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    St. Burch Tavern

    4.0 (238 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    St. Burch Tavern Photos

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    ST. BURCH TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Trendy
    Romantic

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    Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts, Honey, Walnuts, Sherry

    I just love this place, the vibe is great, the patio is great, the people watching is cool. Get the seafood tower happy hour special.

    Basement vibes!
    Jodi B.

    Had brunch here on a Sunday afternoon...the speakeasy in the basement has such a fun vibe! The servers were fun and attentive and the food was delicious! The whole downtown area is so quaint and fun.

    Such a cute patio
    Astrid H.

    Was recommended this place by the beautiful bartender at mill house brewing and said they had great seafood. Was excited to see how easy it was to find and just off the U of Iowa campus, a short walk down the street. We were greeted right away and preferred to sit on the patio, which we did. Great menu, lots of really great options from a variety but definitely some seafood takes. Was tough to pick between this creamy seafood pasta and the sandwich but opted for the sandwich, which was delicious. Came with chips but I chose a salad and I picked the one with cranberries and blue cheese and my my my was ir tasty. Such a light dressing with seeds and it was just perfect with my crab, lobster, shrimp sandwich. My partner ordered the pork chop and cheesy palento and it was marvelous. Not only was it visually delicious but the flavor was spectacular. That pork chop was cooked to perfection left moist and soft but cooked all the way through. So so good. Service was great and we loved the food. Overall glad we came and we'd come back indeed!

    Cheddar biscuits
    Julie T.

    We ate outside and enjoyed the great vibe. Parker was our waitress and she was delightful. The food was really great and the service was top notch! The cocktails were amazing!

    Inside top floor
    Beth s.

    Excellent experience at St. Burch. The steak and Mac and cheese were the stand outs for me. Down stairs has a completely different speakeasy vibe. Highly recommend!

    Avocado Toast
    Dessa S.

    Went here for a brunch after an Iowa women's basketball game, was quite busy but great food. Great service, amazing and super friendly staff. I want to come back and try the brioche french toast sticks as well as the belgian waffle with espresso whipped cream, they sound delicious and I was super impressed with the avocado toast! It was such a cute interior, very modern and nice breakfast spot, will be coming back with my boyfriend for sure.

    Vivian S.

    Stopped here as we were passing through town. Great outdoor and indoor areas. Food was delicious, and the portion was perfect. Only thing we didn't like was that we wanted to pay cash and they don't print the receipt so the server and her trainee held the terminal and watched me count through the money in purse, which was uncomfortable.

    $1.50 3-6pm daily oysters (east coast) - $3off drafts and cocktails.
    Bobby C.

    I've been here a handful of times and the food is always stellar justifying the New York City prices. I've never sat outside, but there is outside patio dining, which looks lovely. The best deal are the 3-6pm $1 oysters daily (m-f- not sure on weekends) They also have drink specials during that time. I've also come here for Mother's Day and Easter specials, which have always been again delicious yet overpriced. It's a treat type of place. I'll never be a regular aside from the oysters . The best seafood place in IC. Run by the Nate Kaeding mafia group though :(

    Cool downstairs area for dining
    Leanh E.

    After a long flight arriving to Iowa City, I wasn't in the mood for a big meal but wanted to go somewhere to get a small bite and relax. My daughter took me to the St. Burch and we headed downstairs into the Den. What a cool vibe and loved the dark interior. We had a great time and the food was spectacular. The sauce on the shrimp creole dish was amazing. Scooped up every last bit of the sauce with bread, because it was that good! I really enjoyed the tuna carpaccio which had a great Asian inspired dressing and cashews.

    Salmon Chowder and Mac N Cheese
    Adrienne D.

