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University of Iowa - Off-Campus Dining

Off-Campus Dining:

A-

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Quick Stats

Best Pizza

  • Mesa Pizza by the Slice

Best Breakfast

  • The Hamburg Inn

Best Chinese

  • China Wok

Best Healthy

  • Bread Garden Market

Best Wings

  • Vine Tavern and Eatery

Best Place to Take Your Parents

  • One Twenty Six

College Prowler Take

Iowa City and Coralville offer a huge selection of restaurants for students to choose from—with so many options, it’s hard to get bored of eating out. Most places around town will deliver to campus; if not, it’s only a short walk to satisfy most cravings you may have. Each eatery has competitive prices and tasty food to encourage students to keep coming back. The Brown Bottle and One Twenty Six are the best places to take your parents if they are paying or if you feel like splurging on them. Gumby’s, the Pizza Pit, and the Wedge are the top pizza places on campus, but there are about a dozen other options, as well. All of the pizza places deliver to the dorms for free.

Many of the restaurants around Iowa City are locally owned rather than being corporate chains, which is nice for many of the students who hail from larger towns. One thing that some students actually miss, however, is a true fast-food option. It can be very hard to grab a quick meal somewhere if you only have a few minutes. The restaurants in downtown Iowa City offer better taste and are more fun to spend time in than any fast food place. The only thing to be careful of is draining your bank account at all of these places—it’s very easy to want to eat out too much around UI. Overall, in the three-block radius that is downtown Iowa City, students can travel all over the world and eat the nation’s finest foods—with a little imagination, of course.

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Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

IowGW says:

University of Iowa 2015

Undecided

Downtown Iowa City has so many...

Downtown Iowa City has so many different types of restaurants. Most of them are small places like Saloon, The Wedge, and Z'mariks, but there are also a few bigger places like Buffalo Wild Wings and Chipotle.

Off-Campus Dining: March 28, 2009
Report

IowAS says:

University of Iowa 2015

English Language and Literature

Downtown Iowa City is flooded with...

Downtown Iowa City is flooded with restaurants, and I haven't been to one yet that I didn't love. The Airliner is the must-go place—it's an Iowa City legend. If you're looking for something different, there's Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, sushi—anything you can think of.

Off-Campus Dining: February 22, 2009
Report

Anonymous says:

Well, the most popular thing...

Well, the most popular thing ordered on campus would have to be Gumby’s Pizza. You will come to know that very quickly at Iowa!

Off-Campus Dining
Report

Anonymous says:

Each restaurant has its down...

Each restaurant has its down special thing to offer. Taco Bell is very good when you’re hungry and want to get the most food for your money. Pachero’s is the next step up from Taco Bell, and it is also quite tasty. I feel that all of the pizza places are the same. I usually just go with whoever is offering the best deal at the time and enjoy that.

Off-Campus Dining
Report

Anonymous says:

My favorite is Panchero’s—their...

My favorite is Panchero’s—their burritos are to die for. The salads they have there are good, too, for dieters.

Off-Campus Dining
Report

Facts

Student Favorites

  • The Airliner
  • Panchero's Mexican Grill
  • Quinton's Bar & Deli

Other Places to Check Out

  • 808 Restaurant and Nightclub
  • Baldy's Wraps
  • Brothers Bar & Grill
  • Bruegger's Bagels
  • The Saloon
  • The Wedge
  • Whitey's Ice Cream

24-Hour Dining

  • Perkins Restaurant

Grocery Stores

Wal-Mart
2801 Commerce Dr., Coralville
(319) 545-6417

Hy-Vee Food Stores
1201 N. Dodge St., Iowa City
(319) 354-9223

Restaurant Listing

One Twenty Six
Fine dining
126 E. Washington St.
(319) 887-1909
Price: Less than $35
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
onetwentysix.net
Different lunch and dinner menus.

Panchero's Mexican Grill
Mexican
32 S. Clinton St.
(319) 338-6311
www.pancheros.com
Price: Less than $10
Open past when the bars close for late-night munchies.
Hours: Monday–Saturday 10:30 a.m.–3 a.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2 a.m.

