Attempt #133 - Fancys New York

Venue

 The Venue 

3531 Mt Vernon Rd SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
(319) 899-3112

 

Each Sunday, only 70 pizzas will be made at Fancy’s.  To order, message on Instagram over at https://www.instagram.com/fancysnewyork/.   This is a carry-out only location and is only available for one day of the week, so you often have to order on Saturday to pick up your pizza on Sunday, with 3:30 – 7:30pm pickup.  Texting the order directly on Saturday also worked out well for this pizza attempt.  Jesse, the owner, is an awesome guy who is extremely easy to work with and consistently puts the customer #1. He certainly knows his pizza and will go to great lengths to deliver!

 

Venue Inside

   

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.smashqc.com/

Participants: 11 (6 children)

Pizza Ordered:  5

Sizes Offered/Ordered:   Large (18”) or Fancy Pan [similar to a Detroit rectangular deep-dish pan]

Straight up Cheese, $24

Pieces Cut: Triangular

 

- Fancy Fave - Iowa pepperoni, thinly sliced fresh red onion and jalapeño, $29.

- The LWB (Brie and gorganzola with castelvetranos, red onion and chili oil), $33

- Straight up (cheese pizza) with chili oil,  $24.

- Italian Sando - couple salamis, pepperoncini in the oven, finished with fresh baby arugula, burrata, evoo and hella parm, $35.

- Double Pepperoni – Fancy Pan, $32.

 

 

Verdict

Sauce:  Sauce was

Cheese: Fancy didn’t disappoint, having fancy cheeses on their pizza; Tasty too!

Crust: Chewy, excellent crust.  Better than Smash Pizza.  They are doing New York pizza right - in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Fancy Fav - $29

Toppings: Very high-quality ingredients.  I loved the spice added to the pizza, especially on the Fancy Fav.  Some participants didn’t care for the spice level, which was factored into some of the lower ratings. 

 

Final thoughts: 

One of my long-term participants claimed that this was the best pizza he’s ever had in his life.  The Double Pepperoni/Fancy Pan was the blowout winner. I only wish I had ordered more of it! The cushiony, delicious Double Pepperoni on the Fancy Pan was something of a dream – no kidding!   On the downside, some of the participants thought that the pizza was too spicy, and sadly, due to the drive time, they lost some of the heat.  With that being said, if you have the time to check them out, I would highly suggest it. There is a reason why they have single-handedly gotten hundreds of people to download Instagram.

Italian Sando, $35

 

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

Overall 7.11

Cheese 6.89

Topping 7.67

Sauce 6.44

Crust 8.33

Venue N/A

Favorite: Double Pepperoni/Fancy Pan\

Double Pepperoni - Fancy Pan $32

Attempt #132 - Smash Pizza [Bettendorf, IA]

 The Venue 

3403 Devils Glen Rd,
Bettendorf, IA 52722
(563) 900-4064

 

Rustic-chic eatery crafting pizza pies, burgers,


and chicken sandwiches, plus house-made pizzas and pasta. They have an Italian oven cooking the pizzas.  A local favorite.  Table and Booth seating available.

 

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Venue Outside

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.smashqc.com/

Participants: 4 (2 children)

Pizza Ordered:  1

Sizes Offered/Ordered:   Large (16”) or Sicilian (14”)

Pieces Cut: Triangular

 

The New York State of Mind
Tomato sauce, house sausage, pepperoni, roasted red peppers
Large - $26

 

   

Verdict

Sauce:  Even consistency, the tomato paired well with the NY State of Mind.

Menu

Cheese: Light on the cheese, but it tasted great. 

Crust: Chewy, excellent crust.  A little burnt on one side, but the bottom of the entire pizza had a thick cooked layer of crust – that stood out to me.

Toppings: Toppings were tasty, but a little on the light side.  High quality ingredients.

 

Final thoughts: 

I wish I had more time to try to Sicilian, but it was a great attempt.  The New York State of Mind if their most popular pizza on the menu, and it did NOT disappoint.

 

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

Overall 8.75

Cheese 9.00

A New York State of Mind, Large 16"

Topping 9.50

Sauce 8.00

Crust 7.00

Venue 9.25

Favorite: N/A

Attempt #131 - Lindale Neighborhood Pub [Cedar Rapids, IA]

Menu

 The Venue 

4444 1st Ave NE Ste 602
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(319) 582-5255

 

Opening in 2025, this Lindale restaurant is located next to the Mall, with its own outdoor entrance.  The seating was plentiful, with booths, chairs, and bar seating available.  For an attempt at 6pm on a Saturday night, it was dead; not many people were dining in.  By about 7pm, it picked up a bit, but still, it made me wonder if this place would stick around past 12 months.  The seating was clean, but the service was inconsistent, since they had one waitress for half of the place.

