Merle Hay Mall

Category:	Shopping Mall
Address:	3800 Merle Hay Rd, Des Moines, IA 50310, USA
Phone:	+1 515-276-8551
Site:	merlehaymall.com
Rating:	3.9
Working:	10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 12–5:30PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 16

Mr. Parker

Testament to days gone by. I remember when this mall was crazy in the 90s. Today, in areas, it is a ghost town. The cornerstones of this mall are (mostly) failing retail giants that will probably be gone in a few years. MC Sports is closing now, so they will have another large vacancy. Target will always keep people close, I guess. That being said, there are several gems in Merle Hay Mall. Vietnam Cafe is a super legit restaurant in the mall food court (!?). Loads of independent stores that should receive more foot traffic. Flix Brewhouse is an awesome addition. Bottom line: Dont come for the headliner stores, but look around for some really cool, small joints you wont find anywhere else.

Alison Evans

The play area for kids is ok. It seems to be a free unsupervised daycare for parents shopping and the mall doesnt seem to bother enforcing any of the posted rules in there. The movie theater is fabulous and definitely the best thing this mall has going for it! The bowling alley is also nice. Kids Foot Locker is the only store in this mall that would give me a reason to shop there, as it is the only one in town. The mall just feels deserted and empty. The food court is not a food court at all, but it is a sad and lonely place to eat. I would never go to this mall unless it is to see a movie or to get shoes for my kids. I would much rather go to Valley West or Jordan Creek.

Art Snyder

Has a very good mix of stores. The four major anchor stores are Younkers Department Store, Sears, Kohls and Target. The remaining retailers are a mix of national names and a few local retailers. There is a Kids Zone that will entertain the under 8 group. The food court is primarily locally oriented with a very god variety from burgers to BBQ and authentic Greek Giros and Baklava. For adult entertainment, the Flix Brew House is a very good choice offering first run movies and a full service restaurant/lounge all in one location. You can dine while enjoying the latest hit movie.

Josh E.

As the oldest regional shopping center in Iowa, Merle Hay has seen its ups and downs over the years. When I was a kid this was a great mall, as a teenager it started to lose some of its luster. However, in the last couple of years it has really improved, and I enjoy coming here. I would have to say that it is probably the second best mall in Des Moines and you can find good deals here. Theres a good chance youll spot me in Flix, GameStop, Target, or the food court. Several of my friends have worked here over the years as well.

MzThunder Perry

Went to eat with my sister, kids & nephew for a late lunch date. We decided to eat at Jimmy gyro got 3 burgers & fries spent about 20 bucks there. We had them cook the first 2 burgers again cause they werent cook all the way. When we got a 3 again they were burnt on the outside & pink in the middle. They were nice about it at first but when we told them they was all still pink you can see the attitude coming. She asked if we wanted some of our money back and she decided to only give us 5 bucks back. Never again

Mike Hurt

There are 4 main malls in the Des Moines area (Merle Hay, Valley West, SouthRidge, and Jordan Creek). This is my second least favorite mall. It was renovated in the last 10 years, but still seems to have issues keeping stores operational in it. Theres not a lot to come here for that you cant find nearby elsewhere. The food court is fairly small. They do have a great movie place, Flix Brewhouse, but other than that I dont come here much. Not to mention the surrounding area has been in steady decline.

Ryan Kretschmer

Not the biggest mall, not tree best looking mall, and doesnt have a diverse shop selection. Youll probably find what youre looking for, with stores like Target, Kohls, Gamestop, Sears, and many others both big and small, but you just wont do it in a very nice place. The atmosphere of the place kind of sucks, and generally I find myself wishing I was somewhere else. If you have time go somewhere else, like Jordan Creek or Valley West.

Jennifer Coletta

This isnt the flashiest or highest-end of malls, but holy smokes do they have an awesome food court. It is almost entirely made up of local restaurants, and the quality is way better than what you usually end up eating at the mall. I will go to that mall JUST to eat lunch sometimes, and dont buy anything else! I also often bring small children I babysit to the indoor playground and thats really nice for a mall to have for free!

J. Mac Jordan

Despite losing stores due to Westward, & now Eastward, migration of retailers, this mall has held steadfast compared to South ridge Mall. Merle Hay has been around since I was a kid & I have fond memories of it; despite retailers leaving, it seems management is fairly agile. The theatre they installed is a perfect example - its completely unique; a micro-brew movie theatre.

Sabrina Carper

Not a super cool mall, there are some decent attractions. Bowling alley is a neat idea, flux brewhouse is cool. If youre going for shopping though I wouldnt recommend it. There arent many stores, and those that are there arent very popular. There are some interesting obscure shops though, like the Warhammer figurine store. That was definitely interesting!

Marty Henderson

This mall has put serious effort is being relevant again, including a great movie theater, replacing some stores that were not very interesting, attraction things like the only Warhammer store in the area, and Target as an anchor. The nearby locations, such as a clinic and a few restaurants make this mall actually relevant again.

Phyllis Johnson

Visited this mall again after a couple of years. They have a large Carrefour inside which is convenient. Its not a high end mall compared to other malls in the area like Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, etc but its enough to keep you busy. Lots of international brands there. M&S, Debenhams, H&M, etc. Lots of eateries too such.

Aaron mc dermott

Kohls customer service catered to a woman that came in yelling saying ideas just at valley West and they called here for me to pick up the jeans here. I was in line to pay on my charge card. After the woman was helped they came up to me and said a Clark could help me at a checkout on the mall side of the store, go figure.

Ricky Miller

Stus bbq was the best restaurant in the FOOD COURT in Merle Hay Mall. My wife and I drive 30 minutes to get Stus bbq 3 times a week because the food is wonderful. I had almost every item on the menu and everything was wonderful. I would recommend to everyone who likes great food and customer satisfaction.

Ethan Anderson

This mall has steadily fallen from grace. It is located in Urbandale, one of the wealthiest cities in the country according to Forbes magazine. So why does this mall fail to bring in big name stores? Why is this mall seemingly desolate and mediocre? Might as well go to Jordan Creek.

Lilly LossnerStonehocker

Good variety of major chain department stores. Lots of small specality stores, still filling empty stores. I like the recent facelift. Good outside access to favorite stores. Bowling alley, movie theater, ARL. Musical ride on carasoul now at Blank Park Zoo, dsm.