Iconic live music bar. Legends of all genres, near and far, have all played this unsuspecting dive…read moretucked into downtown Iowa City. Two levels and a courtyard. Come early and stake out a spot front and center for your favorite band. Cool, intimate experience buuut that means it also gets crowded quick. Haven't had a problem with sound or service. Great spot to catch a killer show at an affordable price.

I came in tonight on Saturday and it was honeslty the worst experience ever. I was at the bar…read moreordering my drinks and I watch the bartenders and the other employees point and laugh at my boyfriend and then the security goes up to him and asks for his ID, after he was already questioned at the door. I get it. I work in a restaurant also, but I would NEVER do that to someone. I was signing my check to close out my bill, and 3 of the employees stared me down when I wasn't going to tip because of what I watched happen to my partner. I had to ask them what the issue was because it was that obvious. I have loved coming here in the past since it is right by where I live, but I will honeslty never come again.

Went on a hopping Friday night. Given all the customers, service was good. Almost every table was…read morefull the entire time we were there. This is a sleeper of a Mexican restaurant. What I mean by that is, it does not look like a Mexican restaurant. But it EXCELS at Mexican cuisine. I highly recommend ordering anything you'd see at a Mexican restaurant. The drinks: The Blueberry Fields drink was good but pricey given the size and wasn't "blueberry" enough for my husband. I liked it, but I'd want it by the mason jar, and that would be super expensive. I had the hibiscus margarita and it was *very* enjoyable. The food: My husband had the Des Moines Po' Boy. I wish he would have realized that he was basically getting a sub. He liked the soft bread. Overall though, he wasn't impressed. He said it was kind of bland. But he loved the fries and ranch. I had the puerco en salsa verde--this dish is incredible! Really tender chunks of pork in a rich tomatillo salsa verde with beans and rice. The only thing that could be better is if there were 3 fresh corn tortillas instead of 2. There is so much rich, delicious, saucy pork to eat, that you need 3 to enjoy it all. The tortillas are fresh made too. So yummy! In summary: Go here and enjoy all the Mexican dishes!

After taking a field trip to the legendary Black Angel grave marker in Oakland Cemetery, my…read moreboyfriend and I capped off the evening by hitting the nearby restaurant of the same name. The interior is quaint, cozy, and clean. Lighting and bits of stained glass create the feeling you're in a spot directly influenced by Iowa City's famous statue. The menu is somewhat unexpected. The Black Angel serves up Mexican food and all-day breakfast fare. I ordered the Chorizo and Eggs, which came with two flour tortillas and a cup of black beans. My boyfriend ordered a similar item and we both agreed the black beans had a liquified consistency. (Was this unconventional preparation the work of the Black Angel herself...?) My breakfast tacos were delicious and I had no complaints on that end. I also enjoyed a margarita which was on happy hour special (half-off). It was a generous serving size and decently strong yet drinkable. Our waitress was attentive, fetching our drinks and food in snappy time. She also checked on us after being served to make sure all was well and we weren't having any Black Angel-inspired bad luck with our dining experience. I recommend you spread your wings and check out this local eatery. It pairs well with a visit to the cemetery, too!

The Englert Theatre is an Iowa City treasure…read more I had the pleasure of attending the Nutcracker with my family this past weekend and The Englert Theatre did not disappoint. The theatre is well maintained; it's a cozy space and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Additionally, the staff is passionate and insanely helpful. The Theatre was opened over 100 years ago (1912) by a husband and wife (the Englerts) -- it actually used to be a stable. Mr. Englert passed away in 1920 and it changed ownership (of which ended up running the theatre for 80 years before selling). It almost burned down in 1926 but after a huge amount of fundraising, was rebuilt to its 1920s glory and charm. Eventually, the City of Iowa City was persuaded to purchase the theater and hold it in trust until funds could be raised for a newly formed nonprofit to purchase and renovate the space. In 2004, after an immense amount of fundraising, the Englert returned to the community with its first live performance in over 40 years. Truly, a Downtown Iowa City, gem. The Englert has two huge festivals each year -- Mission Creek and Witching Hour. Beside that you can catch a plethora of different shows throughout the year-- all of which seem to be priced accordingly. I'd probably give this closer to a 4.5 rating, vs 5. I only say that because in my nearly 30 years as an Iowa City resident, I can't say many of the shows have attracted me to attend. Additionally, concessions are limited. I must note: my mother-in-law wasn't insanely thrilled with how handicapped accessible the bathrooms were. (Though there is an elevator and there are wheelchair accessible seating areas on both floors.) Iowa City has a parking problem, so it's not the Englert's fault. I'd recommend the Dubuque Street Parking Ramp. But all in all, how lucky are we to have The Englert live and thrive in Iowa City?

