The Full Bowl grows with new location in New Bohemia neighborhood

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Full Bowl is getting even fuller with its biggest move yet.

The vegetarian and vegan-focused restaurant, founded almost 8 years ago in NewBo City Market, opened its first freestanding location in the New Bohemia district on March 5.

With new seating, a microgreen garden and a rapidly growing menu, their growth outside the small business incubator demonstrates how much the small restaurant has appealed to mainstream diners.

So if you eat meat, don’t be shy — there’s a reason meat eaters are at least half the clientele that have filled up their stomachs here.

How it started

Tim Salis’ entry into The Full Bowl started by pretending he worked there. When founder and previous owner Wes Shirley had a gig with his band, Salis helped cover his shift by handing out samples at the new business in 2017.

“I barely knew him at that point, I just pretended I worked at The Full Bowl,” said Salis, 31.

The Coe alumnus first got into the industry part-time by managing concessions for the Cedar Rapids Kernels during a summer break. He enjoyed the work so much that he aspired to open a food truck.

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He started working at The Full Bowl part time, then full time as a manager.

Before long, he owned the joint. In January 2023, he took over as owner after Shirley took a job with Willis Dady Homeless Services.

“I was always interested in opening my own restaurant, but got to know The Full Bowl so well and started to make it my own,” Salis said.

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At about the same time The Full Bowl opened, Salis had gone vegan — mostly for the health benefits, but also because he liked the other aspects of the dietary lifestyle, such as environmental sustainability.

“I was working long days and eating ballpark food all day. I’m someone who does extremes, so it was easier for me to cut it out completely,” he said.

Today, the end result on the menu is a blend of Shirley and Salis’ styles that have broadened the appeal of vegetarian and vegan food to people for whom the concept is a bit foreign.

All of it, as their tagline indicates, is made from scratch.

Broad appeal

Many new customers tell the owner they’ve “never had vegan food,” to which Salis demonstrates how easy it can be.

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The peanut butter and jelly sandwich, quintessential American lunch fare, is a simple example of how familiar vegetarian and vegan food can be.

While certainly friendly to those who don’t eat meat or meat byproducts, The Full Bowl has also become a welcome option in the dining scene for gluten-sensitive diners, as almost the entire menu is gluten-free. Many of their dishes also appeal to those on whole food diets, which aim to reduce refined and processed foods.

“It’s a scary word for a lot of people. We had to be an appealing place for people who do like meat, because there’s not enough vegans in Cedar Rapids to sustain us on their own,” he explained.

The menu

Now with access to a full kitchen and grill, the reopening blends old classics with a new breakfast menu and a vision for more.

The popular No Coast Bowl offers black beans with onions and garlic over brown rice with the fan-favorite lemon garlic sauce — all topped with cilantro, scallion, red cabbage and mild salsa. The Chana Masala, a medium-spice favorite of the owner, showcases homemade mango or spicy mint chutney through Indian-style chickpeas in tomato sauce with garlic, onions, ginger and minced jalapenos.

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The menu’s new veggie bowl will offer a blend of roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower, sauteed Oyster mushrooms and other accoutrements topped with microgreens grown on site.

Acai smoothie bowls will bring back a previously tested item from NewBo City Market. With options like peanut butter banana and strawberry fig, it’s a thick smoothie you eat with a spoon.

But, if you prefer your smoothie through a straw, that will be making a comeback, too. Three options named by color — blue, green and red — offer unique combos of tasty but health-conscious ingredients like coconut yogurt and cashew milk combined with fruit and color-adding ingredients like blue spirulina, matcha and beets.

Sides include corn muffins, spring rolls with marinated sweet potatoes, and apricot oat bars.

A breakfast menu, debuting later this month, will feature an entirely new menu from scratch. Included will be items like the tofu scramble, which The Full Bowl previously served as a popular monthly item in NewBo City Market, plus avocado toast and mushroom toast.

Later down the line, Salis hopes to add a line of sandwiches for lunch.

Making a home

When The Full bowl started 8 years ago, there weren’t a lot of vegetarian and vegan options in Cedar Rapids.

As The Full Bowl sets itself up in the building previously home to Delia’s Baked Goods and the historic Czech School Deli, it’s proud to continue calling New Bohemia home.

“It’s the place to be,” Salis said. “People find restaurants in this neighborhood more easily.”

And even though it’s not the only place with this niche in town anymore, the greater acceptance of his specialty has an encouraging sign for business.

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Even in most restaurants that don’t specialize in this kind of food, there’s a vegan or vegetarian option.

“Even from my business perspective, I view that as a great thing,” he said. “It makes it less scary for customers.”

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

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