Break Room

Alright, so I want to first and foremost say if you haven't read our original review of Break Room, you should read that first here.  Ok, once you are caught up, read on.

We didn't exactly care for this bar the first time, but we did say that it might have been because of the pool league.  That being said, we had a just fine time the second time around.  We walked into to a mostly empty bar the night before Thanksgiving.  Again, bartender ID'd us before we had a chance to think.  Strangely the cute girls at the bar did not appear to be over 21, but thats neither here nor there.  A couple regulars, an attentive bartender, and lots of room to spread out and play a game of pool made for an enjoyable second visit to this little hole in the wall.  It is definitely a dive, but when you aren't crashing pool league night and not playing pool, its darn near tolerable.  The bartender did give great service, leaving the bar and coming to us to get us another pitcher before we had a chance to come to him.  I dig that. The bathrooms are small, run down, and dirty...and the place just has an overall run down feel, but it just goes to show that the right attitude from the bartender and a good vibe from the people hanging out can make any place seem just fine.  There is very little decor in the bar short of a few TV and the pool table...mostly just standard beer posters advertising the specials, and posters advertising pool leagues. We did note that for a "pool themed" bar there was only two tables, but we do realize that it is a place with limited space. Also, pool was ONLY a buck. We've noticed the cost of a game of pool going up around town. These guys have it at a buck, which means you don't have to break (no pun intended) your second dollar for just one game!

Pros: Cheap beer, not crowded (if not on pool league night), good service (both times), generally accepting regulars

Cons: Little available parking, crappy bathrooms.

The Grades:
Atmosphere: 3
Small, kind of run down, dimly lit, terrible bathrooms.
Service: 7
The bartender was happy to come to us without us having to go to him.
Food: N/A
No food served here.

Bill's Drinking Establishment

Bill's is your standard hole-in-the-wall dive bar; but it's a friendly place none the less. We walked in the door and people did look at us awkwardly, only for a second though. We found a seat at a high-top table near the bar and the bartender left the bar and came over to greet us. This may seem pretty basic but from our experience not all bartenders feel they ever need to leave their perch behind the bar. She was pleasant and quick to get us what we wanted. She even brought us some of their FREE popcorn with our beer and we didn't even ask! That was impressive and completely unexpected. It's the little things that count. I was literally amazed with the gesture. The only other thing she could have done to amaze me more would've been to salt my bev nap before placing my wet mug on it so the glass didn't stick to the napkin - but no one has EVER done that! Anyways, as soon as our pitchers (we were with a couple other people, not just the two of us) were gone, she was over right away asking if we would like another, which we gladly accepted because we were enjoying ourselves. Side note, they had comically small beer mugs (muglets?) and we took a picture next to our fist for perspective.  See the attached photo for a laugh.

Bill's is a great place to wind-down and have conversation. There is mega-touch, a pool table in back and did I mention, free popcorn?! I can see Bill's falling into the same general category as Al's Blue Toad because it is a neighborhood bar that most people would go to because they live nearby (and we did when we lived nearby.) Being on the main drag of Marion may not be a great way to attract business...but we did get a great parking spot right outside the front door!!!

In the grand scheme of things, we have decided there are two categories for regulars to fall into, hostile, and non-confrontational. This is definitely the latter. Some bars make new people feel unwelcome, and Bill's could easily slip into that rut, but I think most of the regulars and staff here know they need to grow to stay in business, and generally welcome anyone with a dollar a thirst for alcohol...which is the right attitude for a bar to take.

P.S. Bill's is another CASH ONLY ESTABLISHMENT :-P ATM charges $3.00 to use! Oh, and the pitchers were on the high end at $6.75 a pop!

The Grades:
Atmosphere: 6
Not a ton of seating, older, a little run down, and old dirty bathrooms.
Service: 6
We almost always get served and welcomed by the bartender!
Food: N/A
Only popcorn here. (FREE) 

Beaver Creek Saloon

This really should be a place that is not for us. It is smack dab in the middle of a residential area...a block off of 1st Ave...and just the kind of bar that you look at, and then pass it by. That being said, we love it. I kind of wish it was down the street from my house so I could go here more often. We liked it at the beginning of the last tour thanks in part to a great bartender who welcomed us with open arms. Since then, we have returned a handful of times and always enjoyed ourselves. This is definitely a place where the regulars will talk to you about anything and make you feel welcome. Some of the bartenders are more chatty than others, but they always make sure your drink is full. Not a lot to this place, one pool table, very well kept bathrooms, one long bar that you can walk completely around, and lots of TVs. They do karaoke every Saturday, I think Friday too, if thats your thing. Not much in the way of food, definitely more of a bar than anything. They do have a toaster oven and a microwave, and I noticed one of the gentlemen at the end of the bar got a pizza at 1 in the morning. No word on the price of said pizza, but depending on the amount of beer consumed, price may or may not matter. If you are going down 2nd Avenue looking for this place, go slow because its easy to miss. Give this place a try!

