Buzz’s Bar

If you ride a motorcycle in Iowa, you know Buzz’s Bar in Waterloo

I went to Waterloo to check out a bar that I have never heard of before.

It’s called Buzz’s Bar, and I think anybody in Iowa with a motorcycle will know what I’m talking about.  The reason I say that is simple.  When I talked to the owner, who just happened to be there at a table with his buddies, he told me that everybody in Iowa that has a motorcycle would already know about Buzz’s Bar.

I can only assume from looking at the place and talking to some of the people there, that this bar might have a long history with bikers.

I went inside looking for the food, just like I normally do.  After not being able to locate any menus or other signs of food, I started asking the customers if they had food.  An older gentleman told me that this wasn’t a place to come for food, it was a place to come hang out and talk bullshit.  It turns out that he was right.  The owner and bartender confirmed to me that this wasn’t a restaurant that I had found, so I had to change my strategy a little bit

I went on a Monday right after work, and I had a really hard time finding anywhere to park, the place was so packed.  Fortunately for bikers, they have a special area marked off just for bikes, so you won’t have to compete with any cars for parking.  It’s a really popular place for bikers, and they obviously welcome everybody else too.

The people you will meet when you come to Buzz’s Bar are the best reason to come to a place like this, and old biker bars with this kind of character can’t be found just anywhere nowadays.

If you do happen to get hungry while you are there, they have some really good frozen pizza you can buy.  The bartender told me that as long as she is there, she will never burn your pizza.  They have a nice little sitting area with some picnic tables on their back porch, so it wouldn’t be a bad place to bring something to eat from one of the many places in town where you can get authentic Mexican street tacos.  There’s also a really good gyro place not far away, and I drive all the way from Cedar Rapids just to eat there.

If you want a good place just to hang out, and the newer fancier places just aren’t for you, this might be the perfect spot.  The place has been around forever, so they must be doing something right.  Since there’s no kitchen to worry about, the staff get to devote all their time and effort into providing you with outstanding service by keeping the drinks flowing.

A note from Will Carter, The Ambassador of Flavors

“This is one of many biker food reviews I do on a weekly basis.  The goal is to promote local bars as destinations for motorcycle enthusiasts.  These reviews are part an online resource created to help bikers find bars with good food and entertainment.”