J M O'Malley's

J M O'Malley's is down in what a lot of people refer to the Irish district.  Its not the nicest part of town, and J M O'Malley's fits right in!  It is the smallest building I have ever seen in my life.  The definition of a dive bar in the truest sense.  This place looks like its falling apart, if not from the floor that appears to be three or four different colors, or the duct tape holding the TV stand to the wall, then definately from the fact that they have a pay phone behind the bar (which rang while we were there by the way)  Despite its small size and terrible outward (an inward) appearance, locals love this place.  It was packed.  There is literally no room, so even packed could be about 20 people, but all of them were staring at us, and it was difficult to get near the bar to get a beer.  Once we got it, we were in the way standing around drinking it.  This place would be fine with me if it were bigger, or if we went when there was no one there, but busy plus small equals no fun to me.  We really didn't get a chance to do any of the things we do on this bar tour, which is socialize with the bartender and the regulars.  Jen used to come here a few years back and it used to be one of her favorites.  Either she went on nights when it wasn't so crazy in there, or else that was the phase in our lives where she liked crazy bars (read: I would not hate on Dublin City)  That time is not now, and I didn't care for this place so much.  I would say literally the only problem is the crazyness to size ratio, however there is little chance I see in that ratio changing unless they magically quadruple the size of the building.  Other than that, I can take rough around the edges any day.  This place happens to be extra rough, but some of our favorite gems on the bar tour so far have been hole in the wall places.  To sum this up, the people who will like this type of bar already go here, and for that, it gets an A for effort.  P.S. They have live music too, although I have no idea where they stand while playing...maybe in the bathroom.

J M O'Malley's...the smallest bar
that money can buy.

J & M's Keg Bar and Grill

Good luck finding this one on Google maps! Better known to those who know where this bar is as "The Keg," this little gem sits down on 5th Avenue downtown near Benz Beverage Depot.  We had our entire list compiled and posted on the blog when we happened upon this place while shopping for some things at Benz.  We turned out of the parking lot, saw the word Keg, and the rest is history.  We were glad when we found it, because we were almost to the J's.  This is a bar that definately doesn't see a lot of strangers, it is mostly regulars, but unlike some other local bars, they were very friendly here.  The bartender talked with us about how they just recently got their kitchen open about a month ago, so we had to try some of the food.  The prices were really good, and the food was good as well.  After a few beers and a few cherry bombs the regulars started talking with us, and we got a really good vibe from the place.  Each wall is painted with a sports teams colors and logo, so I assume there are a good amount of sports games played here when they are on.  Also, you could see right into the kitchen area from the bar area, and I thought that was kind of cool.  We both agreed this was a great way to start our bar tour that evening, and will likely return to a place like this, if not for the food, for the hospitality and slow paced atmosphere.

719 5th St SE in Cedar Rapids, IA 52401





Left: Google Street View of the Bar.
Right: The menu at J&M's Keg Bar and Grill



Irish Democrat

This place is a legend in Cedar Rapids.  Much like Fieldhouse on Blairsferry Road, this place is definately more restaurant than bar.  Finding someone who lives in Cedar Rapids that hasn't heard of Irish Democrat is a challenge, and most have graced its wonderfully charming walls.  It is in the old Kenwood downtown (if you are a history buff) and is on the side of the road that still remains from when that area used to be the downtown stretch of Kenwood...the other side of the road got demolished when they widened 1st Avenue years ago.  The place feels old, but in that really comfortable and delightful way.  Its well kept, and always seems to give great service.  They have a very unique menu, and a good selection of beers.  There is a bar in the traditional sense on one side, but every time I have been here it was mainly to eat, so I have never stayed past restaurant hours.  From what I hear though it does have a somewhat vibrant nightlife.  If you haven't heard of this place (WAKE UP!) then you should give it a shot.  If you haven't been here, you don't know what you are missing.  There is something for everyone on their menu, and you are sure to find something that is unique enough that you will be surprised.  Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.  P.S. Try the Smithwicks (pronounced "Smitticks") on tap.  There are only a select few bars in town that have it on tap, and this is one of them, and it is delicious in a frosty mug.