Side note, it is a cash only bar. You will run into these from time to time, but just an FYI. The ATM on site charges a $2.50 fee to use it.

The Grades:
Atmosphere: 8
For a hole in the wall, there is a ton of TVs, classy bathrooms, and it is very clean.
Service: 9
Bartenders will talk to anyone and rarely let a drink sit empty!
Food: N/A
I guess they serve frozen pizzas, etc...didn't try them, so you decide. 

Al's Blue Toad

It's only right to re-launch the bar tour with a couple cherry bombs and some Czech fried cheese, right?! Well, whether it is right or wrong, that is what we did. Al's Blue Toad has a nice bar atmosphere late at night but seems to be a well functioning local eatery by day, as well. There was a decent crowd but it was not as many as a bar would want on what is supposed to be their busiest night of the week. The Blue Toad has a neighborhood bar feel and we got the idea that it isn't necessarily a bar that you travel to, but one that people who live nearby would frequent. There is plenty of entertainment for bar patrons, though, including a awesome jukebox that looks like a giant iPad. It wasn't too loud that you couldn't talk (I'm always annoyed when I can't talk, let alone hear myself think) and the service was great. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful in making suggestions for the best value on beer, etc. She even tasted the Creole sauce that came with the Czech fried cheese so she could tell us what it tasted like before we ordered. HAH! Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and would go back if we had a reason to. You've gotta love when you order a cherry bomb and it comes in a 3/4 full pint glass for the price of a normal size one!

We liked this bar the first time around when we visited it, and this really was the same experience as before. It definitely has a lot of what we thought were regulars, but we did not feel out of place among them. The decor is pretty nice, but it was rebuilt after the flood, so everything is fairly new. The bar is pretty small, but mainly because they are cramming a bar area, and a restaurant area in a small space.

Side note: and thanks to my co-worker who told me about the Android application for TouchTunes! (the program that runs almost every jukebox in town) We were able to play "tunes" over the jukebox without even getting up! How efficient!

The Grades:
Atmosphere: 8
Not a ton of seating, and small, but everything is brand spanking new due to the flood.
Service: 7
Slower service, but the server was very chatty and helpful!
Food: 6
This may need further investigation, we have only had a few appetizers here, but they were generally good. 

Bar Tour Relaunches

Well, its official. We have restarted The Bar Tour v2.0. We visited the first two bars on the list, and we will be posting blog entries shortly from them. You can expect regular updates, as well as more uniform and constructive blog entries with version 2.0. As with all subsequent versions, there are improvements, which you are welcome to read about in our updated mission statement (found here)

As always, we welcome any and all comments, feedback, insults, etc.  Here are a few photos from our kickoff night!

Bar Tour Reboot v2.0

Hello friends!  This blog has been dead for almost a year because we were tied up with the addition of a new little rugrat to our family.  That being said, our life has stabilized, and Jen can consume alcohol again, and we are fully committed to continuing/finishing the bar tour.  We are going to use this opportunity to adjust our methods a little bit, adjust the rules, update the list, and start again.  Rest assured internet friends, this tour will not be interrupted.  Stay tuned for additional information!

Miguel's Bar and Grill

I know I am going to out myself here, but any regular reading is about to see how far behind we are at writing these blogs posts.  Lucky for you, we make notes while in the bars, so we can refer back later about things we liked.  We visited this bar on Christmas Day...after the family festivites had settled down.  What better way to celebrate the birth of Jesus than to sit at a bar we had never heard of and drink a frosty brew in His name!  If you aren't a believer, thats fine too, in that case we were just drinking a frosty brew because thats what we like to do.  I am so off topic.  Miguels is in a little shopping center on Jacolyn Drive and Johnson Avenue hidden away in a little tiny spot near the end.  Size is deceiving here, because the place is long inside.  Right in the door you may think you have entered the wrong place, because apparently they make a killer pizza too.  Most of their business appears to be takeout, and we were far too stuffed from all the holiday meals to waste precious belly space on more food.  This place is a little run down, but they make the most of the space with good atmosphere.  Lots of TVs behind the bar, and only a few people brave enough to drink on Christmas to share the night with us,  Luckily alcohol does not take a holiday.  The people that were here seemed to be a younger crowd.  Again, that might be because of the holiday, might just be a rad place to kick it any day of the year.  Regardless, the place smelled delicious on account of the pizza being crafter about 10 feet from the bar.  No complaints about that.  For some reason I put in my notes that they had Busch Light on tap.  I'm not sure why I wrote that, but since it is there...I felt it necessary to mention.  Jen and I both really liked this place, and if you live around those parts, I would drive over there and check it out.  Also, someone should tell me if their pizza is good.

