Vine Tavern & Eatery

Stopped in today to eat before the Iowa basketball game. We were told 1hr wait. They called two tables in the hour we waited. We also noticed they did not have the upper level open. Why not? It’s game day! The hostess mentioned they were not staffed for that. We also noticed a group of men sitting at a table playing cards… They didn’t even order food, they should have been told to move to the bar… After all this is a restaurant! We have eaten here before and the food is decent. We ended up leaving with out eating. Will think twice about it next time!

Was told. 45 minute wait for a handicap accessible table. Finally got seated an hour and ten minutes later. Food was okay. Bar tender messed my drink order up and waitress messed my meal up. Not the best first experience.

I rate it this high because of the ambience. I would recommend staying away from the fish and chips unless you like fish sticks because that is basically what I received. It was ok but I would t order it again. The tots were good. Friendly staff and food was delivered pretty quickly and it was hot. I would return here as it is a really neat place.

So obviously you go here for the wings, but I didn’t want wings, so I got the French dip and my husband got wings. Honestly, neither I nor my husband was impressed by the wings. They were tiny and good at best, and overpriced. The French dip was actually pretty good. No, it wasn’t a traditional French dip, and if anything reminded me of a philly cheese steak, but it was yummy. Service was ok, I know it mostly caters to college students, but I’m not one, and so I don’t love the atmosphere. Needless to say I would go again if I was going with a group, especially a rowdy group that is planning to drink!

Absolutely terrible experience. Worst fries I have ever eaten… cold and chewy… food took forever to come… maybe that was why it was cold? Tenderloin was so disappointing… and I just flew in from California hoping to get my Iowa favorite. I have nothing good to say about this experience. My parents meals were equally as bad …

Awesome wings and a great place to park for hassle-​free «tailgating» at Iowa football games.

Sloooow service. Wings and a french dip took almost an hour. It wasn’t busy just a normal Saturday. No football game. The server just didn’t seem to care. The food was okay. Wings were good. Dip so so. Food by itself probably 3 stars.

I’ve been to The Vine a few times. Only because I have friends that choose that place for get togethers. I would never choose to go there. It’s not bad, but it’s not good. The wings are decent but I think it would take to effort to mess up wings. Tonight I went and experienced, once again, slow service. It’s like these servers are all new to the industry. I waited tables for 6 years and I’d like to think I was never that bad. We were seated at a table without one of their little caddys with the silverware and napkins and whatnot. And we eventually just got up and took one from another table because our server was oblivious. I ordered the sweet potato fries as an appetizer and was very surprised when they came out. The appetizer is $ 6.49 so I expect at least a decent size basket of fries. Nope. The portion of fries was about the size of a deck of cards. Maybe a tad bigger. I asked if this was the appetizer. Is this what I’m paying $ 6.50 for? The server just said «yeah, I know.» Aware of this. They weren’t even that good! Pretty soggy and come without any seasoning. If I can avoid it, I will never go back and recommend others avoid the place.

Not sure where to start… Tuesday is Wing Day and steins are ‘on sale’. After finally being greeted and waiting over 10 minutes for the waters I ordered, the rest of my party arrived. We ordered 2 steins of beer. After 10 more minutes they arrived. My Stein had a pretty significant chip on the rim so I asked if they could transfer it to another glass. After another wait the Waitress told me that they had to wash a Stein. After ANOTHER 10 minutes, I went inside to see what the problem was and they said they were out of steins and had to wash one. This is when I should add that they were NOT busy enough to have this issue. So I waited & waited. Finally. warm beer in a Stein.
Now we are waiting for our wings. This is where I definitely have to comment to the Waitress. It starts with me asking for coasters for our beverages. She came back with a napkin for the waters but nothing for the beers. We had to ask for more napkins and we NEVER received our plates for the bones and wipes for our fingers. As a matter of fact, I think she may have been avoiding us.
So, how do you tip? Whose fault is this horrible service? Is it terrible training?
Unbelievable!
Unfortunate that I have to mark at least ONE Star!

My family and friends have been going to the vine for over 15years but tonight’s experience shows it’s slipping bad.
Chipped stein that when asked to replace took 15min because all were dirty. Wings came without the usual setup. Had to go inside from patio multiple times to correct issues. Garden hose stretched across patio all evening with people maneuvering around it.

