Bread Garden Market Reviews

Great both for going to get a quick healthy bite to eat as well as to get groceries for the week. Great selection of both high end quality items and every day affordable items. Also great bread!

Great place to sip beer or wine, eat some cheese, and people watch on the pedestrian mall.

We love the new cheese bar! Everything is absolutely perfect thanks to Mark! We will definitely be back soon!

This place is excellent. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts outstanding quality. Fantastic spot downtown.

Good store very complete but also very repetitive in certain products, but I liked it.

Our Friends Reunion came to an Iowa game recently and stayed at hotelVetro. We were so pleasantly surprised with the convenience, ambiance, and quality of food at the unique Bread Garden Market. It has an elevated environment compared to the Pioneer Co-op but also has a very good buffet and seating area, both inside and outside. The coffee was very good, too. We look forward to using this Market in a variety of ways the next time we visit Iowa City...Bernie

Everything you want in one stop. This market includes indoor and outdoor seating for food and drinks made in the kitchen or purchased in the market. No matter what dietary restrictions you might have, you can order prepared food or purchase what you want and enjoy it at the bar or dining area. Super fast super tasty affordable pizza made on site.

Love the food options here! It's easy to find something tasty and healthy!

Good selection, extensive hot and cold food items on buffet

Expensive. Very nice. Excellent soups, salad bar ($8.99/lb, I think), and hot case foods. Good breads. Excellent pastery and gelato. A kombucha, wine, and microbrew bar, enclosed outside seating, and wifi. An excellent place to spend an afternoon relaxing or working online.

Not the cheapest but has a lot of what you need (and more!) Cashiers always nice, my favorite is Elin. Elin is my roommate and they are great. I give Elin 5 stars.

Essential spot for any Iowa student. For fast fresh warm food, or just groceries, it's the place.

Not just your average run of the mill food bar!
But a varitable cornucopia of palatable delights.
In addition try the pizza. If you like sausage. You'll find a time honored family recipe that will leave you craving for more. How about all those homemaid breads. Or that homemaid gelato, the homemaid pastries & pies. This place is a like a national treasure!

Lots of good and tasty foods....... young & friendly staff

Best bread in the area plus a variety of unusual and organic products. Huge salad bar, coffee bar, and even a wine bar.

Anytime I need to eat some feelings, and remind myself of growing up on Northern California cuisine, I go here.

Great wine selection but everything else is mediocre

Always have the obscure ingredients you need for new recipes

This is a great way to eat unique food and jave a healthy lunch

I had the vegetarian hamburger (forgot the name). It was good yet there was nothing spectacular in comparison to any other of the restaurants that I have been to.

Nice prepared food selections. You should be able to find something there that you want to eat- soups, salads, sushi, and many other items. We walked through wishing we were hungry because everything looked so good. We ended up grinding some peanut and almond butters and buying a loaf of the delicious artisan bread for later. There is a nice big room near the entrance for dining.

This review is for the new coffee locations at UIHC that recently replaced JH. Having had my beloved coffee place for 10 years replaced with BG I wanted to try and keep and open mind and try BG's coffee. I asked for a large dark roast and butter croissant. I was excited at first because the prices for coffee were cheaper but the increase cost of my pastry negated this savings. In total it came to over $6 where for Java I was paying just over $4. They hand me my pastry and an empty cup. So I guess I have to pour my own coffee, no biggie, but I am not really sure which one is the dark roast. The girl at the counter said it is typically the French but could also be the organic or Dominican. I pour myself some french and head over to the cream/sugar bar. No labels on any of the creamers. When I ask they said one was skim and one was 2% but did not tell me which. No 1/2 and 1/2. IMO the pastry was better than JH but the coffee was not even close. All in all I paid 2 dollars in total more for coffee I had to fully prepare myself and a slightly better pastry (with double the cals!!!). News flash, medical professionals that work 20 hours shifts don't want gluten free soups, we want good coffee.

Long story short, I am getting a Kruger for me and my staff.

My wife and I go there almost every other day for unique grocery items and a huge selection of bread, pasta, ice cream and cheese. If you are a foodie and living in Iowa City, each visit you make at Bread Garden Market will be a cullinary experience.

Delicious specialty food options, as well as great dining and coffee. Additionally, they do made-to-order $5 burgers and fries, which never disappoints!

Always delicious food, just be ready to wait if you order from their grill around the lunch hour. Otherwise, my favorite place for a quick bite.

Great products, excellent food for dining in as well. Friendly staff and outdoor seating

One of my long time favorites in Iowa City. I frequently grab a fresh salad or a bowl of soup from the buffet and am very rarely disappointed. Plus any buffet purchase comes with free bread, and who doesn't love free bread!?

