I found this place quite on accident while looking to kill a bit of time. The sign is what really caught my eye. This place is quite large and open for a coffee shop. It has a cool vibe about it which might have something to do with the Christmas lights around the counter area. I'm also really digging the oldies music. *Sugar. oh honey honey. you are my candy girl* I got a dirty chai tea latte and it's pretty good. I can't speak to the quality of the sandwiches but the tortilla soup was very good. Overall, I'd say the relaxed vibe of the place, the location and this yummy latte means I will be back next time I'm in town :) read more

The Blue Strawberry Coffee Company - the outside of the building - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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I came over to the blue strawberry on an unexpected free afternoon. What I found was very nice place to study come up with some good espresso and a huge array of sandwiches. It would definitely qualify this place as a sandwich shop that serves coffee rather than a coffee shop with food. Their menu is pretty extensive and included a lot of different sandwich options. In addition, there were plenty of soups as well as some beer options. It's nice to have options for what to eat and drink! There's a good amount of seating, with plentiful outlets throughout the place. Options range from booths to counter height tables with tall chairs in the back and along the side. Parking was a little bit tough as they only have street parking available, but it didn't seem like people had too much trouble with it. I deduced that the place is actually situated on the ground floor of an office complex or something as people kept walking through and coming out in business attire. Seem like it was a good meeting place and then people would go about their merry way, or up to the aforementioned offices. Overall it seemed like a good spot to come and grab some coffee or some lunch, or to get some work done. The place was comfortable, the internet's free and the ambiance is what you'd expect from a fairly well-established coffee shop. Plus, the name is quite hilarious! A Blue strawberry, how ruthlessly absurd :-). Well worth checking out, with the only downside being that you have to pay for street parking. #firstworldproblems read more

Coffee was okay, cute place to come and sit and chat for a little while with friends. We came across it while exploring the city, and it was an interesting little spot. Had a lot of options for pastries. We didn't get to try any when we went this time; however, when the Babson Beavers make it back to the World Series in Iowa this coming season, we WILL return and we WILL try the pastries and get back to you all. ROll BeAvS read more

Cofee is medium. They serve in styrofoam cups even when eating in. cinnamon rolls were good. not good for coffee lovers. read more

I really liked this coffee stop. The food was very good. I had their soup special. They had a lot of different food and coffee options. My only complain was that the bathroom was a little dirty, but overall there was a lot of seating and it was a nice place to enjoy lunch or an afternoon snack. read more

The Blue Strawberry Coffee Company - Outside. - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Stayed at the doubletree which is walking distance from this place. Not familiar with the area and didn't see a Tim Horton's but needed to get breakfast for me and my 12 year old. Service was very friendly and prompt. Had a hazelnut latte and a bagel, and a breakfast sandwich for the boy. Prices were much cheaper than the hotel breakfast and the entire trip took about 15 minutes. read more

I can only edit my review, not update it yet, but it's gotten suckier in the past 30 minutes. Not only did the staff come around to straighten up tables and not ask me why I didn't eat even half of my food, she didn't pick up the plate/tray thing, and she even told me "when you leave you can drop your dish off over there". Why, thank you, thank you so much for your help. This place is seriously sucktastic. That's right, I said "sucktastic". The free wi-fi is pretty much all they've got going for them. The food selection isn't great at all. The salads are pre-made and saran wrapped in a deli case. The bread my sandwich was subjected to is stale. My drink was served in a styrofoam cup. Only parking available is street parking (metered). And the entrance to the building is right in the middle of the joint. Put up a freakin wall! Seriously, this is not a coffee shop. This is a coffee counter. Two totally different things. read more

Good coffee, however they definitely do not charge reasonable prices for the food and espresso drinks they serve. The free wifi is a plus, but my recommendations are to either serve better quality, larger portion sandwiches for your prices, or lower them. A side note, it is not a cozy coffee shop atmosphere. I feel awful writing this review, because I am a regular for their drip coffee (they roast their own beans!), and because their staff are some of the nicest people I've met at a downtown business, but these are my recommendations so they can make the most of their business. read more

