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    The Serving Cafe

    4.9 (36 reviews)
    Open • 6:30 am - 2:00 pm

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    Smores Cold Brew

    Absolutely delicious! We love it at The Serving Cafe. :) Very family friendly and speedy service.

    Paul W.

    A great spot. First time there. Nice friendly staff and great ambiance. Had the chicken salad on a croissant. Fast service. Well worth a visit.

    The front counter with a pastry case
    Jennifer P.

    I had "The Kitchen Sink" omelette, with a homemade biscuit as my "toast" option. The atmosphere is open and light, there's free WiFi, and the staff were all so friendly and helpful. I needed to take some of the omelette home, and their "to-go" box is made of paper (cardboard type material?), and I was soooo glad it was NOT styrofoam! I'm visiting family, so I flew to Iowa... but the cafe is just a couple miles off Interstate 80, for hungry road warriors.

    Sugar cookie with butter crème frosting
    Aaron W.

    The tomato bisque paired with the grilled cheese was a gorgeous dance upon the tastebuds . Wow. And punctuating that meal with a sugar cookie with a butter crème frosting made for the most satisfying compliment of flavors and textures I've had in a long time . What a delight , thank you. No wonder it's busy here - the place is amazing

    Entry way
    Kathy-Sue V.

    Fabulous way to Start your day! On our way to Iowa game, needing wonderful food to start it off. The place is extremely clean. Everyone was super helpful. We had coffee, latte's, their homemade Cinnamon rolls, smoothies, pancakes, Gluten-Free French Toast, bacon, eggs, hash browns and biscuits & gravy! Everything was Amazing and all made fresh!!! The owner came out to check on us too. Wishing we lived in Iowa!

    Interior, decor, coffee shop, cafe
    A B.

    *** When I started my road trip from CO to CT I was adamant that I didn't want to be stopping at fast food chains. While Iowa City was popping with food options, they were all crowed with long wait times on a Saturday afternoon. I am SO happy that The Serving Cafe popped up on Yelp just as I was looking for a quick stop for lunch. The sandwiches were fresh and creative - the avomayo and picklemayo really made the flavors pop on the club croissant & the cristo Thank you ladies!

    Pancakes, sausage, iced coffee
    Jessi S.

    High quality food with fantastic service! Excellent breakfast and lunch options with really good coffee and baked goods! A must visit!

    The Mrs.  The dining area seats about 20-25.

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    5 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

    We stopped by when driving across Iowa. Great food and friendly servers. The pastrami sandwich has a generous amount of meat.

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Excellent breakfast, best in the area. Had the traditional eggs, potatoes, sausage and toast. Everything was fresh and well prepared.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Cute little cafe. Clean and modern. Great service. Food was good and fresh. Friendly staff.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great all the way around great food great service. I love the facilities and the atmosphere.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Cutest little surprise on our trip across the state. Great coffee and pastries, baristas were beyond kind

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Small but mighty! Super friendly with amazing menu items! Best grilled cheese I've ever had.

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    4 years ago

    I love this place! Food and drinks are amazing! They get the food done quickly and the workers are super nice. 10/10 recommend!!!

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Fun friendly service! They have great good. Cannot wait until I can go again! I had the grilled cheese and it was delicious!

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    The Encounter Cafe

    4.5(210 reviews)
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    These aren't just pastries; they're the kind of baked goods you think about long after they're…read moregone. Absolute perfection.

    Stopped in to grab a couple of coffees, a scone and a cinnamon roll. The Encounter Cafe is…read moreliterally across the street from our hotel, so this was a no-brainer if you're looking for an upgrade to the complimentary powdered eggs and overused waffle machine offered by the hotel that your staying at. The space itself is large and looks to be separated into two halves. I entered on the one side, ordered at the counter, just like you would at any coffee shop and waited. This place serves a full-service breakfast as well if you're looking for something more substantial (eggs, panini's, pancakes, etc..). I was just here picking up and bringing it back to our room. The coffees were fine, but there was only one gentleman working the counter, and he was a bit overwhelmed. He forewarned me that he had 4-5 drinks ahead of mine, so I ended up sitting there waiting for about 15 minutes for our two drinks. I wasn't pressed for time today, but if I was, this would've been an issue. I ordered a raspberry chocolate scone and a cinnamon roll. The scone was delicious. Not too sweet and was definitely made this morning. The cinnamon roll was delicious as well, but it was extremely sweet. To the point where it hurt your teeth. It would also have been better if it were warmed up. Lastly, they gave me this big cinnamon roll in a bag without any napkins or utensils?!? I had to stop at the free breakfast at our hotel to get a fork, knife and some napkins. So kind of a mixed-bag at the Encounter Cafe. I would give it another shot and try some other things, but it didn't blow me away.

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    Maxwell's at the Merrill - Baked goat cheese

    Maxwell's at the Merrill

    4.2(27 reviews)
    23.3 mi

    We really enjoyed Maxwell's at the Merrell. Both dinner and breakfast are very good. The chef is…read morewonderful. This is by far hands-down the best restaurant in Muscatine, Iowa. My travel companion had a cold and we were able to ask for a home remedy. They were gracious enough to give it to us. The home remedy is a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a shot of milk. Ambience is clean high and priced right.

    I was extremely disappointed with our recent dinner at Maxwell's on the River. The menu was very…read morelimited, and I almost walked out after seeing it. However, I had promised my husband a nice steak dinner, so we decided to stay. The steak choices were an 8-ounce filet mignon or a 10-ounce sirloin cap served sliced sushi-style. We ordered the $52 sirloin cap, and it was incredibly chewy. Thankfully, it was already sliced, or we might not have been able to cut through it. I told our waitress how tough it was. She apologized, but did nothing to correct the situation--there was no offer to replace the steak or make things right. I ordered the yellowfin tuna appetizer because I used to love Maxwell's previous tuna dish so much that I would order it as my entrée. Unfortunately, this version was disappointing. The tuna was okay but had very little flavor, and the cashew chimichurri sauce was mediocre at best. The Brussels sprouts were overcooked, and the sauce seemed like it was trying too hard without adding much to the dish. Dessert was crème brûlée, but it tasted like plain vanilla custard with very little flavor, topped with overly caramelized sugar and berries. I truly wish I had trusted my instincts and walked out. For what we paid, the meal was nowhere near the quality we expected. Honestly, the two-for-$25 meal at Applebee's would have cost a quarter of the price and probably would have been far more enjoyable. We will not be returning.

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    Brussels sprouts Wings - half honey sriracha and ginger scallion Baked goat cheese

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    Maxwell's at the Merrill - Brussels sprouts  Wings - half honey sriracha and ginger scallion  Baked goat cheese

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    The Serving Cafe - bakeries - Updated October 2026

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