I’ve Been Gatekeeping This Hidden Food Network Cafe in Iowa

I’m not a gatekeeper. Discovering and sharing local gems in Iowa is one of my favorite hobbies. Any time I stumble across an epic park, eatery, or festival that I feel too many others are missing out on, I quickly become an enthusiastic over-sharer. But sometimes, when I find so many noteworthy spots in sequence that I can’t share them all promptly, I shelf some for later. That’s precisely what happened with Barrett’s Quality Eats, a sneaky little cafe hidden between strip malls and big box stores.

My husband and I discovered this phenomenal little bakery with vintage cafe vibes a few months back on a weekday morning. I had planned an exciting date for us to visit a nearby secret garden and a sweet little soup shop within walking distance.  A double dose of local gems in Iowa. We had waited weeks for the fall colors to peak, and while en route the morning of our planned visit, the weather shifted suddenly, obliterating any hope of a stroll in the park. Rather than turn back home, my husband suggested we play like locals and find a spontaneous alternative right where we were. 

We had pulled off the interstate at the same old intersection we always do, the one where we get groceries, stop at the pharmacy, and drop clothes at the thrift store. It’s notoriously full of chain stores and ordinary, fast-food joints, not exactly the place to find an inspiring coffee shop or cafe. I was sure there wasn’t anything here we hadn’t seen before. But it quickly became a challenge, and we spent 10 minutes in the car looking for a glimmer of flavor and flair. Finally, I found something that might flirt with our taste buds. A cozy little bakery, tucked off the main road, perched at the back of a parking lot where the city meets the corn fields.  

Although we didn’t expect much, at least we weren’t settling for a gas station coffee and a crusty cake donut. But I noticed an adorable patio looking out over the corn field, complete with string lights, striped awnings, and raised flower boxes. It was battened down for the storm, of course, but worth coming back for later. Instead, we headed for the dining room through a heavy green door, grateful for a reprieve from the rain. We were instantly enveloped in the sweet, buttery wafts of a French bakery and the soft hum of a coffee grinder, which quickly transported us far, far away from strip mall central. 

The sweet soul standing behind a classic, glass bakery display flashed us a friendly smile from between her rosy cheeks, followed by a hearty greeting so effective it literally lured us right to her fingertips. I was dazzled by the display of cream and fruit-topped pastries, golden chocolate croissants, and cookies the size of my face. We chose a few, and then our host asked if we’d like something savory to go with the sweet. Wide-eyed, we looked over the brunch-style menu, falling hard for the description of the poke bowl, something we'd never really seen offered in Iowa before. 

We slipped into a table flooded with light and set atop an exquisite, vintage octagon-tiled floor. I was still fawning over the decor when our poke bowls arrived, splashing a rainbow of color over what was almost a drizzly, uninspiring day. With the first bite, our mouths sang the praises of true flavor and genuinely fresh ingredients like succulent pink poke tuna, salted avocado, shredded pickled carrots, juicy cucumbers, and perhaps the best poached egg I’ve ever had. 

The juxtaposition of it all, baked goods and poke bowls, charm in a concrete jungle, color on a rainy day, left us reeling and amazed over the secrets a city never tells—one we’ll be shouting from the rooftops for a long time to come: go eat at Barrett's. It’s something you’d never expect to find in Coralville. I later found out that this local gem in Iowa is actually the creation of a Food Network baking-champion chef, Cory Barrett, and Barrett’s is so locally loved that they often sell out of baked goods on weekends. Add it to your Iowa food bucket list; it’s a decadent stop you don’t want to miss. 

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