Iowa Chop House
223 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA, 52240
Iowa Chop House Menu
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Address :
223 E Washington St
Iowa City, IA, 52240 - Phone (319) 359-1078
- Website https://theiowachophouse.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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nels r.
Thumb firmly sideways - not a great addition to downtown cuisine. Food was just ok at a not great price. Oily fries, and rubbery chicken in the salad. Got to work it out.
(3)Julie H.
The food was fabulous, great presentation and the waiter was very attentive. Beer barn was unique. Overall a bit pricey...but it was a great place to celebrate a special occasion.
(4)Mackenzie H.
Beer lovers, foodies, locavores: this is definitely your spot. Loved the mini-beef wellingtons, the bison burger, and the chicken tortilla soup.
(5)Michael K.
This place has one of the best filets I've ever tasted. I tried it with the bacon butter. I can't say enough.... just awesome. Bar tender Elliot was extremely friendly even when he was super busy. I had a hell of a day and sure glad this place helped turn it around. I will be back when traveling to Iowa City.
(5)P T.
Went here for lunch and just had a great meal and time. This place is packed on the weekends but you really will enjoy it more on its off times. First, take the tour. It's a beautiful space. Second, enjoy the wonderful selection of beers on tap. The apps are fun with great presentation. We had the mini beef Wellington and it was delicious as was the cheese curds. The folks in my group loved the burgers and the fries. I had the chicken tortilla soup and it was hearty enough as an entree. The service was good and the vibe was relaxed and trendy. Good find!
(4)Patrick T.
Kinda a fancy new spot in downtown Iowa City. We choose to sit outside to have an afternoon beer and get some work done! They have lots of local and regional brews, a bit pricey but this is a nice place. The inside is great, and the bathrooms are swank. The patio rules, but man was it buggy out! I have never seen so many bugs, they are all over Iowa City right now! Anyway we had a beer and my friend got some truffle fries! They looked great! The service was not out of this world great, our server only came to check on us a couple times in the 2 hours we were there, but his lack of service did save the day when I forgot my computer on the chair and was a few blocks away! I ran back to get it in a full sprint, and he was just going to clear the table about 20 minutes later. He had my computer and I gave him a high five and a huge thank you! All in all, nice place, but has to be a bit pricey for college kids, in other words have mom and pop bring you here next time they visit!
(4)Rachel L.
If you're a local foodie, you have to love this place. The decor: rustic farm and prairie vibes but with an overall classy appeal. There's a picture on the wall of an old red barn and the cool thing is that the restaurant's tables, beer barn, and most of the other decor in the place, was made from this old barn. Resourceful, sustainable, trendy. A+ The wait staff: crazy nice, super informative, really down to earth. A+ The hamburgers: local beef AND local bacon?! I'm in heaven. Despite being in Iowa, I've found that combination hard to come by. Local, delicious, local. A+ The cheese curds: oh my gawd. I am the pickiest cheese curd eater you will ever find. I'm a Wisconsin gal who grew up on a dairy farm where all of the milk went to a local cheese factory. My high school mascot was the Cheesemaker and I grew up eating limburger. These are some dang good cheese curds and I've never said that about a cheese curd outside of Wisconsin. A+ The beer barn: swipe a wrist band, pour your own beer, pay per ounce. I can't get enough of this idea! Two drawbacks though - first, the small glasses make it crazy hard to get a good pour which can really depreciate the quality of the beer; second, the selection was sub-par. There were three brews from Backpocket when we were there which is awesome since it's a local company, but there's enough beer within a 75 mile radius of Iowa City that we were hoping to try local beer from breweries we were unfamiliar with or don't have as easy of access to. Backpocket is less than 2 miles from Iowa Chop House so it seemed like a waste to occupy three taps on something so easily accessible outside of this restaurant. Also, almost all ten taps were either doppelbocks or IPAs. More diversity would be awesome - especially in these winter months, let's see more stouts please! B- Side note - if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night, call in a reservation!
(4)Kara C.
I love this place!! The atmosphere is my favorite! The beer barn is fun and high tech. It is a great Newer restaurant downtown! The food is GREAT and the serving plates and baskets are the cutest. LOVE this local place :)
(5)Leslie S.
