There’s a New Place for Fried Chicken & Fish in Cedar Rapids

Another new restaurant has opened in Cedar Rapids! Captains Fish and Chicken is now welcoming customers at 1616 1st Ave NE.

Captains Fish and Chicken is located inside the former home of Gutamex Restaurant Elenita and Brick City Grill, just down the street from the recently closed 1st Ave Hy-Vee. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the owner of the new eatery is Ray Aqel, who has "previously opened and sold the same restaurant model in Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan." This is his first time opening a restaurant in the state of Iowa.

As far as chicken goes, the menu at Captains offers fried chicken, chicken tenders, boneless and bone-in wings, and gizzards. Seafood options include perch, tilapia, catfish, cod, calamari, crab cakes, and shrimp. There are also plenty of sides, like okra, hush puppies, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, and fries. Everything is made fresh to order, so the restaurant recommends calling ahead for "faster services."

Early reviews of Captains Fish and Chicken say that the fried chicken, catfish, shrimp, wings, chicken tenders, and cheese curds are delicious, but don't forget dessert. The chocolate cake is supposedly amazing!

Captains Fish and Chicken just held their soft opening late last week, but they have yet to post their official hours on social media. For the latest updates from the new restaurant, you can follow the Facebook page HERE.

Quite a few new eateries have opened in the Corridor in 2024! You can check out a list of those places below: