350 First

This was probably one of the worst burgers that I have eaten in a while. I specifically ordered the burger medium well. When I received the burger it resembled a piece of charcoal. The disconnect between the room service menu and the restaurant menu is incredible. Room service menu calls it the «DT burger» restaurant calls it the 350 first burger. I call it the burnt burger. I was looking forward to the steak fries but they didn’t have those. I could have gone to Burger King and gotten a way better burger and still kept an extra 15 bucks in my pocket. Maybe the cook wanted to make sure my burger was still hot when it took that long slow ride to my room. Guess what?! It worked. Thanks a lot buddy. Please take some pride in your work. There was no way that burger should have been served.

I love going downtown. I love the décor & ambiance there. I love getting good service but here, the waitresses ignored us. I joined a couple for drinks @ 5:30pm; waited 20 min for a waitress to take my order. I asked for a specific red wine and was told they didn’t have. No wine list given. I told the waitress that my husband would be joining me and that we were on separate checks from our friends. My husband arrived @ 6:20pm, ordered a drink and we didn’t see waitress again to order food before the performance @ the Paramount. We flagged down our waitress @ 7 and asked for the check & she put it all on ONE instead of the requested separate checks. I explained to her that my husband & I both had wanted to order food but that she neglected us and she shrugged her shoulders and appeared as though she did not care and didn’t offer an apology. I would have to recommend elsewhere if you wanted to eat prior to the theater or Paramount.

The place has a really nice atmosphere and the bar staff was pleasant. I ordered the salmon cooked all the way through and it was way under cooked. No real concern to make it right.

Visited for lunch during Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week. I tried the braised short rib sandwich and 350 salad. The short rib on my sandwich was very good… juicy, tender, flavorful. The only issue was that the horseradish aioli was in one glob in the center allowing the rest of the sandwich to be unsauced and dry. Attention to detail would have fixed that.
My party and I waited awhile for our food, but it was prime lunch hours so I won’t hold that against them. Service was otherwise attentive and friendly. One friend advised management that her fries were severely overcooked… she didn’t want a replacement due to timing but the manager brought over free DoubleTree cookies as a consolation. I will definitely revisit, preferably at night to enjoy the view of two city!

Service has seen a marked decline since opening. There have been menu changes that have not been updated to their website or to OpenTable, despite our server mentioning these changes were not incredibly recent. While the restaurant wants to be prime in location and price, dressing anything above casual will leave you feeling conspicuous as hotel guests arrive in shorts and flip-​flops, even for evening meals. Combine this with the fact that merely getting to the restaurant is a chore thanks to the need to either Park in a parking garage (and navigate the Skywalk plus hotel lobby) or make use of the hotel valet which during events has a rate of $ 20 (seriously? This is Cedar Rapids, not downtown LA) and it becomes readily apparent that 350 First is just not worth the hassle.
This is depressing in that when they first opened they showed promise but over time that has merely transformed into complacency. Instead of striving to provide an upscale dining experience, 350 First merely charges upscale rates while relying on location and a dearth of local competition to gloss over their underwhelming performance.
TL:DR It’s truly sad to say but 350 First has merely become another overpriced hotel restaurant that over-​promises and under delivers.

I wish I could give 2.5 stars because the location and atmosphere of 350 First is very nice. I was here for dinner, so my review is limited to the menu and service available after 5:30 p.m. There was so much about the dining experience that was just BAD. Here is a quick breakdown:
The good: the ambiance, location and décor are cool, not stuffy or pretentious but classy. Dress up, but leave the t-​shirt at home for dinner. The restaurant has great views of the city below. The drink selection is fine — adequate for a restaurant in this price range.
The bad: the food and the service. I had appetizers — nothing spectacular, an entrée and side salad and dessert. First, the menu is very antiquated and boring. The prices reflect a dinner service that should include high quality produce, meat and show finesse in cooking technique. The dinner I had did none of these. I ordered the mac & cheese with rib bits. The macaroni was very soggy and there were only a few small piece of meat slopped on top, the whole thing looked like dog food. The salad was the weirdest salad I have ever had at a nice restaurant. The greens were limp and old (brown spots, wilted). The pea pods were frozen and then reheated… who does that in fine dining?! Our server did not seem to know anything about any of the menu items including food and wine. It felt as though we always had to request more water, another drink etc.
The ugly: for the price, it is just not worth it. I’ve had better quality food and better service in Cedar Rapids. Just because the location is good, doesn’t mean you can skimp on all the other things that make a restaurant great.
Maybe my experience was not the usual, but I will not be back anytime soon to find out. If you are traveling and staying at the Doubletree it may be convenient, however there are many more places within walking distance that could offer more bang for your buck.

