Fair Grounds Coffehouse

Great coffee and food. Love the breakfast burrito and Ugandan coffee. French toast is solid also. Some unique menu options. Spacious and very quiet. Usually not very busy, likely because of the location.
Only downside for me – Many of the baked food offerings are more expensive because they are vegan … which doesnt matter to me. But I get that it’s more expensive to make those well, so if thats your thing, its a good spot for you!

This spot is actually a good coffee shop, food and beverage-​wise. The atmosphere prevents it from being an excellent do-​my-​work-​here-​all-​the-​time coffee shop. The space just feels like a little cold and fluorescently lit for my taste. Everything I ate and drank was very good, however!

I must say that I am Very very very disappointed in this place, the food wasn’t the best, my sausages were hard because they were burnt and not to mention the service was terrible. I expected great things from this place.

I used to visit Fair Grounds from the time it opened until 2009 when I moved away. Fantastic place to study or hang out with friends. It’s a bit separated from downtown which makes it more difficult to attract customers, so I’m happy that the place has survived and I hope it’s doing well.
The staff is probably the best part. Everyone I interacted with was amazingly friendly and helpful. I stopped by briefly while visiting town a few years ago and had the same positive experience as before.

We are vegan and were excited to find out about this place!
Their tempeh ruben is good and their vegan brownie is really good!
I am NOT a fan of their service! They beverage selection is zero to none (besides coffee). I ordered a smoothie and it was disgusting! They do not have soda/​pop or juice!

I like the atmosphere and honestly the food I’ve had was good. I am glad for the variety that has been added to the menu.

We stopped in Iowa City for the night in our way to Chicago. We decided to start our day at a local coffee shop.
To warn us up from the frigid weather, My fiancé got a cappuccino that she really enjoyed, and I had a hot chocolate that was really good as well.
We also had a lemon, strawberry, poppyseed scone that was just okay. The ham, cheddar and spinach quiche was really good.
They have all different types of foods for everybody. A vast breakfast menu and even a bar. Good place to stop on Iowa City.

I have to disagree with Mary J and Theo L and all the others below who say the service is GREAT, the staff is amazing, or the help is anything above mediocre. The times I’ve had good service are outweighed by the times I’ve had poor service or no service at all.
I used to go frequently, mostly for coffee, and to study or work. The décor is decent, with a more quiet backroom and a more social front room, so it was good for that. Service for that was okay — not what I’d call friendly or engaging, but at least I could get a cup of coffee. Try to get a beer tho… three people will chat behind the coffee counter and not acknowledge that the would-​be customers at the bar are even there. Over numerous visits I’ve spent way more time waiting for drinks here than actually drinking them.
If I lived near by or worked next door or something, I’d probably give it another chance again some day, but I wouldn’t walk more than a block out of my way to do so.

My favorite place for breakfast food in Iowa City bar none. Staff are amazing and take pride in their work. Outstanding selection of alcoholic beverages as well. Chocolate Chip blueberry waffles are a must, as well as the classic egg breakfast and the blueberry muffins. Great place to study and focus, as there are minimal distractions.

Fairgrounds was the first coffee shop I ever visited in Iowa City. It certainly did not let me down. You MUST try their vegan muffins. I always get one no matter what time of day it is. Their chai lattes are my absolute favorite in town, and the breakfast burritos are BIG and DELICIOUS. The ambiance is so relaxing and the gender neutral bathrooms win my heart over. You cannot go wrong with Fairgrounds.

Best coffee shop in Iowa City! The service is GREAT – there’s a dark-​haired young guy and a young blonde woman who work the counter, and they are just fantastic – so kind, and very fast with getting coffee and food orders out.
There’s also a large selection of breakfast and lunch items – try the breakfast burrito for something delicious and savory, and the blueberry waffle for something sweet. Additionally, there are a lot of spaces to spread out and do work or reading, too.
Fair Grounds is about three blocks away from being «right downtown» (but having just moved here from a big city, it still seems right downtown to me), so it’s got a bit of a hideaway feel and is never as crowded as other shops like High Ground or Starbucks, plus the customer service is much better. They’ve got a great beer selection, too. Check it out!

