It was a little noisy. More than I expected but had a good time. Coffee and pastry were very good.

Amazingly tasty coffee, quirky and fun environment, very minimal on the food menu. Love the local art work and the plants.

Favorite coffee shop in town! Great coffee from Wonderstate!

Large space cafe with great food and espresso options. My cortado was perfect!

This is the second time we have graced you business, and it is probably the last. Ordered 2peach tea. The tea was so weak, you had to work at it to taste any peach. It was colored water. The guy that made the tea, said he followed the recipe, and THAT WAS peach tea. I am not a tea drinker so much. But I know peach. Then he insinuated we had covid, because according to him loss of taste is a symptom of covid. That was not necessary to insult first our tea, and say we needed to go get tested. No, now that I think about it, we will not come back, and word of mouth gets around.

We had higher expectations for an “artisan” coffee shop. The service was one of the worst we’ve ever had. We waited in line for 20 mins to order. They were out of several things their menu said they had. There is no cream or sugar out for customers to use themselves. My drip coffee sat on the counter waiting for cream to be poured in while the female barista chatted with some friends. They had to ask how many breakfast sandwiches we ordered when we paid for two. The Americano my husband got was thin and pretty tasteless. They were out of something and when they asked if a substitute was okay, they got the type of breakfast sandwich wrong and we had to correct them. And to top it all off, the egg patties on our breakfast sandwiches were cold in the middle. It wasn’t even that busy, and running a coffee shop is not a new business concept. It’s really not this hard. We were very disappointed and will not be coming back.

Everytime I go in for iced coffee they’re beyond welcoming and inviting and now coming in regularly💕

Mars has a great, chill vibe and amazing coffee. It is easier to find a table here than other busier, overpopulated coffee spots in the city!

We got iced mocha and a Sputnik. Both were really good. Looking forward to going back to try something else and enjoy the chill atmosphere.

Good coffee, nice casual atmosphere; something that you’d expect within walking distance of a university. Not pretentious or anything. They always make our pour overs well and have friendly baristas.

Its a great coffee shop and Ive been going for the past 6 years. 6 months ago I would have given 5 stars.That being said the reason for the 2 stars is over the past 6 months, the consistency of the coffee quality has been terrible. A solid 6 out of 10 times the coffee is sub par, not just not great, like bad. Milk is burnt, half my latte is foam, its full syrup on my last sips.Im guessing this is due to the high turn over rate of the baristas and perhaps newer baristas working independently without any guidance of more experienced baristas.I used to love this place and the coffee and Im bummed.

Nice place to chill and grab a coffee. Try the Sputnik!

Great atmosphere. Coffee is great and the smoothies are delicious.

Great coffee spot. Good social distancing. Great place to meet friends.

Mars is a great coffee shop. Love the V60 and Chemex pour-over brews. Well trained baristas make for a good cuppa Joe every time.

Surely among the most tasteful and accommodating atmospheres ever developed for a coffee shop. It seems there is nothing negative I could possibly say about Mars; the staff are kind, the furniture is comfortable, the coffee is delicious and, to top it all off, they have a Nintendo 64 FREE TO PLAY for all customers with a selection of the systems greatest titles, such as Mariokart64, Banjo-Kazooie, Super Smash Bros. And so many more!!!!!!!

For the past 3 years this has been my go to place for coffee, small informal meetings, and friend get togethers. Once you walk in you can see why so many people are drawn to this eclectic and unique coffee shop and cafe. Every drink is made with care and the staff has always gone above and beyond. Also, the local art that is for sale on the wall is a great touch! So this place is a must go in the Drake area!

Great place. Good macchiato and pastries. Appreciated lots of places to charge my devices since they were both low. Staff was very helpful and polite. Thanks again

I love the atmosphere here and the employees and owner have been good to me. Most of the time. I am grateful for there is little tolerance in the world and less kindness.

