Select List of Restaurants
in the Iowa City, Coralville area
An ongoing collective document with comments by various contributers*.
walk from UI • farther but walkable • drive, Iowa City • Coralville & North Liberty
Coffee Houses
Capanna Coffee Company
136 S. Dubuke (PedMall, Iowa City) or 2781 Oakdale Blvd at Hwy 965, Coralville
IC 351-3800 - Coralville 626-3333
Locally owned. Their beans are roasted daily in each location. Organic roasts are available too. Muffins, sconces or cookies. Handmade all-natural gelato. (DB) WiFi Available in both locations
Java House
211 1/2 E. Washington St.
341-0012
profile: Popular downtown coffee house with free wireless Internet access. Other wireless Java Houses in the area include: upstairs in the Prairie Lights Bookstore, 713 Mormon Trek Blvd, 15 S. Dubuque, and 1575 1st Avenue, Coralville
Java House is the longest running coffee house in town and the most packed. Keep your eyes open and you may see the next Pulitzer-Prize winner working on her laptop. They have free wi-fi. They also run the café above Prairie Lights Bookstore. (JN)
Starbucks
228 S. Clinton St. at Burlington
338-4788
profile: free T-Mobile wireless available
House of Aromas
2180 Norcor Ave. (just off 12th Ave. & Oakdale Blvd.), Coralville
profile: Walking distance from the Obermann Center. Mediocre coffee. No longer serve sandwiches. Free Wireless. (KT)
Other locations: 119 2nd St. #300 (on the Coralville Strip close to Mormon Trek Blvd. and 1st Ave.) and 118 S. Clinton, Iowa City. (TM)
Tobacco Bowl
111 S. Dubuque
338-5885
profile: The name says it all -- coffee and tobacco as well as wireless (KT)
T Spoons
201 S. Clinton St. Suite 117 (inside Old Capital Mall)
and Market & Linn
337-3757
profile: wireless - Second location on the corner of Market & Linn St. has a fireplace and cozy seating areas.
Tierra Coffee
1150 5th St., Suite A Coralville
354-0658
profile: Located in the Coralville City Center just across the parking lot from the New Pioneer Co-Op. Free wireless with purchase.
Restaurants and Deli - Close to the University of Iowa campus
Airliner
22 S. Clinton St.
profile: Bar that also serves good sandwiches and excellent pizza (DD)
Atlas World Grill
127 Iowa Avenue
341-7700
profile: Nouveau Midwestern, this restaurant relies on local organic farms
and cheese makers. Excellent gourmet burritos at lunch (just order half!) and
lovely, changing dinner menu. (TM) Food is good but smoking is allowed with
no separation or real distance from non-smoking section.(KT)
Baldy's Wraps
18 S. Clinton St.
338-1010
profile: 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. Funky but clean, good, reasonably priced hot & cold
wraps and smoothies. (KT)
Bread Garden Bakery and Cafe
224 S. Clinton St.
354-4246
profile: 8am-8pm. Better than average sandwiches and homemade soups, bread
baked on premises. (KT) Delicious soups and sandwiches. The grilled veggie
sandwich is divine. (TM)
Brown Bottle (menu online)
115 E. Washington
337-4703
The Chef’s Table
223 E. Washington
337-0490
New French bistro—fine eary reports. The menu looks meaty, but the chef delights in cooking special dinners he designs in consultation with vegetarian guests right there at the table. Open for lunch and dinner. (TM)
Chipotle Gourmet Burritos and Tacos
201 South Clinton, Suite 112 (Old Capital Mall)
338-1194 (ord
Devotay (menu online)
117 N. Linn St.
354-1001
profile: Small, intimate tapas restaurant owned by chef Kurt Friese, a leading
member of the international "Slow Food" movement. His wife is a potter
who makes most of their dishes, and they also serve lunch and full dinner entres
and nice Spanish wines. Good place to go with a small group to sample an array
of tapas. (DD)
Formosa
241 E. College in the Plaza Towers building
338-8880
A new japanese resturant featuring shabu-shabu broth-based cooking, an "Asian fondue" you cook yourself at your table. The wait-staff is trained to teach you how. (TM)
Givanni's
109 E. College St.
338-3783
Perhaps the best Italian restaurant in town in a beautiful old building along
the ped mall. Reservations recommended on the weekend. (DD)
Hamburg Inn #2
Market at Linn
profile: Old time college town student-oriented hamburger place. Ronald Reagan
once ate here, and the booth where he sat is named after him. It is noted in
local lore that he ate his dessert first "pie" and then went on to
the special, which is always something like roast beef with mashed potatoes.
