A little over five years ago, as the Minnesota Twins were just beginning their era of affiliation with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, I posted an article here with some basic information about the Cedar Rapids area, for the benefit of fellow Twins fans who might be considering a trip to watch Byron Buxton and his friends play some baseball that summer.
I’ve been hearing from various contacts that the upcoming Memorial Weekend could see another significant influx of baseball fans visiting the area and, once again, I’ve been asked for some suggestions concerning what might be worth checking out (besides the baseball games, of course) while you’re in the area.
That being the case, I went back and re-read that 2013 article and it surprisingly held up pretty well, with a couple of possible exceptions.
My family and I don’t spend every Friday at Bushwood Sports Bar & Grill like we did back in 2013. It might be unkind to blame the arrival of grandkids into our lives for this, but facts are facts – we haven’t been as regular at Bushwood as we were before we were blessed to have Jack, Erik and Lily enter our lives. Still, I remain a regular at Bushwood and it remains my favorite before-or-after the game establishment.
I still don’t know much about what hotel you should stay at because I still don’t stay at hotels here. The DoubleTree Hilton, downtown on First Avenue (which is the main local artery through town), is definitely my first recommendation, if you can get a decent rate or if the rate isn’t all that important to you (in which case, Lucky You!).
But, if you are a member of another hotel chain’s frequent stay club, I’m sure you can find plenty of options where you can earn reward points (or use those points you already have built up).
One reason that the DoubleTree has risen to the top of my hotel recommendation list is that, since it re-opened following an extensive remodel job in 2013, a significant number of pretty good new independent local restaurants have opened up downtown within about a two block walk of the front of the DoubleTree.
So, assuming you want more than just my recommendation concerning Bushwood, here are a few options.
Downtown
I’ll use the DoubleTree Hotel as a reference point for directions, but Cedar Rapids has on-street parking downtown if you aren’t staying downtown. Also, there’s no charge for on-street parking after 6:00 PM week nights or any time on the weekends.
La Cantina (a block west of, and across the street from, the DoubleTree) is still my preferred Mexican restaurant in the area, though there are plenty of others that are good as well. I’m far from an expert on what constitutes “authentic” Mexican food, though, so take that into account. I almost always do the seafood enchiladas at La Cantina, along with a margarita or three.
If you walk out the front door of the DoubleTree and walk one block south on Third Street, you come to Second Avenue. There’s an area about a block to a block and a half long that has at least half a dozen restaurants and bars that are worth your while.
There are a couple that I haven’t tried yet, myself, but here are several that I have eaten at and I don’t hesitate to recommend each of them, depending on what you’re looking for.
Need Pizza is good. They have the usual pizzas, but also various more eclectic styles, including gluten free crusts and less common toppings like artichoke hearts, clams, mashed potatoes and vegan cheese. They also have a very lengthy craft beer list.
Rock Bar American Grill is in that same block. They have a hot beef sandwich I like on their lunch menu and I’m a fan of the Cajun chicken pasta on the dinner menu. They also have a mechanical bull, just in case you’re one of those people who have never done that, but always wanted to try.
Grin N Goose is one I just finally got around to trying for the first time in the past month. I had the Cajun grilled tenderloin. (Have you noticed yet that I have an affinity for Cajun food?) I always look for new menu items that sound interesting to me and I certainly found one here on their appetizer menu. The Man Candy is made up of eight strips of crisp bacon that have been treated with some sort of sugar/jalapeno coating. It’s really, really good (though undoubtedly NOT good for you), but also has a pretty solid kick to it.
Brick’s Pub is also on Second Avenue and is your basic sports bar with a good selection of craft beers.
The Quarter Barrel Arcade & Brewery is also on Second Avenue but a few blocks further east than the grouping of places listed above. Honestly, all I’ve ever had here was a couple of beers while I watched a Twins game, but I hear the pizza is good. The “gimmick” here is the large selection of old school arcade machines they have on site.
