The best pizza in the Cedar Rapids/ Iowa city area hands down. You can taste that the chef actually studied in Italy. Wood fired with both authentic/ American influenced styles The restaurant is very intimate so get ready to know your neighbors (or at least their gossip). The service was great. Our waitress let us try different wines before committing to a full pour. read more

Mount Vernon has some fine eateries, this is one of them. We got here before 5 and ordered wine then waited for our pizza. This place seats about 30 in the restaurant, 10 around the bar. Small place with a fun painted modern chic. The smell of a smoker greets you when you walk in (yum!). My friend loves to sit at the bar and he also loves to sit on the high seats, I hate that. Some high seats in some restaurants don't have the crossbar (these did) to put your feet up on and some bars don't have a step or rail to put your feet up on - this is one of them - I HATE that. There were two servers behind the bar, both friendly and informative and happy to help with questions or requests. They seemed to be very busy with to go orders. My friend ordered the smoked salmon pizza. He thought the salmon was too lightly smoked. Otherwise it was very good. We both agreed the crust was phenomenal, top 5 we've ever had. I ordered what the cook called a corn pizza. My friend thought mine looked better than his, I agreed. My pizza was outstanding. Spanish chorizo, local corn, scallions, tajín - the tajín was the coup d'état, it turned the pizza from good to great and as mentioned before, the crust was amazing. They have a core 4-5 pizzas then rotate another 3 special pizzas at different intervals. It wasn't really busy in the restaurant but we did wait 30+ minutes for our pizza. 4/5 will for sure return. The wait for the food and the high seats keep this from being 5/5, the taste of the food is for sure 5/5. read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - 2023 Gaierhof Pinot Grigio TRENDINO DOP - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

Cute little place with AMAZING pizza! We went without a reservation on a Thursday night, there was no wait, but still recommend making one anyway. We got a seasonal pie -- Truffly Prosciutto Burrata business -- and it was soooo good. read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

We went to Lincoln Wine Bar right when it opened on a Friday at 4 p.m., and there were plenty of seats available. The space is small but charming, with a beautiful bar area and cozy seating throughout. We ended up with a great table. The pizza is some of the best I've had--truly outstanding. We ordered the pesto and arugula pizza as well as the sausage pizza, and both were excellent. We started with the meatballs, which were fantastic, and a Caesar salad that was fresh and very well done. Service was great, and the ambience was warm and inviting. This was our first time in Mount Vernon, and we found it to be a charming college town. We even drove around the campus, which added to the experience. Overall, we had a wonderful evening at Lincoln Wine Bar and would highly recommend it. I've been wanting to go back ever since--the pizza really stays with you. An incredible pie and a great spot. read more

Darn good food and wine! Not easy to get into for folks who are mobility impaired, but not impossible!!! And honestly the food and wine are worth the effort. The meatballs were an especially pleasant surprise!!! Food did arrive a bit slow... Service was courteous and helpful. A bit noisy, but I've been to much worse! read more

Had fantastic selection of pizzas. Enjoyed great wines also. . We look forward to coming back again. Came on a Wednesday and it was half price wine. What's not to love. ! read more

The pizza is the best in Iowa and the wine selection is incredible! Tyler at the pizza oven, is fantastic and the service is always amazing! It is our favorite for date night or special occasions! Make a reservation, as Friday and Saturday are busy and make the drive to get here! You'll be happy you did! read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

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Fantastic pizza. Dough/crust was very good. Best pizza in the area by far. They were very busy and service was slow but worth it. They need a larger space to expand! We will be back. read more

This intimate space is graced with a truly gorgeous pizza oven tended to by genius pizza makers. The wine I've had is terrific and the friendly staff is happy to make suggestions for what to drink. I'm a vegetarian, so I've only tried the vegetarian pizzas, and they're all terrific. The one piled high with arugula is my favorite. My carnivore friends are always happy with their meals as well. read more

Great food, and lovely staff and atmosphere. We are always made to feel welcome. I am looking forward to being back there soon.

