RUN, don't walk, to The Marion Chocolate Shop! This place is absolutely amazing, and I honestly…read moreloved everything about it. We went a few days after Christmas, and enjoyed our experience. The store front is very cute, and the interior is very cozy. But above all else: the CHOCOLATE! There was a wonderful aroma when you walked in. The owners take great pride in their craft, and it absolutely shows. They are incredibly knowledgeable and competent, yet still find opportunities to further their expertise. We bought so much, as it was hard to choose just a couple items. So far we have loved everything. One fun surprise: the chocolate covered Twizzlers - trust me, they are worth it. I think they would also be awesome covered in dark chocolate too. The chocolate espresso with espresso salt (I think that was the name - please correct me if I'm wrong) was AMAZING, and I think my favorite...if I *had* to pick one favorite. They have also figured out how to ship around the US, which is wonderful, because we live in Texas, and can now get their chocolates delivered to us. I also love how they care about humanity. I love that this business took COVID safety seriously during the height of the pandemic, and chuckled at the art that supported mask wearing and distancing, when it was very necessary. Plus, there support of the LGBTQ+ community warms my heart. Sorry for the novella. The TLDR version is this: great store, AMAZING chocolates, fantastic humans. Make plans to frequent this wonderful business.

You must stop in to satisfy your sweet tooth! Ben and the staff are great and so accommodating!…read moreThis is my 2nd year pre-ordering caramel apples from The Marion Chocolate Shop. These are absolutely the most delicious treats ever! I personally love the milk chocolate dipped in pecans and my kids like the milk chocolate dipped in oreo crumbles! I love the convenience of preordering and picking them up later. You definitely need to stop in for caramel apples and much more!

Lori Ann's Candies are sinfully delicious! While strolling through NewBo Market I noticed that due…read moreto COVID-19 many of the stalls were empty. Also, following the power outage from the recent Derecho, the small food service businesses are hurting. It's my personal goal to make sure that I patronize the local businesses in Cedar Rapids. So...for the very first time, I bought some lovely truffles from Lori Ann's Candies. They were very reasonably priced and the flavor assortment was enticing so I got the 10 for $10 assortment. They were really really good! Each one was individually wrapped and labeled so once you get them home it's easy to select the flavor of your choice. The cupcake flavor tasted ...like cupcakes! The wedding cake flavor tasted like....wedding cake and so on! I recommend stopping in and sampling these lovely goodies. Perfect for gift giving! They freeze well too, so you can eat some now and save some for later! I don't buy sweet treats often, but when I do I prefer to get the finest!

They have the Dubai chocolate bars! $20 per bar so more than some other local places. I will have…read moreto say the Belgian chocolate is superb from some other local places. And the details with the presentation is also above the others. Personally I do have one other place that beats this one. I would recommend this place to check out as they have so many other options to try. And they had other kataifi flavored bars like hazelnut. They are also at the Iowa City farmers market during the warmer months!

Locally-owned business in downtown Cedar Rapids with easy parking right in front of the shop. The…read morefriendly staff will help you choose from penny candy to gourmet homemade chocolate. This shop is truly a treasure for our City! I've attached a photo of the Easter basket and festive bunny ears I purchased this year from Simply Divine Candy.

Best candy store we have been to in a long time! We got to enjoy homemade & nostalgic,…read morecandy/desserts, that we have not found anywhere. You provide such variety, that everyone left happy & excited! Thank you

Working in Cedar Rapids with a large group and we were looking to find a place that specialized in…read moredesserts. That place is Kathy's Pies. Great selection of pies, cheesecakes and other goodies. We brought a total of 15 pies over the course of two visits. Nothing disappointed. They were all delicious!! Tired berry, apple, pecan, key lime, banana cream, chocolate and a few others. All very tasty. This was a great find. Pies are reasonably priced. If you have never tried Kathy's Pies, you should. A little something for everyone. There are even sugar free pies. This is the place to go for dessert!!

There was no lemon taste in the lemon meringue pie. The meringue was light and fluffy, but the…read morelemon was not the traditional gel, consistency or partially gel consistency of lemon meringue pie. It was a lemon custard without the lemon.

Best cupcakes I've ever had. Amazing selection. Great service. Just as good the next day.read more

They had a literal hair in my icing it was long and black I cut it open and then I saw it i was so…read moresad I threw it away and the claim to take safety measures to make sure they are good i wasted 6 dollars on that because im celiac I dont recommend .

Frequently in Marion/ CR to visit family. And this is always my go to to get a nice specialty…read morecoffee when I'm wanting something more than just a drip coffee. Great coffee, friendly service as always! I also got a piece of their coffee cake and a breakfast burrito and they were both so good. Easily a top 5 breakfast burrito for me in recent memory and it's not 5. The crispy hash brown and the ratio of bacon (added it on) and eggs carry this and the aioli is amazing. Looking forward to trying this again next time I'm in town!

In my quest for having a favorite local coffee spot in every city I visit, Uptown Coffee was my…read morelatest adventure in Cedar Rapids. Uptown has a very eclectic, hipster vibe to it. The seating area is behind where you order coffee--looks like it's a bar in the evenings. They also have a great breakfast selection. I was hoping to try one of the breakfast sandwiches, but had to opt for a pastry because service was so slow. I ordered my go-to basic drip coffee with cream. It was perfect! Definitely the morning pick me up I needed. Since I wasn't able to get a hardier breakfast, I opted for a donut. The cake donut was definitely yummy! While there were three people working behind the counter, I had to wait about 10 minutes to even order. One staff member was making drinks, another making food, and the third was making signs. I'm sure the signs were important, but so are customers who are standing in front of you. Bottom line, I will give Uptown another shot when I'm back in the area because the coffee was that good and the sandwiches being made looked and smelled delicious.

Meg has also ways come thru for us with amazing flavors! Let alone the cute packaging! I have…read morenothing but great things to say about her and her partner who both work to get these amazing treats made!

This is definitely the place to go for a fun meal. Their loaded fries are really good. I ordered…read morethe Nashville Hot Chicken fries again and they hit the spot. I also order the glamping shake which is their take on the Smores Milkshake. I will always visit if in the area.

Came here a while ago with the family and I was hoping it would be better. The cheese on both our…read moreloaded fry orders was heated to the point where it all just became solid and not wasn't melted/gooey making it harder to eat

Very good recipes, well developed menu, and SUPERIOR customer service…read more The food is definitely good and well thought out. We had a very minor issue and the manager comped our meals, which we definitely did not ask for and did not need or even want. This is rare service and we definitely recommend this restaurant. Well done!

Really interesting menu with some innovative options. Portions were on the small side though for…read morethe price. I had the orange mimosa fried chicken benedict. First couple bites were good but the orange flavor overwhelmed the dish overall. The pepper jam also had an overly sweet (corn syrup?) flavor. Could be an excellent dish with some refinement. Presentation was very nice, and the restaurant is chic looking with well lit atmosphere. Might go back, but total with 20% tip and 3.5% card surcharge was $54 for two of us and neither of us got any cocktails. Just two dishes and one "fresh" juice. Will definitely give it another go at some point, but more of a special occasion or girl's brunch type place.