• CLOSED: Fair Grounds Coffeehouse

  • (14)
    6

    Closed

  • White Veg-options
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Bakery
Breakfast
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Previously all veg but no longer, as reported to happycow Oct 2012. Cozy coffee house and bakery with artwork displays. Extensive menu consists of breakfast foods, panini sandwiches, nachos, baked goods, tempeh, smoothies, and organic fair trade coffee. Vegan items are marked. Closed end of Mar 2019.


Venue map for Fair Grounds Coffeehouse
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14 Reviews

First Review by veganpower

farrahfrye

Points +41

Vegan
09 Jul 2017

Great Coffee and Pastry Stop!

I ordered the vegan Lemon Blueberry scone- it was perfect! The right texture, and not too sweet. Had a yummy coffee to go with it. They have many vegan and vegetarian options!

Pros: free wifi, non-binary gendered bathrooms, nice staff

Jdclark08

Points +84

Vegan
06 Jul 2016

Great Place

Stopped in and had the breakfast burrito. It was amazing. It has very fresh ingredients. Staff was pleasant and friendly. Lovely atmosphere. I highly recommend.

alyvanheuk

Points +94

Vegan
20 Mar 2014

Delicious!

They only had a handful of veg options, but the ones I've had have been amazingly delicious and are totally worth going for!

lavanderson

Points +38

Vegan
22 Nov 2013

Used to be great....

This place continues to be less and less vegan friendly, if in fact they have any at all. My "vegan" breakfast burrito seemed to consist largely of egg. Had it not, I still would have had serious questions about cross contamination with cooking surfaces and utensils.

If you are looking for a place you can pay for a meal and walk away having eaten nothing but smelled a lot of cooking flesh, this place is for you.

Updated from previous review on Saturday Nov 22, 2013

hclark

07 Feb 2012

In my opinion, things have not changed for the better since the new ownership, but for the worse. We have had several bad experiences with food and/or service. Drinks have remained good. If I were to re-review this restaurant I would drop it down to about 3 stars from the 5 I gave it originally. It's still great to have it as an option, but I no longer take my friends and family there as a special treat.

KimGriffiths

Points +37

Vegan
24 May 2013

Disappointed

I didn't realize that this place serves meat, and as a strict ethical vegan, I wasn't thrilled about them having a fish tank in the back. I am not 100% certain, but I believe they cook the vegan food on the same grill and equipment as the meat and dairy. I'm also not sure what type of oil they used to cook the tofu scramble in, but my tofu and veggies were swimming in it. They also brought our food out along with dishes of butter, which we promptly set aside. The tofu they use is non-GMO, so that's good, and they do have some great tasting vegan desserts. Their prices are inexpensive, also. I doubt we'll be back, but for vegans who aren't concerned about their food coming into contact with meat and dairy, and who don't care that the food isn't organic, then this would be ok for them.

Pros: Non-GMO tofu, Inexpensive, Vegan desserts

Cons: Food may come in contact with meat, Not organic, Not a place for strict ethical vegans

lucerne07

Points +206

Vegan
11 Mar 2013

Hit and Miss

Update: Such a bummer that this restaurant decided to start serving meat. They also removed from their menu some of their former vegan specialty items like vegan nachos. Since it was already inconsistent, I find myself visiting less often since their addition of meat entrees.

Original review: I've been to Fair Grounds many times since it's one of the few vegetarian eateries in Iowa City. It offers a relaxed atmosphere, lots of tables for reading and socializing, and a couple of couches for relaxing. My favorite items on their menu are the breakfast burrito, grilled hummus sandwich, and the vegan super nachos. (It would be great if there were an option to add beans to the nachos to make them more substantive.)

In my experience, the service has been really hit and miss. Most of the time, it takes a very long time for the food and coffee to arrive. By very long, I mean that I've waited as much as 40 minutes for a breakfast burrito, even when the place is fairly empty. I tried going during work for lunch once, and after a half an hour, I had to take my food to go. Now I only go when I have lots of time to spare.