My personal favorite coffee in Des Moines. They host a pretty great variety of events as well, including board game nights. The food menus pretty slim but theyve got a few vegan food options, which I always appreciate. Try the hummus platter and the cold brew coffee.

Great coffee shop! I love the local artwork, atmosphere, staff is always friendly, coffee is consistently great. Overall my favorite coffee stop in town

I come here almost every week. Delicious coffee options, good food... I love the breakfast quesadilla! The punch card is super nice too! Getting that free coffee is sure nice. The baristas are all wonderful as well, and having a space for artists to display and sell their work gives you something new to look at and appreciate every month.

The coffee and food are both excellent. Lots of great places to sit. Staff is very upbeat and fun to interact with. Generally good for studying or conversation, but the music was very loud. Thats pretty much my only complaint.

Nice seating, beautiful art

Nice breakfast options. Sometimes seating is full. Music is a bit too loud and muddy sounding. Coffee is good, but Zanzibars is better, IMO.EDIT: today, good food and service, as usual. And now theyve turned the music down, nearly perfect in here now.

This is the best cafe in Nottingham. The aroma as you enter the coffee shop and the quality of the coffee and whole leaf tea is fantastic! They also have great muffins and cakes to go with the hot drinks- would highly recommend!

My band director took me here on a school trip. I was forced to listen to his life story and the only thing that enhanced my experience was the delicious coffee and the relaxed atmosphere. Overall 5/5 stars.

Good coffee and great pastries. Popular with Drake students and regular people. Generally easy to find a table.

One of the top coffee shops in Des Moines! They serve great coffee from Kickapoo Roasters in Wisconsin and other roasters from around the country! One of the highlights to the Drake Neighborhood!

Great coffee, this place has style! Solid service, very friendly and happy baristas.Lots of good products for sale too, and I like their wide selection of beverages (incl. wine, beer, draft lattes).

Visiting from out of town, this was one of the many coffee shops we stopped at. Loved the atmosphere and friendly staff. What stands out in my memory though is the Spitnik, deliciousness!

Terrible. Do not order their breakfast sandwiches. It was basically a chalky hard-boiled egg mashed between two pieces of bread. Coffee was just ok and had an iridescent film on top, probably from the mugs not being cleaned properly. Dirty tables. My wife had to clean it with a wet wipe that was pretty nasty when done. It also didnt help that we saw a guy rubbing one out in a corner booth. Not the shops fault, but added to the overall dirty vibe.

The staff was really nice and the atmosphere inviting. Prices were reasonable and the food decent.

I was here a week ago, have coffee and sandwiches I liked that the restaurant was clean and the staff are friendly, they have WI-FI.I would like to add the customers are friendly and it makes my experience so much more .I like to thank the manager, who makes everyone welcome. Also hes a Google Fan and makes sure your visit was enjoyable, ANY PROBLEMS WILL BE CORRECTED, he will make it Right. BELIEVE ME. I WOULD ORDER COFFEE and a muffin,they have soups and sandwiches and Pastries, So please come in anytime, youre welcome to come, Free WiFi, Beer, Clean Restrooms.

Rover sandwich was very good. Grilled whole grain bread, very good pesto, spinach and egg.

Ive always loved mars, and I am very pleased with how the new ownership/management has maintained its patrons expectations for great coffee, great service, and a great atmosphere. Looking for a good local coffee spot in Des Moines? This is your place.

I think Im slowly becoming addicted to coffee because of this place. They have an excellent of everything ranging from baristas, coffee, and music. I think they are one of the finest coffee shops in Iowa.

Nice staff and great coffee with a very nice atmosphere!

I went for first time today and was so disappointed!!Fruity espresso flavor that was awful. My coffee was cold and they blamed it on me ( I didnt pick it up on time) and second round just as cold. My number 1 big issue is the barista was a completely rude, indifferent girl with attitude.

