La Cantina closes Cedar Rapids restaurant

CEDAR RAPIDS — A longtime contributor to Cedar Rapids’ Mexican restaurant scene is closing its Edgewood Road location.

La Cantina Bar N Grill closed its location at 5400 Edgewood Rd. NE on Dec. 3, according to a social media post.

“The past few years have been challenging for many small businesses in our community, and we’ve faced financial hurdles we could not overcome,” the owners said in the announcement, thanking customers for their loyalty. “Small businesses need support now more than ever, so we encourage you to continue showing up for local businesses whenever you can.”

The closure follows a fire at the Edgewood Road location in September.

The small local chain of Mexican restaurants previously had two locations in Cedar Rapids. Its original downtown location at 102 Second St. closed in 2021 due to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another location in Center Point was briefly open from 2023 to 2024.

La Cantina’s last remaining location, 3217 Seventh Ave. in Marion, remains open.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

Get the latest restaurant news, food reviews and insider tips from the Chew on This newsletter.