig with impressively great food. Burger on Texas toast was perfectly cooked with nice and toasty bun, loaded with ample fresh toppings. Fries were possibly the best in Des Moines, steak style cut but perfectly crispy! Their famous nachos had really unique chip texture, but I wasn’t wowed by the topping distribution or how it all came together. All in all the service was outstanding and they rushed out to bring us our keys. One of the best quiet secrets in DSM, but a genuinely great restaurant worth coming to for the food, on top of cozy vibes.
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Cody McGinn
Great food! $10+ an entree per person and long wait for Sunday brunch. It’s a small place they can’t help it but definitely worth the wait! Great on tap options and try the library latte.
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Devin Ganka
Found this small bar/restaurant just driving around. Pleasant surprise with interesting atmosphere and friendly service. The food looks good, but I didn’t have it. The drinks were made nicely and they have a pretty decent beer list on tap. Super awesome surprise to the end of our trip. I would come here again. The small places are always the best.
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Nic Meyer
First time here! Great food! Had some wings and cheese curds.
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Kathleen K
Food was good, the service was awful. The male staff waiter working on May 10th at lunch time said a inappropriate comment, the service was awful, are table was dirty, he messed up the order, never apologized and overall he had a bad attitude. Customers should feel welcomed, not harrassed. If the waiter is not happy in his job, find another job, but don’t take it out on the patrons.
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Clay Major
Best burgers in Des Moines, hands down. Amazing Bloody Marys, the staff is always friendly, just the best little dive bar (and I say that with immense affection!) in the neighborhood. A+.
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Ivan Guerra
I enjoyed a celebratory beverage and meal with a few comrades. Enjoyed the drink selection and the service. They had good ranch and a great jalapeño burger.
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Bill Downs
Don’t be fooled by the exterior, it’s bigger than it looks. The food was excellent. Our server, Tommy, was very friendly and always checked on us. Yes, it’s smaller than a lot of places, but as they say, size doesn’t matter.
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Nathan Blunck
Small diner putting out big food. It was great to sit with my buddy. Place was busy but not too loud. Server did a great job. Had the breakfast burrito with cheese sauce and chili and a side of pancakes. Good stuff. Looking forward to going again when I can try the craft beer selection
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Tiffany Mauch
Despite being a Drake grad, I had never been here before. The server/bartender was great (small space) offering several samples of beer to try after asking what I liked. I went with his recommendation of the cheeseburger nachos. Holy amount of toppings Batman! The nacho chips were very thick and sturdy! I also munched on my husband’s burger and fries–one of the best burgers I’ve had and nicely crunchy but flavored fries. Their burgers are superior to Zombie Burger by far for flavor. My husband and I both agreed that these burgers or some of the best in town.The server/bartender was attentive but not annoying. We will be back for sure!!
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