Bluebird Diner

The food is pretty good — they’ve got some unique options, and it seems to be prepared well. However, I’ve been disappointed the 2 times I’ve ordered takeout — both times my food was cold when I picked it up, even though I was on time (I had ordered online and scheduled a later pick-​up). I would go there to eat inside but probably won’t do their takeout again.

Bluebird is a landmark establishment. It’s a very solid place for breakfast and dinner. The food is always reliable and the wait staff is fabulous.
Two things that bug me; however, are that they serve jelly and cream in packages (c’mon, a cute diner can’t spare fresh?) and the chef in North Liberty makes a way better corned beef hash with large shreds of meat and yummy root veggies.
While Bluebird has a niche with Hamburg Inn, they better watch for Banditos who has a great breakfast menu and have started to shave guests on those long lines!

Met a friend here for lunch on 1÷6÷16. I had the club, it was ok, selected a cup of the Beef/​Cheese/​Beer soup, DELISH!

Loved this small local diner. Veggie hash was really a good find. Where else can you get fresh veggies for breakfast? The place is filled with cute kitschy items from the 70’s. Service was really good, and breakfast was delicious. Clean and open kitchen with a counter service too.

Bluebird makes the best breakfast in town! Be prepared to wait on the weekends, but it is worth it. All of their omelettes are unique enough to be interesting but classic enough to be delicious. Their waffles with all of the toppings options are great. Their coffee and desserts are amazing. This is a great place to bring your family for breakfast when they visit.

This is my go-​to place for breakfast. The huevos epsteinos are my favorite. A new take on an old favorite.
I have not had anything that wasn’t tasty, breakfast or otherwise. Po’ Boy and Reuben are other good options.
Servers are attentive, but not overbearing. They keep the coffee cup full and that is all I can ask!
Saturday mid-​morning can be very crowded, when the University is in session — be prepared.

Very nice diner. Quiet and relaxed atmosphere for family and friends. Good food. Nice price. Good service.

It’s awesome to stop in the middle of nowhere and to discover a cute little town with a cute little diner.
It’s a college town but the day we dropped by it was just us. Peace and quite and some church folks just coming out of their Sunday service.
I’m guessing the day we stopped by and found great parking right in front was a miracle. That’s all they have here street parking. But for such a cute town I’d walk five miles to find a parking spot.
Walking in we were greeted and sat pretty quickly. Our choice of table. Window seat to people watch was my choice.
Their corned beef hash was my choice but something I would skip next time. It was very light and with potatoes so small and not crunchy. With very minimal amount of meat. I think if my hash was cooked longer n therefore browned I would be feeling differently. It was tasty nonetheless. It’s their style and I’m jut not used to it.
The service was efficient and fast. Nice staff. On top of their game. Clean place.
I will stop again but will try something else!

Amazingly busy place and the smells in this diner of the various foods is heavenly. I stopped there while traveling through Iowa city intending to just pick up a muffin or something easy to go. At 10 o’clock in the morning on a weekday, it was packed full with people still waiting in line. The gentleman who helped me was very kind and explained that they were so busy they were not taking to go orders. They had even shut off their online ordering system for that morning.
He then asked what I might be looking for. I replied a muffin or something small to take with me. «We don’t have muffins or baked goods in general, but we do have great cinnamon rolls.»
He offered to heat one up for me and would prepare it to go so I could enjoy it on the road. As I waited for my package, I observed around the restaurant. It was cherry, friendly, the plates on the tables were adorned with generous portions of whatever the customer had ordered. They were eagerly partaking of their breakfast. Everything must’ve been delicious and even in the five minutes I was there, I observed very few customers sending plates back with any food left on them.
The next time I am in Iowa city, I will definitely make some time to return to this diner.

If you’re willing to combat the crowd of one of the most popular places in Iowa city for breakfast, this is definitely worth your effort. Their coffee is superb, the service very good, and the food is definitely high quality as well. It’s not the best breakfast I’ve ever had, but it’s better than I could do on my own and the atmosphere is nice.
Also worth knowing, is that they sell bags of their coffee to-​go, which is pretty great.

