Pop. Pop. Pop. In late 2025, ManilaBoy food pop-ups started springing up everywhere in Des Moines: Horizon Line Coffee, RAYGUN, Crème, the Art Terrarium. They even made an appearance at the Little Book for Indie Bookstore Day this April. ManilaBoy isn’t popping out of nowhere. Chef and owner Earvin Idio and his family have been […]
breakfast
Posted inFood & Drink
Channel David Lynch at one of these Iowa diners
“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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: All-day breakfast spots in central and eastern Iowa
Sometimes you just want pancakes for dinner — specifically, a stack of hotcakes fresh off the seasoned griddle of a local diner, presented with a carafe of syrup, crispy hashbrowns, eggs any style and a cocktail or two. Whatever your dream brinner may be, there are plenty of restaurants in the Des Moines and Iowa […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: NewBo’s newest Mexican restaurant, Cafe Tacuba, boasts a full breakfast menu, guac flights, decadent coffee and more
When Fong’s Pizza closed their Cedar Rapids doors in November 2022, their absence left a crab rangoon pizza-shaped hole in the New Bohemian district. The building sat empty for a short stint, until Oswaldo Aguirre and Ariel Barrios saw their opportunity to fill that hole with tacos, enchiladas and guacamole flights. Cafe Tacuba was born. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Brandon’s thousand-pound pan (and thousand-person breakfasts)
Along I-380 between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, a sign beckons drivers to a town boasting the largest frying pan in the state. Anyone willing to spend a few minutes on a detour will not be disappointed. Heading into Brandon, Iowa, the promised frying pan cannot be missed. According to a sign explaining its existence, the […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Breakfast spots with colorful kids meals (and not just menu coloring)
Is it just us or is it harder to get out of bed at the end of the week? Our parents have tried a bunch of ways to try to get us up. By Friday morning, nothing but a guarantee of unlimited screen time could get us moving. That is until they started holding a […]
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
Recipe: Simple-to-make strawberry chia jam
Recipe and photo by Lindsey Frisbie, RD, LD This is the easiest jam you will ever make! It’s made with frozen berries here, but fresh fruit would work, too. It’s equally great made with blueberries, raspberries and/or cherries. A finishing touch of lemon zest at the end brightens the flavor. Cook time: 10 minutes 2 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Celebrate National Pancake Day at these Des Moines Restaurants
It’s almost Shrove Tuesday! Or maybe you know it as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. Whatever you call it, you’re probably familiar. This year, I’m choosing to celebrate Shrove Tuesday’s secular cousin, National Pancake Day. (Ahh, yes. Now you’re familiar.) It’s important to mention that there are actually two National Pancake Days every year, but […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Forbidden Planet will close next week and reopen with a new concept and name
Forbidden Planet owner Tommy Connolly took to Facebook this afternoon to announce that the downtown Iowa City pizza arcade will be closing its doors for good next week. Responding to questions over the phone, Connolly said he expects the last day will be in the later half of next week, but couldn’t give an exact date.
Posted inBread & Butter Dining Guide
LV Recommends: Gumption.
Gumption. has achieved and perfected the chic, family-friendly breakfast spot with its farm-to-fork food and drink menus. Those menus caters to many different diners, with each plate highlighting local ingredients, from fresh seasonal produce to fresh breads.
Posted inCommunity/News
West Des Moines cafe drops its racist-sounding name after online pushback
A new West Des Moines breakfast cafe will open next month, but without the racist-sounding name that caused a furor on social media.