Talk about understatement. When we moved here we were told "You'll have to try the Lincoln Wine Bar," they weren't kidding. This small pizzeria hangs with the big boys for good reason. It was recently named one of the best pizzerias in the United States by the New York Times. We learned the hard way that it's best to call ahead and make a reservation because people come from miles around to get their fix. read more

Best pizza in the world! Top notch service staff. They have become extra busy as more discover the best! I called ahead, not difficult to do. All these folks deserve our support! read more

The wife and I dine here almost weekly. Everyone is friendly and the pizza is consistently delicious. They play a variety of music but keep it turned down so you can talk. Salad is a must. read more

First time here on a Friday night and after reading other reviews, I made reservations for 5:30. Definitely glad I did! We were seated at the bar, which was totally fine us because we like sitting at bars. The blonde girl that helped us (cannot remember her name) seemed like she was the manager possibly? She was absolutely awesome! We ordered a bottle of red Italian wine, it was good. Then we decided on the breadsticks, they were ok. Then we ordered two different pizzas. A Margherita & a Pepperoni, both very good! read more

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Highly recommend! Love, love, love this place! Even if you don't drink wine they have awesome non alcoholic slushies! Yummy! My mom comes into town from out of state and all she talks about is this place! This is a must on her to do in Iowa! The atmosphere is always fun, joyful, relaxing and different every season! Not a 1 hit wonder! read more

Amazing selection of tasty pizzas. Everything was so flavorful and delicious. Attentive service in a cozy atmosphere. Reservations are a must. read more

Great job guys good food came from Dubuque Iowa we love it and we have friends that they been there also and love it too

Went there recently for the first time and called ahead of time for a reservation. Making a reservation was probably my hint that the experience wasn't going to go well. It was a huge hassle to call and make a reservation. First tried to make a reservation online which stated they would get back to the person within 24 hours which did not happen. Then tried calling to make a reservation and the phone was never answered, we called every half hour for a couple hours out of the day and finally was able to make a reservation around 5 PM. I was not impressed whatsoever. When my party and I got there people were seated at our reservation spot which made it more awkward that these people couldn't sit since the waiter told them to leave cause the reservation party was there. We were given complimentary wine which is nice but it would have been nicer if we could've gotten a choice of complimentary wine or an appetizer since everyone in my party did not drink/doesn't prefer to drink. Once we were sat we ordered promptly around ~7. The restaurant closes at 8 and we got our food a way later, after closing time, around 8:45. We were the last table to get food even though we were not the last to order. The waiter rarely checked up on us and while she did give us plenty of water she did not make much conversation and when she did she seemed annoyed and disgruntled/not engaged. I understand if a place is understaffed or there is something going on in the kitchen but some communication around any of those situations would've been acceptable. Food was fine, nothing amazing which is surprising especially since this place is ranked one of the top 22 best pizza places in the US according to NYT. read more

Absolutely love this place. Every time I go it's such a memorable experience. I've been thinking about the Kale Caesar Salad for over a week! The Heirloom Cherry Tomato pizza was sooooo good. My server Alyssa was friendly and helpful. I'm not a huge wine person, but she made an awesome recommendation!! Can't wait to come back :) read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Heirloom Cherry Tomato Pizza - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

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Loved it!!! Super friendly staff, exceptional pizza, nice wine selection. This is a hidden gem and one of eastern Iowa's best. Highly recommended read more

I was inspired by this establishment to create a Yelp account and leave my very first review. The service was good, until the waitress got started explaining their overpriced wines to the patrons for nearly half an hour at a time, often forgetting the people that ordered food. The pizza was possibly the worst I've ever had. The dough was undercooked and covered in soot so it tasted like a dirty chimney. The picture doesn't do justice to the fact that the underside of the pizza was speckled with actual filth, because the grease disguises the soot. The vegetables that went on the pizza were either bitter or devoid entirely of flavor, and they tried to hide the fact by pouring too much olive oil on the pizza after it was "done" cooking. The drinks were overpriced, but at least they were fit for human consumption. Maybe I'd consider going again if they'd clean their oven. I am still in disbelief that I paid as much as I did to wait an hour for an undercooked, sooty, bitter pizza. As someone who has spent several years in Europe and one in Italy, I can say with certainty that all the fauxthentic practices used by this place are executed half-assedly and fall totally flat. The word "pretentious" comes to mind when I think of this place. TLDR: dirty pizza read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Charred, sooty, undercooked and greasy - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

