Review of Unkie's Entertainment Restaurant & Lounge - Thor, Iowa…read more Unkie's is one of those small-town Iowa restaurants that feels like home the minute you walk in -- the kind of place where you can sit down, relax, and enjoy a good meal without any fuss. It's a real destination spot if you're from the area or just passing through north-central Iowa. I was there celebrating my birthday with my family, and we had a great evening. One thing to note -- they won't seat you until your whole party arrives, which keeps things moving smoothly for the staff and other guests. It's a busy place that draws folks from a wide area, and you can tell it's popular for good reason. The food was solid all around. I had the pork chop -- it was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. My wife ordered the chicken and said it was moist and well-seasoned. A few in our group went for steaks and steak-and-lobster combos. Most of the steaks are market-priced, and while they were just a touch overcooked, everyone agreed they had great flavor. Sides were a mixed bag -- my baked potato was a little overdone, and the hashbrowns leaned a bit greasy, but nothing that spoiled the meal. Between six adults and one child, with drinks, appetizers, entrées, desserts, and a couple of lobster add-ons, our total came out around $50 per person -- fair for the quality and portions. A quick heads-up for anyone planning a visit: Unkie's doesn't accept cards, so bring cash. They do have an ATM on-site if you forget, but it's easier to come prepared. All in all, Unkie's hits the mark for what it is -- a good, small-town Iowa restaurant serving hearty food in a friendly setting. It's one of the best we've found in the area, and we'll definitely be back to try their sandwiches next time

My parents only live about 7 1/2 miles from Unkie's and they'd taken everyone in the family there…read more(multiple times)...but me. It became almost a running joke. They'd rave about the food. Remember how good that was at Unkie's? No. No I don't... Lol We were up there this weekend and it was a couple days before my 55th birthday and mom said... We should take Dan and Owen to Unkie's to my dad... I almost refused... Why ruin a good inside family joke? But I'm glad we went! Don't blink or you'll miss Thor! We arrived at about 430 PM on a Saturday. They open at 300 PM for drinks, seat for dinner at 430 PMish and take orders and start serving at 500PMish. It's seat yourself. The seating is a combination of booths and low top tables and chairs. There is also a small bar with seating at it as well... The place is old school. Mostly dark wood and a classic small town steakhouse vibe. Don't expect a five star atmosphere... The real magic is in the food and the customer service. Unkie's is cash only. They will take a local check. And there is an ATM on site. No card payments. Our server was fantastic. I think she is one of the owners... Took our drink orders first along with an appetizer. We ordered our entrees with her a few minutes later. She checked on us every now and then and our drinks never hit the bottom of the glass. My parents ordered the appetizer sampler (fried pepper rings, cauliflower, cheeseballs, jalapeño cheeseballs, mushrooms, pickles, and onion rings) that they shared with the table and they split a 10 oz fillet meal (medium) with sauteed mushrooms, a baked potato, and a side salad with ranch. Dad ordered three extra jumbo shrimp. The shrimp are $4.50 ea, but they are HUGE. The ranch that comes with the apps (or salad)... It's made in-house and is SO good! If you like ranch it's a must try here. My son ordered the 10 oz ribeye (medium) with fries and a side salad with french. I ordered the 10 oz fillet (medium-rare), the Jojo's potatoes (broasted potato wedges), three jumbo shrimp, and a side salad with blue cheese. We all ordered fountain drinks. All the meals came with Texas toast. Everything was cooked to perfection. Not one thing was not on point! The special the night we were there was two 5 oz lobster tails for $40 and there was a halibut special going on too. I glanced at the receipt. I think the total was $143 before tip... Dad was paying or I'd have been more attentive. Unkie's is a hidden gem of a small town steakhouse who certainly lived up to their reputation! Everything I'd heard was true. Is it worth an almost two hour drive from the Des Moines metro on a date night...? If you don't mind the drive... Yes. Yes it is! And it's most definitely worth the 7 1/2 mile drive from Goldfield to Thor...

Short trip back to town. Went to casa blanca for dinner. Place looks great ( moved from another…read morelocation) warm inviting server was friendly and did a great job all the way thru appetizer. Got the potato skins and onion rings. Very good. Dinner was prime rib for my wife I had the rib eye. Both seasoned very well. Cooked perfectly o. I did order the loaded chips. So good. I ll be back next trip

Overall a good experience…read more My wife and I recently visited restaurant on a Wednesday evening. We live only a couple miles away. This restaurant recently changed location a few miles from where it had been for several years. New location is much nicer. Good atmosphere. Service was a bit slow but not bad and people were courteous. Food (pork chop dinner and hamburger) was good and seemed to be good quality. Price was $40 with tip. So it was reasonably priced. Only 1 recommendation I would share for the restaurant's benefit is our food was lukewarm. I suggest they start heating plates to prevent food from getting lukewarm or cold so quickly.

You can't go wrong here! Great chicken strips/& wings! Love their wild rice and grilled Broccoli!…read moreWhen they have my favorite steak (filet) it is awesome! I understand the rib-eyes are great also! (Just not my choice of steak) Busy place most nites! Come early!

Excellent food. Almost always good service. Friendly staff and customers. No politics and great…read moreatmosphere.

The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming--exactly what you hope for in a small-town steakhouse. From…read morethe moment we walked in, the staff was super friendly and made us feel right at home. The service struck that perfect balance of attentive without being overbearing. Now for the best part: the food. We ordered the Ribeye and the infamous Steak de Burgo, and both were cooked perfectly. The Ribeye was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. The Steak de Burgo absolutely lived up to its reputation--rich, buttery, and downright delicious. Every bite was spot on. Between the warm atmosphere, excellent service, and perfectly prepared steaks, Babe's is a place we'll definitely be back to. Highly recommend! P.S. From the California folks that showed up in the orange corvette. Thank you for a great dining experience!