This place is really well decorated, feels nice and smells like a waffle cone inside. Food review now: the food was REALLY good, but it is definitely over priced. We got a crab cake that I believe was 14 dollars if not more? With that, we just got TWO TINY, maybe silver dollar sized crab cakes. BUT, they were probably the best crab cakes I've ever put in my mouth. My sister and I asked for hollandaise sauce for our steak and again, 2 dollars for it and we got maybe half a tablespoon. My sister's steak was over cooked for her liking, she requested medium rare. So she didn't enjoy her steak. Mine was cooked PERFECTLY. Their beer area is REALLY cool. If you go here for fries, burgers and their beer bar buffet (don't believe that's the name), then it's a good time with well priced food and a fun beer option. However, if you get anything else, it's really overpriced. However, I'll admit, tasty! All tasty!
(4)Mark G.
A fun place that is a nice addition to the downtown area. They have a nice outdoor seating area as well pretty fun indoor seating. They are a nice upscale/causal place if that makes sense? All round good atmosphere for dining. Had a few things here. For small plates I have tried the mini beef wellington which were pretty good and glad to see them on the menu. The frickles weren't that good, I prefer fried pickles slices vs spears which these are. The bison meatballs were good and of decent size. The Starters/small plates range from $8-$12. The burgers range from $9-$14 can be high depending on what your use to paying they do come with fries and option to sub. I had the bison burger since I am a huge fan of this lean beef, they did a great job of making it a gourmet sandwich but wish it wasn't $14. I did try the ribeye entree, the steaks run $14-$53. The steak was just okay, expected a little more for the price. If you set them in a higher price point I do expect more. Not a bad steak, but not the best that I have had for the price point. One thing I really didn't like, this is just me but like most new trendy places around the country they serve food on things that weren't meant to be a plate or a bowl. Like the bison meatballs came on a paddle and fries come in some sort of mini frier. Tables get crowded with these contraptions. They aren't the only place doing this around the country. Overall a good place to grab a meal.
(3)Mel W.
We have eaten here several times since they opened and have never been disappointed. The atmosphere is country clean, the food is top notch and the service is great. They have a wall of beer that they use your driver's license to check your id and get you a bracelet that let's you pick and choose which ones you purchase by the ounce. Or you can try several at once. This is just a block and a half from a downtown parking garage so it is very accessible. I had the beef wellington for an entree and was a little disappointed that it was too doughy but the beef inside was well cooked and delicious. Other had the BLT sandwich (with an egg over easy) and declared that it was memorable. The haystack onion rings are a must have and the truffle fries are delicious. The outside patio is awesome but it was one of those September Iowa muggy nights and everyone was inside. I would recommend reservations if you are going to eat on a Friday or Saturday night around 5 - 7. One of the pricier places to eat downtown but well worth it.
(5)John T.
Nice location. Good food, great service. Consistent in every respect.
(4)Brice C.
Meat. If you cook it...they will come. Cows, pigs and chickens are all treated with the same care and concern here. Light a fire and make good food. That's right...it's that kind of place. The grill master for the Chop House should be given kudos for his/her skills. I enjoyed the big slab of bovine beauty. Not to mention the beer. The gimmicky self pour bar is not so gimmicky now. In fact, I respect a restaurant with the stones to say, "We know beer and we'll prove it!" I didn't have a bad beer in the flight and each color of the beer rainbow represented. One of the few misses is the soundtrack....can someone come back from the future and stop the 80's riffs? I was there...I heard it...it's done and it's not retro. Mix it up is all I'm saying. If you want to have some form of mouth watering animal on a plate with a bit of tastiness on the side (grilled asparagus), then come on in....enjoy.
(4)Chuck C.
Ordered a steak well done and it came medium rare. Also forgot some of my order. Beer selection is very good. Food was a bit disappointing. Staff was okay but definitely needs some work before I go back there again.
(2)Sandy H.
This is the second time we have eaten here. We ate with another couple who have eaten here with us and in the interim with other people. We all had the same opinion- the quality was just not as good. Our pulled pork was tasty, but I noticed the portion of meat was almost half that given previously. The fries were also greasy. My husband ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and it came with the cheese unmelted! Something has changed at the chop house and it is not for the better.
(3)Violet S.
