Maria’s Mango Landia

COLUMBUS JUNCTION - Maria's Mango Landia is bringing the taste of Chicago to small town Iowa.

The restaurant in Columbus Junction offers a Hispanic twist on an ice cream parlor with fresh fruit and homemade crema.

Jose Silvar moved to Iowa City from Chicago to raise a family, and his mom Maria Luna decided to follow to stay close to her grandchildren.

They noticed there were no restaurants serving this type of food.

'In Chicago they have it on every other street,” Luna said.

One night, the pair watched the move 'Chef,” where a restaurant chef quit his job and bought a food truck.

Luna said she wanted to start her own food truck.

Having never run a restaurant before, they decided to build a small shack in their front yard in West Liberty.

'If you build it they will come,” Luna said quoting 'Field of Dreams.”

The menu only had five items.

Success led to a small brick and mortar and then a bigger location, all within a year. They ran the businesses successfully for more than four years.

Silvar said they learned as they went and were dedicated to being successful.

While the COVID-19 pandemic hit businesses hard, the opportunity came to move into a smaller space in Columbus Junction and focus more on the restaurant.

For about a month before they opened, the pair renovated the place on their own.

They opened Oct. 20.

People in the community have been supportive and have given positive feedback, Silvar said.

'They walk in, and they have been blown away,” Silvar said. 'It's a little more modern.”

When remodeling the space, they wanted to attract different ages and cultures.

'We wanted to be very welcoming to everybody,” he said.

In the future they plan on renovating the kitchen and expanding the foods they offer. They hope to move to the area soon.

Maria's Mango Landia is located at 212 Main Street, Columbus Junction and is open from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 6 p.m. on Friday.