My birthday request was brunch so my husband and friends surprised me with Dandy Lion - one of my…read morefaves! Six of us met at 11:00 on a Monday and the place was comfortable packed. We had about a 5 minute wait. I LOVE their bloody Mary's and my husband loves their spicy bloody so we each had one of those. The wait staff is friendly and attentive. I loved my salmon toast. I forgot about the hash brown side - they taste fine but I'm just not huge on hash browns so I would have chosen a different side. Since it was my birthday, the waitress brought a small plate with 6 macarons - one with a candle. It was the perfect small treat to polish off our brunch! Delicious caramel and chocolate bite!

Stopped by during lunch rush and scored the last available seat at the counter. I was served by…read moreCole, who gave me excellent service and fast arriving food. I had the French Toast with the house fried chicken - delicious! Lovely Ped Mall gem with an old school diner flair!

High quality diner with swag…read more Phenomenal place. Great, top quality food and friendly staff. The Prince Chilli Chicken is fried chicken from beyond. Hot/spicy, but approachable from a Midwestern perspective. The beet salad was excellent. Super glad I ordered - everything is scratch made. (From a prior visit) Their burger is amazing. Order it. Say thank you.

My wife and I absolutely love this place. Their food is phenomenal, and we have received excellent…read moreservice when we have visited. If they ever have their carrot cake on their dessert menu, you HAVE to try it!!!

This place is very popular and quite busy. The servers work their tails off. Our server was…read moregreat. The place is very much a diner. It's got a diner vibe and look. And that's fine. The food was hit and miss. I got a crab cake po boy with pork green chile chili on the side. the chili was amazing. I wish I would have ordered a bowl of that. The po boy was not good. The bread was soggy and the crab cakes did not taste like crab, or really anything. I took one bite then just ate the bland crab cakes. But ordering that was my fault. I'm at a diner, what was I thinking? My friend loved his Cuban sandwich, which was a better choice. But that pork green chile chili was phenomenal.

I've been to All 3 locations. Food and service are the same…read moreat all. Kind of warm in this facility but it is an older building. Awesome Celia D. did wonderful. Solon restaurant is a very nice surprise too.

In town for a couple of days, and a good friend said we absolutely positively had to eat at Hamburg…read moreInn No 2, because it's an institution in Iowa City. It was good, maybe not to the level she pushed it, but really good and we enjoyed our meal. The restaurant is pretty small, but we got there early on a Sunday. No wait, though I'd guess once the church crowd starts arriving it might be more crowded. The entire place is decorated with political memorabilia as it's a frequent stop for politicians getting in the race early in Iowa. It is a 'coffee bean' caucus location, and they're proud of that! I had the biscuits and gravy and added the fried chicken. I was worried it would be too much food and had visions of a giant fried chicken breast, and while it was substantial, it wasn't overwhelming. It was a great dish and I'd order it again. Wife had a basic breakfast omelette. She liked it. Daughter did it right and ordered the French toast, which came with a great blueberry sauce. Lucky for me, she didn't finish it so I did (I'm nice like that) and it was every bit as great as she said it was. An enjoyable breakfast, and I'd return. Service was prompt with coffee refills which is also important!

Good burgers! We came for dinner about 5 or 6pm, at prime dining time, on a Monday and had no wait…read more I jogged past this place earlier around breakfast time and people were lined up out the door with a wait. I started with a strawberry rhubarb pieshake (because I'm a firm believer that desserts should be on the appetizer menu). I liked the flavor. I ate way too much dairy, but that's on me. I should have had a little restraint and gotten the pie ala mode but I wanted to try the pieshake thing. It was fun. I got a double onion burger. I really should have gotten a single, but I took leftovers home. Loved the flavor of the grilled onions. My hubby got the double mushroom & Swiss. I ate one of the mushrooms and they are marinated. The shrooms were incredible. He loved the side of hashbrowns as well as his burger. When I ever get a chance to go back, I'm getting a single Mushroom & Swiss burger and a piece of pie.

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.

(5 star ) We had…read morecaramel macchiato coffee and pastries at Bread Garden Market, and everything was delicious! The service was great, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. It's also a wonderful place to shop for groceries, with a great variety of fresh breads, pastries, meals, and other food options. There's something for everyone! Great food, great service, and a great place to eat and shop and very clean inside the store. We'll definitely be back! always!

In every city I go to I find a diamond in the ruff. My hotel was near the Bread Garden Market &…read moreBakery and I decided to check it out. My personal feeling is this place is awesome! In my travels I haven't found many places where you can get a double bacon burger, brisket fries and a cold beer for around $20. The burger with brisket fries was awesome and the Pilsner was a great combination to wash it down. Service was awesome and the patio offers a great view. Overall this is a great spot!!!! I not only recommend this place but personally can't wait to come back!!!

Incredible Crêpes! I got them gf and they were amazing! I started with a savory crepe and it was so…read moregood I had to get a sweet one.

What a delightful little spot! My husband loves crepes so our daughter suggested we go here. We…read moretried five different types, all were amazing. The mint tea is full of flavor. Service was quick and friendly. You are seated then you go to the register to order. The wait time was not bad even with a constant flow of customers. Check this place out!

This is one of the most underrated and under appreciated breakfast/brunch place in Iowa City. The…read morehuevos Epsteinos are my favorite and it's situated in a historic location in Iowa City. I'm a regular visitor and have meant to leave a review and don't know why I haven't. I was so tickled they dressed my tomato juice up like a Bloody Mary that I snapped a pic, but then got so excited about the food that I realized I had finished my food before I got another picture. Seriously, they never seem busy enough and the servers are sweet. Maybe because they are inconveniently next to Brothers and people don't realize they're there? Go show them some love!

Came in an hour before close. Seated right away and got a drink order in. I ordered right away…read more Trying to stay on a protein diet. This place made it easy. Steak and eggs, side of bacon. Typical diner steak, great bacon. Server was nice, and checked back twice. Diner feel with alternative music playing in the background. $24 all in with 2 extra eggs and bacon. Great deal! Save 3% if you pay cash

Good food, good drinks, wished more of their drinks had a decaf option tho- especially that ch…read more.. that one awesome drink they have, I forget what it's called, but it's soo good! Only problem is how it affects my anxiety later on! ^^; Also the Dry Rub wings- so good! I thiiink the Blu Cheese Dip was the better dip? But I'll have to try both dips again to verify to be sure-

Workers were incredibly rude. Rolled their eyes and were on their phones. Will not be returning.read more

Potato pancakes I love you farmers market…read moreDat vegan butter I've been here twice before to grab a quick bite while. This place is a small stand in the farmers market and usually the line isn't too long. There isn't too much variety here, as they basically only sell potato pancakes with different toppings but damn they are good potato pancakes. As both a potato lover and a potato, I can say that the pancake form is one of the best ways to eat potatoes. I would highly recommend the potato pancake with veggies on top. I have also tried the tofu scramble potato pancake but it was too salty for my taste. They also use earth balance butter so their pancakes are vegan friendly!