The Iowa Chop House has potential, but thus far, it is substandard. The main problem was our server, who seemed to know nothing about the menu or about providing service in general. She didn't explain the menu to us, so we were unaware of the beer wristband concept, and we also were unaware that except for the fries, the sides are large enough to split. One salad could feed 3 people! Moreover, the salads were served at the same time as the entrees, and in some cases after! The food all came out at different times which meant one person in our party had her steak but no sides, another had a salad but nothing else, another person had fries but nothing else, etc., and there was a several minute wait before more components of our orders were brought out. In other words, in order to eat the steak and other main dishes while they were hot, some people had to eat before others, and salads had to be eaten after steaks. When our waitress served us our fries (two people had ordered truffle fries & two had ordered plain), she didn't know if they were plain or truffle, which meant that I ate half of someone's truffle fries before realizing they weren't mine. Aside from these mishaps, one person's steak was overcooked and the other person's undercooked. To be fair, another server (possibly a manager?) came out and apologized and compensated by offering us free dessert. Still, for a restaurant that has $20-$35 steaks, this lack of service and utter ignorance by the waitstaff is unacceptable. I won't be back until the staff have been trained. Finally, I agree with others who have noted that the mounted TVs really detract from the ambience. When I am enjoying fine dining, I don't want football on in the background. It's distracting, and there are enough sports bars in Iowa City where people can go to watch games. I found the TV in the wine cellar particularly out of place. So, Chop House, train your staff and figure out your identity, otherwise you may go the way of the previous ill-fated restaurant that occupied the space.
(2)Bill H.
Great first experience. Rustic look with a waffle cone aroma. I was intrigued by what was the source of the aroma....no one knew. But it didn't matter. The catfish nugget appetizer was great. I expected some small nuggets of fish with dipping sauces. Well, 6 full sized filets come out and were terrific. The sauces were a nice combo of barbecue, tarter, thousand island type and Sriracha anoili. Yum! The Bison burger, 12oz sirloin and the Scottish sandwich were fantastic too. Service was very good. Return trip is a must!
(5)Samara B.
This was my first stop in Iowa City and it did not disappoint. There was a slight rustic, yet clean industrial feel to the place. The staff wore shirts that said "thank a farmer". (I ended up buying one later in the week at my second visit) I don't usually take vegetarians to a steak house, but for this trip, I had two with me. They ended up loving this place too! I ordered the filet, medium rare. It was tender and juicy. The best thing I have ever tasted is the creamed corn. No seriously, I do not like corn. But this cream corn was magical. The vegetarians ordered that and decided to share with me. BEST. THING. EVER. The other cool thing is the self serve beer garden. You use this fit bit style ebracelet, scan the beer you want and pour. They charge by the ounce and it automatically add it to your tab. This is a total neat experience. We loved this place so much, we came back again later in the week.
(5)Travis O.
I ate there a few weeks ago. After recently moving back to the area, it was nice to see a nicer restaurant with a strong local focus. I will say though - the multitude of TVs they had plastered all over the walls running ESPN on a loop definitely detracted from the hip, local atmosphere they were trying to portray. My advice would be to not try to compete with the local sports bars - but hey - what do I know. Anyway, the food was good - but for the prices, I'm not sure it was worth the cost. I had the duck - which I was very excited to see on the menu. One of the great things about duck is the fat really helps give it a great flavor. I could tell they were trying to sear the fat on the outside to give it a crispness. Unfortunately, they either didn't do it long enough, or something, because it just ended up having a rubbery outer texture, and I was a tad disappointed. The flavor was still nice. Ultimately, I'd go back and try it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
(3)Matt A.
Similar to other early postings, I really want this place to do well. I appreciate the Iowa/Local theme, but it feels like ICH is searching for its identity - is it a burger joint, steakhouse, sports bar, or something else? The Pros: - The relaxed spirit and helpful attitude of the staff - The decor (could be better with fewer TVs) - The beer and wine options/selection - The menu options - The presentation and plating The Cons: - The preparation of the food -- over cooked my T-Bone - Truffle fries over-salted - The server would hand plates to the guests seated at the far side of the table, rather than walk around - No coffee! I will most likely try ICH again, but I'm not in a hurry to do so. Perhaps, it's a case of a new joint stumbling out of the gate and can recover. If I'm going to spend nearly $50 on a steak alone, I can go to Joseph's. If I'm going to have a locally sourced burger, I can go to Short's or Motley Cow.
(2)Joe M.
Ate at Iowa Chop House tonight and it was one of the top 3 steaks I've ever had. Ordered the filet blackened medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. I also recommend their appetizer list. Great atmosphere and staff. When I'm in Iowa City, I'm coming back here! Joe
(5)Vaughn D.