Always good to swing in for a coffee. They have live music now and then. Good atmosphere to have small-sided meetings or gatherings. Free WiFi. Connected thru downtown via skywalks. Good panini sandwich selection, salads, and bakery/deserts too. Coffees are reasonably priced and what you'd expect. Just got their seasonal pumpkin spice latte, was good, didnt need to add anything else to it. read more

I left here feeling pretty BLUE and BERRY disappointed, after waiting an eternity for my gross coffee. Unkind, slow staff chatted away as customers waited for their watery coffee with a sprinkling of grounds at the bottom. Grounds for failure if you ask me! Smoky campfire flavor was spot on, but not the vanilla coconut latte that we ordered. read more

When I travel for work, i sometimes find it difficult to find non-fast food options - esp in Iowa (sorry Iowa- i heart you, hate your food). The Blue Strawberry has casual american fare (sandwiches, soups, salads, etc). But you won't find crappy iceberg lettuce or 1980's non-taste ingredients. Get this, I even stay in a hotel that I dislike, because I like walking a few blocks to TBS at the end of the day. As far as I'm concerned, it's the ONLY place to eat in Cedar Rapids. read more

I ordered a drip coffee for here. I was directed to a stack of styrofoam cups and some coffee dispensers. After a sip, I discovered the coffee had been there for a while. I sat at a bench and put on earbuds in an attempt to drown out the muzak, but alas, it was extremely loud. I was disappointed with this place. It's ok to work in, but not much beyond that. read more

Just ok. Coffee was a bit watery, but breakfast sandwich was good. Close to the hotel so it was convenient. read more

The Blue Strawberry Coffee Company - tables and chairs - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Nice coffee place in the downtown area. Good coffee with fair prices. Lots of seating indoors - great place for a meeting. One negative though would be parking, you'll have to pay for parking unless you park somewhere free and walk which is what I did. read more

Very good sandwhiches. They give you choice of side with sandwhiches: apple, chips, potato salad or coleslaw. Disappointed they only had fountain lemonade. Never tastes as good as fresh. The food deserves five out of five stars. Gave four star because no lemonade or ice green tea. read more

What a good find! Explored downtown cedar rapids and found this lovely, laid-back coffee shop/cafe. Turkey chipotle panini was so flavorful and grilled to crispy perfection. My fiance had vegannini, with fresh summer tomatoes and basil. Find your way to this place and relax; it will be the best side trip you ever make! read more

Coffee is in thermoses, so naturally it is not hot. I asked them to microwave it. There espresso machine was broke.

Creative specials and sandwiches. IMHO, they really should cut their sandwiches in half. It's such a pain to plan your attack on a full, grilled (aka HOT) sandwich. I also find it sort of funny that they ask what you want for a side when all they have is different flavored....chips. haha. And the pickles were, how do you say....wilty. Conclusion? My go-to order will still be a black eye white-choc mocha. read more

Great place to stop for a quick breakfast. They have a nice selection of menu options and the food comes out hot, fresh, fast and tasty...what more could you want? read more

Best latte that I've had since I stopped working at a coffee shop many years ago. Well done, ladies. read more

Excellent vanilla latte!!! Didn't have food, but liked the decor and wait staff was friendly. The sweets looked delicious and it's super easy to get to. read more

I had a hot apple cider which was fine but sweet ($2.5 for the 16oz size). My co-worker had a coffee ($1.8 for 16oz size). Coffee and creamer are all self-serve. He chose a Colombian roast that was supposed to taste of lemon and something else. The only light roast they had was a breakfast blend, so he chose this to eat an interesting flavor. He didn't taste the lemon or other flavors and the flavor of the coffee could have been stronger, but it was all fine and we were served quickly. The atmosphere was fun and the couches to wait for your drink is a fun touch. read more

Sitting here waiting for out order. People have come in, ordered and left since we ordered. When I asked, was told in an jnpleasant manner, "I'm doing them in the order they come down the line." NOT TRUE! If you love horrible service, this is your place. Otherwise, avoid. read more

I had bookmarked this potential breakfast/coffee/lunch spot well before I moved to Cedar Rapids; but it was only now, mere days before I leave, that I decided to try it. Well, I don't think I was missing much. I tried an Asparagus Grilled Cheese panini and a coffee because I figured I definitely should try the namesake item. I appreciated the variety of coffee choices, and I tried the Ethiopian Peaberry. It was burnt, either a bit over roasted or had been sitting too long in the pot after brewing. Whatever flavor could have been there was lacking, but it was not the worst coffee I've ever had. The panini was, as the name suggests, cheesy. But for my tastes, it was too much cheese. (The other grilled-cheese panini also had too much cheese for my cheese-adoring co-worker, so that's saying something.) Nor was it good, salty cheese taste; it was bland, white-goo-cheese taste. There was some flavor of the other items (asparagus, basil, grilled peppers), but it really was lacking and over-powered by the cheese. So much cheese. The bread, purportedly sourdough, also had little flavor. Either it was not sourdough, it was bad sourdough, or the cheese overpowered its expected sourness also. The coleslaw that came with my sandwich (you get your choice of side -- I chose wrong) was nothing special. It was coleslaw, so maybe that mistake is on me. The baked goods looked pretty good, but I fear they might be similarly over-powered in flavor by butter or some other ingredient (hopefully not cheese...). The restaurant itself was charming enough and big. So that's one plus. And the staff was very friendly and timely with each order. And perhaps the breakfast options are better and draw a crowd. But I feel no need to attempt a quick return trip before I'm out of town (and after this review, it's likely this establishment won't be sad to see me go), especially with other, better and closer options nearby (Early Bird, Brewhemia). read more

I work right down the street from Blue Strawberry, so with limited options in the downtown area, I have been here a few times. Yesterday I went and saw they were having a Chicken Pesto Panini special. I love anything pesto, so I decided to order one. The sandwich came with swiss cheese, which I am not a fan of. So I asked the girl at the register if I could switch it out for provolone. The girl asked the kitchen, and I heard a woman scream "No modifications!!" The girl explained that the sandwiches were pre-made. I understand. But it still doesn't solve the problem that I hate swiss cheese. So I asked if they could just take it off? The answer was no. Seriously? They can't remove a slice of cheese? So I begrudgingly ordered another sandwich. The Sicilian beef. By the time I got it back to my desk, it was the soggiest pile of crap sandwich I've ever had. I could only get a few bites down before I threw it away. So I basically paid Blue Strawberry $8 to go hungry all day. My experiences with the quality at Blue Strawberry don't end there. Once I got a hot chocolate, which was super watered down and had an inch of syrup in the bottom. Yuck! I also went and got a double chocolate muffin, which looked delicious, but it had clearly been sitting around a few days. Stale and crumbly. I have been merely tolerating going to Blue Strawberry up until this point. But if they're not willing to do something so basic as remove a piece of cheese for a customer, I don't really think I want to give them my business anymore. read more

Perhaps I ventured in on a particularly slow and monotonous day, but the customer service was disheartening to day the least. The person who took my order at the register was not keen on my dietary needs when I asked what a drink was made out of, and provided a snarky, nonspecific response (oh, a mint chocolate milkshake has mint, chocolate sauce, and milk? Hmm). The taste and quality were acceptable - a friend ordered something pina colada flavor that I would definitely try again. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is attractive and I may go once more during a sojourn downtown. read more

They are certainly trying. I had the Belgian waffles and they are similar to the waffles you get from a hotel continental breakfast. Not bad, but not quite worth the $6. They would benefit from providing real silverware as opposed to plastic. The service was great and there were really nice patrons in the place for a Sunday morning. A nice spot for a quick bite. read more

Visited this spot for a morning meeting to expand my network. Service was fast, but not incredibly friendly or knowledgeable about their offerings. I ordered a pear ginger tea and the taste was exquisite. I would totally buy a case of this tea for home. They had a wide variety of tea flavors that were enticing as well. I'll try back and hopefully get better service next time. read more

Perfect walk from the Hilton for my morning coffee. Quick, friendly and well priced.