Went in for a coffee date, ended up running out the back door while the employee assaulted another man with a hammer. 0/10 would not recommend. Also the pour over tasted burnt.

Nice place with good decor and plenty of seating. A college area coffee shop. Some of the best espresso drinks in Des Moines.

If Im in search of coffee in Des Moines, youll always find me at Mars Cafe. The atmosphere, the staff, and (most importantly) the coffee are always superb. Definitely try the signature Sputnik!

The coffee is excellent and is at least on part with a 3rd wave average. nice decor, clean facility, and good service.

All the stuff you want out of a cafe:Wifi, good coffee (in my opinion, the best in DSM), clean, artistic, music not too loud, and friendly staff. If I ever move away from DSM, Ill be visiting Mars on any trips back.Only improvement would be if they sold me some Mars Blend whole beans... (pretty please?)

Coffee was great BUT they had a single employee working during brunch hours on a Sunday. FAIL. Took 20 minutes to get my coffee. DOUBLE FAIL. Plus, I had to spend all that wait time listening to hipsters talk pseudo-intelligently about things they knew nothing about. Nothing worse than skinnyjean/ironic tshirt wearing hipsters with dumb headgear in coffee shops spreading their nonsense around. Try being original.

Great spot for chilling. Coffee is fantastic and food is pretty good too, food is a little pricey but made with quality

This place has a great comfy vibe to it, selection of 4 different green teas, fruit parfait is yummy, they didnt give me enough cream cheese for my bagel would be my only complaint. Excellent!

Great Coffee

Really good cafe! Would recommend to everyone.

Wonderful cappuccinos. Great place to hang out.

Nice folks and great cup of coffee. Always a delight.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff, amazing coffee from ethical roasters, and plenty of seating options.

We stopped by for a quick bite to eat after deciding that the wait for Drake Diner was just too long on a Sunday afternoon. We ordered a few different sandwiches, and two of us got drinks (a mocha and an iced chai latte). The decor is nice and the staff were friendly enough. No issues there at all. The space seems like a nice place to hang out, and we saw a lot of people camped out on their laptops taking advantage of the chill vibes.The food and my latte were definitely lacking, though our friend said their mocha was really great.Breakfast Quesadilla - When you order a breakfast anything that has eggs on it, you usually expect one of two things. Scrambled eggs, or fried eggs. Their breakfast fare uses hard-boiled eggs, which was really unexpected and a little jarring. Since its such a departure from the norm, I wish it would have been mentioned somewhere on the menu. However, the tortilla was crispy, and the salsa its served with had good flavor.The Spaceman (breakfast sandwich)- Again, served with hard-boiled eggs. Which wasnt unpleasant, just not what I was expecting or wanting from a breakfast sandwich. The bread was nice and crunchy and the bacon seemed of good quality. The whole sandwich overall was a little on the dry side and definitely needed something creamy to bring it all together (like mayo or avocado). I wouldnt order this again.My iced chai latte wasnt very good either, though it was not the worst that I have had. Next time, I would try one of their coffee-based drinks instead.One of the biggest issues we had was the discrepancy in our food coming out. My husbands quesadilla came out, and I was told my sandwich was coming out in a second. I waited at least another 10 minutes for my sandwich, which was awkward considering everyone else had their food and were almost done eating by the time mine came. One of our lunch guests even asked, You did order food, right? When it did eventually come, there was no sorry about the wait or anything, which goes a long way with me.Overall, I was not impressed with our first visit here, and would probably not be back (at least for food). I would definitely come by to try some of their coffee-based drinks, and to enjoy the laid back atmosphere.

One of my favorite coffee placed in Des Moines. The location on University has great food options and unforgettable performances on the weekends. Check out their calendar and facebook page for event listings. Down the street from Drake University so dont be surprised to see college students during the school year.

Great drinks, love Kickapoo roasters from Viroqua Wisconsin. Painfully hipster, but hey, Ill take painfully hipster with great coffee.

