Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Bakery
Breakfast
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Previously all veg but no longer, as reported to happycow Oct 2012. Cozy coffee house and bakery with artwork displays. Extensive menu consists of breakfast foods, panini sandwiches, nachos, baked goods, tempeh, smoothies, and organic fair trade coffee. Vegan items are marked. Closed end of Mar 2019.
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345 S Dubuque St (at Burlington), Iowa City, Iowa, USA, 52240
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Last update on 31 Mar 2019 by Guest
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14 Reviews
First Review by veganpower
farrahfrye
Points +41
Great Coffee and Pastry Stop! - Edit
I ordered the vegan Lemon Blueberry scone- it was perfect! The right texture, and not too sweet. Had a yummy coffee to go with it. They have many vegan and vegetarian options!
Read morePros: free wifi, non-binary gendered bathrooms, nice staff
Guest
Jdclark08
Points +84
Great Place - Edit
Stopped in and had the breakfast burrito. It was amazing. It has very fresh ingredients. Staff was pleasant and friendly. Lovely atmosphere. I highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
alyvanheuk
Points +94
Delicious! - Edit
They only had a handful of veg options, but the ones I've had have been amazingly delicious and are totally worth going for!
Read moreGuest
lavanderson
Points +38
Used to be great.... - Edit
This place continues to be less and less vegan friendly, if in fact they have any at all. My "vegan" breakfast burrito seemed to consist largely of egg. Had it not, I still would have had serious questions about cross contamination with cooking surfaces and utensils.
Read moreIf you are looking for a place you can pay for a meal and walk away having eaten nothing but smelled a lot of cooking flesh, this place is for you.
Updated from previous review on Saturday Nov 22, 2013
hclark
In my opinion, things have not changed for the better since the new ownership, but for the worse. We have had several bad experiences with food and/or service. Drinks have remained good. If I were to re-review this restaurant I would drop it down to about 3 stars from the 5 I gave it originally. It's still great to have it as an option, but I no longer take my friends and family there as a special treat.
Read moreGuest
KimGriffiths
Points +37
Disappointed - Edit
I didn't realize that this place serves meat, and as a strict ethical vegan, I wasn't thrilled about them having a fish tank in the back. I am not 100% certain, but I believe they cook the vegan food on the same grill and equipment as the meat and dairy. I'm also not sure what type of oil they used to cook the tofu scramble in, but my tofu and veggies were swimming in it. They also brought our food out along with dishes of butter, which we promptly set aside. The tofu they use is non-GMO, so that's good, and they do have some great tasting vegan desserts. Their prices are inexpensive, also. I doubt we'll be back, but for vegans who aren't concerned about their food coming into contact with meat and dairy, and who don't care that the food isn't organic, then this would be ok for them.
Read morePros: Non-GMO tofu, Inexpensive, Vegan desserts
Cons: Food may come in contact with meat, Not organic, Not a place for strict ethical vegans
Guest
lucerne07
Points +234
Hit and Miss - Edit
Update: Such a bummer that this restaurant decided to start serving meat. They also removed from their menu some of their former vegan specialty items like vegan nachos. Since it was already inconsistent, I find myself visiting less often since their addition of meat entrees.
Read moreOriginal review: I've been to Fair Grounds many times since it's one of the few vegetarian eateries in Iowa City. It offers a relaxed atmosphere, lots of tables for reading and socializing, and a couple of couches for relaxing. My favorite items on their menu are the breakfast burrito, grilled hummus sandwich, and the vegan super nachos. (It would be great if there were an option to add beans to the nachos to make them more substantive.)
In my experience, the service has been really hit and miss. Most of the time, it takes a very long time for the food and coffee to arrive. By very long, I mean that I've waited as much as 40 minutes for a breakfast burrito, even when the place is fairly empty. I tried going during work for lunch once, and after a half an hour, I had to take my food to go. Now I only go when I have lots of time to spare.
For their baked goods, they offer vegan cupcakes. I've been there when the cupcakes have just arrived, and they can be really good. However, the case they keep them in is very cold, and it dries them out.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday May 22, 2012
Pros: vegan waffles, vegan breakfast burrito, delicious coffee
Cons: Slow service, Dried out cupcakes, Started serving meat
Guest
elles_belles
Points +1306
Makes me want to move to Iowa City - Edit
I loved my strawberry waffle. I expected whipped cream on top but it was soft serve! I felt like a hedonist. I also had the Monte Cristo, a treasure something cupcake, and a green tea latte. All were delicious. The Monte Cristo and the waffle were something else.