Mahoneys

Jen and I went here on our first date.  Yep, its true, I take girls to the bar on dates.  What a romantic I am.  Actually, this was part two of our first date, part one was also a bar/restaurant/awesomeness out in Sutliff, Iowa...which I won't review here as it is outside the scope of this here bar tour.  After drinking a few PBR's at Sutliff Tavern, we moseyed on back to civilization, and Jen suggested Mahoneys.  Now, if you haven't read our review of J M O'Malleys yet, then before reading this, please acquaint yourself with that review before going on any further.  Read it?  Read on:  Mahoneys is a great example of what the bars in the Irish District should be like.  It, like its cousin O'Malleys is a hole in the wall, nothing special, small, regulars only type hangout on the weekends, but that doesn't stop you from being able to walk in here, and not feel like the floor might collapse under you.  O'Malleys is small, and admittedly, it has a flaw, and that is parking.  However, they work with what they have, and they work with it well.  It is nice inside and out.  It makes good use of the little space it has, and we had great service.  The bartender even took the time to tell us about a Chili Cook-off they were having the following weekend...seeing as she didn't recognize us, she assumed we didn't know about it...and we didn't.  This is the type of stuff that we love on the bar tour.  Of course, this all happened well before the bar tour was conceived, but the point is this.  How do you grow your bar, and make people want to come back with new friends?  Warm up to the people who aren't regulars!  Serve them drinks!  Engage them in hearty conversation!  Tell them about the Chili Cook-off or whatever silly but awesome ideas your bar happens to be hosting in the near future to help promote yourself.  I don't ask a lot of the bars I go to, but judging by how bad O'Malleys was at the critical things I want in a bar, I think they could take a lesson from their neighbor down the street.  I don't have the highest hopes for Paddy O'Rourks, which is around the corner from Mahoneys, but I will keep an open mind.  I personally think on top of the fact that we had good service here, its pretty cool that a year later I can remember the details of our experience here down to the Chili Cook-off because they made a good impression.  Moving on...

The outside of Mahoneys

Longbranch

I know what you are thinking.  This is a hotel.  Ah yes, but it also has a bar.  This bar also has karaoke often.  This bar also has really cheap food almost every day of the week.  We are talking taco buffets, or nacho platters, or anything else you could possibly want.  The place is straight out of the late 70s and the decor has never been updated, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good time!  Jen and I went here quite a few times about a year ago whenever we had large groups of people, or generally wanted some karaoke craziness in a unique place.  Its definitely not your typical bar, but everyone seems to be on the same level here, and there is no judging.  Also, there doesn't appear to be regulars in the way that some hole in the wall bars get.  We haven't been back here in a few months...I'm thinking it might be time for a revisit.  Check it out.

Sidenotes

I went through and added some random pictures we have taken along the way to previous blog posts.  So if you are a regular reader (all three of you) and want to see some of the pictures make sure to browse through some older posts and see the additions.  You can click most of the pictures and make them full size if you would like.

Also, I added a section to the right on the main page that allows you to filter out meaningless blog entries (like this one) and just see the reviews.  So if you are new to the site and don't want to read things like this, give that link a click and these entries will go *POOF*

La Cantina

This place rocks!  If you haven't been here, then please go.  This is by far the place we frquent most often, so if you go here, look for us sitting on the corner of the bar.  Most of the time when we tell people we are going here, they respond "Where?" and then we have to describe where it is at.  It is on the corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street, down a couple doors from Gringos, and next door to Red's Public House on 2nd Street.  This is a fairly new place, but with all the right ingredients to make it great.  The owners are nice, the people who work here rock, and the food is pretty good too.  It is defiantely traditional mexican fare, as in, not Carlos O Kelleys, but it is great anyway.  I have had a few things on the menu that made me wonder if I had gotten the right thing I ordered, but I still went with it, and usually come out the other side happy.  Jen and I LOVE LOVE LOVE their steak tacos.  She often posts on their Facebook wall about how she wants them, or just had them, or had a dream about them.  Anyway, pretty kid friendly, restaurant style before 9 PM, and then thing get more bar-like after that, so you get the best of both worlds here.  Live music on the weekends quite often, and many specials as well.  New, hip, vibrant, it is just what we love in a bar.  Check this place out for sure.

