Went in with my boyfriend last Friday for date night. The main room with the bar was packed so our server sat us in the other room in the back were it was quieter. We ordered a few drinks, I tried the Elderflower Spritz, which was delicious, and my boyfriend got a beer. The server was a sweetheart but seemed a little nervous. But theymade sure we were taken care of, he checked in on us periodically and made sure everything was to our liking! The food took a little longer than I had hoped, but given how busy it was I understand the wait! Overall it was a great experience and we’ll been back again soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
S W
I don’t know what I did to offend the bar tender, as didn’t interact. I waited to be served and got up after about 10 minutes of being ignored in lieu of any other person that approached the bar on a casual Wednesday evening. So, I ended up just walking away. Anyways, this was some seriously confusing and apparently random hostility.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Leah B.
We had dinner and drinks for my husband's birthday and enjoyed the night so much! Firstly, the atmosphere is so quaint and reminiscing of an English pub; rustic wood benches and tables, a fireplace and cool lighting and decor! We each had our favorite maple stout and a delicious house special pizza, but the best part of the evening was our server, Venus. We were made to feel like the only customers in the house, by his attentiveness and willingness for a laugh without neglecting his other guests. He was wonderful! As a topper, he served my husband a lovely slice of cheesecake as a birthday surprise. Sanctuary has become our new favorite place to spend an evening.
wendy w.
Love this fuckin' place, one of the chefs kinda looks like stewie from family guy but that makes the experience almost better. food is great and the servers are all super nice.
Dalton Strauser
The best place to drink great beer in a couch besides your
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rob S.
We used to come here 20 years ago and the place was great! Good food and drinks at a good price. We came again for a birthday party for my daughter. The burgers were overcooked,cold and dry. The bun tops were burned, they were actually black! I thought they were playing a joke on me. The wait staff was nice, not their fault. Will not go back.
Mitchell Larimer
Fast snappy and WITTY bartender, with a phenomenal atmosphere. Old world style, you almost feel like you should expect quests and capes.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
M F.
I have a long history with the Sanctuary. My wife and I had our first date here in 1995. Between 1998 and 2016, I ate and/or drank at the Sanctuary at least once a week. I took out-of-town guests for dinner and met here for work get-togethers and other events. I bought first legal drinks here for two of my brothers-in-law and my nephew. I certainly qualified as a regular, I think. Well, things change and that's okay. After the original owner sold up and retired, the Sanctuary went through at least a couple of different management set-ups. The once impressive, best-in-town beer list dwindled to a trickle. The menu was revamped, and revamped again. But at least the lovely, lived-in decor was left intact. Last night, I took my son and my dad for dinner - perhaps I was anticipating some sort of cathartic experience, three generations gathered around the old water hole. Instead, it was easily the most depressing sixty minutes I've sat through in some time. When we entered, the bartender invited us to "sit anywhere" we liked, which we did. But almost immediately, a man who did not introduce himself and who we initially took to be just another punter approached us and asked us to move to a smaller table. We'd occupied a table for four, but there were only three of us, he explained, and had us move to another table, which was also for four, as are ALL the tables at the Sanctuary. Is there such a thing as a table for three? This guy turned out to be the "Trivia Master". He said that he wanted to save tables for his "trivia players" and asked if we were going to eat quickly, whereupon I determined to chew my food very slowly indeed. This wasn't a good start. The bartender was also our server, and was unremarkably pleasant at first. He said he didn't care where we sat, and that we could move back to the original table if we wanted, which was reassuring (though we didn't move again). We ordered food and some drinks. My dad and my son had burgers. I had a bowl of soup. The wait wasn't unreasonable; the place was close to empty with only one other table seated for dining. The burgers arrived and really they were more like sliders (except you usually get at least a couple sliders in an order, and this was just one little sandwich, plus, weirdly, the Sanctuary must be the only pub-restaurant in the US that doesn't serve fries), but okay, no problem, I appreciate portion control. What I didn't appreciate was that the vegetable dressings - lettuce, onion, etc. - were literally FROZEN, with actual ice crystals for a little extra crunch. Is that how we're eating burgers now? On the other hand, my soup was volcanically hot, and plastered all around the side of the bowl, the plate, and presumably the inside of the microwave. Shocking presentation, and the soup was decent at best once it finally cooled down. When I offered some feedback to the server, he immediately clammed up, "thanked" us rather curtly and made it clear that our feedback was irrelevant. So there you go. We paid up and walked toward the exit, where the Trivia Master was busy presiding over nothing at all. Precisely one person had entered the establishment in the 45 minutes or so since we arrived, and the table we'd originally chosen remained entirely unoccupied. I have a huge catalog of fond memories of the Sanctuary, and rather than risk compromising them any further, I will simply never visit again. I will not bring guests to the Sanctuary, and I will not recommend it for work events. I will not mention the Sanctuary when visitors ask what they should see or do in Iowa City. In fact, it's unlikely I'll ever set foot inside again. So very sad, but time marches on.
