Their quesadillas are absolutely magnificent, to die for. I do recommend. I'm glad they have coke products because many places only have Pepsi. Their service is not as slow as a tortoise taking a ride on a tractor on a Tuesday afternoon. read more

Great place for a laidback meal and cocktail. Other than the cheese wontons, nothing will blow you away. Food is better than bar food, and what takes me from 3 stars to 4 is the atmosphere. ID is a go to spot when it comes to an after dinner cocktail with friends. It's never dead, and it's never packed, fun enough that it feels like a bar, but quiet enough to hold a conversation. They have enough TVs to watch a game, but aren't a sports bar. I don't know anyone who doesn't like it. read more

ID has always had good food and service when you dine in. They've completely failed when it comes to service over the past 6 months. Covid restrictions are difficult in the food service industry but when you show your customers you no longer care about providing good service to those who choose to order online then you lose our business. Cold food, poor quality and disrespectful when I called to ask when the food would be ready. I wasn't sitting at the bar so they don't care to provide quality service. 20 years we've been customers and after the past 3 experiences we are finished. read more

First time here came because I read a lot of good reviews. Very sub par. There famous cheese wontons where nothing special at all. There pork tenderloin was small and verry minimal toppings and a frozen paddy. The cheesesteak was pretty good and the fish and chips where ok. The good reviews probably lead me to being so let down but I probably wouldn't come back. read more

I'm from Chicago and been going to bar and grills for infinity so I'm quite used to an establishment tying itself to a nationality (faux Irish places, Brit pubs, Mickey Mouse Mex, ect.) as some insincere marketing ploy. But never one that UPPED the ante and also tied it's image to a political affiliation as well. So this Welsh Nihilist shagged ass to see what its all about. It's a run of the mill bar and grill; like a nicer mom and pop Applebee's so you can go for a brewski but you'll see a few families noshing. The beer list was embarrassingly small. I don't get their motive with that. Also the menu served few Irish items. Maybe the menu is what they think Democrats eat?? We ordered: Macho Nachos Corn tortilla chips w chicken, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and two layers of pepper jack and Sharp cheddar cheeses. They hit the hunger spot, but nothing special, Why green bell peppers? And no guac or sour cream? Tsk. Manhattan Wings Deep fried w barbecue sauce, celery and ranch dressing. There's a Manhattan in Ireland? Anyways I don't get why they don't serve Buffalo wings if they are going to have wings at all. They were typical, not crazy about the sauce. Voting against the Irish Democrat. read more

I went there last night for an after event party. The Irish Democrat had been contacted and they approved of the party, going as far as to say they would remain open as long as we had a sizeable crowd there. They were totally understaffed. The owner was so rude. Actually yelled at 2 people at my table. I was there for two hours and got one drink with never a check back. Finally a waitress was literally corralled to our table. Food came for everyone in my party except me. The server forgot to put in my food order. 2 hours, 1 drink, no food. Then some friends in the other room got kicked out for asking to have the music turned down and the tv turned up to watch speeches. Remember we had reservations and the owner knew we wanted to watch results come in. Obviously he wanted our money, but not us. We were not a roudy crowd. Never have I seen such a thing! I will not go back. Nor will several friends. if you don't want the people there, don't accept the reservation. read more

Eh, I'm not a huge fan of the Irish Democrat, but it's ok. I think it's definitely more of a restaurant than a bar, and that's disappointing. On a few different occasions I've ended up at the Irish Democrat on a weekend evening thinking they'd be packed and it would be lively and fun.....no, no it's not. Don't even get your hopes up. This is a sit around with your friends and chat kinda place. They have a pool table which I have only once seen people use and we were those people, so I'm not sure if that counts. As bars go I like to not see children when I'm there. Not that I dislike children at all, I love 'em, but they don't belong in a bar. In my opinion there are too many kids in this place for it to be a "bar". read more