This spot is a hidden gem to anyone in Eastern Iowa...worth the travel if you want a taste of the best pizza outside Italy. I've been to Italy and can truly say, this is reminiscent (thanks to their Italian brick oven and quality ingredients imported from Italy). My indication of a d*mn good pie?! You could simply eat the crust and sauce and be happy. Yep..that good. I always look forward to their seasonal specialties as they nail it with the flavor combos. Also fun to build your own with whatever they have fresh in house at the moment. Quaint setting, but they've made a bit more room with the bar seating since I was last there. Live music, quality drinks and delish apps make this a fabulous place to visit anytime of day. Plan ahead for a group as seating for a crew is limited. Nonetheless, it's worth it. Quality, flavor, execution - 10/10 all around! read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Built my own veggie - porcini mushrooms, chili-marinated artichoke hearts, olive tapenade, spinach - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

Delicious pizza, though because it is wood fired it does take a little while to be ready. Nice old building with cool plants and artwork. Definitely make a reservation if you have a group of 4+, because it can fill up fast. read more

I love this place! There's really nothing else like it around. Unique pizzas that are all delicious, wide selection of wines, and an eclectic and cozy atmosphere. I am determined to give them 5 stars, though I do wish that they had more dining space - can get a little tight, but I guess that's the tradeoff for such a good experience. read more

We came for Rose Day. $25 for 14 pours of Rose and unlimited pizza! It was a really fun environment and very well run event. The pizza came out of the wood fired oven in a steady flow with several tasty options. My favorites were the pesto and the pepperoni/honey. Worth the trip to the very cute town of Mount Vernon. We'll be back! read more

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Fun upbeat restaurant. Small town feel that's cozy with delicious food! LWB has a ton of character and great live music all the time. Our group split an appetizer (parmesan breadsticks) and we each got our own pizzas. There were 2 greens, a smoked margherita and a specialty mushroom pizza. We would order them all again! Droolworthy!! read more

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This place is fun and a real asset to the strip along Mount Vernon's 1st St. The beer selection is phenomenal with choices ranging from exotic to Schlitz. Prices are very reasonable and are about the same as you find at Hyvee. The wine selection is also very nice. Great seating from a nice bar to high tables to couches and comfy chairs. What makes it even better is that you can take your drink down to Lincoln cafe! Worth the trip and even better when paired with a trip to Lincoln cafe for dinner. read more

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Would love to eat here but it's a small place. When calling to make a reservation the voicemail was full. I let the hostess know that and she informed me they do that to make sure they get all the messages. Not sure what that's about. They may need to look into a better system read more

A great energy and creative, delicious pizzas. An eclectic and well-balanced selection of wines and when you pick the right nights with live entertainment, some of the best social time around. read more

In town to visit the college with my daughter. We dropped in around 6 and the place was hopping. Didn't appreciate we would need a reservation and not recalling it was Friday night. They got us seated in about 40 minutes while we strolled through the quaint downtown. An expansive wine list with samplings and incredible wood fire neopolitan style pizza. Staff were very friendly and attentive. This is a locals favorite and some customers had driven in from Cedar Rapids. Definitely worth the wait but will remember to call ahead if I'm ever back in the area. read more

This place is a true gem! The ambiance, pizza, wine- all absolute perfection. We love the green pesto pizza with arugula!!! One of the best I have had. Worth the drive even if you don't live in Mount Vernon. read more

Lincoln Wine Bar - Green pesto pizza with arugula - Wine Bars Near Me - Mt Vernon, Iowa