I went there once and their Wifi wasnt working so I had to leave and find another cafe. The staff were nice and tried to help me though.

Good food, high prices. They offer tasty, classy breakfast options.

Good coffee drinks and you can order beers or wine as well.

Very comfortable atmosphere and the sandwiches are great

Need a break on your long road trip? Nice relaxing spot to stop in for great coffee!

A great place to grab a drink or just hang out, go now!

Pretty good coffee, would want to try more options that they feature

Good coffee. Pleasant atmosphere. Friendly employees.

I believe Mars offers the best beans in the Des Moines area. I also find the baristas to be very friendly and easy to talk to!

We stopped by here on our way through town. This is the best cappuccino Ive had in a long long time!

Used to be my favorite coffee shop but had a bad experience today after ordering a 4 dollar cold brew and getting an iced coffee. When I asked them if they were certain about the pour they only explained how cold brew is made (which I know how its made I make it too) instead of actually looking at the extremely light color of the coffee. I persisted and asked if they were certain..but they assured me it was cold brew. So either their cold brew sux or they dont know that cold brew should be darker than an amber tan color. That will be my last visit and it would be a favor to call managenemnt and tell them about this mistake.

Furniture is to, but cozy local feel coffee shop to hang out at.

Stopped at Mars Cafe on our road trip- what a great Cafe. The staff is very friendly, and the beverages, food, and atmosphere were excellent.

Great coffee, good wifi, locally owned, and solid background music choices.

Great coffee. Loved my salad.

The Mars Blend with Kickapoo is awesome, best blend of straight up regular coffee in Des Moines.

This coffee shop is out of this world. Not only does it have great coffee, but it has tasty sandwiches and lots of treats including ice cream sandwiches. Mmm. If that wasn’t enough they’ve got beer .Everything is space themed from the drinks to the wifi password. Service was friendly and they were apologetic they were out of so many items the day after Thanksgiving. The atmosphere (pardon the pun) is very collegial with large tables and booths and excellent wifi.On my way through town I intended to simply stop for a snack and a cup of coffee, but it was so relaxing I stayed a while longer. Totally recommend.

Waited 22 minutes for 2 Americanos. Barista was slow and didnt announce drinks, so people took the wrong drinks and they had to be remade. The Americanos were absolutely terrible-- wrong ratio of espresso to water. Will never come back.

Excellent location and spot for meetings, coffee, and great staff.

Decent coffee. Great place to study.

Umm yeah. Always care about the customer. Innovative and great product. Keep it coming.

Awesome coffee shop in the Drake area. Probably my favorite coffee shop in Does Moines.

Good music, cool atmosphere and great coffee. Baristas are kind and professional.

Only had coffee here and it was sub-par both times. The barista was too busy talking to friends instead of making a quality cup of coffee - unacceptable for a $5 mocha! You know its bad when youve got to hit Kum & Go for another cup...

Friendly staffs and good atmosphere !!!

Great coffee and breakfast quesadilla!

Great breakfast sandwiches... And coffee!

Theres a really arrogant preppy kid working behind the counter, they have the best coffe in town. will not return for a while.

I liked the music and annoying the students who went there to study

Great coffee and friendly staff. Lots of plugs

The atmosphere is lovely.

Slow, it is a coffee shop. Nothing phenomenal to say.

Great service, even better coffee!

Hands down the best coffee shop in Des Moines.

The best hot chocolate.

Great food and atmosphere!!

Sputnik latte worth the wait!

Coffee was bitter like they never clean their machines. Has happened multiple times

Very good coffee and good atmosphere.

Spinach Quesadilla was awesome

Not my type of coffee shop. They charge you to refill your coffee! Ridiculous!

Enjoyed lovely moments there

Great coffee, cool spot.

Great hot chocolate!

V60 pour over, Chemex, Intelligentsia, lots of varietals... Need I say more?