We just moved to the area a year ago and stumbled upon Jameson's. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled we were to find something that wasn't a cookie-cutter sports bar/grill!! The food menu is absolutely charming! And totally LOVE the bar and selections! We've brought several guests here this past year. The bar staff and wait staff are charming. We ate the cheese curds and were pleasantly impressed--coming from WI, that's a tall bar. My spouse had a burger and I had the fish. All were delightful! So glad we found this place! I hope it never changes! read more

Jameson's Public House - Fish fry - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

See all

What a great place to have fun and meet people.New owners a month ago. Old owner passed away .was a great guy we probably went here 5 times in our 16 day stay. The servers were awesome. So friendly. Thanks Jamesens read more

Fun place for happy hour and hanging with friends however do not be in a hurry, service is SLOW! This is my second stop here and turtle service seems to be the norm!! read more

See all

WOW I love this place!! The food was great the beer was cold and the live music was incredible this is a Waterloo hot spot. The staff was so friendly and the atmosphere was electric well worth the drive from Cedar Rapids and the band they had Furious George was amazing they kept crowd entertained and man can they play. If your around Waterloo this is a must stop and see place. read more

Jameson's Public House - Rock out at Jameson's with Furious George - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

Just moved to Iowa and was looking somewhere to quench my thirst. I'm from Seattle so there's a high bar when it comes to pubs and dive bars; this place hit the mark. I got two ciders and a half order of batches and beer pretzel. Got it all about 15 minutes in. Check out the photo, they consider this a fcking half order -- read more

Jameson's Public House - They call this a half order - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

See all

Really nice service!!! Nice cold Harp, fish and chips... Irish American through and through. read more

Jameson's Public House - The Goddess - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

This place is a cool locals bar, definitely liked the look as it has a look of a Irish pub. Good food and drinks. Plenty of food items to choose from. read more

Was looking for something different after spending a few days in Waterloo and this place popped up on yelp. I would say this is pretty much your run of the mill Irish bar. Friendly staff, some great Irish dinner options on the menu and cheap drinks. I will definitely drop by again when I'm in the neighborhood. read more

Veggies rejoice! The black bean burger is fantastic and the fries are too! Cool atmosphere as well... server was super awkward though lol

I've been here quite a few times. The service had never been great but it's never been this bad. When I arrived I got my first beer at the bar. I found a table and sat down. There is one one server and one bartender working tonight and about 30 people and that's including a 12 top that had been done eating since I came in. I've been sitting with an empty glass for over half an hour. The server has been back to the party table 3 or 4 times, brought a couple drink orders, took away empties for them. I watched her stare at my empty glass on three separate occasions. Now, here we are, 45 minutes, my glass has completely dried. In the meantime the server has had time to empty the trash, take a break check with her 12 top again. She finally builds the courage to approach my table. She asks, "Did you start at tab with (bartenders name)?". I reply "Yes I got a beer at the bar when I first came in." She asks what I was drinking, I tell her what I had, foolishly thinking she was going to bring me a new beer. So I wait, I've gotten good at that tonight. Another 5 minutes passes, now the bartender comes up to me and asks what I had and would I like another. Holy shit, 50 minutes after my glass was emptied I have a fresh drink. I'm afraid to drink more than a sip at a time, who knows how long it'll take to get another. read more

So I have given this place two chances and I have continued to be displeased with the food. I had the fish and chips the first time and it came out undercooked. I then came back and tried the pub burger. No it a fan. Burger was OK, but nothing worthwhile to it. The side salad tasted like it came from a bag. This place has a good music vibe and good beer, just eat dinner before you get there. read more

Jameson's Public House - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

Passing through Waterloo and came across this place for food. Menu is very big, many options from a typical bar food and prices are quite nice. I had the buffalo burger with red pepper Gouda soup... excellent flavor! Fun atmosphere and college football were on many TVs. I'd visit again! read more

Definitely an A-OK place to grab a bite to eat and some (very reasonably priced) drinks. We were in town for a music festival, and Jameson's was happily just up the road from our hotel. As we tend to gravitate towards Irish bars, it was a natural first stop for us when we pulled into town, and it didn't disappoint. The bartenders are friendly and welcoming, and chatty with all of the customers, regulars or not. The atmosphere is your typical Irish pub, the bathrooms were spotless (which was really nice), and like I said, drink prices were extremely reasonable. They do offer live music, though we didn't see any of the bands advertised while we were in town. The food isn't spectacular, but it is decent bar food and I would eat there again. My husband had the applewood chicken sandwich with fries, which he definitely enjoyed, and I had the 1/2 Reuben. (I very much appreciate that a lot of their sandwiches can be ordered either whole or 1/2 sized). The bartender said that the corned beef is made in house and the bread is from a local bakery, and that they even make their own dressing, which is cool. I wasn't a huge fan of the thick-cut corned beef, but the Reuben was overall tasty and the fries were also well-done (crispy and flavorful, but certainly not burnt). I definitely enjoyed my time at Jameson's, and it seems to be a local favorite. I can see why, and would certainly visit again if I'm ever back in the area. read more

