The Bar’ber Shop Tavern

Staff was great. All sexy as hell and great services. Chefs all had the nicest butts but even more important made great food. Recommend this place to every I know (tupac, prince) and their dogs. La familia

My family and I visited for breakfast last Saturday. The décor is pretty vintage looking, but in a unique, cool way. I ordered a egg and cheese biscuit sandwich with a side of veggie hash. The biscuit sandwich was the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had locally. The veggie hash was a generous serving and seasoned well. My husband had the biscuits and gravy and said it was good. We also got a couple biscuits on the side. Do not leave without trying the biscuits! They are the best! They serve them with real jam and are so tasty. I was sad to hear they will be closing June 12. I will definitely be back before then and I’m hoping they will find a new location to re-​open at.

I REALLY REALLY wanted to just fall in love with this place. Fresh food-​perfect! Small menu-​perfect! Made to order-​perfect! Eclectic-​perfect! After going here I just can’t get past the onion rings… which were even recommended by the waiter. Greasy as hell and I’m a guy who digs greasy stuff, but this was over the top. Buffalo chicken sandwich was ok, but nothing to write home about. My date had the fried chicken and seemed to enjoy it, just wasn’t blown away by any of the flavors. I’ll give it another shot, just because I’d like to see something like this take off.

Wait staff was knowledgable and friendly, my shoppy joe was very good and the buns made fresh and toasted perfectly. Yet I will not be going back we had ordered onion rings and when they came they were so greasy they were not edible, when we said something they” said that is how we make them don’t eat them if you don’t want.” Or something like that and we were charged for them when we received our bill.
So though the buns and burgers where good it was not worth 11 dollars for a sloppy joe and inedible onion rings.

Three gracious stars for effort and service. The décor and service were the highlights. Menu was interesting but nothing was executed well. The veggies burger was the best item we ordered. I’ll admit, I enjoy French fries and onion rings at least as much as the next person. I was also eating with 2 hungry boys and the onion rings were the first to come out. The onion rings were so crazy greasy that we left ½ of them on the plate-​totally unheard-​of. They were that bad. I could see going here for a beer or two but pass on the food.

I picked 4 stars, because «Yay! I’m a fan» accurately describes how I feel. No, this isn’t the best place in Iowa City/​Coralville area. I particularly don’t love their breakfast potatoes (I think everyone has their particular favorite). I don’t love their weird hours. But you know what I do love? There down home casual meal feel. Very rarely have I had anything here where I would say it is the best of —- that I have ever had, but its good. On second thought, they have a fantastic bloody mary. What else I do love, are their specialty nights. I was there for breakfast one day where they had a flyer for a valentines day dinner. Being with my husband for 10 years we don’t really «celebrate» valentines day anymore but there was a good menu with beer pairings. They did a fantastic job at this. It was cozy, warm lighting, good food, good beer. So no I wouldn’t reccomend it as the best place, but it is a good place.

This is my favorite bar in town. Staff is very friendly, always good beers on tap and excellent drinks. I tried the farmers sandwich and it was delicious, they top it with a house made relish that is chunky and fresh tasting. The atmosphere is pretty laid back and they always have fun music playing. I recommend checking it out, you won’t regret it.

First off, the menu got way too «cute» just tell me what I’m going to be eating. Second, it looked like the waitress had not showered in three days. Now the food, found a burger stuffed with cheese (Juicy Lucy), or maybe a burger mixed with pork, I’m not even sure, back to the menu being too cute. The burger did not come with a side, which sort of irked me, but I decided to just go with the burger instead of adding a minimum of $ 3.50 for fries. Seemed a little too pricey for a side.
The burger came out on a kids size plate, it was roughly the size of a slider but shaped like a meatball. Looked like a meatball as well. Not appetizing in a restaurant. The bun was toasted and I think they added a full stick of butter to each half (this is what I could mostly taste when eating the burger). I proceeded to pick up the slider/​meatball and it spewed cheese all over the place. It’s called pressure, when your cheese is essentially boiling inside a meat shell, pressure is going to build up. Most establishments would realize this and do something to accommodate. Nope. The cheese went all over me, all over the table, and all over the floor. Not to mention it was boiling hot. I proceed to eat the slider/​meatball and was not even close to full when finished, and I am not a heavy eater. Would have been much better off going to Hardee’s and ordering their smallest burger.

