We went to eat breakfast here. Was told we could sit at the bar to eat by the hostess. Sat down and then the bar manager said we could not eat at the bar with my 2 kids. I said oh the hostess said it was okay. Then I asked if we could eat at the open table next to the bar. The waitress next to the manager said that would be okay and she would take our table. We sat down and waited for 25 mins. Nobody even stopped back to the table. No drink order, no crayons for my kids and nobody to see if were ready to ordered. In my opinion they don't want to serve people. We got up at 30 mins and left. Worse experience of my life. read more

Had dinner 12/10 and breakfast 12/11 both were top notch! They practiced social distancing and employees kept their masks on! Highly recommend. read more

I would leave less if possible. Our waitress was mad that we were ready to give our order when she came to the table. We had a club and panini.... took an hour to get our food even though only 6 tables total. When food came, fruit flies or gnats, not sure which were all around it and the table. Server never came back to check on us. When she finally came back with bills, we told her about the bugs. She left without a word. Manager came over, we told her about bugs also, who left without an apology or anything else. Unfortunately, I can not tip this type of behavior. The waitress, Kaitlyn, collected the bills when we were walking out and proceeded to follow us to the door yelling out loud how rude it was to not tip. Never again will we go here, they give servers, restaurants and hospitality a bad name! read more

the food was ok, didn't have their regular menu, since it was New Year's Eve , was disappointed in that, very expensive. we called a week ahead for. reservation, got there they couldn't find it but they got us a table.A couple tables around us complained about over done steak, and not getting the right order ( two different tables). We had to ask for our dinner rolls. read more

Oh my food goodness! I ordered room service and had the Roasted Spaghetti Squash with garlic and tomato's...and had them add grilled chicken. AHHH-mazing! The fresh flavors explode on every bite. Highly recommend this place. I will be back my next trip to Dubuque. Thanks team at Caroline's! Great job! read more

It is located inside one of the best hotels in Dubuque: Hotel Julien, on a lower level. It looks pretty good, the service is nice and friendly, the prices are reasonable. However, I cannot give it more than 3: the food doesn't really shine. Tomato Mediterranean salad was all right, but my steak sandwich and my wife's pork chop were sort of mediocre. So much for locally sourced foods.... The wine list was underwhelming too. read more

Restaurant is inside the Julien hotel. Had dinner twice during my trip. Both meals were great with fantastic service!

Located inside the beautiful and historic Hotel Julien, this is an equally beautiful restaurant. The food was incredible. I had the eggs Benedict with seasoned wedges and my husband had the fried chicken and waffles. Both dishes were wonderful! Very hot, fresh, and well seasoned. Our server kept up with refills, and the restaurant manager stopped by our table to offer recommendations and share history of the hotel with us! Quite a lovely dining experience! read more

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I decided to eat here since I was staying at Hotel Julien for work and they offered a free dessert with an entree purchase (extra incentive!). What stood out most about this place was the phenomenal service. My server Jon was very friendly, professional, attentive and accommodating to my peanut allergy. All of the wait staff that I interacted with at this restaurant is EXTREMELY friendly and personable. From the hostess to the bartender to the server to the manager, everyone had a very genuine demeanor. I ordered the Atlantic salmon entree, and it was flavorful and very filling. I highly recommend this place as it is an amazing atmosphere with great people and delicious food! read more

Caroline's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Great unexpected stop at this restaurant! Salad was amazing and so pretty too. Seafood chowder was a treat... scrumptious! At the Julian's Hotel in Dubuque... lower level! read more

