It's not very often you step into a pub/restaurant still under construction and immediately fall in love with the place. That happened to me earlier this week.

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On Tuesday night, I stopped to take an exterior photo of a new place that's opening in Cedar Rapids. The door was open so I stepped inside and was lucky enough to meet the owners. I instantly was taken by their passion and the beauty of the interior.

Bob James
Bob James
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Olde Brick House Irish Pub/Restaurant will soon open in the location that was previously home to Boulder Tap House on the north side of Lindale Mall. Owners Mike and Tom, who are also owners of Boulder Tap House, shared plenty of exciting news.

The guys said they wanted to open a standalone building for Boulder Tap House and Westdale provided the perfect opportunity. Tom and Mike say they hope to open Boulder Tap House on October 2. Now, back to Olde Brick House Irish Pub/Restaurant which will be opening even sooner.

There were two things that I immediately noticed when I stood inside Olde Brick House. First, was the beautiful smell and look of mahogany... gorgeous wood that is seemingly everywhere. And the tons of very cool bric-a-brac throughout the place. They're evident in the photo below.

Bob James
Bob James
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All the mahogany and stained glass was completed just outside Dublin, Ireland at a place that has done work for pubs on nearly every continent in the world. It was all then shipped to Cedar Rapids. Remember I mentioned all the mahogany? Combined, the mahogany, stained glass, and bric-a-brac weighed about 19,000 pounds. That's one big shipment, or shipments, and makes for a unique and very cool vibe inside.

Bob James
Bob James
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Olde Brick House is an authentic Irish pub. Just look at the liquor cabinet below. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 percent of that alcohol is Irish. The owners and staff told me they have every price point available. Additionally, the pub/restaurant will have plenty of Irish food, along with lots of comfort food choices.

Bob James
Bob James
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The Cedar Rapids Olde Brick House will be the fourth location for the chain. The current locations are in St. Cloud, Rochester, and Mankato, Minnesota.

You won't have to wait long for the first Iowa location of Olde Brick House. Tom and  Mike told me they hope to open in the first part of September.

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