Came in for an early graduation dinner, party of 7 , place wasn't crowded at all, and there looked to be plenty of staff. Well we sat and waited ,and waited ,and waited , and got passed and ignored by numerous servers for about 15 minutes, didn't even get any water. The graduate wasn't happy at all about this and suggested we ditch this place. We Quietly got up and left, and on the way out mentioned this problem to the 4-5 hostesses who were lounging around the front counter, and only got a confused /dumbfounded look , but no apology. Thanks for nothing Iowa Chop House.
(1)Daryl C.
I've been excited to try Iowa Chop House since seeing their social media updates about their farm-to-table philosophy and focus on local craft beer. My wife, son, and I tried out the Chop House for the first time this weekend. The ambiance is great: rustic and approachable, but still classy. The entryway is nice, and the patio dining will be nice once they get it up and running. The most striking feature upon entry is the big screen that rotates through their beer list (which must exceed 30 beers). It reminds me of arrival/departure screens at airports, and is a nice way to get a sense for what is on tap while waiting for the table to get ready. Once seated, we noticed an intriguing feature off to the side: the "beer barn." Shaped like a barn, this structure has a wall of roughly a dozen beers, all brewed locally in Iowa. These included selections from Lion Bridge, Big Grove, Kalona, Peace Tree, and others (sadly no Topping Goliath). To get the beer out of the barn and into your mouth, you simply request a digital wristband, which you hold up to a specific tap and pour however much beer you want into a tasting glass. The digital screen (each self-pour tap has an iPad which explains the beer) shows you how many ounces you are pouring. The staff were very helpful in assisting patrons with this setup. This is by far the coolest feature of the restaurant, as the idiosyncratic pour allows you to choose your own Iowa beer adventure. Importantly, only a fraction of the full tap list is on the beer barn, but it is still a nice way to try a variety. For food, we started with the fried cheese curds, which were very tasty but overpriced (at $9). We had to send our son's fruit cup back because it had an unidentified object in it. For entrees, we ordered black bean quinoa burgers. The burgers were dry, and the toppings were minimal and could have used more flavor. The sweet potato fries were better, as was the additional side of creamed corn, but both could have used more salt. Maybe we'd have better luck with the steak options, although we'd like to know more information about where the meat is sourced from (i.e., is it local, pasture-raised, etc.) Overall, the beer setup here is great, but we're not as sold on the food just yet.
(3)Ben J.
Tl;dr -- eat here if you like good beer/meat I ate at the bar. The beer selection was fantastic, and the staff provided great suggestions to navigate it. I went with a Templeton Red from the beer wall to accompany my Green Hummus and later Blue Ribbon burger. The hummus was delicious, with a good consistency. The bacon on the burger was thick, the blue cheese was tasty, and the high-quality patty was brought well to medium-rare. The whole thing was packaged well, big without being unmanageable. The sweet potato fries offered a good blend of crispy outside and puffy inside. They were cut about pinky width. I would recommend everything I ate.
(5)Chenthu J.
Overpriced and underwhelming. If you're a beer drinker they have an amazing selection and you'll probably be in heaven. But let's face it... if you have a name called Iowa Chop House I'm coming here for the steak. The steak is served a la carte so you'll spend at least 40 $ on your steak when it's all said and done: 25$ on the meat and 5-10$ on two sides. And the problem is for that price I want to eat something I can't or won't make at home...and what I got was some vegetables that were seasoned with garlic salt and pepper and burnt and steak that was cooked (although to perfection) with a decent amount of seasoning. The piece of meat I got was more fat than meat and certainly I anticipate that when I get a NY Strip, but not that much off...and the problem with that is because there is so much fat it's still cooking while it's on my plate...that means I have to eat fast...and thus I didn't get to enjoy it. Next time I'm getting the burger instead...it's cheaper and I hear it's decent.
(3)Melissa T.