Along with their buffet, they now offer delicious grill items. Each week day features a $4 option from the grill. These are all delicious and great for dinning on a budget!

Along with their prepared food Bread Garden is also a great local market. Their best items are their house made products such as fresh pasta, hand churned ice cream, and delicious baked goods!

This place is a great stop if your near Iowa City. You especially don't want to miss it in the summer months when you can enjoy their outdoor patio located right in the heart of downtown!

Food is amazing, nothing beats their market fresh kitchen

Love the place its simple and has healthy food choices. Went for breakfast and lunch here and I enjoyed my meals every single time

Their made-to-order foods are delicious, they have an amazing salad bar selection (not as extensive as Whole Foods but just as good), and their coffee and smoothies always hit the spot. I recommend the Green Almond smoothie - the combination of almond butter, spinach, and banana will keep you feeling full!

A nice establishment, but I took a group of students here after we went on a field trip and the employees followed them around and even made some of my students empty out their pockets accusing them of stealing! This is BAD customer service! It's not your job to stop them, its the police's job. A retail employee, should report or stop them as they walk out the door. THIS is when it actually becomes stealing. Holding something in your pocket around the store, while very suspicious, isn't technically stealing till you walk out the door. You don't badger them in store and demand to see their pockets. As a person who has worked in retail for 10+ years, this is a disgusting practice and harmful to people who are innocent shoppers.

Lots of healthy options, tasty baked goods, and cold brew and kombucha on tap! Great place for a quick bite or groceries

If I could date a grocery store, it would be Bread Garden. Gourmet food, delicious coffee, groceries, free Wi-Fi, and ample seating. Plus the staff is always on point.

Though somewhat pricey blown away by the variety of products and menu items that they offer here

I really love this place as a student, during the semester I usually come here almost every day for lunch and dinner. However, their recent price inflation on their grill specials is kinda alarming what once cost me 5.75 now is almost 8 dollars. This price change defeats the purpose of the grill specials in the first place we might as well just go to chipotle. Even tho the grill specials have swayed my interest another topic that bothers me is one of the male employees I believe he is a manager. Throughout my years of shopping at bread garden I couldn't help but notice him following me while I am shopping almost every time he saw me in the store. One time I was just tasting a grape to make sure they were good before I purhased and he rudely asked me "can you buy that before you start eating?" Now I do understand the reputation college kids have for stealing but that is no reason to follow ME around specifically every time I am in the store. Most times he even follows me as I walk up to check out and makes sure he is my cashier. I really appreciate the quality and the concept of this store, however there are flaws and some discrimination I have face of my 4 years shopping here as a black woman.

The staff was fantastic when above and beyond The food was light and delicious just what I need it I would recommend this place to everybody

The bread garden is a great place for getting gorgeous or for a dance orfor lunch

I felt like I was being profiled.. one of the store clerk's kept following us around like we were stealing

I was excited about Bread Garden coming to the UIHC Hospital. Both times I've been there now, the service isn't great and I'm not overly impressed. I know they're new, but it seems as if the girls are lost and don't know what they're doing. A lady that was ahead of me by 3 people stood at the end of the counter waiting for her latte she ordered, and was forgotten by staff. She eventually spoke up and they all looked @ each other as if they were unsure as to who was helping her or who took her order. When it was my turn to order, I asked for room in my cup for cream to the girl taking my order...she didn't relay the message to the girl who filled my cup, which was frustrating. I also think it would be a good idea to put lids on cups PRIOR to handing the drink to the customer.
I was pretty disappointed that on opening day @ UIHC, hardly anything was available to speak of, (no merchandise on the shelves, nothing besides pastries) as were a lot of my other co-workers...etc Not a great 1st impression @ all.
Also, I find it a bit alarming you're handing out very hot drinks to people in a very busy hallway, and the customer has to walk over to the stand w/ the creamer, straws...etc to get their lid... This is a HUGE safety issue.

I love the Bread Garden. I get coffee or lunch there at least once a week. My friends often meet for a beer at the outdoor patio after bike rides. There is a covered portion that is enclosed when it's too hot or cold. You can buy beer from the store or they have local Reunion beers on tap by the patio.

Great venue for a quick bite, craft beer, or glass of wine.

Great food that's ready to go. Friday has a stuffed chicken that is delicious.

Consider the wine tastings on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. They are really fun and the wines are always interesting.

A wide variety of prepared food, good coffee and desserts and an interesting, small grocery store.

It can be a bit pricier than some chains, but it's not nearly at the Whole For expense level. There's a wonderful hot bar that is very popular for meals nearly all the day - and some of the best bread in town. Pretty good coffee and gelato, too! If anything, they might have a bit too much for the space - it can feel crowded and cramped at busy hours, but that all just means they're doing good business. A wonderful staple of downtown IC!

