After months of raving from friends, I finally got to experience Octopus for the first time earlier this winter and immediately got the hype. I love a humble dive bar, but add live music, and that's a winning combo. Octopus GETS it and does it well. From big names to fresh faces, you're guaranteed good tunes here. They've also got late night snackies! Highly recommend stopping in. You might even get to pet a dog! read more

One of my fave bars to play and hang in! They dj, awesome punk and rock records with turn tables behind the bar, the staff kicks major buns, and they have a huge sound system for a fairly small bar. Free popcorn and snacks and huge selection of local and regional beers both on tap and in a bottle! The bar is owned by legendary House of Large Sizes band leader Dave Diebler who is a great story teller and will talk rock n roll with you all night! If your ever in Cedar Falls you got to stop here and get a brew, the people rule, the bar is rad and it's right on college hill! read more

I love coming here. $1 PBR draws til 7 pm every day: what more can I say? Just kidding, this place is awesome. They spin cool records all afternoon and evening on the weeknights, and they have live music on the weekends. The beer garden is sick. The bartenders are cool. Definitely worth a look. read more

Records. Live music. PBR. Food trucks. Who could ask for more? We love stopping over to the Octopus on the random occasion. They often have food trucks stop by, including La Calle, which is always delicious. There is live music on the weekends (including some metal shows, which my husband loves). There are craft beers on tap, and they also have PBR. Need I say more? We would definitely recommend a stop. Nab a spot by the big windows and people watch or enjoy the beer garden out back. There is something for everyone! read more

Fun for happy hour. Chill vibe. I appreciated the complimentary popcorn and wings available for purchase.

Drinks A+ The Music B+ The hipsters sneering & eye rolling a big fat F It just made my LA friends & I laugh! Dumb a$%es I'm from Los Angeles & now live in Boulder & you UNI hipster wanna bes are from CF & your giving me rude tude really? Give me a break. It was fun to try. I'm glad I don't live in CF any more. read more

My favorite. Which is not surprising considering the ownership. Good vibes and ALWAYS good music and lots of very cool events. Plus the whiskey sours are so yum. Yay! read more

The Octopus is the best bar in Cedar Falls! Usually when I make trips back home its one of the first places I stop! There is always friendly faces sitting at and working behind the bar. It's kind of like Cheers, where everyone knows your name! There are always good drink specials, $1 pints of PBR for happy hour, shot & drink combo specials, POPCORN, $1 can beer night on Monday, and all day happy hour on Sunday! The owners are great-local legends, they really know and understand their customers and are happy to strike up a conversation and tell you some awesome stories! There's usually a band every weekend, local and touring acts-Most shows range from $5-$10, Trivia league on Tuesday nights, Comedy nights-something for everyone! The location is great, right in the heart of College Hill. A lot of the bars surrounding it are loud, obnoxious, typical college bars with awful music (and unfortunately awful people) Octopus gives you a break from that! They always have great vinyl playing, they encourage you to bring in an album to throw on too! They have great DJs that have amazing vinyl collections they bring in to help get bodies moving and grooving. Always a classic movie or games playing on the television-sound on for special occasions, but otherwise all about the music! They are constantly working on and improving their back patio which is amazing to hang out in during the summer. Octopus is also great at involving and helping out with their community. Lots of fundraisers and special events-like vegan potlucks! Octopus has a very special place in my heart, and is a home away from home for a lot of the regulars that go there! read more

See all

It's a nice and small hip place in Cedar Falls which is nice since the college town is dominated by gimmicky bars that are so loud you can't even hear the people you're with. However, I came for open mic night and while most people were enjoyable I'm pretty sure they let a mental patient on stage who thought he was a comedian. He was far from funny. You would think they would screen who does mic night since if you get bad entertainment it can be bad for business. Needless to say after that I'll avoid this place on mic night. Hopefully, the other nights here are more enjoyable. read more

Hipster paradise in the Cedar Falls area. A great selection of beers and a cool ambiance make this a lovely hangout spot. Be wary of shows, though, as the space is far too small for such a thing and the crowds are a mess. The bartenders are most superlative, though in hipster tradition they tend to have at least one on staff with a surly disposition. read more

