For its 10th year, Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week will expand to 10 days, giving the hungry and the curious two weekends, as well as the days between, to eat at the 21 participating restaurants. The annual event, organized by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance (CRMEA), starts on Friday and runs through Sunday, Feb. 27.
All the restaurants will have specialty menu items on offer during the 10-day week, explained Julie Kraft, communications director for CRMEA.
“Even if you regularly go to these restaurants, there will be something new to try,” she said.
The year’s restaurants cover a wide swath of the restaurant scene in the Cedar Rapids area. And despite the name, participants include a restaurant in Swisher and one in Marion.
• 350 First, 350 First Ave NE
• Black Sheep Social Club, 600 First St SE
• Cedar Ridge, 1441 Marak Road NW, Swisher
• Chophouse Downtown, 411 First St SE
• Fong’s Pizza, 1006 Third St SE
• Groundswell Café, 201 Third Ave SW
• La Cantina Bar N Grill, 5400 Edgewood Road NE
• Lion Bridge Brewing Company, 59 16th Ave SW
• LP Street Food, 302 Third Ave SW
• Lucky’s on 16th, 86 16th Ave SW
• Map Room, 416 Third St SE
• Mulligan’s Bar & Grill, 1060 Old Marion Road NE
• Nara Thai Cuisine, 1725 Blairs Ferry Road, Marion
• Parlor City Pub & Eatery, 1125 Third St SE
• Pedaler’s Fork, 2010 Sylvia Ave NE
• Popoli Restaurant & Sullivan’s Bar, 101 Third Ave SW
• Pub 217, 217 Third St SE
• The Class Act, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd SW
• The Edison Pub and Eatery, 475 Northland Ave NE
• Tomaso’s Pizza, Cedar Rapids 3234 Center Point Road NE
• Vito’s on 42nd , 4100 River Ridge Drive NE
The specialty menu items for each restaurant can be found on CRMEA’s site.
New to the event this year are restaurant week punchcards. All the restaurants will have the cards available, and anyone ordering a specialty item, or spending $20 or more on food, will get their card stamped. Anyone who gets their card stamped by four or more different restaurants qualifies to be entered into a drawing for a gift basket, featuring party packs for Cedar Rapids Kernels games, gift cards and other prizes. To be entered in the drawing, cards with at least four stamps need to be dropped off or mailed to CRMEA’s office, 501 First St SE, Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week was launched 10 years ago as a way of giving the city’s restaurant scene a boost during late February, typically one of their slowest times of the year, and to encourage people to try new places.
“Supporting our local restaurants is critical,” Kraft said. “They are the flavor of our community. They also help drive development and tourism. We need our local restaurants.”
This year’s 21 restaurants make up the largest group of participants since the event began in 2012.
