Cedar Rapids Martini Bar & Lounge Sets Grand Opening at New Location

UPDATE: 1/7/25

The Martini Lounge is finally ready to welcome customers at their new location! On January 3rd, the business announced details of the grand opening on social media, writing:

"We are excited to announce that The Martini Lounge (formerly Craft’d After Dark) will be open starting THIS Thursday, 1/8/26, from 4-10pm. Our full menu will be available. Martini flights & happy hours won’t be offered right away but are COMING SOON!"

The Martini Lounge is located across from NewBo City Market at 1202 3rd St SE in Cedar Rapids. After the opening on Thursday, they will be open Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays & Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. You can check out the menu below:

UPDATE: 12/9/25

It's official! Craft'd After Dark is now known simply as 'The Martini Lounge!'

Back on November 22nd, Craft'd After Dark had its last day in business in Downtown Cedar Rapids. Owners John and Candi Davidson thanked customers on social media for joining them on the "first chapter" of their journey, and revealed the business' new name ahead of its relocation.

The Martini Lounge is located at 1202 3rd St SE, just across the street from NewBo City Market in the former home of Lacayo and Caucho. The new location will have a "revamped menu" that includes Martini Flights and the "Old Fashioned A La Carte, but promises "the same cozy atmosphere" as Craft'd After Dark. They're not open for business yet, but photos on Facebook show that they're getting closer!

When The Martini Lounge begins welcoming customers, its hours will be Wednesday & Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday & Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. For the latest updates on the grand opening, you can follow the official Facebook page HERE.

ORIGINAL STORY: 11/3

A small, local martini & cocktail bar is getting ready to make a BIG move! Craft'd After Dark is relocating from a Downtown Cedar Rapids coffee shop to a former restaurant in the NewBo District!

About Craft'd After Dark

If you've never heard of Craft'd After Dark before, that might be because it just opened earlier this year. It's located at 333 1st St SE in Cedar Rapids, which is also home to the coffee shop Craft'd. Craft'd is open during the day, and then on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday nights, Craft'd After Dark takes over!

Owned by Cedar Rapidians John & Candi Davidson, Craft'd After Dark specializes in martinis. There are more than 25 varieties on their menu, as well as monthly and seasonal specials. If martinis aren't your thing, the bar also offers other classic cocktails and mocktails. I had several mules during my last visit and they were delicious! Oh, and we ate two full orders of spinach artichoke dip from the "small bites" menu...

The New Location

On October 29th, Craft'd After Dark announced on social media that they are preparing to relocate to a new, bigger building. Their new space is at 1202 3rd St SE, the former home of Caucho and Lacayo.

The location of Craft'd After Dark isn't the only thing changing for the business. Since they will no longer be sharing a building with Craft'd, they are planning to change their name! The new name has yet to be revealed.

The Grand Opening

According to the announcement, Craft'd After Dark's last day in business at their current location will be Friday, November 21st from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. After that, they will close for a "short time" as they relocate. As of right now, there is no set opening date for the new location, but the post says:

"We are working hard to have the new place open by the end of the year-stay, tuned for more updates."

For the latest information from Craft'd After Dark, you can check out the official Facebook page HERE.

Get our free mobile app

READ MORE: Iowa’s Best ‘Hole-In-The-Wall’ Bar Has Been Around for 90 Years