Starting to travel for work on a regular basis again, I found myself looking for a good burger and a craft beer after a day of calling on accounts in the Des Moines area. I had a list of a handful of places that I had gathered over the past couple years that reportedly had good burgers in the city. One of those place was the Angry Goldfish on the south side of Des Moines.
The building that houses the Angry Goldfish at the corner of SW 9th and Davis Ave. kitty-cornered from MacRae Park (see map) has been many things over the years - a bar/restaurant, a vacuum repair shop, a hardware store to name a few businesses. It was in the fall of 2016 when Dan White and his wife, Stephanie, along with Stephanie's brother Clark Way and his wife, Renee bought the building and started an intensive restoration inside and out. Clark Way wanted to have a place like some of the neighborhood bars that he visited with his father as a young boy - a place that would allow children inside (up to 9 p.m.) and be family friendly.
No one is quite certain how the name "Angry Goldfish" came about. It was during one of their alcohol-fueled skull-sessions that someone in the group came up with the Angry Goldfish name. And the name just sort of stuck. With the completion of the renovations, the Whites and Ways opened the Angry Goldfish Pub & Eatery in December 2016 with Clark and Renee Way as the managing partners of the restaurant.
(In the fall of 2019, Clark and Renee Way took over the old Reed's Hollow in the Beaverdale area of northwest Des Moines and renamed the place the Dam Pub. The bar is heavy in 1980's and 90's kitsch and features a number of vintage video games and a menu that somewhat mirrors the Angry Goldfish.)
I pulled into the parking lot behind the Angry Goldfish and went in the side door just off the patio on the north side of the building. Inside, I found a small bar area and a dining area with a number of booths and tables. The lighting fixtures on the walls next to the booths were old whiskey bottles with light bulbs inside. A couple old chandeliers hung from the ceiling near the back entry way.
The walls featured a number of bright and natural colored pallets that made a sort of interesting color pattern. Vintage beer signs hung from the walls. The restrooms in the back (marked "sausage" and "eggs") featured a number of old Iowa vehicle license plates that Clark Way's grandfather had collected over the years.
I found a seat at a table up toward the front door of the Angry Goldfish. A guy working behind the bar came out with a menu. (Click here and scroll down to see the menu.) I took a quick look at their beer menu and ordered up an Easy Eddy Hazy IPA from the Big Grove Brewery in Solon and Iowa City.
I was sort of surprised with Angry Goldfish's menu. It had some interesting appetizers such as poutine, fried pickles and their signature Sriracha-seasoned "angry" Goldfish crackers. Sandwiches included a pulled-pork and a brisket sandwich, as well as a club sandwich on garlic focaccia bread. Entrees included two pork medallions with a whiskey/honey glaze, meatloaf made with black angus beef and Graziano Brothers Italian sausage, and their beer-battered cod filets served with fries. On Monday nights, the Angry Goldfish features lasagna or a vegetarian manicotti, and on Wednesday's they have a hot beef sandwich special with mashed potatoes and gravy.
That all sounded great to me, but I had my heart set on getting a burger on my first trip to the Angry Goldfish. After almost getting the garlic and herb Boursin cheese burger. I settled on the Merlot/Mushroom burger topped with Swiss cheese. For my side, I had a number of choices including truffle parmesan fries, cole slaw and pasta salad. But then when I saw that one of my side options was tots, I went with those. (For a small upcharge, I could have gotten a small side of Angry Goldfish's poutine. Next time...)
The two burger patties were flat-grilled and both topped with Swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms. The top bun was festooned with an "AG" from the merlot aioli sauce they put on the burger. I was eager to dig into this one.
And it certainly didn't disappoint. The burger was full of flavors - the earthiness of the sautéed mushrooms, the pungent and creamy Swiss cheese, and the tanginess of the merlot aioli all added to the wonderful taste of the flat-grilled beef patties. The bun was spongy and held together very well with the juicy nature of the burger meat. This was a great burger.
I also have to say that the tots were also very good. These didn't seem to be your run-of-the-mill food purveyor tots. I was almost like they had a panko outer shell with a very fluffy potato inner core. Along with some Cholula hot sauce, the tots were top-notch.
After my first experience at the Angry Goldfish, I decided that I would definitely be back to try something else in the future. It was a great little place with friendly service, great food and a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The owners definitely achieved their goal of making the Angry Goldfish a quintessential neighborhood bar, one that I wish I had near me at my home. The Mushroom/Merlot burger I had was spectacular and it certainly hit the spot. My next visit to the Angry Goldfish will be for the Boursin burger. Or it could be for their meatloaf. Or it could be for their hot beef sandwich special. Or it could be for their Sriracha goldfish encrusted pork tenderloin sandwich. There's just too many interesting things to choose from at the Angry Goldfish.
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