For their baked goods, they offer vegan cupcakes. I've been there when the cupcakes have just arrived, and they can be really good. However, the case they keep them in is very cold, and it dries them out.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday May 22, 2012

Pros: vegan waffles, vegan breakfast burrito, delicious coffee

Cons: Slow service, Dried out cupcakes, Started serving meat

elles_belles

Points +1301

Vegan
25 Dec 2011

Makes me want to move to Iowa City

I loved my strawberry waffle. I expected whipped cream on top but it was soft serve! I felt like a hedonist. I also had the Monte Cristo, a treasure something cupcake, and a green tea latte. All were delicious. The Monte Cristo and the waffle were something else.

jaml730

Points +67

Vegan
11 Nov 2008

Good food and great atmosphere

I recently went to Iowa City for a football game and was pleasantly surprised to find Fair Grounds. They have several kinds of vegan cheese that they make in-house (including brie, which is AMAZING), as well as an extensive selection of vegan waffles, french toast, and panini. The espresso is good and the desserts are even better. I thought the service was a little slow but the food was well worth the wait. I did not have any problem with servers or the owner, and I ate there twice in one day! Also, the bathrooms were extremely clean.

Pros: Good food, In-house vegan cheese, Nice atmosphere

Cons: Slow-ish service, Small portions for some items

Rambling Woman

Points +77

Vegan
06 Jul 2008

amazing!

This place was unbelievable--and I've eaten all over the country. I had the McVegan Waffle (DELICIOUS) though not super large/filling. My boyfriend got the "grilled cheese" with some kalamata olives and it was delicious--don't look for a melted slice, though, it's the house "cheese" on display--and it's delicious.

We finished it off with green tea muffins, biscotti, and some coffee cake to-go, and I had the Waldorf Astoria (red velvet cake with decadent vanilla frosting) and my boyfriend had the german chocolate cake for dessert. Run, don't walk to this mid-western treat!

Pros: DELICIOUS, VEGAN, Reasonable prices

Cons: Not in KY where I live

shineonyou

Points +853

Vegan
14 May 2008

Great food!

I lived a few doors away from Fair Grounds the year that it opened, and I used to go here a few times a week. I really like the vegan cheese on grilled panini. The french toast is also really delicious and unique. I'd also found it okay as a place to study although I don't drink coffee. In my experience, the service is usually good, but suffers during peak breakfast hours, i.e. brunch-time on Sunday, when it can get insanely busy. The owner was always really friendly and helpful to me as a regular.

gr8vegan

Points +2359

Vegan
09 Dec 2007

Insanely good vegan waffle, horrible service

Its hard to believe such a wonderful place would have such bad service. I guess any vegan owners that'd serve up nonvegan products would be into making $? Take your crew to a motivational camp or something and also get an air filter in there. I don't think you're place is ventilated well because you come out smelling like a griddle, perhaps everyone is oxygen deprived? I'd give your place a 10 if you could fix your crew and the stench it leaves on my hair and clothes! Go here for the vegan waffles and bring a newspaper or War and Peace to read while waiting.

Pros: waffles, vegan treats

Cons: staff, slowness, no ventilation

vegantraveler

Points +123

Vegan
07 Nov 2007

Great Food, Crappy STAFF!!

I hate to knock vegan friendly joints but the staff here was terrible. The were slow, rude and lied to us:( But the Mcvegan Waffle almost made up for it. It was amazing!! I've never had anything like it before, they mixed tofu scramble in the waffle!! The desserts were so creative and truly a treat! I would have ate dinner here too but it was 20 min. till close and they didn't want to serve us:(

Pros: Waffles, Flavor Drinks, Desserts

Cons: STAFF, Smell of the restaurant

hclark

Points +140

Vegan
01 Sep 2007

Great food, good for the community

We've been to Fair Grounds on several occasions, mostly on Saturdays. It's so nice to have another option where you can order near anything off the menu and not have to worry. We love, love, love their waffles (especially the chai and mcvegan) and french toast. So happy they offer soy whip as well as soy milk for the drinks and at no extra charge!! Not a big fan of the cheese we've tried, but will have to give it another go. Haven't been able to attend any of their events yet, but many look interesting. Like that they support local artists and are breasfteeding friendly. Parking nearby is oh so easy as they're connected to a city ramp. A great asset to Iowa City.

Pros: so many choices!, excellent food, plenty of parking

veganpower

Points +20

Vegan
26 Jul 2007

yay for vegans! boo for service!

i want this vegan cafe to survive, but i have heard such awful things about the owners, that i doubt i will ever go back. i have heard these reports from people who worked there...being vegan means being nice to everyone and thing...like not doing things like paying people a working wage or calling people names and laughing at costumers behind their backs..... so boooo on the owners.

Pros: vegan food

Cons: trash talking employees




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