Hands down the BEST restaurant I've been to in Iowa. Coming from a California foodie- this was so refreshing and delicious. The heirloom spinach salad was my favorite. The pork was so flavorful and tender. The shrimps were juicy and not overdone. Excellent meal. I'm so so excited to come back and try the next seasonal menu. Til next time cafe mir! read more

See all

Table for 7 please. Hidden away in Fertile, Iowa just a 15 minute drive from Clear Lake is this jewel of a restaurant with wonderful food and wonderful and friendly service. Appetizers. Yes, please. Focaccia. Potato Latkes. Green sleeve salad. We could easily eaten a second plate for each. Each was just that good! On to the dinner. Even better than the appetizers. Scallops (small serving but excellently prepared), Hanger Steak (specify how you want it cooked and that's what you will get), chicken thighs (we each got some - it was that good) and Pork and Beans (my selection and it was voted the best dinner at the table)... curtain call pizza - delicious and shared by all. Let's talk about dessert... yes, there is room for dessert and even if not, get dessert, you can always take it home if you need to... chocolate cake (excellent) and lemon rhubarb crumble (wow... yum... awesome). Dress casual, come relaxed and be prepared to be very happy with all of your food! read more

This place shouldn't exist where it does, and yet, here it is. In Fertile Iowa. A town of 300 built on the Winnebago River's ol wheat mill. A mysterious restaurant that has uptown vibes; that could definitely be visited by Guy Fieri and approved by Gordon Ramsay. Seems like the dream of a Michelin starred chef. And really, if I was a betting person, that is what I would say this anomaly is. It's a chef's retirement dream come true. Someone that still wants to make the best food possible and have people enjoy the elegance of classy restaurants but that has some deep tie to this part of Iowa and wants to bring the crown jewel home instead of leave it in the big city behind the museum glass. The staff are well versed on the menu and wonderful. The pork chops, chicken mole, scallions, and flatbreads were all delicious and rich. The chocolate tort, rhubarb pie, and butterscotch dessert were all fun explorations into the different heights of sweet treats. We had a lovely time here and enjoyed the art and ambiance. Whoever you are, maybe Remi from Ratatouille, keep cheffing the dream. You are the gold mine where nobody would expect it and I think that's what makes this place especially special. read more

See all

Best woodfired pizza in the area. Locally sourced, organic and doesn't make you feel sick after eating a few pieces. We ordered the "Ziggy stardust" and the "Curtain call" pizza. Both were excellent. Staff was super friendly. Also had a "tip the cow" milk stout from the tap. Really good. Atmosphere in the back is better than the front because you can see the nice park setting in the back. Great for date night or a group of friends. read more

See all

Great restaurant and cannot wait to come back. I had their Mt etnas midnight snack pizza and it was so good. Super cheesy, super flavorful, but a little bit messy! I loved the lemon as well in it, sounds weird but so so good. Will be ordering and recommending to others! read more

See all

This was our second time to Cafe Mir, and while both were underwhelming, this time was downright awful. From the cloyingly disgusting "Fertile Fizz" cocktail, to the burnt cheese drowned in pesto dish they claimed to be lasagna, it was all gross and overpriced. Our wine was warm. Our server was uneducated about the menu. For my dish, I got a 4-6 oz piece of salmon literally smothered in an unrecognizable toppings. This was $27 with no side. Do not be fooled, this place makes its money with offensively small portions, no sides, and embarrassingly few a la carte options. Indeed, you have to pay your bill at the front bar like you are at McDonalds. Plus a 1.5% service charge on top of everything else! Save your money and time and go elsewhere. read more

Cafe Mir - This is "lasagna" - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

Today was our second brunch with you and it was delightful! Brook our server was great and the food was top notch!

