Very fun dive bar! Atmosphere is very unique and bartenders are very friendly! Nice spot to relaxe with a beer or have a quiet conversation with some friends. Sometimes theres live music too! read more

I love me a good dive bar. This one just isn't *as* good as others in the area, IMO. (But don't get me wrong, I plan to keep coming back!) The low-down... Never, ever open on Sunday. Prices are as expected. Oozes character. Tons of booths, all etched by years of patrons. Pool table. Not crowded like so many other IC watering holes. Full bar, about four beers on tap. Never loud, a good spot to catch up. Jukebox music. Friendly staff. Oldest bar in IC. (Circa the 1930s) SUPPOSEDLY, Kurt Vonnegut had drinks here. Rad. Dave's Fox Head Tavern is a must-see. Grab your flannel and your Chucks-- go get a pint of Pabst.... like now. read more

Having lived in Iowa City for decades, I've been here many times with friends who just love it. I've never been able to find the charm. It's a fake dive bar that appeals to visiting writers, grad students living in Iowa City for a few years, and dudes on the Northside. It's a place that helps you manufacture stories of getting wasted in the City of Literature. If you visit an actual dive bar, you know they are usually trying to do the best they can to keep the place maintained. The Fox Head willfully keeps things a dump in order to cultivate some "authentic" mystique. Every time that antique cash register clunks open I'm reminded that this tavern is a tourist trap like some old-timey saloon in Silver Dollar City. It's mostly facade that lets you play pretend for a few hours as if you are drinking with Frank Conroy and in some kind of literary milieu. read more

wow, i'm surprised this place hasn't been yelped yet! well, i hope i'm not selling out this great local bar (located across from John's). inside, you won't get the rowdy kids that just turned 21 (supposedly), at least not until about 11pm, but you'll get a relaxing bar that has a single bartender, several bar tables, and a jukebox (and it does get awkward at moments when it isn't on). no sign on the door, but it is a corner joint. enjoy. read more

Dave's Fox Head Tavern - the corner of the street - Pubs Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Simple, no-nonsense iconic Iowa City bar. Saw a movie star/writer/producer there once. Only four beers on tap including a stout, pale ale, and Pabs. Full liquor selection. Excellent bar tender on a Saturday night. Awesome carvings on the booths: not at all seedy. One pool table but not much of a wait. Lots of the Iowa Writer's Workshop people like to hang out here, including famous grads like John Irving. Low key but kinda loud. read more

Dave's Fox Head Tavern - a man playing pool - Pubs Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Very rude. Bartender got upset that we asked the price of drinks. There are no signs anywhere for what price the drinks are, so I think it was valid to ask how much a well would be. As we sat down to enjoy our drinks we heard the bartender talking about us and how rude it was for us to ask how much our drinks would be. We continued to get rude looks the entire time we were there. Do not recommend this bar to anyone that isn't a regular. read more

Great prices The atmosphere feels very flannel-and-old-converse There's a pool table too :) read more

George's is right down the street, and it's everything that Fox Head tries to be. Go to Fox Head if you like: -watching bartenders chat with their friends while you wait for a drink -having no place to sit and only awkward places to stand -over priced drinks read more

The Modern Lovers and John Coltrane on the jukebox, bargain drinks, and a history of thoughtful artists making the place their home. Plus vintage taxidermy. What's not to adore? read more

If you want a dive bar where you can get a shot of whiskey (neat) while students from the Writers Workshop play The Velvet Underground on the jukebox, this is it. read more

No wifi and only has Smith's albums on the dated jukebox. Drinks are average price and average strength. There is a pool table and tons of hipsters though if that's what you are into. read more

This is generally known as the writer's bar in Iowa City. As a result, there is the understanding that this bar is particularly pretentious. I want to take care to note that these are just the people in the bar, and honestly, it's mostly just the writers and some of the grad students. I've met some totally levelheaded people at this bar. For me, the Fox Head is probably one of the least pretentious bars that I know (the most pretentious is the Sanctuary). There are few options at the Fox Head. You can't get a fancy drink. You can get a beer, whiskey, gin, vodka, or tequila. There are few options of each, all of which are pretty cheap. There are four, maybe five beers on tap. The tables wobble and the men's bathroom is eight types of wrong. Additionally, you need to watch out for pool players. All of these things make it one of my favorite places to drink in Iowa City. There are booths everywhere and I can just have a conversation with someone while listening to one of the weirdest, most excellent bar jukeboxes in this city. It's rarely loud and rarely crowded. Whatever you heard about the Foxhead is probably wrong. You should check it out some time that isn't Sunday because it's never open on Sundays. read more

Great low key place. On the small side, so on weekends it can be hard to find a seat if all the booths are taken, but there is always standing room. The beauty and downfall of this place is the lack of drink choices. I am told it is the IC writer's bar, and that's kind of cool too. read more

Put away your middle finger, you won't need it here. You can't really tell if the old bar bottle boxes are old beer memorabilia or just trash that's been waiting to go out to the bin for the last 40 years and no one's really given a rat's ass to do it. Meh....it doesn't matter; the walls are too ugly to bother with it now. They don't have 19 IPAs on tap, much to the chagrin of some of the local grad students, but they have locally brewed selections, comfy bar stools, and they're fresh out of bullshit. If you wanted high-fives and superficial winks, you'd be elsewhere. You wanted a cold beer, so you're at the Fox Head. Or a club soda. Because they'll pour you one if that's what you really want, and it's all cool, baby. read more

This is a cozy bar with a diverse clientele. Bartenders are down to earth and will let you sample beer on tap. Only issue is that they only accept cash so make sure you bring cash! read more

Not a bad place to hang out. The times I've been there, the bar tender seems to have a lot of attitude for serving up Lacrosse Lager Light and PBR, but I guess that just adds to the character. Generally more "interesting" people here than you'll run into at Brothers. If nothing else go for all the old beer signs that litter the joint. read more

Was my favorite bar while attending the U of I from 1975 - 1980. Played many a pool game there as "JC" in case anyone might remember me (John Challen). Drafts were 35 cents back then. Dave Alberhasky, the owner, was a great guy to know. Hope he is still doing fine this many years later. Is the old stuffed goose still up above the bar? read more

Chill dive bar. I like the laid-back atmosphere and the jukebox is one of the best I"ve encountered in Iowa City.