I wasn't surprised to find so many mediocre reviews (two star) reviews for the Iowa Chop House. We just dined with close friends, and had a shockingly disappointing experience. The food was okay, however, our service was subpar for this price point in dining. Yes, the Beer Barn is pretty neat! Worth visiting just to see and experience the self-serve feature. The young lady who introduced and explained the Beer Barn was great- friendly, informative, and knowledgeable. Once we were sat at our table, our server was a completely different story. Our server clearly lacked experience. We had to ask for water after 10 minutes, and our bottle of wine took a surprisingly long time to get to the table. A few of our orders were incorrect. And after speaking to a manager, they worked quickly to correct. Our steaks were cooked on point, and sides were generous and decent. At one point, one of our friends ordered a Manhattan, and our server told us they were out? Really, you don't have materials to make a Manhattan at a steak house? When we looked at her funny, she ran back to the bar, and returned with a Manhattan. Where our experience really burned us was getting our bill. We finished our meal at 10:10pm. After 20 minutes, we still had no bill. We became anxious, hunted down our server, and gave her our credit cards asking her to just run them appropriately. Another 15 minutes passed and she still had not returned. We went looking for her, and she told us the machine wasn't working correctly. We gawked as our neighboring tables (with a different server) were brought their bills immediately. Finally, she brought our slips to sign with NO ITEMIZED RECEIPT. We were simply provided a total to sign. We asked her for the itemized receipt, to which she said she could not do. By now it is 11:05pm and we are anxious to return home to our sitters. We spoke with the "manager" on duty, who seemed to be the same age and experience level as our server. Bottom line, if a party of 6 is going to spend $400+ on a casual dinner, you better be able to produce an itemized receipt. This establishment has a long way to go. Simply unpolished.
(2)Zach M.
The first two times I visited Chop House, I was impressed. I ordered the half chicken, and it was fantastic. It was moist, the veggies were prepared perfectly, and the sauce was delicious. The next time I went, I had the Ribeye and it was juicy, flavorful, and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. Definitely worth the price. However, I visited more recently and it was like I was going to a completely different restaurant. I ordered the same half chicken and it was dried out and came with barely any sauce. It was difficult to eat and I left pretty disappointed. I tried my buddy's steak and although he ordered it medium-rare, it was barely pink and chewy. After talking with other people who have gone there, it is apparent they have a problem with consistency, so be aware of this when you dine here. Hopefully they straighten that out because this place has potential to be great.
(3)David G.
Visited with a guest this evening for dinner and was impressed with the concept! This is a really cool place! Ordered a burger with sweet potato fries and a side of some sort of Siracha sauce that really made the meal! The only down side was the burger came out well done when I ordered medium. Other than that, everything was great! I want to come back and try another menu item soon!
(4)Bean T.
Good was soooo good! I love it even more when a waitress is very social and it definitely makes my meal extra special. Thanks Mayiah!
(5)Emilie G.
Surprisingly vegetarian friendly. I had the bison burger with the black bean quinoa patty and was definitely satisfied. Worth the money!
(5)P W.
We were in town for the weekend, with a name like "Iowa Chop House" it defied just passing by. We're glad we visited - the concept and ambience were great, much of it built from a barn in the area. Plusses: the Beer station was great :). But the food/service was disappointing in some respects (giving the spot some slack, being new)... we had the butternut squash but the waiter (very nice, pleasant, but had an accent, difficult to understand) announced it as the "sauce"? which my husband was expecting for his chop, so we didn't foray into it)... then the table behind us was complaining b/c they had to send their food back 3x... The gents delivering our entree order were a little wild as the fries tumbled a bit, sending ketchup onto the floor... custom drinks were interesting - the "smashed farmer" lived up to expectations... mac & cheese was a little disappointing, not as sharp cheese as I was expecting (gouda should have a "bite"); husband liked his pork chop and green beans. Dessert (chocolate cake) was great). All in all, I would look forward to a visit in about a year when things have sharpened up a bit.
(3)Nan K.
wanted to try this place for burger, it was ok, i had the bacon cheeseburger. it was a little dry for my liking however my husband loved his. we will prob go back but nothing we will go out of our way for
(3)Jennifer K.
This place has potential......... There's a lot that needs to be worked on. My friends and I went there to try it out and we ordered the burgers. We asked for them to be medium rare and we got them well done. I gave in and just ate it because I didn't want to deal with it but my friend wanted hers medium rare so they made her a new one and it was ALSO well done. Half way through my burger I realized that there was no aioli sauce in mine so I just totally gave up on eating it because it had no taste and I lost my appetite. The fries had almost seemed like they were sitting out for hours because they were soggy. We got the burgers taken off of our bill but still I'm disappointed I felt like I was being annoying to the server. I understand because it's not their fault. I'm also a server so I can relate. The service was great and he definitely got a big tip from our table. What I absolutely love about the restaurant is the wristband thing. There's a self serve beer area that has 10 of the local Iowan beers and you scan your wristband every time you pour your beer and they charge by the ounce.
(2)Daniel C.
Really enjoyed the 8oz filet Oscar style with a lobster tail on the side. Cheese curds were amazing as well as the honey maple bacon. Beer selection was on point. Definitely recommend!