The outside of Irish Democrat.
Image taken from Google Maps

The New Improved Bar Tour Blog!

Now with pictures! (Where applicable)

So we are both pretty new to this whole blogging thing, and we started it more or less just to write our experiences down, whether people read them or not.  We decided that pictures may help enhance the experience, so where applicable, we will try and snap pictures of the bar, the menu, a sign, a beverage nap, you know, anything we feel like we can take a picture of without being too overly awkward and draw attention to ourselves.  The first round of pictures were really dark, and blurry, so I tried to photoshop the heck out of them to make them readable, hopefully they get better with experience.

Also, we updated a few of our previous blogs with some new information and smoothed things out, off the top of my head there was a few things changed on Dublin City and Homeport.  In general we try and leave intact what we wrote before, and then add to it in an "Edit:" fashion so as to not disturb the flow of the universe.

Homeport

Cedar Rapids best kept secret! We did google street view prior to going to this bar and we still had no idea where it was. In fact, it even took a little time to pick it out in broad daylight. However, at night time you will be able to see the faint glow of a couple small beer signs in the windows of a random blue building at the end of Center Point Rd. Not joking. It is the most random place for a bar. It right by nothing... Actually It's a block from Aggie O'Shears if that helps. Haha. Yeaaa. Anyways. Homeport, besides being a secret was a very nice place. There was karaoke the night we were there and amazingly everyone that sang was a really good singer. The bar seemed like a really great place to meet up and hang out with friends but it does seem to cater to an older crowd. Pretty sure that we were the youngest by at least 10 years but I had the feeling that if we had stayed much longer we would have invited to be a part of the party that seemed to be happening all around us. In conclusion, Homeport is Cedar Rapids best kept secret. Don't try to find any info online because they simply do not advertise the bar. Oh! But they do serve pizza!

Edit: After writing this entry we heard quite a bit of feedback from friends and family and it turns out just about everyone we know knew about this bar.  So, on second thought, maybe it is Cedar Rapids' Best Kept Secret from Jen and Eric.  Either way, the review stands as written before, we were just late to the scene on this place.

Homeport.  You can see our
confusion in not realizing this was a bar.

Hamburger Mary's

Well, let me start off by saying if you want to go here...go quick! This place is closing after a New Years Eve party on the 31st. From a business standpoint, I can understand why. This bar caters to an alternative lifestyle, and many people, myself included, just don't know what to expect before walking in the door here. This means they are alienating a good portion of their potential clientelle who either don't understand what this bar is about, or don't care to engage in what this bar offers - which is unfortunate for them. I was one of those potential customers until I visited this bar. Not everyone has a Jen to make them do things they aren't comfortable with, and not everyone has a bar tour that forces them to visit new places alphabetically (man I'm a lucky guy!) Among other things adding to its woes are that it has a terrible location. It suffers from poor visibility, limited parking, poor signage opportunities, no immediate residential neighborhoods to pull traffic from, and no bars near by to make it an "overflow" bar. Add all of those things to the general misunderstanding of what this bar is, and you have a recipe for failure. That being said, I'm glad I went here before it closed. We went on a Friday night...and it was packed. There was a drag show at nine...not usually my cup of tea, but I see why people are entertained by it. They have a full menu, and from what I hear it is pretty good. The place is set up a little akwardly due to restrictions the city has on building size due to available parking. If there is one thing it does have it is a great attitude. Everyone here seems nice, everyone seems chatty, and everyone seems to have the same basic attitude that everyone in there is equal. That's awesome! This is something that you don't get in your run of the mill everyday bar. Our bartender was awkward, but he was nice, and we got good service. If the world were more open to a world similar to the one that exists inside Hamburger Mary's, we would all be much happier people! I would not say this is a bar I would hang out at every day, but there is a few elements here that could do well under different circumstances, and for that, I will be sorry to see it go.
Great entertainment, good food and superior service makes this place a win. Unfortunately, the bad location and negitive attitudes of our world leave this place in the dust. Hamburger Mary's you will be missed. :-(

