![Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley 2026 — Part 7 [PHOTOS]](https://townsquare.media/site/675/files/2026/08/attachment-801e48d1-afe9-4c2c-8bbd-f9f9876ea82f.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley 2026 — Part 7 [PHOTOS]
I may have waited until the very last minute, but I STILL managed to make a trip up to the Cedar Valley in July. That means my new year's resolution to try a one of the area's restaurants once a month in 2026 is still in tact!
On Friday night, I made my way up to the Cedar Valley with a couple of friends with the goal of attending Irish Fest in Downtown Waterloo. The plan was to go grab some food from a restaurant outside of the festival area, and then wander our way over and join the celebration. While we did end up doing both of those things, the Irish Fest portion of the evening was foiled by Mother Nature. By the time we arrived at the festival around 8 p.m., the ongoing downpour had forced many of the activities to close down early. We ended up leaving an hour later.
Even though the festival didn't pan out for us, we were still able to enjoy a delicious INDOOR dinner on Friday night at a local restaurant that we had heard rave reviews about! We decided to visit Basal Pizza in Downtown Waterloo.
About Basal Pizza
Basal Pizza is located at 225 W 4th St, which happens to be right by Carpenter's Diner, the restaurant we visited back in June. It first opened its doors in 2016, and has maintained a solid 4.7-star rating on Google over the past decade. The small restaurant has a fun, relaxed vibe, even featuring an entire wall of plants for sale!
One of the reasons I wanted to check out Basal is because the menu includes Detroit-style pizza, which is not something you see at a ton of Iowa pizza joints. If you're not familiar with Detroit-style pizza, it's typically a square or rectangle-shaped pie that's made from "a thick, airy, and focaccia-like dough." It's the crispy crust featuring caramelized cheese that really sets it apart from other styles of pizza. If you've ever ordered a deep-dish pizza from Little Caesars or encountered the popular chain Jet's Pizza (both founded in Michigan), then you've tried Detroit-style pizza.
What We Ate
As a born-and-raised Michigander, Detroit-style pizza is my absolute favorite. So, even though there were several Neapolitan-style pizzas on the menu at Basal that I really wanted to try (the Stevie Nicks sounds amazing!), I had to go with my heart. My vegetarian friend and I split the Angelo, which is a basic pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil (pictured above). The restaurant definitely did the Detroit-style justice... it was SO good!
My two other friends went with the individual-sized Neapolitan pizzas. One ordered the Margherita, and the other got pepperoni. I was happy to see that Basal has the GOOD pepperoni. You know, the small ones that crisp up on the edges and turn into little cups in the oven? They're my absolute favorite! You know they're good, because even though my friend didn't finish the whole pizza, he still managed to eat every single pepperoni before we left the restaurant.
Oh yeah, we had an order of cheese bread, too!
Restaurants I've Visited (So Far)
Here are all the restaurants I've been to in 2026 for my 'Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley' series:
- January: Bigfoot Betty's, Cedar Falls
- February: George's Local, Cedar Falls
- March: The Brown Bottle, Waterloo
- April: 1850 Patio & Grill, Waterloo
- May: Zsavooz Sports Lounge & Grill, Cedar Falls
- June: Carpenter's Diner, Waterloo
- July: Basal Pizza, Waterloo
Where in the Cedar Valley should we go in August? If you have any restaurant recommendations, let me know in the comments or by sending me a message on our station app!
READ MORE: Where to Get Delicious Cheesecake in Eastern Iowa [PHOTOS]
99 Iowa Counties, 99 Delicious Iowa Restaurants (LAST UPDATED 6/23/26)
Gallery Credit: Courtlin