350 Burger is AWESOME! My husband, and I came twice in one weekend because it was so good!

Very disappointed with the Thanksgiving buffet. After several attempts to find out about the buffet, reservations were made far in advance. We were contacted the night before to confirm our reservation. We arrived on time only to find out that they were not ready for us, so our group of 30 plus was directed to the bar. There was no one in the bar to serve us but finally a staff member arrived. After a pricey bar tab, and a 45 minute wait, we were finally seated. The room was set up very nicely and the waiting staff was friendly and courteous, however, we were quite disappointed with our Thanksgiving menu. We realize that the Chef and his staff wants to be creative with the menu but Thanksgiving is not the time to deviate from tradition. Besides no traditional Thanksgiving fare, food was warm at best. My family has stayed at the Doubletree the last three years renting at least nine rooms amongst them. It has been very convenient to stay in house for our Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately we will be eating at a different restaurant next year. This was our third Thanksgiving at the Doubletree and the previous years were much better.

I live and work in Downtown Cedar Rapids, and I frequent 350 First. If you just want to grab a drink there, the cocktails are amazing; they’re a little pricey, but well worth it if you want to treat yourself. Plus, you can’t beat the relaxing environment and the beautiful views!
I recently went to 350 First over my lunch hour, and I was pleasantly surprised! First of all, they have a great lunch menu, and many options are just $ 10 (including tax and a drink!). I ordered the crab cake sandwich with a house salad and they were very satisfying. The portion size and the quality of the meal was incredible considering the low price.
The service at this restaurant has always been excellent, and I’ve never tried something there that I haven’t enjoyed a great deal. It’s a must-​try for people saying at the hotel and for Cedar Rapids residents who want a more upscale dining experience.

DO NOT EAT HERE! My girlfriend and I ate at 350 First for her birthday. Our experience was so bad it inspired me to write my first ever review.
First, the food. I order a ribeye that had the quality of something you’d get at Outback, only this one cost $ 36. It was undercooked, bland and had large swath of silver skin running through the middle of it. I couldn’t finish a third of it because of it. My girlfriend had a similar problem with her strip steak.
Next, the service. We arrived at the restaurant around 8 PM and the place was nearly empty, so by about half through our meal we were the last table our server had. Coupled with her prickly demeanor, she ignored us throughout most of the meal, coming over only once after we received our food. This was especially frustrating because I had wanted to order another glass of wine. Silly me for wanting to spend more money at the restaurant.
Overall we were extremely disappointed with our experience. I don’t mind spending on a meal, but when I’m done eating I at least like to feel like I wasn’t ripped off. But hey, at least the view was nice.

I had the herb-​roasted chicken chop and it was just okay. The chicken was dry and didn’t have much flavor to it. The best part was the mash potatoes. The view is nice though.

Don’t bother making a reservation for a booth as they won’t honor it even though three were open when we arrived at our reservation time. Management could give a shit less.

This restaurant is on the top floor of the largest hotel in downtown. I have been here several times with friends and the food is uniformly good to excellent. The views of town from the wall of windows next to the booths are interesting, if not necessarily beautiful. Prices are reasonable for a mainline hotel penthouse venue.

Wow. What a pleasant surprise. A great restaurant inside a hotel. I thought that only happens in Vegas !
On a business trip to C R and met up with some people who wisely chose 350 First.
Food and service was spot on. Noise level was low so everyone could hear each other and not have to read lips.
Will not think twice about dining here again.

