Short’s Burger & Shine opened in September of 2008. We feature food and drink produced, grown, baked, and brewed in the State of Iowa. As native Iowans we are proud to show the creativity and hard work of our fellow Iowans. Our beef is from a farm in Columbus Junction and processed in Riverside at Bud’s Custom Meats. The beef is dry-aged for at least 14 days before it is ground daily for us. The buns are baked with no preservatives or eggs, by a couple from Des Moines. Our black bean burgers and all sauces are made in-house. We were the first to carry all Iowa breweries on tap and continue to feature the best breweries in the state.
Ornate campus-adjacent eatery serving gourmet beef & black-bean burgers plus local craft beers. Based on 745 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.4 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
18 S Clinton St, Iowa City, IA 52240
Phone: (319) 259-7154
Website:
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Sunday |
11 AM–4 PM |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
4–9 PM
Hours might differ
|
| Tuesday |
Closed |
| Wednesday |
Closed |
| Thursday |
Closed |
| Friday |
4–10 PM |
| Saturday |
10 AM–10 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Reviews
Kaleo Reese
The quality of the food has tanked since eating here over a year ago. Stale buns, frozen patties (yes, frozen), and an absurdly small amount of bun spread that seemed like a joke. My husband ordered medium rare and I ordered well done and they came out the same). Thank heavens for their signature sauce to mask the burger taste. Such a shame because the burgers used to be top notch.
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Kaelyn Hagens
So many burgers, so little time! Walking into Short’s Burgers & Shine, it has an intimate feel for a long skinny restaurant and bar. The wait staff were friendly and attentive.
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haileyalex
Been at Shorts before and the burgers were bigger and better tasting. This time in (Feb ’23) I was disappointed. Burger was smaller, bread is different. The fries were still good.
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Marcie Tobin
The best burgers in Iowa City by far! I had the Dundee and subbed Swiss cheese for American. The fried egg was cooked perfectly and the garlic aioli is amazing!
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Ethan Marple
Just look at it. Patty looked and tasted like pavement, and was half the size of the buns. Usually the food is okay, but this time we waited for an entire hour (there were about 12 people in there), just to get this. My throat and chest are struggling to survive without a consistent intake of water. They also forgot to put the cheese on the burger, bleu cheese that was supposed to be on it. Nice !!
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Suhas Vinchurkar
What a wonderful place this is. I have never seen a larger choice of burgers and beers than what they have. The quantities are huge and unless you are really starving, I’m not sure you can finish one whole thing. The food is delicious, loved it.
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Robby Lance
Could not eat here. Only tall tables and booths. My wife has fused vertebrae. When we asked to try a booth even though they are elevated we were told they are for parties of 4 or more. We told them we were leaving since they are not handicapped accessible. Wheelchair users who cannot move to other tall seating wouldn’t have any option.
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Wayne Piercy
This place is the new bar for which I will measure burgers. The menu is simple and direct, they aren’t trying to give you a big decision, it is really just which fantastic burger you want. They have several delicious options and I was able to sub the meat for a black bean patty which was great! The fries were fresh and excellent, served with a side of garlic aoli they immediately started the meal off on the best foot. I customized my burger with pepper jack cheese, guacamole, and the garlic aoli sauce. They come with basic toppings (lettuce and tomato) standard as well. The burger was absolutely delicious. If I lived anywhere close this would be my go-to place to eat. They have a bar section as well, I can’t attest to the drinks, if they are anything like the food though I’m sure it is top notch!
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Sydney Anderson
The burgers were amazing! We definitely will be back because there’s so many different kinds to choose from.
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Kyle Dunn
Tough review to write but Short’s food quality has absolutely fallen off since the glory days.
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