Caroline's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

We are from the area and own a business in the hospitality industry so decided to go in for a Thursday evening dinner. We started in the lounge and had a couple of drinks before dinner. Bartender was great to chat. Unfortunately that is where the good experience ended, Went over to Caroline's and was seated by a younger guy who proceeded to run his hands through his hair as he was seating us and handing us our menus. We later watched him walking through the dining room continuing to run his hand through his hair multiple times and then observed him setting clean plates on a table. I'm going to assume no hand washing was done prior. If your hair is that long and you feel the need to constantly touch it to keep it off your face then perhaps a hair cut of a job in a different industry. Now onto the meal. We ordered the cheese and charcuterie plate to start. What we received was deli cut meat and cheese with some berries and walnuts. The meat and cheese were all about 1/8" thick and we received a total of 1 and a half slices of salami and capicola, 3/4 of a slice of mortadella, 1 and a half slices each of yellow cheddar and white cheddar (I think) and a dollop of goat. A few blueberries (which a few were starting to mold), some dried cranberries and walnuts with some toast points. Cost was $19 for a plate of deli meat/cheese that maybe cost $2 in total and with the berries and nuts, maybe $3 in total. Someone needs to tell the chef and management that deli meat/cheese is not charcuterie. It was a poor start and we were hoping things would get better with the main course. I ordered the Pork Belly Two Ways and my wife ordered the Blackened Chicken Pasta. Her meal was well done, no complaints I would give it a 4/5. However, mine was a different story. One would think that when a menu states 2 ways, that you would be receiving something that was being served prepared two separate ways as is commonly done. This was not the case. Apparently they first braised the belly and then sear it, so it arrives at the table basically a single preparation. They should change the menu description as it is deceiving. Being braised and then seared, it was somewhat dry for a braised belly, I would give it a 3/5. Brussel sprouts that accompanied were the highlight of the plate, and the polenta cake was uninspiring with no seasoning or flavor at all. For what the meal cost and the quality we received, we will not return. I would recommend Brazen or L'May instead if your in the area looking for a good meal. read more

In town for a food vender show. Walked into the restaurant after long 3 hr. 33 weeks pregnant and needing food. There was a server and bartender standing behind the bar. They both looked at me and my husband and walked in back without a word. No one else around. Finally a guy comes up to host table. Why couldn't the server and bartender at least say 'welcome'? The dinner was good, wished we would have at least got bread with our pasta but no big deal. The hotel gave us a coupon for free dessert. Requested creme brûlée with berries. I got like pudding. Didn't crystalize it or even make it look presentable, and no berries. Was very disappointed! We come from the food industry and I'm pregnant ( you don't mess with a pregnant ladies dessert). read more

Caroline's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Great place for breakfast. Crab cake eggs Benedict were amazing. Our waitress Meggi was on the money with everything. read more

Caroline's Restaurant - Crab cake Eggs Benedict - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Love coming here! We I'm in town I try to eat as much as possible here, the rooms are pricey but can't beat the bar and restaurant for quality and consistency! read more

Good for large or small groups for lunch. I appreciated the zucchini spaghetti option. Service was good.

This is the best restaurant I have found in Dubuque, Iowa. While staying at the Julien Hotel, I had several breakfasts and one dinner there. For breakfast, let me recommend the yoghurt with fresh berries and daily muffin selection. I also enjoyed the biscuits and gravy another day. As far as dinner is concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed the pork, potatoes and asparagus. Add on a nice Sauvignon Blanc and it was most enjoyable. The staff is very courteous, although they don't always get the order quite right or (whoops!) spilled the milk. Everyone is most pleasant, though, so no harm! read more

I was very impressed by everything the 1st visit. Great service, food & ambiance. I wasn't as impressed the 2nd visit by the food which falls solely on the cook. Everything else was just as great as was the manager who comped what needed to be comped, was nice and very apologetic. For that I would definitely recommend Caroline's Restaurant and give them 3.5 's read more

Caroline's saved our Mother's Day dinner! We ordered take out when everyone else was closed or out of things. They had our food ready when promised. It was accurate and tasted great. Thank you Caroline's!! read more

Four of us had both lunch and breakfast here and both were delicious. Limited menu for both (unless you chose the breakfast buffet) but each item perfectly prepared and delicious. Hard working staff as both visits got busy. read more

The two stars are for the atmosphere of the restaurant. Everything was incredibly overpriced, we had bad service and our experience was not great. We were very excited to come here for date night, as we noticed this restaurant right after we moved to Dubuque and we're very excited to have a nice night out. However, our service was very slow, and we felt as though our server was rude towards our feelings, questions and requests that we made. We felt as though we became an afterthought to our server after it took about 15 minutes for her to come back after we said we needed a little more time to look at the menu and took her quite some time after the food came to check on how it was. I loved my dinner and had originally wanted to substitute something else for asparagus as I do not like it, the waitress said we do not do salads after I asked if I could substitute for a side salad, and she said " I'm not quite sure what you are asking" , and looked at me with a blank stare. My wife and I have been in the service industry for quite a long time and we've never been treated that way as a customer, and would never treat one of our customers the way my wife and I were treated this evening. Instead of doing everything that could have been done to help us feel better and make us happy, we felt like we were being brushed off and we just wanted to leave as soon as possible. My wife ordered the special for the evening and it turned out to be what felt like an entire box of pasta drenched in olive oil with a few tomatoes, olives, overcooked shrimp and feta cheese sprinkled on top... We do not feel like a bowl of pasta salad that has been warmed up should not be $22. Overall we were incredibly disappointed and upset with how our nice date night came to fruition. What we thought was going to be a new place for us to go for special occasions and night out with friends will now be on our list of places we will not go and will tell people we had a bad experience. read more

