Harry's Bar & Grill serves up classic tastes with an homage to old bookstore
Comfort food with attitude.
That’s how owner Hart Epstein describes Harry’s Bar & Grill, the latest locally-owned business to open its doors in downtown Iowa City.
The diner restaurant offers all-day breakfast and unique food options, including East Coast-style cheesesteaks and pork rolls. The stylish, classic-style interior was often accompanied by various tunes, including Black Sabbath and Motorhead playing softly over the speakers.
“I’ve kind of become enamored with the South Jersey and Philadelphia sandwich culture, so we've got a lot of those sorts of elements on the menu,” Epstein said.
That goes beyond just a run-of-the-mill cheesesteak sandwich, too. The Philly cheesesteak has been uniquely incorporated into breakfast, with an omelet and a hash available. Other East Coast food-infused items include an Italian Pork Sandwich, Epstein’s favorite, and a Schmitter, a cheesesteak sandwich that also features salami and is served on a Kaiser roll.
Harry's is now open
The downtown location at 116 E. Washington St. is open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday. Each day, service begins at 7 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sundays.
A retro decor greets guests inside, with the familiar boomerang patterns of the mid-to-late 20th century lining the tables and bright red, sparkling barstools scattered along the diner counter.
“I think it fits the mood of the food we're serving, that kind of blue-collar, Americana thing,” Epstein said. “It fits the vibe of the name of the place.”
Photos lining some of the walls focus on Epstein’s father, Harry, the namesake of the new business. Hart Epstein’s son is also named Harry and he said it was another great way to honor the legacy his father had created for himself in downtown Iowa City.
A colorful homage to an old bookstore
Harry Epstein's legacy was transformed by Epstein’s Books, located on Dubuque Street along the area that is now the Pedestrian Mall.
Though the elder Harry Epstein died a few years ago, the restaurant’s decor preserves the legacy of the old bookstore, which lives on through a large recreation of the original store signage hanging on the wall. Large canvas prints of Harry and his brother Glen are also sprinkled throughout.
“It just felt like a good way to do a bit of an homage or a tribute to him,” Epstein told the Press-Citizen.
Epstein's Books enjoyed a lengthy run in the 1960s and '70s, growing Harry Epstein’s profile and incentivizing him to run for Iowa City council. He spearheaded a campaign based on urban renewal and pledged to donate half of his salary to the public library. His father narrowly lost that race, Hart Epstein said, though an old campaign poster decorates the walls of Harry’s.
The restaurant walls are decorated with artwork from Hart Epstein’s friends, with pieces from Iowa City artists like Craig Albright and Danny Davis, former resident John Coin as well as Des Moines native Dave Whannel.
Epstein is a veteran of the Iowa City restaurant industry
Hart Epstein was a previous owner of Bluebird Diner before the pandemic forced the Iowa City native and his business partner to relinquish ownership. Epstein took a detour to paint houses before returning to the restaurant industry.
He’s hoping Harry's can replicate the same success that catapulted Bluebird into restaurant stardom, this time in the heart of Iowa City.
Epstein loved the fast-paced action at Bluebird, running the kitchen and cooking breakfast on a Sunday morning. Harry's opening weekend provided that same rush again.
“Sunday morning felt like old times, in the best possible way,” Epstein said of the first weekend being open and working the line in the food industry in years. “I was slinging hash, flippin’ eggs,” he said with a big smile.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Harry's Bar & Grill cooking up East Coast favorites with a twist
