Iowa City offers a surprising amount of vegan options for a town in the middle of the Heartland.
Here are 19 vegan Iowa City restaurant options include bowls, burgers, baked goods, and more.
Iowa City is home to the University of Iowa and full of Midwestern small town charm.
The city bursts with energy from an ever-changing student population.
There’s pride in local food, a bustling farmers market in warm weather months, and a surprising amount of vegan options for a town in the middle of the Heartland.
In no way does this cover all of the options, but here are 19 vegan-friendly restaurants in the home of the Hawkeyes and surrounding area.
Trumpet Blossom
Trumpet Blossom is Iowa City’s sole vegan restaurant. They are open for lunch and dinner.
In warm weather months, check out their outdoor patio. When it’s cool, the inside is nice & quiet. Great for conversation. Sometimes they also have live music.
They have a full bar with creative cocktails. For non-alcoholic options, I’m partial to their sparkling lemonade.
Their menu is focused on local and organic cuisine.
Be sure to grab an order of their seitan wings for dinner as an appetizer. They come with a side of aioli for dipping, plus a little side salad garnish with pickled vegetables.
Round out your appetizers with the cheese plate. It is a tasty option with house-made cashew cheese. And their sweet potato fries are also a “must.”
At lunch, they offer a seitan gyro that is deliciously hearty, flavorful, and filling. It includes greens, olives, and tofu feta in a housemade pita.
My favorite dinner option is the solstice salad. It’s a kale salad with tahini dressing, topped with falafel.
(Need a vegan cake for a special occasion? Order ahead of time and pick from a variety of flavors on their bakery menu.)
Cortado
Located on Clinton Street in the heart of downtown Iowa City, Cortado is a coffee shop & cafe.
They have salads, sandwiches, falafel, and my favorite hummus in Iowa City.
They serve it with warm lavash-style pita bread that’s made in house.
My favorite options are the hummus plate with half salad, the original falafel pita wrap, and the deconstructed falafel bowl.
The rainbow salad (shown here) is vegan as-is, and the Greek salad is vegan if you omit the feta.
The falafel wrap is stuffed with hummus, tahini, romaine, pickles, red onion, and cucumber.
All of their dishes feel light, healthy, and substantive.
They recently added notations on their menu board for which items are vegan by default. That’s so helpful & appreciated!
You can also find Cortado hummus & pita at New Pioneer Co-op in Coralville & Iowa City.
Oasis
Oasis is a big fan favorite in Iowa City. They feature Mediterranean cuisine & Middle Eastern street food with lots of vegan options.
The vegetable kebabs are one of my top choices.
They have a fire-licked flavor from being cooked on flames. The onions in the kebabs take on a caramelized sweetness.
The meal comes with two falafel and a choice of sides.
I also recommend the create-a-plate with baba ganoush or hummus, chickpea salad or Mediterranean salad, and madjadra (rice with lentils and caramelized onions).
Their french fries are especially good. They taste great alongside a vat of hummus.
I’m also fond of the tofu mangal rice bowl and pita sandwich, a couple of their newer items using local tofu from Old Capitol Tofu.
If you can’t make it to the restaurant, they also sell Oasis hummus, falafel, and pita in many grocery stores throughout Iowa and beyond.
New Pioneer Co-op
New Pioneer Co-op has three locations in Eastern Iowa (Iowa City, Coralville, and Cedar Rapids).
Much of the produce and prepared products at New Pi comes from local growers. In addition, there’s a bakery and housemade to-go items with vegan cold sandwiches, breads, and dessert.
They have a soup and salad bar open during lunchtime. Made to order sandwiches are served from 11 am – 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
The current vegan (or veganizable) sandwich options are spicy Cajun tofuwich, buffalo tofu wrap, Papagayo with no cheese & tempeh reuben (at the Coralville location).
As for desserts, don’t miss the vegan chocolate chip cookies or freshly made cinnamon rolls.
Eastern Iowans are so lucky to have freshly made vegan cinnamon rolls available daily.
And I challenge you to find a better chocolate chip cookie anywhere.
By the way, I have three recipes inspired by New Pi favorites – curried tofu salad, jalapeño cashew cheese, and vegetable sandwich (my take on Cashew on a Hot Tin Roof).
Nodo
Nodo is a casual, order-at-the-counter style sandwich shop with two locations in Iowa City.
One is in the downtown ped mall near Prairie Lights Bookstore.
They have two levels of indoor seating. In the warm weather months, they also have outdoor seating in front of the restaurant.
