Iowa City has welcomed a new French-inspired cocktail lounge in its Northside neighborhood, offering cocktails, wine, small plates, and a cozy ambience. Husband and wife co-owners Adélaïde Subtil and Thomas Heineman look back on their years-long journey to opening night, while making plans to expand.
“I wanted to create a place that reminded me of France and Paris, and a place that you can hang out for hours that’s cozy and intimate,” Subtil said.
Located at 215 N. Linn St., Claude opened its doors on Jan. 10. The lounge is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 3 p.m. to midnight, with food being served from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations are limited, available to parties over six. Patrons are encouraged to wear evening attire according to their website.
The space has dim lighting with cozy seating and jazz playing throughout. Subtil opened the lounge with her husband in early January, but the road to opening day was long, beginning years ago.
“It’s been about two years in the making, so people haven’t heard anything about it for the last two years, so when we opened, people were very excited to come in and see the place,” Subtil said.
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Subtil is from France and lived there before moving to Iowa City with her husband after being offered a job in Cedar Rapids. The couple then decided to buy the building now housing Claude.
Though the two-floor establishment’s top floor is the only one in operation, Subtil and Heineman have plans to turn the bottom floor into a French-imported furniture and retail storefront.
“We bought the building because I import furniture from France, and we were looking for a place for that shop because it’s currently only online,” Subtil said.
Subtil said the building is a restored 1870s apartment building, and the lounge can seat 28 people.
The name Claude has a personal backstory to Subtil’s family background. She said she wanted to honor her great-grandfather, an aviator who fought in World War I at 17 years old. Subtil said her godfather also shares the same name.
“He was a super fun guy who loved going out,” Subtil said, speaking of her great-grandfather. “He lived in Paris, and I remember the first time I visited him in Paris when I was eight. He took me out to restaurants and showed me Paris, and I was so amazed. He loved to travel, and he loved all of that. So I think the name kind of encapsulates all of that.”
Parts of the menu are inspired by southern France, with classics chosen by David Basinger, a managing partner at Claude. Some of these include the House Manhattan, The Night Pilot, and Aviation,
“Most of the cocktails I like to make are based on classics, just variations,” Basinger said.
The lounge offers an extensive list of cocktails, wine, and champagne, as well as small plates such as radish carpaccio and marinated olives. Basinger has over 25 years of hospitality experience.
“Getting everything going is always exciting and exhausting,” Basinger said. “It’s always great to see the feedback from customers and seeing them enjoy everything.”