What a hidden gem! We were on a road trip and happened upon The Downunder. The service was prompt, kind, and accurate. The server, owner, and cook all came to talk with those eating and were very kind. They clearly take pride in their service.
Their menu states NOTHING is deep fried. That's because it's AIR FRIED!! We were BEYOND excited to see that. That's a rare find. I love wings. Rarely can you find a good wing that's not deep fried, but they killed it.
I had the Maple Hot wings. Sauce was UNREAL. Brilliant blend of maple and spice. We bought the sauce to go, it was THAT good. Pumped to have some when we grill at home!
If they don't already, The Downunder needs to bottle and sell their Maple Hot sauce. They are definitely sitting on a goldmine there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lori Wasmund
Love this local bar and the staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tom Dean
Wow! Just had a dynamite burger cooked by Hallie. Great flavor with a side of fries that are deliciously cooked. Top notch service with the chef Hallie checking if we were satisfied with our meal! Beer selection was top notch with great variety and value. Definitely coming back!
Jill Klein
We stopped by for lunch today and everything was perfect! The bartender warmly greeted us and grabbed our drinks right away. There was a burger special and a nice gentleman at the bar said the burgers were great so my husband and son ordered those. I got a panini. All of our food came out quickly and it was delicious! Highly recommend
Kirk Hively
Interesting little bar in the basement. Outdoor seating for up to 8. The local Big Grove beer is good! Maybe I'll try the '31 named for Herbert Hoover, our 31st President.
Retha Hopkins
Our group of 10 arrived right at 1:00 for lunch today. The first room was totally empty. There were a couple of people at the bar, and only a few people in the back room. We placed our drink order pretty much right away. After about 10 minutes, a guy wearing an oxygen tank came up and started serving our drinks from the window. He commented during our chatter with him that he did not work there. He was just a customer helping out. We placed our food orders at about 1:20. Seven of us ordered the Bear burger basket with fries. The first 2 orders come out at about 2:15, just short of an HOUR after we ordered!!! The waitress informed the 3 members of our party that ordered burgers with no cheese, that the cook had accidentally put cheese on theirs, and asked if they wanted to take them with cheese, or remake them with no cheese. They all took them with cheese so they would not have to wait that additional time. The rest of the orders arrived VERY slowly, 2 at a time. I was one of the last 2 to be served. I got my order at 2:35, a full 20 minutes after the first orders came out!!! By the time I got mine, 1/2 of the table was finished eating. One of our members ordered the chicken strip basket. She said the chicken strips were mostly breading and the chicken was tough. Her fries were cold and hard. Another member of our group ordered the Rubin sandwich. She said that there was hardly any sauerkraut, and the corned beef was crispy around the edges, like bacon. The burgers were good, although a bit more well done than most of us liked, so a little dry, but still good. One member of our group got a panini and said it was very good, and so was the potato salad. Bottom line, we could have understood the long wait time if our large party came in and they were already busy, but with only a few other customers, it should NOT have taken us an hour to an hour & 1/2 to get our food!! Especially burgers and fries.
Lu Hileman
I love the atmosphere of the Down Under! They are so nice about tuning into the game our group wants to watch! attentive service and good food make it a place to return again and again!
Chelsi Ingles
Shanna/Nolan are great! Very friendly! Quick service! Awesome place to stop for a drink and eat some great food!!
Kevin Zachmeyer
Was up in West Branch for a soccer game!! We always try to eat somewhere close where we're at !! So I Google searches and found this place and I am so glad we did!! What an amazing place!! Love the atmosphere fireplace was awesome!! Will definitely go back when we can enjoy the fireplace!! Our server well she was great very friendly!! Talked about our kids being in show choir just made us feel like we have welcome!! And the food was great!! We had the nachos as an appetizer and I had the extreme Panini and my why had the down under Panini!! Next I will try their hamburgers because they are made fresh!! So I would Highly recommend this place if you get a chance you won't be disappointed!!
Ashley
We wanted a place outside of Iowa City for a quick drink and bites. Randomly found this pace, we walked in and were instantly welcomed like we had been there a million times. We were BLOWN AWAY by the hospitality by this family owned business. The Hog Wings came highly recommended and let me tell you, I will be dreaming about them tonight in my sleep! hOLy. CoW.. never had anything like them ANYWHERE in the country. We will ABSOLUTELY be back here again.
This gem is in the basement of an old hotel and is eclectic with the perfect atmosphere - stone walls and fire place make it perfect. Air fried menu selections that are delicious and nachos that are to die for! Good selection of beer on tap with some local crafts - great place to meet friends, not too loud - just right!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Renee Kurtenbach
If you would like to visit a local, small town restaurant, then this is the place to go! Great service and the hamburgers, not to mention the hot wings, are nothing short of the bomb.com.
Tammy Bayer
Conveniently located in downtown West Branch. This restaurant is literally ‘down under’ as in the basement of the building. We probably wouldn’t have found it without the useful sidewalk sign.Adorable space. We loved the old brick/foundation walls.Service was fabulous!Food was ok… typical bar food. The Philly has good seasoning, the Ultimate panini had none.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Wendy Frost
the food was delicious! Loved the turkey bacon avacado!