Stopped in for lunch today. Liked the vibe a lot - decor was old, tables had character, bathroom was very clean. Decided it was half old stuff, half restaurant interior design. No problem with that. Food was above average for an Irish bar, I had the Shepherd's pie (made with ground beef), my wife had the roast beef sandwich (served open faced on bread with gravy and champ.) So, the champ, the special Irish mashed potatoes, was really good and made both dishes. I liked the Shepherd's Pie much better than the dish at the Royal Mile in Des Moines, for example. Wait staff was very friendly and attentive. We sat down at the front and moved to the back to be close to the fire and had a nice time, will return. read more

Rating this on my experience here over Irish Festival weekend. We arrived a little past noon on Sunday. It took about 10 minutes for our server to get to us. Once she did she said 'I am not sure if we are serving food, let me check.' What!? It is noon on the busiest weekend you have had in a LONG time and you aren't serving food. We left. Not the servers fault really but still.... doesn't make sense to me. There food here is really good. Maybe try sometime when they aren't overwhelmed. They are part of this event every year. They know what to expect. When we walked out the door they lost at least $60. Not a good business plan. read more

Jameson's Public House - a crowd of people sitting at a table - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

Great food and really good service. The atmosphere is fantastic. Had live music during happy hour the last time we were there. Overall a great place to visit. read more

Just went here for the second time and enjoyed a evening out. Jamesons had 'The Pork Tornadoes' playing...great band with good eclectic mix of music. This is a decent size bar with lots of room to roam. Bartender staff is very decent and great selection to choose from. I have not tried the food yet so I will leave that for a review update. read more

Went here with a group of 11 and wasn't disappointed. A typical Irish Pub with Guinness, Smithwicks, Blue Moon and Harp on tap and a nice food selection. We had a large catered meal that surprisingly was made at an employees house since their kitchen was under construction. The food was still amazing and surprisingly cheap. The interior is all wood floors and walls for a old world feel and their is a little upstairs nook we occupied that is great for private parties. They even have some patio seating for fun outside. If you feel Irished out and want a different change of pace try the Screaming Eagle which is just down the street. This place is Waterloo's second coolest bar... read more

Was in town visiting family and met up with some friends on Saturday night here. My husband is a huge Jameson's whiskey fan, so naturally, he was pretty stoked to check it out :) The atmosphere was pretty typical Irish Pub style, a little bit rustic, but clean. Had a pretty cool dart area, closed off to walk-throughs. Steel-tipped darts and free to play, which I prefer :) There was a live band while we were there, but to tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you what they sounded like because my friends and I got hammered!!! Our waitress was really attentive and I felt, catered to us. My glass was NEVER empty and she was really cool at whippin up some shots for us through the night. She heard that I was in town and hadn't been for around 3 years, so she knew we were all about tyin' one on and she definitely did not disappoint. We had a great time playing darts, drinkin, and having a great time! This place is definitely worth checkin out and I'm pretty sure if I still lived in Waterloo, I'd be a regular here. :) read more

Jameson's Public House - I'm told this is called Sex with an Alligator... I don't care, you set 'em up, I'll knock 'em back!! - Pubs Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

I stop in regularly with family for the annual Irish Fest. I"ve never had the food here, which seems to be much of the complaints, but I've always had decent service. Speaking from a point of view of going during Fest, when they're at-or-beyond capacity, I've always had surprisingly fast service. I've never stood at the bar for more than 2 minutes waiting to order or get a drink. During the sunday morning lull, my family has gotten the full irish breakfast. It wasn't superub, but I heard no complaints either. All in all, I'll give good review for fast service, authentic-feeling atmosphere, and great live music. I'll be back again for next year's Fest! read more

We stopped here traveling. So glad we did. What great service and delicious food. Would certainly recommend. They had live music but unfortunately we didn't have time to stay. Beer French opinion soup was the best and homemade chips were awesome and salty! Great tap beer menu. read more

To those complaining about food and service during Irishfest, you picked the single busiest day of the year to go there. It's like complaining about Times Square on New Years Eve. Trust me, the food, service and atmosphere are very good every other day of the year. read more

A great place to hang out with friends and kick back some Irish brew and inspired food. They get the best around for Irish music every weekend with free popcorn to help digest the beer. There is so much space for large groups, yet little spaces to hide with just one or two friends. The food is decent as well but don't expect brown sauce (at least the last time I was there they didn't have any). read more

