Prairie Lights Books and Cafe

Other Places in Iowa City, Iowa

4.7 (636)

Category	Other Places · Cafe
Address	15 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240
Street	South Dubuque Street
Area	Iowa City, Iowa
Phone	(319) 337-2681
Google rating	4.7 (636)
Source	Google Maps and public records · listed Oct 21, 2026

Hours

Monday	10 am–9 pm
Tuesday	10 am–9 pm
Wednesday	10 am–9 pm
Thursday	10 am–9 pm
Friday	10 am–9 pm
Saturday	10 am–6 pm
Sunday	10 am–6 pm

About Prairie Lights Books and Cafe

Located at 15 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240, Prairie Lights Books and Cafe operates as an other place serving Iowa City in Iowa. This page gathers the practical details people usually look for before visiting: where it is, how to reach it, when it opens and how customers rate it. Besides its main category, the business also describes itself as cafe, so it may cover more than the name suggests.

Hours are published for 7 days a week. Typical hours are 10 am–9 pm. Hours in the United States do change around federal holidays and long weekends, so a quick call before a special trip is sensible. The listed phone number is (319) 337-2681. Many businesses also reply to text messages on the same number if it is a cell phone. Its website is prairielights.com, where you may find menus, price lists or booking options.

Customers rate it 4.7 out of 5 on Google across 636 reviews.

How Prairie Lights Books and Cafe compares with other other places in Iowa City

It shares South Dubuque Street with one other listed business.

Latest Google reviews

The 5 most recent reviews shown on Google Maps. Reviews belong to their authors; read all of them on Google.

Jonathan Wolfe 2 months ago

All sorts of books packed in here, definitely an old school bookstore. Also places to read and a café on the second floor.

Yousuf Azhar 3 months ago

Everytime I visit this bookstore, I walk away with an extremely useful and valuable book. This last time, I got "Short-form Creative Writing" by Hummel and Lenox. It's excellent so far.

Hyacinthus 6 months ago

It was my first time trying their coffee and it was pretty good but if they were only a coffee shop I would be a bit disappointed with it. I got an iced mocha, my go to for getting coffee, and it was definitely good but not great. The coffee also took quite a while to make. We got two drinks and it took maybe ten minutes or so to get them and there was no one else who had ordered ahead of us. The cafe area itself is bigger than I expected and seemed like a really nice place to hang out in. They do also have a pretty wide selection of teas that would be cool to try sometime. As for the book shop itself it’s pretty good. They have way more than just best sellers and I did see some of my personal favorites on the shelves. Plus their cookbook section is killer. They’ve got some really great cookbooks that I either already own or have been wanting. I’ll definitely be adding to my collection from here. I do feel like the sections are less obviously labeled than what I’m used to in a bookstore. It made it a bit overwhelming for me the first few times I went in but I’ve gotten used to it now. Overall it’s a pretty nice bookshop and a pretty nice cafe. I also had no clue that Obama had be

Brittani Batchelder 7 months ago

My absolute favorite coffee shop in the area by far! I always get the Black Rider-caramel traditional cappuccino with black sea salt, so good! The staff is wonderful and they have local art for sale.

Kim Sinton 9 months ago

A lovely combination of a bookstore and coffee shop. This place has been around a while and is soaked in 90s nostalgia. Baristas were polite and accommodating. Great coffee art and a decent cup of joe.

All reviews on Google ↗

Frequently asked questions

Where is Prairie Lights Books and Cafe located?

Prairie Lights Books and Cafe is at 15 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240, in Iowa City, Iowa. Use the “Open in Google Maps” button on this page for directions.

What kind of business is Prairie Lights Books and Cafe?

Prairie Lights Books and Cafe is listed as an other place and is also tagged on Google as cafe.

What are the hours of Prairie Lights Books and Cafe?

Published hours are Monday: 10 am–9 pm; Tuesday: 10 am–9 pm; Wednesday: 10 am–9 pm; Thursday: 10 am–9 pm; Friday: 10 am–9 pm; Saturday: 10 am–6 pm; Sunday: 10 am–6 pm. Hours can change on holidays, so call before a special trip.

Is Prairie Lights Books and Cafe open on Sunday?

Yes, on Sunday it is open 10 am–6 pm.

What is the phone number of Prairie Lights Books and Cafe?

You can call Prairie Lights Books and Cafe at (319) 337-2681.

How is Prairie Lights Books and Cafe rated on Google?

Prairie Lights Books and Cafe has a Google rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 636 reviews.

Does Prairie Lights Books and Cafe have a website?

Yes, the website of Prairie Lights Books and Cafe is prairielights.com (linked on this page).