Charming spot — I tried veg burger with onion rings having read good reviews on both. WAY too greasy for my taste. I’ll try them for breakfast soon though.

Cow and Pig burger! Love it! One order of onion rings will feed 2 or more people. The party is here! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! You need to try the cow and Pig burger!!! USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!

to be honest, i wasn’t sure i was going to like this place. however, i was pleasantly surprised as i walked in. don’t let the exterior/​location deter you from coming to this cozy little place! the interior has the feel of lou henri’s (ex location of Ride) and your neighborhood bar/​coffee shop all mixed together. it’s small, but surprisingly a lot of seating available. they have murals and funky art all over the walls.
on to the food: 3.5 stars. i ordered the farmers daughter which consists of: 2 bacon strips, 2 eggs, veggie hash, and a biscuit. the bacon strips were thick and crispy, biscuit was fluffy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. i particularly liked the veggie hash. they source their ingredients locally and you can tell that they make everything in house– nothing tasted processed/​artificial. the food is definitely a step (or two) above IHOP, Denny’s, etc., but i don’t feel like there was anything that «wowed» me. putting that aside, i would put this place into consideration when i’m feeling for brunch next time.

the place is nice and cozy. as I walked in, I was welcomed by a very friendly waitress. it was a cold day so I chose to sit all the way inside away from the door, and becuz of that I got to see a very nice wall mural that cannot be seen at the regular seating area.
onto the food, I got the farmer James. the portion was just right. you can see that they order their food locals. they cut their own veggies (each carrot was cut differently), made their own sausage patties, etc. this is good and you don’t usually see this in restaurants. it means that they care abt the quality of the ingredients. the veggie hash was well seasoned and not too greasy. the sausage patties were too salty tho, and the toast was drier than I prefer. but this just means they put less butter on it. they didn’t make us wait long for our food.
this is a nice cute little place. would really wanna go back again and try their other stuff.

Excellent place for food and drinks in Coralville. No freezer on site — everything is super fresh. Tasty food, excellent staff. We will be back again and again.

Their version of the Juicy Lucy totally rocks; I currently regard it as Iowa City’s best cheeseburger.
French fries were awesome and loved by the wife and daughter, and the breaded chicken was obviously freshly breaded and fried and not a generic food service product. Nice vibe too, but quite out of the way. I wasn’t aware of it for a long time because I hadn’t noticed it.
Next to try breakfast/​brunch!

Tried this new brunch place off the Coralville strip was pleasantly surprised the inside was a little rustic and cozy restaurant. The food was rustic. I thought the sausages were very good and the hash was healthy good. The only downside I thought was all of the food looks like it had been cooked in very used pans. I think maybe they ought to think about swapping out there cookware between orders. Both our plates look like the eggs, hash and the sausage had been made in the same pan

Eh.
Service was ok, décor was kinda cool, beer selection was alright, menu was weird.
So limited, I felt pressured to order something that I wasn’t even interested in, and with the building be so small, I couldn’t just up and leave.
I had high hopes for this place, but their food is only subpar even though it’s all cook to order.
I was starving and wanted nachos, and I had to watch them hand make my chips, and take forever to complete them. I appreciate that they do cook to order, but it takes forever.
And the fact that their sandwiches are a la carte is ridiculous. I pay $ 10 for a sandwich with no side? I can make that at home.
I don’t think this place can survive with such a limited menu and space.
Cute idea, not too business smart.
Sorry guys.

Three stars only because the staff was friendly and attentive and the place is kind of cool. Their unique homemade bloody Mary’s were not to our liking at all. Thick like a milkshake and not your traditional flavors, we had to force them down. The sausage with biscuits were salty to the max. The hash has several vegies not ones that you would expect, and not to our liking only. Tried this on a football weekend visit due to reviews on Unilocal.Mistake.

The Barber Shop has a very small and cozy interior with vintage décor and tableware — very cute! Lots of bar-​style seating along the windows and at the bar, but can be a bit tricky to get table seating if it’s busy. I came on a weekend for brunch and there was a 15 minute wait for a table, so really not bad since most brunch spots around Iowa City usually have a much longer wait.
I had the Farmer James. The food was good, but not stand-​out delicious which is surprising when the menu has so few offerings. Definitely needed an accompanying sauce (I ended up hunting down some sriracha) and overall could have done with a little more creativity to match the creative atmosphere.
Side note: the staff was very friendly. The next time I’m back for brunch, I’ll try The Rancher. That cheesy veggie hash sounds promising!

