Good bar food - plenty of TVs but still able to hold a conversation. I would come here again.
(4)
Cuñarro R.
Cheap and grease food with average prices. We order the chicken tenders... too much breading and really hard. No taste. Margarita... regular/bad. Service regular/bad I will go to this place just for beer and tvs.
(1)
Genevieve W.
First time I went to Thunderhead it was with a friend who was in the mood for a Moscow mule. Which is very good here!!! They come in many assorted flavors. They have a dozen plus flavors of vodka to add. Second time, came here for lunch after class, same great service! Friendly! Love the feel of the place with the wood slab bar and wood beams. Chicken sandwich was very good! Super juicy and tender! Fries were also thick cut, perfectly seasoned and wonderful. Overall will be back, a great local hangout.
(5)
Bill L.
When I first heard there was a new sports bar eatery place in Ankeny I was not expecting much. However, after reading multiple reviews about it on Yelp my interest was sparked and decided to see for myself what they had to offer. There is plently of parking in the lot shared by multiple businesses in the plaza. We went for a lunch so the crowd was small. We seated ourselves, not sure if this is a lunch thing or if it is always seat yourself. We were greeted by our server after looking over our menu for a few minutes which were already on the tables. We decided to try their wings, 20 pieces, half BBQ and half Thunderhead (which is like a spicy sauce). We also opted for the Thunderjack 16" thin crust pizza! Our server recommended the thin crust so that's what we did. The wings were very good! Extremely juicy, tender, and big! They taste almost as if someone just cooked it on an outdoor grill, very fresh. The pizza? Oh man it was HUGE! One slice will satisfy your hunger if you are appetizers, two will get you fulfilled. The pizza was incredible with the big amount of cheese and tasty crust! The place itself has MANY TVs for your sport viewing needs! Our server was very friendly and attentive. I would return and try their other items as they sound amazing as well!
(5)
Donald Y.
If you have visited the Chicken Coop in West Des Moines or Urbandale, you've basically been here too. Thunderhead Sports Bar is owned by the same people that brought you those two Chicken Coops and also several in Nebraska. The menu is exactly the same (a couple of items have different names) and that's not a bad thing. I think Chicken Coop has some of the best wings in Des Moines and these were the exact same, meaty and flavorful. I also recommend the buffalo chips to munch on. They are potato slices fried and then covered in a cayenne rub. On my last particular visit I had the buffalo chicken sandwich and I subbed out the sauce they list on the menu for the hottest one they have. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich and she said the meat was juicy. We also shared the cheese balls and they were much better than expected. Sometimes bar cheese balls are kind of generic but these were good enough for me to mention. As for the beer. This place is called Thunderhead so of course they are going to push their beers over the others. Thunderhead is brewed in Kearney, NE, (not on site) and this place lays claim to be the only bar in Iowa to have their beers on tap (you can find them in cans at some grocery stores). They have about 15 taps, at the time I was there seven of them were occupied with T'Head beers. They had their standard four lineup on tap plus three others that were seasonal/specialty brews. Then they had your standard macro-crap taps and a few others with Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Angry Orchard, etc. I did spy that they had a beer from New American Brewing Company on tap which is a very new and upcoming brewery in Ankeny so it was nice to see them share tap room with an upstart brewery. Otherwise they had a cooler with another 30 some beers. As for the beers I had, their Leatherhead Red and Cropduster IPA were just OK. Nothing to write home about but not awful by any means. I also had a seasonal peach wheat which was refreshing and hit the spot. Definitely the best of the three I had that night. As for the ambiance, the place is really just a big room with a lot of TVs on the wall. The bar in back is made of cedar wood and it kind of stands out from other bars I have sat at. A good place to come by on gameday. The service was so so. I chalk it up to being new still. There were several times when the bartenders had down moments yet they still didn't see us waiting to take or orders or offer refills or new pours.
(4)
Ron L.
Typical sports bar. Lots of televisions, we came on a busy night and was seated in the corner. I had their IPA and a grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken was well done and the bun was very dry, I will get something different next time. The Thunderhead IPA was a typical Midwest IPA, average hoppyness and malty. I thought the overall price is on the higher end for sports bars but not expensive. Will go back if in the neighborhood but nothing to go out of my way for.
(3)
Gary W.
Great setup ! Lots of tvs. Awesome wings. Get them extra crispy. Great beer selection too. We will be back
(5)
Leo M.
