Hearth

Great food. Loved the ambience. Dropped some $ because we had wine and dessert. Took awhile to get our food but it was very good when it came. Found the place by looking through the phone book. They take reservations.

Went here before a movie. Nice cozy place. Limited beer selection, but all craft beers. Shared two apps — Vegetable Samosas with Mint Coriander Chutney and Glazed Pork Belly with white corn grits, butternut squash. Both were pretty good. The localvore pizza (corn, sausage…) was very tasty –great crust and flavors.
Service was nice, but our pizza took a long time and we were almost late for the show. They also took my silverware after the apps and I had to snag silverware from another table to eat the pizza. 4 stars for food and atmosphere. 2 – 3 stars for service.

Came here for dinner for the first time several days ago. I had the prix fixe dinner with several friends. They had free wine pairings at this time as well, so a great deal! I had the Alsatian flat bread as my appetizer, the lamb osso bucco, and chocolate torte for dessert. Service was a bit slow but the food was great. I was able to try the mussel appetizer from my friend and had delicious flavor. Just a bit too oily. I was also able to try the sweet potato entrée. It was rich and delicious as well. I would recommend this place. Very affordable for a 3 course prix fixe meal!

We had a good experience and tried a three course special with free wine pairings with each course for $ 30 something. Love the flatbread pizzas!

This is an updated review. I edited the original but date didn’t change so I decided to do it this way.
Sister restaurant to One Twenty Six. Narrow stairway to the 2^nd floor. Small room with prominent bar wood fire oven and semi-​open kitchen. Limited menu but eclectic menu.
Evolving menu include many Indian dishes, all based on owner Matthew’s mother’s recipe. Among the appetizers, mussels when available is outstanding. It is cooked in garlicky sauce which is great with bread to mop up. Fries are tasty with multiple sauce. Flat breads are outstanding. My favorite is Alsatian tart with bits of bacon and onion. Both prosciutto and artichoke salads are very good. For entrée you can’t go wrong with any choice.
Due to rising cost but unwilling to compromise on quality, Matthew had to drop several pricy beef options. Entrée has been pared down. Hangar steak and lamb osso bucco are both amazingly good. Chicken Biryani comes with nice side dishes. Limited but tasty desert. I liked their crème bulee and chocolate tort.
Service is on the slow side so don’t come here if you are in a hurry.

Pretty awesome small plates. Nice atmosphere. Good service. A little pricey. But worth a visit.

My friends and I were looking for a very special place to celebrate NYE. We had some family in town from Texas and wanted to show them a good time. We all decided to splurge a little due to the occasion. We decided to try the Hearth as we absolutely love 126. However, our experience at the Hearth was so upsetting that I thought it was worth writing my very first review.
We did a five course dinner for $ 45 and also did wine pairing for an addition $ 24. Our server did not come to our table for the first 15 minutes or so as he didn’t realize we were in his section. He also must have been new and unfamiliar with the menu as he forgot to serve us the third course (we had to remind him). We also had to stack our own plates between courses as he never checked on us or came to clear table.
The food was delicious! I truly believe if the service matched the food, this review would have been 5 stars. However, the bill was about $ 200 PER COUPLE (8 of us total) with a automatic $ 30 tip included. What couple wants to spend $ 200 in one night for such bad service?!
I went to the manager as I was so embarrassed and upset that I asked all of our friends to spend so much on such service. I was very professional and told him about our experience. The manager simply said sorry and that was all.
I have worked in the restaurant business in the past and I have NEVER seen a manager show such little concern. We spent over $ 1,500.00 that night and I don’t feel that we were valued or appreciated. I understand that sometimes things don’t go always right, but I feel that I would have gotten more appreciation or sympathy from an Olive Garden or some bar downtown. A little appreciation and basic customer service goes a long way, If the manager showed a little bit more concern or tried fixing the situation, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to write this review.

Poor experience at hearth tonight. Our waiter was entirely unfamiliar with the menu (come on there are only six entrees) and kept missing steps. It took 20 min to get one of our cocktails (other drinks came faster but so much for a toast). After an hour we finally had cocktails and a flatbread but still had our menus and hadnt ordered. Our waiter was really trying but for over $ 100 for two i expect better service.
As for the food, the flatbread and samosas were good, the hangar steak a bit overcooked and my wife’s gnocchi was bland. I like 126, and enjoy moonrakers but wont be back to hearth.

