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Address and Contact Information
Address: 1701 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50316
Phone: (515) 265-2031
Website: https://www.kellyslittlenipper.com/
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Kelly’s Little Nipper | Capitol East
Saturday – Sunday. Bar 9am-11pm. Kitchen 9am-10pm. CONTACT. . 1701 E Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50316. . E / [email protected]. T / 515-265-2031.
Kelly’s Little Nipper | Des Moines IA – Facebook
All you can eat spaghetti for only $10! 16 and under for only $5! Come grab some delicious, meaty, perfectly soft spaghetti! It’s all you can eat so don’t worry …
Kelly’s Little Nipper, 1701 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50316, US
Kelly’s Little Nipper is a community hub, featuring live music every Friday night and trivia every Wednesday.
Reviews
Benjamin Duke
Kelly’s Little Nipper is a fantastic little hole in the wall, that gets more popular everyday. Kelly’s Little Nipper isn’t that big of a place but they have it all. There’s a wide selection of great food, Daily Specials, always some sort of live music on the weekends, it’s great place to watch sports and the Staff is always Friendly. The Kelly’s Corn is awesome, the Jalapeño Ranch is perfect and the mini dessert always hits the spot.
… moreKirk Magill
Birthday brunch at Kelly’s Little Nipper!
We’ve been meaning to check this place out for a while, and I finally made it one of my birthday wishes—and I’m glad we did.
We grabbed seats at the bar (because of course we did), and were lucky to be served by the owner’s daughter, who was also training a new hire. Even after a late night, she didn’t miss a beat—friendly, efficient, and totally on top of things. Absolute rock star.
The vibe here is eclectic and full of character—definitely a bit old and quirky, but clean and packed with personality. You can tell this place has seen its share of good times. Heads up: the floors are decidedly not level, so tread carefully!
We kicked things off with some solid Bloody Marys—simple but done right. (Yes, I added a beer back. No regrets.)
Kim ordered the Kelly’s Steak Sandwich ($16)—loaded, fresh, and delicious. I went for the brisket tacos ($15) with a side of onion rings (+$2). The tacos had great flavor thanks to the tender brisket, but they were a little heavy on the sauce for my taste. Still a solid pick.
Being Sunday, we were treated to a free order of Kelly’s Corn ($6 value), with explicit instructions not to eat it too early and to try it with the house bread. We followed directions—and yes, it was delicious.
The cook was super friendly, working hard in a very tiny kitchen, and even popped out to check on us a couple times. You don’t always see that level of attention.
By the time we left, the place had really filled up—clearly a neighborhood favorite. We’ll absolutely be back.
Pro tip: Check their website or social pages for live music nights. The outdoor venue looks awesome, and we were kicking ourselves a little for not planning around that.
One small note to the owner: There were quite a few flies around the dining area—not terrible, but noticeable. They mostly kept to themselves, but still a bit off-putting indoors.
… moreWe’ve been meaning to check this place out for a while, and I finally made it one of my birthday wishes—and I’m glad we did.
We grabbed seats at the bar (because of course we did), and were lucky to be served by the owner’s daughter, who was also training a new hire. Even after a late night, she didn’t miss a beat—friendly, efficient, and totally on top of things. Absolute rock star.
The vibe here is eclectic and full of character—definitely a bit old and quirky, but clean and packed with personality. You can tell this place has seen its share of good times. Heads up: the floors are decidedly not level, so tread carefully!
We kicked things off with some solid Bloody Marys—simple but done right. (Yes, I added a beer back. No regrets.)
Kim ordered the Kelly’s Steak Sandwich ($16)—loaded, fresh, and delicious. I went for the brisket tacos ($15) with a side of onion rings (+$2). The tacos had great flavor thanks to the tender brisket, but they were a little heavy on the sauce for my taste. Still a solid pick.
Being Sunday, we were treated to a free order of Kelly’s Corn ($6 value), with explicit instructions not to eat it too early and to try it with the house bread. We followed directions—and yes, it was delicious.
The cook was super friendly, working hard in a very tiny kitchen, and even popped out to check on us a couple times. You don’t always see that level of attention.
By the time we left, the place had really filled up—clearly a neighborhood favorite. We’ll absolutely be back.
Pro tip: Check their website or social pages for live music nights. The outdoor venue looks awesome, and we were kicking ourselves a little for not planning around that.
One small note to the owner: There were quite a few flies around the dining area—not terrible, but noticeable. They mostly kept to themselves, but still a bit off-putting indoors.
Diane Wagner
Stopped at Kelly’s Little Nipper for St. Patty day. Atmosphere was festive with an Irish band. Beautiful day so we ate on the patio. Bacon wrapped tater tots,cheese balls,onion rings, burgers, shrimp with a salad and a BLT. Also had to try the custom mini beers!! Good food and great time as always.