(DD) Clinton outdid Reagan by tackling one of the specialties, a "pie
milkshake." (TM) Highly overrated, indifferent service, many flies in
the summer (KT)
Hearth @ One Twenty Six
126 Washington St. above One Twenty Six
887-1909
India Cafe (menu online)
227 E. Washington
337-5512
profile: Indian food, both vegetarian and dishes made with fish, chicken and
lamb. Quiet atmosphere - Bollywood music plays softly in background. Lunch buffet on weekdays.(KT)
Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
130 E. Washington
358-0000
profile: A popular sub shop, just around the corner from Prairie Lights Bookstore. Catering and Delivery (SY)
Linn Street Cafe
121 N. Linn St.
337-7370
profile: Highly rated restaurant with a menu ranging from Continental to American
Southwestern. Extensive wine list. Reservations recommended. (DD) A few vegetarian choices but not vegan.
Mama’s Deli
125 E. Washington St.
341-0700
Large salads and sandwiches and excellent soups. Quick lunch spot. (TM)
Masala
9 South Dubuque St.
338-6199
profile: Vegetarian Indian, mostly vegan. Noisy ambiance recently muted with
carpet - food is good. Lunch buffet on weekdays, evening menu changes daily.
Choose your own spice level. (KT)
Mickey's
11 S. Dubuque
338-6860
profile: Irish pub that also serves sandwiches, bar food.
Motley Cow
160 N. Linn St.
319.688.9177
profile: Intimate café that draws produce and meats from local farmers. (DD) Excellent food but noisy ambience. (KT) The new location has lots more room and a friendly, neighborhood vibe. (TM) Iowa Source Review
New Pioneer Co-Op
22 South Van Buren at Washington
338-9441
profile: A natural foods grocery with a popular deli. Good sandwiches made to order or out of the deli case, freshly made soup and a limited hot-table for lunch and supper - strictly carry-out.
The Coralville store is much larger and has indoor and outdoor seating. The Coralville store features freshly extracted vegetable juices. One of the best selections of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and deli items. (KT)
Oasis (menu online)
208 N. Linn St.
319-359-7142
profile: A little hole in the wall with great falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, gyros, and more. Order the Sultan’s plate for samples of their wares. Excellent for vegetarians and the health conscious. (TM) Sultan's plate yeah! and yummy backlava (KT)
One Twenty Six
126 E, Washington St.
887-1909
profile: Midwestern nouvelle cuisine in the evenings. Excellent upscale soups,
sandwiches, and salads for lunch. The woodwork and French windows create a
lovely ambience for drinks and dinner. (TM) Not vegetarian friendly and nothing for vegans.
Panchero's Mexican Grill
32 S. Clinton St.
338-3101
profile: Menu
is limited to burritos and soft tacos and quesadillas made from fresh ingredients. (KT)
Takanami (menu online)
http://www.takanamifusion.com/
219 Iowa Ave.
319-351-5125
profile: Innovative sushi restaurant that offers beautiful, delicious bento box lunches, including a few vegetarian options. An unnervingly musical website with menu and photos. (TM)
Z'Marik Noodle Cafe
19 S Dubuque St
338-5500
Z'Marik's, also known as "the noodle place," is a good spot for a quick, inexpensive meal. They serve noodle, rice and salad bowls that run between $5 and $6 (JN) Vegan and vegetarian friendly.
Other restaurants near the campus are listed in the Old Capitol Cultural District website.
