Iowa City's Paper Crane named to Midwest Living's best restaurant list

The new ramen shop and cocktail lounge is the only Iowa restaurant to make the regional magazine's 2026 rankings.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 1:06pm

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A highly stylized, abstract illustration of a ramen bowl repeated in a grid pattern, rendered in bold, neon-like colors and heavy black outlines, conceptually representing the elevated dining experience at the new Iowa City restaurant.Paper Crane's inclusion on Midwest Living's best restaurants list highlights Iowa City's evolving culinary scene.Iowa City Today

In Iowa City, where college-town bars still dominate the nightlife, Paper Crane feels like a quiet recalibration. The ramen shop and cocktail lounge opened in October 2024, bringing a distinctly adult, design-forward restaurant to the North Side's Brewery Square. It's the latest project from Sam and Riene, a husband-and-wife team who have been praised for creating a space that is "intimate without being precious, serious about technique without overthinking it."

Why it matters

As one of the few upscale dining options in the college town, Paper Crane's inclusion on Midwest Living's prestigious regional best restaurants list is a significant achievement that highlights the growing culinary scene in Iowa City.

The details

Paper Crane offers a menu of elevated ramen dishes and craft cocktails in a modern, minimalist setting. The restaurant was opened in late 2024 by husband-and-wife team Sam and Riene, who have been praised for creating an intimate dining experience that is "serious about technique without overthinking it."

  • Paper Crane opened in October 2024.
  • Midwest Living published its 2026 best restaurants list in April 2026.

The players

Paper Crane

A ramen shop and cocktail lounge that opened in Iowa City's Brewery Square neighborhood in October 2024, bringing a more upscale dining option to the college town.

Sam and Riene

The husband-and-wife team who opened Paper Crane, praised for creating an intimate dining experience that is "serious about technique without overthinking it."

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What they’re saying

“intimate without being precious, serious about technique without overthinking it.”

— Sam and Riene, Owners, Paper Crane

The takeaway

Paper Crane's inclusion on Midwest Living's best restaurants list is a testament to the growing culinary scene in Iowa City, as the city moves beyond its college-town bar reputation to embrace more upscale and design-forward dining options.