Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley 2026

This might be one of my most successful New Year's resolutions of all time!

Over the weekend, I headed back up to the Cedar Valley to visit with my best friend and check out another one of the great local restaurants in the area. This month, I was in the mood for Mexican food! That's how we ended up at Amigos Mexican Cuisine & Cantina in Cedar Falls.

About Amigos Mexican Cuisine & Cantina

For August, we did things a little bit different than we normally do. Instead of me choosing a restaurant, I simply asked my best friend what her go-to Mexican restaurant is. When it comes to Mexican restaurants, there are a seemingly endless number of them in Eastern Iowa (especially Cedar Rapids!). But, because there are so many options, everyone has a different favorite. My friend Beth's just so happens to be Amigos Mexican Cuisine & Cantina! She has been eating at Amigos since her college years, long before she moved to the Cedar Valley herself. Thanks to those frequent visits to see her friends at UNI back in the day, I definitely think the restaurant has some great memories attached to it, and that's how we ended up there on Sunday!

Located at 5809 University Ave in Cedar Falls, Amigos Mexican Cuisine & Cantina has all the elements you'd expect from a Midwest Mexican restaurant. It's spacious, it's colorful, there's an outdoor patio, and it features a HUGE menu. There are some not-so-ordinary things inside of Amigos too, though. The first thing we noticed was the big, faux, cherry blossom tree that was decked out with lights right in the middle of the restaurant. It looks pretty cool! There are also some interesting-looking VR games that you can play, too. We didn't play any games, though. We focused our efforts on eating.

What We Ate

Whenever my friends and I go out for Mexican food, the first order of business is queso. We MUST have queso. And, we happened to pair our queso with jumbo margaritas during this particular visit! Both were perfect.

As is always the case at a Mexican restaurant, we were totally full by the time our food arrived. But, that didn't stop us from attempting to eat at least some of it! I ended up ordering a Fajita Taco Salad with steak, while my friends went with quesadillas, enchiladas, rice & beans, and other vegetarian-friendly items. I ended up bringing most of my meal home, and I'm looking forward to finishing it for lunch this afternoon!

The coolest part of our trip to Amigos wasn't the food, though. It was who actually brought us that food... a ROBOT! That's right, we got to experience the restaurant's new robot waiter (accompanied by an actual human waiter). It made its way around the restaurant all on its own, and even sang "Happy Birthday" to us (even though it wasn't any of our birthdays). It was so fun! Oh, and our human waiter was super nice and friendly, too. He also deserves a little recognition!

Additional Cedar Falls Stops

After hanging out with our new robot friend at lunch, we headed over to Downtown Cedar Falls to grab a coffee and check out some of the cute shops. As always, we had to stop at Readers Cup for drinks, and we were happily surprised to see that the shop had already rolled out their fall menu and decor!

I ended up ordering the Pink Paperback Lotus Energy Mixer, and it was delicious!

Because it was a Sunday, not all of the shops in Downtown Cedar Falls were open. But, we did manage to find a few that were! The list includes:

At the end of the day, I ended up with all sorts of fun little stuff! I love exploring that whole area. Here's my tiny haul from the shops in Downtown Cedar Falls:

Restaurants I've Visited (So Far)

Here are all the restaurants I've been to so far in 2026 for my 'Courtlin Explores the Cedar Valley' series:

January: Bigfoot Betty's, Cedar Falls
February: George's Local, Cedar Falls
March: The Brown Bottle, Waterloo
April: 1850 Patio & Grill, Waterloo
May: Zsavooz Sports Lounge & Grill, Cedar Falls
June: Carpenter's Diner, Waterloo
July: Basal Pizza, Waterloo
August: Amigos Mexican Cuisine & Cantina, Cedar Falls

Do you have a recommendation on where in the Cedar Valley we should eat in September? Let me know in the comments or by sending me a message on our station app!

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Iowa's Active Wineries & Cideries

We've put together a list of wineries and cideries that can be found across the state of Iowa. Some of them you're able to visit for tastings, some only offer their wines at local retailers or bars/restaurants, and some make for beautiful wedding venues! Here are the active wineries and cideries in the Hawkeye State in 2026:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin