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    Lou's Diner

    4.6 (22 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 2:00 pm

    Lou's Diner Photos

    LOU'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    a sign for lou's diner - A tall signpost displays Lou's Diner signage, including a rooster illustration, a neon 'Open' sign, and a weather vane on top, set against a partly cloudy sky.
    Cindy K.

    We would give Lou's 10 stars! Breakfast today was THE BEST we've ever had. Large portions but it was so good we ate every bite. We both liked the pancake a lot (fresh blueberries added), good bacon, eggs cooked just right, and the best golden crispy hash browns. French toast looked beautiful and was good. Everything is served steaming hot. If you come to Perry to stay at Hotel Pattee, a great nearby breakfast option is Lou's!

    Gigantic servings!
    Rustin L.

    Stopped into Lou's during a long road trip, based on Yelp reviews. Arrived minutes before their 2 pm closing time, but was welcomed with open arms after asking if it was cool to pony up to the counter still. This place is exactly what Yelp is all about, IMHO: hole in the wall (actually missed it driving by...exterior is not inviting and sign is tiny) with fantastic service, great people, and wonderful food. There was four of us. Two had pancakes, two had BLTs. The pancakes are flipped from heaven! They are infused with fresh blueberries and chocolate chips, and you can watch them being made in front of you. My buddy got the "stack of three" which is gigantic, heavy and requires specific techniques to even attempt (see picture). I wimped out getting just one, but it was the best, I think, I've ever had. The bacon served with my two side eggs was thick and perfectly crisp. The wives noted their BLTs were equally impressive (and, from bites we shared of pancakes, they contemplated a monthly 2.5 hour journey from home just to enjoy them again.) On top of all the food greatness, the people were a joy. Chatting, ribbing each other (apparently syrup techniques for The Stack are excessive for my single pancake...who knew?) and providing some local color to the town or Perry, IA. Spot on! Unfortunately, this is not a quick turnoff I-80 as you zoom through Iowan corn fields (maybe 20 minutes?), but it is worthy of contemplating a detour just to support and enjoy this rare gem.

    My husband ordered eggs, sausage and hash browns. The menu offered a pancake or toast, he chose the pancake.

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Best breakfast in town!!! Recommend the hay stack! Also, the staff are wonderful. If you are there for lunch, try the Mushroom & Swiss!!!

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    I just ate there for the first the food was excellent the people were nice even my dog thinks so lol (he stole my food)

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Top notch chocolate chip pancakes. The staff is cheerful and friendly. A favorite "hole in the wall" place of ours.

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    9 years ago

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    Urban On The Square - Salmon blt with sweet potato fries & green beans. The sandwich & fries were just $15!

    Urban On The Square

    (12 reviews)

    Urban on the Square offers a nice variety to the other restaurants in town. As you can see from my…read moremenu pics, they have quite the variety. Each item has a unique, individualistic flair. The interior is quite comfortable: dark booths and soft lighting. But it is still amply lit. While there is a long bar on one side of the restaurant, at least while we were there, there wasn't any loud bar-type background noise/conversations. We started with the appetizer: Inside Out Crab Rangoon, see my pic. What you see in my pic is a bowl of their house made cream cheese crab Rangoon dip which is surrounded by crispy wonton chips for dipping. The dip had the requisite crab Rangoon flavor. There was ample crab meat and the dip was quite creamy. For our palates, it was too sweet. The wonton chips had the flavor down pat, but were quite greasy. We then shared the Chicken Deburgo, see my pic. These are chicken breasts grilled and topped with mushrooms and garlic butter. The chicken breasts were grilled just right. The mushrooms, while not plentiful, were flavorful. The risotto was bland. But when combined with the green beans, which had a ton of garlic (you can see the garlic in my pic), made a great combination. We also shared the House Angus Burger, see my pic. As you can see in my pic, this burger is a fully sized 8 oz burger and was cooked to order. The flavor of the meat was good. My side choice was their Brussel Sprouts. These were caramelized in a balsamic vinegar reduction, so there was a bit of sweetness. They were also good.

    This cute little spot in the heart of Winterset is adorable, and the food is delish! We had great…read moreservice for the lunch hour. We sat in a little corner high top, our waitress was friendly and tentative. Would definitely come back when we're in town again. Highly recommend everything we tried! Cesar salad was amazing with home made dressing!

    Clyde's Fine Diner - Ceaesar Brussels

    Clyde's Fine Diner

    (128 reviews)

    $$

    Decided to try Clyde's Fine Dining before a show. We arrived just before 5 and they had one table…read moreavailable without a reservation. Happy Hour from 4 to 6. I had the Old Fashioned with brown sugar, orange bitters, angostura bitters, and bourbon. It's pretty sweet and smooth Old Fashioned. Very nice start and enjoyable. Decided on the CFD Burger, a double smash with American Cheese, Shaved Onion, Pickles, and Clyde's Burger Sauce. I really like the shaved onion and it gave the beef a really nice flavor. First bites were very good, but the bun became too much and the sauce in the middle too heavy. Became hard to finish. I had to ditch some bun and would get the sauce on the side. Not terrible, just not my jam. I would get the sauce on the side or try ketchup/ mustard instead. The bun is just really thick and heavy. Just not a good ratio. The fries were just ok for me and not exciting. This restaurant also has the 3% fee if you use a credit card. I checked the receipt and gave a hundred dollars and asked for change. I included a picture of the receipt. I got thirty in cash back, 5 singles, a 5, and 2 tens. I am ok with not giving the change of coins, but rounding it up and keeping the 3% fee made me feel like integrity has went down hill. Yes it's less than 5 dollars and I know the haters will say what's the big deal. Well it's a neat way to make extra cash at the customers expense. They don't remove the fee and they keep a few dollars. That's not an accident and it feels like theft. I had left $12 for the tip, but after a review I left 10% due to dishonest customer service. What's the point of paying cash on these if you still get charged? Some have said it's leftover from the Covid Days. How many restaurants are doing a 3% fee? Yes, I know it's supposed to cover the CC fee, but it is obviously not if you are paying cash. This just feels really crooked and wrong. Yes it is a very small amount, just over $4, but if you do that how many times, how many days, over a year it definitely adds up. Not sure I would go back. No I didn't talk to a manager or anyone. I had a show to catch and wasn't going to ruin a night over a fee and be late. Just be aware of the fees when paying cash. Really feel the 3% fee just makes restaurants look bad and provides more problems than it solves. Why not add a 6% fee for lights and gas next?

    We have dined at Clyde's Fine Diner twice and both times have been very decent! We came here just…read morebefore dinner service at 5pm and got to try their happy hour drinks and appetizers. The happy hour drinks were OK, well priced but you get what you pay for in terms of quality. Of all the appys, I would say that our group enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts and Wings the most. I would forgo the fries, bar snack, and cheese board next time. My hubby got the hangar steak and I got the lamb, both were very tasty and well cooked. Our friends got their burgers which they enjoyed as well. We ordered from the regular drink menu and got their Old Fashioned with the Double Oak Woodford Reserve which was very smooth! And I also got their Lambrusco to go with dinner and it was dry, crisp and subtly sweet which I really enjoyed! Our server was very friendly and the vibe at Clyde's is always on point. The restaurant itself is beautiful and modern with lots of natural light from the tall windows. We enjoy coming here whenever we are in the DSM. Check them out :)

    Lou's Diner - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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