Double Inn Lounge

This bar is like Christmas.  Its like when your grandma wraps a present for you in that really ugly wrapping paper and you just get a bad impression about the gift inside.  On the outside, this bar screams "s#@thole" but on the inside it is actually pretty nice for what it is.  We weren't too stoked on this area of town...its not ghetto, but its definitely not a rich people's neighborhood, and the flood didn't help.  Nonetheless, we have long since stopped caring about the location of the bar...we just didn't expect much.  Upon entering we see a pretty big place, with a TON of dartboards and silver strike bowling games.  On top of the usual silver strike games there was also additional TV screens which allowed the spectators to see the games being played easier.  It almost felt like you could do real bowling games here head to head, but we didn't try as there was already a pretty good crowd of people playing.  We ran into someone else we knew there and they said they had come just for the silver strike, so I guess thats a pretty big draw.  With that said, the bartender was pretty terrible.  I don't know if he was the owner, or just an old man who really didn't care about getting drinks for us, but we had planned on ordering food, and after waiting 20 minutes for him to return, we decided against it.  (P.S. we sat at the bar, and he was frequently 5 feet from us, but refused to make any kind of eye contact with us.)  After our beer sat empty for a good 5 minutes, he came and asked for a second round.  We obliged, but weren't too keen on staying around much longer.  Overall, I would actually return to this bar, because it really seemed like it fit our style alright.  I can't hold one bartender's bad service against the whole bar, even if it was the owner (maybe)

Deanoz

The first thing I noticed upon entering Deanoz is that looks can sometimes be deceiving. Outside, the building looks tiny, yet inside it is wide open, lots of space and tables, and generally a nice vibe inside. It was very much a sports bar feel, with large TVs everywhere you looked. There was lots of arcade games and a pool table and I can see how it would be a very enjoyable place to spend your free time. The food was also delicious. There was nothing overly special about Deanoz, it just had a really good atmosphere and I would defiantly go back again and again. Eric said he used to go here when it was Third on First, and he liked it then as well. We were both pleasantly surprised how tasty the food was for a pretty fair price. P.S. Either the bar was too high, or the chair was too short, but the bar didn't seem the right height to me. (Eric says it was me that was too short. Whatever. Either way I had to sit on the stool with my feet under me.)

Daniel Arthurs

Daniel Arthurs is where we started off our halloween festivities with the smooth stylings of Seth Lee. We tried one of their pizzas - which was probably the best "fancy" pizza ever. (If there is one word to describe Jen Walser, it is fancy. So, it was fitting.) It is hard to judge the service on halloween (although the staff was all looking pretty snazzy as the Dukes of Hazard.) There was a fair amount of chaos on Halloween in the small downstairs area of the fine dining restaurant. (An old funeral home, by the way, and is believed to be haunted!)  Daisy Duke was spot on in refilling our drinks on time, and remembering what we were drinking despite there being twice as many people than the place should realistically hold.  This is definitely more restaurant than bar.  We might just pop back in here from time to time and check out the scene again.  Food is a little pricy, as it should be in a fine dining establishment, but drinks seemed just right. Daniel Arthurs is also home of the Acoustic Idol competitions, so if you are a sucker for some good ol' live acousitics, check this place out.

Dancer's Ranch

We can keep this one short.  Jen insisted we go here.  As a part of the bar tour, it does fit the criteria...serves alcohol, stays open until 2 AM (or later), and has a physical bar you can walk up to and sit at.  Now who am I to turn down a chance to go to the strip club?  I went with three lovely ladies, and had a whole beer before they wanted to bounce, and I didn't blame them.  I have been to my share of strip clubs before and this place is downright seedy.  Without commenting on the girls working at all, the place is just filled with dirty old men, and it just feels like a place you don't want to admit to having gone to.  Jen said the best part was the friendly conversation with the off duty strippers in the disgusting women's room. With that said, don't go here.  Moving on.

P.S.  Sorry this is out of order alphabetically.  We went to it and typed up this review but for some reason the post never got posted.