It's our holiday tradition to have a nice dinner and see the Nutcracker. We had a wonderful time…read morelast night. It was a beautiful night and the Englert sign lights up so nice. The theater has plenty of seating and we always choose to sit on the balcony. They have a variety of refreshments for before and during the show. It was a great show and we are already looking forward to next year!

Tried this place for the first time and the food did not disappoint! It was authentic and…read moredelicious! The restaurant vibe was hip and fun, the walls were designed with colorful graffiti art and they had a karaoke corner. Our group ordered Kimchi fried rice, jjajangmyun and Korean style bibimbap. All dishes were tasty! The jjajangmyun noodles were perfectly chewy just how I like it. And the bibimbap was served in the traditional clay pot, it was a little on the spicier side but it was so good I finished the entire bowl. The only thing I was missing was the banchan (Korean side dishes). Understandable since we ordered a la carte whereas if we ordered kbbq or the meat combinations it would be included. We definitely plan to come back and try more dishes! Highly recommend!

One of the best places in town to get Korean food. When friends want to try Korean food for the…read morefirst time I usually take them here since there is a fun vibe and the food is reasonably authentic. They also have great cocktails and plenty of soju.

How do you field about this place? I'll tell you how I feeled…read more We had a lot of fun at the Fieldhouse. But who wouldn't? Definitely one of the coolest places in Iowa City to hang out with all the college kids and wild partying folks. The one problem that we had with the Fieldhouse was violence! There were some absolute punks trying to make trouble because there was the beauty queen of the century dressed like a glamour model (swoon swoon swoon), and she was with a guy that looked like a short Latin Prizefighter (as in, a mismatch to superficial types, she was a foot taller than him) and these very aggressive tall punks apparently thought she was too good for him so they tried to start a fight by touching her and making inappropriate comments and insulting her boyfriend. So I had to come in between them and I got smacked for my trouble. I helped to prevent a really bad fight and then the police showed up and they tried to arrest both the punks and the boyfriend and the hot girlfriend. So I had to explain to the police that I had no relation to any of the people in the fight and that there were really only one set of instigators and the other ones were just trying to defend themselves. And that she was molested. In the end I managed to talk everyone down with the help of my good friend the police officer and nobody got arrested but it was some really messed up stuff. The cop was either going to arrest everyone, or nobody. So it was better for everybody that nobody get arrested. You're welcome, cutie and cutie's bf. Call me. But yeah, the crowd in here - insane. Wall to wall, sea of people, like sardines. Loud and crazy. Sometimes even playing good music. Sometimes.

On holiday from the UK but got good old American racism. Female security guard on Thursday accused…read moremy friend of harassing her and threatened to call the police because he to get in the club. He left his ID at home but had proof on his phone (several clubs let him with his ID on his phone on the same night) but not physically, he asked to teoce get in a polite and calm manner but yet she somehow, she was accusing of him of "harassing" her and threatened and to call the police for absolutely no reason. He then went home to get his ID to returned to the club, I came out to speak to him and I got kicked out for no clear reason aside from speaking to him. I had my ID, I was sober and did absolutely nothing wrong, they couldn't even justify or explain why they kicked me out. And to Make matters worse, there was this racist message In The bathroom. Living in the UK, you hear a lot about racism in the US but it's sad see it's really as racist as they say.

