Boba is chewy and you can taste the tea. Friendly staff. Price is typical of boba shops nowadays.read more

Jack's Pho' House is truly authentic Lao food. My wife is Lao and she had the beef larb and loved…read moreevery bite. I had the Việt bánh mi sandwich, it was also perfectly authentic. The entire staff was professional and friendly and the prices were more than reasonable. The next time we are in Iowa we will make sure we stop again. Thank you so much.

The only Vietnamese restaurant in town with Limited hours. The Pad Thai is little sour than what I…read moreused to.

I really enjoy going here when I can; the food and milk teas are great, the owner and staff are so…read morekind and it's just a really cute place to check out. :) Highly recommend

Great stop on our drive through Iowa! The salt and pepper shrimp and the chicken with vegetables…read morewere both fresh and flavorful, and the oolong boba tea was a perfect treat. A satisfying meal that fueled us well for the long drive ahead.

Ok, I gotta be honest... I had low expectations since I'm from San Jose, CA. BUT DANG! The beef pho…read morebroth here is better than some places back at home. Just keep in mind that the pho doesn't have the usual specialty cuts of meat like tendon, tripe, etc. which I totally understand considering the location. I'd come back to try other things!

The pho was just what I needed today. Amazing broth. Staff were so nice…read more It's what you need!

My friends and I were looking for something fun to do last weekend and decided to look for a…read morekaraoke place. We found this one through Yelp, but couldn't find information on prices, times, reservations, or anything. We called the number we found online, but no one answered. We called multiple times, but ended up with no information, so we decided to go and talk to them in person. When we got there, we found about 4 college aged students who did not speak much English at all. When we asked the cost, they said it was $15 per hour. We decided to go ahead, because that isn't bad at all. They had us sit in the waiting room for about five minutes, to clean the room (although there were zero costumers anywhere so I don't know why they hadn't done that before, instead of standing around and talking like we had seen them doing as we walked in.) We were then lead to our room and began singing. That part was pretty fun, and the music selection was decent, with many fairly current songs available. When we were leaving, however, we were informed that it was actually $15/person/hour rather than the $15/room/hour like we had been told. As we stood there in disbelief, the girl ringing us up said she would charge us $40 in total (there were four of us), which was a nice gesture, but still a lot more than we had been expecting. It wasn't the girl's fault, as she wasn't fluent in English, but it should've been written somewhere or explained to us better. We then shelled out the $40 and left, knowing we would never go back. All in all, the place was dirty, smelled bad, poorly lit, had poor service, and was way too over priced. Go at your own risk.

Encore is now the best Boba shop in Iowa City…read more I think this is the best bubble tea in Iowa city some of the more exotic flavors I have yet to try because thery are frequently sold out. I wish they'd have more ingredients in stock so I can try all of the exotic flavors Please get all the flavors.

I was so surprised to see that the NewBo had a Filipino kitchen called the Pinoy Cafe! What?!?!…read moreFilipino food here in Cedar Rapids! Are my eyes deceiving me? The menu items are limited, but she offers Filipino staple items like Pork Adobo (Filipino Pork dish marinated in soy sauce and vinegar), Pork or Vegetable Lumpia, (Filipino egg rol) and Pancit (a Filipino rice noodle with vegetables and usually chicken or pork), and of course rice! We actually ordered a Combo Dish with Bar-B-Que chicken, rice, and 2 pieces of lumpia. After a bite of the lumpia, we ordered another 5 more pieces! Yum! This food booth also sells delicious Boba drinks and Bu! Now these were quite pricey! I am use to seeing Boba drinks all over California, but this was my first time seeing one in Iowa. We ordered the Thai Milk Boba Drink and a Strawberry Boba Drink!! Yummy! I miss getting these while I have been here in Iowa! In California, they are practically on every other block or strip mall, but I guess it hasn't really become as popular out this way. Boba drinks or Bubble Tea are often creamy milk smoothies or flavored teas that contain these round, chewy, tapioca balls that are placed at the bottom of the drink and add a unique texture and delightful surprise with almost every sip! Sooooo tasty and fun! The only shocking thing for me was the price! I have never paid so much for a Thai Boba Drink or a Strawberry Bubble Tea in all the years of drinking them out in California! I was a bit shocked at the price, but that didn't stop me from buying them! I've gotten one every time I have come to the NewBo! I love these drinks! And they have them for the lactose free people as well! After meeting and talking with the very nice Filipina woman who owns the Pinoy Cafe, I found out that she is going to be closing shop by the end of the month! After running a very successful and well respected food booth for the past 5 years, she has decided she wants to stay home with her kids before they grow up to be too old to want to spend time with mommy. I was heartbroken to hear that she will be closing up shop! This has been the only Filipino food place in all of the Cedar Rapids area! It may not have been the best Filipino food that I've ever tasted, but it was pretty solid. And how else will anyone here get to experience even a little taste of Filipino food if this place closes down? I feel like this is such a great tragedy for the cool young hipsters and the old timers who come to hang out at the NewBo that may never get the opportunity to try any Filipino food ever again! She did say that she will most likely keep her website up for the Pinoy Cafe and offer lumpia made to order. And maybe after the kids are grown, she might reopen. Who knows?! If you have never eaten Filipino food or never tried this particular spot at the NewBo, go check it out! Let's say goodbye to our local Filipino Iowan gal with a warm good luck for the future!

