Food has a unique way of evoking memories, bringing people together, and offering comfort in unfamiliar places.
For many, certain dishes hold deep personal significance, reminding them of home, family gatherings, or childhood traditions. Restaurants that specialize in traditional and culturally rich cuisines offer more than just a meal; they create spaces where people can reconnect with their roots and feel a belonging to shared experiences.
With the 2024 International Student Census reporting 2,084 international students at the University of Iowa, it is a necessity to have representation for all cultures and ethnicities.
Ramen Belly in Iowa City is a traditional Japanese restaurant owned by John Lieu and Andy Diep and helps meet that need.
Lieu is from Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 at six years old. He started working in the restaurant scene in Illinois, bussing tables at a Chinese restaurant during his sophomore year of high school.
He also worked as a bartender and server at the Three Samurai, a Japanese restaurant that has since closed, until he graduated from college. Lieu said his first experience with Japanese cuisine and techniques was working at a Japanese restaurant.
When Lieu graduated college, he moved to Illinois and left the restaurant business. During this time, the manager of the Three Samurai, Justyn Tran, opened a restaurant in Iowa City. He had trouble trying to put together a consistent menu because, in 2001, nobody from the Chicago area delivered the necessary fresh ingredients to Iowa City.
Tran went through many trials to get fresh fish to Iowa City, and eventually, he asked Lieu to start transporting it for him on weekends. Lieu was working 40 hours a week at the time, so adding this became very time-consuming. He stopped working other jobs, moved to Iowa City, and worked at Hayasak’s restaurant.
They recruited many friends to work with them, one of whom was Diep, who lived in Chicago at the time and had gotten laid off due to the recession. He started making sushi at the new restaurant in Iowa City while Lieu was the front house manager.
Lieu then owned Takanami Sushi Bar in the early 2000s while Diep owned Konomi Japanese Restaurant. Lieu then left the food scene for a while and worked a few other jobs until COVID-19 hit.
“We needed to figure something out because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Lieu said. “We kind of had this idea of opening a ramen restaurant for a long time. We just didn’t know when would be a good time.”
Lieu and Diep looked over several places until they stumbled upon their current location. The previous owner had worked at Takanami. They initially leased the unit and then bought it.
“We were the first ramen shop to open up in the area,” Lieu said. “[It’s] getting popular, like a trend now. If you go to New York City or Chicago or any major city, you’d see a good amount of ramen restaurants. But in Japan, it’s just casual food, like a hot dog or hamburger [in America].”
Lieu said people have to search it out to find them since it’s in a neighborhood area, which makes their location unique. Even though their restaurant doesn’t attract people like a high-traffic location would, a variety of people frequent this location, including those from Cedar Rapids and Davenport, families, older generations, and students who come for a casual, reasonably priced meal.
Ramen Belly also receives support from the neighborhood they’re tucked away in. They even host an annual block party in mid-July, where over 100 people gather to enjoy food, entertainment, and live music. Local businesses all over town indulge in the fun by raffling gift cards and merchandise to community members.
Lieu and Diep are planning on opening a Ramen Belly in Texas, where they aim to grow and keep consistent business while being slightly worried about how economic changes might impact their business.
“I don’t want to raise prices,” Lieu said. “If people don’t have money in their pocket, they aren’t going to dine out. It’s a luxury to dine out.”
Lieu stays optimistic about the future.
“I just hope people enjoy the service and the comfortable atmosphere we provide,” he said.
The Halal Guys in Coralville, Iowa, opened by life-long friends Ahmed Ahmed and Siddig Siddig on Dec. 21, is a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant. All of their food is halal-certified in accordance with Islamic principles, but the food is not restricted to Muslims, as 70 percent of their customers do not practice the faith, according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Two frequent customers, Aisha Iqbal and Aiza Khan, said the atmosphere at Halal Guys is vibrant, adding that the staff is friendly and welcoming.
“We only eat halal meat, so this is a place that is for us. It’s really nice, and it’s really different,” Iqbal said. “There’s nothing else like this in our city.”
Both customers believe the new restaurant contributes to the food scene by adding more inclusivity for other cultures that don’t have as much representation in the Iowa City area.
Iqbal added that The Halal Guys is authentic while being very Americanized but could see it being a gathering place for many eager customers.
“Maybe not as many students [will come here] because it is a little farther, but for regular community members, I could definitely see a lot of people coming and trying it out,” Iqbal said.