We heard a lot of good things about this place, and saw the writeup in the paper about how they want to create a comfortable, communal vibe here. So for breakfast this weekend we checked it out.
They’re right about the vibe. The ambiance is casual and welcoming. Not quite as hustle bustle as somewhere like Bluebird, which is nice when my coffee hasn’t set in yet. Some cool memorabilia and art on the walls – I was fond of the floor-​to-​ceiling chalk art wall upon entry – and some TV’s for those who want to watch Hawkeye football. Customer service was quite warm and friendly.
The breakfast menu was straightforward with some nice touches. A few different egg dishes, with chorizo, sausage, etc. Pretty standard breakfast diner fare. I had the Rancher, which came with hot sauce and was pretty tasty. The coffee is from a local roaster, Wake Up Iowa, and hit the spot.
They also have an interesting drinks menu. Lots of local Iowa beer and cider on tap, plus Toppling Goliath PseudoSue in the bottle! I saw some interesting Hawkeye football day-​drinking specials involving a shot and a beer, but was not feeling quite so adventurous this morning.
This is a fun addition to the Coralville area – this side of town needed a casual, somewhat hip place to grab an unassuming breakfast. We’ll be back for sure.

I went here for lunch. The staff was really nice. Iowa city is kind of full of $&@? Holes and they were genuine and nice. The food was mainly fried. They offer a couple of vegetarian options which is nice for us everything has a little artistic charm and uses vintage glassware etc. the cocktails we tried were not really my thing. I had a flat top and it tasted a bit like cactus water; toward the end I think I got the expected flavor, muddle maybe.?. They open early and do offer a couple of craft beers so this is probably a great place for someone who keeps some off hours or works 3^rd shift and wants a drink after work. The cow pig burger was just a burger that was small and filled with molten 3^rd degree burn causing hot cheese. This is a bit of an embellishment but it would not been fun to eat right away.
The good — amazing staff/​vegetarian options/​price
The bad — almost everything is fried

Fries and onion rings are on point. Also had the hot dog with crops which was delicious — I’ll be back to try breakfast!

My boyfriend and I were driving from Kansas City to Chicago and just happened to stop here for breakfast. I have a tolerable allergy to gluten and so I can’t just stop at Starbucks or a fast food joint and expect to leave feeling okay. Breakfast is usually a safe deal for me. But this place is NOT celiac friendly. Instead it is very hangover friendly. It’s small, quiet, bearable music, big meals, full bar for hangover remedies and an unbeatable bathroom. I know they stop doing breakfast at some point, but I’m not sure when. We got there at 9:50 and were served breakfast.
Ambiance: super cool and eclectic art décor. Much of it for sale. Even our water glasses were different. It has a vintage/​hipster feel to it. Very cool wood work pretty much everywhere — even the bathroom stalls. But we definitely stood out as we walked in. We were the only ones there besides an obvious local and we got a few stares, but not in a bad way. We just certainly did not fit the bill for the regular Wednesday morning crowd. I.E. No one but locals.
Food: fantastic food! You can see the kitchen and the chef making your delicious meal. The menu was so simple. It was brochure size and one-​sided. Made the decision super easy. But they could use more descriptions of the food. I figured «hash» was hash browns since we’re in the Midwest, but it ended up being delicious vegetables with potatoes. Definitely helpful with that hangover.
Service: not great considering we were the only ones there. When you get your food, all you wanna do is dig in, but my heart dropped when I noticed we had no silverware. We had to go get it from the bar. Plus I had questions about the menu that she had no idea about. She clearly didn’t know what gluten is. Maybe she’s just new.
I’d definitely go back. Looks like they have great drink options!
BEWARE: their sign out front said their hours have been a little different for whatever reason. So they’re closed on Mondays and might be randomly closed otherwise. I’d give a call if you’re thinking about going just to check that they’re open.

