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Shakespeare's

4.3 (79 reviews)
Open 7:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

Shakespeare's Photos

Business Info

SHAKESPEARE'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Shakespeare's

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Reviews With Photos - Shakespeare's

Taco Tuesday hard or soft shell.  Beef / veggie
Bobby C.

From their taco Tuesdays, karaoke and other live music as well as the great food and drinks. This bar is an Iowa City staple that's serving gourmet bar, food, and great ambience. Daily food specials.

Quesadilla
Megan W.

Solid pub! For as long as I've lived in Iowa City, I have never made it to Shakespeare's and I wish I had before this visit. Very friendly servers and a large (but not too large) menu for both food and drink. I enjoyed my quesadilla (lots of flavor) and it was very filling. This place is family friendly and on a Friday night, the place was packed! This is obviously a casual place and anyone that comes in should feel comfortable.

Tenderloin*
Devin B.

Went on a hunt while visiting to try and find the best tenderloin sandwich in the area and after numerous searches through various sites and apps, Shakespeare's was the winner. Stopped in and was able to be seated right away and we hit the perfect time because within 5-10 mins the pace was full and had a waitlist. The staff was super friendly and the energy was very family friendly. We started with a basket of tots and onion rings. Both hit the spot and were gone in minutes guess we were hungry. They were cooked perfectly crispy and paired well with the ranch dressing. I ordered the tenderloin sandwich fully dressed with a cup of the soup of the day. Whoever made it knows how to season food it was packed full of flavor! Since I did a hunt for the tenderloin sandwich this wasn't the biggest I've seen but man it was so good! Juicy, flavorful and fit well with the most amazing moist bun! All in all a phenomenal meal!!

Paul V.

Shakespeare's is a classic in Iowa City, and has all the ingredients of a solid place to hang out with friends (or family, or strangers, or by yourself!). Their food menu is large and diverse enough to have something for everyone, they have a solid drink menu, and the overall atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. It gets busy, which is a sign that they are doing things right.

Tenderloin and poppers  Tenderloin breading made me think of long john silvers fish ... Was still good
Mark A.

Tenderloin breading reminded me of long john silvers breading But was still good Service was good as well...place was busy

Choose any 2 Half Baskets Above--Onion Rings and Breaded Cauliflower
Mark O.

Don't let the wood paneling from the 80s detract you from going. Had a very nice experience during NFL Kickoff. Speaking of which, they have the ticket here and all games appeared to be on at least one TV. Our server was effective and checked in regularly. Classic bar food options--none of the high end options some places are gravitating towards. They also have a late night menu with bites available until 1 AM--wish we had some of this in DSM. I had the "Pick two" combo basket with breaded cauliflower and battered onion rings. Both of these were fried to perfection. I also had the ultimate grilled cheese on sourdough. I elected potato salad as the side and that was the only disappointment--didn't taste much better than the cheap stuff in the deli case at Walmart. I look forward to my next visit.

Signage from 1st Ave Entrance
Audrey C.

Part restaurant part neighborhood bar, this is my favorite place to eat in Iowa City easy. Been stopping by for the last 20 years when in town and it holds up. Want friendly service? Yep. Want a solid menu? They got that. Want to feel like you are walking into a place where everybody knows your name? You know it. Want an outdoor patio you can relax when a cold beer and your dog (with its own dog menu)? Oh they got that too. Great food. Great ambiance. Plenty of parking, outdoor dining space, weekly specials, locally owned, Shakespeare's checks all the boxes. Highly recommend.

French Dip

We went for a late-night dinner and received quick, friendly service. The cocktails were delicious, especially the blueberry mule and blueberry cosmo! All the food was really good for pub fare, but the tenderloin was a bit of a letdown. It was breaded in a way that reminded me of fish and chips, which wasn't what I expected but wasn't terrible.

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Suzi S.

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1 year ago

The food is very good. Service is amazing. The atmosphere is great if you're a sports fan.

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Suzi S.

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2 years ago

Excellent Tenderloins! Great service & nice atmosphere. I would definitely go here again.

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2 years ago

Love this place. Always good good service and food. The breaded tenderloin is my favorite.

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food, nice beer selection, with patio seating. Service was excellent; ask for John! Parking was limited on site.

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3 years ago

We went here on a Friday night with a large RAGBRAI group and the food, service, and drinks were all gracefully delivered and great.

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Nice bar and grill, great for breakfast! Food is excellent and the atmosphere is old school.

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Food is always good, fun atmosphere. Has a lot of different specials throughout the year

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3 years ago

Always great service and good food, taco Tuesday was great. Nice selection of beers on tap

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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Shakespeare's - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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