The Johnston Brief
Johnston's nightlife has grown up fast, and most of it now clusters in one place: Johnston Town Center on Merle Hay Road, where a brewery taproom, a wine bar and a rooftop grill sit within a block of each other. Add a couple of longtime neighborhood sports bars and you can pick your night, from duckpin bowling with a beer to a glass of wine before a free concert.
Brewery taproom & arcade → Backpocket Pin & Pixel · sports bar & patio → 1908 Draught House · rooftop patio → Zeke's Rooftop & Grill · wine bar → The Cork 50131 · neighborhood pub → The Warehouse Pub. Most of the newer spots sit together in Johnston Town Center.
Johnston's main brewery-style spot is Backpocket Pin & Pixel, a satellite taproom of the Coralville-based Backpocket Brewing in Johnston Town Center. It's part bar, part arcade: one side has the bar and a food menu (street tacos, smash burgers, pizza, wings), the other has duckpin bowling and a wall of arcade video games. It's the rare spot that works for a beer with friends and a family afternoon alike.
1908 Draught House is the go-to sports bar: lots of TVs, a covered patio, burgers and pizza, a long draft list, and an unabashed Chicago Cubs streak. The Warehouse Pub is the low-key neighborhood option, with a patio, bar games and a late close. Between the two you're covered for a game day or a casual pint.
For a warm evening, Zeke's Rooftop & Grill is built for it: a two-level spot in Johnston Town Center with an expansive patio and a full bar, plus a large upstairs room for private events. For a quieter, grown-up night, The Cork 50131 is a proper wine bar just steps away, pouring a big list by the glass or bottle, and it sponsors the free summer concerts at The Yard next door.
Backpocket Pin & Pixel, The Cork 50131 and Zeke's Rooftop are all within a short walk of each other in Johnston Town Center on Merle Hay Road, next to The Yard, where free concerts run in summer. It's the easiest place to start a night out, or to bounce between a beer, a glass of wine and a rooftop patio.
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Beyond the dedicated bars, a couple of Johnston restaurants have a full bar worth settling into. Roots95 Craft Kitchen & Bar pairs a globally minded menu with a proper bar, and Trostel's Greenbriar (5810 Merle Hay Rd), the longtime Johnston steakhouse, has a curated wine list for a date-night drink with dinner. See the full lineup in our best restaurants guide.
Yes. Backpocket Pin & Pixel in Johnston Town Center is a taproom from the Coralville-based Backpocket Brewing, pouring its own beer alongside duckpin bowling, arcade games and a food menu. It is the main brewery-style taproom in town. Several other Johnston bars pour a wide range of craft beer even though they don't brew on site.
Popular Johnston bars include 1908 Draught House, a sports bar with a covered patio and a big draft list; Backpocket Pin & Pixel, a brewery taproom with an arcade and duckpin bowling; Zeke's Rooftop & Grill, a two-level spot with a rooftop patio; The Cork 50131, a wine bar; and The Warehouse Pub, a neighborhood bar. Many cluster around Johnston Town Center on Merle Hay Road.
Yes. The Cork 50131 is a wine bar in Johnston Town Center, opened in December 2022, pouring a large list of wines by the glass or bottle in a relaxed setting. It is a good pick for a quieter date night or a glass with friends, and it sponsors the free Sounds of Summer concert series at The Yard next door.
Zeke's Rooftop & Grill in Johnston Town Center is built around its patio, a two-level spot with indoor and outdoor seating and a rooftop level, opened in early 2026. 1908 Draught House has a well-liked covered patio, and Backpocket Pin & Pixel and The Warehouse Pub have outdoor seating too. In summer, the Town Center patios are the local go-to.
1908 Draught House is the go-to sports bar in Johnston, a low-key spot with lots of TVs, a covered patio, burgers, pizza and a deep draft list, and it leans into being a Chicago Cubs bar. The Warehouse Pub is another neighborhood option with games and TVs, and Backpocket Pin & Pixel adds arcade games and duckpin bowling to the mix.
Yes. Backpocket Pin & Pixel pairs its taproom with duckpin bowling and a wall of arcade video games, so it's part bar, part entertainment. 1908 Draught House and The Warehouse Pub have bar games like darts. That mix of drinks plus something to do makes them popular for groups and families.