Opening in August: Van B’s Brewery

Update: Van B’s Brewery will have its soft opening on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. Appetizers will be 25 percent off.

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The sign for Van B’s Brewery, a new Iowa City restaurant and bar opening in mid-August, promises burgers, brews and burritos. Owner Jason Sellinger admitted that featuring burgers and burritos on the sign was done partially for reasons of alliteration, and said the menu extends beyond those two items.

“We going to try to have a simple, but good menu for quick, good-deal lunches,” Sellinger said. “We’re hoping to get a good lunch crowd in from city hall.”

Located at the corner of Washington and Van Buren in the space that used to house Iowa City Brewlab, Van B’s is less than a block from city hall.

Van B’s will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight, and serve its full menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The kitchen will specialize in one of the alliterative foods from the sign, burritos, including a Philly steak burrito. One thing the brewery won’t be doing when it opens its doors is brewing.

“We’re looking into brewing for the future. There are still a lot of legal things we need to look into,” Sellinger explained. “We’re potentially looking into some sort of contest, to give a local person a chance to brew for us.”

“Our big thing is we’re going to be supporting all the local breweries in the area. That’s what we’ll be featuring as our draft beers on tap.”

Van B’s Brewery will be Sellinger’s first restaurant in Iowa City. He and his wife, Karisa, own Pipeliners Bar and Grill in Washington, Iowa.