Came here for the first time on May 11. We figured we would let them work through any potential startup problems which ALL restaurants seem to go through. Our group of 4 arrived and sat ourselves in a nice booth. Lots of T-V's and lots of choices for watching different sports. The menus are located in the booth which I always like including a very limited beer menu (Thunder Head Brews only). When the waitress arrived shortly thereafter - I asked her for the full beer menu - but she advised that they don't have one. Really? And yes - I will admit I am a beer snob. I don't drink beer just to drink beer. It has to be the style I like AND it has to be good. I don't need the extra calories unless I enjoy the calories. At that point I asked her to bring me a sample of their Thunder Head IPA - I didn't like it. I asked her what else they had for IPA's and she told me "pretty much everything" and then she went on to tell me about 6 different beers (non of which were IPA's) So after she took our order I went up and perused the beers on tap and also the selection of bottles and cans. I got another sample from the bar tender and it was also a no go. He also didn't really seem to care and didn't ask what my "tastes were". It wasn't busy enough that he couldn't have taken some time to help me either. It really wasn't that easy to see what they had in the glass front cooler - so I just gave up on having a beer. Hey - ThunderHead - is it that tough to print a complete beer menu? You'll sell more beer (just maybe not your own brand). The food: I ordered 10 wings - traditional with Honey BBQ. Wings were on the small side. 1/2 of them were over cooked and dry and 1/2 were "O:K". One person ordered a chicken Quesadilla (liked it) and the other 2 ordered the LeatherRed pizza. The pizza was shared. I guess the best way to describe the pizza is that it was "O:K" for a bar pizza from maybe 10 years ago. What I mean by that - is that when you were younger you would just get a bar pizza because you were just plain hungry from a night on the town while you continued to drink. This is not a Pizza that you would say - "Hey - let's go to ThunderHead for one of their Pizza's. Sorry - I just didn't think it was good. It is a nice place - the service was fine. But - the food and the lack of focus on the beer experience won't have me coming back.
(2)
Shane S.
Great spot to watch games and grab drinks and food. The bartender (Matthew) is always attentive and makes a great cocktail. Highly recommended.
(5)
Kandy F.
Disappointed is the food. I had the salmon which was very dry and even tuff. I had vegetables for a side which were unseasoned frozen mixed vegetables and not fresh. My boyfriend's food wasn't any better and left disappointed that the food wasn't fresh or cooked well.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No
Tina B.
Good bar food - plenty of TVs but still able to hold a conversation. I would come here again.
(4)Cuñarro R.
Cheap and grease food with average prices. We order the chicken tenders... too much breading and really hard. No taste. Margarita... regular/bad. Service regular/bad I will go to this place just for beer and tvs.
(1)Genevieve W.
First time I went to Thunderhead it was with a friend who was in the mood for a Moscow mule. Which is very good here!!! They come in many assorted flavors. They have a dozen plus flavors of vodka to add. Second time, came here for lunch after class, same great service! Friendly! Love the feel of the place with the wood slab bar and wood beams. Chicken sandwich was very good! Super juicy and tender! Fries were also thick cut, perfectly seasoned and wonderful. Overall will be back, a great local hangout.
(5)Bill L.
When I first heard there was a new sports bar eatery place in Ankeny I was not expecting much. However, after reading multiple reviews about it on Yelp my interest was sparked and decided to see for myself what they had to offer. There is plently of parking in the lot shared by multiple businesses in the plaza. We went for a lunch so the crowd was small. We seated ourselves, not sure if this is a lunch thing or if it is always seat yourself. We were greeted by our server after looking over our menu for a few minutes which were already on the tables. We decided to try their wings, 20 pieces, half BBQ and half Thunderhead (which is like a spicy sauce). We also opted for the Thunderjack 16" thin crust pizza! Our server recommended the thin crust so that's what we did. The wings were very good! Extremely juicy, tender, and big! They taste almost as if someone just cooked it on an outdoor grill, very fresh. The pizza? Oh man it was HUGE! One slice will satisfy your hunger if you are appetizers, two will get you fulfilled. The pizza was incredible with the big amount of cheese and tasty crust! The place itself has MANY TVs for your sport viewing needs! Our server was very friendly and attentive. I would return and try their other items as they sound amazing as well!
(5)Donald Y.
