The Olde Brick House in Cedar Rapids formally opened to the public at 11 a.m. today (Aug. 29), bringing with it an Irish-tinged atmosphere, hearty comfort food and a welcoming vibe.
The restaurant is located on the north side of Lindale Mall, 4444 First Ave. NE Suite 602, a space previously occupied by the Boulder Tap House.
General manager Kyle Griffin said the restaurant’s mission is summarized by a famous quote from Irish poet William Butler Yeats, prominently featured as part of the restaurant’s decor: “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.”
“That really embraces the feeling that we’re going for,” Mr. Griffin said. “As soon as you walk in the door, whether you know someone here or have never been here before, we want you to feel that warm welcome, to feel like you belong.”
As expected, the Olde Brick House’s atmosphere is intended to evoke a classic Irish pub, with boisterous greetings and a sociable vibe.
Perhaps most visually noticeable in that respect is the wide swaths of genuine mahogany throughout the restaurant, from the booths and tables to the flyovers and the visually imposing barback.
Mr. Griffin said that in a nod to Old World tradition, all the restaurant’s woodwork was hand-cut, stained and carved by carpenters near Dublin, then shipped to Cedar Rapids for assembly and installation. The stained glass panels were also created in Ireland.
“We had three shipping containers sitting out in the Lindale parking lot for four or five weeks while we were trying to get everything set and ready for it,” Mr. Griffin said.
The bric-a-brac around the restaurant was also largely sourced from Ireland, with a few items sourced from local antique shops and garage sales, he noted.
The Cedar Rapids location is the first in Iowa for the Olde Brick House and the fourth overall, joining locations in St. Cloud, Mankato and Rochester, Minnesota.
Mr. Griffin said the Olde Bride House is owned by the Letnes Restaurant Group, which also owns the Boulder Tap House. When Boulder Tap House closed at Lindale in June, Mr. Griffin said Letnes Group leaders already had plans for a new Boulder Tap House location at Westdale Town Center – a freestanding restaurant that’s under construction and expected to open in early October.
“When they closed the Lindale location, they already had the idea that they wanted to move Boulder to a standalone location at Westdale,” he said, “and as they made that decision to do that, they wanted to bring this restaurant down into Boulder’s space.”
Several restaurant concepts were considered for the Lindale space, but an Irish-themed establishment was deemed most suitable for the Cedar Rapids market.
“The owners had been prospecting around town, visiting different places and trying to see what kind of options they had as far as menus and ambiance,” Mr. Griffin said. “They felt like there wasn’t anything comparable in the Cedar Rapids market.”
Food options on the Olde Brick House menu feature a blend of Irish tradition and American favorites. Appetizers include warm jumbo pretzels, Scotch eggs and Cork County mussels. Soup offerings include clam chowder and Guinness stew, with main courses bringing homespun Irish offerings such as Guinness fish and chips, bangers and mashed, corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie alongside traditional American steak, chicken, pasta and seafood dishes. Burgers, sandwiches, entree salads and tacos are also available, as is a full kids’ menu and a variety of desserts – all prepared with a distinct chef’s flair.
“It’s very much comfort food, from a commercial open-faced roast beef sandwich to a flatiron steak with mushroom gravy and champ potatoes,” he said, “but maybe something made in a new way you haven’t seen before, at a cost that’s not going to price you out of the ballpark so you can bring the family as well.”
The Olde Brick House also features 25-plus Scotch whiskeys and 200-plus brown liquors, including Irish whiskeys and bourbons, with price points ranging from $7 to $8 an ounce all the way up to $400 to $500 a bottle.
Among the higher-end whiskey highlights: Redbreast 27-Year, Blue Spot, Jameson 18 and Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy. Some bottles are so rare, he said, that as few as five bottles are distributed statewide.
“We have some really fancy, extremely rare and highly-allocated bottles,” Mr. Griffin said. “They’ve done a really good job of providing a very unique experience from the alcohol perspective.”
Of course, a variety of beers and ales are also available, both on tap and in bottles, as well as a number of mixed drinks featuring a variety of house-made simple syrups. Even the restaurant’s lemonade is fresh-squeezed on site, Mr. Griffin said.
The restaurant has a capacity of about 150, Mr. Griffin noted, and about 100 full- and part-time employees have been brought on board. The restaurant offered “soft opening” specials via social media for invited guests beginning Thursday, Aug. 24, allowing staff to learn the operation and the menu before fully opening to the public.
Letnes Restaurant Group, headquartered in Waite Park, Minnesota, operates several restaurant concepts across the upper Midwest, including Olde Brick House, Boulder Tap House, Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill and 7 West Taphouse.
Mr. Griffin said several other Letnes Group restaurant locations could be coming across Iowa in the coming months and years.
The Olde Brick House
- Address: Lindale Mall, 4444 First Ave. NE, Ste. 602, Cedar Rapids
- Phone: (319) 582-5255
- Email: cedarrapids@oldebrickhousepub.com
- On the web: https://oldebrickhousepub.com
