high life lounge

truthfully, it’s almost inexcusable that it’s taken me this long to write about the highlifelounge, considering that my first trip there came long before i had ever thought of dan vs. food. actually, this was my first act upon moving to iowa from idaho back in 2011. as i made the trek from pocatello to davenport, i knew that i wanted to hit as many top restaurants along the route as possible, which eventually led me to interstate 80, des moines and the highlifelounge in iowa’s capital city. but despite getting my first introduction to the highlifelounge three years ago, it wasn’t one of the main places on my list to write about when i started this blog. it wasn’t because the highlifelounge had disappointed me in any way. actually, i loved everything about it. the reason for the delay is also the best thing to have ever happened to me: amy. by the time i was ready to write about the highlifelounge, amy had already made her move to join me in iowa and realized that she loved be

don’t you wish sometimes that you could go back in time? like 1965 maybe?  enter the highlifelounge downtown des moines. the bar features shag carpet (see picture, no joke), wood paneling and a formica bar top.  once you’ve taken all this in you automatically know this place is legit. if the decor doesn’t set you back in time the beer choices will.  the selection is limited to beers that were in production before 1970.  this includes: high life, pbr, coors banquet, old milwaukee, hamm’s, old style, busch light, budweiser.  what’s that you say  you want a bud light  no thank you.  on this day i enjoyed a hamm’s and an old style. as seen on tv , we had to start with the tater tots and jalapenos wrapped in thick bacon then fried and topped with cheddar/jack cheese.  the saying ‘pictures don’t lie’ doesn’t even begin to tell the story of these balls of heaven.  if the tater tot, and cheese, and bacon weren’t enough the jalapeno took these to another level. just look at this thing.  it’s

the highlifelounge is a fun and funky place to have a drink, and their food is certainly well-above average.

it's kitchy and serviceable. yeah, service can be so-so, but it's a bar. frankly, the highlifelounge fits its name. it lives across the tracks from the hipster scene downtown -- a divey, retro-70s bar where they don't serve beers newer than 1979. no one can fault a bar that serves broasted chicken, the pressure-cooked, juicy, chicken wonder.

the chicken-corn-chowder is darn good --- bacon-y, thick, creamy, and full of chicken and corn. i should have ordered my own bowl, but i had to enviously watch my spouse crush saltine after saltine into each spoonful of its rich, smokey goodness.

but really, you're here for the plain-jane old cheeseburger basket, which is a bargain at $3.75. trade up from your soft, lukewarm, industrial-tasting dirty-water wonder of a mcdonalds hamburger.

the highlifelounge serves up what a mcdonald's burger should be: a crisp griddled-bun, griddled meat patty, barely sauteed onion, pickles, and cheese. why eat limp, thin, non-descript fries? get tater tots. there isn't any surprise to tater tots, but they are sure are good after you pour ranch and salt all over them.

highlifelounge will leave you full and cheerful as long as you love greasy spoons and you're willing to contemplate the fact that the waitress may sometimes forget about you and leave you beerless! no! but for cheap eats, this is a keeper.

omg really?. am i really the first person to *gasp* say they aren't a fan of the highlifelounge? i feel dirty!

ok, so, if i were going to be a food snob (which apparently i am because i have taste buds) this would not be on my list of places to go to eat. is it a fun place to go to hang with friends when food (taste, presentation etc) is not the primary concern... sure.

nuff said.

my favorite bar outside of cincy. i love this place. cool old school beer signs and nice atmosphere. best dive bar in des moines. they even have highlifeon tap not to many places can make that claim and for you high class folks they have guiness and new castle on tap. the wings looked good too and if you are daring they have pickled eggs to try.