The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?
Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.
People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.
Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.
When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Cedar Rapids area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Cedar Rapids were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.
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Parlor City Ice Cream
1 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1936 42nd St. Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
Big Grove Brewery & Taproom
2 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (50 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 170 1st St. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Breweries, Salad, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp
Mikhael's Restaurant
3 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (56 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1426 6th St. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Salad, American
- Read more on Yelp
Pedalers Fork
4 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 5101 Center Point Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: American
- Read more on Yelp
Morning Story - Marion
5 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2931 7th Ave. Ste 400 Marion, Iowa
- Categories: New American, Breakfast & Brunch, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp
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Lucky's on 16th
6 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (111 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 86-16TH Ave. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: American, Sports Bars
- Read more on Yelp
Delhicacy
7 / 30- Rating: 4.1/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: 921 Blairs Ferry Road Northeast Ste 150 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Indian
- Read more on Yelp
The Class Act
8 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: New American, Hotels, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
New Pioneer Co-op
9 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (31 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3338 Center Pointe Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Grocery, Delis, Beer, Wine & Spirits
- Read more on Yelp
The Blind Pig
10 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3325 Center Point Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
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LP Street Food
11 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (170 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 302 3rd Ave. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Sports Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp
Cross Roads Bistro
12 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 232 16th Ave. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Breakfast & Brunch, Thai
- Read more on Yelp
30hop
13 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (233 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 951 Blairs Ferry Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Beer Bar, New American
- Read more on Yelp
The Hip-Stir
14 / 30- Rating: 4.3/5 (62 reviews)
- Address: 1120 7th Ave. Marion, Iowa
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, New American
- Read more on Yelp
Emil's Hideaway
15 / 30- Rating: 4.3/5 (150 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 222 Glenbrook Drive Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp
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Lu's Deli
16 / 30- Rating: 4.3/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1010 3rd St. Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Delis, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp
Napoli's Italian Restaurant
17 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 2360 Edgewood Road Southwest Ste 600 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Italian, Wine Bars, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
Rio Burritos
18 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5001 1st Ave. Southeast Unit 104 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Mexican, Desserts, Salad
- Read more on Yelp
Willie Rays Q Shack
19 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 288 Blairs Ferry Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp
The Map Room
20 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (284 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 416 3rd St. Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: American, Beer Bar, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
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Persis Biryani Indian Grill
21 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (59 reviews)
- Address: 4862 1st Ave. Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Indian
- Read more on Yelp
Great Harvest Bread
22 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5070 Lindale Drive Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Bakeries, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
Brewhemia
23 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1202 3rd St. Southeast Ste 101 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp
Cobble Hill Restaurant
24 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (248 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 219 2nd St. Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: New American, Wine Bars, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
Old Neighborhood Pub
25 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (26 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 608 16th St. Northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, American, Music Venues
- Read more on Yelp
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Lightworks Cafe
26 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 7th Ave. Southeast Ste B Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp
The Full Bowl
27 / 30- Rating: 4.8/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 120 10th Ave. Southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Vegan, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp
West End
28 / 30- Rating: 4.8/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 809 6th Ave. Marion, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes, Diners, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
Cafe Saint Pio
29 / 30- Rating: 4.8/5 (59 reviews)
- Address: 99 16th Ave. Southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
Island Vybz
30 / 30- Rating: 4.9/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Iowa City, Iowa
- Categories: Caribbean, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.
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