Venue 162

[icejammer]

Downtown bar, music venue to open in February

The owners of 1892 German Bier Haus are bringing something new to East Broadway. . . .

The bar formerly known as Mike's Place at 162 E. Broadway is being transformed into The Venue 162, a bar and music venue with no cover charge. . . .

A house band will play Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 11 p.m., and then it will be boombox/D.J./disco time until 2 a.m. The idea came from a venue in New Orleans, said Hoover. . . .

There will be 30 beers on tap with more than 100 in bottles, many from microbreweries spanning everywhere from Oregon to Colorado to Texas. . . .

To satisfy hunger, The Venue 162 will offer something different from other bars: no fried food. . . .

Hoover loves the "old style" of the Broadway strip and the personal feeling of Council Bluffs bars and local restaurants. He envisions the weekend night crowds stopping in to The Venue to maybe check out the band, have a drink, continue down the block, meet up with other friends, talk and enjoy other bars and then come back later in the evening. No cover, no stickers or bracelets to mark who has paid and who hasn't.

Hoover is anticipating a soft opening in early February with the grand opening on Valentine's Day. The Venue 162 will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week. Lunch may be in the future, once city construction and the corner building restaurant are complete.

The Hoovers hope to open the restaurant next year, once street construction is also complete. A beer garden in back could hold 200 people. But it's hard to get a restaurant going without a known name, he said. . . .

[Brad]

Sounds like a cool place.

30 tap 100 bottle sounds just like Old Chicago.

[guitarguy]

wow that is going to be great for this place it was pretty sweet before when it was mikes place but this will definitely be a step in the right direction