From fried pickles to pickleball, there’s something for everyone
Elijah Decious
CEDAR RAPIDS — With multiple concepts over 37,000 square feet for dining, drinking, recreation and relaxation, Cedar Rapids’ newest opening is a pretty big dill.
Pickle Palace, the second opening in the city’s $81.5 million, mixed-used development dubbed Kingston Yard, makes an understatement of the latter word with something for everyone.
Its three floors encompass a casual sit-down restaurant and bar, indoor and outdoor pickleball court with a towering 30-foot ceiling, a British-themed pub, near wraparound rooftop patio, duckpin bowling and private event space.
“We wanted to create a place where people don’t want to leave,” said Graig Cone, co-owner of the new concept, in addition to other notables around the area like Black Sheep Social Club and Lucky Penny. “We wanted a place where everyone feels welcome, whether they’re wearing sweaty bike clothes or a suit and tie.”
The enormous complex has ample opportunities to wear both.
If you go
What: Pickle Palace
Where: 101 First Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids
When: Hours vary between restaurant, pickleball court and third floor; visit website or call for details.
Phone: (319) 582-4780
Website: playpicklepalace.com
Details: Restaurant entrees average $15
The first floor restaurant and bar
With ample seating, warehouse ceilings and oversized booths, the building’s primary restaurant on the ground floor marries earth tones with quasi-casual vibes in an aesthetic that diners will recognize as similar to Black Sheep, a flagship holding in the group’s portfolio.
A hexagonal floor tile scheme flows seamlessly into the bar’s teal backsplash, drawing eyes to the marble counters centering the brick perimeter. Warm lighting and a wood divider between sections brings intimacy to a large space that could easily feel cold, and a small number of leather booths can fit large parties with ease.
At the bar, former Rodina bartender Josh O’Connell has set the tone with niche cocktails without an air of pretension. Miss Frizzle, for example, combines prosecco with Seville Orange, grapefruit and rosemary. For the adventurous, the Double Dog Dare Old Fashion combines a 12-year luxury scotch with bourbon, luxardo cherry, Jagermeister and Malort into a surprisingly smooth profile.
“I wanted to make it that spot that, if you want a good cocktail, you can do it,” he said. “A destination in and of its own right.”
And for those with a taste for drinks from the now closed gem of the Czech Village, the bar manager said staff shouldn’t have any trouble satisfying more complex styles.
Other drinks, while perhaps more intimidating, offer attuned flavors that are hard to find in many bars, like the Jungle Bird with Blackstrap rum, pineapple and Campari.
The wine list offers glass pours and bottles from a robust list, and 20 taps pair well with a well-edited selection of fried appetizers.
At first glance, the food menu gives a simple impression with basic names for hearty dishes — hush puppies, fried cheese, crispy chicken sandwiches, chopped brisket. But the devil is in the details, where dishes sell themselves with elevated ingredients and an attention to small tweaks that make simplicity shine.
Even then, a sense of humility comes through on paper, where ingredients undersold the visible, positive first impressions customers had on the restaurant’s soft opening weekend. Fried cheese was moist and creamy inside the crisp square shells, dipping sauces had pronounced accents, and grain bowls like the Green Goddess proved that healthy and delicious can form a trifecta with Instagram-worthy plating.
For those hoping to steer clear of heavy foods ahead of a pickleball game, soups and salads as well as grain bowls complement sandwiches and fried options.
The menu, designed by executive chef Alex O’Connell with input from Iowa’s 2023 Chef of the Year Monkut Sayasit at Black Sheep Social Club, delivers approachability that can be dressed up as a pregame to the building’s third-floor pub, or dressed down before a game of pickleball.
“These two are the dream team,” general manager Steph Mehmen said of the two unrelated O’Connells, who previously had a big hand in the food and bar menu at Black Sheep.
Pickleball
Surrounded by colorful murals designed by Des Moines artist Maddy Fusco that bring muted concrete to life, the building’s namesake offers four indoor and two outdoor courts to play pickleball — a lighter, less intense version of tennis.
As America’s fastest growing sport, co-owner Graig Cone said the sport, like duckpin bowling on the third floor, has a broad appeal that transcends age.
“You can have three competitive generations on the court,” Cone said, with urethane flooring that’s easy on the joints and games that can be done in under an hour.
Mornings will feature adults-only drop-in hours for just $5, and those wanting to get more serious will be able to join leagues with certified instructors. Other hours through the week require players under 16 to be accompanied by adults over 21.
Equipment can be purchased, rented or brought from home. And if you happen to break a sweat before heading off to another activity, two shower rooms are available.
With play starting at $30 per hour on weekdays, players can book time on the court up to two weeks in advance. Seasonally, outdoor courts will be available for $10 per hour. Unlike the dining room, reservations will be required.
Speaking of dining, players can remotely order food and beverages from the next-door restaurant to enjoy on courtside tables.
Members of Pickle Palace’s VIP program, available for $40 per month, receive one month free with a 12-month commitment. Benefits include booking up to four weeks in advance, one free hour per month, a discount on standard court costs and early access to event and league registration.
Event space
With space for up to 170 people, the second floor is equipped with a full kitchen of its own to serve an event space, and a bar overlooking indoor courts.
A modern ballroom with floor to ceiling windows offers views of the Cedar River separating downtown from Kingston Village.
Mehmen said a demand for quality event space in Cedar Rapids precipitated the second floor’s formation.
British-themed bar, duckpin bowling and rooftop patio
The third floor takes sophistication to a new level with a British theme, massive rooftop patios at key vantage points and six lanes of duckpin bowling — which, like pickleball, is a lighter version of its traditional cousin.
Right off the elevator, a pub begs you to relax with a bounty of Chesterfield couches amid dark wood paneling and framed TVs. Glass garage doors forming the exterior walls begin a countdown until summer, when indoors and outdoors will be one on the third floor.
The patio offers views of the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids skyline as well as downtown icons like the flame atop the Veterans Memorial Building. Fire pits bring warmth to chilly days and nights. On the west side, a view of the new structure taking stage in the center of Kingston Yard will make the other half of the roof a sounding board for nearby district entertainment.
With dog-friendly water fountains, turf and plenty of space, programming in warmer months will include live music, movie nights and yoga.
Bar manager Josh O’Connell said the third floor’s offerings will have 12 taps, up to 17 cocktails such as a cucumber ranch water — a British-esque twist on a popular trend — and a surprise food menu of its own to be revealed in the coming days.
Across from the bar, duckpin bowling under swanky lighting and more Chesterfield lounges delivers an upscale contrast to bowling alleys of decades past. At $40 per hour, lanes are available on a first come, first served basis for up to six players.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or [email protected].
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