Cliff’s Dive Bar & Grill opens in downtown Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — It may be December, but make no mistake — the Christmas lights and wreaths at Cliff’s Dive Bar and Grill are not holiday decorations.

Most dive bars earn the badge of honor (or dishonor) over time from patrons, but this bar and grill is losing no time vying for a nomination in the category. Cliff’s Dive Bar & Grill opened for alcohol at the end of October and started serving food in early December.

But the space that previously served as Grin ’N Goose at 227 Second Ave. SE isn’t forcing a dive bar concept on a prime corner location downtown. Owners Justin Zehr, Tim Kindl and Cale Henderson are bringing the spirit of dive in a campy way, elevating the concept and helping to redefine what dive means — even if “elevated dive bar” is a bit of an oxymoron.

“We took a lot of the cliche dive bar things and put it in there, but want to operate under our normal expectations,” Zehr said. “People think of dive bars as this dark, dirty hole in the wall that you go to at night and kids aren’t invited. This is a little different.”

To make it a more literal dive bar wouldn’t quite work with the location, which previously served more upscale restaurants like Zins a block away from the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. The restaurant, part of the Fun Not Fancy restaurant group that includes other unique holdings like LP Street Food and The Hip-stir, wanted to do what it does best: creative offerings that don’t take themselves too seriously.

Kindl said Cliff’s wouldn’t be doing downtown Cedar Rapids any favors if the environment wasn’t friendly for the variety of audiences coming downtown.

The decor

The opening comes in short order after the group opened The Hip-stir in Marion, and several months before they plan to open Taco Gato in mid-2022, which will be next door to Cliff’s. A look around the new restaurant makes apparent one consistent talent of the restaurant group’s holdings: interior design.

From the antique Chevy hood on the sign out front and the tartan plaid carpet to the AstroTurf wall and tributes to Cliff — the late father of partner Tim Kindl — the quirky scene is set before you even look at the menu.

If you want clues about what Cliff was like, take a gander at the Black Velvet whiskey box, the fish on the wall he caught or the “Level B service” road sign.

The food

The menu for Cliff’s, which is expanding after food service started in December, features items as quirky as the environment — a pinwheel that looks like sushi, Asian meatloaf, Spam fries covered in Cheeto breading and S — — — on a Shingle, to name a few. Even the items that are staples at other dives will be unrecognizable the way Cliff’s has made them.

With multiple Shingle options on the menu, diners will notice the bread upgrade — toasted garlic bread — and common ingredients that somehow feel fancy, despite being named after an expletive.

“I don’t know why it works, but it works,” Kindl said.

“They’re all pretty humble ingredients,” Zehr added. “If anything, we’re taking the most basic ingredients and trying to elevate them. We have Twinkies, Twix, Spam on the menu.”

That’s right — you no longer have to wait for the Iowa State Fair to get a fried Twinkie.

In addition to the novelties, unusual takes on classic items like sandwiches, burgers, salads and more will be available in a sizable menu that’s also not characteristic of your typical dive bar.

“We’re trying to hit the market where it’s underserved. We wanted to make sure we’re doing things that you’re not going to go to the space next door and get,” Zehr said.

And the inspiration for fried Twinkies, Spam fries, cheeseballs and pinwheels?

“It sounds crazy and stupid, but I kind of went down this ... path of stuff where I was not taking it too seriously,” Zehr said. Think the type of food you’d want at the end of a good night at your favorite dive bar.

The drinks

And speaking of bars, the drinks will be no exception to the creativity imbued with the menu.

In true dive bar fashion, beers are served in cans — no bottles allowed.

But if you’re looking for something a little stronger, Cliff’s has some interesting options for you — right now, frozen Moscow Mules, a YooHoo White Russian and a frozen creamsicle drink.

A new partner

With Fancy Not Fun’s rapid expansion, partner Henderson was brought in for his first restaurant with Zehr and Kindl.

Henderson, 42, of Cedar Rapids, has 20 years of experience in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management in town. He has been with Chrome Horse and Tailgators for most of his career, and is now diving into a new venture.

Comments: Reach reporter Elijah Decious at (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com