Green Gable Inn

Green Gable is a very unique bar in Cedar Rapids, as it offers a bar atmosphere for those on third-shift. We decided to check it out on a Monday afternoon thinking that we'd be able to get prime seating at the bar and maybe have a friendly conversation with the bartender. However, the entire bar was packed and everyone seemed to be friends. Talk about awkward - I think every head turned to look at us when we walked in. I don't expect hospitality from a bar patron but I felt as if we were non-existent for the entire time we were there. No one moved over to let us order a drink and when we did get a drink we went upstairs and never heard from anyone again! Not even a bartender. I've been to Green Gable before and had a decent time but watching Steve Wilkos on TV with Eric because we were trying to finish our beers wasn't what I had intended for the bar tour. Based on my experience, like many other bars on this bar tour, Green Gable caters mainly to their regular customers. I believe they have pool league every once in while but there was no flyers or anything about what the bar had for "specials" during the week. Unless I somehow end up working third shift and can't go home without a lil beer in my belly, I likely will not return to this bar. I have no reason to because I'm not a part of that crowd and I didn't see any indication that anyone else ever came there.

The Green Gable Inn...green building
and all.

Gilligans

I heart Gilligans! It's not because Gilligans has great service, because everytime I've been there (twice) I have not been impressed by the way the bartenders offer much more attention to the regulars who are bellied up to the bar. It's also not because they have great food - it's not horrible, and for what it is it's fairly good and defintely decently priced, but I'm pretty sure I could get the same kinds of things from the frozen food section at Walmart. In the summertime Gillians has rows of motorcycles out front and it is understandable as there is VERY limited parking. The actual bar is raised up abour three feet higher and looks down over the rest of the bar which I think is what I liked so much about it. While the food and service weren't outstanding the place still has an amazing "local bar" feel that just really draws you in. The crowd is much older and I feel like many of them live close by. I would go back to Gilligans, even though I'm not a biker and not a regular I feel I'd would enjoy my experience every time. P.S. beer was a buck the day we went!

Granite City

Alright, so this one was a grey area bar.  This place is hands down a restaurant first and foremost.  However, two reasons we included it on the list...number 1, they brew their own beers, that makes them very important.  Number 2, they do have a bar in the restaurant, and it does stay open until 2 AM most nights.  I will not pretend this is a place that we would ever go drinking in a bar situation, however, based on the beers, and the atmosphere, everyone has to go here once.  The food is pricey, but it is amazing.  The service is pretty good, I have been here so many times it is hard to say its perfect, because every now and then you get a bad one.  They let you sample their beers for free, and they have seasonal beers they brew on the premises.  Pretty cool.  You can also see the fermentation tanks from the dining area.  If you do decide to make this a regular restaurant stop, keep a couple things in mind...although the parking lot may be packed, they are insanely good at seating people quick.  It can look packed and still only have a 15 minute wait on a Friday night.  Also, if you frequent this place often, sign up to be a mug club member, if you do it on a Monday I think, its only like $10 to join, its a lifetime membership, you get 10% off every meal, every time, and you get upgraded from a 20oz beer to a 25oz beer for free, and the beers are a dollar less than the regular price or somethign crazy like that.  I mean how can you go wrong with that?  I have never been disappointed with this place, and I recommend everyone give it a try, despite, the fact that it is not a *bar* in the traditional sense.

