Mars Coffee Bar

I really like that this location is connected to the new and improved Raygun location. They also share the shop with Thelma’s Treats!
I stopped into Raygun and then found myself in Mars without really a second thought.
I wanted to stay warm, which at the time was needed. Was greeted by a very friendly waitress who promptly made my hot chocolate which was also very pretty design in the whip cream.
I think the convienience of this location is great and a perfect neighbor to Raygun.

Pros:
1. Sells and brews Kickapoo coffee which is a Midwest coffee roaster that knows their stuff!
2. Good variety of drinks including the classics and also some unique drinks such as Italian soda and a drink that an employee made up.
3. Cool little coffee bar attached to Raygun and a cookie shop right next door. Very clean modern interior.
4. I personally enjoyed the iced coffee I ordered (it was actually cold brew coffee). Strong, but not too overpowering.
Cons:
1. If you want to sit there and drink your coffee, this place is not for you. But great to grab a drink to hit up the local shops in the area.

Found this little gem while in town. I wanted to find a good place with Poitier coffee and luckily it was near my hotel. It’s a bit hard to find from the street due to there small signage outside so keep and eye out.
The staff was super nice and the coffee was excellent!

This place is a fun place to stop in and check out some good sios. Definitely won my business.

Great coffee and espresso. Very unique and worth trying! Better than most coffee shops in the Des Moines area and the staff was just as great.

I’m driving across country, and rarely give Unilocal reviews (last one was more than a couple years ago I’m sure), but I really appreciated this café. Here’s why. Backstory: I’m taking an online class full time during my road trip so I needed a place to sit comfortable and use the wifi and get breakfast and lunch while I took my class.
#1: they have steel cut oatmeal, which is a great, nourishing healthy breakfast that is surprisingly hard to find on the road.
#2: They don’t get crazy crowded like a lot of cafes, and is spacious with lots of places to choose from and settle in. And outlets!
#3: the music isn’t crazy loud and distracting if you’re trying to work.
#4: I had a 15 minute break for lunch, and the staff was super helpful and accommodating — I paid before the class started, and they brought it to me in time for the break.
#5: if you didn’t get it from #4, the entire staff is super genuine, nice, and helpful — I would know, I’ve been here all day!
#6: the food is wildly affordable for its quality. As in $ 3 for oatmeal, $ 4 for a breakfast quesadilla with spinach, egg, cheese, and sour cream and pico which I had for lunch. It was all delicious and well made. You can tell that some care goes into making the food.
#7: they open super early for us early risers — 6:30am
So thank you Mars for giving me the perfect place to hang out and take my class. You made it super easy.

Baristas and coffee are both top notch! Super friendly and knowledgable, and in the perfect location too! We will definitely be coming back.

Love Mars coffee. The atmosphere is awesome and they are next to Thelma’s cookies which make it better. Their coffee is even in the coffee ice cream sandwich.
They have a nice selection of coffee with fast and friendly baristas!
They have a great seating area looking out to downtown.
Love to support local businesses.

A great coffee shop in the East Village. This is a smaller coffee shop that shares a large room with Thelma’s Treats and connects to the Raygun store. There are a few seats against the window but that’s it. It’s not like a traditional coffee shop with loads of seating where you can read, study, or just talk with friends. It’s more like a coffee bar.
Despite its size, this is a great coffee shop. So far, I have just had the regular brewed coffee, which has been great. Their coffee is organic too! They are also reasonably priced. A large cup of coffee is about $ 2. They also have some treats, but they mainly focus on coffee.
I love their location too: in the heart of the East Village. The couple of times I went was for a cup of organic Joe to-​go, and it was great. I would definitely recommend!

The coffee bar is exactly what the name implies — drinks (and baked goods). Of course it isn’t the same as the full Mars Café, but it doesn’t have to be.
I have yet to be disappointed by any of their drinks (of the hot, iced, or Italian soda variety) and everyone who works there has always been very nice to me.
If you just need something on the go, this is the place to stop in the East Village — no space travel required.

Just a heads up that the map location of Mars is incorrect. It’s actually inside the Raygun store on the SE corner of 5^th and Grand. Excellent coffee.

When one of your favorite Coffee shop decides to have a little brother! This is the little brother you always wanted. Fantastic Coffee Bar, with excellent lattes, Iced Coffee, and yep they got Hot Chocolate for the kids!
Hooked to the new Raygun location and they got sweet neighbors as in SWEETS! Yes the always smell of cookies being baked by Thelma’s Treats in the shared location are a constant.
They carry some pasties and well, but the focus here is quality coffee, served by some of the finest and knowledgeable barista’s in town!
They use Kickapoo brew and it’s delicious too!
Small space to sit too! Another nice edition to an already awesome East Village!

BEAUTIFUL coffee bar. Wood beams, chalk board menu, sleek finishes. San Fran, PDX, Seattle, DSM. New location in East Village sharing a space with Raygun’s new moderne building and sharing a side room with Thelma’s Ice Cream Sandwiches. The flow is awkward as there’s just a narrow space between the two, where do you start or order? Two single origin roasts on tap and as pour over. I had the Peru and having had coffee all over Des Moines and living in Portland, I think Mars has the best coffee in the city. Yep. TIP: The East Village is a sleeping village on the weekend mornings so easy to find parking. Better yet ride a bike or walk.