We just had the WORST experience at any restaurant (for a celebratory dinner) we've ever been to, tonight at the Lincoln Wine Bar. We had a reservation for 6 pm for 5 people. We were NOT told that we had an hour and 25 minute time limit at the table at the time we made our reservation. The blonde server with glasses rudely told us at 7:15 pm that we had to hurry things along and leave because they had another reservation using our table. We hadn't even received our 3rd pizza yet and still had an almost full bottle of wine to drink. She was rude and didn't care. We were in shock. Never in my entire life across the world have I ever had this happen at a restaurant. A short time later, the server with the long dark hair, ruder than the blonde server, got mouthy when we said we weren't leaving, the blonde came back telling us we needed to speed it up and we said we didn't care and the blonde said she was going to tell the other reservation that we don't care. In which she did, because the other reservation made snide remarks at our table when they walked by. In what world is this acceptable? In what world is a restaurant ok with treating long time, local customers like this? In what world is a reservation asked to leave when they haven't even finished their food yet? You have lost customers who have been coming to the Lincoln Wine bar for over 15 years and we will be telling everyone we know about this sad, unfortunate experience with everyone we know. Such a level of unprofessionalism. Shame on your servers. Thank you for ruining a night of celebration for us. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area near Cedar Rapids. In my opinion, it even bests most of the restaurants IN Cedar Rapids. The wood fired pizza is absolute perfection - fresh, made to order right there, hot out of the Italian pizza oven - with plenty of great specials and other food options to choose from. The ambience is also excellent, with intimate seating (but not in each others' laps), low lighting and a cool mix of chill music playing on the night I was there most recently. On Wednesdays they offer half off of their wine list, which has a long list of fantastic choices. My favorite seats are by the front window looking out onto the charming street in Mt. Vernon but you can also choose a small or large table for groups. Enjoy! And try the squash pizza!! read more

SUUUP. I DONE BE lovin Lincoln's Winebar! There pizza is very good and them also has great tinned fish and a nice selection of beer and wine!!!! read more

Ok this place is a cozy place where you meet the regulars. Omg!! Everyone were so damn friendly.. We had gone for pizza but just by looking at the energy of the people we had drinks as well as salad and pizza and ended with a desert. Reached there by 8 ish and usually the restaurant is open because they have mentioned 10 pm so they have to keep it open. But not here this place was packed with no tables available so we sat at the bar and it was just fine... we were greeted politely by the bartender(even after i felt he was exhausted after a long day). Being our first time there he also explained us everything about the place. Then we ordered drinks and were enjoying the live music and we run into a couple who were seated next to us and were very excited to see us visiting from a different town. They recommended burrata salad and we absolutely loved it. Then we wanted greens pizza they were like you will love that and complimented for our choice. In the mean time the live music by Joey Price.... was great. the place was so lively with the music with people started dancing with their partners... which was very cute. Then after our salad got over and we started talking with the couple again and was a fun conversation for almost an hour. We got our Greens pizza which was utterly butterly delicious. Omg the crust was super soft I prolly felt the crust melted in my mouth(lol) and we ended our dinner with a nice tiramisu slice. And trust me I never stay until the everyone is gone but my energy and positivity in the place made me stay until they started closing. And we were the last few people to leave. I practically thanked everyone there for such a wonderful experience, felt like home. And also big thanks to Katie who recommended us to visit this place. Definitely coming back again. Overall a great place to enjoy a small town bar feel with everyone being so friendly and co read more

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Well now we're talking. The good folks at the Lincoln Wine Bar have mastered the limited menu focusing on high quality ingredients. The pizza is something special - perfect crust and luxurious toppings. A great wine and beer selection. Top it off with a staff that is friendly, personable, and has, at least you sense, a real stake in the place. We enjoyed every minute. My wife is a vegetarian and had a truly amazing "greens" pizza - pistachio pesto piles high with arugula. Sounds strange perhaps, but she was swooning. I had a nightly special - pepperoni and hot honey. It was amazing with just the right zing. We'll be back soon!!!!! read more

Dynamite ambiance, quality food and personable servers. Classy, comfortable and delicious.

Incredible food and wine! Pizza was great and enough to serve 2-3. Our waiter was well informed on wine selection and recommendations. Overall good visit and fun atmosphere. read more

The best in my opinion! This is the anti-pizza place and there needs to be more out there like it. Delicious wood-fired pizzas served in a cozy and lively environment. They have a few house pizzas that all rock (the dough is SO good) and they rotate in a bunch of fun specialty za's that showcase this place's vision for pizza awesomeness. The staff are very knowledgeable and inviting. They're very professional with how they talk about and present the various menu items. They only carry good beer and wine. There's plenty of by the glass wine options and there's usually around 12-20 beers available. If you're looking for a first-rate dining experience in small town Iowa, you really can't do better than LWB! read more

This spot is small and great. Great wine list and small wonderful artesian wood fire pizzas. You get a big town feel in a small town