Juniper Moon

Well when we walked in they were playing one of my favorite Buddy Guy songs so I was already kind of a fan. I like the casual ambience with the chandeliers and the low lighting. My friend compared it to a drag queen’s parlor where she would host a salon, which is pretty high praise! He tried a signature drink while I stuck to a classic. They were both well made and quite tasty! We didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach so decided to order from Gusto’s next door. Pretty convenient, just pop into the old timey phone booth, place your order and your server brings it to you! It was a little awkward to eat at our table, we opted for the couch with a little table and they brought it in a big box, but the pizza was delicious regardless! The bathroom was also very nice and classy. They seemed to have a good playlist going but the speaker by us wasn’t working or turned off so we couldn’t hear it all that well, but oh well we were able to talk to each other without shouting! Good place to bring a date unless you like a lot of personal space and privacy!

Very slow service, but great drinks and atmosphere. It is fairly small so it fills up quickly. There are only about 6 – 7 different seating areas outside of the bar itself. Although it was busy, you’d expect with only a few tables to serve that they would be prompt. I was with 3 other friends and we were sitting down in a couch/​chair lounge area (one of only 4) and we waited about 20 – 25 minutes before our server even showed up. We ordered our first drinks and cheese plate at the bar. We actually had to tell the guy that brought our cheese plate that we didn’t have a server stop by and then she eventually showed up.
It’s a great addition to Des Moines, but they need to iron out the service issues.

They have an old-​fashioned phone booth with a direct line to the pizza place next door and a bartender with a man-​bun. Their signature drinks were a bit too sweet for me but their selection of beers and wines were good. I had a very enjoyable experience save one thing: their candle service was awful. Our candle was lit once, twice, three times and kept mysteriously flickering out. If i’d have wanted to drink in the dark I would’ve stayed home to be with my inner thoughts.

This place is my new cocktail hot spot. So far I’ve had the pleasure of having the Juniper Moon, Cider House Rules, Freckle Face, and Tempelton Jam, all amazing and unique.
This place gets super busy so come early! I love sitting on the sofas, enjoying the Charcuterie place they offer and catching up with friends. Now if a meat and cheese plate isn’t your thing, you able to jump into the phone booth and order Gusto pizza and have you brought to you. But my friend and I had the nut blend (amazing) and the Olive Medeley and its all great, if you aren’t looking to eat anything heavy.
With such a cool atmosphere and fantastic drinks, you can’t go wrong by coming here.

Love this new spot! It’s such a great addition to the Des Moines scene.
The atmosphere is great. The different seating areas make it feel like a more urban spot, and the lights are beautiful. The location, too, gets big points for me. There is no gigantic parking spot out front — or out back for that matter!
The drinks are wonderful! Though the namesake isn’t the prettiest color, it sure is tasty! The other signature cocktails that I’ve tried also are delicious.
Finally, the food: You can order pizzas from neighbor Gusto inside a fun little phone booth. Just tell your server what you ordered, and they’ll deliver it to you after the folks from Gusto bring it over.
In short, Juniper Moon is an exciting addition to Des Moines; I can’t wait to go back again!

Nothing like heading out on a Tuesday night in the frigid cold of the DSM winter to have some drinks with a friend! With all the new places popping up around town we made it a point to stop at one of them! I’m glad we choose Juniper Moon!
I dig the modern open layout and for a Tuesday night at 8pm the place was pretty hopping! The lighting was nice, not to bright, but I could still see the menu and the bartenders work!
I like watching bartenders work, so we sat at the bar! These two were pro’s, mixing fancy cocktails, cutting fruit, making the drink presentation top notch!
For me though, I’m a beer guy! I choose the Bell’s Amber on tap! The beer prices seem a bit high, maybe a dollar more then other spots around town, but not a huge difference!
I like that you can order food from Gusto (same ownership/​right across the parking lot) and they will deliver it to you at the bar.
The atmosphere was perfect for casual drinks with friends, or if you are looking to impress a date, this would be a great spot to do so!
I will be back for sure, maybe I will even man up and try one of these fancy cocktails, that are presented so nicely here!

