Keto Kitchen opens in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Less than two years after opening its first location in downtown Iowa City, The KETO Kitchen is opening in downtown Cedar Rapids

The restaurant’s additional site, in the Armstrong Building on Third Avenue and Third Street SE, will hold a grand opening from 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 26.

The opening comes after owner Mo Nasraddin won the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance’s Race for the Space contest in September.

As the winner of the “Shark Tank” style event, Nasraddin received a grand prize of $20,000, a $7,500 credit toward architectural design services, build-out support and business education for a new build-out, in addition to first choice of five properties that were available for build-out downtown.

“Opening our doors in downtown Cedar Rapids is a dream come true,” Nasraddin said in a news release. “We can't wait to serve our delicious, healthy, and nutritious meals to the Cedar Rapids community and become a staple in the downtown core.”

Nasraddin’s restaurant concept accommodates a variety of lifestyles and diets including keto, gluten free, Whole 30, paleo, vegetarian, vegan and low carbohydrate diets. His first location in Iowa City opened March 2021.

“Race for the Space has proven to be a success and we are excited to see it come full circle,” said Jesse Thoeming, the Downtown District’s executive director. “Helping an entrepreneur get a jump-start on their business is what this program was all about and we are thrilled to welcome KETO Kitchen to their new home in downtown Cedar Rapids.”

Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Cedar Rapids opening was a second location. The Cedar Rapids opening will replace The KETO Kitchen’s Iowa City location, which closed in December 2022.

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