First off, the owner Cale is a true renaissance man....Secondly the setting and food is second to…read morenone. As a food connoisseur who has tried no less than 50 daily specials and eaten their virtually every Friday since it opened... If you are familiar with Cliff's and live in Linn County you are missing out. I would still like to reconsider the fireman's pole idea to connect my office to the restaurant for those cold winter days....

I love a good dive bar. This place may be the perfect dive bar. I absolutely loved it. Great layout…read morewith bar seating and dining seating spread throughout the facility. Clean bathrooms, entertaining decor and the service was terrific. Great variety of beers. And the food while just "dive bar food" according to the owner was both creative and excellent. We tried a variety of stuff and everything we tried was awesome. The owner Cale stopped by and had a decent conversation with us. Great guy shortly after his wife stopped by and couldn't be more friendly. I can't say enough about this place. If you're in the area, it's a must see! I was in the area for a couple of days and tried to go back the next day, but it was Wall the wall packed so we moved onto another place that didn't nearly live up to this one. I hope you get to stop in. I'm sure you'll enjoy!

A great place for drinks, bartender and the people are very welcoming. We just moved to Iowa a…read morecouple months and are trying different places for cocktails and drinks. I'm really liked how friendly everyone is at this bar. I definitely think we will be back!!

A small dive with an interesting cast of characters. A friendly group from the bartenders to the…read morelocals who all know each other, but are happy to show you silly youtube videos or chat with you. The jukebox has just about any favorites your could ask for, and the pinball, pool tables, and shuffleboard in the back allow for a little room to unwind without sitting by the bar. Nothing flashy, but just a place to get a good drink with the people from the surrounding neighborhoods.

" It is good to be good at many things. It is sublime to be truly great at one thing."…read more Lil Grove is great at doing a smash burger. No lie. Their sign does not lie "Best smash burgers in town". Their menu is one page, one side, two entrees (chicken strips the other) and some starters. At lunch recently I stuck with a double burger, no cheese, pickle and onion and fries. My test menu. The burger had a nice crisp crust on the outside and tasty, not overcooked beef the rest of the way. Simple. Nice. Very nice. Tasty, piping hot fries completed the basket. The bar is a small space but modern, clean, friendly, with well-placed TV's and full service bar. Lil Grove is an (almost) one year old hidden gem (to me at least) on the near SW side. Highly recommended.

A nice local bar close to Coe College and the Interstate. They serve can/bottle beer (no on tap…read moreselection), and decent selection of hard liquor. Teresa "T" and Amanda are excellent bartenders and will keep your drinks cold and serve you up a basic list of warm food from the kitchen. Prices are respectable and there is a nice mix of patrons.

Mary provides excellent service!!! 6 beers on tap with frosty mugs! We were looking for a new dive…read morebar to try and we stumbled upon it. They even have food here and then roasted chicken was great! Mary makes all kinds of cocktails and they have really cool glasses that hold the shot and chaser all in one. Activities and specials every night. Pool tournaments on fridays. Nice music set up too. Great local bar with friendly service! We'll be back!! Thanks Mary!!!

The locals already know what I am about to tell you: The Map Room is truly a perfect restaurant…read more The intentionally eclectic menu offers something for everyone, so long as they like a LOT of flavor, and the burgers in particular, are *REALLY* good. Service is exceptionally welcoming and friendly, and if I lived in Cedar Rapids, I would be here at least twice a week.

Great burgers! Came out fast and service was friendly. My…read moredtr said the Memphis burger bbq sauce was tangier rather than sweet. She ate it but she said she wouldn't order again. Hubby ate all the N.O. burger and really enjoyed it. My Lima burger was delish but I ordered the gravy on the side. Don't care for gravy and glad they didn't smother the patty with it. Enjoyed the salad. The fries were good but a tad salty for my taste. FYI, parking only in street or lot. Both places charge. Would return when I'm in town.

