New martini bar in Cedar Rapids plans Kingston Yard opening

CEDAR RAPIDS — A familiar concept in the Corridor is coming to Cedar Rapids with a new name, in the blossoming Kingston Yard development.

Darin Beck, who previously opened The Stuffed Olive in Iowa City, has plans for a new martini bar with a new concept landing in Cedar Rapids.

BarTini’s is set to open in October at 151 First Ave. SW, Unit 104. The bar will have seating for 100 and a patio just west of Pickle Palace, near the second location of Aroma Artisan Pizza opening this fall.

“BarTini’s was the perfect fit for that development,” Beck said.

Similar to The Stuffed Olive, BarTini’s will feature an extensive menu of about 100 martinis, as well as a tapas menu with flatbreads, bruschetta and charcuterie boards. Beck said the new concept will be a more upscale, “remarkably elevated” version of what he’s opened in the past.

“It will have a character all of its own,” he told The Gazette. “If someone likes The Stuffed Olive, they’re going to love BarTini’s.”

In addition to novelty martinis for every taste, he hopes a robust whiskey and bourbon selection will appeal to a broader demographic.

As managing partner and president of Paramount Bar Company, Beck helped open The Stuffed Olive’s locations in Iowa City, Cedar Falls and Des Moines. In 2019, he sold his shares of the company and started a 5-year transition plan to help grow the brand before retiring earlier this year.

But after a few weeks, he decided retirement wasn’t for him.

BarTini’s is only the first of several openings and various concepts he is planning around Eastern Iowa. He anticipates opening two more BarTini’s locations in the state by the end of 2025.

“The Stuffed Olive has been, historically, a pretty successful concept,” Beck said. “We think we’ll bring a little bit of luxury and sophistication to the area.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.