After months of raving from friends, I finally got to experience Octopus for the first time earlier…read morethis 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!

One of my fave bars to play and hang in! They dj, awesome punk and rock records with turn tables…read morebehind 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!

On the beautiful patio during the downtown celebration "Sturgis Falls' we had prompt seating, very…read moreattentive waiter, Spencer, - awesome food, Bloody Marys, & martinis. Highly recommend the Stuffed Olive, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Stopped in after dinner and was blown away. What a stylish…read more and chill place to relax. The staff was freidly and full of Iowa nice. (We are living in Minnesota.) The drinks were wonderful. Bonus: The bar is in half of what was my father-in-law's hardware store in the 60s and 70s. Great walk down memory lane for my husband and sister-in-law.

A friend and I stopped in to check out the newest addition to downtown Waterloo and we liked it…read more The decor is pretty impressive and detailed. The ceiling is corrugated tin and the floors and walls are reclaimed barn wood, according to the article in the Courier. You will step on peanuts, which I find mildly schticky, but okay. We bellied up to the bar and enjoyed the company of the barkeep, a friendly girl with an easy smile and a quick laugh. The beers and liquor are all the standards, nothing terribly out of the ordinary for the area. The place was not well-attended, but I don't think many people know about this place yet; anyone we talked to after our visit had no clue it was even there. Hopefully this place will draw some business to the area.

Western themed bar, the decor is nice, but still kind of dive-y. Not too wide a beer selection, but…read moredecent whiskey. Free peanuts, and a rather "interesting' clientele most nights.(you'll have that in downtown Waterloo).

We are in town overnight and met up with some in town family here. It was a busy night in the…read moredowntown, so maybe that had something to do with how it went. The restaurant was really loud. We did sit upstairs where it was a bit quieter. Our server seemed baffled by our beer orders and didn't know what was on tap. We waited a length of time to have her come and take our food orders and even longer for it to arrive. When it came, everything was either luke warm or cold. It did, however, taste just fine. The server that brought our food didn't smile or speak loud enough to be heard. It wasn't like it was bad....it just wasn't great.

One of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. I was in town for a group event and we went…read morehere on a Friday night. The waitress was wonderful but the food was mostly cold when it arrived at our table. We were there for more than 2 hours and some of our group never got their food. Many of the people who did get served were given the wrong order. The manager seemed to be quite indifferent to the difficulties our group of 25-30 experienced and never even came to apologize or explain why things were so disorganized. Needless to say we won't be back.

Stopped out during RAGBRAI to check this place out. They were very organized having a line for beer…read moreand a separate area for mixed drinks. They had drink specials and even provided a few snacks free of charge. The mule was incredible and the vodka lemonade had a special twist I enjoyed. There was plenty of comfortable seating both indoor and out. The decor was inviting but not overwhelming. Friendly service with a smile, we will be back.

They are mixed drink location. The main issue is the seating is not structured. The issue with that…read moreis intoxicated people just being rude. Parking is limited and is most side street parking. Overall a nice place but depending on the time of year it might be a bit much to sit and sip and hold a conversation.

At least in Waterloo, if you're looking for a quality beer selection, I'm pretty sure this is as…read moregood as it gets. I stumbled across this place after making plans to have dinner with some friends at Rudy's Tacos, which is housed in the same corner building. This bar is located directly across the hall from the Lava Lounge and I believe has the same owners. Arriving early on a Tuesday evening there were a few people in the Lava Lounge but no one yet at the Beer Hall. While waiting for a third friend to arrive we bellied up to the bar and were attended to by a great bartender who knew his beer. The bartenders floated between the bars on an as needed basis and one could order something on tap from either bar. Very easy going, very friendly. Now about the beer. Between the two places there were approximately 10 taps including beers from Jolly Pumpkin, Tool and Brouwerij Bavik (Petrus Oud Bruin) and bottles and cans ranging from $2 Grain Belt Nordeast to Bourbon County Brand Stout to Duchesse de Bourgogne. Since I was just back in town visiting I can't speak to the prices very well but they seemed reasonable. On Thursdays they apparently offer beer from another neighbor in the same building, Guerrilla Brewing Company. I wasn't around long enough to give that a try but certainly hope to on the next visit.

Feels like a vintage basement. That's a good thing. Good spirits and a great selection of beersread more

If you're looking for a dive ... Look no further... Drink specials are in short demand , but…read moreregular price and the pours are good. Staff is nice once you get to know them and the pool table is always going.

Like drunk Iowans,country music, with no windows? Buzz's Bar is a sweet dive with fun people. It is…read morealways packed! If your having a good night on Main St. and need a change of scenery grab a cab to Buzz's, it is the exclamation point on any night out in Cederloo