We ate at Hearth on a week night and walked in with no wait to a nearly empty dining room. It’s a small area bound by brick and wood. The level or quality of noise, while not objectionable in itself, somehow made it difficult to hear my companion, even across a small double table. I had the Alsatian pizza, my companion had the mussels. Both dishes were readily and easily acceptable while not outstanding. Service was fine, but given the small number of diners, not really attentive (and the servers had time to hang out at the bar). Prices seemed reasonable.

I’ve always been a big fan of Hearth and was excited about returning there on a recent trip back to Iowa City. The atmosphere wast just as cozy and inviting as I remember, but I was disappointed to find they’ve changed the menu and no longer offer a few of my favorite appetizers or my favorite entrée. Service was just okay. Overall we had a decent meal but I’d say there are several other restaurants on the Ped Mall that can deliver better food for the same price.

I want to give this this place four stars in terms of both quality (really interesting well-​executed dishes) and service. And you can’t beat the amazing wines at 50% off — I mean really folks — anderson valley pinot? quality stuff. However, like one twenty six, it’s super loud. Between the brick, the music and the hardwood floors it’s hard to hear the person across from you. Took my family there for a little reunion when I went into town and we couldn’t hear each other at a table of six. Would go back if they made adjustments otherwise would need to find sometihng a little quieter.

Dissapointed. The fish tacos were terrible, the flatbread was pretty good, The other food we got was mediocre. The service was decent. The venue is pretty small, whatever that’s worth…

The owner of one twenty six is certainly doing something right! Went here on a busy night, so the service was a bit slow but it was reasonable.
The food was outstanding! I had the pork vindaloo, which is hard to describe. It was tender pork inside pastry dough with a great blend of Indian spices. There was a thin but flavorful sauce with it as well. I couldn’t quite figure out the exact spices used, but they were very good. A vegetable would have been a nice addition but it was a great dish without it.
My date had the short ribs. These were also very good. They came with mashed potatoes, broccolini and a red wine reduction. The meat was perfectly cooked and very lean for the cut. It was had little seasoning, which could either be interpreted as a) a mistake or b) trying to be true to the flavor of the meat. I like option b. With such a nicely cooked piece of meat and a rich sauce, there is no nerd to over-​season the meat to add flavor. But some may disagree.
We also had a half-​priced bottle of wine, which was a great deal!
Definitely try this restaurant, it’s a little expensive but very good!

We’ve heard a lot about Hearth and it did not disappoint. Smoked cod branade was excellent and happy hour flatbread pizza was delicious. Beer specials were solid and the happy hour prices got us a lot of different small items for a good price. Really cozy spot with the brick walls and brick oven going. The ambiance was very nice and service was excellent. Wine is always half price which was nice as well!
— Definitely a place to check out

My husband and I went to Hearth for a light dinner tonight. We’ve been hearing about it from various folks since moving to Iowa, but this was our first time trying it and I have to say that we were both really happy with it!
We got there for happy hour, which includes some drink specials, ½ price bottles of wine, and $ 8 brick oven pizzas. We ended up sharing a pizza (the Alsatia) which was really, really good — bacon, carmelized onions, gruyère… you really can’t go wrong. We also had a couple of small plates: a cheese plate with walnuts, quince paste, and olives served with crostini, and a smoked cod dish topped with a sunny-​side-​up egg and also served with crostini. Both were excellent! And the cod was something that we’ve never seen at other restaurants, so it was fun to try something yummy and new.
Our server was really friendly and just the right amount of attentive — not hovering, but not absent either.
I’m looking forward to our next visit to Hearth for a full dinner, as well as trying their sister-​restaurant, One Twenty-​Six.

In search of a bite on a Sunday evening we eventually settled on Hearth (having never been there before). The half-​price wine bottles started us off (I love a place that offers half-​priced wine!) We tried the Alsatian Onion Tart with Smoked Bacon and Gruyère along with a vegetarian flatbroad. Both were fantastic. The smoked bacon had a wonderful flavor and there was just the right amount of onion and gruyère on the thin, crisp bread. That oven in the back of the restaurant does a good job.
For appetizers we tried the Hand-​Cut Pomme Frites. These were served with three different aoli sauces. Our waitress did not describe what was what, but my best guess is that one had a chipotle flavor, another was a delicious garlic, and the last may have had some red bell pepper (?) The frites were fried to a perfect crispness.
The Cheese with Quince, Walnut and Candied Olive was good. However, the cheese had sweated a bit, which made it somewhat greasy to eat. I’m usually a huge fan of manchego cheese, but prefer it to be drier in texture. The Candied Olives were fantastic — an intriguing mix of salty and sweet. We also tried the Marinated Olives. These had a nice texture to them, but suffered from a bit too much acid in their brine.
For a main course I had the Fish Tacos with Fresh Avocado, Fresh Tortilla and a citrus based salsa. This dish was fantastic. The fish was perfectly cooked, lightly breaded and lightly fried (hard to find out here in Iowa), the salsa tasted fresh and was a great accompaniment to the flavorful fish filling. The homemade tortillas were delicious — served hot off the grill (or wood/​brick oven?) The rice and beans served along side were equally good — filled with flavor and just the right texture.
I have been searching long and hard for a decent fish taco in Iowa City, and after a year, I’ve found one. I will definitely be back for the tacos and possibly the chocolate flan with churros (this last trip I was too stuffed for dessert.)

Hearth, a newish restaurant that shares the upstairs floor of an adjoining building with its sister restaurant, One Twenty Six, churns out gorgeous flatbreads, tapas, and carefully appointed entrees from a semi-​open kitchen. With square plates and black tables on the one hand, and spindly wooden chairs and roughly exposed brick on the other, the space straddles the line between rustic and modern, but without feeling too self-​consciously cool. Still, the place’s most charming asset is something a lot less constructed: the long windows that overlook Washington Street.
On Saturday night, we started with their winning shrimp and scallop ceviche — a tangy bite here, some fried crunch there — and Alsatian flatbread. Very different dishes, both fantastically executed. The flatbread may have been even more remarkable, for carefully tucking sweetly caramelized onions and smoked bacon into distinct, surprising nooks of the nutty Gruyère base.
When a restaurant only offers five entrees, they had better be (a) varied and (b) mastered. There’s no room for screw ups. And to judge from our two, wildly different choices, Hearth has mostly accomplished this. Certainly the «varied» commandment is aptly fulfilled, with two Latin dishes (one vegetarian), two Indian ones, and one bistro classic. Their fish tacos are lovely, and if my steak-​frites came out a little on the rare side — well, I’m not the sort to complain.
Highly recommend this place!
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Pretty bad experience Friday night here…
It took us over an hour just to get our food. Granted it was Friday night, and the restaurant was full… but it’s a tiny restaurant! Seriously! And it wasn’t like there was a line out the door waiting to be seated (no one was waiting). The food was literally crawling out of the kitchen… not sure if it was mis-​managed or what, but they really could not get the food out of there. I had a clear view of the kitchen and the two guys back there didn’t seem too worried about it, however.
All we had were entrees since we had walked in hoping for a quick meal. My steak frites was OK… the fries were done well and were plentiful, and the peppercorn butter was tasty. But… I don’t like my steak pre-​sliced! Especially if it is going to be super thinly sliced into a little mound of steak bits. It really was not enough steak to be worth $ 24.
My girlfriends empanadas were perfectly acceptable but not special. We could not tell if they were house-​made or shipped in frozen because of the lack of flavor. The chipotle-​black bean goop on the bottom of the plate just kinda looked like, well, a brown mess with some reddish mess on top.
Probably won’t be back unless I hear that the place gets some sort of management overhaul. The manager (owner?) was perfectly nice, but there were seriously 7 or 8 staff running around this tiny restaurant looking all stressed out but I couldn’t figure out what they were doing! There was hardly any food coming out, and the place does not hold that many people!

I’ve said this before… I don’t mind paying for a nice meal, I actually rather enjoy doing so, but it was no where near worth it.
Funny thing is this place will probably do well, just like every other half ass Iowa City restaurant. People see white linens and immediately it is 5 stars… don’t bother.

Hearth is the sister restaurant to one twenty six. the menu is similar to one twenty six but a little more casual (more sandwiches and flatbread pizzas). the food is good, but very overpriced for the quality and the substance of what they are serving. (for ex. for the four of us, for dinner – three «lamb burgers,» a pizza, a bottle of wine, and two appetizers – the bill ran over $ 200 including the tip. seems like kind of a lot for pizza and burgers of a decent but not extremely good quality…) i think if its gonna survive it will have to add more exciting items to the menu to make the heavy price tag seem worth it. (i’m not saying i wouldn’t go back, because I would, but only if someone else were paying)