My Food & Cocktail Adventure in Coralville's Iowa River Landing

On Wednesday afternoon (May 28th), I went down to Coralville to film some promotional videos with the Iowa River Landing. Although I was technically there in an official work capacity, I had a really fun afternoon hopping from business to business... especially the ones that served us food and drinks!

Because of how quickly we had to film the videos, I didn't get a chance to try everything that was put in front of me. But, the things I did try were DELICIOUS. Here's a rundown of my afternoon:

Stop 1: Tribute Eatery & Bar

Our very first stop of the afternoon was the outdoor patio at Tribute Eatery & Bar. It was incredibly hot out when we were there, but luckily, the patio has huge umbrellas that offer a ton of shade.

You can opt for one of the paninis or salads on the lunch menu at Tribute (the Burrata Chicken Parm Panini is pictured above), but there's also a lunch special called the 'Tribute Two.' First you choose one item from a number of different soups or salads, and then you pick one of three entrees: the Burrata Chicken Parm, the Bucatini & Meatballs, or the Smoked Gouda Mac Au Gratin. I made sure to try a bite (more like 5 or 6) of the mac & cheese, because it looked absolutely delicious. And it was!

The craziest thing about Tribute is that they offer .99 martinis during lunch hours. Yes, you read the correctly. 99-CENT MARTINIS. Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can get up to two martinis of your choice for only .99 each. There's the Classic, the Cosmopolitan, and the Lemon Drop. I tried the Cosmopolitan one, and it was dangerously good!

Stop 2: 30hop

For our next stop, we hopped (get it?!) right across the street to 30hop. The popular bar & restaurant is known for its amazing rooftop patio. And, we learned that you can now order dinner on the rooftop, not just drinks!

One of 30hop's most ordered dishes is the Ahi Poke Bowl, especially during the summer months. They also brought out one of their chicken sandwiches, another popular choice.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't get a chance to try the food during our quick visit (except for a couple of fries). But, I've eaten at Cedar Rapids 30hop plenty of times, and I can honestly say that I've never left disappointed. I did, however, get to try a couple of cocktails, including one of their flavored mules (my favorite!).

Stop 3: Iowa Athletic Club

If you haven't caught on yet, our third stop in the Iowa River Landing was another place with an awesome outdoor patio! We went over to Iowa Athletic Club which is the restaurant attached to Xtream Arena.

Obviously, I was VERY excited when they brought out a tray of nachos (my favorite food!). I couldn't possibly leave without trying them, so I snagged a few before we headed out. They also brought out one of their tavern-style pizzas, which I didn't get a chance to taste. It's ok, though, because I'll definitely be back to try their Detroit-style pizza at some point.

Stop 4: Marquee Pizzeria

Speaking of pizza, we got to try a couple of REALLY good ones at Marquee Pizzeria! They brought us out a couple of their most popular specialty pizzas, and one of them might be one of the best pizzas I've ever tasted! It's the Birria Pizza, which is topped with garlic cream, birria braised beef, mozzarella, provolone, onion, and cilantro, and you dip it in consommé. It was UNBELIEVABLE.

The other one we tried was called Vice City, and it's topped with pickled pepper hot sauce, an Italian cheese blend, house-made sausage, pepperoni, green onion, hot honey, and parmigiano. It was a little spicy, but in a good way! And, we paired it with a few cocktails, including a mule that was so good, I had a hard time putting it down when it was time to leave. Everything at Marquee was fantastic!

Stop 5: Scratch Cupcakery

Don't forget about dessert! Our next stop was the famous Scratch Cupcakery, where we were treated to two of their current cupcake flavors.

Apparently, Scratch has more than 200 flavors of cupcakes in their rotation, and they're still coming up with more! We got to taste the Strawberries & Cream and the Hot Fudge Sundae flavors. On top of being delicious, they also look like little works of art!

Stop 6: Watermill Kitchen + Bar

Last, but not least, we stopped for a couple of cocktails at Watermill Kitchen + Bar, which is located inside of the Hyatt Regency. I think that the bar & restaurant might get overlooked because of the location, but it shouldn't be! The space is really nice, and the drinks are really good.

The first drink we tried was the Maplewood Sour, and I was surprised by how much I loved it. I had never had a whiskey sour before! The bartender told us that the key is to use FRESH lemon juice.

The second beverage was a fun one! It's called the Coral Cosmo, and the bartender put this little "Flavor Blaster Bubble" on top that looked all smoky when it popped. There was an edible flower on it, too. It was awesome!

Overall, I had an awesome afternoon checking out some of the great local businesses that the Iowa River Landing has to offer. The outdoor patios, the food, the beverages, the shopping... there's so much to explore! You can see a guide to all the businesses in Coralville's Iowa River Landing HERE.