We were up to trying something new on a saturday afternoon. Blue strawberry has been a place that we wanted to go in for some time. We had iced mocha with soy milk, vegenini, and asparagus panini. They were all good. Unlike the other comment on Yelp, we liked the taste of the coffee. The place has plenty of space and nice ambiance. They carry both almond and soy milk. I would definitely visit it again for the coffee. They can do better for their food. Overall, very good service and friendly environment to hang out. read more

My first experience at The Blue Strawberry was better than yesterday. I went in to have a wrap for lunch and a latte. I'm not a fan of coffee shops who serve lattes in styrofoam cups to guests who are staying, totally wasteful. The wrap was average at best, I was asked what side I wanted and then told they were actually out of everything except chips. I'd stop by again for an iced coffee to go when the weather warms up like I went in the first time for last fall but won't go with intentions of staying to enjoy my coffee again. read more

I've had good paninis and smoothies in the past. The coffee has grounds in it a lot of times. My friend used to work here and informed me all the food comes from Sam's Club!! So for that reason, it seems a little over priced for Sam's Club food. read more

The Blue Strawberry is nice, although it's rather large and not very cozy for a coffee shop. I went there with a friend yesterday. Their caramel mocha was really good. They have free wifi. The décor is nice and they have a shelf for local artists to place their business cards. I do have one complaint though. My friend told me that through the back doors (connected to the place), people get to their offices. So there are delivery (pizza, sandwich, etc) men that walk through the coffee shop sometimes. This would be off putting for me if I went in for a leisurely afternoon and a pizza delivery dude walked through. I'm only giving three stars for that reason and because the mocha was good, but nothing spectacular. I'll proabably go back. It's promising. read more

The 4-star rating is mostly for the coffee, my husband had a latte and really liked it. I had an iced tea, not great with what I can only describe as an old flavor - the taste that comes from sitting in the pitcher a couple of days. In fairness, I ordered iced tea in January so probably not a high volume beverage right now. We each had breakfast sandwich #1 which comes with scrambled egg, cheese, tomato, and an aioli. Good, very messy but good. We split a scone - NOT GOOD. Hard and maybe just outdated. Service? Kind of grumpy today. :-) Atmosphere? Interesting in that kind of coffee-shop-grunge way. Free wifi, handful of seated customers but really quite a bit of space. It's a convenient location if downtown. read more

Sooooo I just wanted a double shot of espresso. For some reason I waited 20 min. Yes, lots of people there for a Saturday afternoon, but sorry - that's no excuse :-) !! Shake a leg Cedar Rapids!! Wow read more

This place is just not that great. People are friendly, but the coffee is not good. I gave it 2 try's. I ordered an Americano and an iced coffee, both were extremely bitter and almost undrinkable. Like a bad Starbucks, really. Outside seating was nice though and I had a chicken Cesar wrap that was okay. Also, their wifi is very moody! Personally, I'd pass on this one. read more

Definitely my favorite deli/coffeehouse in town. Has a lot of great sandwiches and salads, the roasted potatoes for the side are amazing. Coffee is okay, lets be honest Starbucks sets the bar for all coffee but it is one of the best options downtown. read more

I know someone that works here and they use moldy eggs and week old bacon to serve its customers. Staff doesn't wash hands and serve food right off the floor. I can't believe this place is open!! All their food comes from Sams Club as frozen and let's just say the person I know that works there probably doesn't work there any longer after being exposed to their business practices. Do yourself a favor, don't go here ever!!! They are currently under investigation from LINN County Health. read more

Come for their flavored coffee, they have an amazing list of coffee syrups with a decent sugar free list as well. But don't stay for the atmosphere or hospitality... read more

Amazing café style food and a casual, comfortable environment. Great for a quick lunch!