Cooter's

So far we have visited a handful of bars and it is interesting how we have gone from being a little nervous to be in weird situations at bars we are unfamiliar with, to being at Cooter's and rolling with everything. Pretty much everything about this bar should have yelled uncomfortable. Cooter's, despite its location right on 1st Avenue, is really in a poor spot, (right next to the old Happy Hour Health Spa.) It's also tiny (don't be fooled by the wall of mirrors that make it seem much larger than it is.) There is basically no parking in the front since it is on 1st Avenue. I guess there is some parking in the back. Almost immediately after we walked in and ordered beer, a drunk girl came over and asked if we were "from Linn County." I said yes, and she said, "you look like you are lost." (As a side note: If I was lost and didn't know my way around town, I would not have walked into Cooter's for directions.) Apparently, they don't get outsiders very often. Thats not a problem, because I just answered her question with a question: "Is there beer here?" ...to which she replied yes, and I proudly exclaimed that if there was beer, I was not lost. The bartender was nothing but friendly. He gave Emily a free birthday shot (it really was her birthday) and he let her add her name to the November birthday board. Then the guy sitting at the bar (who happened to be the entertainment for the evening) got up and played Emily a Happy Birthday song. Everyone sure did a great job of welcoming us in, even though they knew we were not regulars. Overall, I can honestly say I will never return to this bar, solely because I have no reason to. I don't know anyone that goes there, it's not by my house and it doesn't offer anything that any other neighborhood bar couldn't. It is not from lack of service, or lack of hospitality, but just generally because we don't fit in here. The bar tour is about meeting people and getting outside of our comfort zone, and I think we did really well here at this bar, because we both walked away with a positive experience, in what should have been nothing but uncomfortable.

Cooper's Mill

My favorite hotel amenity is a bar! Not kidding - it's the best thing a hotel could have if you are staying there. Other than the fact that this hotel has a bar, I wouldn't really say anything else about it is my favorite. Cooper's Mill is the lounge in the Best Western across the river from Quaker Oats. They've done a nice job of rebuilding after being flooded in '08 but it is not really a bar-hoppers destination. (Unless you happen to be participating in any of the F Ave. Bar Crawls - one coming up this December by the way...) We didn't feel like the bartender spoke very good English which could be the reason that she didn't do a very good job of getting us drinks. The bar stools were full, the tables were empty, but it still took about ten minutes to get a drink. The obnoxious men next to us were drinking very large bone-shaped beers that required a wooden stand to hold them upright. The men were standing at the bar rather than sitting, my guess is so they were tall enough to drink the massive beer. I was reminded a lot of the Longbranch Hotel, not only because the glasses said, "Longbranch," but the decor was similar as well. Longbranch is also a Best Western, and Eric and I both agreed they probably have the same owner. His theory was that after the flood they just stole some of the glasses from the Longbranch rather than spending the money to buy new ones. Cooper's Mill wasn't bad, but the only time that it's probably a place to go is if you are doing a bar crawl or staying at the Best Western. You have to go out into the hotel to use the bathroom which was weird. Oh! They make their cherry bombs out of Red Bull too! Who likes Red Bull? Seriously. The End.

Coopacabana

This is a bar with an identity crisis. Mr. Barry Manilow proudly proclaims the Copacabana "the hottest spot north of Havana."  This bar is apparently owned by the Cooper family, hence the clever play on the name.  Either way, you would assume with a name like that, that we would get a tropical themed bar.  I understand naming conventions don't dictate exactly what you find in a bar...I at the very least expected it to be full of enough Jimmy Buffett references to make any Parrothead feel at home.  This bar however, aside from a few stray neon palm trees and a Margaritaville street sign, has none of those things.  The bar looks like an old building that was never intended to hold a bar, and has never even been given the slightest thought of a remodel.  There are pictures of Elvis everywhere, along with a painting of what appeared to be Frank Sinatra?  Add to that an entire Hawkeye themed room, and a bunch of "Shamrock Alley" signs, and a giant "countdown to St. Patricks day" behind the bar, and we have a serious identity problem.  There are way too many dart boards here, and what appeared to be a dart tournament going on.  In addition, we clearly were the only people in the bar who were not regulars...and this was a Saturday night!  Thank god for cherry bombs or Jen and I would have felt so akward we would have dashed for the door without so much as a drop of beer in our bellies. Speaking of our bellies; we were under the impression they served food but didn't get that vibe that they actually did while we were there. On the way out we did notice microwaves and toaster ovens in a random wide open area that was very much NOT a kitchen. I'm not saying this bar doesn't have any reedeeming qualities...wait, I am saying that, nevermind. Oh - but the bartender did her best to be friendly on her first night working there; I suppose that is a plus. 