The Irish Democrat, oh where oh where do I start?! This is a classic spot in Cedar Rapids. Not only does their prized possession, cheese wontons with homemade honey mustard show up on blogs country wide, but they're also the most delicious starter ever!!! First of all, their staff is very kind, attentive, and efficient. Secondly, their food is amazing. Third, they have a full bar. Fourth, it's conveniently located on 1st Ave, close to CR Wash; best area in Cedar Rapids! Food...chicken tenders with honey mustard, cheese wontons with honey mustard, the Democrat Special sandwich, Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad, Macho Nachos, and so much more! Also, they use Maytag Bleu Cheese, way to go local as well as use the best! Drinks...they have beer on tap, bottles, wine, full bar, and at night this place is even poppin! They have pool tables, TV's for the sports fans, many different dining rooms, clean bathrooms, you name it! This is the spot in Cedar Rapids, a spot I frequent every time I'm in the area! read more

The cheese wantons are great and the Ruben was perfect. The place is much bigger than it looks from the outside and way more interesting. read more

Irish Democrat - Pubs Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Food was phenomenal. Stopped here to grab drinks and catch up with old friends. We had a few martinis, caramel apple, kinky First Lady, and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, all were delicious. The cheese wontons were THE BOMB. I have never had honey mustard so thick and creamy. My mouth I watering just thinking about them. We split the pork tenderloin preztel sandwich, not only was it equally delicious, the waitress actually split the dish for us on two separate plates!!!! Super friendly. Amazing food and drinks. I wish I lived closer or they opened one by me! I would definitely go all the time. read more

Food was good. We were seated right away after arriving, but we did show up a little before 5pm so it wasn't very busy. Staff was courteous and didn't come to the table a bunch of times while eating. The appetizers and main meal came a little too close together. I didn't even make a dent in my salad when my sandwich arrived. I had the French dip and the meat was very lean and au jus very good. My salad was a little limp. A few pieces of "older" lettuce but dressing wad really good. My husband had the stuffed mushroom caps which he enjoyed them but the stuffing to mushroom ratio was a little high. It overpowered the taste of the mushroom. He also had a reuben which was perfect. read more

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Lively, non-divey. From the outside it looks as if it has shut down. Food is well-made, but basically identical to the menus at all bars across the country with table service. Ignore the review of the hipster tool on loan from LA (my hometown as well). Unlike 99% of the bars in the region, the beer choices here are not restricted to 20 nearly identical light and lite beers. I've given a bonus star to partially counteract Pappy's review. PBR? Are you kidding me? read more

First time customer. The place was busy with great atmosphere. The server was great, the food average. Had the fish and chips. Not much fish, not very good. read more

Mixed bag on this one... Living just up the street it's an easy go-to during happy hour (2-4-1 drinks from 3-6). Draft beer selection is pretty small though, with a half-assed attempt to serve nicher markets. Bell's Two-Hearted, Guinness, and some Fat Tire...with some others aside from the typical 'domestic' drafts, HOWEVER they have a recurring issue with dirty lines that make my go-to (Two-Hearted) cloudy and yeasty every few weeks...:/ Irish...what? Jameson and Glenfiddich are the only whiskey/scotch brands on hand, NEEEWP. They do have some late-night specials (after 9pm) on drinks and food but nothing to make this a destination for afterhours shenanigans unless you like some worn-out pool with warped ques. Food is going to be another hit-or-miss affair, the onion 'rings' are bountiful and tasty, assuming the fryer has been cleaned/changed recently. The pizza can be good too, if the right conditions are happening in the kitchen. Crowd is older or family oriented during rush hour, with a younger base late night. Decor is a grab-bag of Iowa kitsch, and the servers can range from cute and perky to angry and sulky, with a few competent bartenders sticking around for a year or more (I was a semi-regular for almost a year) but turnover making this reviewer iterate that it's hit-or-miss. Upper management seems to be a problem with most employees moving on after just a few months. Managers have been known to berate regular customers for perceived slights of their invited friends (don't dare invite opinionated or loud-when-drunk associates). Not a terrible place if you like dark, worn and 'classic' bars, but don't expect anything that would blow your mind. Even after 2-3 nights a week as a customer, my own service was spotty...even my reg bartenders were ambivalent to my needs. read more

