My Experience at 4 Cedar Rapids Restaurant Christmas Pop-Ups [PHOTOS]

I had the opportunity to visit several different holiday pop-ups in the Cedar Rapids area this week, and they did NOT disappoint! Here's a little summary of my experience, as well as some photos from each of the local restaurants:

Goldfinch Tap + Eatery, Marion

The first place I went this week wasn't technically in Cedar Rapids, but it's close enough! We had our company Christmas party at Goldfinch Tap + Eatery in Uptown Marion on Friday, December 5th. It was insanely busy in there, because it just so happened to be the same night as Marion's Christmas in the Park celebration, but we still had an awesome experience (aside from trying to find parking!)

Our group was seated at a super long table in the party room, which was decked out in beautiful blue lights. I didn't have a chance to check out the rest of the restaurant while we were there, but from what I saw, everything was ridiculously festive! Our servers were awesome, the Christmas cocktails were fun, and the food was delicious. We had meatballs, two kinds of bruschetta, and veggie cups with dill dip as appetizers, and for dinner I ordered the ribeye with potatoes and veggies.

The FinchMas holiday pop-up at Goldfinch debuted on November 17th and runs throughout the month of December. And, be sure to check out Uptown Marion and the park after your visit to Goldfinch. The lights, the huge Christmas tree, and the new skating rink are so festive and fun!

LP Street Food, Cedar Rapids

On Saturday night (December 6th), some friends and I made a reservation at LP Street Food for their Christmas pop-up. It's called How LPSF Stole Christmas, and the restaurant is completely decked out with holiday decorations, many of them Grinch-themed! Our table for 8 was ready and waiting for us when we arrived five minutes prior to our reservation at 7, and we were seated in a booth in the back of the restaurant.

LP's pop-up doesn't just feature festive decor, but also a special holiday food and drink menu that's filled with both new items and familiar favorites. Some of the cocktails even came in fun glasses, like this cute snowman!

I ordered a spiked seltzer cocktail as my drink, and tried several of the appetizers, including the roasted butternut hummus and the pork pot stickers. The pot stickers were SO GOOD! For my meal, I went with one of my favorites: the footlong Chicago dog with parmesan tots on the side. YUM.

How LPSF Stole Christmas runs November 24th through January 4th and reservations are HIGHLY recommended. You can make yours online HERE!

Also, if the weather is decent, take an after-dinner walk over the the McGrath Amphitheatre for their Five Seasons Lights display. I say "if the weather is decent," because when we went on Saturday night, it was in the middle of a snowstorm. We didn't last very long, but at least the snow was pretty!

Czech Town Station, Cedar Rapids

I guess two pop-ups wasn't enough Christmas for us, because on Sunday morning (December 7th), we decided to have brunch at Czech Town Station, aka CHRISTMAS Town Station! Located in Cedar Rapids' Czech Village, Czech Town Station kicked off their Christmas pop-up on November 24th. Much like LP Street Food, Czech Town Station has both floor to ceiling Christmas decor, as well as a special holiday food and drink menu.

I started with a peach mango mimosa on Sunday morning, but I couldn't make my mind up on what I wanted to order for food. Luckily, my friend wanted to try the same things that I did, so we decided to split our meals! We got something sweet and something savory: cinnamon roll French toast and the California eggs benedict. They were the perfect choices!

Christmas Town Station will continue at Czech Town Station throughout the month of December. You can check out their special holiday menu online HERE.

Midtown Station, Cedar Rapids

And last, but certainly not least, there's the holiday pop-up at Midtown Station. The small restaurant has decorated both the inside AND outside of the building with Christmas decor, including a Christmas tree on the back patio and a sleigh on the roof!  The back room is especially fun, with lots of icicles and color-changing lights hanging from the ceiling.

On Tuesday night (December 9th), my gym coworkers and I did our secret Santa gift exchange at Midtown's Christmas pop-up, since it's located literally right behind the gym. There are a few special Christmas cocktails available, but other than that, they just have their classic food menu. That was fine with us, because we were able to order some of our favorite appetizers, like the wontons and the corn dip! I also ordered a Caesar salad and a side of the roasted parmesan potatoes (THE BEST). As usual, everything tasted GREAT.

I actually have ANOTHER gift exchange happening at Midtown Station tonight, so I'm excited to go back and experience their Christmas magic again! Be sure to check it out before the holidays are over.

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There are a TON of other Christmas pop-ups happening at bars and restaurants across Iowa right now! You can check out a list and lots of photos HERE.