Read moreGuest
jaml730
Points +67
Good food and great atmosphere - Edit
I recently went to Iowa City for a football game and was pleasantly surprised to find Fair Grounds. They have several kinds of vegan cheese that they make in-house (including brie, which is AMAZING), as well as an extensive selection of vegan waffles, french toast, and panini. The espresso is good and the desserts are even better. I thought the service was a little slow but the food was well worth the wait. I did not have any problem with servers or the owner, and I ate there twice in one day! Also, the bathrooms were extremely clean.
Read morePros: Good food, In-house vegan cheese, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Slow-ish service, Small portions for some items
Guest
Rambling Woman
Points +77
amazing! - Edit
This place was unbelievable--and I've eaten all over the country. I had the McVegan Waffle (DELICIOUS) though not super large/filling. My boyfriend got the "grilled cheese" with some kalamata olives and it was delicious--don't look for a melted slice, though, it's the house "cheese" on display--and it's delicious.
Read moreWe finished it off with green tea muffins, biscotti, and some coffee cake to-go, and I had the Waldorf Astoria (red velvet cake with decadent vanilla frosting) and my boyfriend had the german chocolate cake for dessert. Run, don't walk to this mid-western treat!
Pros: DELICIOUS, VEGAN, Reasonable prices
Cons: Not in KY where I live
Guest
shineonyou
Points +941
Great food! - Edit
I lived a few doors away from Fair Grounds the year that it opened, and I used to go here a few times a week. I really like the vegan cheese on grilled panini. The french toast is also really delicious and unique. I'd also found it okay as a place to study although I don't drink coffee. In my experience, the service is usually good, but suffers during peak breakfast hours, i.e. brunch-time on Sunday, when it can get insanely busy. The owner was always really friendly and helpful to me as a regular.
Read moreGuest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
Insanely good vegan waffle, horrible service - Edit
Its hard to believe such a wonderful place would have such bad service. I guess any vegan owners that'd serve up nonvegan products would be into making $? Take your crew to a motivational camp or something and also get an air filter in there. I don't think you're place is ventilated well because you come out smelling like a griddle, perhaps everyone is oxygen deprived? I'd give your place a 10 if you could fix your crew and the stench it leaves on my hair and clothes! Go here for the vegan waffles and bring a newspaper or War and Peace to read while waiting.
Read morePros: waffles, vegan treats
Cons: staff, slowness, no ventilation
Guest
vegantraveler
Points +123
Great Food, Crappy STAFF!! - Edit
I hate to knock vegan friendly joints but the staff here was terrible. The were slow, rude and lied to us:( But the Mcvegan Waffle almost made up for it. It was amazing!! I've never had anything like it before, they mixed tofu scramble in the waffle!! The desserts were so creative and truly a treat! I would have ate dinner here too but it was 20 min. till close and they didn't want to serve us:(
Read morePros: Waffles, Flavor Drinks, Desserts
Cons: STAFF, Smell of the restaurant
Guest
hclark
Points +140
Great food, good for the community - Edit
We've been to Fair Grounds on several occasions, mostly on Saturdays. It's so nice to have another option where you can order near anything off the menu and not have to worry. We love, love, love their waffles (especially the chai and mcvegan) and french toast. So happy they offer soy whip as well as soy milk for the drinks and at no extra charge!! Not a big fan of the cheese we've tried, but will have to give it another go. Haven't been able to attend any of their events yet, but many look interesting. Like that they support local artists and are breasfteeding friendly. Parking nearby is oh so easy as they're connected to a city ramp. A great asset to Iowa City.
Read morePros: so many choices!, excellent food, plenty of parking
Guest
veganpower
Points +20
yay for vegans! boo for service! - Edit
i want this vegan cafe to survive, but i have heard such awful things about the owners, that i doubt i will ever go back. i have heard these reports from people who worked there...being vegan means being nice to everyone and thing...like not doing things like paying people a working wage or calling people names and laughing at costumers behind their backs..... so boooo on the owners.
Read morePros: vegan food
Cons: trash talking employees
Guest
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