Cocktails

The infamous Cocktails! Not much to say about this place... you've probably been there already anyways. The place is always busy and so you will never feel out of place. The staff seem to treat everyone the same whether you are there every night or if its your first time. They always have good entertainment, too. They often have live music or a DJ, but the acoustics of the building aren't so great. With entertainment comes a cover charge, but don't fret it's usually between $3 and $5. (Trust me - you will put more money in the stupid punching machine game!) There is pool tables arcade games. Cocktails has food. That's a plus. Oh! and a couple years ago Brynna won the annual Halloween costume contest, and that's a big deal. She got a free keg party - it was sweet. Everyone seems to love this place but I'm not exactly sure why...it's pretty standard.

City Beat

What a cute little bar!  We actually found this bar hiding under the interstate one night while driving home from who knows where.  I was on the interstate and all of a sudden I saw some neon beer signs down below.  I did the responsible thing and took the next exit and circled back to figure out what it was.  That little drive is actually the last time Jen pitched the idea of the Phonebook Tour to me before I finally gave in.  Anyway, back to reality, on to the bar!  This place is just is stones throw from the downtown, in a really random place, but it is pretty nice inside. It obviously flooded in 2008 with the rest of downtown, so everything is pretty new inside.  We were there on a Monday night, so it wasn't that busy, but the bartender warmed up to us real nicely and was telling us about their live music on the weekends.  I could tell that they don't get a lot of stragglers during the week, mostly just locals, but I bet the place fills up a little more on the weekends.  Overall I would say this place is nice, but there isn't a huge draw to pull me in unless there was an entertaining playing that I wanted to see.  If I lived close I would probably pick this as my chill hangout spot.  They have food too, but since I forgot to write this entry until like a week or more from when we went there, I don't remember what they serve...sorry.

The Mission

We are a couple in our mid-twenties, who like to think of ourselves as adventurous. We have lived in the area for the better part of our twenty-some years, however, Iowa doesn't exactly feed our appetite for adventure; so we decided to get creative. We have friends; and we love our friends. They are really great friends, but often we find ourselves at the same old bars (Papa's - Love it!) with the same (amazingly awesome) folks, just drinking. Drinking is great, too. But as a twenty-something, you know becoming an adult and such, we have our new goals and new responsibilities and the drinking isn't really the reason for... the drinking. Does that make sense? Eric says no. I think you get it though...it's incredibly easy to fall into a trend where every Saturday you hang with the same peeps at the same place. It is no one's fault really, but it is a dilemma. So we decide to switch things up, but where to go? We don't know anywhere else--or anyone else for that matter! This is when I made the suggestion to "open the phone book to a bar and point to one." Eric blew it off... because he is the less adventurous of the two of us. With coaxing he realized it was a pretty cool idea which was only solidified after the first few bars on our list. Beaver Creek Saloon was a place we had never heard of and we didn't know what we should expect. The first lesson we learned about our Bar Tour is that we don't need expectations, because then we will just be let down when things don't pan out, or plans fall through...and that is what this whole thing is all about. For the next 6 months, or however long this takes us, we will never have to fight about where we are going tonight or who we are going out to meet. By the way!!! Everyone is welcome to join us! This isn't at all an attempt to avoid friends but rather to make friends, find some new scenery, have something to do that gives us purpose, and maybe a new hang out or two! Shout out to Chevy at Beaver Creek who helped us realize how awesome small, some-what unknown bars are! Ultimately, she inspired this blog. The blog is two-fold: on the one hand, we will be straight up reviewing bars, and giving a candid Jen and Eric take on the bars, the service, and the atmosphere. On the other hand, we will have blog entries dedicated to our adventure, and just generally what is on our mind throughout the whole thing. As with any project, our goals may change, and we may update as we go along and make things run smoother, but we are only at the letter B right now, so we have a ways to go.

Happy reading!
-Jen and Eric-
-Eric and Jen-

Chucks

Chuck's, once called Chuck and Dale's is a quaint bar and grill wayyyyy out Johnson Ave. It's just a little past Pet's Playhouse, which happens to be the furthest I've ever been on Johnson Ave, so I was completely unaware of this bar. Chuck's has a restaurant feel, with brighter lighting, booths, and tables filling the place. There is a bar that stretches the whole length of the establishment and has plenty of seating. The back of the bar is lined with TV's which was pretty awesome, and kind of overkill all at the same time. Seemed to be compensating for the lack of TV's in the rest of the place...which contributes to the less-bar-more-restaurant feeling. The bartender was very friendly. After overhearing my hiccups she offered a cure - shot of Lime juice. Surprisingly, it worked! Eric had a $2 Chili Dog that he was really excited about and I just got some chips and salsa and a side of nacho cheese sauce! My favorite! Eric used a majority of MY cheese sauce to contribute to his hot dog, and then complained that mine cost more than his did! Whatever. MEN. Not sure if we would go back or not. Seems more like the type of bar you go to because its close to home...not a destination bar. Nice place, nice people, but nothing special.

