Restaurants no longer need a special waiver from the state to allow patrons to bring their dogs into outdoor dining areas. The Iowa Department of Appeals and Inspections (DIA), which oversees issues of sanitation and food safety at restaurants, eliminated the waiver requirement last week. “Food establishments still have to follow the same rules as […]
Restaurants
Openings, closings and wanderings: 2019 restaurant news in review
It was a turbulent year for many restaurants in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Two that opened in January — BeerBurger in downtown Iowa City and Linn Street Dive — closed before the end of summer. But BeerBurger still has its North Liberty location, and in December, Linn Street Dive became Marco’s Grilled Cheese. Melk […]
New restaurants and other changes on the local food scene in 2017
Fifteen restaurants — serving everything from burritos to bao — opened in the Iowa City area this year. Some were entirely new ventures, some belonged to local favorites that expanded (you no longer have to go downtown to get a pie shake). Taking a big step beyond its NewBo District coffee shop in Cedar Rapids, Brewhemia started distributing its nitro coffee throughout the corridor. And in Iowa City, a new, locally-owned food delivery was launched, to provide an alternative to big, national services like GrubHub.
Bike-friendly Tin Roost restaurant opens this month in North Liberty
North Liberty’s newest eatery is designed to suit bikers, businessmen and burger fans alike, with private dining spaces, an all-American menu and 160-seat patio with a bike repair station.
As the Lincoln Cafe shuts down, a new restaurateur steps in
When Matt Steigerwald decided to close the Lincoln Cafe, Mount Vernon native Rachel Sauter took the opportunity to pursue her own aspirations of owning a restaurant. Her close ties to the community and former jobs at area restaurants (including Augusta in Oxford and the Wine Bar in Mount Vernon), helped inform her decision to re-open […]