What a hidden gem! We were on a road trip and happened upon The Downunder. The service was prompt, kind, and accurate. The server, owner, and cook all came to talk with those eating and were very kind. They clearly take pride in their service.
Their menu states NOTHING is deep fried. That's because it's AIR FRIED!! We were BEYOND excited to see that. That's a rare find. I love wings. Rarely can you find a good wing that's not deep fried, but they killed it.
I had the Maple Hot wings. Sauce was UNREAL. Brilliant blend of maple and spice. We bought the sauce to go, it was THAT good. Pumped to have some when we grill at home!
If they don't already, The Downunder needs to bottle and sell their Maple Hot sauce. They are definitely sitting on a goldmine there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this local bar and the staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow! Just had a dynamite burger cooked by Hallie. Great flavor with a side of fries that are deliciously cooked. Top notch service with the chef Hallie checking if we were satisfied with our meal! Beer selection was top notch with great variety and value. Definitely coming back!
We stopped by for lunch today and everything was perfect! The bartender warmly greeted us and grabbed our drinks right away. There was a burger special and a nice gentleman at the bar said the burgers were great so my husband and son ordered those. I got a panini. All of our food came out quickly and it was delicious! Highly recommend
Interesting little bar in the basement. Outdoor seating for up to 8. The local Big Grove beer is good! Maybe I'll try the '31 named for Herbert Hoover, our 31st President.
Our group of 10 arrived right at 1:00 for lunch today. The first room was totally empty. There were a couple of people at the bar, and only a few people in the back room. We placed our drink order pretty much right away. After about 10 minutes, a guy wearing an oxygen tank came up and started serving our drinks from the window. He commented during our chatter with him that he did not work there. He was just a customer helping out. We placed our food orders at about 1:20. Seven of us ordered the Bear burger basket with fries. The first 2 orders come out at about 2:15, just short of an HOUR after we ordered!!! The waitress informed the 3 members of our party that ordered burgers with no cheese, that the cook had accidentally put cheese on theirs, and asked if they wanted to take them with cheese, or remake them with no cheese. They all took them with cheese so they would not have to wait that additional time. The rest of the orders arrived VERY slowly, 2 at a time. I was one of the last 2 to be served. I got my order at 2:35, a full 20 minutes after the first orders came out!!! By the time I got mine, 1/2 of the table was finished eating. One of our members ordered the chicken strip basket. She said the chicken strips were mostly breading and the chicken was tough. Her fries were cold and hard. Another member of our group ordered the Rubin sandwich. She said that there was hardly any sauerkraut, and the corned beef was crispy around the edges, like bacon. The burgers were good, although a bit more well done than most of us liked, so a little dry, but still good. One member of our group got a panini and said it was very good, and so was the potato salad. Bottom line, we could have understood the long wait time if our large party came in and they were already busy, but with only a few other customers, it should NOT have taken us an hour to an hour & 1/2 to get our food!! Especially burgers and fries.
I love the atmosphere of the Down Under! They are so nice about tuning into the game our group wants to watch! attentive service and good food make it a place to return again and again!
Shanna/Nolan are great! Very friendly! Quick service! Awesome place to stop for a drink and eat some great food!!
Was up in West Branch for a soccer game!! We always try to eat somewhere close where we're at !! So I Google searches and found this place and I am so glad we did!! What an amazing place!! Love the atmosphere fireplace was awesome!! Will definitely go back when we can enjoy the fireplace!! Our server well she was great very friendly!! Talked about our kids being in show choir just made us feel like we have welcome!! And the food was great!! We had the nachos as an appetizer and I had the extreme Panini and my why had the down under Panini!! Next I will try their hamburgers because they are made fresh!! So I would Highly recommend this place if you get a chance you won't be disappointed!!
We wanted a place outside of Iowa City for a quick drink and bites. Randomly found this pace, we walked in and were instantly welcomed like we had been there a million times. We were BLOWN AWAY by the hospitality by this family owned business. The Hog Wings came highly recommended and let me tell you, I will be dreaming about them tonight in my sleep! hOLy. CoW.. never had anything like them ANYWHERE in the country. We will ABSOLUTELY be back here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great customer service!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This gem is in the basement of an old hotel and is eclectic with the perfect atmosphere - stone walls and fire place make it perfect. Air fried menu selections that are delicious and nachos that are to die for! Good selection of beer on tap with some local crafts - great place to meet friends, not too loud - just right!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you would like to visit a local, small town restaurant, then this is the place to go! Great service and the hamburgers, not to mention the hot wings, are nothing short of the bomb.com.
Conveniently located in downtown West Branch. This restaurant is literally ‘down under’ as in the basement of the building. We probably wouldn’t have found it without the useful sidewalk sign.Adorable space. We loved the old brick/foundation walls.Service was fabulous!Food was ok… typical bar food. The Philly has good seasoning, the Ultimate panini had none.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
the food was delicious! Loved the turkey bacon avacado!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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