I wouldn t say the food here is cheap, but the price is acceptable. The order here burgers are perfectly delicious, yet the process is a bit confusing. I personally love the deli section, but the only thing is the price can sometimes become *not so friendly*.

I used Bread Garden Catering for my wedding this past weekend and I can not say enough good things about the experience. Allison was so wonderful from start to finish between coordinating tastings and simply being patient through my emails. She always answered my questions quickly and concisely. We used their services for both food and bar at our event and they were both wonderful. Everyone had so many good things to say about the appetizers, dinner, and drinks. The staff was very friendly to both us and our guests. If you are looking for a company to cater your next event, I can not recommend Bread Garden enough!

Best place to stop in town to buy a quick healthy meal. Friendly staff. Clean and in order. Smells like heaven

Great selection of quality goods, fresh made food and spirits (mostly beer and wine.)

My favorite lunch location downtown. Great salad bar and fresh baked breads. The chicken noodle soup is perfect for sick days and they now have cold brew/nitro cold brew coffee.

It's amazing how they fit such a huge assortment of products in this place. It's a treasure trove of international foods, and the beer selection alone is tremendous. But the best part of all might be sitting with a drink or a meal and watching life pass by on the ped mall.

Over priced for what you get. I have found metal in their fish, sharp bones in their
supposedly boneless meat and sand on their strawberries. I'm never getting food from here again.

Love the $5 grill specials. Love the deli ready to eat chicken walnut sandwich. Great produce section and helpful employees.

They always have the best selection of everything that you're looking for, bread and meats and cheeses and fish.

Be prepared to pay for the convenience of a downtown grocery store.

This is a cute grocery store, it has a very great first impression on new comers. The Gelato is delicious along with the bakery items. Favorite thing to get is the fresh burgers and a Croissant. You can also get a quick snack or drink.

We go on thuradays for 1/2 loaf of bread sale. Yummm. I can have a delicious healthy lunch for $3. Fruit and salad

Very spendy but a cute little stop right in the middle of downtown so it's super convenient

Thank you Brad Garden for not only offering my amazing coffee every morning, but for also being OPEN to service us an encourage us that this too shall pass. I especially appreciate the jet fuel I order every morning to get my day kicked into gear. I need you Bread Garden . Keep pushing forward.

Jason Staats

I just ordered from the deli and the sandwich was good, but the exponential wait time and lack of customer service left a bitter taste in my mouth. The deli worker with a tie dye hat spent more time openly responding to his phone than taking the time to make my 4 ingredient sandwich. I hope he sanitized his phone before working, because he never switched his gloves the whole time while making my sandwich.

This is for the Bread Garden in UIHC. I waited quite awhile in line due to there only being one cashier at 0800 which is the busiest time. I ordered a breakfast burrito and asked what was on it and the man working said he was unsure so I ordered one. There were mushrooms which I will not eat so that would have been good to know. I also ordered a chai tea with some vanilla syrup to make it more sweet. He said he was going to put 2% milk in it which was great. I have never had such a strong awful chai tea. Not only is it very strong, but it tastes watered down even though they used milk. I am not impressed. Also I have heard nothing but bad reviews from employees here at UIHC.

The Bread Garden offers the best grocery shopping in downtown Iowa City. With great food selections and fresh produce, you can't go wrong with BG

Great selection of food made fresh daily. It's ready to go for when you're on the run like I am. Big thumbs up!

The buffet here is great, but a bit pricey. I love the selection of items available in the store as well as the knowledgeable staff

Love the salad bar, and the burgers & fries are a deal, and the taste is on point!!

Must visit for their fresh buffet when in Iowa City!

This is a great place to both shop and eat. The store part is well organized with a great selection of fresh foods. The eatery side is delicious, cheep, and convenient. I usually have the burrito or the burger but I had the tuna poke bowl and it was wonderful as well.

Awesome wine selection and very good house made ice cream

Love the weekend brunch bar and the salad bar with hot and cold items during the week for a quick lunch. Amazing wine selection. prepared foods, grocery and gelato!

One stop for all including their buffet and all you can order on the kiosks. I loveee all their vegetarian/vegan options! I always get a tofu burrito or a black bean burger- so good.

Gave me a free box for my pizza. Was very cool thing for them to do.

I love their Cheese and Wine selection. I dare say, I don't know of many places in Iowa City with such variety

Nice food selection, changes daily. Price could be high( per lb).

This place is the best. My girlfriend works close by and gets lunch here all the time, and as an entrepreneur I need a place to get work done. Instead of a coffee shop, I can come here and get food + coffee + workspace.

Wonderful place! They offer groceries, coffee, gelato, desserts, lunch buffet. I could sit there for hours. Now that Wally is there in charge of their wine, I'm even more excited! I find myself coming here once or twice a week. Plus free parking!