Firehouse

What can I say about Firehouse?  This place is tiny, in a weird location for a bar (read: not close to any other bar-type businesses really) and it isn't the nicest building.  Add to that the fact that it has terrible parking, and you have what should be a place to avoid.  However, we have been here multiple times and if there is one thing this bar does, and does well, it is make people feel welcome.  The people that are here drinking will always strike up a conversation with random people, and the bartenders are super friendly.  They provide good service, even when they seem to be busy.  This is the type of palce where even if you are sitting at a table, and there is only one bartender working (like every night) they will still come out from behidn the bar to check and see if you need another beer.  They are pretty good at IDing so keep it legit folks, 21+ only!  Not that we would ever condone drinking underage anyway...but seriously, check this place out if you happen to be around there, or just looking for a new little bar to hang out in.  Lots of TVs for sports, and ususally pretty good prices on something involving beer.  Make sure you ask what drink specials they have, because it always seems like something is cheap.  I would say if you live nearby to consider making this your spot, but I have a feeling most people who live nearby already do.

Fieldhouse (Downtown)

The next time you are thinking about going out in Cedar Rapids and you ask yourself, Where can I go that has Keystone Light on tap? the answer is Fieldhouse Downtown.  This bar was previously DC's Riverwalk Pub.  We had intended on visiting this earlier in the tour, but it changed names shortly after compiling the list, and we had to move it down to the F's.  DC's is next door to Dublin City, which is in the old Muddy Waters spot. They have a full menu here as well, but unlike their cousin on Blairsferry, this place feels more like a bar than a restaurant.  The menu is almost identical at both places though, so rest easy if you are craving something off the Fieldhouse menu, it is probably served both places.  Service was great here, so its nice to see they don't take after their next door neighbor Dublin City, (at least not the day we were there) and the bartender was very chatty.  She told us that the same guy that owned DC's Riverwalk owned Fieldhouse in Iowa City and the one on Blairsferry, and that he just decided to change the name of DC's when he bought the Tilted Kilt location and moved Fieldhouse to Cedar Rapids.  There is still a sign outside that says DC's Riverwalk Pub, so don't get confused when you go down there.  The place has a pretty good feel to it, and we may go back if we are ever down near there and wanting to pop in for a beer.  Or maybe the next time I am craving a Keystone Light on tap...like that will ever happen.  Cheers.

Fieldhouse (Blairsferry Road)

This is a place that is more restaurant than bar for sure.  It is in the old Tilted Kilt spot on Blairsferry Road just next to Buffalo Wild Wings.  Not a whole lot has changed since Tilted Kilt closed...the place looks identical except for a few coats of paint and some sports memorabilia added.  It has a very sports bar type atmophere, but this definately is not a place people would go just to drink.  Despite their insanely large collection of beers on tap (I think I counted 30-40?) their prices on beer are a little steep.  The food is decent, but its priced around what you would expect from a restaurant, not a bar.  It is nice that the Fieldhouse is bringing its "brand" to Cedar Rapids since closing the Iowa City location, but I fear unless they change their image, they may suffer the same fate Tilted Kilt did.  Right now there is no huge draw to bring me here over Buffalo Wild Wings next door, and the parking is way better next door.  Overall, the service was good (it better have been, there were only three other people in the whole place) and we enjoyed what we had, but we were itching to move on to Fieldhouse Downtown and we didn't stay too long.  Both of us had been here when it was Tilted Kilt and agreed not much had changed...be that a good thing or a bad thing.  It is at least worth it for you to check it out yourself and see what you think.

Name Change!

Well we had our first bar change names since making the list.  Besides Fifth Gear which (ridiculously) changed its name to Sixth Gear two days before we arrived at it on the tour, we haven't had any name changes that affected the order of the list.  When Fifth changed to Sixth Gear, we just moved it down the list.  When Mugs and Jugs changed to Silver Star Saloon, we moved it down the list.  We officially have our first bar, Mr. B's, that changed its name to Big Daddy's Pub N Grub.  Since we have already passed the B's, we must now refer back to the rules.  They clearly state that we may go to it at the end of the list, or visit it the next night we go out.  We will probably visit it with our next visit so that the flow of check marks on our list will be even.  In other news, we also found a bar we had missed.  Jen knew there was a bar downtown somewhere and we literally have been driving around trying to find it, and today we accidentally found it while driving downtown.  J & M's Keg Bar & Grill has been added to the list (and is coming up soon) so it's a good thing we found it.  We have no rule to address what to do when we miss a bar...and we don't want to play fast and loose with the rules, this is serious business...anyway, more to come soon!