This restaurant is in the Hotel Julien. The service was very good. Waitress very friendly and the food was great. We sat in a booth which was very comfortable and private. I had the club sandwich and my husband had chicken salad. read more

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I must confess that I consider myself a bit of an expert on breakfasts. It's kind of what I do. And that said, Caroline's is my new go-to for breakfast in Dubuque. I've not been there for lunch/dinner, although I have generally heard good things. But as far as I'm concerned, the breakfasts are as good as you can find in Dubuque. My favorite is the Main Street Platter; two biscuits covered in sausage gravy, hash browns, and then a couple of scrambled eggs. Do yourself a huge favor, however; opt out of "Caroline's Cheese sauce (ick!) and ask for shredded pepper jack. It's a winner. It's an unholy amount of food. The former graduate student in me takes pride in being able to clear just about any plate of food placed before me. I always return home with 1/4 of this for lunch or breakfast the next AM. Coffee is $2. Avoid the small glass of juice for $3. Aie. All in all, the decor is clean and class, the service is good, and the general vibe is happy. Grab a USA Today as you walk in and they will let you drink you coffee, eat your grub, and read the paper in peace. I'm quite a fan. read more

Looks special. Reality is, nothing special. The food is under-whelming and has a Perkin's-esque food feel with dried parsley on the rim of the white modern plates. Not terribly pricey. Cooking breakfast at home next time. read more

I came in at closing, there were no other customers and it looked like the staff was finishing up. However, as soon as they saw me walk in the door, they made me feel more than welcome. I can't think of a restaurant with a nicer staff. Fiona is top notch. I opted for the salmon dinner. It was perfect. I order salmon alot, but I cant think of any better. I will highly recommend anyone go to Caroline's. I was so happy with the meal and whole dining experience that I forgot to use my free dessert coupon.........and I don't care. read more

I was really impressed with this place! Great ambiance, first of all, and plentiful parking. The service was a bit slow, and definitely skip the buffet. It was all unimpressive food -French toast sticks, eggs, mini bagels, donut holes, HyVee mini muffins. The menu offerings were awesome and super affordable. I got a Spanish fritatta with fruit, toast and coffee for $10. It was very flavorful, with fresh peppers that were still crunchy and delicious sausage that was just the right amount of spice. Bottom line, skip the buffet and order off the menu! read more

Caroline's Restaurant - Spanish frittata - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

BF and I ate dinner at Caroline's restaurant while staying at the Hotel Julien on the way home from the holidays. It was about 8:30 on a Saturday night and the place was essentially empty. The host was friendly and immediately seated us. Our server was a young man, but he was very polite and friendly. He did have a hole or two in his knowledge of fine dining, but he will learn and nothing major. The manager, Fiona, was extremely nice and helpful with local bar suggestions. We started with the artichoke fritters and they were excellent - filled with cheese and nicely crunchy. I had the macadamia encrusted tilapia. It was also very good, firm and not in the last fishy. Dinners came with soup or salad, the veggie of the day, which was fresh summer squash and zucchini and mashed potatoes. BF had a NY strip he enjoyed very much. They had a decent selection of wines by the glass, but the bottles seemed expensive, even by restaurant standards. All in all it was a lovely meal in a nice space. read more

LOVE CAROLINE'S. Whenever I am in town, I try to get here for breakfast. I have never had better pancakes than Caroline's. This past weekend was my first time trying the pancakes and I honesty do not know if any other place could top their pancakes. The omelets are excellent also. It's a great setting and the décor is really nice. I highly recommend this place. read more