We were visiting a friend's town nearby and came here for dinner one night. It's very cute and cozy inside, and I was surprised to find a place like this in such a remote area. We ordered the seasonal salad, lamb, roasted potato, chicken kebab, and falafel, and for desserts, we had pumpkin pie. Some dishes were a little too heavy on the salt for my liking, but overall, they were good. The chicken kebab was super tender and full of flavors. Everything tasted fresh and seasoned. The food came out quickly, and our server was awsome. read more

Food and staff were fantastic! Here we are, in a tiny town (Fertile) in Iowa and yet we are having some darn good tacos. Clearly the chef learned his craft somewhere in the South and sure enough, we learned he worked 8 years at Gjelina, one of our favorite places in Venice Beach. It's Taco Tuesday tonight and people are flowing in for their to-go orders or to just meet up for a good meal, driving from over 30 miles away. I know it may sound strange, but you are well advised to text ahead for a reservation. We hope to come back soon, not on a Tuesday, so we can try out some of the other great menu items. read more

Visited Cafe Mir on a busy Friday night. Arrived around 8 pm to a packed house. Overall, it was a bit of a mixed experience. Our two starters: olives, and bread and olive oil, set a delicious beginning. The olives are marinated in oil and possibly bacon, they had a smoky meaty flavor and were enjoyed by even our "olive hater." The bread is dense and chewy and after swiping through the oil, delicious and flavorful. We ordered two pizzas- the margherita and lamb sausage. These wood fired pizzas had a lot of flavorful potential, but were frankly just too burnt. There were large swaths of completely blackened crust. Trying to forgive the burnt to a crisp portions, the overall flavor of the margherita was delicious. It's a very thin crust and paired nicely with the sauce, basil, and mozzarella. The lamb sausage pizza is pretty hot and had a bright pepper overtone. The most challenging part of the dining experience was the building's acoustics. It was so loud that unless you yelled your conversation, nobody could hear. Even the waitstaff said "what" at least half a dozen times while ordering and following up. It's a great first date experience if you are feeling shy and don't want to talk much. Based on past reviews, I was prepared to fall in love with Cafe Mir, but alas I think we only moderately like each other. Based on atmosphere and the blackened pizza, I'm bummed this was only a 3-star experience for me. They do serve beer and wine, so maybe 3.5 stars. Sorry, Cafe Mir. read more

This is a quaint place with wonderful atmosphere and service!! The food is absolutely amazing/delicious/fantastic!! You can't go wrong.

Cafe Mir was an amazing slam dunk for a family birthday dinner. It was super tricky to get a reservation but totally worth it. I recommend ordering multiple starters to share as a group so you get to try as much as possible. I found the prices reasonable, the service attentive and knowledgeable, and the food was 9/10 (only downgrading because there were no dairy free dessert options and some of the food was a tad rich for some of our party). I am lactose intolerant and the server immediately had recommendations for alterations that could be made as well as dishes that were already dairy free, which I really appreciated. The vibe is amazing and we'll definitely be back- it is the kind of place you feel lucky to be near. read more

This place is worth every bit of 5 stars. We came as a group of six for Taco Tuesday and were not disappointed. Four street-size tacos to choose from at $5 each and every one was delicious in its own way. The mushroom taco was my least favorite, but not by much. That just says how good the chicken, beef, and fish tacos were. Waitress was friendly, timely, and offered great insight for us. Ahi tuna tartare was also amazing. The only critique is the acoustics of the place made it a bit difficult to have cross-table conversation when the back room was full. But it's definitely worth dealing with this small challenge to get to enjoy the amazing food! read more