The other Nodo location shares the building with Ace Hardware. (The one with a resident cat!)
Nodo offers a variety of wraps, sandwiches, and salads. The menu is clearly marked with which items can be prepared vegan.
(Vegan items are marked with two leaves on the menu, while vegetarian items have just one.)
Lots of items can be prepared vegan by omitting meat & choosing either tofu or a homemade patty. (It used to be a hemp & seed patty. Now it’s made with white beans.)
My favorite order is the Thai peanut wrap.
This whole wheat wrap is packed with mint, cilantro, carrots, red bell peppers, cucumber, sprouts, peanuts, and mixed greens. It’s finished with a creamy peanut sauce.
If you like, you can add tofu. It’s delicious either way.
(In fact, I loved it so much, I made my own version of this tortilla wrap!)
Their bánh mì can also prepared vegan by replacing the usual pork with tofu & using Vegenaise as the spread.
It’s topped with a garlic-heavy carrot slaw, cucumbers, and cilantro.
There could be fewer carrots and more cucumbers, cilantro, and radishes for my tastes. But it’s still a filling and tasty sandwich.
Get Fresh Cafe
Get Fresh Café is within eye line of the Old Capitol.
They feature juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, wraps, and sandwiches. They also make a refreshing Arnold Palmer with housemade lemonade and tea.
They have lots of vegan options including a satisfying tempeh BLT with vegan chipotle mayo, a veggie wrap with red lentil hummus, a Thai peanut wrap, and a rotating vegan soup of the day.
Iowa City farmers market
The Iowa City farmers market is a weekly affair on Saturdays from May through October.
You’ll find lots of fresh, locally grown produce throughout the first level of the Chauncey Swan parking ramp.
If you’re a coffee lover, I highly recommend picking up a bag of ground coffee from Wake Up Iowa. Hive Jive is my favorite.
Just outside of the parking ramp, you’ll find a variety of food trucks.
Businesses change from one week to the next, but there are always some vegan options.
The crew from Old Capitol Food Company always delights with lots of tofu-centric dishes.
Some of the items they offer include:
- Tofu scramble
- Tofu reuben tofu burger
- Spicy chick’n sandwich (Made with tofu, of course!)
You can also pick up a package of their organic tofu. (It’s also for sale in area grocery stores, like New Pioneer Co-op.)
You also won’t want to miss vegetarian food stall, Nomadic Foods. Most of the items on their menu can be made vegan.
Expect things like:
- Cashew yogurt parfaits
- Breakfast sandwiches with JUST egg
- Tofu or JUST egg scramble
- Breakfast bonanza with your choice of tofu or JUST egg, home fries, and tempeh bacon
- Avocado toast
- Buffalo chickpea sandwich
- Vegan BLTA
You can also find Nomadic Foods around the state at various fests & events. (If they have them, grab some vegan nachos!)
Their vegetarian dishes are also available at Tru Coffee in the Northside of Iowa City. Most of the dishes can be veganized.
Veggie Reaper
Prefer to stay in and have your vegan eats from the comfort of home? Get delivered meals from Veggie Reaper, a vegan food delivery service & caterer based out of Center Point, Iowa.
They do regular drop-offs in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, so you can stock up on their delicious plant-based treats. Plus, they often pop up at special events.
Menus change depending on the season, but you can expect things like fettuccine alfredo, breakfast burritos, eggless egg salad, peanut noodles, southwestern salad with lentils, dairy-free cheesecakes, and oatmeal cream pies.
For more information on current menu items and their delivery days, check out veggiereaper.com. And keep them in mind for when you don’t have time to meal prep, but still want healthy, plant-based foods at the ready.
Daydrink
Daydrink is a friendly little coffee shop on Bowery Street. (They used to have a Ped Mall location as well, but it closed.)
They have oat milk available at no charge. (This shop used to be entirely vegan, but sadly, they decided to start offering dairy milk as well.)
They have a reusable jar program, where you pay $1 for a jar. Then on subsequent visits you can use that jar for a dollar off.
The vanilla latte is deliciously drinkable & not too sweet, which I appreciate. For vegan eats, they have bagels and cashew cream cheese. (They used to have more food options but phased those out.)
Wilson’s Orchard
Visiting Wilson’s Orchard is a fall tradition that’s now open all year ’round.
There’s apple picking in the late summer, pumpkins in the early fall, sledding and snowshoeing in the winter.
