Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley 2026 — Part One

One visit down, eleven more to go!

At the start of 2026, I made a new year's resolution to visit the Cedar Valley once a month to try a new (to me) restaurant. The resolution works on three different levels:

1. I get to explore an area that we now broadcast to, but that I'm not super familiar with
2. I get to support awesome local businesses
3. I get to force my best friend to see me once a month (she moved to Cedar Falls almost two years ago)

On Sunday, January 26th, I made my way up to Cedar Falls for part one of my quest, and we ended up visiting several different businesses! Let's start with brunch...

Bigfoot Betty's

One of the restaurants recommended to me by listeners was Bigfoot Betty's in Downtown Cedar Falls. After looking over the list of suggestions, my BFF chose this place because it was downtown, but also because she hadn't been there yet, either! We went around 10:30 a.m. for brunch.

There were a lot of different menu items that I wanted to try, but I went with a unique variation of a breakfast classic: Bigfoot Benedict with Spicy Jack Bites. It was basically your standard eggs benedict, but with the addition of a fried jalapeno popper patties.

HOLY. COW. It was so good. I only ate half of it at the restaurant, but I couldn't wait to finish the rest when I got back to Cedar Rapids. Within 20 minutes of getting back home, the second half was gone. It was perfect.

As far as the rest of the table went, my friends ordered blueberry pancakes, an omelette, and chicken & pancakes (the waffle maker was down!). The only other thing I tried was the pancakes (delicious!), but everyone really loved what they ordered and vowed to come back.

Oh, and shout out to our server! I didn't catch her name, but she was super awesome!

Reader's Cup & The Nook

The next stop on my Cedar Falls adventure was my BFF's absolute favorite local business: Reader's Cup/The Nook. She's been wanting to take me there forever, because she knew I would love it as much as she does... and she was correct. A coffee shop/book store combo?! Absolute heaven. I ordered "The Well-Read Raspberry Mocha" as we browsed around the store.

Other Local Businesses

Before we made our way out of the downtown area, we stopped at Books on Main, the Nook's used bookstore/gift shop that's right down the street, and the Cedar Falls Raygun. I both things from both places, because I have little-to-no self control and I ADORE fun trinkets and knick-knacks.

Our final stop of the day was a store that's been on my radar for a while now: Mohair Pear on College Street. It's full of totally weird and random items, which is exactly my vibe. I think I could've spent all day looking at their sticker wall! I left with a fun t-shirt, a couple of new nose rings, and some crystals.

Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley: Part 2

I will be back in the Cedar Valley sometime in February for part two of my 12 part adventure! Do you have any restaurant or local businesses that you think I should add to my list? Let me know in the comments or by sending me a message on our station app!

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READ MORE: A Giant List of February 2026 Events Across Eastern Iowa