Food, like all cultural exchange, is relative. One person’s adventurous meal out of their comfort zone is another person’s daily staple. An example: even though I’m born-and-raised Iowan, I had never heard of a supper club before dining at West Des Moines’ Guesthouse Tavern + Oyster. “Oh, is it like a book club for foodies?” […]
LV Recommends
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Daisy Chain Coffee in the East Village boasts delicious drinks and curious decor
I don’t normally write reviews at the place I’m reviewing, but I’m glad I decided to write in Daisy Chain Coffee today. Owner Daniel Bosman greets customers as they pop in, showing them his new coffee grinder. The fig tree behind me rustles as a breeze comes through the open door, and I hear the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Refuel at these restaurants within walking distance of Iowa museums
Don’t let hunger cut your museum visit short. These local eateries are mere blocks away from some of Iowa’s coolest culture centers. Listed hours are may vary. IOWA CITY Stanley Museum of Art 160 W Burlington St, Iowa CityAlso nearby: Old Capitol Museum, UI Museum of Natural History Le Gourmet Korean Restaurant 201 S Clinton […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Big burgers, bookish beverages and other place(s) to dine around Cedar Falls and Waterloo
For the 2025 Bread & Butter dining guide, Little Village food reviewer Abby McClatchey reviewed five Cedar Falls and Waterloo eateries. You can find more local restaurant coverage here. Big Head Burger 324 W 4th St, Waterloo It was Two Dollar Off Tuesday, so going with the Big Head Burger house special was a no-brainer. No substitutions, because they […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Slow-cooked meat served quick, lab-grown coffee flights and other welcome delights in Dubuque
For the 2025 Bread & Butter dining guide, Little Village food reviewer Sunil Malapati visited and reviewed six Dubuque eateries. You can find more local restaurant coverage here. Adobos Mexican Grill 756 Main St, 563-556-4407 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adobos (@adobosdubuquegalena) For a quick lunch getaway or a more leisurely dinner, Chef Jaimie Salazar’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Ramen, pastries and that vindaloo they do so well at Iowa City and Coralville restaurants
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.
Posted inFood & Drink
Cult-favorite pasta salad, the perfect ‘mother-in-law restaurant’ and more eats in Cedar Rapids and Marion
For the 2025 Bread & Butter dining guide, Little Village food reviewers visited and reviewed 10 Cedar Rapids area eateries. You can find more local restaurant coverage here. MARION New York Gyro 808 7th Ave, Marion, 319-200-1750 I feel like once a year when I do these reviews, there’s always one restaurant I’ve never visited […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Excellent tacos from a ‘bad’ place, 30-inch pizzas and other food to wolf down in Ames and Des Moines
For the 2025 Bread & Butter dining guide, Little Village food reviewers visited and reviewed 10 locally owned central Iowa eateries. DES MOINES Clyde’s Fine Diner 111 E Grand Ave Suite 111, Des Moines, 515-243-3686 Clyde’s is one of my staples and legitimately one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. Truly putting the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Coffee Cats in Valley Junction, Iowa’s first cat cafe, has homed more than 1,600 felines
After 40 years as a mental health counselor, Mary Jankowski wanted to do something different, but wasn’t sure what. Then she saw an article about a cat cafe and thought it looked fun. So she partnered with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and, in the summer of 2020, opened Coffee Cats, the first cat […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Kitty-corner from the Old Cap is a social club so charming, you’ll want to take home the staff
The first cat café in the world opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998. Called Cat Flower Garden, it was born out of its founders’ love for local strays and from a desire to set their café apart from others in the area. All the cats are permanent residents of the cafe. The concept quickly spread […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Bumper Crops: There’s good food, beer and pinball to be found inside this Quad Cities super-venue
Not doing things is pretty much my favorite thing to do, but I recently set aside a Saturday afternoon to hop in a car with a couple buds, Ryan and Doug, and make a pin-grimage to East Moline to check out Midwest Ale Works. By the time we arrived, Ryan and I were in the […]
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 […]