What an awesome place. Steak was cooked perfectly, sides were amazing, and great ambiance. Far…read moreexceeded our expectations.

Excellent Prime Rib perfectly prepared with sides of asparagus & Mac & cheese.(added jalapeños for…read morethe crunch) Bartender Isiah was knowledgeable, present & inviting making a great smoked old fashioned. Ellie topped off my short visit making me feel welcomed as if I were a regular.

Party of 6 for dinner. Had salads, charcuterie board, Ribeyes, Salmon & Shrimp and a burger…read more Steaks were cooked perfectly and served on warm cutting boards which helped keep them warm while we ate. Flavor was top notch, I love a great ribeye. Salmon and shrimp was perfect as well and burger was perfect too. Nothing was under cooked or over cooked, perfect. We had several sides, mashed potatoes, Mac n cheese, Broccoli and Brussels sprouts. All were great, the only comment on sides is maybe some bourbon brown sugar type glaze on the Brussels sprouts. The wine selection is great, and we had some Moscow Mules that were absolutely perfect. And our server Ms. Avery was very knowledgeable on all the food and did a great job! Thank you Cattlemen's for a great dinner, truly a gem of a restaurant in Sac city and the surrounding area.

Poutine was great. Philly steak was really good…read more Great atmosphere. I'll be back.

Salad Bar alone would take me back here. While it's not as big as other salad bars (like Nicks in…read moreClive, IA) it's still a great salad bar. Cheese Curds: we like these because they were battered, not breaded. Piping hot, very good. Plain Burger: my son says it was good ‍ but wasn't interested in sharing so I didn't actually try it. Prime Rib: I ordered a medium rare but, unfortunately, it was super dry even with the au jus side. Lately, I've been disappointed more than not by prime ribs that are bland and dry. Sirloin: alternatively, this was very juicy and delicious. Great grill flavor and lovely side of mushrooms. Broasted Chicken: in true "me" fashion, I ordered two entrees. While my salad bar trip was great and my prime rib was so-so, this more than made up for it! Soooooo juicy and flavorful, highly recommend their broasted chicken. Chopped Steak: my husband loves a chopped steak. Don't ask me why, it's not at the top of my list but to each their own. He didn't love the demi glaze on this dish, and thought their beef gravy would be been much better. The demi was "too much wine" flavor. I can't say "too much red wine" is anywhere in my dictionary but whatever. We really enjoyed this dinner, even with the dry prime rib, and plan to go back for that salad bar and broasted chicken.

This is the best restaurant i have ever eaten at. From the very start, every time the staff…read moreinteracted with us, they were happy, and smiled. The bread they bring you is made fresh by Hyvee everyday, and it may be the best bread ive been served at a restaurant. For sides, i had both a Greek Salad (first ever, and not the last!) and the legendary Greek Spaghetti. (Its not possible to overhype!) i ordered the Ribeye, it is the best ribeye ive eaten. The butter and steak juice are the perfect blend of flavor, and i used the leftover bread that was served to mop it up. (And any leftover spaghetti seasoning!) i also had a good size chunk of both the lamb. (Ive never had any that were flavored so well!) I also had some of the prime rib, and not only was it cooked perfect, it was even better than my steak! Top to bottom this place was even better quality than Hells Kitchen, or any other 5 star restaurant. The two and a half hour drive was worth it. This wont be the last journey we take across the state to dine there!

Great food great service great environment but not a fan of the price overall 4 starsread more

I visited the open flame on a typical Wednesday night. It was quite cozy and quiet. We sat bar side…read moreand enjoyed several cocktails and the fried mushrooms. I got the fish and chips and my wife got the French dip. Overall, I felt the food was good not great. The fish and chips had a pretty substantial amount of breading for the amount of fish. We would definitely go back and try the grill your own steak as that is more for what they are known for.

1st time customers. We didn't know it was grill-your-own dining. Seated us at a rickety unblanced…read more2-top table in the middle of the floor and then ignored us for 1/4 hour until I got up and asked for service. We ordered off the a la carte menu and the waitress acted like this was a huge inconvenience to her. We then waited for 25 minutes for our food, which was cold when we got it. I flagged her down and informed her of this and she muttered something about telling the manager. No manager or anyone else approached us until we got up. Then she suddenly reappeared with the bill. There was no adjustment or compensation for serving us cold steaks. I went to the manager but when he saw me approach he walked away. We won't be returning.

We went on a Monday night, so it wasn't super busy. But our waiter was super awesome. She made us…read morelaugh several times and was really sweet. The food was delicious, too! One member in my family got a Beet salad and said it was the best thing she's had. I got a Waterfront burger which was also pretty good. The lake view was the best part of our dinner, though.

The food, the service, and the ambulance is alway great here…read more We been here a few times now and the food & service is consistently awesome!! Get the mini wedge as your side, you will not be disappointed. The bang bang Brussels are pretty amazing as well.

The salad bar is very well stocked with fresh lettuce, salads, fruit, pudding, soup, and crackers…read more It is a great meal and delicious. The service is efficient and the branding iron decor is vintage but tidy. They just celebrated a huge milestone for being open and serving. We can see why!

For many years whenever I visited family in Mason City or Forest City this was the place for Prime…read moreRib. Great service and the prime rib is unbeatable. Large portion perfectly cooked and add a lobster tail to make it a surf and turf. Place hasn't changed in all these years and I love this fact. Keep up the good work!