Caroline's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Booking for 12 people was easy but that was the best of the experience. The waiter was pleasant enough but definitely needed training especially with a group this size. Ordered wine for the table, received one glass and he didn't know to cut the aluminum seal around cork before pulling it. the aluminum wrap was frayed. Sounds petty but just a bad look when spending good money on wine. Had to ask for more glasses and pour our own. The two plates of 16 dollar calamari was cold. Finally ordered dinner and waited probably 45 minutes. Not much for complaints on food except the 42 dollar requested medium rare steaks were more medium well. It was tender but lost a lot of the flavor. We sat down at 6:30 and after finally getting our dinner and eating, we asked about desert and was told the kitchen is now closed. There was very few others in the restaurant so why it took so long to get our food is a question but to make us wait for the food and then say the kitchen was closed for desert after the wait was baffling. I know help is difficult to find so may be some of this but just beware. read more

Failed on Thanksgiving meal. First low quality meal we ever had at Caroline s. Food was cold. Salad more like a garnish. Our waitress was great, think she knew what a bad job the kitchen was doing. We will try going one more time. We have had other great holiday meals here. read more

Caroline's is located in the lower level of the Julien Hotel (now renamed the Hotel Julien, ooh la la) smack dab in the middle of the Old Main Street district. The restaurant is part of an extensive, thirty million dollar renovation of the hotel which re-opened in September 2009, and reflects the ongoing revitalization of downtown businesses in and around the Ice Harbor. Diners now have several elegant-yet-casual dining options in downtown Dubuque, including Star, Pepper Sprout, L. May, and now Caroline's. I had a business lunch yesterday at Caroline's, and overall the impression was ok. On the plus side, the atmosphere is stylish -- dark wood with orange accents -- simply outrageous in doddy Dubuque! I especially liked the stained glass windows. Service was also friendly and professional. On the other hand, the sandwich I ordered for lunch - a blackened chicken melt with gouda and spiced mayo with a side of potato salad - was a little on the bland side. Expect to pay between $8-10 for a sandwich or salad. read more

Good service but very very slowly with a smile no grits or a breakfast with 2 meats most men want some meat to start the day also no turkey bacon read more

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Setting: Saturday evening. My wife and 2 daughters had just left the area museum and were looking for a good place to eat. I decided to bring them to Caroline's as I had read mostly great reviews. I was mistaken to have believed what I had read. After the wait of about 20 minutes between being placed at a table and seeing wait-staff, drinks and appetizers were ordered. Of the appetizers we ordered, only one was something that I would call 'adequately tasty.' The crab cakes were abysmal. They seemed like lightly warmed, barely-seasoned, canned tuna covered in an occasionally crunchy breading. At this point I should have known, but I carried on. The main course can only be described as worse. Lamb shank, while very tender & moist, it had no other flavor than that of meat. Even less could be said for my wife's and oldest daughter's orders. They chose the 'special' of prime rib. The slab of fatty meat they received, I was told, tasted of almost nothing. It is sad to go to a nice eatery and ask for A-1 just to give what you are eating a bit of flavor. Steamed veggies were all around, and there were some that were mush & others that were pick-from-the-garden crunchy. Then on to my 11 year old daughter's burger from their kids menu. She described it as 'burger jerky' and 'not very good.' The only reason there aren't fewer stars on this review is because the site will not allow it. To put this in perspective, I would rate McDonald's and Burger King at a 1 star rating. Sinking $150 into dinner for my family on a trip to look for property in Dubuque could have been spent on anything else. read more

We walked in with 5 people and were promptly seated. Excellent artichoke appetizers. Steaks were cooked to order and the lamb shank was delectable. Trina, our server did an amazing job. She remembered all our names and used them in context as she served us. By far the best service I've had anywhere I've dined. And in Dubuque none the less. read more

Nice place for the after church brunch. The food was quite tasty. Friendly staff. The decor is somewhat old world read more

