116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Mercury Diner & Drinks brings new cafe to former Chrome Horse Saloon in Cedar Rapids
Opening is first of pair to fill space for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Jan. 21, 2026 6:00 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Diners no longer need to hold their horses.
A year and a half after the storied Chrome Horse Saloon closed its New Bohemia location, the first of two new concepts has started serving breakfast and lunch, with plans for dinner soon.
Mercury Diner & Drinks, a new venture with chef Bryce Vogel and co-owner Hannah Huber under Kory Nanke’s restaurant group umbrella, brings new life to a favorite space with a few new twists.
With a variety of seating styles, quick service and some creative menu items, Vogel and Huber have found a new outlet to serve diners after working together at Crosby’s, just down the street.
Mercury Diner briefly opened as Oddmama’s Vintage Cafe in the fall before its name change in December.
If you go:
Address: 1201 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids
Phone: (319) 200-1016
Website: Find Mercury Diner & Drinks on Facebook
Hours: Currently open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting Jan. 28, hours will extend to 8 p.m. for dinner.
Details: Find a variety of items made from scratch on an all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner menu served alongside a selection of gift shop goods to take home. Most entrées average $13-14.
What’s inside
Inside the former Chrome Horse Saloon in a historic bank building, Mercury Diner & Drinks is cracking open the vaults.
Patio structures with faux greenery bring a piece of al fresco dining inside, giving year-round depth to high ceilings. Two vaults are open, with or without reservations, for more intimate seating.
Running along the walls are something to add to your doggy bag on the way home — a full gift shop to pick up a little something for yourself or someone else.
“Everybody wants to leave with something, like a modern-day Cracker Barrel vibe,” Huber said. “It’s such a big space, so we decided to fill it with stuff, vendor-wise.”
On the other side of the bar, Huber and Vogel are preparing Rhapsody, a second concept, to fill the other half of the building and its large patio.
Making use of space, their vision for entertainment will play off of the energy that made predecessor Chrome Horse popular.
“I want to kill it with entertainment,” Huber said.
In addition to metal bands the Chrome Horse was known for hosting, she hopes to expand live music into other genres and bring in other types of engagement like yoga breakfasts, slam poetry and motivational speakers.
With a big space, Huber and Vogel are hoping Mercury strikes a happy medium between the intimate space at Crosby’s and a place with flexibility for large groups and entertainment.
The food
Vogel, who brings experience from the kitchens at Crosby’s and the Cedar Rapids Country Club, returns to this kitchen for a full circle moment. Mercury’s kitchen was the same one he worked in years ago, when it was NewBo Ale House.
Most of the new menu, including its accoutrements, is made in house from scratch.
“A lot of what we do is unique and not something that has been played to death,” Vogel said.
But the menu, while yet to be introduced to many diners, remains approachable.
Meats like wings, pork belly and pastrami are smoked over a blend of apple and cherry wood. The pastrami, a two-week endeavor for curing and processing, can be ordered on toasted rye for a reuben, or as a benedict over an English muffin.
Signature highlights include a Parmesan-crusted pork tenderloin, bacon pickle grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar-crusted sourdough, and fried chicken sandwich on Brioche.
Gravy and sausage are made from scratch for two down-home menu items. Creme brulee pancakes, topped with vanilla bean pastry cream and burnt sugar chips, offer another eye-catching plate.
Even salads offer a few unique vinaigrettes like blueberry lemon, strawberry vanilla bean, and garlic dill.
The menu, currently three pages, is rounded out with a curation of classic breakfast items including omelets, shipwrecks, avocado toast and a breakfast burrito.
Starting Jan. 28, Mercury Diner will roll out a dinner menu for service until 8 p.m., in addition to its all-day breakfast and lunch options.
Rhapsody, still in development with plans to open in the coming months, will complement Mercury Diner with a more “eclectic” twist to menu items on the other side of the bar — kimchi fried chicken bao buns, cheddar bacon wontons, Doritos-encrusted fried mac and cheese bites, steaks and scratch-made pasta, to name a few.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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