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Vegan travel

6 Cedar Rapids restaurants with vegan options

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Deep dish vegan pizza at Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Heading to eastern Iowa? Today I’m highlighting vegetarian restaurants Cedar Rapids + places with vegan options.

Exterior Newbo City Market in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa. It was once home to Grant Wood, Ashton Kutcher, and Elijah Wood. (But not at the same time.)

It’s also where you can find vegetarian restaurants Cedar Rapids & a number of vegan options – including tacos, curries, pizza, and bowls.

NewBo City Market & The Full Bowl

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.

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

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.

Chana masala in paper cup at The Full Bowl topped with cilantro chutney.

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

No Coast bowl at The Full Bowl. Black beans and rice bowl with salsa and vegan sour cream.

The No Coast bowl is made with black beans over brown rice. It’s topped with salsa and house-made vegan cashew sour cream. Avocado can be added for an additional charge.

Overhead picture red bean & rice bowl with cornbread muffin & chocolate chip cookie.

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

Also inside of NewBo City Market, you can find freshly squeezed juice at Get Fresh, non-dairy cheese for pizza at Aroma Artisan Pizza, and clearly marked vegan options at Melting Bite. (Check out pics of the poori chole, saag, and cauliflower pakora on my Instagram feed.)

Vegan options at non vegetarian restaurants Cedar Rapids

Exterior Caucho in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Caucho

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

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

Interior bar & restaurant at Caucho in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Overhead tacos and plantains on table at Caucho in Cedar Rapids.

The items that are vegan as-is include: curtido, plantains, escabeche, guacamole, salsa & chips.

The items that can be prepared vegan with a few substitutions are:

  • arroz (omit cheese)
  • frijoles (omit cheese)
  • chilaquiles (omit animal products for vegan substitutions of fried cauliflower, cashew crema, avocado, and pumpkin seed “chorizo”)
  • hongo tacos (omit cheese)
  • Gringo tacos (omit cheese, substitute chorizo with vegan pepita chorizo & beans)

Overhead view of guacamole and cactus paddle salad + house made tortilla chips at Caucho.

Legumbres tacos with pickled onions and guacamole at Caucho.

Raspberry margaritas on table at Caucho in Cedar Rapids.

Caucho gets very busy on Friday and Saturday nights. If you’re going with a big group, reservations are recommended.

Taste of India

Exterior Taste of India, a restaurant with vegan options, in Cedar Rapids.

Taste of India in Cedar Rapids is located in a strip mall, off the beaten path from other more bustling areas of the city. 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.

As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a wave of enticing spices. One step inside the door and every member of our group exclaimed, “Well, it certainly smells good!”

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.

Vegetable samosas on a plate at Taste of India in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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.

Chickpea curry in a metal bowl with poori.

Poori, puffy Indian bread, on a plate at Taste of India in Cedar Rapids.

David’s favorite is aloo mutter with potatoes and green peas in a tomato sauce.

Aloo muttar at Taste of India in Cedar Rapids.

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.

Chickpea & lentil curries with tandoori roti.

Lentil dal at Taste of India in Cedar Rapids.

Don’t forget the fluffy rice and tandoori roti.

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

Cappy’s Pizzeria

Exterior Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Interior Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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.

David holding record menu at Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

(Plus, how fun are their repurposed record cover menus?)

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

Breadsticks at Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Start with breadsticks. You can get them brushed with oil instead of butter as a vegan option. Or get them with vegan cheese on top. They have vegan cheesy bread too!

Deep dish vegan pizza at Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Deep dish pizza at Cappy's Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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

Cheeseburger pizza at Cappy's in Cedar Rapids.

Slice of cheeseburger pizza at Cappy's in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

They’re 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 shown above on a vegan cheeseburger pizza, which is always available on their secret menu! (Shh!)

Lightworks Café

Smoked cauliflower tacos at Lightworks Cafe in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Lightworks Café is a non vegetarian Cedar Rapids restaurant and coffee shop with vegan options. The breezy space is a lovely option for lunch. You can easily hang out afterwards, checking emails or catching up with friends.

You’ll likely want to get Siri involved when you’re looking for Lightworks. It’s a bit hidden behind Benz Beverage Depot.

While you’re there, try the smoked cauliflower tacos with avocado aioli, pickled cabbage, and pico de gallo. The smoked and seared cauliflower has a wonderful depth of flavor. The tacos are served on your choice of flour or corn tortilla. 