Dublin City Pub is an Irish restaurant on First Street that I’ve liked when I’ve been, though it has been a couple of years for me, I think. It’s maybe six or seven blocks from the DoubleTree.
There’s a downtown Farmers Market that, while I can’t give much of a personal reference, I’m told is generally well worth the time to visit and I believe that it opens for the first time this summer on Saturday morning of Memorial Weekend. It is just two blocks south of the DoubleTree at Third Avenue and Third Street.
NewBo (New Bohemia) and Czech Village Districts
These areas are 12 blocks south of the downtown DoubleTree, but there are a few places well worth checking out.
NewBo Market was one of my recommendations from the 2013 article. It’s kind of a smaller (and indoor) version of a farmers market with a lot of local vendors. The NewBo Market is at the intersection of Third Street SE and 12th Avenue SE.
Also at that same intersection, you’ll find three establishments to consider.
Parlor City Pub & Eatery is my favorite restaurant in the NewBo area. It has a good menu and a large craft beer selection. They also have live music.
Chrome Horse Saloon (South) is in the cement bank-looking building (it’s actually located in an old bank). I haven’t eaten at the Chrome Horse in several years, but it was a favorite of some of my staff members for department lunches back before the big 2008 flood. Then, it was located in the building across the street on the remaining corner of this intersection, where an establishment called Brewhemia now is located. I have not yet patronized Brewhemia.
The Pig & Porter is in the NewBo area, as well. I haven’t given that a try yet. I’ve heard both positive and less-positive things about it. I understand they have a Sunday brunch of some sort and their thing is basically a “farm to table” limited menu.
Lion Bridge Brewery is my “go-to” craft brewery in the area. It’s a few blocks west of NewBo, on the west side of the Cedar River, in Czech Village. It’s a local craft brewery with a limited, but very interesting, food menu that is tailored to match their beer selections.
North Side
If you’ve opted to stay at a hotel on the north side of Cedar Rapids, I still highly recommend Third Base Brewery, which is on Blairs Ferry Road NE, maybe a mile or so east of the cluster of hotels off of I-380 at the Blairs Ferry or Collins Road exits. I’m partial to the southwest eggrolls and several of their own craft beers brewed on site.
There’s a Chrome Horse Saloon location on Blairs Ferry Road, as well. Again, I haven’t tried this particular location. It was relocated here from the NewBo area after the 2008 flood.
The north side is also where my favorite steak restaurant is now located. The Butcher Block Steakhouse used to be on First Avenue across the street from Coe College, but is now located on the north side of town at C Avenue NE and Boyson Road NE. Reservations aren’t required, but might be a good idea.
Papa Juans/Stefano’s is a combination Mexican/Italian restaurant in the strip mall at the intersection of Blairs Ferry Road NE and Center Point Rd NE. Papa Juans was, for a long time, our favorite Mexican restaurant. I’m really not sure what the whole idea was about adding an Italian menu, but they didn’t ask my opinion when they did it.
Southwest/Ballpark Areas
If you stay in one of the hotels at the 33rd Street Exit off of I-380, there are all sorts of fast food chain restaurants right there, but not a lot of local places
One that I do like in that area, though, is Pei’s Ohana. Pei’s has a Chinese lunch buffet that I really like and also claims to have a traditional sushi bar and a Korean menu.
Just a few blocks north of Pei’s on Sixth Street SW is Riley’s Café, one of my two favorite breakfast diners. There are actually four Riley’s Cafe locations around town, including one a few blocks east of the DoubleTree downtown. Riley’s is owned by the same family that owns the Butcher Block Steak House on the north side of town.
Further north (probably another 15 blocks or so) of Riley’s is The Breakfast House, which I included in the 2013 list of favorites. It remains my top choice for breakfast in Cedar Rapids. It’s a small, old-school diner with great food at a reasonable price.
