The Dandy Lion

This place seems to be a staple in Iowa City. I can understand why because their breakfast food is solid. My Avocado toast was crazy good! The pickled onions and radishes on it took it to a whole different level! The hash browns were cooked to perfection and everything was just fresh and comforting. The only reason why I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the cinnamon roll letdown. They are supposed to be known for their desserts. They literally have awards for them lining the walls. So, even though we were full from breakfast, I ordered one to-go. But it was dry, had very minimal cinnamon flavor, and the icing was awful. It literally looked like and reminded me of straight up whipped margarine spread you get out of a tub. It got one bite from each of us and then went straight to the garbage. What an awful way to end an otherwise great experience.

This is now one of my favorite restaurants in Iowa City. My boyfriend and I are vegan, and we were amazed by the vegan/veganizable options! We got the Just Egg egg substitute as well as the Impossible sausage with our meal for no extra cost. That's rare! Usually, one pays extra for the vegan option but not at this restaurant. The food was very tasty and incredibly filling. Even the soup of the day was vegan! (At least the day that we went.) The price of our meal was also very reasonable for the portion of food that we ate. I highly recommend this restaurant (even for my fellow vegans)! Maddie was our server, and she was very chill and accommodating (on such a busy day too!).

Server was attentive and quick. I thought the Hawaiian bread was very good and the aioli was delicious. Wasn’t the biggest fan of the sausage. French toast was very good, it was like a dessert!

Tony provided the best service and recommendations. The French toast with coconut curd, whipped cream, and strawberries was a winner! My dad comes here almost every weekend and enjoys the country fried steak (I believe that’s what it’s called), so I joined him on Saturday and was impressed. I figured I would give this place another try after being disappointed with the avocado toast a month or two ago, and I am sure happy that I returned prior to giving my opinion then. The avocado toast was alright, but I wanted avocado vs avocado spread, and even when I asked for a side of avocado, I was brought a tiny portion of… avocado spread. There also wasn’t much spread on the avocado toast, so I was disappointed on my first visit. My most recent visit was a success. Not to mention, the golden milk latte was also tasty! 😁

We ordered the breakfast burrito and the stack burger. The food was amazing, fresh with balanced flavors. The cocktails were reasonably priced and unique, not the ordinary selection. It was easy to see why people are willing to wait to be able to eat here.

I was in town visiting family for the holidays. My husband and I had our 3 year old and 5 month old with us. They were the only children in our group and they were both a little disregulated from traveling and holiday excitement. The staff at The Dandy Lion was so kind and patient. I never once felt like my kids were an annoyance even when my toddler repeatedly got in the path of various wait staff or when my infant was crying. They attempted on multiple occasions to interact with and joke with my son. They made sure to get his food out as quickly as possible, too! They made my day a little easier. Thank you!

One of the best breakfasts I've had in a long while. The wait was over an hour so I would plan ahead. We went on a Hawkeye football GameDay so that may have played a part but they do allow you to put your name and number on the list and they will contact you when your table is ready. The food was very good, we had the biscuits & grave (which I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND). The staff was kind, attentive and food was quick to come out and piping hot.

Everything was absolutely phenomenal. I ordered the special of the day very berry French toast with a cinnamon roll and my husband got the breakfasts burrito. It was amazing! Both were done perfectly and full of flavor. The burrito had smoked pulled pork that was phenomenal and the French toast was out of this world. The bread seemed to be homemade and was delicious by itself but paired with the fruit it was perfect. We drove here from Cedar Rapids (40 minute drive) because there are no good breakfast places near us, and we were not disappointed! We will be back!