DAVENPORT
Mantra Indian Cuisine & Spirits
220 N Harrison St, Davenport
563-424-5500, mantraqc.com
Mantra Indian Cuisine & Spirits is a classic Northern Indian restaurant that has been a staple of downtown Davenport cuisine for years. Best known for their lunch buffet, which returned in 2024 after a hiatus for COVID, they also have a full menu of traditional dishes. The incredible food is served by kind staff who will let you eat in peace and also notice when you need their attention. Recommended: malai kofta or biryani.
Eddy’s Snack Bar
1132 W Locust St, Davenport
563-888-1872, eddysnackbar.com
This Dragon Ball Z-themed Japanese restaurant is painted with murals of characters and scenes from the anime series. Many of Eddy’s menu items are featured in the show or named after characters, too, including the Gogeta and Super Saiyan sandwiches (with katsu chicken and mac and cheese), Frieza Waffle (order with green onion, red beans or taro) and Mr. Popo Roll (a sushi roll with spicy tuna, avocado and cream cheese topped with spicy crab). The food and service are great, and the atmosphere is a bright, nostalgic joy.
ROCK ISLAND
Soi 2 Thai Street Food
1825 2nd Ave, Rock Island
309-206-4159, facebook.com/soi2Thaistreetfood
Soi 2’s high-quality Thai food is one of downtown Rock Island’s MVPs. A great restaurant for takeout and family meals, Soi 2 really excels in its one-on-one dining experience: Inside are two-person booths built into white cubbies with big circular cutouts above each seat, giving the space an oddly cozy, modern vibe perfect for date night. Highlights include the duck dishes, tasty mock meat for vegetarians, khao soi and other curry dishes. Take heed, hotshots — be conservative with your spice levels, or you could leave in tears.
NEST Cafe
1524 4th Ave, Rock Island
309-206-4012, facebook.com/soi2Thaistreetfood
This colorful and cozy pay-what-you-can cafe started with a mission to serve fresh, delicious and healthy meals to the community regardless of income. Their chefs create an endlessly diverse, ever-changing menu featuring seasonal and regional ingredients. (As I write this, the week’s menu includes tacos with street corn and mushroom carnitas, a chicken and pesto sandwich, chicken pot pie soup, shrimp and grits, and tofu tikka masala.). The mostly volunteer-run NEST—Nourish Everyone Sustainably Together—serves lunch five days a week. Diners can choose their portion size, then settle up according to a sliding scale model. An evening meal is served on Thursdays.
MOLINE & EAST MOLINE
LemonGrass Cafe
1419 5th Ave, Moline
309-797-4100, lemongrasscafeqc.com
A dependable and stylish downtown Moline staple, LemonGrass serves Asian fusion cuisine with a focus on Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes. They offer a great assortment of soups, small plates and street food offerings, perhaps best exemplified by the LemonGrass Bomb, a street-style mix of pork belly, chicken, tofu, shrimp and veggies in a spicy lemongrass-basil sauce, served with a fried egg and chili jam. An excellent restaurant for those with dietary restrictions, the kitchen carefully caters to vegan and allergy-free diets. Service is brisk and attentive, and the bar offers a variety of fresh tiki-inspired cocktails.
888 Bistro
633 Avenue of the Saints, East Moline
309-203-1986, 888bistroeastmoline.com
Who knew a strip mall could be so transporting? The Ridgewood Shopping Center is a real-time reflection of the variety of international communities taking root in the Quad Cities. One Ridgewood occupant is 888 Bistro. In addition to perfectly executed and generously portioned American Chinese food, the second menu of authentic dishes will drop your jaw: steamed buns, spicy noodle soups, duck, mutton, Chinese veggies, savory clay pot stews and whole fishes. This second menu was only recently translated into English and shared with the public, but has been known to lucky 888 insiders for some time.
Indian Cafe in World Food Market
669 Avenue of the Cities, East Moline
309-912-7604, worldfoodmarketqc.com/menu
Another highlight of the Ridgewood Shopping Center is World Food Market, a 15,000-square-foot grocery store carrying pantry staples from every continent—spices, Turkish coffee, ajvar, Kewpie mayo, frozen soup hens and tons of other surprises. The best part? A bright cafe counter serving standard but consistently excellent Indian takeout. Don’t miss the bhel puri or momos for apps; load up your naan with chicken, lamb, goat and paneer in the usual curries and sauces; or explore one of the many vegetarian entrees utilizing Indian cottage cheese, fried okra, eggplant and more.
Frank’s Pizzeria
711 1st Ave, Silvis
309-755-0625, facebook.com/qcfrankspizza
Among the hotly disputed champions of QC-style pizza, Frank’s wins extra points for atmosphere. Dine in for the full experience of a lively, sprawling, utilitarian pizzeria where entire sports teams, birthday parties, hot first dates and groggy barflies gather to eat unwieldy strips of taco and sausage pizza. Don’t sleep on the other menu offerings: generous Italian beef sandwiches, half chickens, stromboli and pasta dishes with garlic bread. (Gluten-free pizza is available, too!) There is a full bar, which will come in handy if you happen to be there when a whole little league comes giggling through the door.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s 2024 Bread & Butter special issue. Don’t see your favorite restaurant or neighborhood on the list? Let us know at editor@littlevillagemag.com.
