Attempt #130 - Ian's Pizza [Lions Bridge, Cedar Rapids, IA]

 

Wall Menu

The Venue 

59 16th Ave SW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
(319) 249-6368

 

Ian’s Pizza brings affordable, craft-quality pizza to the Cech Village. Located inside the Lion Bridge Brewing Taproom, this restaurant offers both full pizzas as well as pizza by the slice.  Bar and table seating available.

Menu

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122110018226824101&set=pcb.122110018430824101  Participants: 8 (5 children)

Pizza Ordered:  3 (all Large 20”)

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 12” Small, 16” Medium, 20” Large

Pieces Cut: Normally Triangular, but in our case, they did squares

 

Smokey the Bandit
BBQ Sauce, Mozzarella, BBQ Chicken, Cheddar, Bacon, & Ranch
20" - $33

Smokey the Bandit, Large, $22

 

Tomato Pesto
Pesto, Mozzarella,& sliced Tomato
20" - $25

 

Pepperoni Pizza 20" - $22

 

 

 

 

Verdict

Tomato Pesto, Large, $25

Sauce:  BBQ was a little sweet, the pesto seriously lacked flavor.  The marinara (pep) was a little bland, but decent.

Cheese:  They were a little light on the cheese. 

Crust: Loved the bubbly bready crust on the BBQ pizza.  This was the best part of the entire meal.

Toppings: Toppings were okay, but seemed to slide off pretty easily.

 

Final thoughts:  I would grab a slice here, but I would not suggest getting a whole one, considering the steep price tag.  The overall lack of flavor, and lack of beef/pork options on the menu left many in the group desiring more.  However, for vegetarians, this would be a more suitable place.  Arugula, or more parmesan cheese would have brought the disappointing Pesto to life. 

Pepperoni, Large $22

 

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.

Overall 7.00

Cheese 6.71

Topping 6.71

Sauce 6.86

Crust 8.00

Venue 7.00

Favorite: Smokey the Bandit

Attempt #129 - The Bar

 The Venue 

Venue Outside

1100 1st St SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
(319) 200-3789

 

Venue Inside

The Bar is owned the by local restaurant group Fun Not Fancy (FNF), opened on April 1^st, 2025.  They specialize in burgers, as well as thin crust pizzas, wings, etc.  They have both bar, booth, and table seating.  The restaurant is pretty small, a narrow room occupied mostly by the bar.  Be warned, the seats fill up fast on a Saturday.  Arriving at 4:45 PM was a smart move.

Menu

 

 

The Pizza

The_Hip_Stir_Large_$25

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122110018226824101&set=pcb.122110018430824101  Participants: 9 (6 children)

Pizza Ordered:  7 (2x Cliffs, one was dropped)

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 10” Small, 13” Medium, 16” Large / 16” Large

Pieces Cut: Normally Triangular, but in our case, they did squares

 

The_Bar_Large_$21

Cliff’s
Buffalo Sauce, Chicken, Bacon, Red Onion, Ranch Drizzle
10" - $15 14" - $23

 

the hip-stir
Pepperoni, Jalapeno, Banana Pepper, Red Sauce, Garlic, Pesto, Hot Honey
10" - $15 14" - $25

 

Sacred Cow
Pepperoni, Sausage, Ground Beef, Bacon, Chicken, Red Sauce
10" - $15 14" - $25

Sacred_Cow_Large_$25

 

The Bar
Ground Beef, Sauteed Onions, Pickles, Red Sauce, Pub Sauce Drizzle
10" - $14 14" - $21

 

Pepperoni Pizza 10" - $12 14" - $17

 

Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza 10" - $14 14" - $19

 

 

 

 

Verdict

Sauce:  Average sauce. Typical fare.

Cheese: The pizza was not overly cheesy, which is a turn-off for some. 

Crust: Nothing to write home about, this was clearly frozen crust.

Toppings: I enjoyed the toppings on the pizzas.  I think they were distrusted well, and had lots of flavor.  Probably the best part.

 

Final thoughts:  The creativity of the pizza flavors was defiantly the best part.  The bar pizza shocked me, as it was the winner.  Even I voted for it, which I almost didn’t even want to order it.  Thankfully, the group requested it, and it was amazing.  The pickle juice and beef made my night. 

The_Hip_Stir_Small

 

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.

Overall 7.00

Cheese 7.14

Topping 8.43

Sauce 6.86

Crust 6.14

Venue 5.29

Favorite: The Bar

Cliffs_Large_$23

Attempt #128 - The Inn

 

Venue Outside

The Venue 

175 Jacolyn Dr NW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
(319) 396-3434

 

The Inn was formally Miguel’s, which we reviewed back in 2011 (See Pizza Attempt #3!!!).  The place has had a fresh paint job, more TV’s, and a more comfortable atmosphere than back 14 years ago.  The pizza was still large and in charge, as before.

Menu

 

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=the%20inn%20restaurant%20and%20bar

Participants: 13 (6 children)

Pizza Ordered:  3

Pepperoni

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 10” Small, 13” Medium, 16” Large / 16” Large

Pieces Cut: Normally Triangular, but in our case, they did squares

 

Bacon Cheeseburger – $24.99

Taco – $16.25

Pepperoni – Pepperoni, $19.98

 

 

Verdict

Sauce:  Average sauce.

Bacon Cheeseburger

Cheese: The cheese was a little lighter than other places.  Nothing much to stand out.

Crust: Although a normal pizza, the crust was firm and bready.  I did enjoy it, very similarly to Miguel’s.

Toppings: The toppings were evenly spaced, not too heavy.

 

Final thoughts:  The pizza was a solid ‘good’ as one participant wrote.  Not amazing, but significantly better than more tavern pizzas.

 

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.

Overall 7.00

Cheese 7.50

Topping 8.50

Sauce 7.83

Crust 7.33

Venue 7.67

Taco

Favorite: Tie – Taco  and Bacon Cheeseburger