Kieran Leopold
Sanctuary continues to amaze with their well-curated beer selections, but the food and service have declined in recent years. The menu is smaller than it used to be but that hasn't improved the food quality. The last time we were here we ordered pasta and pizza and both were fair-to-middling quality. With that said, it's hard to beat their great beer selection and sometimes that's all you need from a local haunt.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Joe Aronson
I had a 3 yo and 11 mo but the staff made us feel welcome and we had a great time.
It’s official: I have found by far the worst food in Iowa City. I can’t believe the staff could stomach sending this out to their customers. They should be ashamed and embarrassed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ben Trachsel
Good food, great service, great atmosphere for our storytelling group. We always have a great time at the sanctuary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Abigail K.
Food was subpar at best. I ordered the pub burger and it was tough, bland, and made me feel super nauseous after eating it. It reminded me of dining hall food. Service was very slow but I think that was due to the fact that they only had one waiter on a Saturday night which is wild. Ambiance is okay. Nothing special. I wouldn't recommend this place.
Brady C.
the goat, food always smashable and drinks always slamable. Shouts out the staff too.
beth r.
Weeknight in summer, food and service excellent and good value. Loved the margarita pizza, Caesar salad.
Went in with my boyfriend last Friday for date night. The main room with the bar was packed so our server sat us in the other room in the back were it was quieter. We ordered a few drinks, I tried the Elderflower Spritz, which was delicious, and my boyfriend got a beer. The server was a sweetheart but seemed a little nervous. But theymade sure we were taken care of, he checked in on us periodically and made sure everything was to our liking! The food took a little longer than I had hoped, but given how busy it was I understand the wait! Overall it was a great experience and we’ll been back again soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
I don’t know what I did to offend the bar tender, as didn’t interact. I waited to be served and got up after about 10 minutes of being ignored in lieu of any other person that approached the bar on a casual Wednesday evening. So, I ended up just walking away. Anyways, this was some seriously confusing and apparently random hostility.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
We had dinner and drinks for my husband's birthday and enjoyed the night so much! Firstly, the atmosphere is so quaint and reminiscing of an English pub; rustic wood benches and tables, a fireplace and cool lighting and decor! We each had our favorite maple stout and a delicious house special pizza, but the best part of the evening was our server, Venus. We were made to feel like the only customers in the house, by his attentiveness and willingness for a laugh without neglecting his other guests. He was wonderful! As a topper, he served my husband a lovely slice of cheesecake as a birthday surprise. Sanctuary has become our new favorite place to spend an evening.
Love this fuckin' place, one of the chefs kinda looks like stewie from family guy but that makes the experience almost better. food is great and the servers are all super nice.
The best place to drink great beer in a couch besides your
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We used to come here 20 years ago and the place was great! Good food and drinks at a good price. We came again for a birthday party for my daughter. The burgers were overcooked,cold and dry. The bun tops were burned, they were actually black! I thought they were playing a joke on me. The wait staff was nice, not their fault. Will not go back.