Chrome Horse

This is biker central. If you ride a hog or have any desire to ride one - this is where you hang out. Chrome Horse has high ceilings and lots of space. Jen and I visited this bar at different times, so we both have different opinions about it in our heads, and perhaps a repeat visit to freshen up our views might yield a better review from me, but I know the few times I have been there it has been packed with people playing pool and dancing awkwardly to the live music.  My memories of this place involve loud noises, pushy people, and waiting 30 minutes to get a beer. Things might have changed, and obviously if you go during the week it would be less crowded.  Jen's memory of the place was different.  She got a good vibe from the place, said the bartenders seemed friendly despite the place being busy. She said it is busy thanks to their awesome menu, which might have swayed my opinion--food is definitely the way to win my heart. They often have live music and she has seen different types of food and beverage bars... i.e. Bloody Mary bar, or Taco Bar. Not sure if that kind of thing is a norm, but it sure sounds pretty sweet! There is a nice seating area outside for "biker watching" in the summer time...too bad it is a little too cold this time of year or we might go for another visit together and get a fresh perspective on it.

1202 3rd Street Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA

Checkers

What a great little bar!  A little too far off the beaten path for a repeat visit from us, but that is definitely not because of anything other than location, location, location.  The bartender here was great.  The seats at the bar were packed full of regulars; but the bar wasn't busy by any means.  It was a Monday! The bartender immediately got us drinks, I don't think I had even taken my coat off before it was in front of me--and she was just as quick to strike up good conversation. For a bar that relies on many regulars, she wasn't afraid of "newbies." They have a menu, but its fairly small, and we didn't order anything other than beer. Checkers menu is your standard "small iowa bar" fare that we have run into frequently in our bar tour so far, which means broasted chicken and fried food.  One thing that I loved was that the beers come in small mason jars.  ("I like to drink my beer from a Mason Jaaarrrrrrrr. Ohhh oh! I love this Bar!" Thanks Toby Keith!) I am not sure why, but drinking out of a mason jar always makes me smile.  There is a lot of racing memorabilia here, and that explains the name.  Jen noticed an autographed piece of table in a glass case, which means celebrity!!! Whoo hoo! She said, "Jimmy Johnson has been here!" and I replied, "Jimmy Johns is here?! I love their subs!" Turns out he is a Nascar driver. They have live music every Friday night, and all sorts of lunch and dinner specials during the week.  We stayed for quite a few, and begrudgingly moved on--only because there were more bars to visit on the list.  We might pop in to this bar again if we are ever on that side of town for anything because it is definately our kind of relaxed bar, and who can argue with good service?  P.S. We probably have to go back because they had some kind of electronic shuffle board thing that Jen said we had to try but didn't. P.P.S. Jen says the women's restroom has a "hand-me-down" waste receptacle from a fast food joint. Swinging door and all!

3120 6th Street Southwest, Cedar Rapids, IA

CJ's Sports Bar & Grille

CJ's is a neighborhood bar (and Grill, apparently) and if you aren't from the local 'hood you may be out of place. We were with friends when we went to CJ's so we didn't have a chance to sit at the bar and act like a local, but we didn't get the vibe that we were very welcome. The bartender seemed inconvenienced by our presence and didn't come to us to ask for drinks except when we first walked in. (I'm guessing the only reason she came to us that time was to ID.) The establishment is wide open has a very large bar area with lots of seating, and even has bar entertainment. The reason we will not likely go back to CJ's is based on how we were treated by the bartender. We spent the hour we were at CJ's playing darts with a clear view of the bar and bartender. We were never approached about another drink or about any outstanding tabs. As we walked to the bar to pay our tabs the rude bartender chose to act as if we were trying to leave without paying by finally leaving her perch behind the bar to intercept us on our way up to pay. Maybe the fact that she was so quick to label us as drink-n-dashers says something for the clientele of this quiet alley bar. Not. a. fan.

