BlackEarth Java Coffee

First time having their food. It's good, not bad for the small town. It can get pricey fast though…read more Always seem to be making fries fresh when I've been here.

Worst place for breakfast ever…read more The lady at the drive through window took my order and I had to wait over 5 minutes for her to come back. This was after I paid for the meal with my credit card. When she came back I wanted to just have her cancel the order but she insisted she could make the food quickly. She came back telling me the cook was no where to be found and when she brought the meal back another 5 minutes later, it was cold and absolutely not what I ordered! The biscuit was hard as a puck and like I said it wasn't the breakfast sandwich I ordered. She was trying to make the best out of a bad situation but honestly I can see why no one was in line. Bad food. I don't recommend anyone eating here.

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Jersey Mike's Subs

4.0(2 reviews)

0.9 mi

Good subs, thats it, everything thing else about this place is just regular dingy fast food place..read more

Jersey Mike's have the best subs, the best cut of meat, the best cheese. Love it Mike's way!…read moreService was beautiful. Plenty of toppings. Yum. We will be back every time we drive through!

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McDonald's

2.0(24 reviews)

0.5 mi

They are very slow in drive thru waited almost an hour to get our order don't recommend eating hereread more

Always something wrong with your order! Food is ok though I usually don't go inside so not sure if…read morethey actually get it right when you go inside.

Dairy Queen Store

5.0(2 reviews)

1.1 mi

This is the cutest Dairy Queen we have ever seen! Such a fun place to stop and get a quick treat…read more The workers were very friendly, no wait and made a very good blizzard!

There is only one person working in the small shack. You can either sit outside or go through drive…read morethrough. This place is great to stop at for little snacks and my food was great from here.

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Mini peanut butter cup blizzard

Sports Page Grill & Bar

2.6(50 reviews)

0.6 mi

I travel a lot for work and pretty much let Yelp decide where I eat, so this review feels like a…read moreneeded public service announcement. This week took me to Spencer, Iowa. A coworker selected this place for lunch, and honestly, if I'd read the older reviews, I would have suggested we skip it. First visit, I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap. The sauce has this little sweetness along with the usual spicy tang, and I was absolutely loved it. It was good enough that on day three I found myself back in the same booth at lunchtime. Round two, I went with the Reuben. I'm a Reuben person--I order them a lot, and I know when one is just pretending. This one wasn't and I could not have been more pleased. On my last night in town, I came back yet again and tried the taco salad. Because the word salad makes me nervous and I'm mostly a proud "meatatarian," I asked for extra ground beef. They did not hold back. It was a few extra bucks, but worth every penny. Coming from San Diego, the prices here just make me smile. The vibe is exactly what you'd expect from a sports bar in the best way: a good-sized central bar, booths and tables all around, plenty of screens, and zero pretense. Every staff member I dealt with was friendly, on the ball, and made the repeat visits an easy choice. Bottom line: this place is exactly what it says it is--a solid sports grill and bar. If you want cheap and instant, go to a drive thru. If you're in the mood for a martini, wine and a slab of beef, go find the prime rib place in town. If you just want good food, fair prices, and a relaxed sports bar atmosphere, you'll be very happy here. I had several great experiences and I'll be back the next time work sends me to Spencer.

Was pleasantly surprised by this place. The inside is clean. The atmosphere is sports bar. The…read morestaff is very good and the food is awesome.

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Arby's

3.3(7 reviews)

0.5 mi

For a massive fast-food chain I'm rating this Arby's a Five Star experience. You don't go to any…read morefast-food joint for ambiance, but it was bright and clean, with wood decor... nice. The staff was truly nice, polite, and at least acted like they were happy to serve us... rare at almost every other fast-food joint. Crinkle fries were crisp, hot and salty... just how they should be. The roast beef sandwiches were moist and tasty good, if not the prettiest sandwich. This team nailed it, and it was refreshing to experience fast-food like this, ags

Honestly there serves wasn't that good they were unprepared no chicken strips and no strawberry…read moreflavor for a shack and i ordered 3 orders and they only got 2 so i had to order my 3rd meal again

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Taco Bell

1.8(18 reviews)

0.3 mi

Snuck in for a snack while running errands the other day. Had a Nachos Supreme, it was okay,…read morenothing more nothing less, no more green sauce available. Boo-Hoo for me! I prefer green sauce will probably go elsewhere for my nacho fix now.

Placed an order at the kiosk for dine-in. After watching someone pickup a delivery order and a few…read morecars, went to check on the status of our food since it had roughly been 20 minutes or more. Counter lady had no idea about the order or my name after multiple times telling them. After spending a couple minutes talking to the kitchen, they came back and said they had definitely called my name and someone had picked up the bag- bold faced lie as I had sat near the front, and the only time anyone came up from was to put a delivery order in the pick-up section and to talk to a lady who came to the counter to look for her mobile order. We requested a refund because we needed to leave, and instead they said they couldn't and would remake the food and gave us a free taco coupon. Edited to add: the cook (Zach/Zack I believe) was great. Knew exactly what order was being talked about and verified the timeline. Food still tasted good.

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A&W Restaurant

2.3(12 reviews)

2.0 mi

I can only rate this location on their ice cream and cheese curds as that's all we've ever ordered…read more- both are 5 stars. This A&W makes the BEST ice cream cones! They're always huge and their ice cream is actually creamy! It's 10000x better than the Spirit Lake location. The cheese curds are always hot and fresh. Highly recommend getting a side of spicy papa sauce. The drive through is relatively quick, but can be difficult to navigate if the line is long. The staff are usually friendly. We have driven 20 minutes to get here just for the ice cream cones. Perfect place to stop on a hot summer day.

