After a long day on the road, a great cup of coffee is non-negotiable--even if it means venturing a…read morelittle farther from the exit. Brickhouse was absolutely worth the detour. Tucked away in a charming small town off I-80 in Iowa, this coffee shop is a gem. The beautifully renovated historic building adds to its warm and inviting atmosphere, making it the perfect place to recharge, whether you're grabbing a quick cup or settling in for a break. The staff was friendly and welcoming, and they made me a fantastic Americano--my go-to order since it delivers a consistently bold espresso experience without the variability of drip coffee. If you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favor and make the stop. It's well worth it!

From New York to San Francisco, my wife and I have traveled to coffee shops across America…read more Brickhouse has now made it into our Top 5 best coffee shops we've been to. Expect to be greeted with a smile and warm vibes in this small town gem. This is a can't miss coffee shop if you're passing by!!

The decor was really nice and so comfortable, the staff were friendly and the service was good and…read morequick. I'm only docking a couple points because their choice of coffee beans aren't my favourite but your mileage may vary and the quality of each drink varies a lot depending on who's making it

Made the drive up here because it was the only DMV appointment for my daughter in the next 30 days…read more Took advantage of the trip to try out a new coffee spot. This was a cute little spot that reminds me of many other in term of the trendy style expected from A cozy coffee shop. The espresso and latte were excellent as was the service. When you are ready to expand, come to Ankeny.

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.

This bakery has a wide selection of cookies, breads, pastries and more. They had a strawberry…read morerhubarb bread-like-cake on sample when I went and I really regret not buying that because it was very tasty. I did get 3 items from the bakery cases. First was a chocolate eclair. It was like a long creme puff with chocolate ganache on top and yellow filling in the middle. Reminded me of a Boston cream pie only in cream puff form. I thought it was ok. I would have really liked the filling to have more vanilla flavor. The puff part was a good texture. The ganache was mildly chocolatey. The second item was a blueberry cream-cheese pastry. I wasn't wowed by it. The cream cheese maybe needed more vanilla. The third item was a creme horn. I liked it, but again I wished the filling had a bit more vanilla. Also at the very end, it was hollow, so save some of the creme at the big end for the little end so you get a more balanced bite. All of the items are presented with great care and beautifully displayed. I just wanted a bit more flavor. I would go back and I would try different items.

The coffee and sweets were delicious though it did seem a little expensive. The cafe is family run…read more It seemed like they were training a new person when we were there so it was a little slow service given it was us and one other pair of customers. The baristas were friendly though. The store was clean and offered two levels of indoor seating and the front porch outdoors. There's sweets and gifts you can purchase to go as well.

Located on the Lower level of the General store you will find Amana Coffee & Team. They offer a…read moreHUGE selection of beans and loose leaf teas along with samples! We make it down the the Amana Colonies two or three times a year from the Des Moines metro. Sometimes it's intentional and sometimes we are down in Williamsburg at the outlet mall and main Amana is just a few more miles down the road. The General Store is a must stop location for us. If you want to take home a momento of your visit or want to find something Amanda Colonies centered this is the place for you. Hard goods, food items (refrigerated, jarred/canned, dry), souveniers, some locally sourced goods, and a wide varitety is seasonal holiday items are available at The Christmas Room (connected but technically next door). And don't miss the teas and coffees downstairs at Amana Coffee & Tea... If you can't make it to the individual shops throughout main Amana you can find a lot of the same goods here like a small selection of meats and cheeses from the Amana Meat Shop & Smokehouse. So if your time is limited... The General Store is your spot! Service is always fantastic, the shop is clean and well organized, and it usually smells wonderful in here. It seems we always walk out of here with something! And I can almost guarantee that once you'v been in the General Store along with Amana Coffee & Tea and the Christmas Room, like us, this will be a location you venture into every time you come back to the Amana Colonies.

As a tea drinker who uses loose tea, I haven't found many local places with a variety of teas to…read morechoose from. That's why I take a drive to Amana to buy tea every few months. Located in the bottom level of the Amana General Store, Amana Coffee & Tea is a quaint little spot that has a good variety of loose teas to choose from. I'm able to mix it up and work my way through all the different flavors depending on my current taste when I visit. They have a number of black, green, and red teas, including some that are organic. Worth a visit if you want to explore some loose teas, and as a bonus you can stop upstairs and grab some other foods or trinkets from the General Store.

Sadly, mediocre at best. I would skip this place entirely. Tried coffee and food, both were poor…read morequality, not homemade....meh....nothing special. We ended up throwing both drink and the cookie we bought away as both of my kids said the cookie was "bad"...tasted like a box mix that was overcooked.

Love the community spirit and the cortado! I also recommend the dark roast and Monster cookies.read more

If you are near the Independence area, Em's is a MUST. It is an awesome small business. The service…read moreis quick, and the employees are the sweetest and very personable. I've been to hundreds of coffee shops around the U.S, but this one is by far THE best. My go to is an iced salted honey latte. Their menu is huge. They also offer monthly drink specials. They have unique and delicious flavor combinations. And how could I forget their baked goods?!?! They always have a stacked bakery case. They've got the biggest cinnamon rolls with the best frosting. Em offers a newsroom which has a couch and several chairs for meetings, or just to hangout! Overall a must-try. I promise you'll be going back

The coffee was great. Had gelato and a couple smoothies. Went there twice while I was visiting in…read moreIndependence

Our trip to pick up a truck brought us to Grinnell Iowa. After the pickup we were on the hunt for…read moregood food. Yelp reviews pointed us to Frontier Cafe where we found the sweetest server and delicious food. Hubby had the Texas Omelette and I had the Spring Chicken dinner with extra avacado. Such a pleasant experience. Food was fresh, seasoned perfectly and plentiful.

I have visited this cafe on multiple occasions. The staff are always kind and friendly and the…read moreservice is always good. They have a large menu to choose from and it follows traditional diner food.

Yay! Restaraunt attached to gas station is a gem! Homemade pies and down home comfort food are…read morefound in this humble spot. I was a little worried that I would have to do McDs but was spared with this discovery. I tried the Iowa Bowl, a special. It was a bowl, it was Zion's, and it was soecial! True midwestern comfort food. Place had many locals and I was treated lik

Tried to dine in but stood in the entry for nearly 5 minutes before we left. I have worked in the…read morerestaurant industry, and I know they work very hard. While we waited, I watched the same 2 people walk by many times through the kitchen area and just look at us. All it would have taken is a " I will be right with you".

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!