Love the food, fast service. Friendly too! Only complaint is there is a younger fella that works there that never gets my order right. Not sure if he's still there or not, but amazingggggg shakes! read more

Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday it was not busy.. I had the Chili cheese maid rite, it was pretty solid The strawberry shake was very good, maybe a little small Onion rings were also good, made fresh, came out super hot & large portion Wife had the hot dog, it was just a boiled dog, nothing to write home about. Same with the crinkle cut fries. The reason for the lower rating was the service was almost non existent. The Younger waitress came to the table relatively quick & we greeted her but barely got a response. Throughout our entire stay I don't think she said more than 3 words to us. The older waitress checked on us once but our waitress never came back to refill my wife's soda or ask anything else. she was not busy, I could see her standing in the kitchen bitching at the guy working the kitchen. She was rolling her eyes at customers & mumbling things under her breath. I heard the older waitress ask her what the price of pie is & she said "idk & I don't care" maybe she was just having a rough day. But my guess is she's always a B. The atmosphere in there was not friendly & kind of ruined our experience of trying the one thing that Iowa is famous for. Bill was great about $25 b4 tip for 2 sandwiches, a fry, onion rings, soda & a shake. read more

Maid-Rite - Already started crushing the chili cheese maid rite & dog - American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

2/21/25 3pm Short version: Manager Morgan swears at disabled customer and calls the police because of a beverage brought in from an outside establishment. Owner won't speak to disabled customer because they broke the rules first by bringing in an outside beverage. So if you're looking to get verbally berated, kicked out, and have the police called on you and unable to speak to the owner regarding the incident, this may be the place for you. I wonder why there's never anybody here. Longer version: Diabled elderly customer brought in a beverage from another establishment and they were understandably asked to remove the beverage by the staff. Family member asked to speak to the manager. Manager Morgan says she's the manager and the disabled customer begins to ask for a different solution (unable to get up from table, so maybe they can put the beverage somewhere out of sight) but is cut off by Morgan who begins throwing cuss words and tells the disabled person out of the establishment and repeatedly yells "bye." Customer under their breath calls Morgan a snot. Morgan who was unwilling to discuss in a calm manner with the disabled patrons then calls the police and two squad cars arrive to take statements (remember this is over a beverage). Cussing, yelling and calling the police in lieu of a quick conversation seems to be the managerial style of Morgan and Maid Rite in Dubuque. After taking giving statements to the police the disabled elderly folks leave. Phone call to speak to the owner on Monday 2/24, but she's unavailable. On 2/25 owner is reached via phone to set up a meeting to discuss the events on 2/21. Customers are told there is nothing to discuss as they broke the rules first by bringing in an outside beverage. So I guess don't bring a beverage in or you'll be cussed at, kicked out, have the police called on you and unable to speak with a manager/owner. We'd be more than happy to discuss the situation with anyone including management or the owners but up to this point we've been met with hostility and an uncooperative attitude. read more

Good food and great service all at a reasonable price. I'll be back next time I'm in town.

Maid-Rite is a burger joint with a long history dating back to 1926. Having stayed the previous night in Galena I discovered there was a Maid-Rite just across the river about 20 minutes away in Iowa. We had talked about sampling this interesting recipe for some time so jumped at the chance to try it on our way back home. Gee, what can I say. It's kind of an acquired taste. Bland, not very much in the way of seasoning, a hint of onion and sort of , well to put it plainly a sort of rotten taste. But. I was hungry and tore into the sandwiches. My wife wouldn't touch the stuff and had the fish sandwich. About four hours after my meal a period of emesis began lasting until nearly 6AM the following morning. I then slept maybe 30 or 40 minutes after which my body rejected the final bits of Maid Rite and bile. Everything after that was annoying but not nearly as messy. A subconjunctival hemorrhage to the left eye from the effort was an unexpected bonus that will stay with me for the next 2 or 3 weeks. A nice reminder of the experience. On the positive side, I've been wanting to lose a little weight and with the help of the gut wrenching Maid-Rite process was able to lose seven pounds in less than 48 hours cleansing my alimentary tract. So how about that! read more

