Wilson’s Ciderhouse closes its Iowa City restaurant

IOWA CITY — The restaurant and bar at Wilson’s Ciderhouse & Venue has closed in Iowa City as the owners transition to a private events venue.

The rustic restaurant opened in 2017 in a century-old barn and closed Sunday. This winter, the upper level of the building will be converted into a second private events venue.

The change is being made to serve a growing demand for private event bookings, as well as popular ticketed events like Full Moon Dinners, according to a Wilson’s statement.

“When booked separately, this new venue will allow us to host multiple events on the most popular dates, opening up many dates that had previously been unavailable in the upcoming two to three years,” Wilson’s said in the statement.

“When used together, our upper and lower levels will open up the possibility of hosting small to medium conferences, expos, larger corporate events and weddings. Additionally, we’ll be able to comfortably accommodate smaller parties in the upstairs space, where the downstairs venue previously felt oversize.”

The upper level has an indoor capacity of 60. The lower level’s capacity is 225.

The change draws on lessons on streamlining the guest experience from Wilson’s recently opened Des Moines Ciderhouse in Cumming, in south-central Iowa.

The Iowa City location also will expand its dining infrastructure around its Farmer Market to improve parking, flow and the consolidation of public amenities in a central location.

The change follows the April departure of three-time James Beard semifinalist Matt Steigerwald, the executive chef who shaped the culinary direction of Wilson’s for seven years.

More details on offerings at Wilson’s will be shared in the future.

“While we’re sad to say goodbye to this beloved eatery, we’re excited to announce plans for a new direction in our food and beverage offerings and expansion of our private event spaces,” the Wilson’s statement said. “Though the dining experience will look different, our commitment to locally sourced, farm-to-table food remains stronger than ever.“

Both the upper and lower level venues of the Ciderhouse building will continue to offer all-inclusive service from the in-house catering team. Lower-level bookings, as well as offerings from the Farm Market, bakery, Pizza Shack and ticketed dinners will be unaffected by the change.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or [email protected].