Influential music acts, a divey atmosphere, and an outdoor beer garden vaulted Iowa City’s Gabe’s to a recent ranking as one of the country’s top bars.
A year after its 50th anniversary, Gabe’s was named on USA Today’s 2025 “Bars of the Year” list, featuring 29 best bars in the nation on July 30.
Jessica Rish, reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, which has the same parent company as USA Today, wrote the Gabe’s review for USA Today, noting, “A night at Gabe’s is a night of rock ‘n’ roll history.”
Rish said lists like these from USA Today are created by writers within different communities and are sent in for consideration, rather than flying people out in search of the best bars in the nation. In addition to Gabe’s, she submitted five other Iowa City bars for consideration, including The Foxhead Tavern, Wild Culture, Double Tap, The Den, and The Deadwood Tavern. However, Gabe’s was the only bar to make the list.
A key reason Gabe’s was highlighted likely had to do with how many memories it holds for locals, Rish said. Numerous iconic acts have performed there throughout the decades, including Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Chance the Rapper, and The Black Keys.
These are just a few of the bands that have hit Gabe’s small stage.
“Having these live collective experiences, such as going to a show, are core memories for people, especially young adults,” Rish said. “It is a special place.”
Gabe’s General Manager Pete McCarthy said while the bar has already established a name for itself and business has remained consistent since the list was posted, it has been great to receive this sort of recognition.
“We’ve got a lot of comments and compliments,” he said. “It’s cool to be recognized, and we appreciate it.”
McCarthy also said that having such a distinct community and being in a college town helps sustain a great business.
“We have such a diverse local music scene that everybody supports it,” he said. “When you have so many different people with so many different tastes, you can try so many different things, because you’re going to have people coming out to support it, no matter what it is.”
Iowa City local Carter Russell said he has been coming to Gabe’s for four years now, primarily because his friends are in bands and he sells merchandise, but the vibe of the bar keeps him coming back.
“It’s inviting and inclusive,” he said. “More than some of the other bands earned recognition on the national stafe. Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City has been named to similar “best of” lists, including Business Insider’s “26 bookstores every book lover must visit in their lifetime.”
Jan Weissmiller, owner of Prairie Lights, said the bookstore has grown significantly since its founding in 1978 and recognition on lists like these boosts its social media presence, online attention, and attracts tourists passing through town.
She also added being named to such lists allows all sorts of people around the world to connect with the store on social media.
“We usually get tons of attention and comments from people that have known the store over the years,” Weissmiller said. “There are also generations of people that know it and don’t necessarily live here anymore.”
Weissmiller said the businesses’ Facebook page has followers from 50 different countries. Prairie Lights was also on Timeout.com’s list of “Best Independent Bookstores in the U.S.”
The Webster, a high-end restaurant, was named one of The New York Times’ 2023 “50 Best Restaurants in the U.S.” It also earned a spot on USA Today’s 2024 “Restaurants of the Year” list.
Hamburg Inn No. 2 made the list of “Best Cult Favorite Restaurant in Every State”,according to Lovefood.com.
Beyond individual businesses, Iowa City itself has earned recognition as one of the best places to live in the U.S. in 2025 by Livability.com and was named a “Top 10 Best College Town” by BestCollegeReviews.org in 2022.
Through over 50 years of business, McCarthy said Gabe’s continually welcomes everyone, no matter who they are, to come and enjoy the bar.
“I think the coolest thing about Gabe’s is how it doesn’t really have a crowd,” he said. “It welcomes anybody that comes through the doors.”