18 vegan friendly restaurants in Iowa City

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 18 vegan-friendly restaurants in the home of the Hawkeyes and surrounding area.

In this post:

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.)

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.

Plus, they have 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 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. These options are newer offerings, which feature 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 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, 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 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 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.

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.

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 shows up intermittently. They offer lots of tofu-centric dishes.

Some of the items they offer include a tofu scramble and crispy 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 breakfast sandwiches, vegan BLTA’s, tofu scrambles, and avocado toast.

You can also find Nomadic Foods inside of Kindred Coffee on the north side (see below), or around the state at various fests & events. (If they have them, grab some vegan nachos!)

The folks behind Nomadic Foods (above) also own the vegetarian coffee shop, Kindred Coffee.

This cute & airy north side location is a great place to hang out and study, grab a cup of joe, and breakfast or lunch.

In addition to refreshing coffee drinks, like this iced latte with vegan salted vanilla cold foam, any of their food items can be made vegan upon request.

Look for options like sandwiches, smoothie bowls, and scrambles.

The very tasty vegan BLTA (shown here) is filled with house-made tempeh bacon, tomato, chopped greens, and mashed avocado on toasted bread.

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.

Visiting Wilson’s Orchard is a fall tradition that’s now open all year ’round. There’s apple picking in the late summer and pumpkins in the early fall.

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 sometimes available for pizzas.

Update: Wilson’s used to have a full-service restaurant. However, they announced that they were closing the restaurant to focus on events.

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.

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.)

If you need a quick slice of pizza, stop by The Wedge Pizzeria in downtown Iowa City (next to Joe’s Place).

They have a couple of plant-based slices available in the warmer.

There’s a vegan Buddha with olive oil & garlic sauce, non-dairy mozzarella, tomato slices, spinach, zucchini, and black olives.

And there’s a vegan nutcracker with basil pesto, vegan mozzarella, pistachios, and roasted red peppers.

Of course, if you’d prefer, they also sell full-sized pizzas.

Occasionally they have vegan cookies on offer like this delicious vegan oatmeal raisin with a hint of cinnamon.

Be aware that the seating is limited with metal stools and aluminum tables. So depending on your needs, it may be better to-go.

Located in the Iowa River Landing, Iowa Athletic Club is a fun place to bring visitors from out of town.

It has a playful 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 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.

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.

Big Grove is a non-vegan restaurant that has a few vegan and veganizable options on the menu.

For an appetizer, I recommend the garlic rosemary focaccia, fries, or a warm pretzel with mustard. (Omit the beer cheese.)

For your main course, I recommend the tofu banh mi, which is vegan as-is.

This marinated tofu sandwich is topped with mushrooms, pickled vegetables, hoisin, cucumber, jalapenos, and a slathering of sriracha lime tofu aioli on a crusty baguette.

Here are other vegan or veganizable items on the menu:

• Garden salad (ask for a vegan dressing)
• Stir fry noodle bowl (omit egg)
• Poke bowl (request vegan alternatives)

They have an Impossible burger option on the menu with a $3 upcharge, but they no longer have a vegan bun, unfortunately.

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 is a Northside restaurant with 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.

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 vegan sandwich with lentil-walnut pate, olive tapenade, tomato confit, cucumbers, and greens.

It’s a hearty sandwich with lots of fresh vegetables.

Their roasted red pepper and tomato soup is vegan and comes topped with a drizzling of balsamic reduction.

You can also build your own vegan board with the various spreads, house-made walnut-lentil pate, olives, and pickles.

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.

Reds 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.

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.

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.

Check out these other handy guides for more Iowa vegan options:

• Cedar Falls & Waterloo
• Cedar Rapids
• Decorah
• Des Moines
• Fairfield
• Iowa Farm Sanctuary
• Mason City
• Quad Cities

This vegan Iowa City round-up was updated with up-to-date locations & offerings May 14, 2025. It was originally posted October 8, 2015.