This was the only bar we could find open after a business function on a Tuesday night. There were…read moreonly a couple of people at the bar when we arrived. I LOVED the decor of the place. It was very rustic with all of the wood elements. It had an item from the American Pickers too. The drinks were consistent from night to night. We never ate here, just came here three nights in a row for socializing and drinking. It was the busiest on the Thursday night that we came.

Mason Dixon Saloon, as it is unfortunately titled and branded, is one of the only places in Dubuque…read moretoday that provides pretty darn solid ribs and smoked meats, as some of the other BBQ joints have shuttered over the years. I am pleased, in fact, to report that in having tried the ribs, they have smoking down pretty well and churn out some good food. On other visits however, I was surprised to find the pork on the Cuban sandwich and basket to be an odd texture and pretty off tasting. I'd say that the food is pretty standard otherwise, with what seem to be the usual Cisco/USFoods frozen to fried fare. Nothing incredible, but your familiar greasy stuff to get a quick, cheap-enough lunch in. The service over the years has been mixed as well, during the table service hours, the place has had attentive and kind service, but every weekend the place turns into a confused staging ground for what all-too-often seem to be fake-ID toting college underclassmen. At these hours, the place feels uncomfortable for anyone over 22, and it's hard enough to get to the bar rail at these hours any way, much more-so to be seen by tenders that all too often are overstretched if they're even behind the bar to begin with. There's also the obvious gripe with the ambiance. Bourbon barrels cut and stacked along the walls, set against the backdrop of a big crocodile crawling the room -- pretty cool, if not a little kitschy. The obvious problem remains: why the homage to the Mason Dixon line? A symbol of the south? A bygone time? Something to suggest that the ~perfectly fine~ ribs will transport you to another place? My thought is that all too often, and rightly so, it's associated with the border into a land where slavery existed right up until the line was no more. A line crossed to become free, or on the flip side enter a land where it was okay to treat a black man as something sub-human. If that's where this saloon wants to transport me, I'm good. They changed their branding from a confederate flag striped longhorn to what it is now, but the name and the feeling remain. I should hope that they can see that in a Dubuque that is hopefully changing with times and trying to be a welcoming place to folks of all races, colors, and creeds, it may be time not just to retire the flag, but consider what the line their named for stands for to people other than the white guys in their hometown (a group that seems to want the good ol' Southland to adopt the rural Midwest).

If you know, you know…read more Traveling to Dubuque for the final stop of the RAGBRAI cycling tour across Iowa, I was fortunate to discover Dottie's Café for one last breakfast before beginning the long drive back to New Mexico. The exterior tells you everything you need to know. It's classic, woven into the fabric of the community--a place where locals gather, travelers are welcomed, and good breakfasts are simply expected. The menu item that caught my eye was the Hillbilly Surprise. I'd describe it as the Midwest's answer to Eggs Benedict: an English muffin topped with ham, an egg, and smothered in rich country gravy. Pair it with a side of crispy hash browns, and you've got the breakfast equivalent of "peas and carrots"--they just belong together. I grabbed a seat at the counter, enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, and soaked in one last taste of Iowa hospitality before heading west. If your travels take you through Dubuque, Dottie's Café is well worth the stop. IYKYK

Dottie's Cafe in Dubuque has a cool location, a nice walkable area, and a fun old-school diner…read morefeel. I loved the short stools, the counter, and the general vibe of the place. Service was prompt and professional, and the prices were very fair. Coffee was hot, but taste-wise it was just okay. The food was where it fell flat for us. The pancakes were probably the highlight, and those were good. I also ordered an omelet with cheese, and it came with a slice of melted American cheese on top. I am not trying to be a cheese snob, but we were basically across the Mississippi from Wisconsin, the cheese state, so that one hurt a little. The omelet itself was more like mixed-up eggs with peppers and onions folded into shape, but the cheese choice really threw me off. Kim ordered the Hillbilly Surprise for $9.25, and unfortunately, we were a little surprised too. The same American cheese situation showed up on the hashbrowns, and the gravy tasted pretty canned. The three-egg omelet pricing was very fair at $6.25, with add-ins at 40 cents each, so I will give them credit there. The value is good -- I just wish the quality matched the charm of the place. Sorry Dottie's Family - I wanted to like this more than I did. Cool diner feel, fair prices, and decent service, but the food was just very average for us.

Food was 10/10 very affordable and delicious, staff were friendly, ambiance was great we decided to…read moreplay mini golf too in which the holes were well maintained and fun! It was outdated but there's nothing better than feeling a little nostalgia

I recommend avoiding. Sat down at the bar, ASKED if it was…read moreok if we ate at the bar. Was told YES. 20 mins in we are told we had to leave because our 10yrold didn't have a shirt on. He lost it on the river and we stopped to eat on our way home. After a very nice guy was getting us a spare shirt we were then told we can't sit at the bar b\c we had our son with us. Remind you we asked prior to sitting if we could eat at the bar.Terrible business

Love local places. This bar has personality and great food. Love the ambiance and vibe. Great…read moreoption for Eagle Ridge guests rather than driving to town. Out in the country and love it. Was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of my burger. Hand patty. Great Kaiser roll bun and crinkle fries.