I thought I had wrote a review for the ID and apparently I have not but now I'am! Some friends and I went to the fire house then they all wanted to leave after 5 minutes so we decided to come to the ID, it was pretty busy and we had to wait for a little bit for a server even after one of the girls in our group asked if there was anyone to serve us then we got two girls taking our orders and bring us our drinks and appetizers. We got 2 orders of cheesy wontons, nachos and cheese fries. everyone seemed happy about the apps and there drinks. Janessa's first margarita come out with no salt on the rim but the fixed that on the next couple, Rachel was in love with her long island ice tea and said there the best there. I've eating here in the past and I'm not huge on there menu nothing really pops out and me when I go in here and I end up either getting a bunch of appetizers or the soup and the french dip, There french dip is not that good. This place is about 50/50 resturant/bar you have a lot of people going just to eat but there's a lot of people coming in right after work to have a drink weekends are always busier but this place can get busy with thirsty people during the work week as well. It's not far from my place but I usually pass it up some something more my style. This is more of an older crowd bar with the younger more mature type people in here pretty laid back atmosphere. The front door is kind of wheel chair accessible, but there's no ramps inside. read more

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The menu on the whole isn't that great but there are a few things that will knock your socks off. I am a fan of the cheese wontons & beef brisket sandwich. The happy hour & late night drink specials are pretty good as well - bogo on any draft beer, including Stella, Smithwicks, and Fat Tire! Friendly bartenders & laid back vibe are bonuses. On weekdays I would bump it up to four stars but it's always packed on the weekends. read more

I came here for the first time on Saturday night and had a fun experience. The atmosphere inside is warm and cozy - the walls decorated with posters and campaign memorabilia from different Democratic presidential candidates from Alfred Smith to JFK. The restaurant area is actually much larger than I expected it to be, so it's definitely more than just a bar with some tables. We split an order of onion rings and potato skins as appetizers, and I ended up eating the cajun buffalo wings as my meal. The potato skins were great, the onion rings were so-so but too greasy, and the wings were okay but tasted just like any wings you could buy in the freezer aisle and heat up at home. The service was fairly slow considering that they weren't too busy, and our server wasn't the most friendly either so that's why I'm rounding down to three stars. Considering the lack of other options in Cedar Rapids, this place is certainly worth checking out and I'm definitely planning to come back again. read more

The hubby was fondly reminiscing on this place and said we had to have lunch there. Ordered the Bloody Mary (bloody delicious), the cheese wontons (really bland) and the tenderloin on the pretzel roll. (really yummy!) The hubby had the French dip which he loved, the kiddo had chicken fingers and fries. She said her chicken was too salty but neither the hubby nor I noticed it being overly salted when we tasted it so I'm not sure what she was on about. Our service was good, waitress was very nice. Solid place to eat but it's probably not something we'd add to the regular rotation when we're back in Cedar Rapids. read more

I just came back from a family gathering in Iowa. I met old friends for a little bit for food and a lot of drinks at the ID. The crowd was quiet considering it was at 6pm on a Thursday. Mostly regulars and/or people stopping through after work. Waitresses and bartenders were very cool and even better looking (not expected). They serve classic bar food and have a limited selection of beers. All-in-All, if you are stuck in Cedar Rapids for a night I would recommend stopping in the ID for a few drinks and an app. read more

One of my "go to" places when I'm in Cedar Rapids. Love the cheese wontons, chicken nachos, terkayki chicken salad, Mediteranean salad and cheese fries! (Yes I've been here often!) Be sure to sit near the large moose if you want to watch the Friday night happy hour activity. The place is booming with former Cedar Rapidians for St Pat's, Thanksgiving eve and a few days before Christmas. Good service, great prices and a fun place whether you are from CR or just passing thru. Back parking lot is large and can accomodate many cars. read more

Great food, loved the potato skins, Irish stew and rack of ribs. Terrific service, hot delicious food, wonderful decor! read more

A great place to go, we really like the cheese wontons! I also, really like the french dip, big servings and service is always friendly!