Okay food, it’s a cute venue. The espresso bar drinks were awesome! However, was kind of disappointed because the french toast was pretty burnt. The service was good though. Overall fine if you want a quick breakfast but it wouldn’t be my first choice for a great meal.

My boyfriend really enjoyed his black bean burger and I liked my shroomin wrap (putting it in the panini press was definitely key…). The fresh lemonade was good, but a little sugary and the place was a bit pricey for a coffee shop. Ambiance was peaceful and pleasant however and it was cool to look at the local art! Good call if you’re looking for a place to grab lunch and then read for the afternoon.

It’s really good, good beer, great coffee, very healthy– great if ur a vegan, vegetarian, or even meat eater (–D

Fairgrounds is another place I was bummed lost its vegan identity after I first left Iowa. (See also Masala and Red Avocado [which was lost entirely, though happily revived at Trumpet Blossom]). I wasn’t a vegan then, and I’m not now. But IC needs the options, options I enjoy having at least a few days a week. Fairgrounds maintains vegan options, but as other Unilocalers have noted, it isn’t quite the same thing.
What has remained the same, at least in my multiple visits since returning to Iowa, is the coffee and food. FG has lots of coffee options, arranged light to dark by region (thank you!), and they brew it pour over – strong and flavorful. (Eat your heart out, Java House… actually, Java House is pretty good, too.) And the mugs are huge. I appreciate that. I’ve also been able to get the vegan breakfast burrito, which still is one of my favorite breakfast options anywhere. Mine have always been hot and crisp, never soggy like another Unilocaler experienced. I’ve also tried the vegan burger and one of the french toast options. The french toast was quite decadent and delicious. I agree the vegan burger falls apart quite a bit, but it did taste good. It was a nice other option for the vegan-​minded.
I also recently (finally!) tried a muffin, which also is vegan. (They have lots of baked goods, some vegan, some gluten free, others conventional.) That was a tasty, albeit rather sweet, orange-​cranberry muffin. I liked it very much. I think I’ll try a Lemon Bar next time (not vegan). That could earn FG that elusive fifth cup… er, star. (Anyone get the reference? Anyone???)
The staff has always treated me well, and as a note, help them out and bus your own dishes. It’s a small place, the trays are right by the counter, and they’re usually busy enough that you can do it yourself. I don’t see a problem with that.
FG probably will remain my go-​to Saturday coffee/​breakfast place while I’m in the IC area. And for good reason. Though I wish they still were 100% vegan, I’m not so dismayed by the meat options that I fell the need to shun it. I’m happy to contribute to this local business, especially so long as they keep those huge coffees coming.

Gluten-​free waffles are amazing! Lots of options for gluten-​free people. Staff are always very friendly as well.

I love it here, it’s near by, friendly, fast but relaxed and has good healthy food that’s really yummy

This used to be my favorite place in Iowa City. But I hear they have new owners and have started serving meat. Very bummed. Used to be a really cool vegan/​vegetarian place, but with the addition of meat comes a lot of concerns regarding food preparation and ingredients.
With the new owners, the food hasn’t been nearly as good as I remember.
Also, and I’m sure this changes a lot, as it’s a college town, but the staff has been a non-​stop rotation of generally decent people/​employees with a peppering of terrible hippy dudes. I have a lot of great stories of terrible service from those hippy dudes. But as I pointed out, the hippies were few and far between.

I’m a very happy vegan! I highly recommend the house made veggie burger and the Vegan pumpkin Chai.
I can vouch for friendly staff and casual, relaxing atmosphere.

Eating here made me very sure I could never go vegetarian or vegan.
I came here because I was looking around for somewhere to eat in Iowa City for lunch, and many city roads were crowded with students moving in so I checked out the place closest to where I could find a parking spot.
I got a vegetarian burger with mushrooms. The patty itself was made of beans. At first it held itself together pretty well but as I ate more of it, the patty would just fall apart. I guess there’s only so much you can do with cooking beans. The taste was interesting too. Not great, but definitely interesting to a regular meat-​eater.
The atmosphere isn’t bad, and neither is the food, but this kind of food is just not for me.