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Growing up and getting older, the one thing that kids tend to look forward to is turning 21. At 21-years-old, drinking is legal everywhere. This then becomes the prime age to set out to find all the trendy places with friends. In Des Moines, there are two tiki bars, Bellhop Tiki Bar and Revival House. Revival House opened in December of 2021. [It’s owned by Blue Sushi Saki Grill in downtown Des Moines.] The owners have opened up 19 different Blue Sushi Grills throughout the country, but Revival House is the first tiki bar that they have opened. Both Revival House, as well as Blue Sushi, sit right on the corner of Court Ave. 

As soon as I walked into Revival House I was greeted by a bartender and handed menus and told to sit anywhere I wanted. The atmosphere of the tiki bar gave off very relaxing and soothing vibes. While having a conversation with the bartender, he told me that he sees people of all ages come into the bar, ranging from 21-year-olds up to couples in their 60’s or 70’s.   

Inside the lighting is very dim and has a pink hue. There are tropical plants and flowers everywhere and vintage-style pictures covering the 80s theme wallpaper. The atmosphere was cozy and provided a sense of relaxation.  

Another unique part about the menu is that on the bottom there is a small section that has a smiley face and then an asterisk symbol. If there is an asterisk by the drink it means that the drink contains nut allergens. If there is a smiley face it means it is strong and that it should be sipped and savored. The Zombie had two smiley faces which meant that it was the strongest on the menu. Each drink has a summary of what is in each drink and a fun saying of how to enjoy the drink. For example, in the Revival Punch, it says “escape to Jamaica with the rum, spice and everything nice in this house favorite.” The drink Zombie had a saying, “lethally boozy, but don’t worry, you’ll be back.”   

There are a total of 12 specialty drinks on the menu as well as a fishbowl drink at the bottom of the menu which is for groups of three to four people to share. The specialty drinks range from $8-$12 and the fishbowl option is $36. There are also booze-free options that have alcoholic names. The three booze-free options are the Blue Hawaiian, the Cyclone and Double Tea Old Fashioned. Since Revival House has the same owners as Blue Sushi, they are able to offer a few appetizer options. They offer crab rangoons, chicken lettuce wraps, edamame and ceviche. Conveniently, it is connected to Blue Sushi so customers are able to bounce between the two restaurants if they want.   

Myself and three of my friends went to Revival House to try out different drinks. I had the Peach Fuzzy, my friends, Jenna Wagemaster and Camden Blowers had the Saturn and my roommate Miranda Greathouse tried the Cardinal Direction.   

The Peach Fuzzy had vodka, peach puree, cranberry, lime and sparkling sake. I love peaches, so I had high hopes for it. It checked off all my boxes. It was very light and sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet. It was the perfect amount and I couldn’t even taste the alcohol. In the Saturn, it was served in a fancier glass and it was known for winning the 1967 IBA World Cocktail Competition.  

 Wagemester, a senior at Grand View University described the Saturn as “smooth, tart and tastes like a smoothie.” She enjoyed how the passion puree didn’t make the drink too sweet but added just enough tartness to where the alcohol taste wasn’t overwhelming.  

 Greathouse had the Cardinal Direction, which had a smiley face by its name. With three different alcohols in it, we assumed it would be very strong. To our surprise, it was not terribly strong.   

“The drink was pleasing to look at and it had a very refreshing coconut flavor,” Greathouse said, “The coconut flavor was evenly spread throughout the whole drink.”   

The last drink we tried was the Holy Diver. This was a fishbowl that could be shared between four people. When the bartender brought it out, there was a shot of rum on the top of it and he lit it on fire and then sprinkled cinnamon on it and it caused a super cool reaction to happen. ‘Overall it was a little heavy on the cinnamon. I would next time ask for no cinnamon or a little cinnamon to get the flame effect,” said Blowers. The looks were a 10/10 but unfortunately, the drink was way too strong and hard for all of us to finish.   

“I would not say it is worth $36 but it was a great conversation piece with my friends and something to share with them,” Blowers said.  

Overall, we were all impressed with the drinks as well as the atmosphere of the tiki bar itself. I would recommend this to anyone and think that this is a perfect place for college students and their friends to go to.