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Interior - Aura Restaurant & Lounge, Clive, IA

Aura Restaurant & Lounge

4.6
4.6
219 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Great for happy hour
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighborhood gem
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
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Jared Walterberry
  • 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

  • December Delicato Family Wine Dinner

    $130.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Dec 19, 2024 only
    6:00 PM
    We heard you like Christmas movies. Every dish for this dinner will be inspired by some of our favorite Christmas movies. Think Nakatomi Plaza Seafood Tower or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Shrimp. Each dish paired with some of Cephus' favorite wines from the Delicato Family Wines.
    December Delicato Family Wine Dinner Photo

Offers

  • Happy Hour Everyday!

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

    Happy Hour Everyday! Photo

What 219 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

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Iowa

    Good for groups

  • Iowa

    Neighborhood gem

  • Iowa

    Great for fine wines

  • Iowa

    Lively

  • Iowa

    American

  • Des Moines

    Good for groups

  • Des Moines

    Neighborhood gem

  • Des Moines

    Great for fine wines

  • Des Moines

    Good for special occasions

  • Des Moines

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Aura Restaurant & Lounge offers an exceptional dining experience with "excellent service and food." Guests rave about the "attentive and welcoming staff" and the "fantastic happy hour specials." The ambiance is "classy and clean," perfect for any occasion. With diverse menu options and beautiful presentation, Aura is a must-visit.

219 Reviews
  1. 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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  2. 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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  3. 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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  4. Dave

    Des Moines

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 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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  5. Elizabeth

    Des Moines

    5 reviews

    vip
    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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  6. Todd

    Indiana

    6 reviews

    vip
    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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  7. Fred

    Minneapolis

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had a fun time at happy hour at Aura. Good drinks and small plates. Loved the roasted Brussels sprouts.

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  8. Brett

    Des Moines

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great, the happy hour offerings were fun and a great value too. The atmosphere is great and the staff was super.

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  9. Dave

    Des Moines

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on November 10, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was truly wonderful as always! Amazing, relaxing ambience, great service and food very good with reasonable price point. Highly recommend! Keep up the great work, we will be back to see you soon!

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  10. Hal

    Kansas City

    100 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    100 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Our overall experience was good. Food was good, but nothing was really outstanding. We were later on a Saturday evening and were almost the only ones in the restaurant.
    Aura Restaurant & LoungeResponded on November 9, 2024
    Good morning, I'm Cephus, one of the owners. I was there that evening. I'm sorry that we didn't live to your expectations or my own. I addressed the crispy onion issue with our chef. That is really good feedback on that product. It allows us to get better. We are always happy to correct problems like an overcooked steak in the moment. It is just not our standard to have sent that out in the first place, for that i also apologize. I would love to invite you back in the hopes to really knock your socks off. I believe we are progressing in a very meaningful way and without your comments, it's harder to understand where to improve. Thank you so much for the review and I hope to see you sooner rather than later. Cheers, Cephus Wright II

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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 219 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Aura Restaurant & Lounge

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
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