Food was super tasty. I ordered a cheeseburger, and root beer float. The fries were not very tasty,…read morewere kind of just bland. But overall, still good! The guy taking my order had a very positive attitude and was a pleasure. I only went through the drive thru but it was fast!

Root beer Famous Floats

They serve root beer in a frosty mug!

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Jimmy John's

3.6(11 reviews)

1.1 mi

Love jimmy johns!! I especially like to order online and the app is nice to go through and order…read morefood as well.

I've came in here with my kids for lunch a few times and we've never had a bad experience until…read moretoday. The many of times I came I've asked for my kids unwhich to be cut in half and every time they have. Today my family came in and when we were ordering we were rushed and spoken to like we couldn't hear. Then when I asked if my kids unwhich could be cut in half I got a snarly no. No reason why just a blatant no! Specifically by the guy in red suspenders I love this place and I don't want a bad experience to ruin it but this has definitely set a tone when I come in now.

#10 Hunter.

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The Big John I got from Jimmy John's today!

KFC

3.5(11 reviews)

0.1 mi

Love the fried chicken sandwich, I have had it twice now and loved it both times. I am a fan as it…read moreis consistently good. I miss the potato wedges and I am not a fan of the new french fries. Like everywhere else prices are up, but all in all the chicken sandwich is good for the higher price. We treat ourselves when paying this much for a sandwich.

Sad that it's getting so bad. We went through the drive-through and we should've just kept going…read more The sandwiches we ordered were cold flavorless and it never used to be this way. It just opened up at 11 o'clock and the food we ordered was already cold cold or quite possibly may have from yesterday as cold as it was. we have eaten inside before and it's filthy dirty and the service is subpar. We won't be making this mistake again!

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17 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Michael S.

10 years ago

There was a time when I never would have dreamed that I'd review a coffee business, because quite simply... I'm not a coffee drinker. At some point in my life, however, I became quite a fan of Chai Lattes. (I think a fellow ISU student in Ames introduced it to me back in my college days. College is a time for experimentation, right?) Without a doubt, BlackEarth Java has the best Chai Lattes in town, with the most variety of additional flavor options. Now, it's true, with a variety of different people working there you might not get the sort of consistency in your drink you might expect from other "cookie cutter" places. But it seems to me that BlackEarth is one of those "custom hand crafted" business endeavors where perhaps it should remind you that variety is the spice of life. Of course, I say this knowing full well that I'm going to order the same thing every time. Speaking of ordering, for me personally.... I pretty much show up at the same time and on the same side of the building and usually get very consistent service. The person I see there the most recognizes me, remembers what I like to order, and away we go. As for coffee itself... who knows, maybe I'll give it a try again someday. It could happen. After all, I didn't like chocolate covered coffee beans when I started going there, and now I'm addicted to the damn things! (FYI, they'll hook you by giving you a free one with every drink.) read more

Annette S.

10 years ago

If ever in Spencer Iowa and need a great cup of coffee, this is the place to go! The help is AMAZING and will make you anything you could think up! Their menu is large and they never rush you on choosing your flavor! The best part is you never have to leave your car, just pull up order, and drive away! My favorite is mud slinger! Enjoy! read more

Teri V.

12 years ago

The best coffee ever! Served with a chocolate covered coffee bean and a cute sticker and a punch card. Buy 10, 11th is free! So many beverages to choose from, not just coffee! The prices are quite decent! And its drive up..dont have to get out of the car!! The service is FABULOUS! I highly recommend this place..the BEST! read more

Shelly R.

12 years ago

Blackearth Java is an exceptional drive up coffee shop in the parking area of Many Hands Market and Napoli's in South Spencer. They make a tasty latte as well as the regular House blend in regular or decaf. Their hours are the best of any coffee shop outside of gas station "coffee". Their prices are moderate. read more

Mike O.

11 years ago

OMG THIS PLACE IS LIKE THE BEST PLACE EVER FOR ANYTHING DELICIOUS! Sorry for the all caps but i can not stress how absolutely delightful this place is. Amazing service, amazing drinks, and amazing people with awesome personalities. CAN NOT WAIT TO COME BACK!!! read more

Lisa R.

8 years ago

I just love the coffee here. The employees are always welcoming and smiling . I will always recommend this place to everyone. Love the frappes, expressos, Italian Ice, and the cold & hot teas. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK read more

Ashley R.

8 years ago

Love the smoothies there... decently priced too. Most friendly staff at a coffee place and with it being a drive thru it's very convenient too. And I love how they give you a free drink after you buy ten. read more

Kristine B.

1 year ago

Service has always been amazing! Drinks are top tier! Its my favorite coffee place! The smell of their air freshener is absolutely stunning! There is no coffee place that beats BlackEarth Java! read more

Caleb L.

4 years ago

Great coffee, great non- coffee drinks.. awesome customer service!!! They offer so many awesome drinks- drink possibilities are endless!

Dylan D.

108

8 years ago

Great coffee! Always busy. Owners are great!! Very reasonable in price!! If coming through town, make sure to stop!!

Tami E.

10 years ago

This is the Best place to get the best drinks (coffee, teas or speciality drinks) ever. And the best barstis ever.

Elice H.

8 years ago

I have been a fan of BEJ since they opened. Spot on lattes hot or cold. I can't get through a week without one.

Destiny M.

4 years ago

Absolutely the best coffee ever!! It's always fresh and all the staff are very friendly.

Caitlin R.

9 years ago

I am not a coffee drinker , but Love the mudslinger frappe!! Service is always great!

Isabella N.

5 years ago

so good when ever me and my grandparents go we always get coffee from there delicious

Abigail S.

6 years ago

In my opinion, the best coffee in Spencer!

Janet H.

8 years ago

Good coffee but count your change.

BlackEarth Java Coffee - coffee - Updated September 2026

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