In addition to apples aplenty, Wilson’s also sells apple cider, apple slushies, and apple turnovers that just happen to be vegan.
The turnovers can be purchased hot and fresh or frozen to eat later.
(Scroll through the pictures of this Instagram post to see the apple turnover ingredients.)
Next door to the farm market is a pizza stand, where vegan cheese is available for pizzas.
Wilson’s also has a full-service restaurant on site called Wilson’s Ciderhouse & Venue (formerly Rapid Creek Cidery).
Their menu changes depending on the season. I’ve gotten things like local tofu with saffron couscous, jackfruit empanadas, and tofu tostadas.
They have notations about which items are vegan on the online menu, which is so helpful.
Dodge Street Coffeehouse
If you’re driving down I-80 and need a quick place to stop for coffee or a grab-and-go meal, Dodge Street Coffeehouse is super convenient.
This unassuming coffee shop is attached to the BP gas station, in the place where Subway used to be.
However, once you’re inside, it’s very quaint with large tables and even a play area for kids.
In addition to offering several kinds of non-dairy milk (soy, almond, and coconut), they occasionally have vegan scones and baked donuts on offer.
Plus, they get readymade meals from local Iowa City restaurants like Trumpet Blossom, Oasis, and Nodo.
There are lots of plant-based options including salads, bowls, wraps, and snacks.
Super handy when you need something fast, especially if you’re on the road without much time to stop.
Scratch Cupcakery
Scratch Cupcakery in the Iowa River Landing offers one flavor of vegan cupcake and cookie daily.
The flavor changes by the day.
So take a peek at their daily menu to know what they’re selling on the day you plan to visit.
Possible cupcake flavors include:
- Maple cinnamon
- Chocolate peanut butter
- Carrot
- Wedding day
- Chocolate raspberry
- S’mores
- And more!
In addition to their Coralville location, Scratch Cupcakery has bakeries in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.
(Molly’s Cupcakes in downtown Iowa City and Des Moines also offers vegan cupcakes. However, I prefer Scratch, because the cupcake options, while more limited, are also more interesting.)
30 Hop
If you’re craving a burger you can really sink your teeth into, visit 30 Hop in the Iowa River Landing area of Coralville.
Known for their craft beer, they also have a clearly labeled vegan burger on the menu.
The burger is topped with an Impossible patty, Vegenaise, vegan cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.
If you’re not in the mood for a burger, the yakisoba noodle bowl can be ordered with tofu, or as listed with wok veggies only.
Iowa Athletic Club
Located in the Iowa River Landing, Iowa Athletic Club is a great place to bring visitors from out of town. It has a fun atmosphere with arcade games and skeeball, lots of big screen televisions, and an outdoor seating area.
You can veganize several of their menu items by having them prepared with vegan cheese, Impossible burger, and grilled or crispy Impossible chicken.
Of course, it’s always easiest to order right off the menu. Their vegan burger (shown above) can be ordered as-is. This smash burger is stacked with Impossible beef, vegan cheese, mango chutney, kale slaw, hummus, and pickled onions. It’s served with crispy crinkle cut fries.
Even though the burger can be ordered vegan as-is, I recommend asking them to take off the hummus or order it on the side. I assume they use hummus because it’s more convenient for them than vegan mayo. However, hummus is a weird fit on this burger. (It would make more sense on a falafel burger.) The hummus adds an oddly gluey and lemony element to an otherwise tasty burger.
In addition to sandwiches, they also have tavern style pizzas.
Shown here is the veggie heaven with poblano peppers, corn, mushrooms, onions, olives, and tomatoes. To make it vegan, sub vegan cheese, and if you like, add Impossible meat.
If you’re a crust fan, be aware that the pizza is cut into small squares. So not every slice gets crust around the edges on this very thin pizza. And when I tried it, the pizza didn’t get very done on the bottom, making it pretty floppy. I wouldn’t order it again.
Big Grove Brewery
The best part about a visit to Big Grove Brewery is the expansive outdoor seating area.
There are fire pits for chilly nights, and lots of room for friendly dogs to hang out with their beer-loving human family members. The ambience is really pleasant.
The indoor space is also open and inviting. But be warned that it can get loud and echo-y on busy nights. On the plus side, you get to smell the hops of the beer being made in house.
The Iowa City lager is my favorite beer option. It’s in the same wheelhouse as a Corona. They also have a nice wine list.
Big Grove is a non-vegan restaurant that has several clearly marked vegan and veganizable options on the menu.