What a gem to find Filipino food in Iowa. This place is located in a market downtown, where there…read moreis a number of other food stands (Mexican, truffles, coffee, Indian, Mediterranean) which is perfect for someone who wants to try multiple bites or for a family:group who just can't decide and needs choices. The food was a bit on the pricier side for fast casual, but happy to support small and local businesses. The pancit (noodle) and lumpia (egg roll) combo dish was ok. Noodles didn't seem particularly flavorful but the lumpia was good. I also liked the accompanying sauce. The pork skewers were excellent...mouthwatering juicy fatty pork grilled to perfection with a sweet savory sauce. Hundred percent -- get this. Service was nice and fairly quick. Was one of the more popular food stalls in the market. Would go back for the pork and venture to try other menu options too. Overall more of a 3.5 of 5 BUT considering this is Iowa and.....Filipino food - I rounded up! I like the abundance of seating both inside and outside. Was easy for our family of six to enjoy a nice low-key lunch.

While visiting my mother in Oelwein, she told me about a new coffeeshop, Blackbird. I was so…read moreexcited to be able to get a good cup of coffee and I wasn't disappointed. The menu was ample, with options for milk being available. They have turned what was a vacant clothing store into a welcoming, beautiful space to enjoy your freshly made beverage. They have a map on which, if you're visiting, can put a pin on the map from where you are visiting. I was the first pin from Palm Springs...YAY. Misty, the owner, was also welcoming and she, one of her staff and I had a lovely conversation. If you happen to pass through or visit Oelwein, visit Blackbird Coffeehouse. You can thank me later.

Quick service, great tasting coffee! Many different options, cozy environment! I will be back!read more

Today I visited with my boyfriend and upon first walking in, I knew I wanted a matcha latte, but…read moresince it was cold outside I wanted it to be hot. I asked the server if he could add the extra cream topping to it and he was very accommodating. It's not typical for someone to order that so he made sure to let me know that he wanted to know how it tasted My boyfriend ordered the Red Dragon tea and we both bought pins (which you pull at random from a box for 3 bucks each) and he really enjoyed it! My hot matcha latte with crème brûlée cream was really good as well and incredibly sweet, I think I will order something similar to it when I come back. Overall, the service was great, the drinks were excellent, and the atmosphere was very relaxing. They have plenty of chairs with a decent amount of room between them and classical music playing over the speakers.

Lady was very rude. Been here 20 plus times and never had that. She also didn't give us boba in any…read moreof our drinks :/

Drink was so yummy! Got the strawberry milk tea with strawberry boba! Def will be back to try the…read moreothers. Love the plants at the entrance too for a little razzle dazzle of ambiance. Come support!

Great tea and really awesome how the rolled ice cream is right in front of you! Thanks so much…read moreeveryone there!

What a pleasant surprise for us to stumble upon! The owner was super informative, think she could…read moretell we were overwhelmed by all the options. It was nice that they had some combinations of employees as a starting point or you could build your own. We split a bowl which was perfect for us. Also loved that she let us sample some of the bases before just jumping in. They also were able to accommodate our gluten free dietary needs and loved that it was dairy free- I have the sensitivity to that. It's a small little place, but what's nice is you can order your bowl and take it outside and enjoy the sunshine!

very friendly staff and quick service !!! i LOVE their staff special bowls to try something new!…read morevariety of seating... perfect for a quick chat with friends.