30hop owners take over Louie’s Wine Dive in Coralville

The owners of Coralville and Cedar Rapids restaurant 30hop have bought the location that housed Louie's Wine Dive, 901 E. Second Ave., Suite 100, in Coralville.

The Louie's Wine Dive closure was announced on Facebook on March 4.

Brian Flynn, one of 30hop's owners, said around 15 Louie's Wine Dive employees have been invited to work at other locations in Craft Concepts family of restaurants, of which the 30hop Restaurant Group is a part. Craft Concepts includes a number of loosely affiliated Corridor restaurants, many with a few owners invested in each one, including Big Grove Brewery, Pullman, St. Burch Tavern, Joe's Place, Blackstone and Mosleys, among others. The owners of the new restaurant, which is not yet named, include Darin Blum, Dan Blum, Erik Shewmaker, Matt Swift and Flynn.

Flynn said they hope to open the new restaurant after a short remodel, aiming for the end of May or June, with the goal of being open before the completion of the Xtream Arena, which is slated for August.

'We're planning on trying to do something that's going to complement our 30hop location and the needs of the Iowa River Landing, especially with the opening of the arena,” he said. 'The menu is not set yet, but if we had to describe it, it would an approachable but higher end feel for our food.”

Kansas City-based chain Louie's Wine Dive, meanwhile, remains open in Des Moines, and the restaurant's website lists additional locations in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Overland Park, Kansas, and Clayton, Missouri. Another location, in Nashville, Tenn., closed suddenly in January, according to Eater Nashville.

'We're currently focusing on our 3 restaurant concepts - Louie's, and the relatively recent purchases, BRGR Kitchen + Bar and Taco Republic - in our core markets of KC, St. Louis, and Des Moines, with the goal of expanding to cities we know and love (like Coralville) in the near future,” said Louie's Wine Diver director of marketing Jeremy Hogan in an email.

Fuzzy's Tacos

Another Iowa River Landing restaurant, meanwhile, is also undergoing changes. Fuzzy's Taco Shop, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain, is temporarily closed for renovations, with plans to reopen April 19. A news release from Iowa River Landing says the restaurant, at 201 E. Ninth St., Suite 100, Coralville, has new owners who want to make room for a new bar, space for live music and expanded catering services. They also plan to bring back promotions like Kids Eat Free Wednesdays and plan to hold a grand reopening celebration on April 20 with prizes and giveaways, including two free tacos every week for a year to the first 50 customers.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop also has a Cedar Rapids location, at 921 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Suite 150.

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