The Webster (202 N Linn St, Iowa City, 319-800-0720) is the winningest Best of the CRANDIC competitor this year, taking home Best Appetizers/Small Plates, Best Atmosphere, Best Chef (Sam Gelman), Best Food Scene Game Changer, Best Restaurant, Best Restaurant for a First Date, Best Restaurant Staff, Best Restaurant to Take Your Parents To (tie), Best […]
Iowa City restaurants
Posted inFood & Drink
The Takeaway: Deluxe welcomed me to the neighborhood with luxurious sweet and savory snacks
It’s a truth (nearly) universally acknowledged that buying a house you love is the cornerstone of the American dream. Often left out of that narrative is the fact that packing and moving all your belongings can be a nightmare. Rather than move all in one cortisol-drenched go, my boyfriend and I decided to spread our […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Takeaway: Valérie’s French Cooking is très délicieux
I have been a Francophile for so long that I don’t quite remember when it started. At some point in my tweens, I grew fascinated with French culture. I took French through all four years of high school, listened to French pop music, watched French films and tried gamely to read French Vogue. I associated […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Insomnia Cookies in Iowa City is now open
Warm cookies, cookie sandwiches and cookie cakes await anyone with a late-night or early-morning craving. It’s never too early or too late for cookies, right? Insomnia Cookies in Iowa City had its grand opening this past weekend. The late-night bakery is located at 125 E Washington St, which used to be Mama’s Deli & Catering. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Mammita’s Coffee serves up Latin-infused cafe items (and floral arrangements)
Mammita’s Coffee and Flowers by Jacqueline in Iowa City may have mastered the art of multitasking. It is part flower shop, part coffee study spot and part lunch destination; all of them are good. The many-roomed shop is located on S Linn Street, right next to Mailboxes of Iowa City and near the downtown public […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Insomnia Cookies opening downtown Iowa City location
Late-night snacking in Iowa City is about to get a whole lot sweeter after Insomnia Cookies opens its downtown location. The late-night bakery chain will be moving into the space at 125 E Washington St, which used to be Mama’s Deli & Catering. Mama’s Deli closed last December. Iowa City’s Insomnia Cookies will be opening […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn Street closed from Market to Bloomington, as outdoor dining on the street returns
Curbside pickup has given way to street-wide dining on a short stretch of North Linn Street, as picnic tables replace parking spots again to allow for outside dining with safe social distancing.
Posted inFood & Drink
The Takeaway: Sumo Sushi and Ramen, Osaka’s successor, boasts excellent maki and ‘the good kind’ of crab rangoon
The first time I tried sushi I was, ironically, a vegetarian. Even as a non-vegetarian, the idea of eating raw fish was difficult for me to wrap my head around. At the time, sushi was still a rare specialty food that I associated with bigger cities and West Coast states. Sometime in the ’90s, sushi […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Takeaway: Mosley’s is for barbecue lovers, from the ribs to the sides
I was raised by a father whose love of barbecue was such that he’d bring home ribs from a different restaurant almost every Friday as part of a long-running project to determine which ones were the best. I only vaguely remember the criteria: tenderness, something about the quantity and flavor of the sauce — I […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Iowa City’s Top Chef Downtown event transforming to an at-home experience this year
For anyone who’s been practicing their cooking skills during the pandemic, the Iowa City Downtown District has an opportunity to put that talent to the test — and it’s also an opportunity to try delicious food and recipes from Iowa City chefs. The annual Top Chef Downtown event allows attendees to taste various entrees, desserts […]
Posted inCommunity/News
El Banditos is moving in with Billy’s High Hat Diner
Iowa City’s Northside Neighborhood has seen a number of changes recently, from the establishment of a temporary mini pedestrian mall to the debut of a racial justice-focused mural on the side of the new Market House building on North Linn Street. On Wednesday, a Northside business announced another big change. Mexican restaurant El Banditos is […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Road closure allows Northside restaurants to take to the streets
This summer, Iowa City is home to two pedestrian malls. In an effort to encourage social distancing and outdoor dining as businesses reopen, the city has closed a small stretch of North Linn Street — from Hamburg Inn to the Market Street intersection — to traffic, allowing restaurants to expand their patios into the road. […]