Excelent sandwich 5e onion ring where great next time I am in Iowa I would surely try to eat at a Maid Rite shope

Since we'd never tried one before and were in Dubuque, it was in our chance to try this Iowa classic. Well it was ok. The shakes also ok. The fries a little better than ok. All in all we're glad we tried it but once was maybe enough. Cute place and a fun experience. read more

How is this place still open ??? We've tried to go there a couple times and each time is a huge fail. The place is dirty, filthy and disgusting. Tables are never clean and the floor has liquids or syrup on it constantly. 1st visit. Milkshakes only Dirty restaurant had to wait for staff to clean one of the 6 messy tables. They pushed everything off the table. Sprayed chemical on it and said here. Our Milkshake order was wrong, and so chunky it was inedible. We had to dump half of it out to get rid of the plethora of cool whip. Waitstaff never came back from taking our order. 2nd visit tried dinner. Ordered a burger with cheese. Came wrong and cold. Eggs and bacon were raw and cold. Not happy. Receipt was wrong, order was missing fries and ended up getting food poisoning from the meat. 3rd visit. Walked in and everything was dirty. Floor was sticky and dirty. Wait staff was a total jerk and gave me attitude about cleaning table. He finally pushed everything off the table. Sprayed chemical on it with napkin and said here. Table was wet and sticky still. My spouse cleaned the floor so I wouldn't slip and fall on sticky and liquids. Wait staff watched him but did nothing to help. After sitting for a while no one came to help so we left. This place is horrid. Shame on you maid rite the city of Dubuque and the beautiful residents deserve better. read more

Great food--Great staff. The sandwich with beef and cheese was warm and tasty. The onion rings were fantastic. The staff are friendly and helpful. Gave it 4 stars because bathroom and restaurant could be cleaner. read more

I know way too much about chain restaurants. It is darn near a hobby and the Mrs. calls it an obsession. That being said I have been aware of the Maid Rite chain for quite awhile. While on vacation in Galena I found a Maid Rite 20 miles away across the Mighty Mississippi, Big Muddy, I had to make the trek. This is a sit down restaurant with no drive thru. The service was nice but no one bothered to check on me or offer a soda refill. Ordered the Original Maid Rite with fries. The sandwich is loose ground beef, kind of like a Sloppy Joe without the sauce. It came with onion, pickle and mustard on a squishy bun. Decent meal but boring. Glad I visited but I think it will be a one off visit. read more

Maid-Rite - Maid Rite with crinkle fries - American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Located off a busy street. If you blink you might miss it. Not a lot of parking available. But well worth the visit. The menu isn't as big as some Maid-Rites. Yet all of the food is very good. So is the customer service. I was waited on immediately. The waitresses made small talk with the customers. Making me feel right at home. My Mega Rite and onion rings were made perfectly. What a terrific lunch! Finally the place was kept spotless. No greasy spoon here. read more

The restaurant was dirty with filthy employees, the owner was very rude" "what's the problem?, that's my son " she said arrogantly in response to voicing our concern about the dirty conditions "I cant do everything". read more

Clean, bright, and classic! Enjoy the diner experience of an iowa tradition. Love the onion rings and maid-rites. Sit at the counter on a padded stool, at the back at a classic table or.up front in a padded booth just as people have done for nearly 90 years. The secret in the meat is that all the fats been washed away and the meat has been cooked with broth. Delicious. Sandwich comes with mustard added. Its all about the taste. No ketchup. Friendly staff. Fast food. If you sit by the door expect a breeze. Breakfasts are solid performers and inexpensive. Try the daily special of a soup and sandwich for five bucks. read more

See all

My favorite diner in Dubuque! Love their Maid-Rites and chocolate shakes! Popular and fast service! Inexpensive. Jukebox with oldies music.