Great food at a decent price! This has become our go-to spot and not too far from home!read more

My favorite place for dinner in Dubuque! Quaint place with brick walls and beautiful ceiling…read more IMO everything is good, starting with the drinks, - i love the Cosmo. Tonight we had the watermelon, feta, hot honey appetizer and although only enough for 2 people it was delicious! Highly recommend! The chef side salad rarely disappoints, and comes with homemade bread. Our entrees of Walleye cakes (went especially for these) and BBQ salmon were perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. I don't remember ever being disappointed with a meal here! We skipped dessert, but typically the desserts here are homemade in house. Friendly service too!

Food too heavy seasoned... too much garlic on salad, lemon on grouper and BBQ on salmon. Also…read moredrinks leave much to be desired. Service good Ambience good Think about another place to go!!

We've been wanting to try The Hilltop ever since moving back to the Dubuque area, and it did not…read moredisappoint! We started with wings in two different flavors--absolutely 10/10. Connie went above and beyond to make sure I got all flats, which I really appreciated. We also enjoyed the pretzel bites, burgers, and took chicken noodle soup to go. My dad loved the soup so much that we went back the next day to get more for him! The service was excellent, thanks to Connie's attentiveness, and Octavio is an amazing cook. Everything we tried was fantastic. We'll definitely be back!

You'll love this place award winner of wing fest five years in a row ,hot roast beef,grandma's home…read morefried chicken friendly environment family run

Wednesday lunch time I stopped here and decided to order the lunch special which is pot roast with…read morepotatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Pot roast was fork tender and served with pan gravy, delicious! Amber Bock on tap served in a frosty mug. Friendly and fast service. One of my favorite restaurants in Eastern Iowa! Nice folks all around and a real relaxed homey setting.

I've been coming to Kalmes for over 10+ years. The food has always been exceptional, and that's…read morehonestly the only reason we continue to come back. The kitchen consistently does a fantastic job, and I've never had a complaint about the quality of the meals. Unfortunately, the service has steadily gone downhill over the past 6-7 years. The bartenders are very unfriendly, sometimes outright rude, and many don't seem to have much experience mixing drinks. Politeness and a smile never hurts in the customer service industry especially if you are the first person customers see when entering your establishment. We come in about every two weeks if not more and the past few years it feels like there's a different bartender every time which makes it difficult to build any familiarity or feel welcomed as a regular customer. There used to be the same two or three girls every weekend but now it seems 10 more have been unnecessarily added. High turnover is noticeable, and it definitely affects the overall experience. One thing many of us longtime customers have noticed is that the atmosphere doesn't feel the same as it did when more family members seemed to be involved in running the business. It used to have a warm, welcoming feel that made people want to return. Now, that sense of hospitality seems to be missing. And good luck finding anyone with the last name Kalmes outside the kitchen. I genuinely want to see this restaurant succeed. The food is outstanding and deserves the loyal customer base it has built over the years. The Kalmes family in general is an amazing family and they deserve to continue their hometown legacy. However, exceptional food can only make up for poor service for so long. I believe they could benefit from reevaluating the front-of-house staff, investing in better training, and placing a greater emphasis on friendly, consistent customer service. I've waited a long time before posting this because I hoped things would improve and I also wanted to gather opinions from my fellow diners, as expected many of them agree with my sentiments. Unfortunately, after my most recent visit a 3 weeks ago, I experienced the same issues yet again--a new bartender who struggled to make basic drinks and wasn't particularly welcoming. It's disappointing because this restaurant has so much potential. I sincerely hope they can address these concerns, because I'd love to see it become the place it used to be!

Took the grandkids for a short trip to Dubuque Ate pizza…read morehere and it's handmade dough and sauce Grandson was in heaven with the home brewed root beer

I don't know if this location is cursed, on its 3rd restaurant since I've been in Dubuque, but this…read moreis not the 7 hills I know from downtown. Their idea of a smash burger is an over cooked frozen patty that is now holy. It's holy because they burnt the hell out of it. Add the two pieces of bacon that looks like it sat under a hearing lamp half a day, throw a square piece of cheese, probably store bought pre sliced... throw it in the microwave for maybe 15 seconds and toss it on a bun. No sauce, no condiments, no love. At least our server was good. She was the only shinning light on the entire evening. I don't even want to mention my son's food showing up 15 minutes after ours because of supposed "quality" issues. If quality was an issue they would have killed my entire meal with fire in hopes that it never procreated and started spreading its "smash burger" genes across the country.