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Interior - Aura Restaurant & Lounge, Clive, IA

Aura Restaurant & Lounge

4.6
4.6
236 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a reservation

2 people
10:00 PM
Booked 5 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for happy hour
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

  • February Wine Dinner

    $100.00 per person

    Feb 20, 2025 only
    Join us for another monthly wine dinner! This month is filled with some house favorites and delicious pairings.
    February 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 236 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
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Iowa

    Innovative

  • Iowa

    Neighborhood gem

  • Iowa

    Great for fine wines

  • Iowa

    Lively

  • Des Moines

    Best Service

  • 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 impresses with its "fantastic" food and service, consistently providing a "delightful" dining experience. Guests praise the "creative, succulent" menu offerings, cozy atmosphere, and attentive staff. The restaurant is noted for its personalized touches, like special birthday menus, making it an ideal spot for both casual meals and special occasions.

236 Reviews
  1. Jennifer

    VIP

    Des Moines

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Perfect for date night , great evening with my husband

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  2. Nancy

    Des Moines

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The meal was fantastic! Grace was our server & was delightful!!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Kaitlyn

    Des Moines

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food! Everything was extremely good, the lighting, service, drinks all the way down to the last sip. First time coming and will definitely be back again. Only thing I wish that would change was their sides. You can only order sides for the table, not your own. Makes it a bit more pricey, but atleast it was good. I had their Jumbo Shrimp Diablo pasta for the main course, it was divine. But small portion! Hence me stating I wish the sides had an individual option. We ordered their mushrooms for the side and they were so buttery, full of garlic and each one bursted with so much flavor. There was a ton of them! Overall, recommend this place! 10/10. We also ordered their elote dip, which came with homemade tortilla chips. It was cheesy, and delish. Their croquettes were our other tapas (appetizer) & those were so good!! Just some food recommendations!!

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  4. Jane

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was terrible. I literally went somewhere else to eat after. Breading for the chicken piccatta was weird, bland and had an overcooked souffle texture. Lamb ragu was mediocre. Wendge salad was very good. The three very mini beef wellingtons were not even close to a beef wellington and certainly not worth the price. Host introduced himself by saying, "Let me get you someone more competent to help you." We then observed him walking around chatting up the staff. Not sure what this guys job is? We were told when we sat down that we could not stay for more than an hour and a half, which we wouldn't anyway, so no problem, but then it took them 15 minutes to take our order. You don't give people a time limit and then provide slow service. Server was nice. Atmosphere good. Just really bad taking food especially for the money you're paying for it.

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  5. JeffB

    Des Moines

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 9, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Fish had dried out crust much like freezer burn. What were were called truffle fries would guarantee weren't prepared in truffle oil.

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  6. Crystal

    New York City

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 9, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Such a hidden gem. Fantastic, flavorful, and consistent food, good drinks, good service and a beautiful, sleek interior hiding behind a very unassuming exterior. Great place for a cocktail or two, apps and drinks, or a full meal. It's also lovely that, even when busy and there's a lot of energy in the space, you can still hear your companions' conversations without shouting.

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  7. Marla

    Des Moines

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    So, both owners managed to stop by our table during the evening to make sure the food and service were on par. Everything was great, and I had no doubt that anything that was NOT addressed would have been done immediately. These 2 gentlemen clearly want to see their venture succeed and are involved in every aspect of this restaurant from the beverages to the food and service. We will definitely be back.

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  8. Susan

    Des Moines

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, excellent service, nice ambiance and the best espresso martini in DM area! Makes for a very enjoyable evening!

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  9. Richard

    Atlanta

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food and service. Owner came to table to thank us for coming in. Definitely recommend!!

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  10. Ann

    Las Vegas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    First time to dine at Aura and we will definitely be back. Food and service was fantastic.

    Is this helpful?

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 236 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
10:00 PM
Booked 5 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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