Cedar River Landing

Cedar River Landing is a big brick building down by the river. From the looks of it there is not a specific, stereotypical patron for this bar. CRL was packed, with all ages, by the time we got there, but we were lucky enough to snatch a table right by the pool table! (Lucky me! I love it when that happens.) It was hard to get anywhere even close to the bar but there was a server station right at the entrance so getting drinks was pretty painless. I was able to flaunt my pool skillz for one game (and one beer) before the live music started. The music was great, but the volume was not. I'm not sure if it was the tall ceilings, or just their equipment but either way we would not have stayed. It does seem like a pretty cool spot though, very hip, wide-open and modern. If you ever make it in to CRL, the wall that the stage is against has a wavy 2 X 4 attached to it horizontally near the ceiling- that's how high the 2008 flood waters came...eerie. We both got the Chrome Horse vibe from this place...which makes this a great stop if that's your flavor of bar. Lots of parking across the street too, don't get scared off by the tiny lot next to it.

301 F Avenue Northwest, Cedar Rapids, IA

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings. There is TWO! Double-trouble. They are both exactly the same. Some may ask, "why is this on the Bar Tour List?" Well... because we have gone there with drinking intentions which, we believe, makes this a drinking establishment. So there! Wild Wings is always a winner. Great atmosphere, great food, awesome Bud Light! :-p Where can you go wrong??? Well, it's a popular place so it can be difficult to get a seat during Monday Night Football or big college game days. They do have wing night as well! (That's Bubb's favorite!) If you haven't been to Buffalo Wild Wings - you lose.

1100 Blairs Ferry Road NE # 101, Cedar Rapids, IA and

2210 Edgewood Rd SW # 600, Cedar Rapids, IA

Bushwood

This bar started our night out, and it did well for a first stop. Bushwood is a sports bar, so by definition you will find lots of TV's, a friendly atmosphere, lots of beer to drink and a surprisingly huge menu that includes every kind of "bar food" imaginable. We were happy with what we ordered, but should have waited to see our appetizers before ordering a meal--they were huge! The place was pretty dark, but its not necessarily a bad thing; let's call it mood lighting. There does seem to be an overwhelming lack of light...but the glow from the TV's, and the twenty-million neon bar signs, makes up for it. The service was good, and our beers were giant and a decent price. After sharing the biggest platter of nacho's we have ever seen, we decided to move on. We both agreed we would come back here again though - maybe to watch football?

350 Edgewood Road, Cedar Rapids, IA

First random post!

Trying a new app on my phone to blog from the bar! Currently at checkers continuing the tour. Did a few bars on saturday and forgot to blog about them. Jen has her work cut out for her. :)

Bulicek's Deli N Brew

Next on the list: Bulicek's Deli N Brew. Sound like a bar? We didn't think so either. Neither of us knew what or where the place was and the word Deli comes before the word Brew. Seemed weird. Rule #3 states that. "we have to physically drive to it and see it closed before going to the next bar on the list..." so we drive. Cute little building, ample parking in back, door propped open and beer signs on! All good signs of an open bar. The place is fairly small, but very well kept, lots of TV's, and a few regulars at the bar. I'm not sure if it was the duck above the bar or the giant replica shotgun hanging below it but we liked what we saw. The bartender took his time to strike up a conversation, but we ended up staying for a few more beers than we originally planned thanks to the conversations. We also looked at the menu on the promise that their pizza was to die for, and both decided we needed to come back and test it out sometime!

1616 6th Street SW, Cedar Rapids

Brick's Bar & Grill

Oh "Bricks"! Who hasn't been here? This, the college-aged people bar! You can't beat the Wednesday night special - $5 bottomless cup! However, you may struggle with getting to the bar on hump-day because everyone and their mother attends the bottomless cup night here. It is also possible to have beer spilled on you from the balcony overlooking the bar and "dance-floor" while waiting in the massive beer line. Great food, great location downtown, pretty terrible service (mainly because of the masses), and a weird and chaotic atmosphere! Moving on.

320 2nd Avenue, Cedar Rapids

Break Room

Ok, lets be honest, we knew this place had pool tables, but it is also a bar! YAY! We must have gone in with the wrong attitude because we didn't think we were going to like it and our expectations were met. I don't want to knock pool, in fact, Jen loves pool. After I write this she will probably hop on and add something witty and somewhat insulting about how she can beat me every single time (true story-Jen). "Break Room" is host for a Monday night pool league which meant it was very crowded with people who are there at least every Monday. This would explain the looks we both got when we walked in. (Whoa whoa whoa whoa...who schedules something on the same night as Monday Night Football?!? -Eric). I think this place is often stuffed full of people playing pool. We did get served quickly, and ID'd just as fast! Welcome strangers! Draws of Bud Light for $1.00-- can't really beat that...if thats what you are looking for. There is exactly 10 too few parking spots here, and a suspicious looking building next door that claims you can't park in their spaces...we did anyway. By the way, the sign on that building next door says "Cleaners" - Makes me wonder if the two neighboring businesses share their clientele? We stayed for one beer, and a quick game of Mahjong on the Megatouch, (Jeneric, hehe) and then silently slipped out the door (after paying) so that we could move on to bigger and better things.

