3 Delicious Restaurants I Visited During Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week
2026 Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week has come to a close! Here are my experiences at three of the participating restaurants during this year's 10-day event:
O's Grill, Cedar Rapids
The very first day of Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week, I visited one of my favorite local restaurants: O's Grill. The main reason for this was a conversation I had with O at the gym a week prior. I asked him what his special was going to be for Restaurant Week, and he said that he was going to be adding a Fried Chicken Gyro to the menu. I knew right then and there that it would be on my list. I stopped by to pick it up after work on Friday the 20th, and I had a difficult time waiting to get home before I started eating it...
Honestly, I've never had a single bad thing from O's, and Restaurant Week was no exception. I cleared my entire plate (or in this case, my entire takeout container). If you've never been to O's, you're seriously missing out.
Cellar 19 Wine & Deli, Downtown Cedar Rapids
To be honest, I actually went to Cellar 19 Wine & Deli TWICE last week. It's located on the Skywalk level of our office building, so this is not a strange occurrence. It is, however, unusual that I actually ate INSIDE the restaurant last Friday, February 27th. I met a friend for lunch, and we both ended up ordering the Restaurant Week special: the Italian Beef Sandwich!
The Italian Beef was SO good, as was the potato salad (my absolute FAVORITE thing on the menu). They even threw in a free dessert for my friend, since it was her birthday! Cellar 19 is truly one of Cedar Rapids' hidden gems. The next time you want quick and delicious lunch or a wine happy hour after work, be sure to add it to your list!
the hip-stir, Marion
Last, but definitely not least, I visited a popular Marion restaurant on March 1st, the final day of Restaurant Week. And, unlike the other two places I went to, this one was a place that I had never been to before! I FINALLY went to Uptown Marion to the hip-stir.
I've had a lot of people tell me that I would LOVE the hip-stir, and they were all 100% correct. One foot in the door and I was already transfixed by all the fun decor and the overall vibe of the space.
There were quite a few menu items I wanted to try at the hip-stir, but because it was Restaurant Week, I made sure to order a couple of the specials. I had the Pineapple Sage Margarita, and my friend and I shared the Focaccia Pizza appetizer. SO GOOD.
For my meal, I ordered off the fish & chips off the restaurant's regular menu. I was NOT expecting the meal to be so huge! Obviously, I have leftovers to enjoy today. Oh, and I have to give a shout out to the banana pepper tartar sauce - is was AMAZING.
Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week
I wish I would've had time to visit at least one or two more restaurants during Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week, but I was very happy with the three places that tried. Shout out to the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance for another successful year!
If you visited any of the participating restaurants during Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week, be sure to send your receipts in for the chance to win a gift basket! They must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 5th. For more information about the giveaways, visit the official Restaurant Week website HERE.
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Gallery Credit: Courtlin
Restaurants Within Walking Distance of the McGrath Amphitheatre
Gallery Credit: Courtlin