Farther from campus but walkable
Aoeshe
624 S. Gilbert St.
351-7000
profile: Japanese & Korean - sushi along with other Asian dishes. Excellent
fish pond. (DD)
Lou Henri
630 Iowa Avenue at Dodge
351-3637
profile: This a good place for breakfast if you want eggs, ham, and all that
stuff. It is very comfortable, with a slightly hippiesque feel. (DD)
The Mill (menu
online & delivery)
120 E. Burlington
351-9529
profile: Bar and restaurant serving Chicken, Pizza, Italian, Steak and folk
music, smoking, and wireless Internet access.
Oyama Sushi (menu online)
1853 Lower Muscatine Rd. (across the parking lot from Sycamore Mall)
319-337-8801
profile: A fine sushi restaurant that feels like a neighborly bamboo forest. (TM)
Pagliai's Pizza
302 E Bloomington
351-5073
profile: no frills, very popular, excellent traditional pizza - no delivery.
Red Avocado (menu in PDF)
521 E. Washington St.
351-6088
profile: Organic vegetarian cuisine - very sixties and very good. Closed Mondays.
Just up the street from the New Pioneer Food Coop.
The Sanctuary
405 S. Gilbert St.
351-5692
profile: smoking allowed. Fundamentally, a bar. A traditional meeting place
for writers and others who like to drink their beer (lots of international
selections) in either silence or to the strains of folk music, blues, etc.
(DD) One of the best for pizza in town and a heavenly place to sit by the fireplace
in the winter. (TM)
Thai Flavors
340 E. Burlington St.
339-8900
profile: Most varied Thai menu in town. One visit definitely showed promise.
A great lunch buffet - very fresh, cooked anew each day, more Chinese, sometimes
than Thai, but in a very friendly and politically correct atmosphere. The restaurant
hosts fundraisers for local groups regularly. (DD)
The Wedge Pizzeria (menu
online)
5178 S. Riverside Drive
337-6677
profile: Gourmet pizza with several vegetarian specials. Traditional ingredients
and more interesting ones like pine nuts, eggplant, fresh basil, black bean
base, rice and soy cheeses. Delivery or carry out, no on-site dining. (KT)
Driving distance from campus - Iowa City
Café Z
1705 S. 1st Ave. (near Sycamore Mall)
338-1738
profile: Mediterranean restaurant. Plain atmosphere but delicious Middle Eastern
and Mediterranean dishes. One weekend a month, the restaurant features rotating
international cuisines. The kind owner also hosts a free Thanksgiving dinner
every year with an especially warm invitation to international students.(TM)
Leaf Kitchen (menu online)
301 ½ Kirkwood Ave.
319-338-1909
profile: The perfect place to have tea with a friend in the afternoon, excellent baked goods as well as salads and sandwiches to eat in or take out. A small Sunday brunch menu. They are also excellent caterers. (TM)
Midtown Family Restaurant
200 Scott Court (left off E. Court Street just one block
short of Scott Blvd)
351-9303
profile: No nonsense meat & potatoes - home cooked, not processed - great
onion rings - popular all-you-can-eat Sunday buffet personally fussed over
by the owner/cook. (KT)
Taste on Melrose
1006 Melrose
339-9938
profile: A new addition at the high end, by a chef who used to work for the
Mondanaro restaurants, but went on his own. Located in a former corner grocery
in University Heights - on the West Side-- it is a "neighborhood bistro,:
expensive by Iowa standards, but well worth it. Along with Linn St. and Givannis'
it is the top of the line. Reservations are absolutely essential, and well
in advance. Good wine list. (DD)
Thai Spice
1210 S. Gilbert St. (across from Nagle Lumber - beside the Iowa Paint store)
profile: Thai restaurant tucked away at 1210 S. Gilbert St . Extensive Asian
menu. (DD) Excellent Thai, less likely to be confused with Chinese than other "Thai" offerings
in the area. Amazing papaya salad. They will cheerfully replace any of the
meat or fish ingredients with tofu. Quiet, unless it's really crowded. No smoking.