I ate here yesterday with a few friends because we were all in need of a stein of beer. Sat on the patio and it literally took the girl 10 minutes to even get greeted. Whatever, who cares. Finally we get our beer, and we were ready to order. Waitress dropped the beer and walked away. Ok maybe she’ll be back in a minute… 20 minutes later we had to hunt her down to order. She never checked back on us to see bow we were, I had to ask for beverage refills. Finally we just wanted to close out. Sure as hell didn’t take her any time to do that. She obviously wanted to get us cashed out so she can leave. She acted like we were an inconvenience to her the whole time.

Best place to go in the Iowa City/​Coralville area. Great food and deals and the people are always fun. Sweet chili wings here are probably the best food I’ve ever had and don’t underestimate the tater tots!

The wings are amaZing here! The hot sauce is my favorite. My hubby and I usually split wings & ultimate joe! This is my favorite spot to watch anything Hawkeye! GO HAWKS!

Don’t get the wings here. They do have good sauces but the wings don’t have any meat on them. They buy the cheapest wings possible. They do not care about quality.

I made the trip down to Iowa City for a «guys weekend» for the Iowa/​Iowa St game with a buddy who was an Iowa alum. After consuming a few tasty brews at Backpocket Brewing, dinner was up next. We tried a variety of places, but due to the large crowds in town, Vine was one of the least busy places… in that we didn’t have to wait an hour plus for a table. I ordered the special for the night — the fish and chips.
Positives:
–Fun college bar/​restaurant vibe.
–Great drink prices.
Negatives:
–Very slow service
–Food was pretty mediocre
This place wasn’t great — just kinda blah. Nothing outstanding, but serviceable.

Great sports bar with all the games. Smokey Mt BBQ wings are delicious & cheese fries with bacon go down well. Try the Vine Ale (good price & packs a good punch). Worth trying!

Why so many Vine detractors?! Perhaps you came here expecting something other than a sports bar with food? Because that’s what The Vine is: A sports bar with food. Pretty solid food, in fact; all of it edible, in my experience. Wings are good, wraps are good, beer is plentiful. And the Vine Steins – the VINE STEINS! I spent $ 3 for a stein full of beer the other night that I could barely lift to drink. That, my friend, is $ 3 well spent. That’s a deal.
I like the downtown Vine location, but the Coralville space is more updated, a lot bigger and a little more grown up. Either location is fine, depending on the vibe you’re looking for. Ample patio seating in Coralville is a bonus.

So the Vine is a very huge sports bar type of place that has more than enough seating. I heard they had good wings so I had to try them. I got 18 of them in the flavors of super hot, hot, and spicy garlic. You have to by them in 12 and then 6 to get to 18. Fun times on that.
The wings are very, very small. These are some of smallest I have seen, not sure where they get these from but they need to upgrade so I can get some meat off of them. The price is a little high for these baby wings, I would expect these not to cost too much so not sure why they are expensive compared to the size. The wings were cooked right, nice and juicy no complaints there. The sauces were just okay. Hot had a nice kick to it, but didn’t have a good flavor. Super hot pretty much the same thing, but a little spicier. The spicy garlic was the best one, had a pretty good flavor. There are several other flavors that I may got back and try on their all you can eat night.
I did have a salad too, wasn’t the best. Plain lettuce, tomato, and onion is all you get. Nothing like a good garden salad with different types of veggies.
I didn’t try their other food, it is a little pricey here. But the wings did not live up to the hype for me.

Wings, beers, and lots of TV’s to watch whatever game you’re looking for. Works for me.
Wings are good sized with a good selection of sauces. The hot could be a little hotter, but then I’m a bit of a chili head, just a little bit though. I’m not one of them ghost pepper eating crazy people.
Tenderloin was also really good, as was the burger.

The Vine is an enormous building. It’s like a dimly lit warehouse with chairs and tables scattered around.
Cavernous as it is, my family felt comfortable bringing two screaming kids there. It’s not the place to have a quiet conversation.
I ordered the hot wings. I liked the taste, but the wings themselves weren’t very meaty. Sometimes when you order wings, you get the gnarled, gristly variety. That’s what I got at the Vine. Sad.
On the plus side I ordered the Vine Ale and enjoyed that. It was nice and smooth.
It’s not like I had an awful time at The Vine. It was okay. But it’s definitely a «third or fourth tier”-type bar.