What an amazing gem tucked away in Fertile, IA. With a wood fire oven and locally sourced ingredients, Cafe Mir is worth seeking out. The restaurant has mix-matched tables, chairs and glassware. This, combined with the soft lighting and background music, made me feel like we had walked into hip bohemian eatery in a rural European town. After struggling to make a decision we deferred to the advice of our accompanying friend, who frequents the spot often. The rotating beer and wine selection offered many first time beer and wine choices for us. I went with Insetto, a sour plum ale by Stillwater Brewing. My wife had the Vinho Verde white wine. Both profiles were on the sweeter side with heavy effervescence, mine with the additional tartness from the sour yeast and plums. We started with the Castelvetrano olives and homemade sourdough bread and olive oil. Our friend recommended saving the sourdough cubes for dipping in the sauces of our upcoming entrees. If you come, I second this as you won't want to waste anything that comes on a plate. For the main course, we opted to shared the anchovy wood fire pizza, the lamb and pork meatballs and the wood roasted sweet potatoes. I also switched my beer choice over to Jolly Pumpkin's Bam di Castagna. An oak aged farmhouse ale with chestnuts. The anchovy pizza had all the salty charm it should, combined with the chewy then crunchy wood fire crust. My wife was weary of anchovy at first but ultimately noted it was her favorite part of the meal. The meatballs and pomodora came out piping hot in a small cast iron dish. The smell of the lamb and herbs combined with the sizzle and steam of the cast iron made my taste buds desire to try it immediately wrestle with my brain's caution to wait until it cooled. The sweet potatoes came covered in a jalapeño lime and honey yogurt sauce. The julienne cut potatoes were soft yet crisp and played well the tart and sweet sauce. For dessert, we shared the Dutch apple pie and butterscotch pot de creme. I'm not usually a desert person but the butterscotch pot de creme may have me reconsidering. After dinner drinks led me to the Fertile Fizz, a combination of Atxa sweet vermouth and sparkling wine. Cafe Mir is worth the trip, whether you are coming from Clear Lake or Minneapolis. Get this spot on your must-visit list. read more

Cafe Mir - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

This spot is a unique place, especially for Fertile. Personally I loved the vibe and style of the place. The food was unique but overall really good. I thought the eggplant bruschetta was amazing and so was the carrot cake! Some of the other food we got wasn't my personal favorite but I know other people that loved them. I'm not giving it 5 because of the price vs the amount of food. But I'd definitely go again! read more

Cafe Mir - carrot cake - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

This was a four star five star experience all around. We made reservations for an early dinner and were promptly seated in the back dining area overlooking the Winnebago River and park. There is also outdoor dining available. Our server was informative and nicely attentive. The special was half a duck slow cooked all day and added to the wood fire oven for finishing. We saw one order served and while she does caution it serves two, it appeared able to serve four! We ordered a nice red Syrah from France, wild greens salad, a remarkable corn dish made with fresh Iowa sweet corn, cilantro, feta, lime and spices. Also, marinated olives, sourdough bread with olive oil. We should have stopped but the nightly lasagna sounded delish, so it was. Butterscotch Pot d'Creme was shared. We had a lovely evening. Some unique aspects include: No ice for beverages. No water bottle or pitcher nearby for refills. The simplicity of olive oil with cracked salt for the bread is nice but the option for butter or balsamic vinegar would be appreciated. I would definitely dine here again and I suggest this restaurant is worth the drive. read more

Mediocre is about sums it up. Owner sits on a very high horse about himself and thinks his poop don't stink- I guess he's just never tried his own food; he might fall off his horse if he did. So yes maybe the food is locally grown but it's not good at all. Prices are out of sight for the low calibre of food. Way out in the middle of nowhere he serves up New York prices at below substandard quality. It's all about the owner not the restaurant or food. Consider this place a dump. read more

Cafe Mir - Menu Ingredients - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

The best restaurant in Iowa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The food and service is amazing and it's so cool inside!

OMG - we searched at the right time and up came Cafe Mir - small town love and big city culinary wonderful. We should have taken pic of menu-sorry. We had the olives (omg), the bread+EVOO (awesomeness bread), heirloom carrot salad (breathtaking), falafel (I've had good, avg, and bad in my life - this dish was perfect and the best), and the mushroom pizza (super good). I WISH THIS WASN'T 2hrs from home - but I will now detour whenever within 50 miles and come here again. We over ate and came home with leftover pizza and one falafel - but our minds, souls, and stomachs were happy - the food tasted fresh, great depth of flavors, and not a single complaint. Go there. Be happy. Smile. read more

Oh my goodness! We just split three pizzas between three people and are in heaven. The wood fired pizzas are delicious! We shared a mushroom, Margareta, and lamb sausage. There are craft beers on tap, and Hamms if you're feeling saucy. We had chocolate tart for dessert. If they have chocolate tart, get the chocolate tart. It was like a dark chocolate with homemade whipped cream with sea salt and some sort of citrus. I'm drooling now just thinking about it. The look and feel of the place is cozy and neat! There are Einstein bulbs, and a tin ceiling. The plates and silverware are all mismatched, and I love it. If you get a table in the back room, you can have a view overlooking the river and park. This would be the perfect place for a date. Come out and have a nice dinner and a stroll in the park. There's a pretty bridge and flowers along. Hands down. 100%. 5 stars. Yes. Eat here!! read more

Cafe Mir - Lunch from Cafe Mir! - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

Excellent food and service! What a surprise in this quaint, very tiny town! This restaurant is worth your drive!!!

