Amigos Mexican Restaurant

I was lured into this restaurant by a "buy one entree get one 50% off" coupon. I must say this is the sorriest excuse of a Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. The chips and salsa started things out fine, and the prices on the menu were quite appealing. Alas, it was all downhill from there. I could not tell the difference between my burrito and enchilada. They looked and tasted pretty much the same. What really took the cake though, was the sopapilla. Those of you who frequent Mexican restaurants know what a sopapilla is. I will admit though, that in all my time in central america, I never actually saw a sopapilla. It's probably something like fortune cookies or crab rangoon, which doesn't actually exist in Asia. Still, I am used to my Americanized Mexican food and was expecting a delightful donught-like dessert. Their version of a sopapilla was a fried flour tortilla with whipped cream on it. What the heck...?

La Michoacana Mexican Restaurant

Now, this meets my criterion of hole-in-the-wall, but I've only been through the drive-thru. I ordered a torta (a sandwich) and chile rojo which was basically beef (I think) in a red sauce. Now, I like my spicy, I eat jalapenos, but this was so spicy that when I got it home I actually rinsed it off with water through a strainer. The torta was "authentic," which means I didn't like it. That is one difference between American food and cuisines of the world. We do not like hunks of fat in our meat, we cut the gristle off. In other parts of the world, huge hunks of fat with only a sliver of meat are delicacies. Not my favorite. I haven't tried it, but some friends tell me they have great mole.

La Chiquita Restaurant

This would be one of those family owned hole-in-the-walls of which I speak. I like them. Reminds me of all those months I spent south of the border. (It was completely legal...honest.) The salsas were not out of a bottle and the food was cheap and good. I would go back.

Beck's Sports Brewery

I think if you like beer you will really like this place. I don't drink beer, so I wouldn't know. But it seems like a great sports bar. I just don't like bars...or televised sports for that matter... Food was good, but it didn't stand out as any better than many other restaurants. One annoying addition was when we went for the Friday night All-you-can-eat Fish Fry, my husbands favorite "entree." Every time you get more fish, they bring you more tartar sauce, and they charge 50 cents for every one. Of course, that wasn't mentioned beforehand. Can we say "pah-theh-tic?"

Rudy's Tacos

People who have lived here forever know all about Rudy's. We're transplants so it took us a while to find out about it. It is off of Ansborough. I don't know any Mexicans named Rudy, but it's pretty good food, and they support the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign which is great. If you like Carlos O'Kelley's, you'll live Rudy's a lot more. Portions are muy grande. Call me a bigot though, but I prefer the hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants staffed by people who don't speak English. I will try all of them in town before I go back to Rudy's. And yes, I am aware that I risk numerous incidents of food poisoning by maintaining this stance, but after living in Asia for several years, those things don't phase you as much.

Golden China

Great chinese food. What makes it any different from the other Chinese restaurants, you ask? The secret is to go with someone who can read Chinese and order from the Chinese menu. Not as good as being in Taiwan, but for Waterloo, Iowa, not bad by any means. We go there fairly frequently.

The Isle Casino Buffet

Very nice spread at the buffet with crab legs and prime rib. The only problem is that half the time no one is staffing those stations so you have to wait, and wait, and eventually come back and wait some more. And $17.95 per person is too expensive for a growing family. We wait for the coupons. If you can find a coupon, I'd certainly give it a try. Much nicer than a Bonanza or something of that nature.

The Broom Factory

My husband took me here for my birthday two years ago. We haven't been back. I thought it was bad, and I say that about very few places. What really did it for me was my salad, a few pieces of dried out iceberg lettuce. Maybe people go to look at all the junk the lady collected, or look at the railroad tracks, but if you're going for food you can certainly get much better food right down the street.

Red River Steakhouse

Not bad for a restaurant in a hotel. Still had hotel restaurant prices. Not good enough to get me to go back though. Unless I got another coupon from Mix 96.1 radio station, but probably not. Texas Roadhouse is much better, but it is on the other side of the "metro".

Culvers Frozen Custard

If you're on a diet, fuhgetaboutit. If not, prepare to be delighted with artery clogging but oh so delicious indulgences. Frozen custard, even richer than ice cream, and a hamburger fried in butter....ooooh the sins of this world are great... :) If you're feeling guilty you can add a side of green beans, but only to compliment your fries. Right?

Thai Blessings

When I heard there was going to be a Thai restaurant opening in Cedar Falls the excitement could not be contained. After living in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, I was going into withdrawls. I need regular fixes of Pad Thai. Alas, much was my disappointment. It serves mostly Chinese food, and what Thai food they do make... it is disgraceful to say, but I make better Pad Thai at home. Now that is sad.

New Century Buffet

What stands out in my mind is the smell... Not a good smell... I think there were management changes and they took care of that, but still, bad memories.

Hu Hot Mongolian Grill

This place is fabulous. You can take your vegetarian friends here, and there aren't that many places I can say that about. They have tofu! Don't let that scare the carnivores, because there's a lot of meat to choose from as well. The sauces don't have MSG. I can always tell when they do 'cause I'll get a headache. I like it because you pick exactly what you want to go in your dish, and you watch them cook it right in front of you, so you won't have to worry about them dropping it on the floor in back and putting it back in. Sort of a take-off of Japanese teppanyaki, but a lot cheaper. Highly recommended, but since I'm cheap, I try and go for lunch on weekdays because that's when it is cheapest.