Fantastic! Server was Rehgan who was beyond outstanding. Burgers, tenderloin, and ribs were A1, with good portions. Rehgankept the drinks refilled almost faster than we could drink them. This place is a must in Cedar Rapids (and, get Rehgan if you can!). read more

Ok. So just here for beers and an app. This place needs a MAKEOVER!! Hardwood floors and lighter paint would give it a 100% better atmosphere, which it totally needs. Apps we ordered were excellent, and service was excellent! So fast!! Atmosphere mediocre. read more

Been dining here for years. The Cheese wontons are amazing and so is the honey mustard sauce. I think your beef nachos are my favorite locally. The portion size is huge, I always take some home. My kids think your chicken strips are the best !! read more

Reliably good burgers with great pub fare and a decent enough selection of beer. The place is pretty packed most nights with a festive crowd. The only real problem is a combination of insufficient and inadequate wait staff. Depending on the night, the bar could quite easily be staffed with someone who thinks that a Long Island is a glass full of Lipton with vodka. That said, the food will always be great and the atmosphere is pretty solid. If you're trying to figure out what the food has to do with the name, I can't help you. read more

We went there with friends for appetizers and drinks. All was good until it came time to pay. Our waitress took our card and after 10 minutes, she hadn't returned our card to us & my husband went looking for our waitress. He went to the bar where she was waiting for drinks for another table. He asked where our card and receipt were. She told him she was busy. Then she served several tables. She returned to the bar and again my husband asked for our card and receipt. She said she didn't know where it was. I joined them and said where is our card! She said she didn't know but maybe she dropped it. She then Started looking through a trash can and looking at crumpled up receipts. She said I didn't lose it on purpose. The bartender woman and her exchanged odd looks and suddenly the bartender reached under the bar and said "is this it?" She handed the card and receipt to us. This after 20 plus minutes since she first took our card. We went back to our friends and told them what happened. She came to a table next to us and said loudly I didn't lose your card. We said " you even said you didn't know where it was." Busy or not, this is unacceptable with todays risk of card theft. We contacted the owner who listened and said he would talk to the waitress and he would call me back. We gave him 10 days and he never called us back so we decided to post this. Accident or not, the waitress should have apologized and the owner should have called us back and at least apologized. Neither happened. read more

The ID as it's called where I work (and I bet elsewhere) is a great place with great food - don't let the weird exterior food you. From the outside it could be anything, and certainly doesn't look like a restaurant unless you see the sign. The interior is very nice with solid wood furnishings, and of course tons of wall hangings relating to famous politicians who happen to be Irish. The service I've had has always been fine, maybe a teeny bit slow. If you think of it has a bar, the atmosphere is very 'keep to yourself', so bring friends if you're planning on just drinking. The food is great! I like their salads, but whenever I think of this place I think of two things: the Aussie Burger, and cheese wontons. The Aussie Burger here is a cheeseburger with the standard lettuce and tomato, but with the big twist of a fried egg and peanut butter on top. I tried it on a dare and it was great. Since then I've been able to convince 3 or 4 others to try it; everyone has loved it so far (when my parents are in town my Dad usually insists on going here just for that burger). The cheese wontons are great when dunked in the provided sweet mustard sauce (when here with the work crew we always order one or two). It can get pretty busy during the standard rush periods, be warned. I've never made reservations, but it would probably be a good idea, especially for weekend dinner. read more

Very decent food and decent service. The ID has been a CR staple for years, and has only improved during time. The "philly" is good for a midwest version of a real philly and their burgers and appetizers are always satisfying. Since it's an irish pub style restaurant, they have the usual bar tap and an excellent "irish stew." Usually busy during lunch and really busy during dinner especially during the weekends, but the friendly staff and management make up for it. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and pretty darn good food are all factors in why this place has stood the test of time here in CR. read more

High prices for average cold food. You get the extra pleasure of an automatic tip included in the bill as well. Not a fan.

We came here at around 7:00 on a Tuesday night and were seated right away. The bartender promptly turned the TVs by our table to the channel I requested (Go Green!). I had the fish and chips which were delicious. The coleslaw was pretty tasty, fries were good, if anything, the tartar sauce could've used less vingar. Overall though, everything was delicious and we had a nice time. read more

Cheese wontons are amazing! Food is alright, onion rings were onion strings.. Staff I would say is adequate... Had a waitress talk about someone at my table to a table next to me. FIRST & LAST name yelled to the table next to me... Just disrespect from the staff read more

