Listen, I dealt with this blonde bitch named Keegan. But I use bitch in the best way. SHE WASS THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAITRESS IVE EVER HAD. SHES AWESOME. Seriously, I will be coming back to joes just to order from her. She is damn good at her job. read more

Our waitress was super nice. Loved the outdoor patio seating that they have on the roof!

Best fucking service, buddy named JD!! ALSO BARTENDER NAMED Stacy,, fucking phenomenal service !!!! I came in from Chicago, these two, TOP NOTCH read more

Generally we have no issues here. However, last evening, the bartender upstairs was incredibly rude to us. Atmosphere is always the best but service was terrible. I will happily tell my friends not to come here any longer. read more

Visited IC for a family graduation and decided to visit some of the downtown bars. It was a very busy weekend, so we didn't have high expectations. This was your typical college bar, but seemed pretty nice on the inside, had tons of space and had a rooftop area. They even have servers that come around and bring drinks to your table so you don't have to go up to the bar every time. The drinks were inconsistent. I had 2 jack and cokes that were different ratios and then 2 vodka lemonades that also tasted different. Overall, nothing too crazy, would go back if I was going out. read more

Joe's Place - Vodka lemonade - Bars Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

During our visit today, server Lexie took care of our table. Before being seated, we went to the bar where we witnessed a glass break in the ice. When we brought this to the bartender's attention, he attempted to serve drinks without addressing the issue. We refused the drink. Once seated, we asked Lexie for a glass of water. When she brought the water with ice, we politely requested a glass without ice. She responded rudely, giving us an unpleasant look before getting the glass. Upon being informed about the ice incident, she called the bartender, who aggressively denied that any glass had broken. Overall, our experience was quite negative, and we would not recommend coming here. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE! read more

I LOVE JOES!!! Absolutely impeccable. The drinks are stiff but good, love the staff, love the atmosphere, love everything about it. 10/10 from me read more

I've been to Joe's Place a lot throughout my life and have never been disappointed. I love Pat the bartender and how friendly and awesome he is. Also, the waitresses at Joe's Place are very kind and helpful. I just went to Joe's Place with a group of coworkers to celebrate the holiday season and we all had a great time. Overall, great experience! read more

I don't know if it was because me and my Brother was black, but the waitress upstairs would not serve us. Even when we asked her that we were waiting for 45 mins and already knew what we wanted she refused. And served everyone else but us! I would NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone in my life! read more

Let's just say RACIST!!! My boyfriend, brother, and I just moved to Iowa City and wanted to watch a game at the bar. Unfortunately, the server prevented that from happening today 08/09/21 around 8pm. We waiting over 45 mins to be seated on the rooftop and watched numerous others be serviced and waited on. We were the only black people in the establishment which usually doesn't bother us. Soon after we noticed it had been 45 mins we asked the waitress to take our order and she abruptly said no. We were shocked that an establishment would deny us service and then tell Us if we didn't like it we could leave. I do not recommend anyone go to this establishment, as I would never want anyone to be treated like this. Iowa city is very small and I will be informing all of my business partners and colleagues about this nasty experience from this waitress. read more

great place, i'm here for the summer patio seating is awesome and the fire adds a great atmosphere. quite a few college students here. area is spacious and they have different elements of events such as trivia night etc. TVs play sports games, we're in NBA / NHL season right now. pretty chill right now on a Friday night, 9:41pm. read more

I think Joe's Place is where my buddy met his wife.. That's slightly weird thinking about.. Since this place is not really the type of place either of them would want to be! It's a strait up college town bar, with old school photos of Hawkeye teams of the past. With a few tv's for sports watching, pool to be played, drink specials, and bro looking bartenders who were actually very sweet and kind.. (Don't judge a book by the cover) The place is kinda divey, but not gross, the beers are cheap and cold, and the vibe was chill.. Nothing really to complain about here... But maybe not the place for a date you'd like to impress but then again maybe I'm wrong since my friend met his future wife here.. read more

Joe's Place - a man behind the bar - Bars Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

