There are so many great restaurants downtown Iowa City that it can seem impossible to conquer them all throughout your four years here. However, lucky for us, the Iowa City Downtown District has been putting on their Taste of Iowa City event for the last ten years that allows us to taste samples from participating restaurants. The Spoon Iowa team decided to visit this event to see (and taste) what this city is all about.
One of the ticket booths was giving away five free tickets to everyone that showed a student ID. We got ten tickets and ate all of this:
Dumpling Darling
Our first stop, per my request, was Dumpling Darling. I’ve heard so much about this place, but never had the chance to try it until this event. Dumpling Darling serves up dumplings (duh) and other street food from around the world.
We ordered a kimchi steamed dumpling, bison steamed dumpling, and cheeseburger fried dumpling (not pictured). The kimchi steamed dumpling was served with a sweet soy sauce and the bison dumpling with tomato chutney. Every single one of them was great, but the cheeseburger fried dumpling took the cake. It was perfect, cheesy, fried goodness.
PiZan Pizza
PiZan Pizza is one of the newest restaurants to hit the Iowa City food scene. They specialize in fast-casual custom pizza, pasta, and salads with a focus on fresh, homemade, and local ingredients.
PiZan certainly did not disappoint at their Taste of Iowa City debut with their pizzas and pasta. We tried the caprese pizza and buffalo chicken mac n’ cheese. The caprese pizza was delicious, and the drizzle of balsamic vinegar added a special touch. The buffalo chicken mac n’ cheese was equally as tasty with a sharp taste from the blue cheese crumbles mixed in. You could definitely tell that PiZan pays attention to details.
Saloon
Our third and final stop at the Taste of Iowa City was to Saloon in the pedestrian mall. Saloon never disappoints with their unique spin on Mexican dishes and drinks.
We tried the “jimichanga”, which was a flaky pastry stuffed with chicken, rice, beans, and salsa and topped with chipotle mayo. Yes, it was just as great as you think. We also had to get some chips and queso, because you can’t just go to Saloon and not get their chips and queso, ya know?
After Saloon, we had full intentions of purchasing more tickets and eating our way through the rest of Iowa City, but we were way too full. Needless to say, this event certainly did not disappoint. If you want to join us on our food adventures around Iowa City, apply to join our team using this link.