Find it: 415 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids; (319) 247-7180; www.dublincitypub.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Atmosphere: Dublin City Pub offers a little bit o’ Ireland with Gaelic sayings painted on the walls, which are covered with Irish pictures and decor from owner Matt Blake’s parents, Jimmy and Calla Blake. Irish music plays in the background and Guinness is always on tap. The first floor is divided into a dining area and a bar area. There is more seating on the upper level, which has enough room for banquets or receptions.
On the menu: “We try to put an interesting flair on everything,” says manager Connie Mochal. “The sandwiches are unique; not your typical bar food.” Most of the menu items have Irish-related names. Appetizers include Jimmy’s Dipsticks (fried green beans), Cheesy Shamrock Bites (fried cauliflower with cheese) and Finnegan’s Skins (fried potato boats with cheese, bacon and green onions). Sandwiches and burgers include The Tipperary (sourdough bread topped with turkey, provolone cheese, apple slices and apple butter), Galway Bay (chicken salad with red grapes and walnuts on a croissant) and The Kerry Burger (1/2-pound burger topped with bleu cheese, bacon and chipotle mayo). Thin-crust pizzas include IRA Molotov (choice of meat, jalapeno peppers and a secret explosive ingredient), The Dedalus (Alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, garlic, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and basil leaves) and Blake’s Breakfast (topped with country gravy, scrambled eggs, ham sausage, cheese and bacon.) Dublin recently introduced entrees served from 5 to 9 p.m. “We had a lot of traveling businessmen coming in looking for steaks,” Mochal says. As well as an 8-ounce Angus sirloin, entrees include The Danny Boy (two Iowa pork medallions served on a bed of kraut and green apples), Murphy’s Catch (pan-seared Mahi in white wine and butter, topped with tomato, Parmesan cheese and lemon cream sauce) and The Irish Rover (peppers with sausage and marinara tossed with rigatoni noodles). Corned beef and cabbage will be served all day St. Patrick’s Day.
Prices: Appetizers range from $3.99 for Basket O’Fries to $9.99 for a meat and cheese tray or Bloom’s Day Nachos. Sandwiches and burgers range from $7.99 to $9.99. Pizzas range from $5.99 to $8.99 for a 9-inch and $12.99 to $15.99 for a 16-inch. Entrees range from $14.99 for The Fitzpatrick (deep-fried chicken breasts stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese) to $18.99 for O’Sheas Shrimp (jumbo shrimp, peas and bacon tossed with farfalle pasta and Alfredo sauce)
Takeout: Yes.
Manager recommends: “Honestly, there’s nothing on the menu I don’t like,” Mochal says. “But if I had to choose, it would be the Donegal. It is really unique and the flavors mesh together.” The Donegal sandwich is sourdough bread topped with smoked ham, Swiss cheese, pineapple, barbecue sauce and mayo.
Forkcast extra: Dublin City Pub originally opened in 2004 at 315 Second Ave. SE in downtown Cedar Rapids. Its sister establishment, Grafton Street Pub, opened in 2006 at 416 Third St. SE. Both were destroyed by the floods of 2008. The two businesses combined at the current location, opening in July 2009 after major renovations to the flooded building. The official name of the restaurant is Grafton Street Eatery at Dublin City Pub.
— Angela Holmes
Week four of the Monday Night Football bar tour brings us to Dublin City, 414 First St. SE, in Cedar Rapids for an epic game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. With Brett Favre going against his old Packers team, this is a game that even casual football fans shouldn’t miss.
Irish is definitely the theme of this bar. The walls are covered with all things Irish, such as a wall of Irish record albums, cricket gear and other assorted Irish sayings. There are lots of high top bar tables on both levels and tables looking out onto the street perfect for people watching. One neat element were plaques on the walls showing how high the water got during the Floods of 2008. Seeing the height of the water is mind boggling.