P.S. I took my Dad here right before Christmas when they were in town visiting and I convinced him to have the steak tacos and I believe his exact words to the bartender after finishing were, "I don't even like Tacos and those were good."  True Story.

Just Coz

What a strange little bar!  I have driven by this bar hundreds of times in my years living in Cedar Rapids and I guess in the back of my head I knew it was a bar, but I assumed no one went here, and that it was a dump.  I was wrong about both!  The one thing that I hated about this bar, is its terrible parking situation.  There is basically on street parking, on the side street, and thats it.  We parked across the street and down some in an empty parking lot and then walked.  Since it is on 6th Street, there is no on street parking there, only on the side street.  Anyway, parking nightmare aside, what a great place this was!  Everyone knew we were out of place, but they were all really friendly, and happy to include us in the festivities.  This place is the self-proclaimed "Home of the Depth Charge" which also happened to be $2.00 that night, so of course we had to try one.  Jen didn't like it, but I thought it was alright.  It is a 12 ounce draw of beer with a shot of Rootbeer Schnapps dropped in and then consumed bomb style (a.k.a chugging if mom is reading)  I'll tell you what, it wasn't half bad, and when the regular draws of beer are $2.50, and don't include extra liquor, you would be stupid not to just get the bomb and drink it instead.  The bartender was super friendly, and came over to us many times to refill out drinks, Jen played a games of pool, and we talked with a few of the poeple hanging around.  All in all not a bad place.  We had heard from a few people that this place is kind of rough around the edges and sometimes doesn't have the greatest crowd hanging out there, but we didn't experience any of that.  Blame it on Christmas spirit maybe, but we enjoyed it.  Sorry, no pictures of this one, you'l have to go yourself and check it out.

Just Jules Pub and Restaurant

This was one of the bars that we discovered while driving around randomly one day looking for bars.  It is not really hidden, but it doesn't scream bar from the street in the traditional sense, and so we didn't know much about it.  After discussing with a few people, I guess other people know about it, so its not a complete secret.  It is just up the street from Cedar Rapids' best kept secret - Homeport.  When you walk inside the first thing you will notice is how big it is.  It is suprisingly big.  The place is pretty run down in the sense that is is dated, and the owners clearly haven't put a dollar into any kind of renovations since opening.  However that actually didn't turn us off to this place.  Super big bar, and a pretty nice atmophere...all things considered.  Jen mentioned that in the womens bathroom there are not stalls, but instead two toilets separated by a cinder block half wall, which she found akward.  Beer was cheap, and the service was ok.  I noticed quite a few times that the bartender left her perch behind the bar to walk over to a group right next to us and ask them if they wanted more shots/drinks/etc and walked right past us a few times without asking if we wanted another.  They were clearly regulars, so they got first dibs on service I guess.  However, she did come over at least twice in the time we were there and get us a couple more, so all was not lost.  We would probably go here again.

P.S. I have a picture of their menu too, I will upload that later as it is pretty dark, and I will need to Photoshop it to make it more readable.

Just Jules Pub

Jerseys Pub and Grub

Fairly new bar within the past 5 years.  It sprang up around the time the Yellowbook traffic and housing started popping up out on C Street.  It is a ways out there, at least from Marion, but it is a great place.  It has an open airy feel inside, very industrial, but in a nice way.  Jen said it felt like a Buffalo Wild Wings, and I tend to agree...except this is clearly a bar that serves a full menu, not a restaurant that has a bar like BWW.  I have had their food many times and was pretty impressed with it.  They have wing nights where they are cheap, and drink specials during each of the sports seasons that will surely satisfy your craving to drink and watch your sport of choice.  They have big cushy booths around the outside against the windows, and they are a great idea.  It is a little bit far outside of town for a lot of people, but it is nice enough, and new enough, that I think a lot of people would be comfortable here.  Give it a try and decide for yourself!



Image from Google Maps