Lucky Penny Serves Big Pub Comfort With a Lincoln Twist

At Lucky Penny, a basket of tater tots can arrive beside a burger, a sandwich, or one of the day’s changing specials—and that is a pretty good introduction to the place. This is hearty, sociable pub food served in a relaxed Iowa setting where a quick lunch can easily stretch into drinks, dinner, or a seat on the patio.

The menu has enough range for a table that cannot agree on one thing. There are burgers, salads, sandwiches, fish and chips, wood-fired pizza, and a steady lineup of familiar bar-food pleasures. The atmosphere is casual rather than precious, with the sports-pub energy of a place built for settling in without making an occasion of it.

The appetizer list gives a group several easy ways to begin. Pretzels with beer cheese make a natural bar-table order, while jalapeno poppers, buffalo chicken nachos, bruschetta, and garlic cheese bread cover the spicy, cheesy, and snacky ends of the spectrum.

Mexican egg rolls are another notable option, a less predictable choice when the table wants something beyond the standard fried-appetizer lineup. A starter and a round of drinks can be plenty for a lighter stop, but the menu is clearly prepared for bigger appetites.

Tater tots deserve their own mention. They show up repeatedly as the side people want with burgers, sandwiches, and specials, offering a crisp, familiar counterpoint to the substantial main dishes. No need to overthink the side order here.

Lucky Penny’s burgers go well beyond a basic patty-and-cheese formula. The Southwest burger, Honest Abe Burger, and patty melt are among the variations that give the burger portion of the menu some personality.

There is also a willingness to pile on the good stuff. Goat cheese, avocado, aioli, and sweet peppers have appeared together on a burger, while a grilled chicken sandwich has been dressed up with pepper jack, jalapenos, avocado, and bacon. Those combinations make sense in a pub where a sandwich is expected to carry its share of the meal.

For diners who prefer their comfort food between slices of bread but outside burger territory, the sandwich selection has included an Italian beef served with au jus and barbecue pulled pork finished with coleslaw. A Reuben, tenderloin, grilled chicken sandwich, and Hapa Kepani chicken sub add still more directions to take lunch or dinner.

Pizza is not an afterthought here. Lucky Penny’s pizzas are wood-fired, giving the menu another useful lane when a group would rather share a pie than order separate entrees. The Meat Lovers pizza is one choice that has made the rounds, well suited to the same robust appetite that calls for tots and beer cheese.

Pizza is also available for takeout, which makes Lucky Penny a practical stop when the evening calls for pub food at home rather than a night out. The rest of the menu is broad, but a wood-fired pie is an especially easy choice for the table that wants to keep ordering simple.

Regulars have more to watch than the standard menu. A daily grilled cheese, soup of the day, brat of the day, and other changing daily offerings keep the kitchen from becoming too predictable.

The grilled cheese in particular is a rotating proposition, with different versions appearing over time. It is the sort of special worth checking on when you walk in, especially if a classic sandwich with a new filling sounds better than committing to a larger plate.

Fish and chips and salmon burgers provide alternatives to the burger-and-pizza orbit, while onion rings are available when tater tots are not the day’s preferred side. The menu is built for mixed company: one person can order a sandwich, another can go for fish, and nobody has to negotiate a theme.

The bar pours a selection of beers on tap alongside mixed drinks and a cocktail list that includes historic-themed selections. That little thematic note fits the room particularly well.

A Strawberry Smash is one refreshing cocktail to look for. Drink lists can change, of course, but it suggests the bar is doing more than simply opening bottles and pouring standard highballs.

Lucky Penny works equally well for a drink before dinner and for an unhurried evening at the bar. Music adds to the background without necessarily turning lunch into a loud affair, leaving room for conversation across the table.

The interior’s Abraham Lincoln decorations give Lucky Penny an oddball visual signature. The presentation is clean and modern, but the Lincoln material adds humor and a bit of eccentricity—enough to prompt a second look or become the subject of conversation before the food arrives.

It is a more memorable setting than the usual generic television-and-taps sports bar. The sports-pub feeling is still there, but the decor keeps the room from fading into the background.

There are several ways to settle in: indoor dining tables, booths, counter seating, the bar area, and an outdoor patio or terrace. That flexibility helps the place serve a casual lunch, a family meal, an after-work drink, or a longer dinner with friends.

The dining area can handle larger groups, and the room has hosted meals involving colleagues, families, and conference companions. It is not necessary to turn a group lunch into a complicated production; the menu’s mix of shareables, sandwiches, pizzas, and daily options does much of the work.

In warm weather, the patio offers a natural change of pace from the indoor bar. During the rest of the year, the booths, counter seats, and dining room keep the focus where it belongs: a drink, a generous plate, and perhaps an argument over whether tots or onion rings should be ordered for the table.

Free parking is available in a lot that is generally easy to use, a modest convenience that matters when the goal is an uncomplicated lunch or dinner. Inside, hot, generously portioned food suits the unfussy approach.

Lucky Penny offers enough menu variety to reward repeat visits without requiring a special occasion. Check the daily offerings, scan the taps and cocktails, choose a booth or the patio, and leave room for the tater tots.