Pepperoni, Large, $15.99

 

 

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://lindaleneighborhoodpub.com/food-menu/

Participants: 7 (6 children)

Pizza Ordered:  4

Jalapeno Popper, Large, $23.99

Sizes Offered/Ordered:  Small, Medium, Large

Pieces Cut: Triangular

 

Pepperoni
Pepperoni
Large - $15.99

 

Luau
Canadian bacon, Pineapple, Mozzarella, BBQ Ranch Drizzle, Onion Straws
Large - $23.99

 

Luau, Large $23.99

Jalapeno Popper
Cream Cheese, Jalapenos, Bacon, Mozzarella. Topped with a Spicy Raspberry Sauce Drizzle

Large - $23.99

 

Taco
Taco Sauce Base, Taco Meat, Shredded Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Seasoned Chips, Topped with a Taco Sauce Drizzle and a Side of Sour Cream.
Small - $9.99

 

 

 

 

Verdict

Sauce:  Heavy on the sauce. This made most of the pies sloppy and messy to eat.

Cheese: Average, nothing to write home about. 

Crust: We chose the hand-tossed because it was made fresh; the thin crust was frozen, so we skipped on that for this attempt.

Toppings: Unique toppings with the Jalapeño popper.  A decent distribution across the board.

 

Final thoughts: 

Sloppy pizza with too much sauce.  The pizza tasted good, but the soggy texture wasn’t pleasing. The Jalapeno Popper was unique, and the flavor profile is worth trying!

 

 

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

Overall 7.50

Cheese 7.83

Topping 8.50

Slices

Sauce 6.67

Crust 6.83

Venue 8.33

Favorite: J. Popper

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

Attempt #127 - Checkers Tavern (Cedar Rapids, IA)

 

The Venue 

3120 6th St SW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
(319) 364-9927

Oven

 

Checkers is a popular tavern that caters to the Hawkeye Downs racing community on the south west side of Cedar Rapids.  It has been in the same location for over 30 years.  Loyal customers keeps this establishment going, they have Karaoke, Trivia, and other events to keep the fun rolling.  

Menu

They have plenty of table seating, as well as bar seating.  Hawkeye games usually have some sort of Beer special.  The brew is affordable, with only $3 for a PBR, $2 for a pop.  The pizza oven was hauled from Georgia, and is in frequent use. 

 

Jeff D'Cooks Coronary Concoction, 12 Inch, $17.71

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158712425164663&set=p.10158712425164663

Participants: 9 (8 children)

Da Bomb, 12 Inch, $18.53

Pizza Ordered:  7

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 12’ Small Only

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

 

Jeff D’Cooks Coronary Concoction – Pepperoni, Sausage, Italian Sausage, Beef, Ham, and more cheese, $17.71

Premier – Pepperoni, Pepperoni, Pepperoni, and Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, $15.51

Chili Dog, 12 Inch, $16.25

Cheese – Cheese, $9.97

Bacon Cheeseburger – Beed, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Pickle Slices, $15.51

Da Bomb – Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Italian Sausage, Beef, Ham, Green Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Diced Jalapenos, $18.53

Chili Dog – Checkers Chili, ½ Lb Hot Dog, Cheddar Cheese, & Onions, $16.25

Bad Andy – Canadian Bacon, Half Pineapple, Other Half Sauerkraut, $15.76

 

Cheese, 12 Inch, $9.97

 

Verdict

Sauce: Made from scratch by the kitchen staff daily, the sauce is the thing they are most proud of, I’d say.

Cheese: The cheese was average, nothing amazing, but nothing short of expectations.

Crust: The crust was a typical tavern – thin style.  Not my personal favorite, but I get it.  If there was something to build upon, I’d love to see them do a thick crust.

Toppings: The spicy Italian sausage was perfect, not the mild hearted!  Overall, for a bar, I was very impressed by the ingredients.

Bad Andy, 12 Inch, $15.76

 

Final thoughts:  Da Bomb was the crowd favorite, delivering a tasty spicy ending to our 7 pizza attempt!  It is their best seller, behind the

 

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

Overall 7.33

Cheese 7.33

Topping 8.33

Sauce 7.17

Bacon Cheeseburger, 12 Inch, $15.51

Crust 7.33

Venue 8.00

Favorite: Da Bomb!

Premier, 12 Inch, $15.51