When traveling, I always visit local, independent restaurants. The Map Room is a gem!…read more A wide variety of burgers, with house made vegan options. Indoor and outdoor seating. Great decor and comfortable booths. Fantastic service! Attentive without hovering. 10/10

The locals already know what I am about to tell you: The Map Room is truly a perfect restaurant…read more The intentionally eclectic menu offers something for everyone, so long as they like a LOT of flavor, and the burgers in particular, are *REALLY* good. Service is exceptionally welcoming and friendly, and if I lived in Cedar Rapids, I would be here at least twice a week.

We had a large group for dinner last night and the service and food were top notch! Highly…read morerecommend trying if you're in the area.

I visited The District CR in downtown Cedar Rapids during a recent business trip and had an overall…read moreenjoyable experience. First impressions were a bit confusing--the entrance makes you feel like you're walking into an office building. There's a door to the right with signage for what seems to be a sister bar that's only open on limited nights, but the actual restaurant is straight back. Once inside, the space is large and open, with plenty of room between tables and a sizable bar area. I sat at the bar and learned about their Whiskey Wednesday specials, which included several types of Old Fashioneds and whiskey flights. While it sounded intriguing, I opted not to partake. They also offer daily drink special themes. The menu is eclectic, with a mix of Cajun, Italian, and American fare. I went with the Cacio e Pepe with Elephant Ear (Orcchiette) pasta, and added shrimp along with a half wedge salad as a premium side. The pasta itself was delicious--perfectly cooked with a rich, peppery flavor. However, I wish the server had mentioned that the shrimp was Cajun-seasoned. While great on its own, it slightly overpowered the pasta. The wedge salad was a bit of a letdown--the lettuce was watery, which diluted the overall flavor. The dish also came with garlic bread, which was yummy. Service was outstanding--attentive, friendly, and efficient. Unfortunately, it was hard to get a real read on the restaurant's vibe because it was pretty empty on a Wednesday night.

We were in Cedar Rapids for a concert at the Paramount Theater and discovered this treasure…read more Though I didn't snap many pics photos, the interior was classy, yet casual. Our dinner was wonderful and two weeks later my husband still raved about the fried chicken sandwich! Service was good, considering how busy they were but we had a little frustration taking care of our tab when we mentioned we were headed to a show and needed to be headed there,

After many visits tried the Captain crunch fish appetizer. Incredibly good…read more The Witches Slap brew was also amazing! One of the best burgers in town. Wish they had some more burger variations. Sweet potato fries were the best Ive tried anywhere!

Apparently this is a coffee bar in the day and a martini bar at night, I have not been here during…read morethe day. My friends and I came in for a drink to end our evening and found this place to be a little quirky but very homey. We sat in the area with the couch, loveseat and chairs. There is other seating available with high stools and tables. We had three people check in us during our visit so we were well cared for. We didn't order food as we had already eaten. It's drink menu has about 50 martinis listed. This place has a laidback feel to it, very enjoyable. The martinis come out just slow enough to notice but not overly slow. Enjoyed our experience, we will return.

Fantastic food, drinks, and service! Incredible experience…read more Would highly recommend the blueberry lemon or scotheroo martinis, you will not be disappointed.

I was back at The Hip-Stir last night to celebrate a family event. We made a reservation for 6 and…read moresat at a table near the front. The vibe of Hip-Stir ha always been cool and kinda niche and this was no exception. If you don't know that they changed up their menu.. they did. It's not bad by any means, but I am pretty heartbroken about them removing the Spinach Artichoke dip. It was the best around and I'll be overjoyed when it returns. The new menu still features ramen, sandwiches and other yummy dishes. I ordered a side of Mac and cheese with my entree and the food was out in about 20 minutes which is great! Unfortunately my Mac and cheese was forgotten- our server apologized and went to "get that started", no worries. The next time our server was at our table I inquired about it again since it had been about 10 minutes, but she had forgotten yet again. She rushed back to "get it started", ok. At this point everyone was getting full and I didn't even want it anymore, but she returned a few minutes later with it. A little frustrating. The ramen has changed, unfortunately. My sister ordered the spicy pork (which has historically been amazing) and didn't even finish it, which is pretty weird for her lol. I tasted nothing but soy sauce and spice. I'm not sure where the aromatics went, but they need to bring them back asap. Don't order the carrot cake. It was served over coffee (yes, hot coffee) which ruined it. The cake was overly soggy and tasted of nothing but the coffee flavor. I'm sure it would have been great without it, the frosting looked great. I'll probably be back and love supporting the Fun not Fancy group in CR, but last night was a miss.