I've lived in CR over 50 yrs and had never visited the Irish Democrat until about 6 months ago. It looks "tough" or as one reviewer suggested "shut down" from the outside. However: Once inside it was wonderful. It's nicely furnished. Great food. Descent service. I'm far older that most of these reviewers and I don't drink. I go with people I care to be with and don't want to interface with others. I have different needs and Irish Democrat has what I want. Prices are higher, but competitive. Their coleslaw is the best. My wife likes their fish and chips. I tried the Aussie Burger. Glad I did, but probably won't again. :o) Remember: there is parking in the rear. read more

I'm not sure why people are getting so upset about this place. It's a pub. Don't expect a five star dining experience on a busy night. Be realistic. Pub food was as expected. Had the fried cheese won tons and they were tasty. Also had the fish and chips which went down well with my guiness. Wife had a sandwich in which she enjoyed. Food and drinks came out quickly. Our waitress was attentive and fun. The decor was appropriate. I'm not getting the "Applebees" vibe that people are talking about. Seating was unique and pleasing. And we went during happy hour so my wife and I got 2 for 1 drinks. We will be going back with friends next time. read more

Cannot go wrong with this place. It is very fun and you will never have such delightful cheese wontons. The chicken fingers are also pretty top notch! Overall has great bar food, beer selection could be better compared to other places but if you like domestics it's no problem read more

I love the decor and well the menu. I had the moose because of the name, and well I loved it. Great decor, I loved old buildings and the brickwork and arches are wicked. read more

The food here is delicious. But I will never step foot in the establishment again after how our group was treated by the owner on Monday, February 1, 2016. Apparently, the "Democrat" in the name has absolutely nothing to do with supporting any political activities. Following the most highly attended Democratic Iowa Caucus in history our group went to the Irish Democrat. We had called over the weekend to make them aware we'd have a large group coming following the caucus and we're encouraged to come. In fact, we were told they'd stay open as long as we had a significant number of people still there buying drinks. There were well over 100 people there from the Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigns celebrating and watching the caucus results on TV. Apparently the idea of the Iowa Caucus was a new concept to the owner and he was not happy about our request to turn down the music and turn up the sound on the TVs as the speeches started by the candidates. After several requests by various people in the restaurant the owner became belligerent to people at one particular table and yelling at the top of his lungs. He told us that we had to leave immediately no matter what we had left regarding food or drinks. As we tried to ask him why the request to allow us to hear the speeches was so offensive he threatened to call the police. No food or drinks is worth being abused by a staff member, let alone the owner! There were many out of state visitors in the establishment because they came to volunteer for caucus and be part of the Iowa experience. Obviously, this was more than those volunteers bargained for. Jerks can be found in any city, it is a true shame that the owner of the Irish Democrat decided to create this situation to be part of their Iowa Caucus experience. What a wonderful lasting memory of their trip to Cedar Rapids. As a local, I will never step foot in this establishment again. The Starlite across the street was very happy to accommodate our group. The food was good, service was excellent, and they changed the channel to CNN on their TVs and allowed us to listen to the Iowa Caucus commentary. Customer service...what a concept. read more

Wow. Just wow....I live in the Corridor and am now spending more time in Cedar Rapids for business. Being Irish AND Democrat, this establishment has been on my list for the last several months to try for lunch or an end of day cocktail with friends. But not now. Not after reading the reviews of how patrons who had the foresight to make reservations, giving management time to bring in enough folks to serve a huge crowd, were treated for simply asking music to be turned down and televisions to be turned up Seems to me if the music is more important, then the TV's should be taken out. Or the owner should get some business counseling on how customers should be treated. The Starlite has been my favorite family bar and restaurant for almost 30 years. Certainly don't see any reason to check out the neighbor across the street any longer! read more

I can't say that I believe the hype. I came here for lunch during the work day, so no drinking was done. I ordered the fajitas. Meh. I don't have to have them again. Maybe an evening visit with an adult beverage and a burger would be more enjoyable. The service was also Meh...it could have been more impressive. I might try it again if in the area. read more

Sat at the bar and worst service ever. Tried the chicken fingers they were small cuts of chicken but they were very dry and the breading was way to crunchy for the portion of chicken it was like eating a chicken pretzel. I was never offered any napkins or silverware while eating. Drank a few draft beers and they were okay just had to wait 10 minutes between each refill and only 5 people at the bar. I will never recommend this place or return to eat or drink here. read more