Riley’s Cafe

Longtime fan of Riley’s but recently it’s really been mediocre. Last couple of visits problems have been over-​easy eggs cooked too hard (even when it was remade!), shipwrecks that were mostly potatoes, cheese sauce and lots of jalapenos. Asked waitress where the other ingredients were and she said that the sausage was «chopped up really fine.» Really?! So fine I don’t even taste it?! Sad to see that this establishment has gone downhill.

In as much as I’d like to give Riley’s more stars I can’t. First off, I think it it overpriced. Secondly, it’s always packed to the gills and I don’t care much for waiting especially when I can eat elsewhere cheaper and actually get more food. It just seems like the hip place to go, sorry, I’ll eat at HyVee for half the cost.

I like Riley’s breakfast a lot. Not a super fan of other foods on the menu. I have eaten here many many times. If you go inside, you will wait 30 – 45 minutes for your food after you are seated. They are usually pretty good about keeping up with drink refills during this time. But, there is always a wait. Is it due to staffing issues or just because they are always so busy? I don’t know, it is just how it is. You will see groups of 2 – 10 here, so table space is a premium.
Breakfast is always good no matter what you get. From the omelette to the shipwrecks to the burrito to the traditional eggs and meat. Eggs are fluffy. Pancakes are fluffy. If you try to go healthy, it doesn’t really work though. I have tried and failed many times here. It doesn’t taste good at all.
To circumvent the waiting, I now order to go. When they say 45 minutes, they are pretty accurate. You still have to fight the crowd to get to the counter, but I feel a little smug getting my food and leaving.

Went here for the first time it’s a seat yourself place and we didn’t know that and when we walked in no one greeted us so we stood there awkwardly for a minute. But the food was quite good, price wasn’t bad at all. I will definitely go back. Waitress was a bit short with us but I’m assuming it’s just because they were busy.

Best pancakes in town. Great prices! They just need larger restaurants! Shipwrecks are also great, enough for 2 people!

I am a big fan of locally owned diners and have been a customer of Riley’s and Butcher Block for years now. BUT, I will literally drive past this Riley’s on Boyson to go to the next closest Riley’s on Center Point just north of Collins. Why? Because the service, food, and attitude of the manager at Boyson is just bad. It really is a shame as I could walk to this Riley’s and instead, I drive to the Center Point site.

Long time Unilocaler, first time for a review. First time visiting Riley’s Café and I would give it a mediocre rating. First thing you notice is all the wall placements in the restaurant which is very inviting. However, my wife and I were battling flies rather than figuring out what to eat. The food was good to stomach but you don’t want to stomach anything when you have flies everywhere. Maybe it was the booth. All in all good vibe, good food, just don’t choose the second to last booth on the left when you enter the restaurant.

The food here was delicious and the coffee was the best part of my visit. I ordered a veggie omelette and it was very hearty and tasty; however, I thought it was going to be made with just egg whites and it looked and tasted like there was some yolk added. I am visiting for work and one of the servers told me about different trails to try out in the area. What a great little diner in Cedar Rapids.

Service was very slow. Took waitress a long time to take our order and took over 30min to get two omletes. Omelet was good. Coffee cake was really good. Asked for the check as they brought out the food. Took another 10 min to pick up our check and settle up. Be sure to have plenty of time if you want to eat here.

Riley’s is a nice little café located in a strip mall off of Boyson. There are two other locations in Cedar Rapids, but this is the closet and one we most frequent. A cozy set up, with a collection booths and tables along with a bar. The was all littered with antiques ranging from records, license plates, toys, and records. Gives it a café/​diner type feel. One thing to note, is that there is no buffer at the door. So on a cold day you might want to dress a little warmer and sit away from the door. It can get a little cold.
Now onto the food. Again, what you expect at a Diner. Riley’s carries a number of varieties of dishes including breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, dinners, and soup/​salads. They have a breakfast dish, called a Shipwreck, that is one of the best I have tasted. Plus a special of the day that is always tempting.
This particular trip however I had the Hot Beef Melt with Fries and the Soup of the Day — Creamy Chicken and Rice. The sliced beef on the melt was juicy and very tender topped with shredded pepper jack and a mildly spicy chipotle that grew in intensity as you ate, but never overpowering the sandwich. The crispy waffles fries went perfect with the sandwich and the soup was done perfectly. Not a mush as you sometimes might get, but had the ‘crisp’ rice, vegitables, and chicken, but moist enough it melted in your mouth. I know its hard to describe with only words, you probably should just stop in and try a bite.

Great breakfast and pancakes! Had good service on several occasions. Love the home cooking and portions are very large. You won’t leave hungry!

I’ve only been to Rileys for breakfast, and the NE side provides a good selection. It’s the usual Rileys menu you find in other locations and there’s enough choices for you to consider. They have some good breakfast specials to consider too.
Known for their Shipwrecks, Benedicts and omelettes, they have some decent pancakes too. Service has always been friendly and efficient and the very Midwestern Iowa décor that Rileys has is a good distraction.
It does get packed on the weekends, but for the area, the wait is worth it.