RoCA - American restaurant in Des Moines - 208 Court Ave, USA

Dinner at the bar . Greeted immediately with water and our bartenders name. Ordered a smoking gun and pig and fig Manhattan. Both drinks were fabulous. Cheese fondue was delicious. Not heavy . Great variety of dipping food including meat, fruit. Bread and vegetables. Seared tuna fabulous! Beautiful! Craveable! Root beer glazed pork sliders ( made with cabco root beer) simply served but packed with flavor and texture! So good! Even the bun was fabulous! Ordered Gotham sour and Glenwood honey bee . Both drink’s unique, flavorful and thoughtfully served. Worth every penny! Can’t wait to go back!

This place was a nice surprise after a long day of meetings and travel. The food and beverage was top notch. The servers were knowledgeable and attentive. It is well worth stopping in for nice, sharable plates or a full meal.

My favorite restaurant, went for my anniversary date 1/11/24. Same place we went on our first date. Unfortunately we experienced unprecedentedly poor service from a great restaurant. Mind you, this was an exceptionally slow night. The server took our drink order, brought drinks and our app. Afterward, the server disappeared and someone else ran our food. The runner disappeared before clearing any app plates or asking if we needed anything- fair enough it wasn’t her table. I suspect the food may have died in the window because my beef tenderloin and potatoes were cold. My partners meal was great though. I wasn’t going to complain about the food, however I did want a refill on my drink. Unfortunately the only drink I got was gone before my meal arrived and I was left with only the foul tasting water on the table. (typically the water is fine.) I was unable to ask for a drink refill or a new water because the server apparently had some friends come in. She caught up with her friends directly next to our table, while we ate our entire meal for 10-20 minutes. She hadn’t checked on the app, our drinks, or our meal. I didn’t want to be rude and interrupt her during her tangent but also, I am a 20%+ tipper with a bill well over $100 already. Seems they were fine with taking, rather than earning a tip- I was never that type of server. Most people’s money is hard earned and the restaurant experience is so important. As I took my last bite she walked up and asked if I wanted a refill and then rhetorically mummers how it was probably too late. I said “no thank you” and it was clear they understood they made a mistake, but they didn’t know the gravity of it. Things were so friendly and happy until we were thrown aside. She still received 15% because I won’t stiff someone period, but if there was ever a time I should have… I wanted 2-3 drinks and dessert and left with only one drink and a sour feeling, usually I leave feeling like royalty. This is my favorite restaurant, Chef Aaron has a menu unlike any I’ve had in this area. It is a real shame some of the wait staff doesn’t have the care he does. Hopefully when we gain the courage to return, Ricky is our server. He has always knocked it out of the park.

Not an inexpensive restaurant by any means but I do have to say the quality of the food was very good. Our group ordered mostly appetizers to pass around. The apps were between 15-20.00 each. My only negative would be the serving portions were very small on the appetizers considering the price. For example one appetizers was stuffed peppers, the peppers were very small almost the size of a grape tomato and there were only 7-8 small peppers. They had a large drink selection and the drinks were great.

Great bartenders. Been a long time since I was offered egg whites in my whiskey sour. Food was very well done and well cooked. Fast service. I recommend calling for a table in advance. We sat at the bar but had a great time watching the bar staff do their thing

Friday night dinner reservation for 2 and we were greeted right away by the host and seated right on time. Our waitress Shay was exceptional. We consulted on the menu items we were thinking of and asked her to stagger bringing the items to our table so we could enjoy them one at a time. Seared Tuna was phenomenal. Sauces and wontons complemented the tuna and each bite was so good! The cheese fondue is incredible. Cheese sauce was perfect and everything on the plate was delicious (highly recommend). Steak DeBurgo toast was recommended by someone standing on the sidewalk. It was good, lots of potatoes & sauce. Would have enjoyed with a bit more steak. Still a good dish. Bartenders are top notch. The drinks of the day on the chalkboard were fabulous & expertly made! Make the reservation, this restaurant is a MUST!

A little on the pricier side but is a great place for date night or to celebrate. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious, food and drinks included. Definitely recommend if you want to have a fun but more chill night on Court

Life moves fast, this place is a perfect lil spot to celebrate a birthday in a crunch or grab a quick fancy bite. Delicious, curated beauty is what you’re eating. The drinks taste like they come from a magic garden and the atmosphere is dark and low lit. Always preferred. Thanks to our waiter Brandon for delivering the goods. 🔥