Scenic Route Bakery

INTELLIGENTSIA in Des Moines! I’m in love. Cute little café, love their coffee and menu and the baristas are very friendly.

Love this place! My friend and I had the Kale salad and Spinach salad today and they were satisfying and yummy! We added chicken and enjoyed a cup of awesome coffee. Definitely will be frequenting this place!

Generally like this place: good coffee, nice bakery, relaxed atmosphere. Good place to work. But today they closed an hour early which we found out after we’d gotten our coffee and scones. Had to scarf them down in 10 mins. They were polite about it, but fact is we were hurried to move along…

This coffee shop leaves a lot to be desired, which is truly a shame given how large and modern it is. The size and location are excellent and, being in the heart of the East Village, would mean quick success for the right coffee shop. This, however, is not it. My first visit was a few months after it opened. I went for a quick breakfast and ordered a croissant and a cup of coffee. The coffee, as expected was fine. The croissant however, was horrible. The top half was overdone but luckily not burnt black like the bottom was. I waited a while before coming back.
On my second visit I ordered a cup of coffee and a brownie (for a total of $ 5). However as I went to pay, I was surprised that their default tip percentages on the iPad that you use to pay are 20%, 25% and 30%. To be fair, you can always select «other» but I would wager that 90% of the general population will punch as few buttons as possible and continue with their day. It also needs to be noted that you have to get your own coffee from a large dispenser on another counter. Essentially, I had the «opportunity» to tip them another ¹⁄₃ of my bill for grabbing a (stale/​pre wrapped) brownie from the case and handing it to me. Worth $ 1.25? No.
Overall, their more substantial food may be better. But given the poor quality of the simpler things, I will think twice before returning to try it. If I wanted to be over charged and underserved I would rather go to Starbucks.

Been here a few times now and I’ve never been truly disappointed, but I’ve always never truly been wowed.
They serve Intelligentsia coffee so my expectations were quite high going in there. I got the pour over and It was okay. I’d like to see them offer more roasts than the house roast and El Diablo.
The pastries are pretty good as well, I’ve had the brownie, cinnamon rolls, and croissants. They are all very rich. Not my favorite, but I can see how they’d be liked.
The service is average, nothing exceptional. Seem like decent enough people though. Overall it’s pretty bang average but the location and ambiance gives a big boost.

Today I had the Fancy Pants sandwich which is apricot relish, Rosemary and Brie on amazing bread with a honey drizzle. It was amazing. Sooooo good, the most important item in any sandwich is the bread and it was superb. My wife had the soup and it was also great. We also had a coffees. My latte was really good. Service was great. Great shop in a up and coming part of town.
Ps. I’m not related or friends with anyone at this shop.

This place is adorable and the food is really good, too which is always a plus. I came in during the week for lunch and man this place was busy! I ordered the Hot Piglet, which is a black forest ham, bacon, and cheddar sammie on fresh baked bread. The meat to bread ratio was pretty good and the sandwich was really good. I also ended up picking some Cuban, one of their signature drinks and a cinnamon roll which was big and so freaking good. I love the space they have also, with the nice combo of sofas and lots of dining area. Not only will I come back here but I wouldn’t mind if my company catered in some food from this place either.

Good pastries, ample seating, decent wifi, and Intelligentsia coffee.

I was SO excited when I heard we would be getting a new coffee shop in the EV, and Scenic Route has lived up to my expectations!
Good coffee, good pastries and great sandwiches! I love the turkey reuben! They serve lunch until 3PM, so it’s a great place to grab a late lunch (usually to go and on the run, for me). I also swing by on my way to work for coffee and a chocolate croissant from time to time.
The space itself is nice. Big and spacious; sparsely decorated. I really enjoy the patio they put in recently! Sometimes I’ll sneak out of the office early with my laptop and finish my day out there. I’m never alone, as it seems like it’s already a popular place to get some work done.

A wonderful coffee and tea hangout! I had a chai latte and a black and chocolate cookie. Delicious!

I can sum up my current opinion of this place in one word: Potential. These guys are currently benefiting a lot from a great location and a lot of friends and family reviewing on Unilocal,but that will only get them so far. We were hoping our poor experiences were just hiccups getting started, but after repeatedly having the same problems we are starting to lose hope which is a shame. As a coffee shop, a bare minimum expectation would be that they have drip coffee available virtually all the time but half a dozen visits have resulted in them saying «oops, we’re out of coffee, we will start a new one». Any basic coffee shop would have had another pot ready to swap on and continue serving coffee. As another patron said to them at the time, «are you roasting the beans yourself back there? no? then what is taking so long?».
The food has generally been pretty good, I highly recommend any of the hot sandwiches. The pastries can be hit or miss depending on how long they have been out and the bread on the cold sandwiches has been stale in the past. The bakery is decorated nicely and has some great outdoor seating.
One last grievance I have to air is that their register system defaults to 20% for the *smallest* tip — you can of course push «Other» and punch in whatever you’d like. 20% is a tip for great service at a full service dining establishment, not a self-​serve coffee and pre-​made pastry shop.
I sincerely hope they are able to take a hard look at some of the critical feedback they are getting because these are the sincere reviews and the ones that will create their actual word-​of-​mouth reputation, not friends and family Unilocal reviews. I want to love this place!