My wife and I love visiting Cafe Mir. I recommend them to everyone I know who enjoys experiencing food full of flavor. The preparation, food, and presentation is 5-stars. It's the best gem in North Iowa. And they seem to rotate their menu monthly. Check it out on their Facebook page. And the staff are all extremely friendly (5*). All around a place you won't regret visiting. My only recommendations are to make reservations and to make sure to order a few sides. Some of the main courses are on the smaller side. But even if they weren't, we'd still order 2-3 sides because everything is so tasteful. read more

My wife and I drove two hours to experience Cafe Mir. It is a gem hidden in a small, but charming, town. The atmosphere was excellent, as was the staff. We enjoyed an incredible dinner, with their organic approach and creative combinations. The Heirloom tomato salad was our favorite; made from fresh local grown ingredients. The lamb sausage pizza was a close second. We enjoyed the duck confit that was prepared perfectly. The portions were large enough to be shared by the two of us. We will most definitely be making the drive again! read more

Holy Moly! What a GEM Northern Iowa has here! I would classify myself as a foodie. And both my husband and I agree this is one of the BEST restaurants we have eaten at & we have eaten at a lot of amazing restaurants in the US and other countries. My sister is a local here and told us our Christmas meal would be here. Honestly, we just wanted a home meal at her house. But she has other plans to take us to their favorite restaurant. One way I like to rate a restaurant is just the overall experience. And this was a 5 out of 5! The menu changes regularly and the focus is on local, organic farmers. The other focus is on the flavors. The chef's select of herbs and spices makes the entrees SING! Just heaven! The service was great too! Thank you, Signe Meinders! So this will make us look forward to visiting Iowa more often! Thank you, Cafe Mir! read more

See all

Great restaurant with outstanding food.. All the food is made fresh from local ingredients. I had the lasagna which was large and filling. The deserts are also delicious so I decided to overeat a bit and indulged in the pecan pie. read more

Cafe Mir - Pizza Near Me - Fertile, Iowa

Wouldn't cut my za into squares but I'm not even mad. The Greensleeve salad and pecan pie were What-About-Bob-Chicken-scene moan worthy. The Ziggy pizza was a 4.8 only because it was a bit wet and everyone knows Paul doesn't like a soggy bottom. It was a to-go and I take some responsibility. Fantastic gem of a restaurant. No noted social distancing, but servers and Chefs were wearing masks; which we appreciated!! Don't miss out on eating here...we will stop again read more

A hidden gem!! Worth the drive from Des Moines! Brilliant ingredient combinations! Grilled radicchio salad in the winter, local heirloom tomatoes and beets in summer! Everything cooked to perfection!! The brick oven pizzas are unique and amazing! The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming! A beer and wine choice for every taste. Finish your meal with the butterscotch pot de creme! It's the best dessert on the planet! read more

See all

We're very excited to have this sophisticated farm-to-table restaurant in our area. My wife and I travel a lot and consider ourselves to be foodies. Unfortunately, there aren't many restaurants in this area where we can get our "foodie" on, but Cafe Mir has changed that. They somehow blend fresh, unique, sophisticated big city flavors with small town prices. We had an incredible lunch here for a ridiculously low price. We also bought some of their sourdough bread to take home and it was out of this world. We're extremely excited to have this incredible restaurant in the area! read more