Fat Wally's

I've been to Fat Wally's quite a few times and for anyone who knows me, this wouldn't be too much of a surprise. I've often wondered how this downtown, basement Pool Hall has stayed open for so long since there is never anyone there. I've also wondered why there is never anyone there. It's a super cool place with a lot of character and a million (closer to 30) pool tables. Fat Wally's is located on 2nd Ave right up the street from all the popular downtown bars and is in the basement of the building with Tycoon. After a little bit of awkwardness with the only bartender I've ever seen at Fat Wally's, we finally managed to strike up a conversation. The owner of Fat Wally's happens to be the owner of the entire building as well as the owner of the building Brick's is in. He was our bartender that night! He let us in on some fascinating history about his buildings as well as little tidbits about Cedar Rapids. Ever heard of Duck Pin? Nope, not us either. But Fat Wally's was a Duck Pin Alley back in the 1940's. The pins are a little smaller and the "bowling ball" is the size of a softball with no holes. High school kids were hired to be the "pin setters" in this alley and there is still carvings, "Susie <3 Pete" in the walls where they worked. We were really not interested in going to Fat Wally's but after two hours of conversation we were really glad we had gone...this guy is a walking History Channel, and we couldn't get enough! I'm not going to give you the full story here, but next time you are at Brick's look at the statue at the top of the building on the front... I bet you've never noticed that one before!

Ernie's

Ask Eric what he thinks of Ernie's and his response will be simple: "Awesome." That, however, was not my first impression. From the front Ernie's has a lot of curb appeal. The front windows are lined with high-top tables and the hanging bar lights over the tables provide an inviting view from Czech Village. The ceilings are high and the room is wide open; which is probably why the place echoed so badly. It was football night on my first visit and the whistling and yelling that goes with football was intensified by being in Ernie's. I did notice there was a pool table in a small room off the back of the bar and we did add our signature, "Jeneric," to the mega touch at the end of the bar. Great beer prices, too. Overall, Ernie's is not a bad place, but after this particular visit I can see it getting very loud even with only a few rowdy patrons. The bar has a great "neighborhood bar" feel and it would probably be awesome in the summer for live music. I'd love to see Czech Village completely restored to its glory and the establishments that have been restored since the flood are doing a great job to draw people back in.

Dumas's

This is a bar that we always forget about every time we are thinking about bars.  Ask someone familiar with the area to list every bar in Marion and without fail 9 out of every 10 people you ask forget this bar exists.  Those same 9 people will quickly name Wrigleyville though, and Dumas's happens to be right behind Wrigleyville.  It is a strange little bar, because it looks like a small steel building, and doesn't scream bar.  If you are looking for it, it is easy to find, and its an alright place.  When we got there they were finishing up some karaoke.  The bartender was ancient, but she was a peach!  She was friendly, personable, and knew her way around the bar (despite insisting on Red Bull in her Cherry Bombs)  When Jen's brother decided to meet us here, we made sure to tell her to give him a hard time about his ID, and she obliged.  The place isn't really fancy, or even nice for that matter, but it is definitely a "no judging" type of bar.  A lot of regulars and "locals" here, although technically we are locals too I guess, because we just live down the street, but a lot of small bars like this tend to treat outsiders like strangers (read: Coopacabana) and here we did not experience that.  I had been here before, and the experience was the same before as this time.  It is surprisingly small inside compared to how the building looks from the outside.  I guess they serve food too, but I don't know much about that.  Its not my kind of joint, but I bet a lot of people would love this place, and it probably makes great overflow from Wrigleyville (which is FAR too small for its own good.)