Gourmet Garden

Although it's a Chinese restaurant, we come here for the Vietnamese food. There is a small plastic insert in the menu with the Vietnamese food listed. It's one of our favorite places in Cedar Falls. Sure, we could get better pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) in Cedar Rapids, but that is $12 in gas and two hours of my time.

Biemann's Chuck Wagon

90 minutes of my life and 2500 calories that I'll never get back. It wasn't bad, it's just that there are so many other places that would have been so much better.

Zippy's Drive-thru

Who has the time to slow cook ribs for hours? Me neither. So for $9.85? (with coupon) you can get some very tasty ribs, coleslaw and potato salad. Mmm good. And you don't even have to tip anyone.

Steamboat Gardens

This place is perfect if you love fried fare on the cheap. There are always coupons floating around. It can get kinda crowded, but nowhere near Texas Roadhouse proportions. Did I mention cheap?

Grand China/Great Taste Buffet

Let me just share this. While eating there we saw the employees folding silverware into napkins. Silverware was dropped on the floor. Guess where it got put...

Copper Cu

Upscale has come to downtown Waterloo. Or maybe it was already there and I just never saw it... I don't come here very often, but it's not because it's not good. It's because it's 'spensive! I certainly appreciate good food and am willing to pay for it, but I'm married to someone who is not so gastronomically minded. Wendy's for them. Shrimp-lobster bisque at Cu for me. Heaven in a bowl. But avoid the wraps with goat cheese. If you've ever tasted goat cheese, most likely you'll not soon forget. It tastes like how licking a dirty goat would probably taste. Sometimes delicacies are expensive because they're in demand. Other times they're just expensive because strange people say you should like it. Kinda like modern art. Some people love it, rave about it, pay beaucoups of money for it, but I just don't get it.
If you're lucky enough, you may be able to spot a $50 gift certificate for $25 at restaurant.com

China Wok

Never heard of this place? Not surprised. They don't advertise. But the local Chinese community knows it well. This is THE best Chinese buffet in the Cedar Valley. It is better than all the other Chinese buffets by leaps and bounds. Located in a little out of the way place on 18th St in Cedar Falls, like Transformers, it's more than meets the eye. My only complaint is they charge for little kiddies, yes, even those under two. Really, is an eggroll for your 3 year old worth $3?

Texas Roadhouse

I would argue that this is the best place for meat in Cedar Falls, if not the Cedar Valley. I'm confident the majority of people would agree with me. My only word of warning is don't go on the weekends if you have less than two hours on your hands. I don't know about the new location as I was so frazzled by the last experience of waiting 90 minutes for a table and then having my table given to someone else by the time I fought my way to the hostess station and then having to wait 15 more minutes. If you sign up for the Texas Roadie club they'll e-mail you a coupon for a free cactus blossom.

Soho Sushi And Deli

Sushi? AND sandwiches? Did I hear you correctly? I still think it is a bizarre concept, but after living in the Cedar Valley for a few years I realize the sensibility of it all. You may want sushi, but how likely is it that your dining companions do? They are few and far between, my friend. So if you go to Soho, you can have your sushi, and they can have their pansy sandwiches. Okay, okay, they're really good sandwiches. Much more creative than Subway. But you won't get the quantity of it either. No foot longs here. So you have your choice, quantity vs quality and ambiance. And a big plus is you can get gift certificates that are 35% off face value if you call the 96.1 radio station on the first and third Fridays of the month at 9am. (It'll probably take you 20 minutes to get through though.)
I wish I could say the same thing about quality of sushi, but I no longer can. It has rapidly deteriorated since first opening. The last time I got sushi there it was so poor I have not been back since. I think they are hiring college students who may not even know where Japan is on the map. While I have no problem being served by a student per se, you must understand that sushi making is an art. Sushi chefs train in Japan for years. So you're as likely of getting a sushi chef like that in Iowa as I am of winning the lottery, without buying a ticket...but I have my limits. If you want sushi, and can't leave the Cedar Valley, I would recommend Tokyo Japanese Steak house instead, even though the owner lady there scares me.

Tokyo Japanese Steak House

Can a Japanese restaurant owned by Vietnamese and staffed by Mexicans be any good? Depends. The entertainment factor is definately high. Your kids will certainly love it. Anything with fire should amuse the children. Although they had better be abnormally good kids because it isn't cheap.
As to the food, if you are looking for good Japanese cuisine, may I remind you, this is Waterloo, America. It is good, as Americanized restaurants go. They even have 99 cent sushi night on Mondays, but yakisoba have they not. Your two choices are teppanyaki or sushi. For those of you who don't know what teppanyaki is, you should certainly try it at least once. You sit at a table where they cook the food in front of you. The chef performs various antics while cooking, like throwing the egg that goes into your fried rice into the air.
Sadly though, there is no real Japanese food to speak of. And to be honest, the owner lady kinda scares me. Just listen and you can occasionally hear her screaming at the kitchen staff. If I worked there, I would need therapy.