the LiFT

Love the martinis here! Great specials throughout the week! Staff is pretty nice. Seat yourself. Nice, intimate place to meet a friend or two.

Lift has been around for a while and they managed to maintain their relaxed and down to earth atmosphere. It’s a must stop for me every time I visit Des Moines. Last time I was here was 15 years ago and not much has changed, that is what I love about it. I am watching the bartender (Eva) manage the entire bar by herself and maintain a great positive attitude. Great little cozy, down to earth bar. BTW, the drinks are amazing too. 😉

Best cocktail! Amazing service! We ordered Fongs Pizza across the street and got a cocktail while waiting. Brought the pizza over and drank our fun beverage. 10/10 experience!

This place was awesome. The night we went there were some movies playing, the bartender was very pleasant and he made some really tasty drinks. The bar itself was pretty spacious and comfortable and overall we had a great time.

Great place to go and enjoy a Martini in downtown Des Moines. I especially enjoy Wednesday nights, $4 martinis.

After frequenting The Lift for several years, I got out of the habit and I'm not sure why! After visiting the other night, I'm kicking myself for not going back more often. Their S & M martini used to be my go to, so I was happy to see it still on the menu. There were also a lot of new ones I'd like to go back and try. The bartender was so friendly and personable, it was easy to stay for more than one, even though we hadn't planned to! Pro Tip: On Wednesdays martinis are half off!

Great neighborhood vibe bar. Unique Martini menu. Friendly staff.

Great atmosphere and great drinks! Love the martini glasses.

Easily one of the most comfortable bars downtown. Dim lights, soft music, and features local art on the walls that cycles regularly. The artsy aesthetic feels earned and doesn't come across as pretentious. The end result is a cool, unique atmosphere with quality, fairly priced drinks. Makes for a interesting start of a night out or a relaxing end of a long work day.

The Lift is consistently great, with good service and drinks that are cheap (especially if you're going during half price Wednesday). I super recommend it.

The staff is great! They have a wide selection of unique and classic martinis, but they serve anything you'd find at a typical bar too. What sets this place apart is that it can be a low key relaxing visit. The also have rotating art displays from local artists.

Amazing authentic bar! The Martinis were so delicious! The bartender was very receptive and made the best martinis I ever tasted! Good crowd as well!

2 for 1 martinis on wednesdays, great art (for sale too), attentive bartenders, good music, what more do you need?

We had a great show with awesome crowd best place we have played all tour

Glad rags loves you!

2-for-1Martinis on Wednesday's, and a great space overall to just chill with friends after a long day. I love seeing the artist featured on the walls everytime I visit. The menu is drinks is delicious, and never changes (if you like that sort of thing).

Amazing martinis, great company, local art!!!!!! This place is the best bar in the downtown area. I highly recommend checking it out.

Honestly my favorite place downtown. It gets busy during the weekend, but not-weekend times are perfect! A quiet, small bar with great drink selection and even better staff! Easy place to get friends together and chat. :)

Some of Des Moines's best cocktails. For the REAL hipsters who made the town cool in the first place. All the vibe. None of the Manhattan prices or attitude. AWESOME staff full of fun stories that really knows its stuff.

One of my favorite bars in the metro as they have great drink deals on Wednesdays and Thursdays and always display local art for sale. Also there are comfy couches and local beers on tap. I love the laid back atmosphere - perfect for sipping a martini and playing a game of cribbage.

This is my favorite bar in Des Moines. The lighting inside is very relaxing. They rotate local art work for sale around the bar so the eye candy is different almost every time I visit. But the real jewels of this place are the martinis. They are made to style with precision every time. My usual is the Manhattan or the Frency. Cheers!