8 vegan-friendly Cedar Rapids restaurants

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When people come in from out of town, Newbo City Market is a fun place to take them.

It’s an indoor market with lots of food vendors, a few shops, and a bar area. In the summer months, they have outdoor music on Friday nights.

The businesses inside of Newbo City Market are always changing. However, there are consistently vegan options inside.

Update: The Full Bowl is temporarily closed. They hope to reopen in February 2025 at their new location, 120 10th Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids. They plan to keep most of their current menu, in addition to breakfast.

My favorite option at Newbo is a rice & bean eatery and vegetarian restaurant Cedar Rapids, The Full Bowl.

Everything is vegan at The Full Bowl, except for the option of adding dairy cheese to one bowl (the No Coast bowl).

Like all of the other businesses at Newbo, The Full Bowl is very casual. You just order at the counter, and then find seating in the public areas. But that also means there’s virtually no wait.

The menu changes weekly. However, chana masala and the No Coast bowl are usually on the menu.

The chana masala is delightfully spicy and comes on a bed of brown rice with mint cilantro & mango chutney on top.

The No Coast bowl is made with black beans over brown rice. It’s topped with salsa and house-made cashew sour cream.

Avocado can be added for an additional charge.

The Cajun red beans & rice bowl is hearty and packed with red kidney beans, celery, carrots, and seitan sausage.

FYI: Inside of NewBo City Market, you can also find non-dairy cheese & Impossible sausage for pizza at Aroma Artisan Pizza.

Be aware that there is an upcharge for adding vegan meats & cheese at Aroma, in addition to the cost of dairy cheese and sometimes meat already included in the price.

Taste of India is one of my favorite restaurants in Iowa.

As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a wave of enticing spices.

Their restaurant is unassuming, located in a strip mall. It’s off the beaten path from other more bustling areas of the city. However, the interior is nicely decorated with a fountain and low lighting.

Taste of India gets busy on the weekends. So make reservations if you want to get seated right away.

Vegan items are marked on the menu. And there are A LOT of them.

On their website they note that a separate clay oven, pots, and pans are used for cooking vegetarian dishes, away from the non-vegetarian ones.

Start with vegetable samosas, which are generously sized and stuffed with potatoes and peas.

They are served with tamarind and cilantro chutneys. The cilantro chutney is especially fresh & vibrant.

My favorite item on the menu is chana poori. This chickpea dish has rich, round flavors. It’s served with poori, a fried puffy bread, like a pillow on a plate.

It’s in the appetizers section. But it works just as well as a main dish.

Aloo gobhi is also delicious. It’s made with potatoes and cauliflower stir-fried with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and spices.

For a saucier dish, try aloo mutter with potatoes and green peas in a tomato sauce.

I also recommend the lentil dal in a sauce with onions and garlic, and pindi chana with chickpeas, ginger, garlic, and onions in a tomato sauce.

Everything is balanced in flavor with a good kick of heat. (We order it medium spicy.)

Don’t forget the fluffy rice and tandoori roti.

There are lots of options for vegans at Cappy’s Pizzeria.

Calzones, deep dish pizza, as well as a New York-style thin crust can all be made vegan.

The crust and pizza sauce are vegan by default. And they offer non-dairy cheese for an additional fee.

Start with breadsticks.

You can get them brushed with oil instead of butter. Or get them with non-dairy cheese on top.

They have vegan cheesy bread too!

Their plant-based pizza topping options include: red onion, mushrooms, spinach, fresh garlic, black and green olives, fresh basil, jalapeños, tomatoes, green peppers, artichokes, and pineapple.

They were also the first pizza place in the area to offer the Impossible Burger for their pizzas. It’s shown above on a New York-style thin crust.

It’s great on a vegan cheeseburger pizza, but you have to ask for it. (It’s not listed on the menu.)

Check out my reel to see this amazing Cappy’s pizza in action!

For a nice evening out, Lacayo (formerly Caucho) is a non-vegan Mexican restaurant with warm and inviting ambience.

They have a number of menu items that are already vegan or can be prepared that way.