On an adventure in Iowa City? Are you a regular? Are you a student? Are you hungry? Then, yes, here, this is a good place to get grub.
We came in around 10:30am and had a super short wait. Another review suggested the bar and I like to listen to fellow Unilocalers.
We got up to the bar fast. Watching the bustling waitresses and the cooks through the window. (Gotta get my people watching in)
We reviewed the menu ahead and time and knew what we were in for. The pictures on Unilocal were helpful in deciding ahead of time of what we wanted.
Coffee was first. Very potent and fresh. Got real creamer and big sugar dispensers right on the counter.
I being the brave one decided to try the Oeufs Louis XIV: Three eggs fondly scrambled with Truffles. Served with rustic root hash, grilled tomato & house sourdough.
Ill admit, I asked about the rustic root hash and was too chicken and opted for the normal hash browns.
My dining partner had The Popeye: Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes & fresh hollandaise omlete. (She did sub out the hollandaise for feta cheese due to her gluten intolerance.)
They won her over when they offered her a gluten free pancake as her side instead of hash browns.
My scrambled eggs and truffles was really good. It was a first for me and really got a kick out of eating the grilled tomatoes with my hash browns.
I also devoured the house sourdough. I really enjoyed this meal. It was very filling and I cant imigane what the rustic root hash would have been on top of all that.
I also got to try the Popeye. It was really good and fluffy.
My dining companion ate her pancake like it was going out of style. I got to try that too and it was really good as well.
I know that she has tried multiple gluten free pancake mixes but this one was really good.
She couldn’t eat all her food and they were happy to box up what she didn’t eat so we could take it with us.
We also decided to get a bag of the house coffee. They had coffee mugs and to go cups that you could purchase to take with you or refill upon your return.
I think the place never slowed til we were about to leave. The place was a buzz and constantly filling emptying chairs.
I really enjoyed this visit and would suggest you try it. The price on my meal was a little higher (truffles) than I would have wished but I think trying something new is important. Plus the waitress made up for it by substituting something in our check to help even it out.
If you are there, dont forget to go across the street and check out the little cute stores near by. I am glad we did. Thank you to all the Unilocalers and pictures that made this possible.

I think this place is a little over-​hyped. Everyone in Iowa City seems to love this place and I’m not entirely sure why. It seems to be packed almost every morning (especially on Weekends, you can expect a wait) and sometimes for dinner as well. I have been there for both breakfast and dinner and would probably not recommend it for the later with so many other great dinner options in the downtown area. With that being said, their breakfasts are good. Good portion sizes, good quality, but it’s still just some pretty standard breakfast fare when it comes down to it and I haven’t seen very many places that really mess that up.
If I had to recommend a menu item for breakfast I would go with one of the omelets or a cinnamon roll. I really wish they served breakfast later because there’s nothing on their lunch/​dinner menu I’m too crazy about. I’ve had a few different burgers and sandwiches now and they’ve only just been ‘good’, nothing to write home about.
The service I’ve gotten here has always been good. Staff are usually cheerful and attentive. The food moves from the kitchen fairly fast and I’ve never had much of a wait. The only complaint I really have is the amount of flies that seem to riddle this place when I’ve eaten here. Despite that, I would still recommend this as a nice place to take out-​of-​town guests for breakfast. However, I don’t know how often I would find myself eating here if I was choosing a place to eat for myself.

Great diner for omelets. We got their special, egg burji, which was a decent take on Indian fav according to my dad. I really liked the Krakatoa (don’t be scared, it’s not spicy).
Great service and food.

I usually enjoy this place for breakfast food. Today I decided to try sth different — the vivesus omelette. It’s Mediterranean styled with spicy beef, red peppers, and feta cheese. It came in a very huge portion. There was just too much feta cheese and too spicy for me. But i think someone who loves feta cheese would enjoy it.