I have loved Joe's for a very long time and this past weekend, May 4th, Stacey, the bartending manager treated my colleagues and I with great disrespect. We were on a bar crawl, where deals were previously approved for people on the crawl. When arriving at Joes, we ordered the deal ($3 mixed shots) but when receiving my the check, it was $7 per shot. My friend, a very sweet and genuine person, kindly asked the bartender about the deal. The bartender mentioned he was unaware of the situation and mentioned he would grab the manager to discuss it. No big deal! Unfortunately, the bartending manager at the time, Stacey, told us that it was "common sense if she could read" that their only deal was a $4 strawberry cucumber shot. My friend remained calm throughout the entire situation and tried to talk to her about it. When my friend asked the manager her name, she lied and said her name was Sally. It's not Sally and her actions and how she spoke was completely uncalled for. I have worked in the restaurant industry for 6 years and it is customer service 101 to be polite to the customer. EVEN IF SHE WAS UNAWARE OF THE DEAL, she could've said exactly that. Instead she proceeded to put my friend down. Me, along with 30-40 others, will not be returning to Joe's if that is how they believe people ,not just customers, should be treated. read more

A good time is always had at Joe's Place. And even more so since the put in the first rooftop patio in town a few years ago. Imbibing outdoors with you sunnies on and the sunshine on your shoulders or the cool night surrounding you is just the ABSOLUTE best. (Their fire pit is a nice feature as well.) There are multiple bars (three?), tons of TVs, pool tables and dart boards, too. The Iowa game will always be on at Joe's. The staff has always been friendly, prices are always on point. And the crowd is a tad bit 'older' than some of the other college town watering holes. Which I enjoy. They have a daily Happy Hour (4-8pm) with $1 off drafts and $6 domestic pitchers. And other deals from 8pm-close everyday but Friday and Saturday. PLUS, self serve free popcorn is available. There is no 'real' food offered here. And I appreciate that Joe's Place isn't trying to be something it's not. This is a must-have place for a brew and to watch the game. Just be sure to grab a bite before you come! read more

I can always rely on Joe's Place to be what I expect it to be - a great college bar, "never a cover," with popcorn, beer, and plenty of seating no matter how many pals I'm meeting up with. Then they went and kicked it up a notch by adding a rooftop patio (complete with bar + fire pit/table) and a window directly into Pizan Pizza nextdoor. In my experience, Joe's Place has always also had great bartenders and servers who somehow manage to weave through all of the humans to keep drinks full and patrons happy. Even on a busy game day. Definitely worth a stop if you're in town and want to grab a beer or catch a game. read more

Joe's Place - Joe's new rooftop bar! - Bars Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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Terrible service. Bartenders are extremely unprofessional.

I am gluten free and was offered a gluten free bun here. i didn't expect them to have one so I was excited and got a plain hamburger w gluten free bun. immediately it looked too good to be true which i told my friends so I asked my waitress if this was the gluten free. she said yes. I took a bite and it was very good better than any gluten free bun I've had so I asked a second time as well as a second employee and they said yes. a 3rd time I asked her to show me the wrapper and she showed me a hot dog box that was supposedly gluten free and she said she was out of the gluten free buns. I ate it after asking 3 times and then ended up puking the worst I ever have for hours couldn't keep water down and almost had to go to the hospital because I couldn't breathe. read more

My favorite bar in IC. I like the old side better and I bet most people do -- but it's nice to have more space too. Great service, huge space, never a cover and good peeps -- do douchey overspill from the SCUMMIT read more

I ordered the Hawaiian pizza and was not a fan. The pineapple tasted old and the meat was more like cat food. The crust and sauce tasted well however. They also messed up my friends pizza and just added pineapples read more