Friendly staff and delicious food with a variety of flavors for your taste buds. We had a party of 8 and staff set the expectation food would be delivered as it was prepared. We started with bread and olive oil, kale salad, sautéed sweet corn, and wood fired summer squash. Because of the limited days the restaurant is open your entree may not be available as the night goes on, however the staff was good about letting us know which entree choices were nearing the end. At our table was the falafel, chop, sirloin, and lasagna. All guests were pleased with their respective entrees and flavor, though the smoked tomato butter (sirloin topping) and pesto (topped the lasagna) could have had a bit less salt. Chicken was gone, however looked great at the adjacent table. Dessert were also satisfying, chocolate tart was gone, so we had the butterscotch pot de creme, carrot cake, and blueberry ricotta galette. Nice park and River runs outside the back dining room where we saw some outside diners. Park and bridge over the river was a nice walk. One note, the check is not brought to the table at the end of the meal, so be aware guests go to the bar and pay when through. We will definitely return to Cafe Mir as this was a fine meal. read more

See all

What a strange place to find such maybe the best restaurant in north Iowa! In little Fertile, Iowa is a Cafe Mir. They use a wood fired oven to cook many of their dishes. The vegetables were amazing. The Technicolored Carrots with the carrot-top pesto were delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly. Cafe Mir is one of those rare restaurants where the chef understands the ingredients to another level, creating unique and explosively flavorful results. Make the drive from where ever you are to Fertile, Iowa and eat dinner at Cafe Mir. read more

Excellent food and service. The cauliflower dish is amazing! We will be back again soon! Thank you for a great dinner

Another wonderful meal at cafe mir ! Had the Whole Chicken and WOW it was just AWESOME! Waitress was just awesome thank you Kristi

Delicious. We had the following: house-marinated olives, bread, endive slammers, one of the pizzas, the NY strip, and the lasagna. It was all delicious. read more

I have been to Cafe Mir several times ... and never have been disappointed! It is an obscure cafe, delightful ambiance & the food is like your eating in a european cafe! Stellar Eats! ... Everyone seems to cares about what they do at the cafe and they serve it with pride & passion! I had a Birthday party for my sister and relatives came from San Fransisco, St louis, Minneapolis to surprise her. They just could not get over that this fantastic cafe was in the tiny little town! They all want to come back in the summer! LOVE LOVE LOVE! read more

We ate here for the first time tonight with our family and it is now our favorite restaurant! We have dined in New York City and the Twin Cities but wow, this place in Fertile, IA is special. We started off with the olives and bread with olive oil for appetizers. My wife had the salad and it tasted great. My daughter had the meatballs and since I'm not a meatball fan, I was too chicken to try but the rest of the family said they melted in their mouth. My son had the lamb sausage wood fired pizza. It had some kick to it and was really good! He goes to college in New York and said the Cafe Mir pizza ranked right up there with the East Coast pizzas he has consumed. I had the lasagna and it was awesome. Sometimes after eating lasagna I feel "blah" but this filled me up yet I felt good! We finished the meal off by splitting the pistachio cake and the dark chocolate sea salt tart. My daughter said they looked like they came off of the Food Network. They both tasted unbelievable yet weren't too over the top sweet. This is a small building in an even smaller town so we recommend you call ahead for reservations. The staff and chefs are what make this place what it is. It is definitely worth the trip up from Des Moines or down from the Twin Cities to visit! read more

This place is a gem. Best meal we have ever had. From the wine to the olives and fresh bread to the kale salad. Then the lamb pizza, sirloin steak and pork chops. Every bite was delicious. Don't forget the fresh desserts. We tried the blueberry ricotta galette and the butterscotch. The table next to us shared the chocolate tart as they couldn't believe how awesome it was. Truly the best place! We will be back and we live 6 hours away. read more

The food is consistently delicious, the ambiance quiet and low key. I enjoy coming here every single time.

A total gem with hospitality to boot! Local sourced food and seasonal menu with incredible flavor profiles on every plate. The decor, the ambiance, the tiniest of details have been thought of and executed. If this restaurant were located in the Twin Cities, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl would be writing about it. Genuine and fantastic! A must. read more

Absolutely wonderful food and atmosphere! We had the butternut squash, mushroom pizza and lamb sausage pizza. Excellent!! Craft beers excellent, too! Definitely will be back! read more