I’m so glad we found this place! I have to give credit to whoever runs the Instagram account because I probably wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. We got here a few minutes late for breakfast, but rather than find an all-​day brunch spot, we stayed for lunch and were generously rewarded. From my observations around the table, you really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. Not a vegetarian but always appreciative of fresh ingredients, my boyfriend ordered the veggie burger and it was incredible. Our friend got the burger, which looked as messy as it did delicious. I ordered the fried chicken entrée, and while I usually gravitate towards the most unique and/​or extravagant item on a menu, I decided to take a «risk». I am really glad I went with my instinct! The chicken was full of crunch and flavor and I liked having the option to choose my own sauce. Finally, thank you for playing Elliott Smith. It was the cherry on top of a pretty rad Sunday (pun intended).
I’m really obsessed with this place and I’m so happy to see Coralville stepping up its culinary game!

We were really excited to try this place and had been looking for a chance to check it out for quite a while. The interior is very quaint and the idea a good one, but end of the day, we were really disappointed.
The server and cook were both lovely as we came by for dinner on a random Tuesday. The place is a converted barber shop that showcases local art on the walls and has maintained a good amount of the original décor
We shared some onion rings, the thai noodles and a cowpig burger. The rings were really good. We could see them being cut up and made, which we certainly appreciate! Light and crispy with really good flavor. That was where things ended for us. The cowpig burger was served a la carte — read, without anything else. Certainly appreciate what they’re going for there, but this is not an a la carte type place. The burger is their version of a juicy lucy with cheese in the middle. Again, I love it, but this has to be more than a quarter pound of meat surrounding the molten American. The pork mixed in was bland as well so it tasted like a cow (with a pig nearby) type burger. It was okay, but not great and certainly not living up to what it could be.
The thai noodles were downright bad. I’m not sure if it was a swing and a miss, but there was more salt in this than we could stand and this is a boy who loves his NaCl. The noodles were fine, but the sauce was so saltily over powering that we had to quit after a few bites.
Beer list was good with a lot of local options and perhaps this place is going to hit it’s stride as more of a bar with food than a restaurant with a bar. Breakfast may be different, but based on this experience, we’re going to say goodbye, though we certainly wish them well.

After seeing this place on Unilocal having 5 stars and being «hot and new» I was pumped to check it out.
Very good food, just not much of it. I ordered the rooster with bacon (because they were out of sausage). My date had the biscuits and gravy. Both were FULL of flavor, but I was expecting more than one biscuit with gravy on it, and a larger sandwich than my 3″ diameter biscuit.
I gave the food quality and atmosphere 5 stars, then took off a star for portion size. Then another for the service. We picked a seat at about 11:05, met our waitress around 11:15, got our drinks around 11:30, by 11:45 I wanted to walk out of the door. At noon we received our two biscuits, cup of gravy, egg and two strips of bacon. I was determined to never come again, but after tasting the food I would be willing to chalk it up as an «off morning» and give it another try.

Hard to find but worth your search. They make everything fresh! No freezer, it’s cut to order, like your fries or onion rings. Locally grown and raised food. And very well prepared… at diner prices. You will enjoy it.

When bad motel swill just won’t do, head to The Bar’ber Shop for breakfast. I was their first customer early this morning. The «Rooster» is their specialty breakfast sandwich (OMG I love over easy w/​well seasoned sausage). Add a side of veggie hash for a FABULOUS start for a day at the Uni hospital. I met
Daniel, (the owner), Mo and Kevin. Ask for a bit of malt syrup in your coffee.

I feel like I came to the barber shop by fate. During a long hot bike ride, I found an oasis near the Coralville path. I didn’t know what I wanted to drink, but the Margerita simpson muddled blueberry margarita was on special ($ 5), and it was better than anything I could have thought of anyway.
It’s a perfect place for a drink and food, with small table seating and bar. A couple of tastefully sized tvs with ESPN on and lots of big windows letting in the sun.
I ordered a sweet potato and chick pea veggie burger per the friendly staff’s recommendation. Served with siracha aioli and greens— it was a truly decadent burger, so tasty. I have a feeling that no other burger will ever compare, and my expectations for veggie burgers is now so high, the barber shop will be the only place I can eat. Also ordered a side of kale slaw, which was inspiring, and my friend let me try a bite of his Thai peanut noodle dish. We would probably be better friends if he let me finish it.
Anyway, the food is fantastic, the service was a rare combination of attentive and laid back and I highly recommend stopping by.