For the 2025 Bread & Butter dining guide, Little Village food reviewers visited and reviewed six Iowa City area eateries, including a few notable newbies to the scene. Saj Grill, 23 S Dubuque St, Iowa City: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dining have come full force to downtown Iowa City. Locals boast about the quality of its Jordanian cuisine — falafel, shawarma, baba ganoush, hummus, gyros and more — citing it as “food that tastes like home.” Owners promise bold spices, fresh ingredients and halal-certified meat.
Coralville Dining
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: 13 local restaurants to try in Iowa City & Coralville
A popular breakfast eatery for nearly 90 years, Hamburg Inn No. 2 found new life in 2023 when new owners saved it from certain death.
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant in Coralville has all the marks of excellence
For two years now, Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant has been serving delicious and nourishing food off 2nd Avenue in Coralville, in between Nailville Salon and Almost Paradise Tobacco & Vapor. Thai cuisine is known for its blend of sour, sweet, salty, savory and sometimes creamy notes, and it’s this perfect meld of flavor that Blue […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
11 Eastern Iowa eateries right off the trail
Need a rest stop? Try one of these trailside, parkside and lakeside restaurants for a cool drink, quick snack or heaping scoop of ice cream. 1. The Pedalers Fork Off of Cedar River Trail 2010 Sylvia Ave NE, Cedar Rapids You’ll deserve a stop at the Pedalers Fork after that climb! Nestled on a hill, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Maestro Empanadas
A Q&A with Cristian Bejarano, whose restaurant, Maestro Empanadas, was chosen as the Most Commendable COVID-19 Precaution Game in Little Village’s 2020 Best of the CRANDIC awards. When did you open Maestro Empanadas? Had you always hoped to own a restaurant? We opened our store in December 2015, however we started selling empanadas at the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Sparti’s Gyros is closing
Just shy of their 10th anniversary, Sparti’s Gyros will close its doors for good on May 24 (or as soon as it runs out of food supplies). The restaurant, located at 61 2nd St in Coralville, opened on June 1, 2009. Owner and manager Keith Brophy had just graduated from the University of Iowa and missed the meals of his Chicago-area upbringing. “Italian beef, gyros and Chicago dogs were definitely staples of my diet growing up,” he said
Posted inFood & Drink
Guild Wurst Tavern opens in Coralville
In June 2016, the former Bar’Ber Shop restaurant was forced to close its doors after the City of Coralville purchased its building as part of a citywide flood mitigation effort. After more than a year hiatus, The Bar’Ber Shop is back, albeit with a new name, change of location and revised concept. The new iteration, Guild Wurst Tavern, owned by Kara and Daniel Dickel, James Kinkade and Devin Dickel, opened to the public on July 27, 2017.
Posted inCommunity/News
UPDATED: Zombie Burger brings ghoulish cuisine to Iowa City, Coralville
By Frankie Schneckloth and Kelli Ebensberger UPDATE: Due to the “overwhelming response” at the Coral Ridge Mall Zombie Burger location, the downtown Iowa City location’s opening will be delayed until Monday, Dec. 12, according to marketing director Adam Bartelt. Grab a weapon or join the horde: The undead are about to be among us. Zombie […]
Posted inCommunity/News
High Ground Cafe opens new location at Iowa River Landing
Good news for all you caffeine addicts out there: High Ground Cafe has expanded to the Iowa River Landing in Coralville. The Iowa City-based coffeeshop opened its second location today, bringing espresso drinks and freshly baked goods to the growing River Landing area. The new High Ground Cafe is at 925 E 2nd Ave., next […]