Dublin City

This place is a mess.  I am reminded of nostalgic memories of the days when this was Muddy Waters, and we used to actually be able to get a drink from the bar.  Every time I come here since it become Dublin City, it is just a mass of people who are rude and drunk.  I have clearly never been here on a slow night, so maybe there are times when this bar is a little more my speed, but I have yet to find it.  It is vaguely reminiscent of the Dublin City I visited downtown when it was a "2nd Ave" bar.  I remember going to Dublin a few times before the flood in their old spot, and it wasn't much better.  I'm sure this is the type of bar for a lot of people, and its definitely trendy, but it is not for me.  I like going to bars where I can get beer.  If you are lucky enough to rent out Dublin's back room, they will graciously assign you a server that will cater to your private affair for a fee, yet even that isn't enough to insure your alcoholism needs are met, because the server checked back with us about once every 30 minutes to bring all the drinks that were ordered through her 30 minutes earlier.  I get it, they are busy, they are doing a good business.  Congrats, you have a problem that some bars would kill to have.  But now that you have this problem...grow up...hire some more servers, and spend a tiny bit of that money that you are raking in to help serve the customers you have in your bar.  I for one avoid this place like the plague unless someone invited me there for events, and even then I begrudgingly go.  You may be doing good business now, but in the bar world, trends can change in a flash, and I would hate to be the bar owner that was too comfortable with what he/she had and was content giving poor service to it's clients when no one wants to go here anymore.  I miss you Muddy Waters.
*Steps down off Soap Box*

Edit:  After writing this blog entry, we had a few people mention that we should be objective in our blog entries.  After a drunken discussion with a few friends on the subject, I realized that in general, I think we are fairly objective in explaining that if we didn't like a bar, there are still those who will.  After thinking about it, I'm not sure we were clear about this one.  There are a LOT of people who love this place, so it is clearly popular.  Let me be clear, when someone from out of town asks me to recommend a bar, I ask what type of bar they are looking for, and I have steered people here.  This is a college age bar, and it definitely fits its role well.  While I avoid this like the plague, that does not mean everyone will hate it.  In my review, I listed the reasons why I avoid it, and mentioned a suggestion that would improve it without taking away from its college age fast paced atmosphere.  If I were able to get a beer, I would go here.  While Jen and I definitely prefer smaller, slower paced bars most of the time, there are pros and cons to every bar, and Dublin has a formula that works well for its desired clientele.  I would just hate to see it fail for the wrong reasons.

Bar Tour back from hiatus!

We went on a little bit of an unintended break there for a little bit.  We ad family in town, then a busy week, then we both got the nasty flu bug going around, so we haven't gone in a few weeks, but we are both healthy again and should resume the tour.  The reason we did not go to Fifth Gear the other night as a previous blog post mentioned, is because we drove all the way across town to it, and upon arrival found out it has changed its name to Sixth Gear.  The rules state we can't go out of order, so this bar has been moved to an S bar now.  We then decided to go to Gilligans, which was next on the list, and when we walked in and sat down, we realized Jen didn't have her ID.  Clearly the Bar Gods didn't want us on The Bar Tour that night, so we went to our regular watering hole, La Cantina (where everybody knows your name) and Jen didn't need an ID, and we called it quits for the night.  Look forward to a Gilligans revisit, and a few new blog posts soon.  We're Back!

BIG CHANGES!!!

Hey. So we decided that we aren't going to cheat anymore! No more skipping over the places we have already been. That means--from now on we will go to every bar, in order, no exceptions. Maybe this decision will lead Eric to step out of his comfort zone (afterall that is what the Bar Tour is about...) and add Hamburger Mary's, Basixx and that new bar downtown to our list. I will be sure to update on the status of that big step should he decide to take it... Good Day.

P.S. We are starting at Fifth Gear tonight, and with the new rules going into effect tonight, that will take us to FireHouse after that. Please feel free to join. :-)