Hamburg Inn reopens in Iowa City

IOWA CITY — Hamburg Inn No. 2 is back in business after a brief closure earlier this year.

The iconic Iowa City diner quietly reopened Feb. 22. The restaurant closed Jan. 8, with initial plans to reopen by Feb. 14.

With a small staff, the restaurant at 214 N. Linn St. temporarily will operate on limited hours — 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Announcement of the initial closure was made by local management late last year after they said they were unable to contact the restaurant’s owner for substantial building maintenance and repairs in the older structure. Some staff members also claimed they had not received their paychecks for the end of December.

An attorney for the owner subsequently disputed the staff’s claims and announced the hiring of a new manager. The attorney also said the restaurant would remain open with limited hours while undergoing repairs, although the restaurant still closed for most of January and February.

Owner Michael Lee, a University of Iowa graduate who purchased the restaurant in 2016, lives in Taiwan. Former owner Dave Panther’s family had owned the Linn Street restaurant since 1948. It first opened in 1935.

Over the past several decades, the restaurant became a landmark for visiting politicians of all stripes, particularly during Iowa’s era with the first caucus in the nation.

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