Tiffy Jo’s Diner & Energy Bar — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

Before I go into why I am giving Tiffy Jo's a mediocre rating I want to relay something from my visit that isn't part of my rating but needs to be brought up. There was a young man working in the back who came out to the dining area a couple of times in a blue sweatshirt. I probably can't relay the exact message on his shirt here. Let's just say it suggested his deep dislike for a well-known politician. I am not exactly a fan of said politician myself nor do I clutch pearls at profanity. This is why it is not affecting my rating. However, I did find it unprofessional and would advise that wearing a garment like that is sure to drive off customers who are not fans of profanity and / or might think said politician is a great guy. I am all for people having political thought and making political statements, no matter how juvenile. But, there is a time and place.

So, about our visit. I ordered a build it yourself omelet. It was good, but poorly balanced. I had jalepenos, which were plentiful, chicken, which was a fair amount, and tomatoes. Very few tomatoes. Thus, the omelet really only tasted like jalepenos. I liked it but it wasn't balanced. I didn't love it. The hash browns were good. The toast was a little burnt.

The worst was the orange juice. Why? Because when we ordered I could not find juice on the menu. I asked and was told they had apple juice and V8. Who opens a breakfast joint without juice?

Tiffany Jo. That's who.

My wife is on a strict diet and can only have small portions of soft foods. She asked for scrambled eggs with mushrooms and sausage. They left the sausage out. Three ingredients and they forgot one. They did fix it when we asked.

I will say the waitstaff overall seemed to be hardworking and friendly and very accomodating.

Now. Here is the punchline that might keep me from coming back: on our way out, guess what we saw in a cooler next to a carton of milk? Orange juice. So they have it. It's just not on the menu and they don't serve...

The diner was like a sweltering 80 in the winter. It cooled down once it was less busy.

First thing we noticed is the cheap paper menus. We did not get a "special" energy drink menu. I had to ask for it because it also wasn't on their website.

The sausage biscuits add on to pick 3 or pick 4 is a good deal. The sausage biscuits were delicious. I ordered eggs, bacon, hashbrown, toast. Then I asked if i did a pick 5 cud i get an 2 orders of biscuits each for 1.89. the waitress said yes. I got the check that was a lie. Its 4.79. Sodas are 3.43 😑

The sausages are flat rounds. Not very generous portions of hash browns. My fiance liked the fried potatoes but they are not the seasoned cubes they are literally slices of potatoes. They dont butter their toast while warm. So unfortunate there.

They have salt and pepper shakers in unmarked goose figures. Which is cute if you remember 2 dots or 3 dots means salt or pepper. So i put pepper accidentally on my food.

My complaint is that 1 of my 2 over easy eggs was still runny in the whites. I sent it back. They send back a fully cooked egg. By now ive been trying for 20 minutes to finish my breakfast. I went to the counter. The owner I'm guessing said to the cook over medium. I said no. Because i want runny yolks. She corrected me again and said to order it as a medium. Which in any other restaurant would result in an egg that is not over easy with runny yolks. It took 8 minutes to get my over easy egg that they call medium. Being chastised about something was over the top. I know what type of egg i wanted.

They didnt ask if we wanted boxes even when its clear we need them. So we sat waiting for 10 minutes no one came back after they dropped off check. Had to hold the check up. They need more staff or something just too hard to get attention from staff. They give cash discount so u cud save $3 if...

Incredibly cheap, very welcoming servers, GET THE CHIPS AND DIP, and the energy bar is very welcome for this side of town. However, be careful with what you order. When I ate here the first time, I was leaning more towards a 3-4/5 for the experience; however, the more I''ve come, the more I appreciate the place. Our first experience I had the biscuits/gravy + the country fried steak, which came out pretty flavorless. My partner had one of the eggs benedicts and wasn't that impressed either. In addition, the cinnamon rolls we ordered were a bit dry/doughy - but i really enjoyed the praline sauce. However, we saw what others were getting and took the risk of coming back (it's cheap, might as well). My partner really enjoyed the cinnamon swirl pancakes and I tried the lunch menu and got the tenderloin. The tenderloin itself wasn't that special especially for iowa standards, but I adored their chips and onion dip. But the thing that sold the restaurant for us was when we came back again (I like the energy bar), I got the cuban sandwich and swapped out the grilled tenderloin for a fried one. Legitimately one of the best meals you can find in town for the buck. Homemade bread, great cuban sauce, everything came out perfect to a point...