The Bar'ber Shop Tavern - Coralville, Iowa

I’ve been hearing about a new restaurant/bar that recently opened in Coralville, and I was determined to check it out before we head South for the winter.

So today I treated my hubby to lunch.

The bar got it’s name from the previous occupant of the building. (As you might have guessed…it was a barber shop in it’s previous life!)

The restaurant’s owner, Daniel Dickel, created the name. He liked the play on words…

And in case that Dickel name sounds familiar…Daniel’s father, Dan, played football at Iowa, and then on to the pros with the Baltimore Colts and the Detroit Lions.

We go way back with the Dickel family. We went to high school with Dan and his wife Denise. I was a cheerleader (yup-you heard it here first) with Denise in the 1960’s, and my hubby played basketball with Dan. And, for years, my parents lived next to Dan’s parents in Kalona, Iowa. Like I said…we go WAY back.

As soon as we opened the tavern door, we were greeted by a friendly server who told us we could sit wherever we’d like. It’s a small place, and we love to visit, so we chose stools at the bar…

The decor is an eclectic mix of old and new…and some really cool artwork…
It’s a comfortable mix.

It’s a warm and friendly atmosphere, for sure.

The menu is small by design…and that’s a GOOD thing! As owner Daniel and I discussed, less is more. Do less items…and do them WELL. (And the items we chose WERE done well!)

We started with a HALF order of beer battered onion rings. (After it arrived, we decided the half order would easily serve 3-4 people as an app.)

Turns out they use Van Houzen Beer made in Tiffin to make their beer batter. That craft beer added another dimension to the onions. And the spicy dipping sauce was also tasty. A good match.

It was lunchtime, and we only drank water…but their drink list looks interesting….

The BAR’BER SHOP TAVERN is also open on Saturday and Sunday mornings for breakfast, and the menu choices looked appetizing. It would be worth the trip to check it out!

For lunch Hubby chose a pulled pork and hot dog concoction topped with Siracha Cole Slaw. (He said it was very good.)

For my sandwich, I chose the Cow and Pig Burger…A special pork and beef mixture made for the restaurant by Fareway Grocery Store. (And anybody who lives in Iowa knows that the Fareway meat counter is THE place to buy good meat!)

The burger has a molten hot melted cheese center, and it’s topped with a thick sweet pickle. It was delicious. Perfectly cooked. And the buns? They’re homemade…and toasted…and absolutely awesome.