Aura Restaurant & Lounge

4.6

224 Reviews

$31 to $50

American

Make a reservation

2 people

Jan 21, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

Experiences are available.

Great for happy hour
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

Lively & flavorful tapas along with vibrant cocktails offer a unique shared experience that challenges the traditional. At Aura, it's good vibes only! Our invigorating environment is the perfect place to gather friends & family.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Contemporary American, Wine Bar
Hours of operation
Lunch Mon–Sat 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 3:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(515) 225-6005
Website
http://auradsm.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Jared Walterberry

Location
12851 University Ave 400, Clive, IA 50325-8254
Neighborhood
Urbandale
Cross street
60th and University Ave.
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

Galentine's Brunch
Feb 15, 2025 only
Ladies! This is your time to leave the guys at home and spend some time celebrating your favorite gals! Come and drink bottomless mimosas and snack on an expanded lunch menu with a few brunch favs with your friends! We will be open an hour earlier to let the party start as soon as you walk in. “Galentine's Day is only the best day of the year” -Leslie Knope

Offers

Happy Hour Everyday!
Multiple dates available
Mon - Sat - 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Discounted food and drinks every day 3pm-5:30pm.

What 224 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.7Service
4.7Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Iowa
Innovative
Iowa
Good for groups
Iowa
Neighborhood gem
Iowa
Great for fine wines
Iowa
Good for special occasions
Iowa
Lively
Des Moines
Best Ambiance
Des Moines
Innovative
Des Moines
Good for groups
Des Moines
Neighborhood gem
Des Moines
Great for fine wines
Des Moines
Romantic
Des Moines
Good for special occasions
Des Moines
Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Aura Restaurant & Lounge offers a warm ambiance with attentive service and flavorful dishes. Guests rave about the "great staff," "wonderful wine service," and "amazing, relaxing ambience." The diverse menu includes delightful tapas and shareable options. Aura consistently impresses with its "outstanding" quality and "beautiful presentation," making it a top choice for special occasions and casual dining alike.

224 Reviews

J
Jessica
Des Moines
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on January 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our party really enjoyed aura! None of us had gone before and decided to try it for the first time for someone’s birthday. They had a printed happy birthday menu with the persons name on it. Great food overall and friendly staff. The service was slow however she was very kind and let us know she had a very large party she was attending to as well. Would definitely come back and recommend to others!
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L
Laurie
Des Moines
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 10, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was a quiet Saturday when I went to have a nice ‘catch up’ lunch with a girlfriend. We ordered the salmon citrus salad and she had a fig luncheon pizza. They arrived quickly and were beautifully plated, which is what one might expect for dinner, so it’s especially nice to see for lunch! Great service from our server, Nick and beautiful, cozy booth with fabulous lighting. This place is immaculate and has creative, succulent offerings for lunch. More people need to check this place out!
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K
Kyle
Indiana
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 28, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great staff, food was chic and very modern interior. Will return!
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M
Mitch
Des Moines
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on December 20, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Awesome wine dinner. Meal was delicuous and wine was superb and well paired. Very fine staff and service!
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K
Kathy
Minneapolis
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on December 3, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The service was excellent. They were out of ingredients to prepare certain meals, mac/cheese, wedge salad and another meal. The chicken picatta crust was burnt, chicken was a little tough, way too many green beans. Butternut squash soup was lacking a creamy base. Shouldn't have to pay for a salad separately, then when you do want to order they are out of the ingredients to prepare it. Party of five and none of us had ever been there, probably won't return.
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A
Allison
Phoenix
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Had an amazing meal at Aura! The food and drinks were excellent, the portions were big and satisfying, and the staff was wonderful!
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M
MaryAnn
Des Moines
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on November 27, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
10/10. We had a good sized group, with special requests and several separate checks which sometimes cause issues but everything was wonderful! We had both meals and shared plates, all delicious. Very good cocktails and mocktails. Beautiful atmosphere and very nice staff! Definitely will be back!
Aura Restaurant & LoungeResponded on November 30, 2024
Thank you so much! We are always proud t received glowing reviews like this. See you again soon!
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D
Dave
VIP
Des Moines
17 reviews
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on November 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was outstanding as always. Service and food very good as always, have yet to have poor service or food. Highly recommend, keep up the great work Aura!
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E
Elizabeth
Des Moines
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Our first visit since under new ownership. Seems to have upheld the quality of before. Lots of GF options and clearly marked on the primary menu was nice.
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T
Todd
VIP
Indiana
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on November 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First time, great food, wine, and service. Great to get many tapas items and share. Relaxed atmosphere and will definitely go back!
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FAQs

Aura Restaurant & Lounge offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (515) 225-6005.

Aura Restaurant & Lounge is rated 4.6 stars by 224 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jan 21, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

12851 University Ave 400, Clive, IA 50325-8254

Additional information

Cross street
60th and University Ave.
Neighborhood
Urbandale
Hours of operation
Lunch Mon–Sat 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 3:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Contemporary American, Wine Bar
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Jared Walterberry
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://auradsm.com/
Phone number
(515) 225-6005

Aura Restaurant & Lounge

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Experiences

Galentine's Brunch

Offers

Happy Hour Everyday!

Menu

What 224 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Aura Restaurant & Lounge offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Aura Restaurant & Lounge restaurant rated?

Is Aura Restaurant & Lounge currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information