From tacos to arepa, bánh mì to manti, dishes served by Iowa immigrants can taste new and familiar at the same time. Little Village’s 2026 dining guide highlights more than 50 international restaurants throughout central and eastern Iowa, and the stories of a half-dozen first- and second-generation immigrant chefs who decided to share a part of themselves with their Hawkeye State neighbors.
Also in this Bread & Butter: Incubator farms help refugees and immigrants turn parcels of Iowa land into bountiful gardens and markets; arts editor Chuy Renteria explains menudo, Mexico’s “soup of the poor”; how an Iowa inventor revolutionized hot dog production; and 80 years after U.S. nuclear testing decimated their nation, Iowa’s largest Pacific Islander population will celebrate their culture on Sept. 25. Plus: Comedy icon and Midwesterner Maria Bamford chats with LV ahead of shows in Des Moines and Iowa City, and much more!
