What can a smoothie shop's farewell post tell you about where to eat lunch in downtown Iowa City?
On May 29, 2026, NutriSport & Smoothie announced it would close its Iowa City location on June 3. The post was unusually specific about why. The business pointed to rising costs and reduced summer traffic. The shop had held a grand-opening week at Old Capitol Town Center, 201 S. Clinton St., Suite 148, from Aug. 18 to 22, 2025. That is a run of under ten months, and it ended right as summer started.
That closing is the key to the building. Old Capitol Mall is a food hall with a campus calendar. In 2026 its eateries have come and gone with downtown's weekday crowds. The building is also partway through a change of ownership that will leave the University of Iowa in control of every commercial lease. Three tenant stories from this year show how that works.
The Smoothie Shop That Named the Problem
NutriSport was not a newcomer to the business. Owner Julie Carfagna has run both the Iowa City and Marion stores since 2022, and the Marion location stays open. It runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The same menu and the same owner carried on in Marion while the downtown store closed. That puts the cause on the address and its seasonal traffic, and not on the concept.
"Our goal has always been to provide fresh, quality options that are both affordable and accessible to our community," the business wrote as it closed, and it offered $2 off smoothies through the final day.
A store in the mall's interior mostly gets walk-in customers. When the walk-ins thin out for the summer, the slow months come on fast.
A Colombian Counter by the North Entrance
Que Chimba Colombian Street Food opened in the same building two months before NutriSport closed. The Daily Iowan reported that the family-owned restaurant officially opened on March 23, 2026, with eight staff members. It sits between a cookie shop and the mall's north entrance. The name is a popular Colombian phrase meaning "that's great," and the open layout lets customers talk with staff and ask what to order.
It made it through the summer that NutriSport didn't. Little Village reviewed it in its August 2026 issue. The review praised the crispy-creamy texture in every dish, the small-plate portions that let you try several things, and food that holds up just as well the next day. The photos show a beef arepa and chicken empanadas.
The hours suit the building:
- Monday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: closed
Opening at 11 a.m. covers lunch. Closing early on weeknights matches the pace of a building that holds a lot of university offices. On Fridays and Saturdays the hours run late enough to catch the downtown evening crowd. Food that reheats well also fits a lunch crowd that often takes meals back to a desk.
The 2026 Ledger, Suite by Suite
| Suite | Tenant | What happened | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 148 | NutriSport & Smoothie | Grand-opening week, then closed citing rising costs and reduced summer traffic | Aug. 18–22, 2025; closed June 3, 2026 |
| 101 | Que Chimba Colombian Street Food | Opened; reviewed by Little Village | Opened March 23, 2026; reviewed August 2026 |
| 170 | Royceann's Soul Food | Relocation announced into a space vacant for several years | Announced Sept. 3, 2026; mid-September target |
The mall's own directory isn't a reliable tenant list right now. The Iowa City Downtown District's listing for the building still showed NutriSport after it closed. Check a business's own channels before you walk over.
Suite 170 Gets a Tenant After Years Empty
The newest move goes the other way. On Sept. 3, 2026, the Iowa City Downtown District announced that Royceann's Soul Food would move from the South of 6 business district to Suite 170, with opening expected in mid-September. Owner Royceann Porter opened the restaurant in 2023 while serving as a Johnson County Supervisor. Her stated goal was to fill what she called Iowa City's "soul food desert." The Daily Iowan covered its first grand opening, at South District Market, 947 U.S. Highway 6, in March 2023.
ICDD's Christopher Hunter said the Old Capitol Mall space "has been vacant for several years, and this move brings new activity to the building while adding to downtown's mix of dining options." The announcement said the move is meant to reach more customers and take advantage of downtown's foot traffic. That is the same foot traffic NutriSport said disappears in summer. Royceann's starts in the fall, when that traffic is at its strongest.
The menu comes from recipes Porter learned from her mother growing up in Saginaw, Michigan. The announcement lists fried chicken, fried catfish, fried pork chops, and baked and smothered chicken. Sides include collard greens, fried cabbage, macaroni and cheese, candied yams and cornbread. Desserts include banana pudding, peach cobbler and caramel cake. Meals are served family-style and average about $22, with vegetarian-friendly options.
"Relocating downtown gives us the chance to make soul food more accessible to the whole community," Porter said in the announcement.
As of Oct. 5, 2026, we could not confirm the opening from a published source. The Corridor Business Journal repeated the early-fall target on Sept. 4. ICDD said opening updates would come through the restaurant's Instagram, @royceannssoulfood. The planned downtown hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with dine-in, catering and local delivery through services such as Chomp.
Who Signs the Leases After October 2027
The building's ownership explains why tenants keep coming despite a slow season. The University of Iowa already owns 55% of Old Capitol Town Center. University offices there include the Office of the Vice President for Research, Information Technology Services, Student Financial Aid, International Programs and Student Disability Services. In November 2024, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported the university's plan to buy the remaining share for $20.6 million. Ownership is expected to transfer in October 2027.
When university official Kieft presented the plan, he called it less about the university's space needs and more about controlling almost two city blocks in the heart of campus. "The last thing the university wants to see is the management and remaining ownership pass to outside investors," he said. Under the plan, the university will hold every commercial lease after the transfer, approve new ones, and keep the retail spaces open. Kieft said no immediate changes are planned, and renovations will come as funding allows.
That plan comes from 2024 reporting, and the transfer is still a year away. As it stands, the restaurants opening in the mall today are joining a building where the university will soon be the only landlord. The university has said it wants the commercial space kept on the city's tax rolls in some form, whether through payments in lieu of taxes or another arrangement. That keeps the restaurants as part of downtown's commercial mix even as the building becomes fully university property.
Making the Mall Part of Your Fall Rotation
The 2026 turnover suggests a few simple habits for anyone who lives or works within walking distance:
- Go to Que Chimba on a weekday at lunch, or on a Friday or Saturday evening. It closes at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and is closed Sundays.
- Watch @royceannssoulfood for the Suite 170 opening date before you plan a soul food dinner downtown. Its earlier website text still pointed to South District Market.
- Join the Soul Food Club if Royceann's becomes a regular stop. The announcement says signing up gets you $5 off your next visit.
- Look for the new tenant at ICDD events. As a district member, Royceann's can take part in Taste of Iowa City, Top Chef: Downtown and the Farm to Street Dinner, and in the ICDD Gift Card program.
Suite 101 is open six days a week, Suite 148 is empty, and Suite 170 is waiting on an opening date that Royceann's has said it will post on Instagram.
Downtown home values move with the same things that decide which storefronts stay full, like foot traffic, the campus calendar and who controls the buildings at the center of town. Adam Pretorius tracks those details block by block when pricing downtown condominiums and nearby homes. If you'd like to know how today's downtown affects what your property is worth, request your home valuation.
