I am a frequent visitor to J&A Tap and figured it is time I finally give it a review. Despite its rough exterior and sometimes rough clientele, J&A Tap is an important part of any North Liberty experience. Once you get over the initial culture shock, you'll realize that J&A offers friendly service, good food, and a fun time. My experiences playing sand volleyball or singing karaoke here have allowed me to get to know a few of the regulars and John (the J in J&A). This is a family run place with some genuinely nice people. I enjoy the hot tots, sandwiches, and burgers. I've also had a pretty good breakfast here when I was trying to soak up a little alcohol from the night before. This isn't the place for date night or a low key cocktail, but it is definitely worth checking out if you're hoping to pound a few drinks, chow on fried goodies, and have a few laughs. read more

Finally, after removing the yelp check in offer wasn't honored, they are back in my semi- good graces. Have a nice karaoke stage Thursday and Saturday my dad goes to. Decent bar food. Drinks aren't cheap but also not expensive. Cheese curds (small) for $12 ... in NL seems high. $5 domestic drafts. They also have a big burger and tater tot challenge where if you eat it all you get it free. I'd not $35. Fixin to do it. The wings by the way come with NO dipping sauce. $12 for basic wings and you need to pay $1-2 for sauces. Place is a little weird. Run very cheaply. First day on the job bartender was rude and typical from my experience. Heard they are fixing to sell. Hoping new owner can take not to the next level as this place has potential but incompetently run and staffed. read more

J&A Tap - They will NOT honor this check in. Also kinda rude attitude when telling me this :/ - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

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Went for supper by myself on a Friday night. I'd say it wasn't any busier than any other restaurant in the area on a weekend night, in fact I'd say probably not as many customers as anywhere else. It was my first time going there, so I browsed the menu and ordered a chicken bacon melt. After 30 minutes of waiting I finally asked the bartender to just close me out after a couple beers. The woman bartender had her stomach out all over the bar surfaces and there was clearly some tension going on with the staff. Even if the food did come out I'm pretty confident it wouldn't have been good. Will not be going back when there are far better options in North Liberty. read more

I had seen J&A's expanded menu a while back when I was in the bar (pre-COVID) and wondered how they would be able to offer that and if it would be very good food. Well, in my effort to support local and wanting to give it a try, I ordered take out from J&A's. I went with a wrap and tator tots and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste. Not only were the tots fresh and crispy, they did not skimp on the amount of meat and ingredients in the wrap. My most recent take out experience was just as good. I had the mesquite turkey and cheese on a pretzel roll. The sandwich was much to look at but the taste was soooo good! The fries were just okay, but still fresh. I can't wait to try more off their menu and will keep ordering the tots as my side. read more

J&A Tap - Wrap! - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

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Horrendous service, took over an hour to get our food, and the waitress did not stop at our table once in that time. We will never go back, and that is sad because we love the food here. read more

J&A Tap - Kitchen sink omelette. Great food! - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

I had previously been to the bar for drinks, but I had never tried their food. I had heard good things and decided to order takeout to support a local business. The service was super fast! I had barely finished my order when I got an alert my Chomp driver was picking up the food. The cheese curds are absolutely fantastic! So, I strongly recommend those. I also tried the blue cheese burger with fries. It was very good, but I probably would have preferred solid blue cheese over the dressing. That's probably just a personal preference though. I will definitely order again and try the tots. read more

J&A Tap - Cheese Curds - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

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Local family owned sports bar and restaurant. Famous for their Iowa pork tenderloin sandwiches but the all-day breakfast looked fabulous too. They have some lighter meals as well. I had the taco salad which was delicious. Nice and fresh. But my favorite is their bloody Mary! Nice and spicy with lots of pickles and olives and bacon! What could be wrong with that?!? You Will see a lot of locals there. It's not unusual to see farmers on their lunch break, road workers or police officers there. We've never been at night but I hear that place has live music and Karaoke. Much better than any chain restaurant! read more

Interesting little dive bar in North Liberty, which sits right across the street from Reds Alehouse. I went to this bar and got a Zoltan Session beer, which tasted alright. It was dimly lit inside with varied seating options. The bartender was very kind as well as knowledgeable about the beers she had on tap. When I checked into this bar on Yelp, I received a coupon for a free beer...so I showed it to the bartender and my beer was free, which was great! Overall, good experience. read more

We get carry out food here, and sometimes go to their breakfast buffet. The food is bar food and it's really good. The bar tenders are fast and nice. We love eating from here. read more