Overhead smoked cauliflower tacos, black bean tacos, fries, and Brussels sprouts at Lightworks Cafe.

The black bean tacos are also worth getting. They’re topped with pickled red cabbage, pico de gallo, and vegan avocado aioli.

Other vegan menu items include black garlic Brussels sprouts, fries, fruit cup, chips, and salsa.

Gumption

Coffee drink with non-dairy milk in Gumption mug.

Gumption is a non vegetarian Cedar Rapids restaurant & coffee shop with vegan options.

Vegan breakfast is a rare commodity in these parts. Gumption has a few offerings. Although, I haven’t had a chance to try them yet.

Breakfast items include smoothie bowls, breakfast quinoa, and a sweet potato split with a warm sweet potato, peanut butter, bananas, and almonds.

Chickpea salad sandwich with vegetables, coffee in background at Gumption.

At lunchtime they offer Not Yo’ Cheese Dip, which is a warm dip with Mexican flavors. The thick & tomato-y spread is hearty & filling.

They also offer a chickpea salad sandwich. The sandwich is very similar to the vegan tuna salad I make at home. It’s toasted and filled with cucumbers and bell pepper.

Cedar Rapids vegetarian restaurant, Rawlicious, has closed while they look for a new location. They used to be on this list. I’ll keep you posted when they’re back in action again!

For more vegan options in Eastern Iowa, check out this post on vegan Iowa City. I also have lists for the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Mason City, and Cedar Falls.

Originally posted January 2018. New & updated options posted April 2019.

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Posted On: April 2, 2019
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About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Shell says

    January 17, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    I had no idea Cedar Rapids had so many great options. This post makes me think that Cedar Rapids may have more vegan friendly options than Des Moines. If only they had a Krunkwich. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      January 18, 2018 at 8:18 am

      I’d still say that Des Moines has more vegan-friendly options, but Cedar Rapids is gaining ground.

      Reply
    • Jeremy Bartlett says

      November 1, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      And now there is no Krunkwich… 🙁

      Reply
  2. Don Gallagher says

    January 17, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    Great post. Much appreciated. This will be helpful each time I return to town to visit my parents.
    Regards, Don

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      January 18, 2018 at 8:21 am

      I’m so glad to hear that, Don. Let me know what you try!

      Reply
  3. Sophie Castonguay says

    January 18, 2018 at 8:05 am

    Thank you so much for this! I’m headed to Cedar Rapids and was just starting to wonder how I would survive 5 days. Now I know 🙂 Any good grocery stores or health food stores you would also recommend?

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      January 18, 2018 at 8:14 am

      Oh, wow! I’m so glad the timing worked out. You should definitely visit New Pioneer Co-op while you’re there. I didn’t mention it in this post, because it’s already included in my post on Iowa City, which is about a half hour away. However, New Pi also has a Cedar Rapids location. They have great produce and a wonderful deli that makes vegan sandwiches. (The tempeh reuben with avocado is my preferred sandwich. David always goes with the spicy Cajun tofuwich.) New Pi also sells stuff from Herbivorous Butcher. There’s also Natural Grocers in Cedar Rapids, which carries a number of vegan specialty products.

      Reply
  4. Aaron says

    September 3, 2019 at 9:51 am

    You should check out Karma Cafe. They have a ton of vegan options and their chickpea salad sandwich crushes Gumption’s (In my opinion).

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 3, 2019 at 9:53 am

      Thanks, Aaron! I’ve been meaning to go there. In addition to the chickpea salad, is there anything else you recommend?

      Reply
      • Aaron says

        September 3, 2019 at 9:58 am

        They have a savory vegan pie andspring rolls I have got that were good. Also every day they have a vegan soup of the day. A few other things too, but I normally end up with soup and sandwich when I make it there.

        Reply
        • Cadry says

          September 3, 2019 at 10:19 am

          Awesome! I will go check them out. Thanks for the info!

          Reply
      • Aaron says

        September 3, 2019 at 10:39 am

        They have a savory vegan pie and spring rolls among other options. They also have a vegan soup of the day every day. Soups are always great. I normally end up with soup and sandwich.

        Reply

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food & travel blog. It features plant-based comfort food classics that are ready in about 30 minutes.

You can also find travelogues & recommendations on where to eat vegan while traveling - even in unlikely places!

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

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