Perkins Restaurant
American
819 1st Ave., Coralville
(319) 351-1260
Price: $7-$15
Hours: Daily 24 hours

Hamburg Inn #2
American
214 N. Linn St.
(319) 337-5512
hamburginn.com
Price: Less than $15
Voted one of the best restaurants in Iowa City; serves breakfast all day.
Hours: Daily 6 a.m.–11 p.m.

Joseph's Steakhouse
American, steak
212 S. Clinton St.
Price: Less than $40
Amazing steaks.
Hours: Monday-Thursday 5 p.m.–10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 5 p.m.-9 p.m.
(319) 358-0776
josephssteak.com

Mesa Pizza by the Slice
Pizza
114 E. Washington St.
(319) 351-6372
www.mesapizzaia.com
Price: $5-$15
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-3 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

The Summit
American
16 S. Clinton St.
(319) 354-7470
Price: Less than $20
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
www.thesummitrestaurantandbar.com

Vine Tavern and Eatery
Burgers, wings
529 S. Gilbert St.
(319) 354-8767
Price: Less than $10
Walking distance from campus; best wings in Iowa City.
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–12 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
vinetavern.com

Z’Mariks Noodle Café
Noodle and rice bowls
19 S. Dubuque St.
(319) 338-5500
zmariks.com
Price: Less than $8
Like Noodles&Co, but a lot better.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Pita Pit
Pitas
113 Iowa Ave.
(319) 351-7482
www.pitapitusa.com
Price: Less than $10
Delivery; opens after bars close.
Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–3 a.m., Sunday 12 a.m.–3 a.m.

Quinton's Bar & Deli
Burgers, sandwiches, soup
215 E. Washington Ave.
(319) 354-7074
Price: Less than $13
One of the best places to get a martini.
Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.

Sky Box
American
124-1/2 E. Washington Ave.
(319) 351-5511
Price: Less than $10
Right above One Twenty Six.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

Bread Garden Market
Healthy
225 S. Linn St.
(319) 354-4246
www.breadgardenmarket.com
Price: $5-$10
Hours: Daily 6 a.m.–10 p.m.

Brown Bottle
American, Italian
115 E. Washington St.
(319) 351-6704
iowacitybrownbottle.com
Price: $8-$20
A great place to take your parents or a date.
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
American
201 S. Clinton St. (Old Capitol Mall)
(319) 887-9494
www.buffalowildwings.com
Price: $5-$10
Lots of big-screen TVs playing every sports channel.
Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

The Airliner
American
22 S. Clinton St., Iowa City
Price: Less than $15
Tom Brokaw has a plaque above the table he always went to instead of going to class.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
(319) 351-9259
theairlinerbar.com

Atlas World Grill
American, Mexican
127 Iowa Ave.
(319) 341-7700
atlasworldgrill.com
Price: Less than $15
Has every kind of burrito you could think of, only classier.
Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 5 p.m.–10 p.m.

Bo James
American
118 E. Washington St.
(319) 337-4703
Price: Less than $12
The $4.99 burger basket is Bo James' specialty.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Falbo Bros. Pizza
Pizza
457 S. Gilbert St.
(319) 337-9090
falbobros.com
Price: Less than $13
With every $15 purchase at Liquor Downtown, you can bring in your receipt for a free slice of pizza.
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.-3 a.m.

Formosa
Asian, sushi
221 E. College St.
(319) 338-8880
formosadowntown.com
Price: Less than $20
Best sushi in Iowa City, plus great happy hour and lunch specials.

Gumby's Pizza
Pizza
702 S. Gilbert St.
(319) 354-8629
www.gumbyspizza.com
Price: Less than $15
Delivers late; the Pokey Stix are a must have.
Hours: Monday–Thursday 2 p.m.–2 a.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–3:30 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

China Wok
Chinese
2302 Muscatine Ave.
(319) 351-6466
Price: Less than $12
Delivery is offered.
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Chipotle
Mexican
201 S. Clinton St. (Old Capital Mall)
(319) 338-1194
chipotle.com
Price: Less than $8
Hours: Daily 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Devotay
Tapas
117 N. Linn St.
(319) 354.1001
devotay.net
Price: Less than $15
All the pottery around the restaurant is for sale.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5 p.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

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