3rd time we've gotten delivery from J&A's. Excellent! (given the limitations of 3rd party delivery). The Blue Cheese burger has always been good. The fries too. read more

After playing in JA's sand volleyball league for two years, I finally feel I've been here enough to post a review. A few things - this is a townie bar through and through, but do not let that fool you, they have some delicious bar food. The tater tots are on point, and their club sandwich on pretzel bread is super good. Burgers are good and they have cheese curds, soooo pretty much anything you'd ever want while consuming alcoholic beverages. Generally speaking the staff here is nice and efficient - even when it's crowded they make a point not to let anyone stand at the bar unserved for very long. They also host Karaoke on Saturdays which provides for some excellent entertainment, even if you don't participate. read more

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Always a great time at J & A's! Drinks are cold and food is good. If you're looking to play darts or shoot some pool this is your place.

Holy balls!!! Went here after much discussion as to where we should go, and could not be happier with the outcome!!! Both of the people that I went with, ordered a burger. Two different types, mind you, but both said that theirs was awesome. I decided to go a different route and ordered a ham and cheese omelette, with hashbrowns, with gravy, and a pancake as my side. Wtf was I thinking?!?!?!?!? I'm couple beers into it and that's what I ordered?!?! YEP!!!! And you know what, it was fan-fucking-tastic!!!!!!! I ended up bringing most of the omelette and hashbrowns home but the pancake is to die for!!! SO GOOD!!!!!! Don't let the pretentious people in your life, keep you from enjoying the little things. This happens to be one of those "little things", that you will love. Weird atmosphere....youbetcha!!! Great service....youbetcha!!! Should you be ordering breakfast at 830 pm...why the fuck not, youbetcha.!!! Will I come back....YOU BET YOUR ASS I WILL BE!!!! read more

This is your typical bar food. Very greasy and not great. It has a biker bar vibe. Staff is friendly, prices are okay.

I've heard nothing but great things about the food here. Went there three times this winter (2018) and all times I was very disappointed. I think they have one person working the kitchen because they can't seem to manage anything more than single orders. First time was for breakfast and it was just Ok. Typically eggs, hash browns, toast. Second time We were a party of 6 and our food took FOREVER. Then when it arrived it was cold. Bar food needs to be hot. All the fried food came to us as if it was sitting for 10 minutes. Pizza was warm, not hot, just warm. Drink refills took forever, I had to go to the bar a couple of times to get my own beer. Third time I went was an order for pick up. Burger meat tasted like it had been laying out for a couple of days before they cooked it. Had a bad smell and taste. That sealed the deal for me. Never going back again. read more

This is a great spot to chill with friends! Karaoke on Thursday and Saturday nights with a super fun DJ! They have a good selection of tasty but affordable bar food and breakfast items. I like the cheese curds, pretzel bites, and waffle fries. Almost all the sandwiches are good and they have nightly specials. read more

J&A Tap - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

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Came in for dinner tonight, was greeted by a host and told to sit wherever we wanted. Took a booth and waited 15 minutes with no service. Another table came in and was immediately helped by the waitress. We even waited for her to return with the other tables drink order and then leave them before we left. This is very sad because we wanted to try this place! read more

Stopped in to get a drink 15 minutes for ANY acknowledgement from staff Was going to get breakfast but didn't want to spend the day here! Wow... FINALLY got a drink & left Very sucky service...Unless they know you... Won't be back.... read more

The bouncers were way out of line! Lost my business for laughing at us for bringing a driver!!

Best breakfast ever! Best burgers anywhere! And you will never leave hungry. Bloody Mary's are beautiful and the drinks are cold! read more

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J&A Tap is a great local watering hole in North Liberty. They have excellent bar food - I've never had anything bad off the menu. The beer prices are great and they have specials every night. Karaoke twice a week and it's always packed. The crowd gets kind of rowdy here, but it is still a really fun place to hang! read more

I do appreciate the check in offer of a free drink but it's still just an OK bar. Nothing really makes this bar stand out. The food is your typical bar food and usually pretty greasy. The staff seems to be fairly nice. The best part is the outdoor volleyball courts in the summer time. Not the best place to watch sports because the TV's are poorly placed and terrible quality. Hard to compete with Red's being right next door and being such a classy establishment but I understand that's not what most people are looking for. Upgrade the TV's and get ride of some of the clutter and it could be a great place to go. Also limit the amount of testosterone in the place at nights by kicking those types of guys out. Always looking for a fight. read more

J&A Tap - Small town bar. Cool bar - Sports Bars Near Me - North Liberty, Iowa

I LOVE J&A! The staff is so friendly! The food is good and the karaoke is always a good time!

