“I had a dream about this place…” —Dan, Mulholland Drive
David Lynch was famously fond of Bob’s Big Boy, visiting the greasy spoon “just about every day” in the mid-’70s/early ‘80s. Classic American diners also feature heavily in his work, from Twin Peaks’ Double R to the dreamlike Winkie’s Diner in Mulholland Drive.
“There’s a safety in thinking in a diner,” the late director wrote in his book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. “You can have your coffee or your milk shake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner.”
Have your own Lynchian experience at one of these downhome Iowa restaurants.
Des Moines area
Drake Diner, 1111 25th St, Des Moines
Clyde’s Fine Diner, 111 E Grand Ave Suite 111, Des Moines
Pleasant Hill Diner, 5015 E University Ave, Pleasant Hill
Waveland Cafe, 4708 University Ave, Des Moines
Mullet’s Restaurant, 1253 1300 SE 1st St, Des Moines
Papa Kern’s Cafe, 304 E 30th St #3718, Des Moines
Chelsie’s Courtyard Diner, 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Des Moines
PerKup Cafe, 2700 University Ave Suite 324, West Des Moines
Eggs and Jam, 1907 EP True Pkwy Suite 102, West Des Moines
The Breakfast Club, 212 E 3rd St Ste B, Des Moines; 1465 SW Park Square Dr, Ankeny; 5525 Mills Civic Pkwy #100, West Des Moines
Charlotte’s Kitchen, 6150 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston; 109 8th St SE, Altoona; 104 N Jefferson Way, Indianola
Smitty’s Tenderloin Shop, 1401 Army Post Rd, Des Moines
Paleteria La Michoacana, 1552 E Grand Ave, Des Moines
Cafe con Leche, 2905 Hubbell Ave, Des Moines
Sugar Shack Diner, 550 36th Ave SW Suite J, Altoona
Fiss, 120 IA-5, Carlisle
Frontier Cafe, 831 Main St, Grinnell
West Side Family Restaurant, 229 6th Ave W, Grinnell
The Classic Deli & Ice Cream Shoppe, 120 Jackson St, Brooklyn
OJ’s Diner, 1102 Iowa Ave W, Marshalltown
Rock N Roll Dairy Bar & Raceway, 1110 S Madison Ave, Ottumwa
Canteen Lunch in the Alley, 112 2nd St E, Ottumwa
Riverside Family Restaurant 2, 1802 A Ave E, Oskaloosa
Cedar Rapids area
Mikhael’s, 1426 6th St SW, Cedar Rapids
Czech Town Station, 69 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids
Highway 30 Diner, 1519 6th St SW, Cedar Rapids
Scott’s Family Restaurant, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
Midtown Station, 715 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids
American Skillet, 4820 Johnson Ave NW, Cedar Rapids
Earl’s Grill and Chill, 955 29th Ave A, Marion
Tee’s Ice Cream & Burgers, 838 Park Ave, Muscatine
Iowa City area
Hamburg Inn No. 2, 214 N Linn St, Iowa City
The Dandy Lion, 111 S Dubuque St, Iowa City
Bluebird Diner, 330 E Market St, Iowa City
Bluebird Cafe, 650 W Cherry St #9, North Liberty
Bluebird Cafe Solon, 112 E Main St, Solon
Midtown Family Restaurant, 1069 IA-1, 200 Scott Ct, Iowa City
Harry’s Bar & Grill, 116 E Washington St, Iowa City
Jon’s Ice Cream Store & Restaurant, 231 W Marengo Rd, Tiffin
Waterloo/Cedar Falls
Newton’s Paradise, 128 E 4th St, Waterloo
Morg’s, 520 Mulberry St, Waterloo
J’s Homestyle Cooking, 1724 W 31st St #4831, Cedar Falls
Decorah
The Hay Market, 201 Washington St, Decorah
Sabin Family Table, 817 S Mechanic St, Decorah
Dubuque
West Dubuque Tap, 1701 Asbury Rd, Dubuque
Foodie Garage Eatery, 1046 Central Ave, Dubuque
Papa Ozz, 3338 John F Kennedy Rd, Dubuque
Sunshine Family Restaurant, 401 Central Ave, Dubuque
Sunshine Family Restaurant West, 1575 John F Kennedy Rd, Dubuque
Maquoketa
Bill’s Place, 105 S Metteson St, Maquoketa
City Limits Family Restaurant, 906 S Main St, Maquoketa
A shorter version of this list was published in Little Village’s March 2025 issue.