(KT) Rich variety of wonderfully spiced dishes, and the chef is happy to make substitutions to accommodate vegetarians. Be sure to try the green curry, pad khi mao (noodles with vegetables and chili sauce), tao-hoo ob mor din (tofu in claypot), and two salads: yam prik wan (sweet pepper salad) and the papaya salad—just for starters. (TM)
Driving distance from campus -
Coralville, North Liberty
El Cactus Authentic Mexican Cuisine
104 First Ave (Mormon Trek)
354-0444
profile: Finally! A good Mexican Resturant in Iowa City/Coralville! A great vegetarian fajita will fill you up with a lunch's worth of leftovers. Meat eating dining friend loved his chicken fajita. Very fresh crispy tortilla chips with both mild & hot salsa. I understand they also have Argentinian Milenesa (breaded beef)
(KT)
Exotic India
102-B 2nd Ave.
354-4710
profile: Vegan and Vegetarian as well as dead animal dishes. Choice of spicyness. Good food with a freshly cooked crunch and taste. They feature a buffet during lunch. A little hard to find -- tucked away behind the Coralville Taco John's and the Lone Star Steakhouse. (KT)
Mekong Restaurant
5 Sturgis Corner Drive, Suite 1000 (relocated from 1st Ave. after floods)
354.4754
profile: Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese. One of the better Asian restaurants
in the area. (KT)
Mondo's Tomato Pie (menu
online)
516 E. 2nd St. - on the Coralville strip
338-3568
New Pioneer Co-Op
1101 2nd St (Coralville Strip & 12th Avenue)
358-5513
Sit-down natural food & vegetarian deli with both indoor and outdoor seating. Perhaps the area's biggest and best selection of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and salads as well as meats from organically fed animals. The Juice/Coffee bar features freshing extracted vegetable and fruit juices. This store is the home of the Co-Op bakery with great bread and an impressive array of deserts. For a quick grab-and-go lunch visit the deli bar and/or the soup bar. (KT)
Plaza Jalisco
2401 Coral Ct. #2 (across from Gus')
545-4165
If your appetite is buzzing for good homemade Mexican food, then visit Plaza Jalisco. It's tucked away in the Coral Court complex just south of Oakdale Blvd. They have an extensive menu, portions are excellent and they provide complimentary ice cream with each meal. Service is attentive, and the margaritas arrive in a cactus shaped glass. ItÕs one of the best Mexican restaurants in the area.(DB)
Szechwan Village Japanese Chinese & Thai Restaurant
412 10 Ave. (half a block off the Coralville strip)
338-2888
profile: One of the better Asian restaurants in the area. No MSG. Delivery.
Three Samurai
1801 2nd Suite #200 (Clock Tower Plaza on Coralville strip)
337-3340
An excellent Japanese restaurant with a pleasant ambience and excellent food. Portions are good and their attention to service is one of the best. Their bento box lunches with the tempura veggies are very filling and have much flavor. This is a great restaurant for a group dinner or lunch for two to four. A bit pricey. Private rooms available. (DB)
TVN Vietnamese Restaurant
40 Sugar Creek Lane Unit 6, Hwy 965 North Liberty 319-665-8390
No frills diner decor, but excellent Pho (Vietnamese noodle soups) and a wide
range of dishes. A little heavy on the meaty side for vegetarians, but a number
of shrimp and squid options. The speciality is Lau Canh Chua for two, a Vietnamese
hot and sour soup in a fire pot with either or both shrimp and catfish. (TM)
Wig and Pen Pizza Pub
1220 Hiway 6 West (Next to the Vine on Coralville Strip)
354-2767
A pre- and postgame hang-out for Hawkeye fans. This locally owned establishment is known for their Chicago style stuffed pizza and their stunning thin crust pizza any way you like it. Pizza orders can take up to 45 minutes on a busy night. The wigatoni is a local favorite, but has too much salt for my taste. Lunch is also served. Eat in or carry out (DB)
*mini review comments by (DD, TM, DB, & KT). University of Iowa faculty, staff, and students should feel free to contribute signed comments. Send e-mail to karla-tonella@uiowa.edu -- only uiowa.edu e-mail will be accepted.