Pretty Room, Grocery Store Wines at Hotel Prices
Downtown / East Village edge · Des Moines · Modern American Tavern with British/European Influence · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The room is genuinely good — warm lighting, buzzy bar energy, the kind of hotel tavern that actually earns the word 'tavern.' Then the wine list arrives and you realize the kitchen got all the attention. What's on the page reads like a greatest hits album from a grocery store endcap.
California dominates, with a few Pacific Northwest and French bottles rounding things out — but the depth just isn't there. The anchor names are Decoy, Meiomi, Cakebread, and Orin Swift: all recognizable, none of them exciting, and every single one priced like they're doing you a favor by pouring them. There's no adventure here — no small producers, no regional curiosity, nothing that suggests whoever built this list had a point of view beyond 'people have heard of these.' If you're hoping for a French Rhône or an Oregon Pinot that isn't Meiomi, keep hoping.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass sounds like a decent spread until you realize it's mostly the same familiar faces — Kim Crawford, La Marca, probably a Cab that rhymes with 'Decoy.' Glass prices in the $8–$14 range feel fair in isolation, but given what these bottles cost at Target, you're still paying a significant premium for the privilege of a stemmed glass and a nice ceiling.
Orin Swift '8 Years in the Desert' Red Blend — $130
This is the least-bad option on a list full of painful markups. At 150% over retail it's still steep, but it's the only bottle here that actually tastes like it belongs at a restaurant with $30 entrees. Big, bold, and crowd-pleasing — if you're committed to ordering wine, at least get something with some personality.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay
Nobody orders Cakebread because it feels safe and expensive — and at $120 here, it is expensive. But if you're splitting a bottle at a table of four and someone insists on Chardonnay, this is the most technically sound white on the list. It's not a hidden gem in any exciting sense, but it punches above its competition in this particular lineup.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
A 237% markup on a $16 retail bottle is where the math becomes insulting. Kim Crawford is a fine Tuesday-night grocery store wine. At $54 a bottle, you're paying for the ambiance of a hotel bar to drink something your neighbor has in their fridge right now. Hard pass.
Orin Swift '8 Years in the Desert' Red Blend + Rotisserie Chicken
The Orin Swift is rich, fruit-forward, and has enough body to stand up to the savory char on a properly done rotisserie bird. It's not a conventional pairing, but on a list this limited, it's the most interesting match available — and the contrast between the wine's dark fruit and the chicken's crispy skin actually works.
❌ The Bottom Line
Mulberry Street Tavern is a legitimately fun place to eat and drink — just don't make wine the reason you go. The markups are aggressive, the list is safe to the point of being forgettable, and Des Moines deserves better from a room this nice.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.