My Mom's Bakery is the first new Czech/European bakery to open in the Cedar Rapids area in quite a…read morewhile (it's located in the quaint town of Ely, just 10 minutes from Cedar Rapids by car, or a fun 45 minute bike ride on the Cedar Nature Trail), but despite being so new, they are already a strong contender for baking the best kolaches in the region. My Mom's Bakery opens EARLY every Tuesday through Saturday: they start baking their goods in the wee hours of the morning, and by 6 AM, their front doors are open and their kolaches and other baked goods are ready to be enjoyed. Their hours technically go until 11 AM, but they actually close for the day when they sell out, which is almost always earlier than that because they are so popular. So, it's important to get here as close to 6 as you can if you want the best selection. As I mentioned earlier, their kolaches are some of the best I've ever had. This quintessential Czech pastry, which comes in many different fruit (or possibly cheese or poppy-seed) varieties, is a very popular treat in this part of Iowa. However, even though it's easy to find kolaches around Cedar Rapids, it's difficult to find really good, traditional ones. The kolaches here remind me of the types I used to enjoy when I visited Cedar Rapids as a child, with a super light, airy dough and generous helpings of fruit in the middle. Their other pastries, including pecan cinnamon rolls and lemon bars, are fantastic as well. My Mom's Bakery also has a brand new, state of the art espresso machine, and they offer a full range of espresso drinks. I really enjoyed their plain espresso, but you can get drinks with milk as well. The shop itself is small, with just some counter seating (as well as a couple tables out front), so it's probably best to plan to take your baked goods to go. They do have a large, clean bathroom. The staff here is super nice, and we really enjoyed chatting with them about their story and operation. They obviously put their whole heart into this little shop, and it shows. We can't wait to come back the next time we are in Cedar Rapids.

If pictures could smell, the fragrance would be sweet, yeasty, and soothing. It is like walking…read moreinto my grandma's house when she was making cinnamon rolls. I get here at about 5:55 on a Friday or Saturday to get my fix. I've heard they can run out before their closing time, and I don't want to take that chance! Always cinnamon rolls...but this morning, a lemon bar too. The lemon bar is fragrant and the crust is buttery perfection. After a few bites from my new favorite, I moved on to the pecan roll. Goodness gracious they are delicious. Perfectly baked bread and the caramelization and nuts are perfectly toasted. I hope to see you at 5:55 am at My Mom's Bakery!

What a solid spot for a shindig! Frida Kahlo Mexican Restaurant has it goin on…read more I came here for a wedding reception last weekend. There's a cute banquet room off to the side that really can hold a lot of people! It also includes a separate bar. (Just give them a ring to reserve it!) The margaritas were great, tacos were fabulous. Parking is a non-issue. I look forward to coming back and ordering their storied tres leches cake!

Stopped in for a quick lunch and service was good. Had chicken taco, Al pastor taco and a tamale. I…read morehave a feeling I should have tried something else. Salsa and chips were great. Chicken taco was good but lacked a lot of flavor. Tamale was pretty good but I didn't like the sauce. It wasn't awful just not the flavor I like. The tamale itself had a good consistency and wasn't dry. The al pastor taco was excellent! There was a nice pork to pineapple balance and not too sweet. I hope one day to pass through and order something else.

Oh my goodness! Ice cream is the best!! Two big scoops of…read morewonderful ice cream for $6!! We both had Kalona Crunch & it was divine! Chunks of toffee & creamy vanilla! Our second was the chocolate pecan with brownie bits! It, too, was terrific but not quite as heavenly as the Kalona crunch! It's scooped in a container with a chocolate cow sitting on top. So cute! Lots of fun gifts--Iowa & cow related! I want to back for ice cream asap!! PS: they were out of their cheese curds by the time we got there later in the afternoon!!

I love that I can get cheese curds from Kalona Creamery and now shop with a delicious DRINK in…read morehand! The drinks are amazing and unique. I enjoyed the 52247 (raspberry white mocha with raspberry cold foam) and Cow's Kiss! Wonderful and fast service. Excited to try every single drink.

A delightful bakery with many other items. Gift ideas, pantry needs, household goods…read more Nice variety of the Amish community. Please know it is a cash only business as all Amish businesses are. Stop by and treat yourself

This place is about as legit Amish as you can get. Lights run by generators, Amish folk running the…read moreplace, gravel path to get there with farmland all around and cash or check only!!! The donuts were fresh and delicious - the apple fritters got rave reviews from everyone. We also got some baked goods to go (also huge hits) and the ambiance truly tied the whole experience together. Definitely a must try if you're staying nearby or just driving through!!

Great food and a wonderful place to dine! I loved the variety of food they offer--there's something…read morefor everyone. Everything we tried was delicious, and the atmosphere made the experience even better. I would definitely recommend this place and look forward to coming back! The service also great. Thank you !