These vegan or veganizable menu items are:

• Chips & salsa or guacamole
• Marinated olives without sobrassada
• Salad without whipped queso fresco & substituting vegan cashew crema
• Spanish potato ñoqui
• Pepita chorizo taco
• Tamaco taco with pepita chorizo and cashew crema instead of non-vegan ingredients
• Achiote pork loin without the meat (They will add other items to it.)
• Al pastor taco with pepita chorizo instead of pork
• All of the sides without cheese

New Pioneer Co-op is well loved in Eastern Iowa.

They have three locations (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Coralville).

Much of the produce and products on the store shelves of this natural grocery store come from local producers.

They also have a terrific array of vegan specialty products.

They make their own baked goods in-house. There’s top-notch bread, pastries, and desserts. I especially love the vegan chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls.

On the to-go shelf look for house-made items like popcorn tofu, curried tofu salad, and cold sandwiches. I especially recommend Cashew on a Hot Tin Roof.

At their deli, you can get hot sandwiches made fresh to order from 10am-4pm Tuesday through Saturday.

My favorite is the vegan tempeh reuben. The spicy Cajun tofuwich is also a crowdpleaser. There are dining tables inside, as well as picnic tables outside.

Beer fans can also get their vegan food fix at Lion Bridge Brewing Company.

In the restaurant, they have a separate vegan & vegetarian section of the menu, which I always really appreciate. It make for easy ordering!

(It would be great if they’d add this feature to their online menu as well.)

While you’re there, grab a vegan fried chicken sandwich.

It’s served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions on a pretzel bun.

The sandwich doesn’t come with a spread. So I recommend asking for house-made beer mustard on the side.

(If only they had vegan mayo, it would be a big improvement!)

By default, the vegan chicken sandwich comes with kettle chips. Or you can upgrade to french fries for a few dollars more.

Other plant-based menu options include Vegan Fritz’s burger with a quinoa/garlic patty, edamame, and a hummus platter. The soft pretzel bites or large pretzel are also vegan when ordered with beer mustard (omit beer cheese).

If you prefer to stay in and have your vegan eats from the comfort of home, get delivered meals from Veggie Reaper. They’re 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. 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. Plus, you should keep them in mind for when you don’t have time to meal prep, but still want healthy, plant-based foods at the ready.

Right next door to Cedar Rapids is Marion, a quaint Iowa small town.

They have an adorable town square with shops & restaurants. Amongst them is The Hip-stir, a cocktail bar with vegan options.

The interior of the restaurant is very playful.

There’s a row of booths made from wine barrels, which are semi-private.

They have upcycled doors on the ceiling, Tiffany-style chandeliers, stained glass church panes, and even a reconfigured motorcycle.

There’s a lot to take in while you wait for your food.

There are currently 5 vegan options on the menu.

• Sesame noodle salad with cashew dukka
• Beet street salad
• Jackfruit tacos with miso chimichurri
• Jackfruit udon bowl
• Seasoned edamame with herb soy vinaigrette dipping sauce

(You can see the vegan section of the menu on their Facebook page.)

The seasoned edamame is fried instead of steamed, which is surprising.

That makes it not quite as seamless to break them open to the beans inside. But it enhances the bar food vibe.

They have two jackfruit dishes on the menu.

I’m often wary of jackfruit on menus at non-vegan restaurants, because it’s an ingredient that’s easy to mess up.

But they do a pretty good job with it. It’s nicely browned around the edges.

Jackfruit is a component of an udon bowl with shiitake mushrooms and pineapple in a spicy chipotle-miso broth.

It’s a very eclectic combination of ingredients and flavors. Especially the pineapple. (For my palate, pickled onions would be a better choice for acid.)

But it is tasty & a very generous portion size. It is enough for 3 meals.

Jackfruit tacos are also available.

(By the way, after your visit to Hip-stir, I recommend stopping by SCOUT. It’s a really cute kitchenware & stationery store that I always enjoy.)

In a hurry?

There are several vegan fast food options in Cedar Rapids.

Options include Moe’s Southwest Grill (shown above), Chipotle, Burger King, Panda Express, Dairy Queen, Noodles & Company, Taco Bell, and Starbucks.

For specifics about their plant-based options, check out this post on vegan fast food.

For more vegan options & highlights in Iowa, click on these other handy guides.

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

Updated June 4, 2024. Originally posted January 13, 2018.