    SERVICE: Given that downtown Iowa City has a strictly enforced 1-hour parking limit, I've found that the restaurants are great at giving efficient service. Our waitress was no exception. My party of 2 pondered the menu for 10 minutes and our food still came out before we'd even hit the 30 minute mark in our parking. FOOD: We both did the "The Pick Two" option for $15.50. It's a sizeable amount of food for the price. I ordered the Chicken Bacon and Swiss melt with the classic Caesar salad. The other person ordered the Atlas Mac N Cheese with the cup of salmon chowder. The plating and taste of the food was good. The portions are reasonable and you can finish your food during your visit. The lettuce for the Caesar salad is very fresh and crunchy (a personal fave). RESTAURANT POLICY: All non-cash purchases have a 3% fee. Please keep that in mind when you close out your tab. 10/10 recommend

    Kamilla J.

    I love the shrimp voodoo and mac and cheese options at this spot , truly, the shrimp voodoo is a MUST. It's packed with flavor, cooked perfectly, and has that addicting little kick that keeps you coming back for more. And the mac and cheese? Creamy, rich, and the kind of comfort food you dream about. Both dishes are consistently excellent, seriously, they never miss. That said, the service can be hit or miss. I've been here multiple times, and it really depends on the day. Sometimes I'm greeted by warm, helpful staff who are attentive without being overbearing. Other times, the energy feels... off. One visit in particular stood out, I ordered to-go at the bar, and the staff member helping us looked visibly irritated, despite the restaurant not being busy. When my friend asked a simple question, the response came with a look that screamed, "Really?" It was uncomfortable and dismissive. Also, something that lingers in the back of my mind: the restaurant advertises its seafood as "fresh," which sounds great, but I do wonder what that actually means when you're in the middle of Iowa, miles from any ocean. Is it flown in daily? Fresh-frozen and thawed? Just something to consider, especially for a place that leans heavily on seafood dishes. So while the food is absolutely worth it, just know that the service experience may vary. I still come back, but I cross my fingers it's one of their "good days."

    Crazy price for a single drink, even considering what it was.
    Isaac A.

    This review is for "The Den" in the basement of the St. Burch Tavern. I'll keep this short and to the point - we were on track for a five-star review. The cocktails were great, the posted prices were reasonable, and the service good. My last drink of the evening was a Lagavulin 16, which generally costs $80-$100 a bottle retail (bars should pay less through distributors). For that single drink, The Den charged an exorbitant $35. I'd go back, but I'd only buy drinks with posted prices - the off-menu prices are absurd and frankly a rip-off.

    Oysters

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    27 days ago

    Seafood special and great bar in cellar - a nice ambiance! Good happy hours - only issue is parking.

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    10 months ago

    Great food, great service. The atmosphere is really cozy and eclectic. Always have a great time here!

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    8 months ago

    Really good food and fun drinks. Inside is unique and interesting while outside is a great spot for alfresco dining.

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    Ask the Community - St. Burch Tavern

    Do you offer a children's menu?

    Yes we do :)

    View All 2 Questions

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    Before I came to Iowa City for a conference? i researched places to eat. This was one I wanted to…read morego to. They're well reviewed on Yelp, which I value. My friend from work and I came here tonight. Wow. They have an informal lounge downstairs and a more formal dining room upstairs. The lounge has the same menu plus a lounge menu. So we chose more choice. The lounge was kinda dark and it's not fancy. But it's clean and open. It's fine. The server was terrific. Ash accommodated our need for separate checks (for us each to bill for our meal). She was attentive and pleasant. I asked her what she liked better between a couple of things and she gave me an honest answer. I followed her recommendation, The beet salad was lovely. the dressing had some goat cheese in it and was delicious. The fresh beets on the side really worked with the dressing. My friend got the cheese platter to start and there was lots of cheese. He loved it. He got the lounge version of the salmon, which he thought was great. I got the Artic Char, which was delicate and phenomenal. It was topped with pieces of lobster and caviar like eggs. The fish was delicate and the sauce rich, but not overpowering. It was delightful. We both loved our meals and highly recommend Orchard Green.

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    St. Burch Tavern - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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