Fast snappy and WITTY bartender, with a phenomenal atmosphere. Old world style, you almost feel like you should expect quests and capes.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I have a long history with the Sanctuary. My wife and I had our first date here in 1995. Between 1998 and 2016, I ate and/or drank at the Sanctuary at least once a week. I took out-of-town guests for dinner and met here for work get-togethers and other events. I bought first legal drinks here for two of my brothers-in-law and my nephew. I certainly qualified as a regular, I think. Well, things change and that's okay. After the original owner sold up and retired, the Sanctuary went through at least a couple of different management set-ups. The once impressive, best-in-town beer list dwindled to a trickle. The menu was revamped, and revamped again. But at least the lovely, lived-in decor was left intact. Last night, I took my son and my dad for dinner - perhaps I was anticipating some sort of cathartic experience, three generations gathered around the old water hole. Instead, it was easily the most depressing sixty minutes I've sat through in some time. When we entered, the bartender invited us to "sit anywhere" we liked, which we did. But almost immediately, a man who did not introduce himself and who we initially took to be just another punter approached us and asked us to move to a smaller table. We'd occupied a table for four, but there were only three of us, he explained, and had us move to another table, which was also for four, as are ALL the tables at the Sanctuary. Is there such a thing as a table for three? This guy turned out to be the "Trivia Master". He said that he wanted to save tables for his "trivia players" and asked if we were going to eat quickly, whereupon I determined to chew my food very slowly indeed. This wasn't a good start. The bartender was also our server, and was unremarkably pleasant at first. He said he didn't care where we sat, and that we could move back to the original table if we wanted, which was reassuring (though we didn't move again). We ordered food and some drinks. My dad and my son had burgers. I had a bowl of soup. The wait wasn't unreasonable; the place was close to empty with only one other table seated for dining. The burgers arrived and really they were more like sliders (except you usually get at least a couple sliders in an order, and this was just one little sandwich, plus, weirdly, the Sanctuary must be the only pub-restaurant in the US that doesn't serve fries), but okay, no problem, I appreciate portion control. What I didn't appreciate was that the vegetable dressings - lettuce, onion, etc. - were literally FROZEN, with actual ice crystals for a little extra crunch. Is that how we're eating burgers now? On the other hand, my soup was volcanically hot, and plastered all around the side of the bowl, the plate, and presumably the inside of the microwave. Shocking presentation, and the soup was decent at best once it finally cooled down. When I offered some feedback to the server, he immediately clammed up, "thanked" us rather curtly and made it clear that our feedback was irrelevant. So there you go. We paid up and walked toward the exit, where the Trivia Master was busy presiding over nothing at all. Precisely one person had entered the establishment in the 45 minutes or so since we arrived, and the table we'd originally chosen remained entirely unoccupied. I have a huge catalog of fond memories of the Sanctuary, and rather than risk compromising them any further, I will simply never visit again. I will not bring guests to the Sanctuary, and I will not recommend it for work events. I will not mention the Sanctuary when visitors ask what they should see or do in Iowa City. In fact, it's unlikely I'll ever set foot inside again. So very sad, but time marches on.
Sanctuary continues to amaze with their well-curated beer selections, but the food and service have declined in recent years. The menu is smaller than it used to be but that hasn't improved the food quality. The last time we were here we ordered pasta and pizza and both were fair-to-middling quality. With that said, it's hard to beat their great beer selection and sometimes that's all you need from a local haunt.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
I had a 3 yo and 11 mo but the staff made us feel welcome and we had a great time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It’s official: I have found by far the worst food in Iowa City. I can’t believe the staff could stomach sending this out to their customers. They should be ashamed and embarrassed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good food, great service, great atmosphere for our storytelling group. We always have a great time at the sanctuary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food was subpar at best. I ordered the pub burger and it was tough, bland, and made me feel super nauseous after eating it. It reminded me of dining hall food. Service was very slow but I think that was due to the fact that they only had one waiter on a Saturday night which is wild. Ambiance is okay. Nothing special. I wouldn't recommend this place.
the goat, food always smashable and drinks always slamable. Shouts out the staff too.
Weeknight in summer, food and service excellent and good value. Loved the margarita pizza, Caesar salad.