(5)Angela W.
I've eaten at Chop for several meals (lunch & dinner, weekends & weekdays, alone and with large groups) and with every meal/visit, the food, service & cocktails have improved! I waited to post a review until they had their doors open for a couple months to be fair! Since I've tried most of the items on the menu, I've figured out what I like, now I look for consistency in flavor & presentation-consistency from visit to visit has been much better recently! My favorite items: appetizer-Beef Wellingtons, salad/soup-Pear & Walnut salad with chèvre, entree-medium rare blue cheese crusted filet (AMAZING) with asparagus & truffle fries for sides, and for lunch-BLT (their bacon is to die for) with sweet potato fries. The restaurant is clean, there are meals offered from $9-$unlimited depending on your budget, they have a great kid's menu and the beer/cocktail selection is phenomenal! The Beer Barn is such a cool concept, it makes me want to drink beer (I'm not a beer drinker). They have all Iowa beers on tap which, some are exclusive to just Chop House, cool. They have SO many beers on their list, it is impressive. I love their signature cocktail list (the Farmer's Wife & Smashed Farmer are great, unique drinks) but their recent addition of Classic Cocktails really impressed me this past Saturday. I had a well made Negroni & a Perfect Templeton Manhattan (most young kids who work in the IC service industry do not know what these even are) that were two of the best classic cocktails I've ever had! I'd definitely recommend Chop for all occasions, they've been more than willing to accommodate for large groups (10+), birthdays and my favorite-late night meals at the bar on Saturdays!! -Angela
(5)Thomas H.
As a life-long Iowa Citian, it's fun to have new restaurants in the city. In the past, there have been a number of high-brow, high-priced restaurants at ICH's current location, and I can confidently say that the Chop House is the best of cuisine, atmosphere, and value that I saw at any of those locations. Generous portions, great appetizers and a fair price. Loved the beer selection and the appetizers especially.
(5)Jason F.
My wife and I checked out the Chop House last night. I am not a beer head, so the electronic bracelet that records and tells you about the beers is cool, but not for me. The three stars is for the sub par service. It was a half hour before the appetizers arrived, but wait, no they brought out the whole meal as if that is the way it's done. No apologies. On top of that the place was over staffed to the point of servers watching the TV screen. Oh yeah, the fried cheese curds were good, the kale and artichoke dip did not live up to its promise. The salad dressings were quite good. Everyone else had a bottle of water on the table but us. Didn't go all out for the steaks this time. I need proof they are better than Joseph's. My Scottish salmon sandwich was pretty good and the wife said the burger was very good. We will give it another chance, especially after they train the servers.
(3)Annette J.
I just ordered the 8 oz sirloin. My expectations were lowered because the price was so reasonable. It arrived perfectly seasoned, and perfectly cooked. They provide a steak knife, but a butter knife will do. Then I had Tira Missou for dessert. It is the BEST I have ever had - made in house.
(5)Sara E.
Holy crap, this place was amazing. Wound up here the day after Christmas since the place I wanted to go to was closed. I like the farm to table concept (literally, their tables are made out of an old barn). And my boyfriend loved the beer barn and can't wait to return to it. We got onion rings as an appetizer. It was small, but perfect as a starter for 2. My boyfriend got an 8 oz sirloin and loved it. I got the half chicken, and it was quite possibly the most moist and flavorful chicken I've ever gotten from a restaurant. A beer flight, cocktail, appetizer, and 2 entrees was $65 but well worth it. When I want to splurge again, I will definitely be back.
(5)Ariel G.
I really wanted to like this place; we love steakhouses and this place looks amazing from the outside. It's very promising when you first walk in; the staff is friendly and accessible and you hear lots of interesting things about the restaurant's construction and things like that. The food and prices, however, don't make for a return visit for us. We went on 2 separate occasions; once when it first opened and then tonight after a show at the Englert. We planned for a pricey night but the food quality just doesn't justify the check. We split a walnut/apple salad as a starter. Good portion but for $11, not worth it--I've had plenty of walnut/apple salads and this wasn't memorable. No option to add grilled chicken or salmon to it. On our first visit we had the cheese curds as a starter & I agree with an earlier poster--way too expensive for a TINY portion. For our entrees, my boyfriend had the chicken with succotash and potatoes; I decided to try duck for the first time. Both were tasty, especially the duck; flavor was not a problem. But the portions are really small and for $16 (chicken) and $24 (duck), it's a little ridiculous. The self-serve beer barn is cool and I might go back here with friends to experience that again but I would find somewhere else to go for dinner; somewhere with more reasonable prices and better portions.