The owners John and amanda are amazing. cleanest place in town for a local bar. They care about their patrons and treat people like family and actually work every time I'm in here instead of sitting at the end of the bar drinking while their staff gets their ass kicked. Bartenders are friendly and efficient and make great drinks. Food is amazing as well!! John, Kim, Monica, And Andi are amazing. read more

Been here several times. Always great service, amazing food, awesome music and TONS of fun! Staff members wear masks and tend to you as soon as they can. Great place to work.... I think they are looking for cooks and bartenders.... apply if you'd like to work for a great, friendly, fun establishment! Hope to see ya there. read more

All beer that were in cans were warm (un drinkable) and a very strong smell of sewer in pool area/women's restroom. Ordered tator tots and they were cold in the middle. read more

Bar food, not elevated but satisfying. Attentive wait staff. Inexpensive drinks. Overall what you'd expect.

This place offers many different types of evenings. This is a townie bar. If you're looking for a bite to eat, or to go out with drinks & karaoke with friends- it will not disappoint. there is always an interesting crowd and friendly faces. I enjoy playing in their volleyball league on weeknights. Their food is surprisingly delicious. I recommended the cheese curds, hot tots, pretzel bites, and their baskets. Rumor has it they have good breakfast pizza that I am looking forward to trying someday. read more

The staff were very attentive to my order and genuinely nice (which is rare these days). This is definitely a dive bar which is packed with locals, karaoke on occasion and live bands on the day I went. I'm a craft beer aficionado and I was pleasantly surprised to find one beer to wet my whistle after my very long workday. Typically when I chose a place to go I ask myself two things-do they have good beer on tap and good food? I had the best burger ever! Definitely top five burgers in my arsenal to revisit. I will be ordering the Bourbon Burger with onion rings many times in my future. I loved that the bun was imprinted with the name of the bar! Sauce was perfect, grease was right, taste was amazing. Good job! read more

We stopped in for a drink (which was free due to a Yelp check-in coupon) and to watch some karaoke on a Saturday night during North Liberty's Beat the Bitter Snuggie Bar Crawl event. The place was packed due to the event, yet there were still plenty of places you could stand without feeling crowded (important for me). There was an extensive waiting list for karaoke, but we didn't mind just spectating. The energy in this place was great. Everyone was having a great time and supporting those who had the courage to get up on stage and sing for a full house of people. I look forward to going back and trying their food. read more

Awesome "Dive bar" very friendly owners and staff. They also have very good food at a reasonable price. I moved to North Liberty 3 years ago and heard a few of the locals rave about the yuppy bar across the street. If you want to have have fun and hear great live music stop on in to J&As !!!! read more

Service sucks!! Food is pretty good but drinks are expensive and small and not worth the money. There's always a excuse my language but bitchy bartender that always has and attitude. read more

I need to speak to the managers John and Amanda concerning the Here's the Deal coupons! State law requires that we at least get credit for the face value of the coupon. Jackie and others on staff Wednesday evening 7 pm stated that the coupon was expired and that was that. Please share what I found out! Our e-mail is smb@southslope.net if you care to respond, John or Amanda! We would have been happy to have enjoyed your wonderful dinner items, but mother fell and fractured her pelvis, requiring hospitalization and rehab, so our coupons have expired. We would at least like to have received our face value paid for them. Jan and Steve read more

When reds is packed, Ill walk across the street to this place. Its a bar, and they have cheap beers. They even have pickled eggs for sale behind the bar! read more

The bartender was beyond friendly. I think her name was Brittany? So sweet! MADE THE BEST TEQUILA SUNRISE WITHIN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS! and that's saying something ... not only that, but they have TouchTunes. Can you say Katy Perry on repeat? read more

It's hard to put into words the good feeling one gets at this place. Everything about it is well above average and the crowds are outstanding, especially on karaoke nights, Thurs and Sat. I recommend giving it a try and writing your own review. I'm generally not a bar food guy but I did find the cuisine here also to be well above average. Interesting and eclectic mix of people and servers. To summarize in a phrase: "existentially upbeat." read more

Good appetizers. Decent drinks and prices. Feels very towny. Occasionally will have live music. Volleyball leagues in the summer.

Requested Snow day - was served dig beer instead, women acceptably attractive although somewhat forward in their advances.