My husband and I stopped here on a whim to try something new and we weren't disappointed! The menu…read moreis small but the service is quick and very welcoming. We got the standard and the ranchero burrito for breakfast and they were great for the quality of food we received! The overall feel and atmosphere was absolutely amazing and a lot of fun! Super cute and absolutely delicious food!

Finally tried Zoetic Coffee, and I'm honestly sad it took me this long! The staff are so kind and…read morewelcoming, the shop is clean and spacious, and the coffee is DELICIOUS! I'll definitely be back and highly recommend giving them a try! Support local!

I'm always on the hunt for some good cold brew. I stopped in before heading to lake macbride and…read moretried the cold brew and a scone pastry for quick light breakfast. It was a good drink and good pastry. The interior was nice as well. A local coffee shop in Solon I'd recommend for anyone in the area looking for a morning drink, a light breakfast and maybe some good conversations with friends or family. Service was good.

I ordered the attached cake for my wife's bday. It was finger licking delicious. The cake was…read moreextremely fresh and made to our specifications. My wife and all our friends just loved it. The good think about the cake was the chocolate mousse filling with chopped strawberries. I don't like heavy cakes and the owner was like you won't regret it this is one of my specialty and I was sold out on it. The owner was very friendly and welcoming. I would definitely be back for all my party needs.

Best cakes I have found in Iowa. I drive from Fairfield for all of our special events. Really…read moredelicious and beautiful work! Thank you!!!!

My friend recommended lunch at Kava House. I chose the 1/2 turkey in the garden sandwich and…read morecranberry walnut salad. This might have been the tastiest turkey sandwich I've ever enjoyed! Great flavors! The salad was great too. The service was fast and friendly. The restaurant is clean and welcoming. I can't wait to go again!

Obviously new ownership. Unrecognizable menu. Left after waiting 1.5 hours with only water brought…read moreto the table. Very few wait staff check backs. Restaurant only half full. Will never return.

Triple Tier Bakery did an outstanding job making the wedding cake and cupcakes for my son and…read moredaughter-in-law's Dubuque wedding. She provided excellent guidance in making decisions on the choices. We provided a photo of what we were looking for and the results surpassed our expectations. Tiffany set up the cake and cupcakes in such a beautiful manner, with special touches. Three key points in working with Triple Tier: 1. Through our interactions, her questions, and how accommodating Tiffany was, the care and attention she provided made it clear she really wanted to do her part to make sure the event was wonderful. We live three hours away and were able to take care of all the details through phone/email/text. 2. As stated the end product was beautiful and exceeded expectations. We ordered vanilla, chocolate, and carrot cake cupcakes. There was a light dusting of cinnamon on the carrot cake frosting making it easy to tell them apart. The attention to detail was wonderful. 3. The actual taste of the cake and cupcakes was amazing. The flavor of each was distinct and delicious. The frosting was perfect, not too sweet. I have no idea how she did it, but the bride and groom wanted a marble cake and it was marbled. It looked like marble, not like traditional bakery marble cake. After tasting the cake, they both remarked "Ok that is a really good cake!" I highly recommend Triple Tier - We have a favorite bakery where we live and the Triple Tier cake and cupcakes surpassed the deliciousness of our local expert.

We were visiting Galena from Chicago for our son's third birthday. I did a Yelp search for bakeries…read morenearby and came across Triple Tier Bakery. She was so accommodating and easy to work with. She made an amazing Spider-man cake in 2 days notice and it was delicious! Definitely worth the 25 minute drive from Galena. Wish she was closer to Chicago - I would be a regular customer.

As someone who loves to bake, I don't really get to bakeries enough. But it's always fun to treat…read moreyourself and support a local business. I recently stopped in to try a few things and get a latte. They have a nice selection of cookies, cupcakes, and other pastries as well as a lot of fun coffee drinks. It's all very reasonably priced. I got mine to go, but they do have plenty of seating. The service is very quick and friendly as well.

Met up with a friend here on a Sunday. I had tried some of their items at an event and wanted to…read morecheck out the store. The store is very welcoming, neat, and clean. They have a full coffee bar and lots of baked goods. We were the only ones there besides staff only because it was bitterly cold and the streets were pretty bare. Staff had smiles and welcomed us. I had an iced sugar free caramel latte and he had espresso with a glass of water. We split the Billionaire Bar. Total without tip was just under $15. I'm will to pay a little extra for small business and something that was homemade and not shipped in a truck and defrosted. They were closing when we left and the owner gave us a few extra items that would have to be thrown out. Loved it! I'd highly recommend the Billionaire Bar, Olive Oil Cake, and Blueberry Scones. I need to try more items, so I'll be back!