A New Restaurant is Going Into the Old Wilson Ave Dairy Queen

We finally know what will be taking over the former Dairy Queen on Wilson Ave in Cedar Rapids! Thanks to a new post from Q4 Commercial Real Estate, we got word that Abelardo's Mexican Fresh is set to move in next year.

Back in June of 2022, the Dairy Queen at 11 Wilson Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids was damaged by a fire. There were hopes that DQ would rebuild and reopen the building, but those hopes were dashed when the building went up for sale earlier this year. Q4 Real Estate announced on November 10th that they represented the buyer in the sale of the property, and that "renovation is currently in progress on this site for the new tenant: Abelardo's Mexican Fresh, coming Spring 2024!!"

If Abelardo's sounds familiar, that's because it was announced this summer that one would be coming to the former Taco John's location at 4401 1st Ave SE in Cedar Rapids. Abelardo's is a Nebraska-based chain that first opened in the Des Moines area more than a decade ago, but they're finally expanding into the Eastern part of the state. They currently have 10 locations in Iowa.

According to their website, Abelardo's goal is to provide guests with "authentic Mexican food, prepared fresh, served fast and full of flavor!" The expansive menu includes items like taquitos, nachos, quesadillas, rice bowls, breakfast plates, burritos, enchiladas, churros, tacos, and more. They also offer weekly deals like Taco Tuesday, where customers can get 5 tacos for $5.99.

As of right now, we don't have exact dates on when either Cedar Rapids Abelardo's location is set to open, but we will be sure to keep you updated!