We were driving through Iowa City and after a night’s stay, we searched for a breakfast spot and found the Bluebird Diner. We’re so glad since we had an amazing breakfast staff.
First, the place is super hip and eclectic, not something I was necessarily expecting in Iowa City. Even though it was super crowded for a weekday, we didn’t have to wait for a table for 5. The staff was friendly and very attentive without being overbearing. My one son had the biscuits and gravy which was a massive portion and my small taste left me craving more except I had my delicious omelet still to eat (and the biscuits and gravy looked like it would put me in a day long food coma). Both my wife and I had egg white omelets. The portions were quite generous and my ham and cheese omelet was as good as you can get — I’m guessing the ham was locally grown and it certainly was fantastic. I couldn’t resist a side order of the pecan smoked bacon which sounded good and tasted even better —- just about any bacon delivers — and it was cooked to perfection, crispy but not overdone.
We also shared an immense cinnamon roll that was beyond decadent. It was a good thing all five of us shared it or one of us would have wound up in a sugar coma. If I’m ever back in Iowa City, I hope Bluebird Diner is still around as I’ll certainly make another stop here.

My friend told me that this place is very popular here, so I was nervous about the wait. But when we got there, we were seated and our orders were taken within 10 or 15 minutes.
I tried the cinnamon roll (which is HUGE and if I didn’t split it, I would never have finished it) and the Krakatoa omelette with avocado. The food was delicious, the service was quick and the staff was friendly.
Overall, a good experience. I look forward to coming back and trying something new next time.

Rachel H’s review of the cinnamon rolls and dynamite pictures had me throwing in the towel and going big on my order at Bluebird. Yes, I ordered not only the ginormous cinnamon roll but the hashbrowns to boot — can’t blame a lady for craving a sweet and savory morning tango…
I was only able to conquer ¹⁄₃ or the cinnamon roll but I have to say the cream cheese icing was well worth the calorie splurge. The hashbrowns weren’t too shabby either. I balanced it all out with a cup of mint tea. My favorite thing about the Bluebird Diner is the charming old-​style diner with blue vinyl stools. This place is as cute-​as-​a-​button inside and out. Next time, I’m giving the popular Huevos Epsteinos dish with parmesan grits, pulled pork, hashbrowns and chili verde a whirl.

We gave the Bluebird a try for breakfast. We only waited 5 minutes on a Saturday morning. Made the mistake by parking on the street next to the Bluebird. I had to keep feeding the meter every 15 minutes. They do have lot parking on the other side of the restaurant .
I ordered the Krakatoa Omelette. I loved it, hot and spicy. The service was great, fast and friendly. Too bad I could not stay longer, this would be my breakfast place.
Give The Bluebird a try. They have many different dishes for breakfast.

When you walk into the Bluebird, the first thing you feel is at home. The eclectic, artsy décor is exactly what you would expect in this cool, little college town — a cheerly, bright mix you might expect to find in the kitchen of favorite off-​beat professor or maybe Dharma, your eccentric aunt. The tables are tight, but the place is small, so embrace the cozy feeling of togetherness and get of whiff of your coffee.
They serve great coffee. And the cup? Well, they have put a bird on it. So, enjoy the coffee and trade some Portlandia quips with your table-​mates while you wait for your breakfast. And, if you don’t like coffee, don’t stress, just get a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa. They do the Bloody Mary with enough spice to please a Texan, and the Mimosa with enough booze to please anyone.
Breakfast is the star, though. I judge a breakfast by the eggs. I try them on more than one occasion to be certain that the first try wasn’t a fluke, so I am happy to say that the Bluebird does eggs right. Light, fluffy, never overcooked, never tough. Scrambled eggs — a seemingly simple dish — is such a test to breakfast establishments because the wrong heat, a second too long, a sudden solar flare, and, poof, meteorite eggs are served that day. This diner has the eggs perfect.
The rest is equally good and the portions plentiful. Try the bacon, it’s thick and tasty. The hash browns are crisp, not burned, and light and fluffy inside. And, the French toast is awesome.
In short, you will leave the Bluebird with a full belly and happy taste buds. So, go enjoy some breakfast at the Bluebird.
Why are you still reading? GO!

Holy slammin’ salmon and giant cinnamon rolls.
Every time we have out-​of-​town family or friends visit, the Iowa City Bluebird Diner is a must. I’ve only ever ordered from the breakfast menu because it’s just too delicious and I’m scared I might find something even more delicious and addicting on the dinner menu.
If you go on a weekend, don’t you dare get grumpy about having to wait 30 minutes for a table to clear. There’s a reason everyone’s standing in the freezing rain for this food. Oh my goodness.