Plain Talk Books & Coffee

Great book store with an adorable retro cafe, coffee, ice cream, and a whole vegan menu! Love that they carry Herbivorus Butcher vegan deli!! There is a stage towards the back of the book side for readings for small live music.

I got “The Skigs” sandwich for lunch and I am not kidding when I say that was literally the best sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s a simple sandwich but the pesto/dressing was perfect. It was fast, good atmosphere, and kind people! I will definitely be hitting this place up again!

I'm so mad I haven't been here sooner! It hit all the major points; price, quality, service and atmosphere. I tried one of the vegan option sandwiches and the Cinnamon cappuccino. It's very spacious and cozy with a lounge area, plenty tables, and all the books surrounding.

Loved the atmosphere and coffee, needs more comfortable furniture tho so i can enjoy my books. I didn't like the stinky water that they were using on the beautiful wood floors, but other than that it was great I like the set up very cozy! And people were nice.

Lots of vegan options and I really like that the coffee cups and lids are biodegradable that is incredible! Five stars

Very unique and charming coffee shop! The coffee is delicious, and the atmosphere makes a person want to curl up with a good book in a cozy chair.

Awesome place!!

They have a sandwich counter, ice cream and coffee bar. They even have a vegan sandwich menu, which is a bit of a rarity locally.

I usually just go here to browse the great selection of books — I always find something, and always at a reasonable price (usually less than $10!)

I haven’t seen anything super rare or collectible in their shelves but there aren’t many places around that have this kind of book selection including used and vintage.

I got a regular latte with oat milk and an extra shot. Everybody working was very accommodating with all of my questions and requests. Definitely going back! (Didn’t get to really browse the book section that much)

I love the way it's divided by bookshelves! Great place to take your time with lunch and a good book, alone or in a group, or even go around a corner of shelves for a quiet couple. Staff is ultra friendly and helpful.

Super friendly staff who helped me find a great "surprise me" drink for my husband. They suggested the Gandalf with almond milk hot and he loved it. I got the Raven and it was a fantastic wake me up cold drink. Their book selection may be smaller than some shops but they still have a wide selection on topics so there is something for everyone! Thanks for being such a great little gem to find while we were home visiting family.

Staff was super cool and friendly. Dog friendly, they offered to get my dog some water without me even asking. I got some peppermint ice cream that was delicious, all of their ice cream is handmade, but not in house. Very cool independent book selection. Vintage vibe.

Great prices and they serve Bauder's pharmacy ice cream. Try a peppermint chip sundae with hot fudge!

Fantastic vegan sandwich options! A fun cafe to hang out in for a bit. Fantastic service! Super glad I stopped in!

Hello!
On August 4th my family and I visited this coffee shop and absolutely loved it. We were in Des Moines for an Iowa Cubs game and had been on the road for about 5 hours and needed a nice break before the game.
We as a family are huge book readers so we were immediately drawn to a shop that said “books and coffee”. We were expecting a cozy atmosphere and we were not disappointed. The staff was incredibly friendly and talked to my family, not just to take our order but asked how we were, where we were from, why we were in town, and just held a very pleasant conversation.
We got our drinks, and saw that there were tables with board games to play while you enjoy your drink. We sat down and played a Wordle board game for a solid half an hour.
The drinks were amazing, and there were options for everyone in our family, ages ranging from coffee loving mid 40s, occasional coffee drinking 16 and 18 year olds, and a not-quite old enough for coffee 11 year-old. I ended up going with a small, strawberry Italian soda as it was a bit too late in the day for coffee and I immediately wanted to order about 10 more, it was that good.
On top of the incredible coffee, the bookstore part of the shop made the whole thing feel very cozy and their book selection was incredible. They had everything from children's books, to fantasy, to non-fiction books about music. We ended up buying 3 books and the prices were very reasonable!
If I lived closer, this would be a place I would frequent on the daily. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a quiet place to read with a well-made cup of coffee!
Thank you for the amazing experience!

Fun, old-fashioned style soda fountain in Des Moines' East Village! Best part is, it's a specialty micro-business employing individuals with disabilities. There is a used bookstore in the back that you can browse. They don't do any advertising, so it's rarely crowded since only locals know about it.

Came here with my dog and sat outside. Coffee was decent but what really blew me away was the sandwich! The Salisbury was AMAZING!!!

I'm not normally a coffee drinker, but today as I was walking past this place, something compelled me to go inside and check it out (that "something" was a sudden torrential downpour). Friendly staff, good coffee, nice cozy place with a good solid roof that didn't leak. Above and beyond: I really appreciate their help in figuring out the bus schedules so I could get home mostly dry.

Very cute spot. Lots of books that are both modern and not. Lots of history and good places to do home work or have a first date.

Really good/dope/sick sandwiches in a genuinely cozy lil shop. Love the back room with a modest selection of books to browse (including an excellent section of left-politics titles).

Delicious, amazing prices great staff! This place is the best hole in the wall in the east villager and even open till 7!