Irish Democrat

PROS: The cheesy bacon fries with dipping sauce are awesome! And the Starlite, which is directly across the street, is easy to reach when Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, threatens to call the police and kicks you out.
CONS: Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, will threaten to call the police and kick you out for asking the volume to be turned up on the TVs. The owner is a 100% prime cut jerk, who — based on my single experience on Iowa Caucus night on February 1, 2016 — knows exactly nothing about customer care and business reputation.
Anyhoo — the local Democratic Party — Hillary, Bernie, O’Malley supporters welcome — called in an alert/​reservation on the day before caucus day. Y’know, a friendly heads up that we had selected his place to spend our dollars and drink/​eat/​socialize/​watch the caucus returns. So the 100+ people who showed up on a Monday night to spend probably thousands of dollars could not have been unexpected. The place was full of happy people — singles, families, kids, old, young, Iowans and out-​of-​staters who had come to work on campaigns — there for the express purpose of watching the caucus returns on the TVs in this sports bar. And buying lots of food and drinks. LOTS. Good business, right?
Not for Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat! He made clear in every single passive-​aggressive way he could that we were not welcome. Chief among my complaints is that he would. not. kill the forgettable house music and turn up the volume on the biga$$ TVs so we could hear what CNN was saying. Because, you know — caucus results watching party, right? Various people asked him repeatedly during the night — at about 15 minute intervals — to turn up the volume. He would either say he couldn’t, or he would when he could.
Finally, when the candidates started appearing to make their concession/​victory speeches, I again approached him at his position behind the bar and asked him if he could please turn up the volume for the speeches. He literally yelled at me at TOP VOLUME (the entire side of the restaurant turned around to stare) that he would not, and we were the most demanding customers he’d ever had, and he was kicking me out. I asked why? He didn’t give a reason. Did he not value our business, and our green dollars? No, he did not (this was all being shouted at top volume by him). Then he threatened to call the police and tried to kick out a group of us who were all at the same table.
Again: for asking for the volume on the TV to be turned up. Just that. Only that.
Eventually we left and went across the street to the Starlite, and y’know what? When we walked in, the waitress instantly changed channels for us, dialed the volume until we could hear it, and then took and filled our drink and food orders quickly.
The kicker? When we were leaving the Starlite — not the Irish Democrat, the Starlite — a guy named Brad (who had identified himself as the bouncer for the Irish Democrat when we were getting kicked out) came into the Starlite and wanted to shake hands and make nice and apologize for the fact that we got kicked out. Sure, fine!, I said — I was never mad about anything, it was the owner who was yelling at US. So cool, all sweet, right? You’d think so, except that Brad then followed me and another campaign worker into the parking lot and prevented us from getting into our car by slamming the driver’s door shut and holding it shut with his leg, and started threatening to beat my ass. Eventually we got into our car, and backed out — but not before he said that he should bust my window out, and punched the driver’s side window very hard.
So: Not only will the Irish Democrat deliver an astonishingly low level of customer service, one of their customers — or maybe he actually was the Irish Democrat bouncer — will follow you across the street to another restaurant and physically threaten you in the parking lot of that restaurant.
My one recommendation to Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, is to change the name of his place from IRISH DEMOCRAT to IRISH JERK.
I would love it if Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat, reads this and continues to yell at me in the comments. That would be hilarious!
I would also love it if you could boldface words in these reviews, because I would like to boldface, «Scott, the owner of the Irish Democrat,» throughout my review so that it would really pop.

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.

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.

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.

First of all, the Guiness was poured correctly, but served in the wrong glass. Bummer for an Irish bar. The restaurant and bar were packed, but I have a feeling this is typical here on a Friday night. After a 20 minute wait of hanging out by the bar (the baritself was full), we were seated. It took about 15 minutes for the waitress to get our order, and about 30 to get our food. The portions were HUGE! The quality was average. This is typical bar fare, folks.

Manhattan wings are huge! Cheese wontons are delish! When you feel like having decent pub food, this is a good choice. Plenty of parking in the back.

We had a late lunch where two of us had sandwiches, one had a salad, and the kids had chicken strips. The service was very attentive (with a number of refills) and arrived in a timely fashion. The food was good. French fries and onion rings were delicious.

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

Last few visits our food has been cold. Our waitress was rude, took our order and we never saw her again. Only to assist other tables. Never asked how our food was, never got us refills. When it came time to pay she took my card and said nothing after. Very rude. Other than that great atmosphere! Cheese wontons are a must!

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.

Regulars at the ID. Generally love the place but our last visit was one if the worst experiences. Marissa the waitress acted disinterested, uneducated about their menu (I had to tell her about items they served) and made a number of mistakes with little attempt to resolve any of them. Visit at your own risk.

Great service! Food was pretty good. Would go back for the fun more than the food. Great drinks.

5 stars = Keeping the atmosphere so charming, cozy and retro. Love the carpet look! (For real!)
5 stars = location
3 stars = the food was good.
I will definitely be back for more!

For a good Lenten option the fish and chips are a solid choice. They do also work throughout the year as well, but a tad on the pricey side. The cheese wontons are understandably popular. As always, it was busy on a Friday night. There was no direction on table assignment upon entering, however this was soon resolved and our wait time was not bad. Underwhelmed by the wait staff, however it was rather busy.

Nice and cozy, I almost want to say low key and cool. It’s a great spot for lunch and dinner, and a great place to get a drink. The ambiance is nice a chill, I enjoy the dim lighting. Food was terrific and the service was great. Staff is really friendly and very attentive. The food them is pub themed as hinted by their name. I recommend trying this place at least once it’s a great overall experience for eating or if you just want to chill and catch a drink.

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 décor 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.

Republicans must have taken over this one time excellent establishment.
Food has really taken a downturn. Will they remove Guinness from the libation menu next?

If you want something cheese filled or cheese covered, this may be the place for you.
Fried cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce are tasty, so are the cheese fries.
Aside from these menu items, that’s where my admiration for this place stops. Beer selection is embarrassing and the mixed drinks are ‘meh.’ Décor is Applebee’s-esque, not much to rave about there. Service IMO is hit and miss.
You better off trying one of the new up and coming bars in downtown CR… the ‘ID’ really needs a facelift.

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. Décor 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.

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.