This week I’ll be diving into another quintessential bar of downtown Iowa City. DC’s bar that’s been around for decades and it’s a popular spot year round with its many food and drink deals throughout the week. It reminds me of a few bars that I frequented back at Ohio State; perhaps DC’s would have been a haunt of mine if I attended Iowa. Its two-floor layout with a doubled bar on both floors means that drinks can flow even on the busiest of game days. The layout of the bar, which opens straight from the front door to spacious floor seating, makes it feel like you’re always close to the door and never claustrophobic even when you’re sitting close to the bar. It does help that there isn’t bar seating; instead, DC’s has a walk-up style bar, which helps keep things a bit less congested on busy game days. A layout like that can make all the difference when bartenders are trying to pump out drinks as fast as they can. They have plenty of TVs all around so you always have a view of the action, highlighted by a centerpiece combined four screener that hangs above the main entrance. The bar food is nothing special, but every option is solid, which makes it a decent spot for an afternoon stop for food and drinks alike.

DC’s has both a great atmosphere and friendly bartenders and management, which I can personally attest to. In fact, my first trip to this Iowa City staple probably shouldn’t have happened, save for the grace of the manager. One of the unifying aspects of all of the places that I’ve reviewed so far is that they are all open by lunchtime, which is when I typically get off work and am still in town and able to try them out. DC’s is the first bar I’ve reviewed that opens in the mid afternoon on most days, which means that I would normally need to make a specific trip back into the city after getting home from work to try them out. Now, I love college town nightlife, but I haven’t been an active participant in that culture since moving out to Iowa four years ago. When I was walking by DC’s on one opportune January afternoon, the signs were lit and I could hear music from the inside an hour before they were supposed to open, so I decided to see if I could venture inside to check out their whiskey. What I was greeted by was a bar that was clearly still opening, but when I sheepishly approached the bar and apologized, offering to leave to not be a bother, the manager quickly offered to let me sit and have a drink or two, admitting that she knew someone might stumble in early when she put on the music and signage that early. So instead of a quick exit, I got to stay and examine the whiskey. Let’s get into it!

WHISKEY SELECETION

Variety: Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, Irish, Canadian

Range: Average. 17 bottles. It’s hard to identify what all of their bottles are with how the back of bar display is arranged, but all their bottles are right there in front of you, and staff is happy to list any bottle you can’t identify from your vantage point. The variety turned out to be better than expected, but they are doing the bare minimum with Rye, Scotch, and Irish to simply cover the bases, and they have a couple cheap Canadians to choose from. The bourbon selection is wider but doesn’t go beyond any basic bottles. Additionally, every bottle besides a flavored Bird Dog was tapped, indicating that the whiskey is clearly there for shots or mixing.

Price Point: I had originally been told that their shots run up to $10, but after having pours from the best of their bottles that I could see, it was apparent that everything actually fit into their standard price range of $6-$8.

Wells: They use Mr. Boston for all their well liquor. I would need to confirm again to be sure, but I believe well shots go for $4.

Top Shelf Selection: None. Best bottle is either Templeton Rye or Johnnie Walker Black. Everything is pretty basic, as expected from the vibe I got from the bar.

Grade: C–

Overall Thoughts: The couple times I’ve stopped in have only made me want to go back, even though I’m not going there for the whiskey and am no longer an active night life partier. They are a college bar through and through, even having Friday After Class deals throughout the semester. The wide selection of bourbons, and fact that they do cover their bases with whiskey variety, gives me the impression that this is the standard for an average whiskey selection in Iowa City. At the least, it’s currently what I find the average should probably be: having something for every type of whiskey drinker at least at a bare minimum level and have a decent range of bottles of at least one type of whiskey. Even though no bottle has a crazy high retail price, DC’s has a number of solid bourbons, which gives you plenty of options. As stated previously, you aren’t coming here for the whiskey, but it’s nice that they have the option and that you have a few choices for your pour.