Barrett's Quality Eats
3242 Crosspark Rd, Iowa City, IA
Crema's Take
“This Iowa City gathering spot excels at the full day experience, from excellent morning coffee and fresh pastries to surprisingly impressive dinner options like shakshuka and seafood dishes that punch above typical café expectations. The aesthetic and atmosphere draw people in for long sits whether they're working solo or meeting friends, and there's a thoughtful, unpretentious quality to how everything is executed—the coffee is smooth and well-made, the food tastes genuinely fresh, and nothing feels overwrought. It's the kind of place that works equally well for a quick pastry run or lingering over a full breakfast, making it a reliable anchor in the community.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
I Came here on two separate occasions while in town on a work trip. A lovely little spot with a great aesthetic and atmosphere. The food is good and very flavorful! I had shakshuka and avocado toast with a side of scrambled edds. Both delicious options. Coffee options you really can’t go wrong! The barista bar is pretty legit. One of the days I got an iced matcha and the grey-green color was unsettling and not a traditional matcha - lacking any matcha flavor. All of the pastries look delightful, I just didn’t grab one this go around. I would this spot for their food and service quality but the matcha needs some work.
I want to start by saying I have had 3, 5 star dining experiences at Barrett's before and love their food, service, and ambiance! While this dish was alright, it was a total disappointment in portion size and value. This was an $80 beef Wellington for two. The smallest scoop of mashed potatoes, 4 pieces of asparagus, and two thin pieces of Beef Wellington. I was genuinely wondering where the other plate was. This was it. My boyfriend and I are slim people and we both left very hungry. I’ve had Beef Wellington at other places for a comparable price and had double this amount of food. For $80, I would not recommend getting this special if you are going there tonight! What a joke calling this a meal for two. Edit to add the chef reached out to me personally to rectify the situation. We were fully refunded for our meal. Appreciate the excellent customer service and we will definitely be back to try the food again!
Wonderful experience for DINNER tonight at Barrett’s. They are generally known as a bakery/coffee shop but I have been wanting to try dinner here and so glad we did! Being a cold front in January, it was peaceful and not crowded at all on a Friday. Parking was a breeze. I noticed the chef came out and sat down with a group to help them order. The server was incredibly kind and attentive. She was able to help me pair my delicious Arctic fish entree with a white wine. My partner got the pot roast and it was also very good! The Puppy Chow Sunday for dessert also tasty. Their take on an “old fashioned” was super yummy! I have also been here for breakfast or coffee a few times and it’s always been a great experience!
Barrett’s Quality Eats is such a great spot. The coffee is amazing, smooth and well made, and the pastries are seriously good. Everything tastes fresh and thoughtfully done without feeling fancy or over the top. Super easy place to stop in, hang out, and enjoy something really good. If you are in the area and like good coffee and pastries, this place is a must.
We were there for dinner time with good flavers on the tuna or the lobter. The desserts were very tasty too but a little too big for one person. There was only two choices for the kids (not really a place for them at dinner I think) but they enjoyed the good pasta plate with butter. Excellent service de ith pour specific needs !
Crema Reviews
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