For an appetizer, I recommend the warm pretzel with mustard. (Omit the beer cheese.)
For your main course, grab the vegan banh mi with either tofu or an Impossible patty for an additional charge.
Also on the menu: an Impossible burger, a falafel Buddha bowl, a vegan Poke bowl with cold tofu (skip it), and fries, which are excellent.
Heads up: There is a second location of Big Grove in Solon, which offers a different menu.
It tends to not be as vegan-friendly in terms of the number of options. But vegans can always find something there. I shared pictures from the Solon location on Instagram.
A third location also opened in Des Moines in summer 2022.
Insomnia Cookies
Have a problem that a warm cookie would solve?
Drop by Insomnia Cookies in the ped mall.
They have three different vegan cookie options – vegan birthday cake, vegan chocolate chunk, and vegan double chocolate chunk.
They’re also open very late for night owls & partygoers. That’s good news if you get a midnight cookie craving.
This chain also has locations in Ames, Des Moines, and Cedar Falls.
Brix
While “vegan-friendly” wouldn’t necessarily be the first words that come to mind with a wine and cheese shop, at Brix they have several options for plant-based folks.
They have a veggie banh mi with lentil-walnut pate, olive tapenade, tomato confit, cucumbers, and greens.
It’s a hearty sandwich with lots of fresh vegetables.
You can also build your own vegan board with the various spreads, house-made walnut-lentil pate, olives, and pickles.
Their roasted red pepper and tomato soup is vegan and comes topped with a drizzling of balsamic reduction.
Now that vegan cheeses & meats have become more readily available in Iowa City at New Pioneer Co-op and beyond, it would be great to see them add some non-dairy cheeses and/or seitan deli slices to the mix. (Herbivorous Butcher or Darë Vegan Cheese, perhaps?) I’ve asked in the past about them adding a vegan cheese. But so far that’s been a no go, sadly.
There’s a small outdoor patio that’s lovely in the warm weather months.
And the restaurant itself is quiet with low lights. It’s a nice place to have a quiet conversation with friends on a Friday night.
Red’s Alehouse
Red’s Alehouse in North Liberty has a lengthy beer list, as you’d guess from the name.
They also have a nice outdoor seating area, and a clearly marked menu with vegan options.
They have several marked vegan and veganizable options, including a vegan tamale topped with a tomatillo salsa. On the side is a generously-sized arugula salad with corn salsa, cabbage, and avocado.
If you don’t like arugula (as I don’t), I recommend requesting it with romaine instead.
They also have a couple of flatbread pizzas, and a sesame noodle bowl, which can be ordered with Gardein vegan chick’n for an extra charge.
(They use unbreaded Gardein, which is a little underwhelming.)
Finally, they have an Impossible burger with Vegenaise, avocado, and house-made pickles.
FilmScene
If you like supporting non-profit, mission-driven cinemas, FilmScene is the place for you.
Not only do they get art house films and documentaries that you won’t find in the mall movie theatre, they also have a number of plant-based food options.
Their popcorn is cooked in coconut oil. And they offer a shaker of nutritional yeast flakes.
Plus, they have trail mix and banana bread from local vegan restaurant, Trumpet Blossom.
Fast food options
If you don’t have time for a sit-down meal, there are several vegan fast food options in the Iowa City area.
Options include Noodles & Company, Z’Mariks, Starbucks, Burger King, Bruegger’s, and Chipotle.
Iowa vegan options
Check out these other handy guides for more Iowa vegan options:
This vegan Iowa City round-up was updated with up-to-date locations & offerings March 12, 2024. It was originally posted October 8, 2015.
Nicole Spear
This was great! I became vegan a few years ago and live in Iowa City. I don’t venture out to many restaurants because it can be such a hassle! This helped a lot.
My 8 and 5 year old are mostly vegan also and it’s super hard to feed them in public with all the kid options being animal based. My daughter has to avoid dairy because of migraines. She loves doughnuts on Monday mornings to start her school week off. Have you found any vegan doughnuts?!
I have considered making them but would love a more convenient option.
Thanks!
Cadry
Oh, good! I’m glad this post was a help. I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s migraines. I get them too. They’re the worst.
There are a few vegan doughnut options, but none are super convenient, especially if you want to do it weekly. The closest option is the Early Bird in Cedar Rapids. It’s a coffee shop, and they get donuts from District Donuts. BUT they only get them on Fridays. They have both vegan & non-vegan donuts, and the vegan ones are also gluten free. From what I’ve seen, it looks like the vegan ones are always baked cinnamon sugar. I’ve never tried their donuts, because it’s never worked out timing-wise. And for baked cinnamon donuts, I can easily make my own in less time than it would take to get there.
