Newton’s Paradise Cafe

The place is pretty new and great atmosphere. The staff was very friendly, and accommodating. The menu is slightly limited and small. I had grilled cheese with a side of French fries. The grilled cheese was great and the side of fries was huge. I would definitely recommend this place for breakfast or lunch if you’re walking around the area. Neat spot with good food.

Horribly slow service; not crowded and it still took over an hour for our food to arrive. Gravy on ‘hot beef’ tasted burnt; bread on beef with cheese sandwiches with au jus was terribly dry; overall, for 7 different lunches, only 2 were acceptable. Yes, the tenderloin is oversized, But putting a tiny hamburger bun in the middle is ridiculous, a larger bun is definitely called for even though IT still wouldn’t reach the edges of the meat. Tables were not wiped off well, still sticky. Waiter came to ask ‘how many checks?’ to which we replied ‘one’ AND a piece of carrot cake BUT the cake never came. Overall, I would NOT recommend this overpriced café whose food is not tasty at all.

Our first time here. Almost didn’t go due to bad reviews on Unilocal,but I thought I’d give it a chance. Don’t come here when you’re starving because it took forever for the food to one out. The place wasn’t event half full at that time. I thought maybe it’s because they (hopefully) made the food from scratch and it would be fresh. Um, no. The gravy of my husband’s hot beef sandwich was scalded. My sweet potato salad was blah. My mother in law and I ordered Roast beef sandwich and both the bread and the meat were too dry.
Sad face…

Super great giant Iowa tenderloin! Blue cheese on eclectic salad was insanely Delish! Friendly service with free refills. Grown up grilled cheese was for at least two grown ups or 4 kids! Wonderful atmosphere with plenty of comfy booths.

The sweet potato salad was amazing. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to order it as my side, but thankful I did. Everything we ordered was great and it is a local place, so we should support them. The place itself was unique kid of like an old diner feel, but very clean and restored beautifully. Great place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Worst place I’ve ever eaten. I wish I could give them no stars. I suppose the one I’m giving them is for their good service but the food is complete bile. I had to waste 16 dollars on some shitty Pepsi and beer and a terrible Reubens sandwhich. This place is a waste of space and should never be allowed to charge anyone money for their terrible terrible food. DON’T EVER GO HERE PEOPLE. MORGS IS RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD. JUST EAT THE GRAVEL OFF THE GROUND AT LEAST IT’S FREE.

The decorations of this café are what make it. It’s bright and Art Deco. The spinning, light-​up sign out front is the coolest thing!
The food is four-​star. I’d recommend sticking to breakfast since they serve it all day long! The French toast is good, and last time, I built my own breakfast sandwich, which was quite tasty!
If you are around, it’s worth checking out!

Went here for breakfast on a Sunday and was very disappointed.
First the pros though: nice ambiance and good service. My English muffin was good and clearly homemade.
On the flip side the other food was awful. Really bad. I got an omelette with hashbrowns and an English muffin. None of the food had any flavor at all. I tried hard to add salt. and more salt… but still no flavor came. The omelette was SO dry. SO DRY! And then the sausage in the omelette was especially dry, even more dry than the rest of the omelette.
Lastly (and I realize this is a small thing), I would have loved a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. I was hoping they would have it since they seem to advertise ‘fresh local’ ingredients but when I asked they said it was just store bought (like other breakfast restaurants). I guess my expectations were too high.

I love their food and the wonderful atmosphere. Local ingredients and the décor itself is worth the visit. If you have a small stomach don’t order the regular tenderloin, it is the largest one i have had. I still order it because it leaves almost a second tenderloin for me to eat later.

Overall, nice little place. We came in from out of town and was directed here by previous Unilocal reviews.
Pros:
1. Cute little place. Would def come back
2. Food was good. I had loaded bake potato soup (super yummy), plus we had the grill cheese and roast beef. Both great as well.
3. Wait for food was very reasonable. It was out quick and hot.
4. Bread was super fresh. So good
5. Place was clean
6. Server was helpful
Cons:
1. Crackers with soup were stale
2. Guinness beer was flat
3. Fries had Parmesan (which was fresh grated so that was a plus), but it wasn’t melted so it just felt right off.