Haven't been here for more years than I care to admit to, but I found myself back gor a Christmas…read moreget together. It took me back to the days of goingbto local neighborhood bars. While the place isn't fancy, it's comfortable and quiet. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Might not be the place for trendy cocktails, but its good for a quiet get away

I visited this bar for karaoke on a Friday night and am very unimpressed by the karaoke hosts and…read morethe way they managed their system: Here are the issues: 1. The announcer was intoxicated: A rule of thumb for karaoke hosts is to always be aware and able to run karaoke to the best of their ability. After several drinks, the KJ was noticeably under the influence and being rude while interrupting karaoke singers. He may have thought he was being funny, but it came across to me as rude and unappreciative of the singers. 2. The announcer would interrupt songs with commentary: The KJ would frequently interrupt the singers (on his mic) with commentary and jokes. I found this extremely disrespectful to the singers. It was distracting to the singers, the audience, and made me feel uncomfortable. 3. The announcer was rude to me directly: During one song, he started laughing and made a comment of "well if you were to do it right". I know he somehow meant it as a joke, but I was embarrassed and that was completely uncalled for. At the end of the night, he restated he appreciated me coming out and hopes that I'd return, but as a KJ myself, there are things you just don't do when running karaoke. Being sober and able to make good judgments, respecting people when it's their time to shine, and being courteous to those around you are essential. This will be my first and last time visiting the Red Lion Lounge.

I googled best tenderloin sandwich in CR and the first restaurant that popped up was The Blind Pig…read more I'm so thankful we took a chance on this little spot because the service was amazing and the food fantastic!! You can't go wrong with the flavor of the tenderloin sandwich and the sauce that came with the hot chips was phenomenal!! The whole vibe of The Blind Pig is exceptional!!

Good place to hang out and eat some American food! Decent burgers and love the pickle chips!…read morePerfectly fried! The wings were a lil salty for my taste and had to eat them with a side of their garlic dip which I love! Ordered a drink with Tamarindo Smirnoff. It was delicious! Since it was flavored vodka you really couldn't taste the alcohol on that one. They have karaoke Fridays so it was cool to hear ppl sing. The speakers were a bit loud ( reminded me of a club). Overall, good place to hang out.

We went to Emil's last weekend. They were busy, but the staff did a great job getting us seated…read more Their Rueben is the best! The Nachos were also good! We had Danielle has a waitress and she was attentive, prompt and friendly. The atmosphere is great and they flow people through at a good pace! Definitely coming back!

Great experience. Service was on point. Food was terrific. Specials are a great value. Will go back…read morewhen I am in the area.

Fun, Cedar Rapids dive bar that does karaoke sometimes and also serves very cheap drinks. It is the…read moreepitome of a neighborhood Dive.

We have visited this place multiple times and we have not had a bad experience…read more The management is moving in the right direction. There is trivia, karaoke, bingo and occasional live bands. There is even free pool one night. Every Saturday morning there is a loaded Bloody Mary that is fantastic. The staff are super friendly, as are most of the patrons. It is a very comfortable atmosphere. This is a "cash only" bar so keep that in mind. Stop by and have a beverage any time you come you will feel welcome.

What a spot if you want great food and funky cool atmosphere that is your spot…read more Highlights include the pickle fries, Cubano sandwich and Patty melt. When you're here give this place a go.

The food was around 4 stars, but my service and treatment left a lot on the table, and none if it…read morewas my change. We called in to get carry out and I'm glad we did. We got some Sunday dinner and there was a band playing. As soon as I walk in, I get stopped and get told there's a $5 cover charge. No biggie I explain I called ahead and she directed me to the bar to get my food. (When I ordered over the phone they didn't tell me my total, there's a 4% additional fee for credit cards) The bartender takes my name and goes to grab my food, she comes back with food and total. Of course I didn't have perfect change ready and gave her extra. She took my money to the register and just left me stranded and out to dry. I finally found another employee to right their wrongs, he grabbed her and she went back to the register. She comes back and shoves my change across the bar. She seemed like I was the one being the problem. If this was my "friendly neighbor bar" I'd be calling my realtor.