3108 1st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids

Bill's Drinking Establishment

This is a Marion cornerstone. When Seth moved here from NC, he couldn't stop talking about the, "Bill's Bar in the old village looking place" and that, my friends, would be the Marion Square! There aren't a lot of bars in Marion to speak of, so comparing them to the big boys is kind of tough. This place is a little rough around the edges. The floors feel uneven and I can't remember if the bathroom door closes all the way or not. It definitely isn't flashy, or modern, or even nice for that matter, but they have some good beers on tap. Oh! and Free popcorn! They have a pool table in the back, a big, Cheers style, 360 degree bar in the middle. We have heard rumor of a taco bar from time to time too! I don't know the details of that really, but I do know Jen and I have spent many a nights doing Oatmeal Cookie shots at the bar with the wonderful bartender, Keri. If you are in Marion and Spy Bar is too full, consider walking across the street to Bill's. I guarantee you won't have to wait for your drink...

1038 7th Avenue, Marion

Beef O'Bradys

We love this place! This one was knocked off the list long before the idea for the tour. I guess you could call this our old neighborhood bar. Food is great! Small place, but great atmosphere. Did I mention the food is downright awesome, and not too terribly expensive either. It is more of a restaurant than a bar in most definitions of the word, but almost every time we went there, we sat at the bar and drank and watched some football. (I played mega touch. You can find my scores under the alias "jeneric" which would imply that Eric had something to do with it, but he didn't.) The bartenders are always friendly and their menu is HUGE! Even though this is a bar tour blog, this place should definitely be on your list of places to eat if you are thinking about trying something new and wondering are where to go. Have a drink while your at it - don't be a lame-o!

5240 Edgewood Rd NE Suite 100, Cedar Rapids

Beaver Creek Saloon

Beaver Creek Saloon! This tiny little gem... about 10 blocks down the street in the opposite direction of the *other* 2nd Avenue bars... sits a great little bar which Google Maps Navigation had to help us find. (Thanks Glenda the good GPS!) I am glad that this was the second stop on the list, because this is where we met Chevy, and she had some great ideas (ultimately inspiring this blog) for what to do on the tour. I'm convinced she was more excited about this than we are. We had already nailed down the list, and most of the rules (yes there is rules), but she definitely had some opinions to add! Love it!! On top of that, this little bar is cute, everyone is friendly, and how can you argue with great service? My favorite sign is the one that says, "When the Hawkeye's score a touchdown, you score a free drink." I guess for these last few games we will have to put the tour on hold for alternative entertainment. Go Hawks! Its definitely not the "2nd Ave" experience that its address would suggest (right behind the infamous kidnapping gas station **eeeek**), but if you want a down home, *hole in the wall* that doesn't feel like a hole in the wall at all, this is a great place to sit and drink beer.

1010 2nd Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids

Al's Blue Toad

Not to be confused with "Al's Red Frog!" Since the flood, Al's Red Frog is now just, "The Red Frog"and is therefore going to come later on the list. So, Al's Blue Toad. (Neighbor to "The Red Frog," which is now owned by Al's sister, by the way.) Great little joint in Czech Village! I LOVE Czech Village for some reason. Every time I go to the bars down there I just feel so at home. This one has more a eatery feel, yet still homey. If you use the restroom (ladies) you'll find a more bar-esque environment around the corner with darts, a jukebox and other "bar-like" entertainment. Overall feel of the Blue Toad? Eh. Take it or leave it. Nice atmosphere, and the service was just fine...wasn't blown away by the food by any means. (P.S. Food is not part of the tour, but if we partake, we will mention it.) i would take my family there for dinner. Maybe go to watch a game. It didn't feel like a night time bar, but maybe we were there a tad-bit early. However, the beer was good (like that's hard) and it seemed like other people were enjoying themselves. I definitely don't have an overwhelming desire to return soon. Maybe on a different night, under different circumstances I may think differently. We have too many other places to see anyways! Did you know there is approximately 98 or more bars in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion?! See if you can stump us with a bar we don't have on our list! Side note, the walls were blue.

86 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids