Barrel House serving up range of food, local drinks at new Coralville location

Coralville’s newest bar and grill is open for business.

Barrel House unveiled its sixth Iowa location for dine-in service on Monday at 3220 Redhawk St. on the northwest side of the city, offering a full bar, food as well as two exclusive and locally sourced beers.

The menu offers “upscale” bar food, Chris Posey, marketing director for Barrel House told the Press-Citizen. This includes 13 different burgers in addition to chicken, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and wraps. Their fried chicken is breaded to order, he said.

The Barrel House-exclusive craft beers are a Blue Moon-like Island Time Wheat and the seasonal Hippy Sour, which were brewed in Moline, Illinois. Island Time is packaged and available at stores across the state, while the seasonal sours will remain an in-house exclusive. Barrel House also plans to stock the bar with as many local beers as possible, including beverages from Big Grove and Reunion, Posey said.

Barrel House's goal is to provide a welcoming space for all.

“We wanted a place where it didn't matter if you were a construction worker or a doctor or an attorney or a family with three kids, you can come in and have a good time,” Posey said. “Really, we feel it's just a great place where it doesn't matter your age or your demographic or who you are or what you do. It's just a place where everybody can come and have their own experiences and their own enjoyment.”

The new location made sense as a next step because it puts a family-friendly, welcoming bar and grill environment in the "fast-growing” Coralville and North Liberty area, Posey said.

A broader reach

Barrel House has locations in Davenport in addition to Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, and Marion. A seventh location is in Bloomington, Illinois.

Barrel House strives to balance a familiar experience while connecting with the local community. The Coralville location will boast space for live music.

The establishment plans to host several activities in-house throughout the week, from bingo night to trivia, Posey said. Once the location is fully up and running, it will operate from 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday nights and will be open until 10 p.m. the rest of the week.

Happy Hour specials run every weekday from 3-6 p.m., which include half-price drafts on the dozen-or-so taps. Half-price appetizers will be offered until 9 p.m. on weeknights.

Posey has worked to establish connections with local entities as well various Barrel House locations have hosted “dine and donate” nights, where a portion of revenue is donated to the local school district, local libraries, or other community organizations.

A busy opening week

Waterloo native Pernell Roberts operates the Coralville location as general manager, relying on more than a decade of experience throughout Iowa. He said the restaurant’s first week has been busy, and operations have run smoothly.

“Word is buzzing around that we’re open right now,” Roberts said. “People have been enjoying the food, enjoying the aesthetics, the music and the bar for sure.”

Posey said the community has already made an impact, with a few residents sharing how they frequented other Barrel House locations and were excited to have one in Coralville.

“It's always kind of nerve-wracking to get through that opening phase with new staff and people and training and just getting your flow down,” Posey said. “But everybody we've talked to has been extremely welcoming and extremely positive.”

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Barrel House Coralville opens, bringing upscale bar food, local drinks