Still great. Divy, fun regular type of bar. $2 bur oak beers are the best deal. The cheeseburger…read more has doubled in price over the years. It's a damn good burger but almost $8 now !!

Great dive bar! We went for the burgers which were super tasty. They don't have fries so be…read moreprepared to enjoy your burger with chips instead which is fine. They have wooden booths which are great to tuning out the rest of the bar and focusing on your friends. Staff were super helpful and friendly. Will definitely be returning.

I hadn't been to Hancher Auditorium since it was rebuilt-- having been destroyed in the 2008 flood…read moreand reopening in 2016. Well, I can say I finally got to see and experience this updated IC gem this weekend and it does not disappoint. My kiddos got me Mean Girl tickets for Mother's Day last year and alas, it was finally here! The show was dynamite, the venue was gorgeous, acoustics were great and staff were lovely. We got there insanely early, so parking wasn't an issue though I hear closer to showtime it can be! Tickets were priced as you'd expect. Even bathroom lines weren't horrendous, you got in and out no problem. Hancher offers many types of shows, and honestly many don't appeal to me but I appreciate the wide variety they showcase and all of the art they bring to Iowa City! When their new schedule comes out each year I am always sure to take a look, in hopes something catches my eye. I can't wait for my next time enjoying a show at Hancher!

This auditorium is beautiful! I attended a UI graduation here and it was great! The architecture of…read morethe building is fantastic. The sound inside during graduation was clear and the seats were comfortable. It would be a great place to attend a show.

Stupid expensive !!! Just had drinks ... 32$ for one cocktail....view is good but not great. Folks…read morethere are very nice and service is great. ...

I know I've had a better food experience in the past and I'd like to think that the next time I…read morecome to Vue, I'll have that again. This particular visit, not so great. My first choice off the menu ended up not being available as one of ingredients was out. So, my second choice, a chicken sandwich was just okay. While the chicken was tender, it was very salty - too salty. It needed more flavor and less salt. The fries were okay, nothing memorable and a little soggy. Our server was great and she's what made the experience enjoyable. She was really on top of it and made sure to keep our drinks full and that we had what we needed. The ambiance is pretty good at Vue; it is fun to be on the top of the hotel and see Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus down below.

Studio/Alleycat is my favorite place to haunt the nightlife. Good vibes, good drinks, good staff-…read morenot to mention the experience of trying to out pinball your friend who got ONE really lucky run but refuses to acknowledge any score lower than that one. I'll beat you one of these days.

Unfortunately, this place is becoming less and less known for safety and consent due to one manager…read morethat the owner refuses to hold accountable. I have photos I will upload about how this manager is being warned about on social media to incoming students at the university on yik yak. Both anonymous STAFF!? and customers AND prior roomates saying she is creepy on yik yak threads that when shes drunk, she can verbally abusive,. A group of three claiming to have watched it happen and left because of it at Tequila Cowgirl last fall. Even someone claiming to be her roommate responded to the thread saying she was a thief. This has been going on for two semesters now and Jason refuses to uphold the concept that studio is a safe place where violence, walking on eggshells, and feeling unsafe is not allowed. This will continue to get worse.

We came here on a Tuesday for happy hour!!! I think that was a huge mistake! The special was Old…read moreFashioned and I can't tell you how many we drink over. Our waiter was awesome, she put up with all our Shannan's. As far as I remember the food was good. I love the roof top but it got a little cool up there. Overall it was a great time!

Came here from out of town for a conference and stayed at the local hotels. We walked to 30 hop for…read moreaffordable food from a place with lots of good verbal recommendations. Pretty good for what it offers (bar food). We had the bowls, happy hour wings, truffle fries, and truffle cheesesteak. Everything came out steaming hot and flavors were there! Service was good, lots of young people. Ambiance was bar vibe. Clean. Definitely recommend for someone who's looking for good casual dining who's in the area and not wanting to walk far.