(1)Marcia W.
We had heard great things about this new restaurant and were very excited to eat there when we were in Iowa City over the holidays. So happy to report the Iowa Chop House did not disappoint! Seeing the unique ('Barn Chic'?) décor alone was worth the visit. First off, we loved the Beer Barn! My husband had a great conversation with the resident 'Beer-ista' who was very knowledgeable and answered all of his questions. He ended up getting a growler of one of their craft beers, which was a big hit at our subsequent family gatherings! Our group of 7 ordered a variety of things from the menu and so in addition to the wonderful, locally-sourced steaks, we also got to sample some different dishes. One of my favorite things were the heavenly truffle fries - yum! My son-in-law ordered the rack of lamb that was melt-in-your-mouth delicious! And I thoroughly enjoyed my very first ever Bison burger! I was pleasantly surprised at how tender, juicy and tasty this burger turned out to be. A fun experience all the way around and we would definitely recommend the Iowa Chop House - it's not too college casual but it's certainly not too stuffy steakhouse either. Not limited to only a "steak" house, it's a fresh, delicious take on the whole farm-to-table concept. We'll definitely be back!
(4)Julia Z.
3.5 stars. It's good, but a little over priced imo. I was just stopping by Iowa City on our road trip to meet our friends. And they led us to this newly opened place. Well, its fancy beer self service is pretty fun. You can wear a wrist band and pour your self the beer and the system will record how many beer you got. And for food. The appetizer is pretty good! And my entree is the chopped rib and it's good! But if you want any sides, you need to pay extra. My hubby got the entree salad which is pretty fresh with some meat on top. Healthy and filling!
(3)Erica L.
It was a good experience and good food. The atmosphere is nice and they gave me a nice little birthday dessert surprise.
(4)Kristen U.
The atmosphere was muddled...a cross between an upscale steakhouse and a sports bar. My duck entree was overcooked and the mashed potatoes dry with no hint of the garlic it promised. The asparagus that came with it was woody, but that was my fault for ordering it out-of-season. One word: underwhelmed. Not returning.
(2)Robyn W.
Came here with a large party. The atmosphere is really cool. It's a modern rustic feel. I love the beer wall. It was really fun, and I have never seen anything like it. You are given a bracelet to activate the taps & tracks your pours for the bill. Everyone loved their food. Excellent service, especially the girl working the beer wall. Can't wait to return here when I'm in the area.
(5)Matt U.
Like my compatriots, I really want to love this place and see it do well. We came a couple times last week - first for drinks/dessert and then for dinner - and each time we were left wanting. The ambiance here is trending towards awesome, very homey and rustic with a lot of attention to detail. It feels very midwest classic with an upscale/modern streak. A large flat screen out front shows off the available beers and is a nice introduction. We sat in the front room both nights and each time we were struck by how out of place the big screen TV on wall of the dining room felt. The name of the place and menu connotes something non-pretentiously upscale. With that in mind, having the Blacklist, Monday night football or a replay of the 2013 Bulls/Nets series playing at different times during the night suggested to us they're still trying to figure out exactly what type of restaurant they want to be. The bar is classy, with a couple flat screens (more appropriate), and an excellent beer list. The beer wall was something new and unique - 10 Iowa beers on tap at your disposal. You get a wristband, activate a tap and dispense the amount you want. Easy to make your own flight or just sample a number before you choose which you want. Prices are by the ounce and quite reasonable - about $6 +/- $1 per 16 ounce glass. Quantities per person are limited to 28 ounces, for obvious reason. Great concept and cool implementation, but hard to tie in with $35 steaks. For our dinner date, we came with friends and we had a waitress who was very obviously new. She was trying hard, so we gave her the benefit of the doubt the whole evening, but it left us wanting for a place where we expected to drop $100 for two people. We started with the buffalo meatballs and the mini beef wellingtons. The wellingtons were excellent, unique in their presentation and something we'd order again. The meatballs were just okay, nothing special, but not bad. For dinner my wife had a burger and it was solid - Pepper jack with jalapenos and a sriracha aioli. Good flavor with just enough kick. We subbed an order of truffle fries and those babies were legit! They were probably the best thing we had all night. I had the lamb and it, again, was just okay. Cooked to a lovely medium rare, but not real flavorful. The Quinoa was nice, with dates and olives and paired well with some balsamic apples. Our friends had the chicken and a ribeye - both of which were good, not great. Another highlight were the baked potatoes, which each weighed about a pound and a half. Enough for 2 as a substantial side, or for 4 to share. The wine list is not expansive, but 6-8 options make a couple different glasses throughout the night within reach. We had a couple mixed drinks including a Cody Mule (A rendition of the Moscow mule w/ Cody Road - one of my favorite Iowa Whiskeys). It again, was middle of the road. All in all, the Iowa Chop House has a ton of potential, but has some work to do at this point. They've only been open for a few weeks so they're still working the kinks out as is to be expected. That said, I think they need to figure out what type of restaurant they are - fancy sports bar or rustic/upscale farm to table with a good beer list and unique presentation. It's trending towards the sort of place you'd go for a lunch meeting, but really needs work as an a la carte steakhouse. Straight up, it's tough for us to feel good about dropping $100 on dinner and have a TV playing Chevy and Sitcom commercials in the dining room. The decor, ambiance, beer list and concept leave it with potential to be an incredible restaurant and once they get the opening jitters out, they'll hit a stride. However, to become a go to spot in town (or one we'll go back to), I think they need to do some soul searching and refine what is now a lot of promising pieces to a puzzle that hasn't yet figured out what it's supposed to be.
