{"id":25354,"date":"2026-09-22T11:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T11:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/25354\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T11:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T11:07:01","slug":"hometown-eats-discovering-eastern-iowas-best-local-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/25354\/","title":{"rendered":"Hometown Eats: Discovering Eastern Iowa\u2019s Best Local Restaurants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s something special about a hometown restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s the family recipe passed down for generations. Maybe it\u2019s the owner greeting customers by name. Or maybe it\u2019s the feeling you get when you walk into a place that truly belongs to the community.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s exactly what Iowa\u2019s News Now is celebrating with Hometown Eats \u2014 a new series highlighting locally-owned restaurants across Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, Waterloo, and surrounding Eastern Iowa communities.<\/p>\n<p>Hosted by Nada Shamah, Hometown Eats takes viewers on a flavorful road trip through the heart of Iowa, showcasing the unique people, stories, and dishes that make these hometown restaurants unforgettable.<\/p>\n<p>Bringing Local Flavor to the Spotlight<\/p>\n<p>From hidden gems tucked into small towns to longtime local favorites packed on a Friday night, Hometown Eats is all about celebrating the businesses that help define our communities.<\/p>\n<p>At each stop, Nada will sit down with restaurant owners, chefs, and even loyal customers to learn what makes these places so special.<\/p>\n<p>At its core, Hometown Eats is about supporting local businesses and encouraging viewers to explore the incredible restaurants right in their own backyard.<\/p>\n<p>In a time when communities matter more than ever, these hometown restaurants continue to bring people together \u2014 one meal at a time.<\/p>\n<p>So whether you\u2019re looking for your next road trip destination, craving a new favorite dish, or simply wanting to support local businesses, Hometown Eats invites you to pull up a chair and experience the best of Eastern Iowa.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to Iowa\u2019s News Now as Nada Shamah hits the road to discover the stories, people, and flavors behind Eastern Iowa\u2019s most beloved hometown eats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s something special about a hometown restaurant. Maybe it\u2019s the family recipe passed down for generations. Maybe it\u2019s the owner greeting customers by name. Or maybe it\u2019s the feeling you get when you walk into a place that truly belongs to the community. That\u2019s exactly what Iowa\u2019s News Now is celebrating with Hometown Eats \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[4979,4977,4975,4978,4976],"class_list":["post-25354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iowa","tag-iowa","tag-iowa-dining","tag-iowa-food","tag-iowa-grocery-stores","tag-iowa-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117314377801115628","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}