Something’s brewing at 347 S. Gilbert St.
Tequila Cowgirl opened its doors to the public on Aug. 16 in the building previously home to Bardot. During its grand opening, the new western-themed bar and grill welcomed customers with a cowgirl in an inflatable cow costume dancing to the indelible sounds of pop-country artist Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like.”
Ava Andrle, the aforementioned cowgirl, said she enjoys her work at the new bar and that she gets along with her coworkers. Committed to the bar’s theme, Andrle’s coworkers said they’re all going to learn line dancing and choose a specific song to climb onto the bar and give onlookers a scoot and shuffle to.
The bar features a life-size cutout of Dolly Parton, a neon sign reading “Save Water, Drink Tequila,” and a framed poster of Beyoncé in crystallized cowgirl gear.
Dawsi Hastings, one of the managers of Tequila Cowgirl, said the western theme of the bar and grill seemed like a good fit since more and more pop singers are embracing the culture of country music.
In addition to dancing cowgirls and flashy lights, the bar features daily specials ranging from Monday’s $2 beer boots, Thursday’s buy-one-get-one free deal on any drink menu item, Saturday’s $3 long islands, and a selection of over 60 different types of tequila.
In terms of food, Tequila Cowgirl serves classic bar fare, which they describe as “quick bites,” such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, build-your-own pizzas, and french fries loaded with cheese, bacon, sour cream, chives, and a cool ramekin of ranch.
The bar also hosts events like trivia, bingo, and Karaoke Thursdays.
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“We’d like to extend an open invitation to anyone who feels like they don’t belong or are uncomfortable,” Miranda Mason, a bartender and host of Karaoke Thursdays, said.
Andrle added that country bars often aren’t welcome to the LGBTQ+ community, but Tequila Cowgirl is open to everyone. The owners of Tequila Cowgirl also own two gay bars in Iowa.
Those clubs, Studio 13 in Iowa City and Basix in Cedar Rapids, are the only LGBTQ+ bars in each of their respective cities. They are both owned by Jason Zeman, who also runs Alley Cat — an entertainment club underneath Studio 13.
Storm Day, a bouncer and bartender at Alley Cat and Studio 13, said she loves her boss and that he is extremely understanding and helpful, even going so far as to share a story of how Zeman sheltered people in his bar from a harsh blizzard and served them free soda and snacks.
Zeman said after bouncing the idea of an inclusive country bar around with people he trusts and respects in the community, he decided to move forward with the concept for the space.
“I’m a big fan of Nashville and Austin, so I wanted to bring a venue with that type of vibe to downtown Iowa City,” Zeman said.