I am a huge fan of cocktails. I make one or two a night and plan some of my going out nights in places with a good cocktail menu. So of course I decided to go to the new cocktail spot Juniper Moon. Twice.
It’s designed to be a cozy cocktail bar to have conversations with friends. It does that. The cozy couches and unique chairs take the place to a must see. It has really big windows to let in light and you can even see a little of downtown. Some will say it’s a little loud but I didn’t think it was that bad. It is a charming little place.
Old pictures adorn the wall and beautiful chandeliers light the place up. It feels like you’re in a speakeasy in Chicago or NY – without the whole secret hidden watering hole part. It is something new and different in DSM.
The service was ok but prompt. I wasn’t there when it was super busy, but it’s a small place that only holds about 40 people, so service should be good. The bartenders shook every drink like they didn’t care. 2 seconds and done. Not enough to really mix everything like it should or put on a show. They just wanted to be done with it and move on to the next person. No heart in the cocktail making.
For me the down side of this place are the drinks and consistency. First off I went there thinking it was a cocktail bar. That’s what it’s been advertised as and it even says it on their logo. I opened up their menu to find it is dominated by beer and wines – over 20 of each. They only have 12 cocktails on the menu. 5 vodka cocktails. 3 gin cocktails. 3 whiskey cocktails. 1 Rum cocktail. And 1 tequila cocktail. It’s not what I expected when they have Juniper a key ingredient in gin and a great ingredient in cocktails in their name.
The cocktails on their menu has a lot going on. Nothing looked simple. it’s ok if everything goes together. This seemed to be a little pretentious. Each cocktail had at least 5 different ingredients in it. But that didn’t stop me from tryinga few.
I tried the Templeton Jam (whiskey), Corpse Reviver #2 (gin), Freckle Face (vodka), Moon Mule (Vodka) and Saint Vincent (Tequila). The only one I liked was the Moon Mule. The rest were unbalanced, too sweet or citrusy, and just a little off. My guess is the fault of free pouring instead of jiggering. It drives me nuts when Des Moines bartenders don’t jigger in cocktail bars. Because they’re never consistent so you never know what you’re going to get. Most of the really great cocktail bars around the world do.
My drink problems.
I was given a salted rim on the saint vincent instead of a cayenne like it said on the menu. The drink itself was unbalanced – which was a common theme in every drink – and too tart. It could have used sugar.
The Freckle Face was uneven. Every time I took a sip I got something else. It felt like a 7 layer dip without the satisfaction. One sip it was all balsamic Shrub. Next all vodka. Next all St. Germain. and so on. I couldn’t really get a taste of everything together.
My Corpse Reviver #2, which is one of my favorite all time cocktails, isn’t what it should be. It’s a classic cocktail that dates back to the 20’s and what they gave me was their interpretation. So in my opinion it should be called the Corpse Reviver #4 – cause there is also a number 3. It should be made with one part gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and fresh lemon juice with a dash of absinthe. It is delicious that way. What they made was not. To top it off my drink was orange instead of white. At first I thought «oh I guess that’s how they make it,» but when the girl next to me ordered one and hers was a cloudy white, the color it should have been. This could have been avoided if they jiggered or cared. The bartender set it down and walked away. Didn’t even acknowledge that he made the drink wrong. He didn’t even taste it to see if it was close. And the other bartender didn’t care to see I had the wrong drink as well. It would have been nice if he asked how it was. But no he didn’t come back for a while.
So a long story short. Amazing atmosphere. Ok service. Poor bartending. Inconsistency on drinks. Cocktails seem like they were made by a chain restaurant. And there isn’t much of a variety of drinks. Almost everyone is shaken. It needs clear stirred drinks.
I will go here one more time in a couple months to see if it has gotten better. Because I want this place too be good and not taste like a chain restaurant cocktail menu. I think could be a cool place to relax after work. I hope they get everything situated.

Our new favorite! The staff were extremely attentive – not over bearing but there if you needed them. Their signature drink the Juniper Moon was beautiful and delicious! The bar itself is gorgeous with unique lights made from old decanters which creates a sparkly romantic ambience. Having Gusto next door is definitely a plus. We’ll definitely be back!