Being new to the city, we're always on the lookout for a good place to hang - enter Joe's. Recommended by a friend who's been her for 8 years, we tried the place and it was a good time. The patio in the back is a great place to hang and people watch out on the Ped mall. The beer is cheap and at least in the summer times they have some interesting ideas including, but not limited to, the reverse cover night, where they paid us in $1 off beer coupons. Dart boards and pinball are your escapes whilst remaining inside the castle walls and they've got two bar tops so you can always "go to the better side". Friendly people at the bars and somewhere between a dive and a mid tier place. Little on the dark side as far as lighting went when we visited, but overall a solid place to chillax with some friends after a long week! read more

I parked my car across the street from Joe's Place, then promptly lost my car keys. Shortly after discovering my keys were missing, my phone died. I searched everywhere, but couldn't find the keys and it was getting darker and colder. I went to Joe's Place and the bartender kindly let me use the phone to call home, then let me hang out at the bar until somebody could bring my spare keys from the Quad Cities. Friendliness aside, I left this bar desperately wishing I lived close enough to be a regular. It's the quintessential dive bar, complete with crusty decor, a diverse clientele, and, even better, it's pizza adjacent. A window at the back connects Joe's with PiZan pizza, which provided me a tasty meal for $5 that I could carry back to my seat at the bar, to be washed down with a tall boy of PBR. Joe's Place is awesome! If you haven't already, you should definitely stop in. read more

Joes place is Huge. Lots of seating. The other bonus is they got a kickin Rooftop with a firepit! The drinks are nothing special But they will make it all if they know how to make it. read more

Great place to grab a beer, eat popcorn and watch #Cubs. Great selection of beer and you can always get a seat at the bar. Staff not overly friendly but that is ok. read more

Joe's Place - Bars Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

I was visiting family in Iowa City and had a very negative experience at Joe's Place. Staff were rude and even aggressive towards a black patron who didn't seem to be doing much of anything wrong. They kicked him out for no reason I could observe and seemed to unfairly take the side of a much younger (and far, far drunker) white patron who was shouting insults and far more out of control than the black customer. After seeing some of the recent reviews about experience firsthand racist behavior and treatment by staff and people frequenting this bar, I thought I should write to say I had also experienced that racist behavior even if second-hand and indirectly. I wouldn't want to be a minority in Joe's Place, I don't think it's a friendly environment of BIPOC members of the Iowa City community, which is too bad. Diversity is a good thing, openness to others is also a good thing. I will never return to Joe's Place, I wouldn't encourage those who are open-minded and appreciative of a multicultural and diverse communities to return there either, certainly not with someone who represents a non-white member of the city. It likely will end badly. read more

This was one of my favorite bars back when I was in college, and 6 years later it still hasn't changed, cheap quick drinks, coolers with cans by the door, shot girls, you have no excuse to not have a drink in your hand, plus their frozen margs aren't bad, can get crowded but there's lotsa space and we usually find seats, plus a pool table read more

If I could give it a zero I would. Service was ok but the food was the absolute worst!! We waited for our food forever. We had chicken tenders and grilled cheese and honestly McDonalds is way better. Sorry we went for lunch here on game day. read more

The bar scene in Iowa City reminds me of the sports scene in India. Do you know there are 1.2 billion people in India? We're talking one of of the most populous countries on Earth. But when the Olympics roll around, they never win anything. Think about it, you ever seen an Indian basketball team doing anything? What about an Indian sprinter? India didn't win its first individual gold medal until 2008. That's just sad. All those people in your country, and none of them athletic? You don't have fields and courts and parks in Calcutta? Yet you have Cows who are just roaming the streets like they're dogs. India: full of gurus, shamans, and starchy foods, but no pickup games or youth league soccer. Similarly, Iowa City has 1.2 billion bars, but Iowa City is not particularly good at presenting a decent bar to the public. If you're looking for ruti tuti fresh and fruity shots, hanging out with young girls who are still learning to walk in heels and think at the same time, or boys with too many protein supplements coursing through their veins and the misguided notion that the high five and MMA are some sort of religious rituals, then Iowa City's bar scene probably speaks to you. But if you like a really good bar, with really good bar characteristics, you might as well be Steve Nash stranded in New Delhi. Ain't a lot of places to get a good run. Really good bar characteristics include: proper lighting, minimal specials, a quick-witted or brilliantly surly bartender, a lack of tall boys, reasonable volume on the music, a respectable selection of beer on tap, some sense of history, and a bar should never be too full (60 or 70% full at most). And ladies. The right kind of ladies. I know you know what I'm getting at here. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, Joe's. Well, they don't have all of those characteristics. But it's okay, because they have FREE POPCORN. And there's a mixed crowd in there. Sure, the d-bags are present, but so are a bunch of grad students (usually in the middle section), and a lot of local yokels. The cocktail waitresses are usually sexified. Baby dolls are smokin', word to spicy green chutney. For a downtown bar, this is as good as it gets. There are only 4 respectable bars in town, and this is one of 'em. Thorough selection of lix, a few decent beers on tap and in bottles, a nice space, and did I mention FREE POPCORN? I will forgive them for the tall boy tubs at the door and the worst bathrooms for a number 2 that you can imagine. This is the bar to go to when you want to watch sports or get laid. Last time I went there, I did both. [does a celebratory macarena dance in the living room] So, to sum up: this is a 3 star bar in terms of Olympic ratings, but relative to the Indian athletic scene it gets bumped a star. read more