Very interesting. Diner style restaurant. Basically a sloppy joe with no sauce. Everything was hot and fresh. Just a chopped hamburger sandwich pickle mustard and cheese. Onion rings were homemade and shakes hand made. read more

I haven't had MaidRite in years until the other day. Now I can't speak for dinner time, but their breakfast is AMAZING, the staff is friendly and prompt. The inside decor is kind of fun, and they are super clean inside. read more

Maid Rite is a regional chain that started in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1926 and is still going strong - somehow - today. You have to at least grudgingly appreciate a place that that market their primary product as a "loose meat sandwich" and whose ad campaign includes the catchy slogan, "Too good to be a patty!" As you may have guessed by now, Maid Rites are a unique sandwich - think of a sloppy joe, but with some secret combination of seasonings instead of a tomato sauce. I like it, but Dubuque's location is dingy and smoker-friendly, a big turn off for those who actually want to taste the food. read more

Actually 0 stars! Dirty, terrible service and pretty gross! We are all crossing our fingers we don't get sick! I feel like a bad mother for bringing my children here!!! read more

Disappointment - - - I lived just up the street from this location for about 13 years and would stop in for a to-go order several times each month. Then the place wasn't fancy but it was OK and the food was good. Having moved out of the state a year or so ago I was looking forward to stopping here again on a return visit. Immediately upon entering I found the place very dirty and the employees complaining to each other and the customers. My waitress took my order and as she was preparing it received a call on her cell phone from someone. She talked as she prepared the order and when she hung up talked with another employee about giving it to her child when she got off work. Apparently he/she had gone somewhere without asking permission. They also complained about a person named Debbie - who I think owns the place. The two waitresses also used many four letter (and other) words I never thought I'd hear in a restaurant. Not once was I asked how my order/food was, did I need a refill, or anything else. Very disappointed - I won't be back. Other Maid Rites are much better. read more

For those of you whose only exposure to loose-meat sandwiches is reruns of "Roseanne". you do kinda owe it to yourself to stop into a Maid-Rite if you find yourself in eastern IA or western IL. We were in the Dubuque area traveling on vacation and saw this place and for some reason my wife recognized the name from somewhere as a loose-meat-sandwich place, so we decided to stop in and see what the deal was. Instantly we're transported into a 50's diner type of environment -- think linoleum and juke-box things on the tables, and you've got it. So we both get the Maid-Rite with everything (cheese, mustard, and onions) and a basket of rings. The rings must have been hand-made because they were flat-out awesome. The sandwiches? Um, not so much. I was glad I got the "everything" because I couldn't really distinguish the loose-meat from plain browned ground beef -- whatever flavor there was was all cheese, mustard and onions. Whatever makes the loose-meat sandwich distinct from a sloppy joe or a regular burger, I missed it. But if I'm by a Maid-Rite again in the future, I'd probably stop in and give 'em another try. read more

Honestly it's not earth shattering good, it's not reinventing the wheel, it's just a decent burger, if you can call it a burger. what ever you call it i like it, and i make it a point to have one when in Iowa. the staff on my 2nd trip was super friendly, so for that they get an extra star. read more

If I could give negative stars I would. Only gave 1 because that's the only way I could leave a review. This place is absolutely filthy. The food was OK, and we have loved Maid-Rites for many years. But the store needs a hosing down, and new staff who might occasionally bathe. Our waitress was sniffling the whole time she took our order, and handled our food. I will never go back. read more

This place is just the worst. We went as a family and the two people working were rude, on their phones, and talking quite loudly about their messy personal lives when we were eating. It took about 40 minutes to get our food, which consisted of frozen french fries and greasy hamburgers. The food tastes worse than McDonald's- seriously not worth the money. The workers did not wash their hands before preparing our food- (you can see the kitchen from the booths). Overall a dive and a dirty, disgusting place. Do not go here. read more

The onion rings are worth the trip, made on site from scratch. The crunch!