Reminded me of Jim’s Café down river (Greenville) classic signature lunch spot. Had the BBQ poor boy – lucky because was free fries Friday. Would vote in the side of the service being a bit slow but there was a TV over the bar– and I wasn’t in a rush. Waterloo Iowa looked to me like it had seen better days. I think it had a wrestling museum. BBQ was Iowa good, fries free so no cause to complain. The bill even with free fries was 12.00– I gave the waitress and she asked, «do you want change.» Had to admire that!

Fabulous! Great food, great service, great prices. Everything that other reviewers said about waiting times was blatantly false. Our food arrived quickly and was our best meal in Iowa this year (other meals were mostly around Okoboji).
I highly recommend the pork tenderloin which is more than even a Coney Island hot dog champion could eat in one sitting. The sweet potato salad is to die for and the caprese sandwich was fresh and delicious. I highly recommend Newton’s.

My first visit to Newtons was a year and a half ago, and I was really looking forward to a return visit for one thing, the pork tenderloin. The tenderloin is still fabulous and as big as a platter, but I’m docking a star because of cleanliness. I had dirty silverware, the water tasted like something had been washed in it, and my table was sticky. Watching staff wipe down the table next to me, I almost said something about the very cursory nature of their cleaning. I’m kind of disappointed since the food is really good, and wines by the glass are cheap ($ 3.50 for me) on wine Wednesday. My (second) server was also really chipper. I’ll come back, but hope they work on cleaning.

Excellent pork sandwiches. Come with an appetite because you will not leave hungry. Decent service. I would recommend this to all who love a pork sandwich. The ONLY way to eat it is with pickles and ketchup.

Large concert in town and wait was out the door and once seated it took sometime but it was worth it. Service was excellent

Went back a second time, it was busy and the kitchen was super slow… make sure you have plenty of time if you give it a try.
We loved it. Got right in, service was prompt and friendly, food was great. They were able to accommodate special dietary requests, definitely recommend and for sure would go back! Ask for Aaron.

This was a great place to stop in Iowa after passing by so many gas stations and greasy diners. I wouldn’t consider this a diner at all– there are salads and healthier options such as salads and the soup of the day– tortilla soup today. The BF did have the infamous tenderloin and said it was «good» and especially for the price! We would definitely come again if we are passing by!

I would like to review the food, but after waiting 45 minutes, we were then told that the average wait time from ticket to table was ONE HOUR and that our food was still another 20 to 30 minutes away.
(Keep in mind they didn’t come by our table to explain the delay. We had to flag our server down to find out where are meals were.)
Because we were on a schedule, we had to leave. Then they charged us for our coffee and soda.

The food is good but I would have to say, not worth the wait. The tenderloin was delicious but I’ve had delicious tenderloins elsewhere and not waited 30 minutes for it. And I have a problem when the food is served and looks very unappetizing, this goes for any place, I received hash browns that were obviously burnt (tasted horrible also, did gave them a chance) but still they came to the table. I shouldn’t have to tell you something that you already see. The waitress gets a ding for that one too.
Wrapping it up.
+Good Food
–Long Wait
–Not Very Much on the Menu
+Good Coca-​Cola
–Unmindful cooking staff and wait staff

This has been our go to place in Waterloo whenever we are in town… But no more… Some thoughts:
If Newton’s was located in Chicagoland, it would be closed because no one would tolerate the super slow kitchen. Thank God for Iowa nice and Iowans who are willing to wait and wait and wait for pancakes and eggs; not to mention the chaos of «seat yourself,» the crowded tiny vestibule where you have to wait, and the front door that won’t close causing a cold draft to continually fill the restaurant.
Perhaps the only way to manage the terrible waiting game is to get drunk on all the bloody Mary’s and mimosas the servers were so busy preparing (as people were waiting for tables to be cleared).
By the time our food did arrive, it was quite the surprise because so much time had gone by that I had forgotten what I had ordered. Three of us had traditional American breakfast with eggs and pancakes. The pancakes are amazing. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was good, but needed more BBQ sauce and I had to ask for pickle.
Bottom line: Food is great, but the overall experience especially the ridiculous waiting and lack of concern for our waiting was not positive and we are reluctant to try again.