If you have visited the Chicken Coop in West Des Moines or Urbandale, you've basically been here too. Thunderhead Sports Bar is owned by the same people that brought you those two Chicken Coops and also several in Nebraska. The menu is exactly the same (a couple of items have different names) and that's not a bad thing. I think Chicken Coop has some of the best wings in Des Moines and these were the exact same, meaty and flavorful. I also recommend the buffalo chips to munch on. They are potato slices fried and then covered in a cayenne rub. On my last particular visit I had the buffalo chicken sandwich and I subbed out the sauce they list on the menu for the hottest one they have. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich and she said the meat was juicy. We also shared the cheese balls and they were much better than expected. Sometimes bar cheese balls are kind of generic but these were good enough for me to mention. As for the beer. This place is called Thunderhead so of course they are going to push their beers over the others. Thunderhead is brewed in Kearney, NE, (not on site) and this place lays claim to be the only bar in Iowa to have their beers on tap (you can find them in cans at some grocery stores). They have about 15 taps, at the time I was there seven of them were occupied with T'Head beers. They had their standard four lineup on tap plus three others that were seasonal/specialty brews. Then they had your standard macro-crap taps and a few others with Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Angry Orchard, etc. I did spy that they had a beer from New American Brewing Company on tap which is a very new and upcoming brewery in Ankeny so it was nice to see them share tap room with an upstart brewery. Otherwise they had a cooler with another 30 some beers. As for the beers I had, their Leatherhead Red and Cropduster IPA were just OK. Nothing to write home about but not awful by any means. I also had a seasonal peach wheat which was refreshing and hit the spot. Definitely the best of the three I had that night. As for the ambiance, the place is really just a big room with a lot of TVs on the wall. The bar in back is made of cedar wood and it kind of stands out from other bars I have sat at. A good place to come by on gameday. The service was so so. I chalk it up to being new still. There were several times when the bartenders had down moments yet they still didn't see us waiting to take or orders or offer refills or new pours.
(4)Ron L.
Typical sports bar. Lots of televisions, we came on a busy night and was seated in the corner. I had their IPA and a grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken was well done and the bun was very dry, I will get something different next time. The Thunderhead IPA was a typical Midwest IPA, average hoppyness and malty. I thought the overall price is on the higher end for sports bars but not expensive. Will go back if in the neighborhood but nothing to go out of my way for.
(3)Gary W.
Great setup ! Lots of tvs. Awesome wings. Get them extra crispy. Great beer selection too. We will be back
(5)Leo M.
Came here for the first time on May 11. We figured we would let them work through any potential startup problems which ALL restaurants seem to go through. Our group of 4 arrived and sat ourselves in a nice booth. Lots of T-V's and lots of choices for watching different sports. The menus are located in the booth which I always like including a very limited beer menu (Thunder Head Brews only). When the waitress arrived shortly thereafter - I asked her for the full beer menu - but she advised that they don't have one. Really? And yes - I will admit I am a beer snob. I don't drink beer just to drink beer. It has to be the style I like AND it has to be good. I don't need the extra calories unless I enjoy the calories. At that point I asked her to bring me a sample of their Thunder Head IPA - I didn't like it. I asked her what else they had for IPA's and she told me "pretty much everything" and then she went on to tell me about 6 different beers (non of which were IPA's) So after she took our order I went up and perused the beers on tap and also the selection of bottles and cans. I got another sample from the bar tender and it was also a no go. He also didn't really seem to care and didn't ask what my "tastes were". It wasn't busy enough that he couldn't have taken some time to help me either. It really wasn't that easy to see what they had in the glass front cooler - so I just gave up on having a beer. Hey - ThunderHead - is it that tough to print a complete beer menu? You'll sell more beer (just maybe not your own brand). The food: I ordered 10 wings - traditional with Honey BBQ. Wings were on the small side. 1/2 of them were over cooked and dry and 1/2 were "O:K". One person ordered a chicken Quesadilla (liked it) and the other 2 ordered the LeatherRed pizza. The pizza was shared. I guess the best way to describe the pizza is that it was "O:K" for a bar pizza from maybe 10 years ago. What I mean by that - is that when you were younger you would just get a bar pizza because you were just plain hungry from a night on the town while you continued to drink. This is not a Pizza that you would say - "Hey - let's go to ThunderHead for one of their Pizza's. Sorry - I just didn't think it was good. It is a nice place - the service was fine. But - the food and the lack of focus on the beer experience won't have me coming back.
(2)Shane S.
Great spot to watch games and grab drinks and food. The bartender (Matthew) is always attentive and makes a great cocktail. Highly recommended.
(5)Kandy F.
Disappointed is the food. I had the salmon which was very dry and even tuff. I had vegetables for a side which were unseasoned frozen mixed vegetables and not fresh. My boyfriend's food wasn't any better and left disappointed that the food wasn't fresh or cooked well.
(2)