This is maybe my favorite downtown bar. It's a really chill atmosphere and has good beer selection/prices. Once the rooftop opens up this will be the place to be. More on the townie side, this place never charges cover! Oh, and free popcorn! read more

Joe's Place in downtown Iowa City is a behemoth of the bar scene, both in terms of space and patron attendance. You're sure to always find a few groups in as well as people at the one of the two bars they have or out drinking on their patio weather permitting. Although they don't offer any food outside of snack bags of chips, they welcome you to bring food in to eat from other establishments. The prices are great and they usually have two bartenders behind each bar and waitresses in each section so that getting a drink amongst the masses doesn't take twenty minutes - you've got options. Speaking of options, try their massive tap selection which includes your favorite domestics and a fantastic rotating craft beer selection. Overall, Joe's is a nice, chill place to hang out with a group of friends or watch the Hawkeyes play. read more

I love joes place. This place is awesome. Accepting of all people regardless of social class

As a graduate student of the mathematics department, I think its sacrilege if I say anything bad about Joe's, but I really don't have anything. You don't get the feeling like everyone in there are sluts and douchebags (like most college town bars). You really can just come, enjoy some drinks, talk with friends, and meet new and interesting people. Or go crazy if that's your style, the point is that its all welcome at Joe's without the creeper vibe. The staff are great, but don't expect too, too much conversation with them when their busy, and it does get busy. Just stay classy, Joe's. read more

On May 10 I went to Joe's Place with some friends to celebrate the end of the semester. The bartender decided that my ID, a Hawai'i ID belonging to a Black person, was suspicious, for some reason. He asked for my zipcode and address. No one else in our group received the same treatment. I tried to ask why he was checking my ID so vigorously but he refused to offer an answer (I assume, frankly, because the reason was racist and xenophobic) but he instead suggested we get the manager, Allen (sp?) Allen spoke to the bartender before addressing my concern. While trying to explain the problem, the bartender attempted to "peel the foil" off my ID. The manager requested an additional form of ID. I provided one. In an effort to leave a hostile and uncomfortable situation I asked Allen for an apology addressing the racist behavior of his bartender. But Allen, who was not present for the interaction, waved off my claims of racism. The interaction had "nothing to do with race." The apology he offered went something like: "I'm sorry if you thought something racist might have happened" (I'm paraphrasing, but effectively, Allen said #SorryNotSorry). We left. I hope Joe's Place isn't structurally racist, and that the staff might've been having a bad day. Unfortunately, the point remains that non-white people need to avoid Joe's Place. read more

