Fong’s Pizza in Cedar Rapids will serve its last customers next week. “It is with heavy hearts we are saying our goodbyes and closing permanently at the end of the day on 11/5/22,” the restaurant said in a post on its Facebook page on Thursday morning. “We love serving this great community. Unfortunately, our lease […]
Cedar Rapids restaurants
A guide to eating the day away in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
Whether you’re from Eastern Iowa or just visiting, chances are there’s a fantastic restaurant you’ve never tried right around the corner. So get out there, support local and enjoy what the area has to offer! Don’t know where to start? Give these CR and IC restaurant itineraries a try. Cedar Rapids First stop: Bea’s Cafe, […]
The world at your forktips: 15 international restaurants and markets throughout the CRANDIC
From empanadas to masala, jollof rice to donburi, let these international eateries take your tastebuds on a trip. Pinoy Cafe 1100 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids 319-343-8081 View Website Blanche Vega’s Filipino restaurant, Pinoy Cafe, got its start in a small spot in Cedar Rapids’ NewBo City Market in 2018. Vega graduated to a slightly […]
Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week returns for its 10th year with a 10-day event
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. […]
CR’s Willie Fairley is heading to Kentucky to feed tornado victims
Another storm has ravaged the United States, and Cedar Rapids barbecue-master Willie Ray Fairley is on the move again. An outbreak of tornados Friday left a path of devastation through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and especially Kentucky. At least 64 Kentucky residents have been confirmed dead, ranging in age from 5 months to 86 […]
Anvil Meat Market & Deli in Czech Village is closing
Anvil Meat Market & Deli in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village will close its doors for the last time on Thursday, owner Steven Prochaska announced in a post on Facebook. “It is with regret that we are announcing Anvil’s closure as of Sept 30th,” Prochaska wrote. “There’s reasons, and I won’t bore you with all the […]
Tee’s Liberian Dish brings West African cuisine to Cedar Rapids
Teepeu Pewu had been thinking about opening a restaurant for a few years — and made that dream a reality earlier this summer. Pewu is the owner of Tee’s Liberian Dish at 1271 1st Ave SE, the space that used to house Brewed Awakenings coffee shop. It is the only Liberian restaurant in the area, […]
Two friends defied pandemic fears to open Feedwell Kitchen & Bakery in Cedar Rapids, offering ‘Panera but with a choice’
Chef Melanie Abu-Nameh, 44, and baker Holly Ervin, 45, first met at a tennis margarita league event, as best friends do, and quickly bonded over family and food. While Abu-Nameh has worked in the restaurant industry her whole career (from line cook to culinary instructor to executive chef), Ervin regarded baking as a side passion. […]
Ninth annual Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week kicks off Saturday
Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week is kicking off its eight days of creative cuisine on Saturday, Feb. 20. The start of the ninth annual Restaurant Week will be celebrated via a Facebook Live event, according to the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. The Metro Economic Alliance announced in December that the usual kick-off event, Fork & […]
Willie Ray’s Q Shack is expanding, a second location will open soon
Willie Fairley is opening a second location of his restaurant Willie Ray’s Q Shack. Fairley offered a sneak peek of the new location in a video he posted on Facebook. The second location will be at 266 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, which is just a couple of minutes away from the first location at 288 […]
Barbecue to the rescue: Willie Fairley plans to feed derecho victims ‘until everyone’s back on their feet’
Willie Fairley’s phone has not stopped ringing. Fairley told Little Village he’s gotten calls from “all over the world” letting him know they appreciate the work he’s doing and asking how they can support him. Fairley, owner of Willie Ray’s Q Shack in Cedar Rapids, has been making hundreds of free meals for people impacted […]
Put your money where your mouth is: Black-owned restaurants in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area
The Eastern Iowa area is blessed to be home to a plethora of businesses owned and operated by black chefs and entrepreneurs. We’ve sung their praises in these pages before, but we haven’t covered them all yet—something that we aim to rectify in coming issues. In celebration of our black community, we’ll be focusing on […]

