Staff was super cool and friendly. Dog friendly, they offered to get my dog some water without me even asking. I got some peppermint ice cream that was delicious, all of their ice cream is handmade, but not in house. Also was only $1.60 for my single scoop. Very cool independent book selection. Vintage vibe.

Affordable, cozy lil cafe with vegan options. Whats not to love?!

Absolutely amazing. I love stopping at this cute little restaurant. Everything Ive ordered here has exceeded my expectations! Cant wait to go back!

Delicious, amazing prices great staff! This place is the best hole in the wall in the east villager and even open till 7!

Sandwiches were both really good. I had a Dantes inferno and wife had the vegan bacon sandwich.

Great atmosphere, food, and coffee! Love the book themed menu!

Good coffee, good Italian cream sodas, and AMAZING vegan sandwiches.

I love this place so much. I selfishly don’t want it getting too famous. The drinks, the food, the atmosphere, and the staff are all so wonderful.

Staff was super cool and friendly. Dog friendly, they offered to get my dog some water without me even asking. I got some peppermint ice cream that was delicious, all of their ice cream is handmade, but not in house. Very cool independent book selection. Vintage vibe.

Super great, out of the box breakfast sammies!! Very fair prices.

Cute, quaint little place. Ice cream was delish!

I am so happy I found this special place mainly because it has an amazing selection of books. When the library doesnt have the book you want, and other bookstores dont quite have the vibe you like, I felt very lucky to happen upon this place and find REALLY nice books on revolution and history. Yes I drank a cappuccino made with oat milk, an option I love for it is vegan and it was delicious.

Good service. Coffee is excellent.Food is. Excellent.

I was in Iowa for the 1st time about 2 weeks ago. I was looking for some coffee,because i didnt want the coffee at my hotel. I googled coffee shops near me. I went to the 1st one and it was closed and i am very glad that it was. I went into Plain Talk and the service was amazing!The coffee was absolutely delicious. I ordered a Hot Vanilla Latte with Oat milk.Yum!I must say that this is hands down the BEST coffee that i had so far.Would definitely go here again.The building is also very beautiful!

I haven’t been back to DM since the coronavirus started. Other than my amazing mom and eyebrow-raising sister, what I miss most is Plain Talk. I love this place in a million ways.Last time I was there was March, and I was told there would be construction issues in April-May. Well, good to know. I just love these guys and look forward to my next visit and my next . . . Well I can’t remember the name of the damn sandwich, but I will, and watch out when I do!!!Love ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Ive had food from here on two occasions both times I did not enjoy there bread. Both times caused upset stomach afterwards. I would not recommend

Its a nice little hole in the wall that I hope will grow in the future. Come in, order a coffee, grab a book, and have a read. The atmosphere is great. I just wish there were more space available so it doesnt feel like youre taking up the whole place when you do.

Very cute shop! The staff was very friendly and they had a cool selection of books. I got some books on legal theory and worker’s advocacy!

Coffee and books just go hand in hand together. There is a very diverse selection of books, the service is awesome, the menu is mouth watering, and there is all kinds of art everywhere.Coffee, books, art, and tantalizing menu, in a really cool building. How can you go wrong?A great way to get a glimpse of local art, and maybe pick up an interesting book, and enjoy a coffee.

This place always looks busy and has queues. However, the staff work hard and tables turn over quite quickly so you dont have to wait long. The atmosphere is great and there are a good range of coffees. The hot chocolate is served at a perfect drinking temperature and it was excellent. The cakes all looked amazing so it was..

Didnt get any of the atmosphere or service people are talking about in these reviews

Meh!

Groovy little spot for sandwiches, coffee, tea and a bit of light reading. Super friendly down to earth staff. You can even exchange your old book titles for new ones or coffee. I even bought eggs there once. Go check it out!

Devin makes the best sandwiches/paninis and coffee drinks. Plus, their used book selection is great!

Nice staff. Good coffee. Great sandwich es. Bread is homemade.

This is a wonderful hidden gem! Good coffee, good food and great people who work there!

Awesome sandwich selection.

Small, quaint, cozy book and coffee shop. Wonderful service, great conversation. I walked in hoping to at least have a decent cup of coffee and walked out with a new favorite place! Ill definitely be back!