A great place to chill with a reasonably priced drink and listen to great music

Do you remember those dorks in high school who wore bondage jeans and adored Marilyn Manson? Or the kid's who had a disdain for gym because they couldn't climb a rope or catch a ball? Well sad to say they're hipsters now.. Octopus is the breeding grounds for the aforementioned . All jokes aside, this place has a cool selection of drinks. And if you're looking to get away from the hayseeds with chew in their back pocket and girls with way too much glitter and Jessica Simpson perfume. This might be the spot for you . read more

Such a great vibe here, really comfortable atmosphere. Fabulous signature cocktails the Buquerones (anchovies) are spectacular. There's a band tonight that we'll check out after dinner. Really need to come back for comedy too read more

Seriously enjoyed my experience. Nice staff. Cool atmosphere and even though it was just 2 blocks from a university didn't feel like a college bar. Worth a trip if you are in Waterloo. read more

Music awesome, service kinda sucked. Both bar tenders drinking, won't make fresh popcorn is it us or not?

I loved the atmosphere of this bar! It's a little cozy but you will be able to see the stage wherever you sit bar,booth or table! They have a lot of beer but not a whole lot of other beverages. read more

I recall first visiting the Octopus with optimism, hoping that it would be a high brow addition to the Hill. My girlfriend and I arrived late (a bit after 1) following a weekend night out and planned to have a drink and soak in the quiet atmosphere. We sat down in a booth after being served and slow sipped for less than five minutes while basking in each others' company and conversation. I kept overhearing semi-loud hints from the man behind the bar (who I'm assuming was the owner) that it was time to wrap things up and that we were an unwelcome party. I noticed that the patrons he was making these implications to weren't moving from their stools at the bar (after all it was well before 2), and I sensed that this was a close knit group. Finally, turning to my girlfriend and I, the owner curtly announced that, "anyone who doesn't know me needs to leave". In disbelief, we did so without protest and without getting the chance to finish our beers. We do apologize for being such nuisances and for interfering with what undoubtedly became a nude, opium induced xx concert the instant we exited. It must be awfully difficult putting up with such well mannered, paying customers night in and night out. The beer and one song we were able to hear were both excellent, but since you had no part in the creation of either, you get one star. read more

love it, $10 bottles of wine! nice atmosphere. we go there when we are in town.

First time at Octopus. Very nice looking bar/pub; clean and nice bar and tables. As this bar is in the University area I was not surprised to see the liberal looking and talking bunch. Some of the patrons and staff were quite proud of themselves and their liberal discussions. The staff was very slow at serving customers at the bar. Not a very welcoming establishment. However the bar itself was in great shape. Conservatives beware! read more

I just recently turned 21, and I had never been to the octopus before. I was excited to see what it was like. I got my first chance tonight as it was my friends 21st birthday at midnight. We made our way to the hill, excited for her to get some birthday specials and we decided to try out octopus. We walked into octopus right before midnight, probably about 10 of us. We get in there and the first thing the bartender says is "have your id's ready", in an extremely rude tone, which surprised me right away. We waited a few minutes and then she came over to us and we asked if she had any birthday specials. The answer was no, not really what my friend wanted to hear at her first bar as a 21 year old. I told her I'd buy her a shot anyway so she gave the bar tender her Id. My friend is from Minnesota and their IDs expire on the day they turn 21. When she was back home so went to her DOT to make sure she would be fine for her birthday. They marked her ID void as of the day of her birthday and gave her a paper form that had official stamps and everything saying her birthday and that this paper was valid for 2 months after her birthday. She had asked if she could get another drivers license but they said they mail it within two weeks. She did everything right and had proper Id and paperwork. The bartender looked at it for a little bit, asked a few questions, as my friend explained that the paper showed it was valid. The bartender then responded "well I'm not familiar with this, so yeah I'm not going to accept it." You're telling me you've never had anyone else from Minnesota come to your bar on their 21st? Just because they weren't from Iowa and you weren't familiar is no excuse to be so rude. You are a college town bar and there are going to be people from other states that have different laws and paperwork than us, and this doesn't make it any less legal. I could not believe how rude this lady was, and how inconsiderate she was toward my friend. My god, she is turning 21 in your bar and you have the audacity to be so rude. It was clearly legal and why would we bring in 10 people to watch her if we were trying to fake it. I can't believe the way the bartender treated us. I was excited to try this bar and was severely disappointed. Let's just say my first time there, was my last. You will not be getting business from me, and I doubt you will be from any of my friends who witnessed this as well. read more