This place has it all, great atmosphere, great food, and great service. What more could you ask for? Maybe a bigger stomach!
I had the French Onion Sandwich and have not finished dreaming about it since. The pastries were just right as my husband and I got the cinnamon rolls.
The place itself is so open yet warm and welcoming. If you look around at the décor there are many pieces that look like they came from the owner’s personal collection.
You can tell everything that is done here is done with a personal touch and lots of love. I will definitely be back and recommend to friends.

I’ll be a frequent visitor of this spot when I’m in town. PLENTY of seating space but because they have Intelligentsia roast! I love this stuff when I’m in Chicago but also because there’s a whole display of baked goods, sandwiches and salads. not to mention there’s a suspended bike on display. You had me at bikes.
Also, it’s a quiet place so you can get work done if needed and it’s on a great «scenic» corner to people watch as well with a lot of shops to peruse nearby before or afterwards. The staff is very nice and not overbearing where some coffee shops assume you know what you’re doing if you only know the likes of say, a Starbucks.
I was disappointed they didn’t have a Cortado on their menu BUT they accommodated the request. But if this place is too big for some reason, you can go down the street to Mars for some local roasted stuff as well.

Put me in a room with baked goods, and amazing things can happen. Mainly, it’s just me, eating all the pastries. This is a great enough excuse for me to make this a great lunch spot.
They have a lunch menu of salads and sandwiches that runs until 3:00. Just walking in here makes my mouth water. My latest favorite is the Rachel sandwich, which is essentially a turkey Reuben. The bread is always slightly crispy and every bite is a hug for my mouth, with all its delicious flavors.
If you need a baked goods fix, try anything in that pastry case. Cinnamon rolls are to die for, monkey bread is out of this world, and even a chocolate chip cookie from here is worth every penny.
It’s a great space and a great addition to the East Village!

I Love me my coffee shooooopppppsss!
And Scenic Route Bakery has made it to my list!
Coffee date, study date, lunch, breakfast, chill meeting? C’mon over. You ca do it all here.
Price: Typical. Look to spend about $ 2.5/cup of coffee and maybe $ 4/​pastry & $ 8/​sandwich.
Parking: Street. Metered. Free after 6.
Service: Cool cats behind the counters. Very friendly & knowledgable.
Drinks: I’ve only had the coffee here & they brew my fave inteligestia. they get the beans fresh from Chicago every monday!
Notes: Clean & cozy. Def a dank joint.

I love the open space, rustic décor, and ample natural light that comes in from the full length windows at this café and bakery. The people at the front are very helpful and friendly.
I ordered a hazelnut steamer and it was absolute perfection — sweet enough with plenty of hazelnut flavor in the perfect temperature of milk.
I ordered a jelly croissant, thinking it was a ham and cheese croissant since they were in the same section. The jelly they used was delicious with lots of fruit chunks, the croissant itself wasn’t as flaky or buttery as I was hoping — it ended up a little dry. My friend ordered a pecan roll that had all the right flavors, but was hard to cut through and eat cause the glaze caramelized over and the roll wasn’t hot. I didn’t have the chance to look around if they had a small microwave or toaster, but I think if these bakery items were heated up a little, it would have made these baked goods absolutely delectable.

I love this addition to the East Village. Everything that I have had to eat or drink (so far) has been fantastic.
The décor is a mix of modern and rustic and the place totally pulls it off. I feel like they could better utilize their space a little be — be it on the floor or the walls — but that’s just a personal thing and it’s nit picky.
If your in the neighborhood, then this is a great place to stop by — be it a quick trip for a coffee or a hangout with wonderful friends.

What can I say, I’m super excited about Scenic Route Bakery! The vibe of this café/​coffee shop/​bakery is just out of site! Mixing a rustic homey feel, with a modern vibe, huge window’s, comfy chairs, and rad tables perfect for a meeting, working, or just hanging with friends over lunch!
I got a soy latte which was one of the best I have ever had in town! They use Intelligentsia Coffee and it was fantastic!
The bakery items looked amazing, and there was a huge eclectic variety as well!
I got a tip from a friend about how great the veggie sandwich is but that will have to wait for next time cause I had just ate!
The staff was super nice, the place is super clean, and like I said before the vibe is just really great!
I’m so looking forward to coming here more, and so excited to have this rad new place in the east village!

I’ve been keeping an eye on the East Village business due to pop up with a keen concern for their success as a beacon for the success of future newcomers. Although the area is already booming with several unique and local establishments, upcoming hotel/​condo/​apartment builds may be a stress test in the coming months for restaurants, especially.
Scenic Route Bakery is launching well with strong staffing, attentive customer service, high hands-​on from the ownership, and what appears to be a strong budding customer base.
The first time I visited, I sat on the far end with a friend, noting the customer service to entering guests. Co-​proprietors (father/​daughter team) Katy and Mark Nelson were up front and center, not glad-​handing but instead working the case and tables, ensuring smooth guest interaction. Mark was doing double-​duty humbly explaining to guests the detail and handiwork that went into the dining furniture.
This team has been nothing but completely hospitable in their first week of operation. Several staffers have introduced themselves, struck up conversation, and expressed professional grace while handling what must be a stressful time as a new business. Local, invested, earnest folks.
I’ve only sampled the kale salad and a few beverage offerings to date. I’ll plan to update in a few weeks, but for a very newly-​launched establishment, they’ve got it going on.

(Just opened in the East Village!)
Huge selection of fresh pastries– I loved their cinnamon roll and quiche. But they have other unique bakery items as well to try.
They have lots of great seating for meetings or catching up with friends. The décor is very cool and this establishment is very clean.
More soon.
This biz is also on FB