best coffee shops in cedar rapids IA

Best Coffee Shops in Cedar Rapids IA | Top 11 To Visit

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and it is not for its beautiful recreational parks, real estate, parks, and museums. While coffee shops may not be among the things Cedar Rapids is known for, our visit to the city helped us identify some of the best coffee shops that are worth visiting. In this article, I am going to show you 11 of the best coffee shops in Cedar Rapids and what they offer. 

11 Best Coffee Shops in Cedar Rapids

  1. Tower Cafe
  2. Roasters Library Edition
  3. Scooter’s Coffee
  4. Kismet Coffee & Bloom
  5. Veritas Cafe
  6. Roasters Coffeehouse NewBo
  7. Craft’d
  8. Cafe Saint Pio
  9. Lightworks Cafe
  10. Dash Coffee Roasters
  11. Brewhemia 

For most of these coffee shops, their closing hours made me wonder whether coffee shouldn’t be taken in the evening. They all seem to close quite early. Want to learn more? Continue reading the review. 

Tower Cafe

Tower Cafe is one of the new coffee shops in Cedar Rapids, a typical representation of an ideal coffee shop and restaurant. 

Customers get to choose from a menu full of customizable dishes which is not so common among restaurants in this part of the country. You can build your own dish from the options available on the menu. 

Their food is high-quality, made with some of the best ingredients, and sold at very affordable prices. At Tower Cafe, there’s a rotating system for the lunch special. I highly recommend this coffee shop as a chill spot for lunch breaks but they close by 2pm.

Location: 200 1st St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 2pm
Phone: (319) 200-5999
Website: Tower Cafe
Social Media: Facebook

Roasters Library Edition 

This coffee shop is located inside a library. It has got a full espresso menu with every blend and brew of espresso you’d find in the United States. 

There are two distinct features that makes Roasters Library Edition a worthy addition to this review: vegan & gluten-free bites & breakfast menu and an amazing rooftop patio. The patio gives you a refreshing view of downtown Cedar Rapids. 

Location: 450 5th St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Monday and Saturday from 9am to 2pm: Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm
Phone: (319) 739-0499
Website: Roasters Coffeehouse
Social Media: Facebook 

Scooter’s Coffee

Scooter’s Coffee is a popular chain coffee store in the United States with six locations in Cedar Rapids. They offer Americans some of the best coffee brews and maintain their quality of coffee across their locations which is quite commendable. 

The Scooter’s Coffee shop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that I particularly liked was the one on Mt Vernon road. Their pastries are great and perfect for a light breakfast with coffee. Very fast and friendly service. 

Location: 3212 Mt Vernon Rd SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
Working Hours: Monday to Sunday from 6am to 7pm
Phone: (319) 449-4121
Website: Scooter’s Coffee 

Kismet Coffee & Bloom 

Kismet Coffee & Bloom is a flower and coffee shop. You can buy flowers from the store for a variety of purposes. Their coffee is delightful. 

You can satisfy your cravings in this cafe thanks to a significant number of coffee, espresso, and other drinks options, the Kismet’s Turkish delight latte is one of the best specialty coffee blends by any coffee shop in Cedar Rapids.

Location: 1000 3rd St SE Suite 1, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Monday from 7am to 1pm; Wednesday to Sunday from 7am to 3pm
Website: Kismet Coffee & Bloom
Social Media: Instagram 

Veritas Cafe

Veritas Cafe is located in a church building. They’ve got a pretty decent breakfast menu and also sell homemade syrups. There’s nothing special about the coffee here, just that they make the regular coffee blends and brews with excellence and near perfection. 

If you want to eat healthy, you can try the veggie hummus or any of the cafe’s gluten-free options on the menu. It is also a nice place to hangout and hold small group meetings over coffee. If you’re visiting Veritas Cafe on Friday and Saturday, you’d need to call to book a reservation. 

Location: 509 3rd St SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
Working Hours: Monday to Thursday from 7:30am to 3pm;
Phone: (319) 450-0737
Website: Veritas Cafe
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram 

Roasters Coffeehouse NewBo

This is the Roasters Coffeehouse in NewBo market. One good thing about coffee shops that roast their coffee in-house is how the coffee seems to be a little more perfect than the servings from other coffee shops. 

For Roasters Coffeehouse, the coffee is smooth and satisfying. Want pure coffee? Go to Roasters Coffehouse NewBo. 