The small plate item with what seemed like a flatbread with goat cheese, spring mix, thinly sliced red bell pepper and balsamic drizzle is amazing. Server did take an easy 5 minutes to greet us. We waited at the front, I even used the restroom and came back and no one had been at the hostess station, bar or walking through the house yet. The meals at our table and another one got switched around but server had new ones made before we even had to ask.
I’m not sure why other reviews are stating pricing issues. If a guest is to expect a delicious meal then it will be made with higher quality ingredients and be priced accordingly. If this isn’t your genre then go to Applebee’s and pay $ 2 less. We went for lunch today and our meals were only $ 11 with sandwich and side that were more than ample portion size. I’ll pay an extra $ 2 for a unique meal, excellent flavor and better quality, which is half of the cost of a Starbucks that is so quickly gulped down between meals during the day.
Overall we will go back due to the food being amazing and chalking it up to a rough day there. Sit 1^st Avenue side for a better view.

The restaurant is located inside The DoubleTree Hotel in Cedar Rapids, on the 16^th floor. They have booths and tables along the high and wide windows overlooking the city. The view was pretty good though you saw a lot of rooftops too. However, it’s always pretty cool to be high up.
The weird thing was. I was there for lunch and the whole place was drenched in estrogen. There was no single male in the whole joint! All the restaurant’s employees were girls and all the patrons at the time were also girls, mostly older women lunching. If that was the usual trend, ladies come over with no make up on and bra-​less!
I ordered the crab and corn chowder and lobster tartine open faced sandwich. The chowder had a good sweet taste of corn though there were some corn hairs in it. I was like. There’s hair! But it didn’t count I guess if it were corn hair. Lol it scared me at first though. It was still unappetizing but harmless.
The lobster tartine was pretty but it was a disappointment. It was salty beyond belief. I wanted to complain but I just let it be. I didn’t finish it but they didn’t ask me if there was anything wrong with it. They probably just assumed I was full eating a tiny itty bitty half sandwich. Duh.
Well, maybe they have better stuff on the menu. The place is pretty though. It may deserve another try.

Breathtaking views of scenic Cedar Rapids. Some late night bar bites available. Ask for a basket of bread. Delicious cocktails. Even some fancy alcohol-​free drinks on the menu. A bit on the pricey side.

Really great food, I was impressed. Cheese plate was great, steak was done with perfection. Nice views of the city at night. Nice place to take clients or a date night. Not really a regular spot as parking is Chicagoesque, drinks were decent. Modern style, but quite comfortable.

350 First is a nice option for Cedar Rapids. While it does not fit the mold of a successful restaurant for Cedar Rapids, it will stay afloat due to the business traveler. Prices are slightly higher than area steakhouses and it makes sense. When you are whipping out your corporate credit card to cover a nice lunch or dinner, you’re willing to pay a slightly higher price.
A nice view of downtown Cedar Rapids makes this a romantic spot for couples and the ambiance is modern/​chic. Service is standard, nothing over the top. The dishes were created with care and the presentation was on point. Everything was seasoned and cooked correctly, with the steaks stealing the show. Menu offerings are limited, but it seems like they focus on doing just a few things well and it pays off.
This is a spot worth trying for a date, client dinner, or special occasion. I will be going back this winter to try their Short Rib Mac & Cheese.
Property — 4 stars
Staff — 4 stars
Ambiance — 4 stars
Food — 4 stars
Price — 3 stars

Like the previous reviewer we visited 350 First during restaurant week. At $ 25 the 4course meal was exceptional. The regular dinner prices looked to be in the mid to high 20’s with ala carte prices for the rest of the courses. The view was wonderful though the view of PepsiCo was less wonderful. Service was attentive even though there were less servers than they needed. We would definitely go again for a special occasion but it’s too pricey for us to dine there regularly. Leave plenty of time for this leisurely dining experience if you are heading to the theater after dinner. Excellent food with lovely views and very good service. I give it just 4 stars because of the regular dining prices.