Harrington's Pub — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

Harrington's Pub has been in this location for over a decade. It's been a number of years since I've been there, though. Pretty much since I left the area in 2017 to work in Eastern Illinois. Well, now that I'm back in the area more or less permanently, I felt it was time to visit again.

First impressions, the place hasn't changed much. There's TVs across the bar playing sports, the music is too loud for any decent conversation. There's still people trying to talk to each other, but it's mostly shouting over the music. Not my type of place to go with friends anymore, really. I won't criticize heavily on this point - I just mention it because it is the unfortunate reality I walked into on this night.

The furnishings paint a cohesive picture of a place pushing the appearance of an Irish-American pub. There's a long prominent wooden bar with wooden shelves and fixtures behind it, a couple of wall hangings with Irish words, but more random beer and liquor signs than Irish stuff if you were counting. There's a few token University of Iowa pieces on the shelves too. Not really my thing as a graduate of Northern Iowa and Iowa State.

I had my drink of choice - a few Gin and Tonics. Both were well made, no complaints there. When I was done with my first, I was quickly given another. Well done - no more to say there.

I'd be inclined to come back on a less busy night with some friends. This was a bit much for me tonight though. Take that as you will, I guess. Thanks...

The karaoke night here was amazing. I was visiting Iowa and staying at the Rhythm City Casino when a few locals I hit it off with invited me to go to karaoke with them. I'm a big fan of karaoke so I happily accepted. The pub is tiny so prepare to squeeze your way through the crowd but with the fun-loving atmosphere, friendly staff and engaging karaoke host it's no wonder it was standing room only. The crowd was super receptive to this visitor, singing along to my songs and showering me with praise afterwards. They made me feel totally at ease. In a world where it's often the little things that make the difference it was so nice to visit a small pub with a big heart and kind...

This place is super loud and the bartenders are not trained in making simple cocktails. What kind of place that is just a bar that serves no food doesn’t carry the ingredients to make the simplest of cocktails? They didn’t even have simple syrup. The bartender was absolutely clueless when i names off a few cocktails i liked. She attempted to make a Tom Collins and failed miserably. It’s extremely loud in here and not worth the headache. I couldn’t...