As for fried yeast-raised donuts, your closest option is Icon Donuts. They have two locations – Waterloo & Cedar Falls. So you’re looking at an hour to hour and a half drive, depending on which location you choose. It’s not super convenient, but could be a fun day trip on the weekend. They offer 2 vegan donuts every day, and the flavors change every week. They announce the flavors on Facebook. So check out their page. Their donuts are huge, really fluffy, and well worth the trip. Good luck!
Abby
This is a great list you have here! But Get Fresh definitely deserves a spot here too! They’ve got vegan lunch items, smoothie bowls, smoothies, and fresh juices! Lots of variety at Get Fresh and I love it 🙂
(Located right on Iowa Ave too!)
Cadry Nelson
Thanks for the suggestion, Abby! I’ve been meaning to visit Get Fresh for a while. What’s your favorite thing to order?
Jeremy
Excellent list. Thank you!
One additional thought…I love Big Grove and eat there often (your description of the tofu banh mi is spot on). But I avoid their chips, as I think they use a shared fryer.
Cadry
You’re welcome, Jeremy! I’m glad you enjoyed the list.
Thanks for the heads up on the shared fryer at Big Grove. That’s not something I personally worry about, because it doesn’t change the amount of animals harmed whether or not a shared fryer is used on my fries. As long as there’s not actually any animal products in my meal, I’m fine. I imagine a lot of these places have shared cooking surfaces, except for Trumpet Blossom (obviously) and Oasis, where I know they’re cautious about that. But that’s good to know for people who avoid shared fryers. Thanks!
Laura VZ
I love Trumpet Blossom – even the vibe is so relaxed and homey. Thank you for joining us there for breakfast this weekend, and thank you for taking us to Big Grove! I loved the tacos especially and was surprised how many nice options they have. Now I have a few more places to try and hit up next time I’m in town, especially RSVP and Scratch. 🙂
Cadry
I totally agree on the vibe at Trumpet Blossom. So quiet, low key, and friendly. It was such a treat getting to hang out with you this weekend! We’ll have to put stationery & cupcakes on the list for next time. 🙂
Brittany
As a gluten intolerant vegan about to move from Southern California to Iowa City, I am very grateful to have this list to start of my experience of the community! Thank you!
Cadry
You’re welcome! I’m so glad it’s a help, Brittany! Iowa City is far from Southern California in terms of vegan options, of course, but it has really stepped up its game in recent years. I hope you’ll be very happy in Iowa!
Ada
Just ate at Dumpling Darling and had their kimchi mandu tofu dumplings and the spicy edamame. They definitely deserve a spot on this list. Cannot tell you how highly I recommend the spicy edamame. Wish I wasn’t just passing through town.
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed your visit to Dumpling Darling on your way through Iowa City! It’s been a while since I’ve been there. I’ll have to pop in for their spicy edamame.
Cadry
Hi, Ada! I added Dumpling Darling to the line-up. I hope you’re able to visit again for more of that spicy edamame on your next trip through Iowa City.
Alina
Wow, what a beautiful roundup! I never thought of visiting Iowa City but your post makes me want to go there now. Great to know that the middle of the country has such a great vegan oasis!
Cadry
Thanks, Alina! Like a lot of college towns, Iowa City is really cute and generates a lot of progressive and forward-thinking businesses.
Jenn
What?? Where were these places when I went to school there?! So cool!!!
Cadry
Yes, there are some tasty options!
Jennifer
Wonderful post! I’ve never been to Iowa but if I do go I know where to refer back to for plant-based eats! Thanks!!!
Cadry
Thanks, Jennifer!
Tracey
I wanna move to Iowa!
Cadry
Ha! Put this in the record book, kids! It may be the first time someone from New York has said she wants to move to Iowa. 😉
Tracey
LOL..:)
Shell
Yum! Can’t wait to go to Oasis sometime soon. Fortunately, this post reminded me that I’m supposed to make falafel in an effort to appease my husband since we didn’t visit Oasis during our recent trip. Film Scene sounds like an especially fun place – what a great variety of plant-based food options!
Cadry
Yes, I was so surprised that Josh had been looking forward to it! I know you and Kennedy are tradition-girls, but I didn’t realize Josh had his heart set on it. Next time!