Smiley’s — Local services in Cedar Rapids

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the NewBo City Market in The District: Czech Village & New Bohemia and dining at the Market's newest restaurant, Smiley’s Soup and Sandwiches 😋

This dynamic duo had moved from their successful food truck to an open spot at NewBo just 3 days before I lunched there‼️

I enjoyed a Chicken Philly Sammie and their super delish Cheesy Potato Casserole.

I love the chicken Philly, and what I appreciated about this one was its homemade simplicity. No fancy components or special sauces here, just high-quality straightforward ingredients assembled with well-practiced and expert care.

It was yummy, uncomplicated, and delicious... and gone in seconds😅 The chicken was tasty, the cheese and grilled veg were exactly what one is looking for, and the bun was perfect for a Philly.

I think the bun is important for this particular sammie. It must be mildly flavored to allow the ingredient's flavors to shine, soft on the inside to soak up all of that flattop grilled goodness, and crusty and a bit chewy on the outside to give the whole thing some structure. And they nailed it.

As much as I enjoyed the sandwich, I loved the Cheesy Potato Casserole‼️ I am not sure if this is a purely regional specialty, but I haven't had it anywhere other than the heartland. You may know this dish as party potatoes, or hashbrown casserole, whatever the name, it is comfort food de luxe!

The Smiley’s version is top shelf all the way, packed with cheesy goodness, and cooked perfectly. If you have ever tried to make this dish you will know how difficult it is to get just the right crust, too much heat and one gets a burned, dry, tasteless crust, too little heat and one gets no crust at all. My sample had a perfect crust and is currently my benchmark for this dish.

I would visit this restaurant just for this dish... and you should too🤩 Tell 'em Ricki sent...

If you see their food truck don’t walk there…..run to it. I went to a soccer game and saw a few food trucks. I passed on the other and decide to give this one a try. It had a more delicious menu and was a little more pricey but I thought let’s try it. I chose a Smoke brisket sandwich for me and Cole slaw. I got my wife the Chicken bacon ranch sandwich and chips. Mine was absolutely amazing!! Tender meat, great sauce, tasty strong bun and a great amount of beef. Worth the price. I love Cole slaw and asked if it was good. Erica, taking the order said yes and the sauce was home made. Just for the record I am a connoisseur of Cole slaw. (In my mind). The portion was good. The slaw was more than enough but the sauce just didn’t have much of a taste. That was a drop for my rating. Slaw is missing some Shazam . The Chicken sandwich was totally amazing my wife said. Heck, we both had a bite of both sandwiches and love them!!! Chips are chips. Friendly staff and owner. Thank you and hope to see you on the highway driving along so I can pull you over for...

Smileys was at Urbana Days! The first night, we got a brisket sandwich, a philly cheese steak and a chicken, bacon ranch wrap, along with cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and mac and cheese! All were phenomenal! Hubby likes a little more sauce on his slaw, but that's his opinion! 2nd night! 2 brisket sandwiches, cheesy taters and Mac and cheese! Completely delicious again! If you have a chance to eat at Smileys, don't pass it up!...