Location: NewBo City Market, 1100 3rd St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Thursday and Friday from 10am to 8pm; Saturday from 10am to 6pm; Sunday from 10am to 4pm
Phone: 319-200-4050
Website: Roasters Coffee House | NewBo City Market
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram

Craft’d

I was drawn by the name of this coffee shop and when I visited, the experience was worth it. Their coffee beans are locally sourced from Windmill Coffee Roasters in Ames, Iowa. 

Aside from coffee, Craft’d sells ice cream, chocolates, chai, pastries, and other products from local businesses around it. 

Their coffee was delicious, I enjoyed the vanilla latte, but their pastries were not as delicious as I expected considering the appealing nature. 

Location: 333 1st St SE Suite 100, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Monday to Friday from 7am to 2pm; Sunday from 8am to 1pm
Phone: (319) 261-4901
Website: craft’d
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram 

Cafe Saint Pio

The Cafe Saint Pio is a thriving coffee store in the area. Comes highly recommended by the locals and I could tell why after visiting. 

Their coffee is really good but what’s most special about Cafe Saint Pro is their collection of pastries which offer an amazing variety of breakfast and lunch meals. 

Another cool thing is their outdoor space is a cool date spot but you can only do breakfast and lunch dates here. 

Location: 99 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Working Hours: Monday to Saturday from 7am to 4pm; Sunday from 8am to 2pm
Phone: (319) 200-1000
Website: Cafe Saint Pio
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram 

Lightworks Cafe

At Lightworks Cafe, I found three specialty coffee blends I had never seen in my tours of coffee shops in the United States. Lightworks serve customers onyx, monarch, and ruby coffee blends. These coffee blends are superbly delicious. 

Other specialities by this cafe include the Cedar Rapids Fogs, Iced and Hot Vietnamese, and the Italian cream soda. For light bites, there’s the French Toast and English muffins that were made well. 

Location: 501 7th Ave SE Suite B, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Thursday to Sunday from 8am to 2pm
Phone: (319) 449-4046
Website: lightworks café
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram 

Dash Coffee Roasters

Dash Coffee Roasters is a cool coffee shop in Cedar Rapids. Although, I wouldn’t rate it as a third wave coffee shop, they’re heavy on excellence and food quality. 

I love that their tables are long with chairs by the side of their glass wall which is suitable for relaxation, studying, and work. 

Dash Coffee Roasters has got an elaborate menu selection and one intriguing section is termed “Out of the Box.” You should try that for adventure sakes. 

Location: 120 3rd Ave SW Ste 2, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Working Hours: Monday to Friday from 6am to 6pm; Saturday from 8am to 2pm
Phone: (319) 423-9297
Website: Dash Coffee Roasters
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram 

Brewhemia 

Brewhemia has the most comprehensive menu among all the coffee shops in this review. This is the coffee shop to go to if you want to have a hearty breakfast or lunch. The breakfast and lunch menu is mouthwatering and extensive. 

They offer soups and salads, a kids menu, and some after 2pm sections. It is coffee and food at Brewhemia. You can order online and buy through the shop’s gift cards. 

Location: 1202 3rd st. SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Working Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 2pm
Phone: (319) 364-0802
Website: Brewhemia
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter 

FAQs

Is Scooter’s Coffee Black Owned?

Julian Young and his wife Brittany are franchise partners at Scooter’s which makes them the first African American franchise owners of Scooter’s Coffee. It is safe to say that Scooter’s Coffee is black owned. 

Where is Cedar Rapids?

The county seat of Linn County, Iowa’s second-largest city, is Cedar Rapids. On both banks of the Cedar River, the city is situated 20 miles (32 km) north of Iowa City and 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Des Moines, the state’s capital and largest city.

Are there coffee shops with live music in Cedar Rapids?

If you’re looking for live music in a coffee shop in Cedar Rapids, the following are some of the coffee shops in Cedar Rapids that have live music:

  1. The Bohemian
  2. Lightworks Cafe
  3. Opus Concert Cafe

Which coffee shops open late in cedar rapids?

Java Creek Cafe, Starbucks Coffee and Peet’s Coffee & Tea are a few of my favorite coffee shops that open later than the usual 4-6pm. 

Conclusion 

Cedar Rapids is not lacking in coffee shops that serve a range of purposes. If you’re looking for delicious coffee only cafes, vegan and gluten-free menu, pastries, breakfast menus, a place to relax or work, there’s a coffee shop in Cedar Rapids that is suited to meet that need. 

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