Very poor service last weekend. The bar was moderately busy, but they only had two servers working. Not impressed. Drinks were over priced and food was nothing great. I would not recommend to anyone. read more

After returning to Waterloo from so many many years away I am constantly trying to find better and interesting dining in the Cedar Valley. I researched a little on line prior to taking in a lunch recently. The menu interested me enough to give it a try. I was somewhat startled as I walked in about 12:30 and there were many tables open and staffing was very minimal. This originally sent off warning signals. Finally a pleasant employee (bartender/wait person/?) approached us and welcomed us. Obtained our drink order and informed us of the specials of the day. I chose the warm meat loaf sandwich with fresh cut fries with a touch of steak seasoning which was one of the specials. My guest chose a warm flatbread chicken sandwich with a small salad. Our lunch arrived very quickly and hot. My meatloaf was extremely flavorful and moist with just the right amount of cheese and italian sauce and my fries were excellent with just enough seasoning for flavor and not overpowering. What a good day to choose as my Yahoo carb day!! My guest enjoyed her sandwich and said was very flavorful and would order it again. We both have decided to return for another meal I will be trying the Americanized Shepard's Pie on our next visit and we also decided to come back when there is evening entertainment. We loved the Irish Pub ambiance and will return. read more

Sucks, don't eat here. I thought anybody could make a Tenderloin, not Jamesons. I ordered one recently and was unpleasantly surprised to find that it had more breading than meat, and was paper thin. The trash can ate it instead, then spit it out and reviewed it poorly on Yelp. read more

Best Guinness pull in town. No joke, I think its because they go through the kegs so quickly. Great Irish Pub!

The food was alright, but the beer selection was good, and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We were passing through town for the night and decided to drop into a few places in 4th. Jameson's had the best atmosphere so we settled in for an evening. We ordered pretzels and a couple of sandwiches. Sandwiches were so-so, but not too different from what I'd expect in this sort of place. The bartenders took obvious pride in their beer offerings, and knew how to guide customers toward new and delicious options. I would definitely come back just to sit at the bar for a while. What can't be replicated was the wonderful time we had chatting with regulars and staff. The congenial atmosphere made for one of the best nights I've had in a long time. read more

Shepards Pie had little flavor, told it is the #2 selling item behind burgers. Bartender had good knowledge of beer selection. Might be a better place to chug a few rather than dine. Definitely a bar atmosphere. Toilet seat was busted and laying on the floor next to the commode! read more

Cool place to go for a drink and live music. However, NOT a good place to go for food. Tried several times, with the most recent being trying something safe like a burger and fries. Burger was damn close to hockey puck burnt, and fries had the consistency of one's left under a warmer for hours. Overall very unimpressed as a restaurant. read more

I have visited Jamesons a few times. While the food is quite good, the wait staff really isn't. Each time the server didn't initially appear at my table for 10-15 minutes. Last night, they didn't appear at all, so my guest and I left. I can expect to wait if it is a busy night, however, there were only 10 people in the entire place. Very disappointing. read more

This is the only place worth going to in Waterloo. Strong drinks, solid bands playing, authentic Irish feel, good food. I have no idea why people bother going to other places downtown. read more

We have been loyal patrons of Jameson's for over 5 years. We have enjoyed the service, atmosphere, and food for over 5 years. Tonite was not good!!! We'd ordered drinks, then ordered just buffalo wings....easy peasy...but after 20 min we asked about our order...we were told the server would bring our order out...10 min. later we saw the bartender go to the kitchen, we'd only seen one sandwich order come out during this time, but our bartender disappeared and and reappeared with our wings. I was standing at my seat at the bar so I'd be noticed because I wanted my bill at that time...I was tired of waiting for my wing order, I told the bartender I wanted my tab, and not the wings, no comment from the bartender about my request or about the 30 min wait. Unfortunately, I will strongly reconsider visiting Jameson's again, especially if ordering food. read more

Not a good place at night. It is extremely loud with live music. You can't hear anyone talking next to you. Rather walk down the street to find another place than have my ear drums burst. read more

Maybe not a truly authentic Irish Pub, but nice anyways. Live bands Friday/Saturday night(cover bands), open mic Wednesday nights, decent beer selection, good staff for the most part. Outdoor searing when the weather is decent. read more

Good atmosphere, friendly service w/o being pushy. Pub burger very tasty, me mates steak flatbread wrap also good. Pints of drunken monkey and bush whiskey hit the spot. You'd be a fool to pass on this place if ur looking for fun. read more

Went a few days before IrishFest. The service was slow for 9pm on aTuesday. I ordered sausage with mash potatoes and peas. The peas were frozen and there were SO many. The sausage was great though! read more