This is the second NYE we have spent at The Hip Stir. The service is great, ambiance is great and…read morethe food is unique a d great as well. We had a party of 10 and we all ordered different things. My husband and I got the cheese curds. The honey Lemon aioli was a legit surprise and was SO good. My husband got salmon and loved the vinegrette salad dressing. I got the chicken marsala gnocchi. It was rich and salty and delicious. I've never had anything quite like it. I also enjoyed being able to enjoy the Tinsel pop up decorations as well.

Had a great burger and visit with a college friend from the wayback. Food was a total five but…read morethere were some jerks with an aggressive dog on the patio that seemed to live there. The patio is nice, great tables and the servers paid close attention to what we may want/need in the food realm. My friend got a Greek salad and really enjoyed it. I got a burger with BBQ sauce that was messy as all get out and so worth it. Got the dipping fries and willing to say I was really surprised with how tasty they were. They are unique too so maybe made in house. The jerks with two dogs, one was really aggressive trying to attack someone else's dog that was totally chill. That definitely means a deduction even though there were rules posted, it didn't seem the staff was going to bother and I get that it is pretty awkward. Seems like the staff would have to hear the ruckus cause the dogs were by the entrance to the place. The other folks took their dog back to the car. It was the sort of outward aggression that would make me wary if they are regulars. We had already ordered and gotten our food so we simply kept a watchful eye out.

We stopped by to see if we could get a spot on the patio. Someone told me to just go look and if…read morethere was no tables to come back to be put in the waitlist. We found a table, but then another person told us they had a waitlist, but then let us sit there. We waited awhile before anyone came to our table. Once we had a server, things went well. I think they need a better way to handle the wait list. Our food was excellent and the patio was clean and lively! Everyone here works hard and works as a team. We will definitely return.

A great place for drinks, bartender and the people are very welcoming. We just moved to Iowa a…read morecouple months and are trying different places for cocktails and drinks. I'm really liked how friendly everyone is at this bar. I definitely think we will be back!!

A small dive with an interesting cast of characters. A friendly group from the bartenders to the…read morelocals who all know each other, but are happy to show you silly youtube videos or chat with you. The jukebox has just about any favorites your could ask for, and the pinball, pool tables, and shuffleboard in the back allow for a little room to unwind without sitting by the bar. Nothing flashy, but just a place to get a good drink with the people from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Mind blowing experience! Food was epic! Service was first class! Can't say enough great things…read moreabout this place! You should experience it yourself... Thank you for the masterpiece in food explosion

Three of us stopped in before a concert at McGrath Amphitheater, which is about a mile away. We…read moreparked in a large federal building parking lot that lies between the two, so it was convenient for both. We snagged a hightop table in the bar area and got in our drink orders. I ordered a Margarita. It was excellent! Great taste and nice presentation. My wife gota a glass of wine from their decent wine list, and my brother got a very reasonably priced 7-7. Drinks were great and our food came out quickly. I got the Montreal Beef Sandwich. Tasty brisket with a great combination of flavors. Fries were good. My wife got the Salmon BLT, which was also very good, with great bacon and a nice slab of fish. She got the upcharged Brussels Sprouts for her side and they were also tasty. My brother got the Arnold Palmer Chicken Sandwich, a tea-soaked sandwich that he enjoyed. He got the house chips, and they were also good. Service was attentive, and both servers who hit up our table were great. Fun vibe, and what looks to be and up-and-coming neighborhood.