Reviews for Stella in Iowa City, IA
My first trip to Stella was a very successful one. I had one of their burger and fries combo. It was a healthy serving size and... delicious! They played great music and it was busy like a Friday night, however, we were there for lunch. They have an extensivemenu and any omnivore should find something great to eat whenever you visit Stella. I'll be going back and suggest you makeplans to visit Stella if you haven't. Read more
We were in town for several nights. We dined here 3 of 3 nights. Night 1 roped us in for 2 and 2 for 3! Great food options,... excellent servers and overall service. We were able to dine on patio each night - totally enjoyed every meal! Burgers, salads,Cajun, and pizzas all great choices. Read more
Needed somewhere to stop for a quick bite before my appointment. Very cute spot with outdoor seating. Amber was my server and... she was great. I'm not a fan of "in your face" staff and she was perfect. I had a "shades of orange" drink that was just what Ineeded and it was made perfect. Also I couldn't believe the food you get for the price and it will easily be 2 meals for me.Also it was probably the best Cuban sandwich I've ever had. Recommend Stella 10/10! Read more
We dined for lunch today at the suggestion of a few Doctors and a Nurse from University of Iowa's Medical Team. Upon review, we... noted Stella's had a 4-star rating so our hopes were high. When we arrived it was nice to see the iron gate entrance with adouble patio and easy access to menu posted outside the door. We entered and were promptly greeted by Darren. SUPER Energy. Hesat us and took our drink order. The environment was very laid back. Fans were running as there was no AC that we could tell. Wewere quite comfortable with the fans; however, we do think they need a good cleaning. Despite that, Darren took our order. Ican't figure out how he can have that much energy in the heat, yet he keeps pouring it out. While we waited, we came to theconclusion that Stella is a hidden gem and a dive. A place that Guy needs to know about. I digress. We order the Cheese Frieswith Bacon. The fries are cut in-house. When they arrived, they were packed with cheese and covered in bacon. It was like a bacon explosion happened on the plate. The fries were good. We believe if they twice fried them, it might make them a littlemore crispy. Our party devoured them. We ordered three different burgers - a Tingley which has green chili, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole - a Beaconsfield which has bacon, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce which we believe to be house made - and a Colowhich was American and Swiss Cheese on rye bread with grilled onions. We elected to have raw onions for a crisper bite. Allthree burgers hit the table at the same time - hot. All of them came with seasoned hand-cut fries. The Tingley was served openfaced so I could see the guacamole and the green chili. Upon putting it together and tasting the first bite in the "hontch"maneuver. The flavors were a good mix of cool and spice. The green chili mixed with the guacamole and pepper jack to create justthe right blend of savory heat elements to the texture of the beef. The Beaconsfield was served open Read more
So my husband and I were looking for a new place to try for Valentine?s Day. We stumbled upon this place and oh my god did it... exceed our every expectation! First, our waiter was absolutely amazing. I wish I had gotten his name so I could give him ashoutout? he didn?t hover over our table constantly or check in every time we took a bite, we also never ran out of drinks andhe was around enough for us to enjoy the evening without excessive interruptions. He was SO helpful with the menu, and since wehad not been there before we had tons of questions. He has clearly tried everything and knew what he was talking about. He madethe experience there great! Next, the food. My husband and I tried the Crab cake for a starter. It?s just one, but oh my god?if you like crab cakes from Biagis, this is 10000000x better and comes with the most amazing mango jalapeño salsa! It was sogood my husband and I were practically fighting over the garnish that had little crab flakes left in it. Would absolutely get itagain, only might not share next time. It was also the size of a giant burger, it was reasonable for it to be only 1 cake and Iwouldn?t change a thing about it. Next, I ordered the gumbo and my husband got the jambalaya. I was excited that these two didnot taste at all the same and we?re beautifully executed. The okra was perfectly tender and not bitter, the shrimp was fresh andcrisp, not over done or sitting in some steam pot all day, the andouille sausage was probably the best I have EVER had, andnothing was overly spicy! They were smart and kept most of the heat to the chipotle sour cream on top, so you could adjust thelevel of spice to your liking. I actually can?t handle spicy food so I got regular sour cream instead, my husband loves it andmixed it all in. It was absolutely perfect, and we haven?t been able to stop talking about how impressed we were and how much wecan?t wait to go back to try the rest of their menu. Well done Stella! I hope that waiter we h Read more
Finally got around to checking off another must-try restaurants in Iowa City @stellaiowacity . . They have over 20 Burgers to... pick from on their menu. Pictured is 3 of the 20 that were highly recommended by our server. . "DEFIANCE" (12.99) which consistsof bacon, sauteed mushrooms with bleu cheese spread. 6 out 10 ?. . ???? "BAXTER" (12.99) which is a blackened burger, bacon,provolone cheese with chipotle mayonnaise. 6.6 out 10 ?. . ???? "LYTTON" (12.99) which consists of bacon, mozzarella cheese withbasil pesto mayonnaise. 6.1 out 10 ?. . Overall establishment was very cool and the outside patio was awesome. The restaurant isa stone's throw away from the football stadium. Environment was lively, establishment was clean, service was friendly andhelpful, service was good and prices were decent. Read more
DINNER REVIEW I am a big fan of Stella and it's sister restaurant, Short's, in Iowa City. I have been coming to town the past 4... years to visit my sister and I am never disappointed or left feeling hungry. We came here for dinner on the Friday night beforegraduation so the place was on the busier side but we had a reservation so we were all set. This place has two outdoor eatingareas, in addition to inside, with those little lights that people seem to love sitting under on a warm evening (and yes, I amone of those people). FOOD: The menu is quite long which I usually don't love but it's because of the extensive burger options.So many to choose from! We started with the creole shrimp and grits which was perfectly spiced and everyone in the familyfought over the remaining grits in the bowl. Then when it came to the burgers, I went with the Thornton, which has chorizo,Mozzarella, guacamole, and chipotle aioli. It was gone a few minutes after it came. You cannot go wrong with the burgers hereand they will have one that appeals to you. Always get the fries too...you can see the skins on them so you know they arefresh. Will definitely be back to Stella when I'm back in town. Read more
I had a much needed cup of tea (they let me use my own) and a delicious beet salad with a lovely crisp dressing. Love the menu... and will come back to try other items. Read more