We visited today on our way through Iowa, and had a wonderful experience. The Monte Christo was…read moreamong the best I have ever had, the chicken noodle soup was delicious, and my husband said the bacon on his burger was particularly good. Would definitely plan to return if we are ever in the neighborhood.

Great food, great service! This is a small town restaurant at its finest. You can definitely tell a…read morelot of the customers are regulars by the way they are greeted but that didn't make us feel any less welcome. Our server was extremely attentive and friendly and even apologized when they ran out of lemons for our iced tea. Portion sizes were huge (and prices extremely reasonable). Both my husband and I took home leftovers. My only complaint was that my Monte Cristo didn't come with jam. The side of soup that I got definitely made up for it though. Great place, will definitely go back!

I have given these guys three times to improve and they just can't do it. Today I ordered a Rachel…read morewith baked potato. Who makes a Rachel without Thousand Island dressing? These guys. The turkey lacked flavor, so was way overpowered by the kraut. The baked potato clearly had been baked days before, then a weak attempt to reheat was made. It didn't even start to melt the butter. Mealy and gross.

We came for the Mother's Day brunch buffet and had a very disappointing experience. The brunch was…read moreadvertised as running until 1:00 PM, and reservations were still being accepted up until that time. However, when our party arrived for our 12:30 reservation, almost all of the food was gone and nothing was being refilled, despite there still being 30 minutes left in service. The little food that was available wasn't even very good, and everyone in our group left hungry. The service was also extremely poor. After ordering drinks, we waited about 15 minutes to receive them, and by then we had already finished the minimal food we were able to get. Throughout the rest of the meal, we were largely ignored and had no idea how to even check out. While the manager did comp 50% off the buffet cost, we still paid full price for drinks. For a group of six, we spent around $80 and left disappointed, hungry, and frustrated. This event was clearly not planned well, and both the food quality and service need major improvement.

I was on RAGBRAI and Ma and Pa's Diner was in the ending town. It was recommended by our shuttle…read morebus driver. The food was great. I was with three other RAGBRAI riders , we all loved what we on. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, omelette, and baked cod. Worth stopping in if you're in town. If I'm ever back in Oelwein, I would definitely go there.

Great food and great portions for a great price They have…read moresquare pancakes They also have things for sale like pictures and other things for decorating

This is some of the best I have ever had! Service was super quick and freshly cooked food while…read morebeing quick can be hard but this place pulled it off. The overall vibe of this restaurant was amazing too, super good music, good decorations. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants quality food and fast.

the menu there is always amazing!! the food is sooo good!…read morethe atmosphere is please'n, while wait'n for your meal. last but not least, the service y'all.. wonderful

Food was ok do get your hopes up too much. Good ice cream and burger place and good tenderloin.read more

Very pleasant staff thats fun to be around. Attention to every detail. They take cards, but l…read morealways prefer to pay with cash. The building was built in 1854, which is the same year Gilbertville became incorporated. It's a neat place with nistory-Very dean, great food and amazing ice cream. Get the Blueberry Cheesecake Cold Front. Yummy! As a side note, I noticed a negative review was from 4 years ago. This place has only been open a little over a year. I'm not sure how that review is tied to the 1854.

I really enjoyed our lunch here today! Amazing patio along the river- an ambiance to savor our…read moreserver was lovely and explained menu items to us. I enjoyed my couscous stew. The others in my crew had the warm quinoa salad and gyro and also enjoyed those! Definitely a gem in this town!

If you are looking for different unique flavors this is the place to try. We started with the Bake…read moreFeta served with pita bread. Yum!! Then shared a Cubano Panini and a Shawarma (Gyro) with fries. If you like spicy order the Harissa on the side (chili pepper paste) delicious!! I suggest to read menu online for description of the food options. Our waitress was very attentive.

Best place in the area to get a pork tenderloin sandwich and crispy fries! Friday fish specials…read moreand great pie! Fast, friendly servers bring delicious home cooked meals to your table. We always stop there when we are in the area.

Located in the former Country Cottage Cafe location - Oelwein Family Restaurant offers a full day…read moremenu including some all you can eat specials and supper entrees. Stopped in for breakfast on a Monday morning. Waffles, omelettes, French toast, skillets - lots of choices. We had a western omelette with hash browns and a pancake, vegetarian omelette with hash browns with onions, French toast with sausage links on the side and a vegetable skillet with bacon. Rye toast on the side for the skillet and veggie omelette. Sunny side eggs on the skillet were done perfectly - hash browns soaked up the yolk as expected. French toast was tender. Omelettes are three eggs - chock full of veggies. Overall a good experience. Note - 3.9% service charge for credit cards. We paid cash.

I really wanted to love this place but it was a big let down…read more First, we were there on a Friday, just before what is likely a very busy time. We sat at the bar. The servers were there, obviously waiting for customers to start arriving, and they were all congregating at the end of the bar, chatting it up. It was super unprofessional and pretty annoying. We were glad when the food came out quickly so we could just eat and leave. To be honest, I don't recall what my husband ordered. I got the pork tenderloin. The tenderloin was very tough and had zero flavor. Like, I don't think they even put salt in the coating, let alone any other seasonings. This is Iowa, if you can't make anything else at all, you should at least have a decent pork tenderloin. This was our second time trying the place. Both instances were equally underwhelming. I wanted this to be our "go to" place but sadly we won't return.

The food was sub par with being a limited menu during the day. Also pay with cash or you will be…read morepaying more for using card. Burger tasted like it was frozen from box. Fries were amazing

If you are near the Independence area, Em's is a MUST. It is an awesome small business. The service…read moreis quick, and the employees are the sweetest and very personable. I've been to hundreds of coffee shops around the U.S, but this one is by far THE best. My go to is an iced salted honey latte. Their menu is huge. They also offer monthly drink specials. They have unique and delicious flavor combinations. And how could I forget their baked goods?!?! They always have a stacked bakery case. They've got the biggest cinnamon rolls with the best frosting. Em offers a newsroom which has a couch and several chairs for meetings, or just to hangout! Overall a must-try. I promise you'll be going back

The coffee was great. Had gelato and a couple smoothies. Went there twice while I was visiting in…read moreIndependence