Leonardo’s (or “Leo’s” to the locals) is on 16th Avenue SW, not all that far from Veterans Memorial Stadium, home of the Kernels, and their pizza remains my favorite in town. Turn over your Kernels ticket stub and you’ll probably find a $2.00-off coupon for a Leo’s pizza. So with one trip to Leonardo’s you get good pizza AND you get to feel good for patronizing a long-time Kernels sponsor.
The Union Station Bar & Grill is also on 16th Avenue SW, relatively near the ballpark. I haven’t been to Union Station in a while, but I always found it perfectly acceptable as a neighborhood bar and grill. The one thing it does have going for it that not a lot of other places on this list do is pool tables. If you want to play some pool, Union Station is your place.
If you’re like me, sometimes you either get to the ballpark early and just want a beer and/or a bite to eat or the game ends and you just want one more beer. Even those of you who have been to a Kernels game before may not have noticed it, but the Stadium Lounge sits directly across the street from the ballpark’s right field wall. It’s a no-frills neighborhood bar where you won’t find a bunch of craft beers or an extensive food menu, but you will find domestic beers and bar food at a no-frills price. (No, I didn’t forget to include a link to their website. They don’t have a website.)
Not Quite In Cedar Rapids
If you’re willing to drive just a few miles southwest of Cedar Rapids, there are a couple more places you might want to look into.
First, the Amana Colonies are maybe 15-20 minutes southwest of Cedar Rapids on Hwy 151. Main Amana has several “family style” restaurants, as well as various shops.
Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery is similarly maybe 15 minutes south of Cedar Rapids. Take I-385 to the Swisher Exit. Better yet, turn on your GPS and follow the directions. Cedar Ridge has some excellent wines and spirits and usually has live music on weekend evenings. I’m not sure what their Memorial Weekend schedule is, however, so you might want to check that ahead of time.
If you’d like to give the wine a try (or maybe one of their whiskeys), you might check the bar vendor stand behind section 110 at the Kernels ballpark. I’m sure it was Cedar Ridge Distillery booze that I was adding to my hot chocolate during those frigid ballgames at the beginning of the season. Chances are, “Woody” is working that stand. Tell him I said “hi.”
Speaking of the ballpark, if you spend some time checking the beer selections at each of the multiple beer stands along the concourse, you’ll find an increasing number of craft beers, including several from Iowa breweries. Of course, if you’re feeling homesick, there’s a Surry option, as well.
Finally, I can’t write all of this without recommending my favorite menu item at the ballpark. It’s the grilled tenderloin available at the Strike Zone food stand. There are a lot of good food options if you take the time to look for them, but I keep coming back to the grilled tenderloin.
Golf
My summers since retirement are pretty much a steady diet of grandkids (and other family, too, of course), baseball and golf. On the off chance you are bringing your sticks to town, I’ll just mention a couple of golf options.
There are four municipal courses. If you’re a beginner, I suggest Twin Pines. Ellis Park, Gardener Park or Jones Park are a little more challenging and all the courses are pretty well kept up.
My favorite course to play locally lately is Hunters Ridge in Marion. Bent grass fairways and a challenging course for any level of golfer. Checking online for tee times will sometimes uncover a pretty good discount.
The Amana Colonies Golf Club is probably the most challenging course around and is very picturesque.
Field of Dreams
No article would be complete without a suggestion that you consider a side trip to the Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa. I’d like to give a personal recommendation, but I have to admit that I’ve never visited the site. But I know many who have.
By the way, the Kernels, along with the three other Iowa minor league teams (Clinton Lumber Kings, Quad Cities River Bandits and Des Moines Cubs) all pitched in this spring to help repair the field after vandals caused thousands of dollars of damage.
So, that’s it. I hope you found plenty of ideas for what you might want to do in the Cedar Rapids area when you come in for a ballgame.
Just promise me you won’t get so wrapped up in all the other stuff that you forget to show up for the baseball games!
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