The prices on the books arent accurate, so itll be a surprise once you get to the cashier (not always a good surprise). Some of the books have the price written on the inside, some have tabbed-notes inserted, some both contradicting each other and some have no prices at all. It takes too long to ring up the books. Too much emphasis on the food and coffee (supposedly theyre going to have ice cream next summer, too) makes the book shopping aspect less enjoyable. The upstairs area isnt properly marked, so you dont know what belongs to the bookstore and which to the Optimae company it shares the building with. However, you have to go upstairs since the employees on the main floor are too damn boisterous to enjoy browsing the bookshelves. I waited 6 years to try this place out; I had made attempts to go here in the past but the East Village is such an abysmally plastic part of town its hard to enjoy the remaining indie shops. This wasnt worth the wait; overall the place is trying to be too many things without doing much very well. I was already regretting buying my stack of books and supporting this business before I had signed the credit card receipt, but I didnt have the nerve to leave midway through the transaction. I want to support an independent bookstore, but this place isnt worth the hassle. Its less a bookstore and more a smug joke.

I adore this little coffee shop/second-hand bookstore in Des Moines East Village! Everyone is friendly and helpful, and it has such a fun, eclectic ambiance! The sandwiches are delicious too!

This is THE hangout spot. It has a great selection for food and drinks, and also features a great vibe. Its an awesome place to hangout with friends!

The employees are friendly. The food was good. They took the time to make sure my order was correct.Great and peaceful place to hang.

What a cozy little place!

Fantastic coffee! I even bought a bag of beans to take home. The staff were also very friendly and cool.

Great coffee! Friendly staff! My new favorite coffee joint in Des Moines!

This is a must visit place in Des Moines. Sandwiches are amazing. Its a very small shop and service might be a little slow, expect that and you wont be disappointed.

Super good food! Creamy delicious cappuccino! Great service!

Friendliest staff, unique drinks, welcoming environment, and is a perfect place to debrief and relax.

Gorgeous atmosphere, tasting food and drink, great books

Chill, quiet place to drink coffee or tea surrounded by books!!

Good coffee and food priced right, and its an optimea life services non profit teaching workers life skills, check it out!

I work here so I can assure the quality of the food 👍

Some of the best sandwiches Ive ever had in my life.

Good coffee. Interesting book store. Local vinyl records. Delicious food.

Cute store. I dont drink coffee, but I picked up a couple of books for a reasonable price.

Wonderful place, coffee and sandwiches. Happy staff, cool art on display. Puts on and music and poetry events.

Nice quaint used and new book store, had great coffee and deli sandwiches. Relaxed.

This place was so cool I went with my mom and the workers were kind and I love the concept of how the hire people

Quaint bookstore with free WiFi. Great coffee and the Wilbur grilled cheese is divine. Staff was pleasant.

Affordable fresh and a great place all around!!!! Service is great and the atmosphere is perfect.

Great staff. Great music, food, and books.

Great place to eat and relax. The workers are awesome, especially Alex!

It smelled funny but the employees were nice and food is good and my boyfriend liked the books and stuff although i cant say much as it was my first time there

Love it where my fiance use to work great awesome food and drinks try it

Very friendly staffs. I love this place very relaxing.

Always great food, and super friendly! They are doing a great thing for our community!

A wonderful place for coffee! The staff are always friendly!

A really nice cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich made fresh by friendly folks is a great way to start the day.

Great local sourced food and friendly staff!

Great atmosphere, good food, good coffee, very kind employees.

Wonderful book selection, delightful service, and delicious food!

The whole establishment is so cozy and the staff are AMAZING.

Excellent service, coffee and book selection by an outstanding company doing an awesome service for the community

Awesome place, sandwiches are as great as the service!

Fun bookstore, with great coffee. Selection of books could be broader

Wonderful food and great hot chocolate

Poor service. Terrible selection on coffee. Not even any decaf. Look elsewhere for your caffiene fixes.

Husband works here awesome food and drinks

Great place for good coffee and books

Good coffee and great sandwiches.

Coffee and sandwich was not good

Good coffee, good sandwiches

Really friendly staff

Good coffee

Only one employee, Anton knows what is going on.

Loved it

Coffee is spot on

Plain