Caroline's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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Here we go kids! This restaurant is top notch, so I'm gonna ramble a little. My wife and I are in Dubuque this week on vacation/family time as this is her home town. We live in Tennessee. Anyway, when she was here last November dealing with her late mothers estate, she and some of her siblings had thanksgiving dinner at Caroline's. They were impressed. So tonight when we discussed dinner, she suggested this place. As we walked in the front door, a couple were leaving and announced to us: "You've got to checkout the tenderloin, it's AWESOME!" So I knew we were in the right place. And before I comment on our food, I have to give a shoutout to the staff. Every one of them were friendly, personable, and professional. Our server "Larry" was great, and gave us a heads up on the right beers, and which menu items were good. After taking our drink order, they brought quality fresh bread and savory butter. Warm and tasty. My wife then ordered coconut shrimp, with a Caesar salad, and I got a cup of white chili and the chicken cordon bleu. Everything was fantastic. I know it's easy to over blow these reviews, but I kid you not, this was 5 star. But at prices you'd see at a corporate one in every city steak house. Our entire meal with a couple beers was under $60. So, if you're in the area, or if you live in Dubuque and have never been, get in your car and drive there right now. Well, depending what time it is. They close at 9pm. In my 65 years I've been to many so called "5 star" restaurants and in most cases the hype didn't match the food or the prices. In closing its also a nicely appointed room. Our booth was very private. 5 read more

This is a terrific restaurant attached to the Hotel Julien in downtown Dubuque. First, the staff is wonderful headed by the restaurant manager, Fiona Howard. The waitstaff is pleasant, polite, articulate, and efficient. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. On this cold snowy afternoon I had the special, lavender demi-glazed pot roast. Large portion and delicious. The breakfasts here are great too. They do a marvelous poached egg. Don't miss this restaurant if you are in Dubuque. You won't be disappointed. read more

Went here for brunch. The menu offered lots of fun and different options. It took quite a while before our food came out, but all food tasted great. We asked for ketchup but were half done with our food by the time it came. Service wasn't bad, but our server had black/dirty fingers, which is never great, but especially during COVID-19 absolutely terrible. read more

My husband and I spend 1 week a month at the Hotel Jullien for business and I have to say that dinner and drinks at Caroline's is the highlight of our trips! The food is excellent, the staff is ALWAYS friendly and the atmosphere is gorgeous. If you go for breakfast order the hearth healthy platter - consistently the best strawberries I've ever had not matter what time of year it is! If you go for lunch order the white bean chicken chili or the Cuban sandwich, and no matter what you do, get the housemade chips - I crave them for weeks after we leave. For dinner sit at the bar. If you're lucky Corey will take care of you - he's our favorite bar tender and Scott, the restaurant manager is always attentive to our needs. They are both super friendly and are happy to talk about anything. They also pour great glasses of wine. read more

We were staying at the Hotel Julien and our confirmation promised that Caroline's would deliver a "distinctive blend of exceptional food and welcoming character". It was nothing of the sort! We had really wanted to come here for breakfast on a Monday morning but some morning plans delayed us and they stop serving breakfast at 10:30. They start service again at 11 but only for lunch. When we arrived promptly at 11 we asked if there was any possibility of getting some breakfast? Response was a definitive no! Okay lunch it was. Unfortunately the vegetarian selection on the lunch menu is severely lacking. We asked what other vegetarian options there might be. None. You could have a salad or the one veggie option on the menu. The veggie option was spaghetti squash with portobello mushroom. A problem if you don't care for spaghetti squash and want something more filling than salad. We pleaded for a breakfast option, again the answer was no. So of a party of four, three of us were able to eat and one just didn't. I had the chicken pesto sandwich, another had the fish tacos and the third had the Julien club. All were fine but certainly not the promised exceptional. After we were served, two of the sandwiches on toast we inquired about getting an order of just toast or toast and an egg. Oh the waitress says we could probably do that! How come this wasn't offered earlier. We ended up passing. On our way out my husband mentioned to the waitress that serving breakfast past 10:30 would be a good idea. Her response was that on Sundays they do. Okay not really the point. She continued to go on and tell us why we shouldn't be complaining about it. All she had to do was say thanks for the suggestion. So again no welcoming character. read more

Well. I'm 33 and this was the first time I have ever had to send food back in my life. My husband and I were staying at the Hotel Julien and decided to have breakfast here. My pancakes arrived to the table so blond they were still white and doughy! Obviously not cooked all the way. Mouthful of raw dough. So gross! The waitress was nice and brought me French toast to replace it. I also ordered a side of eggs, and it was my first real experience with what people call 'rubbery' eggs. They don't have espresso drinks either, so you can't rely on a latte for comfort when you realize the food is terrible. My husband ordered the Main Street Platter. It looked like it was smothered in cheese whiz. This place is just BAD FOOD. You'll be sorry if you go here. On the plus side - decor is pretty and it is clean! Like I said before, nice waitress, which is how this place earned anything above 1 star. read more