For years, The Beerhouse in Urbandale served as a sports‑pub haven where locals gathered for homemade pizza, burgers, wings and a rotating lineup of craft beer. At its peak, The Beerhouse captured the essence of metro dining culture: unpretentious, energetic and unmistakably Iowa.
On Feb. 3, Nick Kuhn, who owns the restaurant, announced on Facebook that the restaurant was closing after more than a decade in business.
“In March 2015, we jumped into the restaurant industry and created The Beerhouse. Now 11 years later it is with mixed emotions we are announcing the closing of The Beerhouse.
“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to our many loyal customers and to our dedicated and hard-working staff. None of this would have been possible without all of you. Thank you!”
The restaurant featured 16 taps flowing and a menu built around approachable comfort food. The Beerhouse built a reputation as a reliable, spirited, game‑day favorite.
Its identity was shaped not just by its food but by its owner. Kuhn, the Des Moines restaurateur behind The Hall and The Clubhouse, launched The Beerhouse in 2015, making it the first entry in what would become a philanthropic restaurant group supporting his nonprofit, the Justice League of Food. Kuhn’s operations were known for community‑focused hiring, inventive service models, and a genuine desire to merge hospitality with social impact.
Over the years, The Beerhouse weathered industry‑wide challenges — from staffing shortages to supply‑chain setbacks — and survived long stretches of closures and remodel delays, reopening periodically with renewed energy for a loyal customer base. It became a recognizable fixture along the 86th Street corridor, an area dense with sports bars and casual grills catering to Johnston and Urbandale diners alike.
But now, The Beerhouse era has come to an end.
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Beerhouse ends its run in Urbandale after 11 years
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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