When BIL brought up Iowa City bar hopping, at first I wasn't necessarily keen to the idea but as we were touring around the city on my last full day there I welcomed it. So we left DN with her Grandma & Grandpa because like unicorns, babies are not welcome in the bar setting either. Our first stop on the hop was Joe's Place. A recommended watering hole with a very long bar, plenty of outer seating and of course tv's capturing the essence of the sports playing that day. We grabbed barstools somewhere in the middle of the expansive bar so we could watch said sports and keep the bartenders attention when needed. The BIL's drink of choice was something on draft while I decided to keep it simple and sans alcohol in the form of a dark and bubbly (coke). Looking around I could see some history on the walls, especially Iowa Hawkeye history. This bar solidified for me the pride this entire city has along with their team pride. This got BIL and I to talking about that and other Iowa-esque things. It was really great to shoot the shizzle with my bizzle for rizzle! Overall the vibe was lax, the drinks were good (BIL liked the tap stuff too) and the bartender was cool. Had a good time here but anticipating what was next on the hop schedule. read more

Pros: 1. Excellent beer selection on tap. Including domestic and craft beer. Took the waitress at least 20 seconds to list them all off. 2. Large space that can easily accommodate large groups. I recently went to happy hour and the group was about 15 people at its largest, easily fit with even room for more if we had them. 3. Offers free popcorn on a self serve basis. I didn't have any, but it looked buttered. 4. Eclectic decor, but for a dive bar seemed to fit. Cons: 1. Dark and dingy, fits with the dive bar mentality but not my personal favorite or preference. 2. Chairs were not overly comfortable, the booths may be better however. read more

Some of the best staff and bartenders in Iowa City. A towney bar that has transcended time, even trying to hire generations of people to work there. Good music, relaxed theme, and a great place to hang out at all levels depending on the night. Stop by for lunch to and make sure to have Rob's Famous Taco's and Chili Dog's.....one of the most hidden secrets of Iowa City...never a menu...just ask! read more

Joe's Place - Bars Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

RACIST STAFF AND PATRONS: I agree completely with below reviews about this place having racist staff and clientele. Maybe considering hiring a black staff member? That would be a baby step in the right direction, management, or would that be too scary a prospect for you? I'm white (grew up in rural Iowa) and my husband is black. Let me just say the treatment of the staff between him and me when they didn't realize we were together was remarkable. It's so disappointing as we relocated back to Iowa after I left 25 years ago, largely because the state back then lacked really any diversity at all, and we felt moving back to Iowa City was the only place that would welcome and treat diverse citizens with equality and respect (plus it's gotten a lot more diverse since I left). I have to say my husband has had several experiences in the few months we've been back that are so disappointing, above all at Joe's Place. So much for all the BLM plastered all over downtown, it seems pretty superficial and frankly it's depressing that the only truly liberal spot in all of Iowa is still this bad. And we're not talking 60+ years, "old school" generation here. We're talking more 20 somethings who I'd like to believe have different views growing up in a more diverse, liberal environment. A drunk student literally attacked my husband and the staff accused my husband of attacking him! They did nothing to the belligerent, falling down drunk 21 white boy and escorted my 43 year old husband, who had drunk one glass of beer so not even a buzz going and been there half an hour after working a long, hard day on the job, to the door. It was horrific and blatantly racist behavior. Try a little harder, Joe's Place, it really wouldn't take much effort. Try hiring a few black staff, try treating the few black patrons that may still come in (if any do after all these negative reviews) with a bit more respect and kindness. We're all human, I thought people had figured that out by now. ZERO stars if possible, alas I'm only able to go as low as one. This place is awful, AVOID if you believe in treating others as you'd like to be treated yourself. It's not 1860 anymore, and it's definitely not 1960 anymore, and heck it's not even 1990 anymore Joe's Place. You really need to catch up with the times - racism is NOT cool and has NEVER been, you haven't realized that?!?! Seriously, it's pathetic. read more

NO service! We waited at the table for 10 minutes, no one came to greet or take an order. Eventually our entire party just got up & walked out...no one seemed to care. read more

Love the rooftop! Great place to watch Iowa football. Great service and drinks, but minimal food selection.

Awful- horrid regulars downstairs. Not friendly or welcoming. Wished we didn't stop in there

I love joes place. The staff is hilarious and super nice. It is honestly my favorite bar in town.