… moreAudrey Klunenberg
No frills, but a good time. We sat outside for lunch and enjoyed the Saturday bloody special ($3.50!!!). Split the chicken strips and a half order of onion rings, and both were solid. The rings definitely seemed like they were made in house and the patio underneath the shade of the giant tree made a really pleasant afternoon. Staff were super friendly and attentive, and I’d love to come back some time for their weekday happy hour. Also, bonus brownie bites for dessert? Yes please!
… morejustin west
Elsie made fun of my buddy, told me my drink was boring and said I ruined the sandwich because I ordered it without onions. She’s the BEST. Fun and hard working staff. Amazing food. Hidden gem. Try the corn. Get the brisket tacos .
… morekevin murphy
Good local watering hole with great food. Watch the holes in the parking lot. Everyone was super friendly. If ypu don’t like it loud this isn’t the place for you. Tenderloin was one of, if not the best I’ve ever had. Unless you’re a big eater it can easily be split for 2.
… moreamanda skidmore
Ordered the Brisket Tacos, onion rings, and the guinea grinder. The food was delicious! The atmosphere was chill. We will definitely be back again!
… moreNorma
I’d like to give this place more of a 3.75. I went with a friend who was on a quest for the perfect tenderloin. It had to be thick & have a perfectly proportioned amount of breading to meat. She ordered the tenderloin with onion rings.
We were sitting outside and there was a divine smell of smoked pork. There weren’t any smoked pork items on the menu. I asked about it and the waitress told me she had completely forgotten they had cooked pork as well as brisket and there were pulled pork sandwiches. I had been looking at their loaded nachos that could be ordered with brisket and asked if they could be served with pork. I ate so many smokey nachos in Memphis that just the memory makes me happy. The waitress agreed to make my nachos with pork and brought our food out.
Everything was as ordered but I should have asked more about the nachos. Apparently, according to my dining companion, nachos are normally served with this gooey nacho cheese sauce. It was a shock to me. I remember my southern nachos where the chips were laid out in a thin layer and sprinkled with a blend of smoked cheeses then popped into a broiler to melt. Hunks of pulled pork were added on and BBQ sauce and any traditional toppings you wanted came on the side. The nachos I received were a far cry from that. The pulled pork that was on them was good but had a bit too much sweet sauce or rub. Again though, this was my fault for not asking questions.
My friend said her tenderloin was appropriately thick and good but it lacked flavor in the meat and the texture of the breading was too consistent. She grew up in southeastern Iowa and the sandwiches she ate were from pork sourced from local farmers so the meat had more flavor. They were hand breaded with bread crumbs and crushed saltiness. Good luck finding that these days unless you can find a small restaurant in the country. She thought her onion rings were just okay but I thought they were great. I like thin batter and real slices of onions and these definitely fit the bill.
The service was good and the waitress was very nice. When you walk in though, it is definitely a bar first & foremost. When we walked in at lunch time, you would be hard pressed to guess the time from the dim interior. We sat outside though on a small but cute patio so the interior was irrelevant.
… moreWe were sitting outside and there was a divine smell of smoked pork. There weren’t any smoked pork items on the menu. I asked about it and the waitress told me she had completely forgotten they had cooked pork as well as brisket and there were pulled pork sandwiches. I had been looking at their loaded nachos that could be ordered with brisket and asked if they could be served with pork. I ate so many smokey nachos in Memphis that just the memory makes me happy. The waitress agreed to make my nachos with pork and brought our food out.
Everything was as ordered but I should have asked more about the nachos. Apparently, according to my dining companion, nachos are normally served with this gooey nacho cheese sauce. It was a shock to me. I remember my southern nachos where the chips were laid out in a thin layer and sprinkled with a blend of smoked cheeses then popped into a broiler to melt. Hunks of pulled pork were added on and BBQ sauce and any traditional toppings you wanted came on the side. The nachos I received were a far cry from that. The pulled pork that was on them was good but had a bit too much sweet sauce or rub. Again though, this was my fault for not asking questions.
My friend said her tenderloin was appropriately thick and good but it lacked flavor in the meat and the texture of the breading was too consistent. She grew up in southeastern Iowa and the sandwiches she ate were from pork sourced from local farmers so the meat had more flavor. They were hand breaded with bread crumbs and crushed saltiness. Good luck finding that these days unless you can find a small restaurant in the country. She thought her onion rings were just okay but I thought they were great. I like thin batter and real slices of onions and these definitely fit the bill.
The service was good and the waitress was very nice. When you walk in though, it is definitely a bar first & foremost. When we walked in at lunch time, you would be hard pressed to guess the time from the dim interior. We sat outside though on a small but cute patio so the interior was irrelevant.
Shenikka Allen
Great customer service and I got a lot of food for a reasonable price I did not even spend $20. Fish and chips were great.
… moreDaniel Bragg
First there corn on the cob was super delicious. The bone in wings are the best around. The Sandwich was done perfectly seasoned. Great service friendly service.
… more