(2)Stephanie K.
The service was extremely slow for hardly any customers in the restaurant. And the bartender made fun of the fact that I ordered a Stella beer with all their different kinds of beer. No points for customer service.
(2)Bethany B.
Party of 5. Three of us had the filets medium rare and they actualy came that way. So tired of getting my steak overdone and ruined. Our waiter was very attentive and did a great job. I dont drink beer, but my friend that lives in IC lives for micro brews, and every tap is from Iowa, like 17 in all. Our other couple that join us split the Iowa chop, very large enough for two and very tasty and tender and moist. Over all, a great dinning experience.
(5)Ashley W.
Still have yet to try everything on the menu but so far I have been very impressed with food! My favorite so far is the Bison Meatballs and the Truffle Fries. I'm not a beer drinker but the "Beer Barn" looks pretty cool. I will return as often as possible and hopefully eventually try everything on the menu! Go, now, you won't regret it!!!!
(5)Devin M.
Me and a friend went here and left with bad stomach aches. My friend threw up an hour later. The steak is overpriced and comes with no side or seasoning. You have to pay extra for that. It's a shame because the inside is really nice.
(1)Nathan F.
My food was ok, not amazing. We tried some beers from the beer barn. All of the beer is readily available at Hy-Vee and you serve yourself so it is grossly overpriced. Our waitress couldn't seem to get our bills right. My ticket had an extra item on it that belonged to my friend. When we told her about it, she switched my beer tab with my friends, added my fiancé's meal to his ticket, added my friends girl's meal to my ticket, her beer as well, and I got to pay for his appetizer (the original culprit). Not sure where she heard us say all that. Overall, typical Iowa City restaurant experience review from me. Food is ok, service was lacking and I even did half of the work by getting my own beer! We ended up just paying the tabs and settling up between each other later. Also, other reviews talked about other tables getting a pitcher of water while their table was left wondering. Same thing happened to us!
(3)Thomas B.
Waitress was greatly, but a little overwhelming at times. The food was decent, but not worth the price tag. The bacon on the burger was undercooked and the fries seemed to be that way as well. My girlfriend got a salad and picked through mostly bad lettuce to get decent pieces. The beer wall was pretty cool and I would've liked it had there been more local stuff that I haven't already tried, but if you're not a craft beer person, this is a great place to start! Really cool atmosphere, encourage anyone who lives here wanting to try it to give it a shot. But if you're looking for a great place to eat while visiting Iowa City, look elsewhere.
(3)Jodi O.
Excellent dinner !! Will eat here again. My husband and I both had steaks but excited to go again and trying something different. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice. Had to sit at the bar, which was ok but it would have had a better feel at a table.
(4)Andy M.
Have been there about a dozen times. Never been disappointed. The beer selection is amazing, but the food is better. The starters are all fantastic as is the chicken sandwich. Can't go wrong. Cheers, and enjoy.
(5)Bob J.
I ate here on a recent trip from CO back home to PA. The food (I had the burger with a fried egg and fries) was very good. The pour your own beer is a cool idea and the local/ regional selection is great....but the price for 18 oz is high, $9 and change.
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