New Year's Day 2025 Wed 2 pm…read moreSo special was the open faced tenderloin With mashed potatoes and country gravy And green beans 11.11 all in with tax Good solid value meal! Not too busy I phoned in the order to go Fast in and out And yes it is still one of my favorite Blue plate specials in 2025!

The food was 4 star, atmosphere 3 star, good prices, decent but not spectacular tenderloin (I might…read morehave gotten mine on an off day or time). However, a real turnoff was the N-word used 3 or 4 times, once by an off duty worker (waitress/cook/co-owner?) while I was there. They can't help how the customers talk, but employees, even off the clock? Not cool. It was supposed to be a great night; while my politics is ever-evolving, my family in Iowa had just gotten to high five Don Jr at an event which, whoever I vote for now was darn cool that day! This visit kinda put a damper on our fun. We don't talk that way.

Very neat, historic bar. Loose meat pizza was different, but hit the spot, also got a chicken…read moresandwich the next night, also good. Prices are insanely cheap to me and there's nothing wrong with that. Came here all 3 nights I was here for beers, Kris the bartender was wonderful. Kudos to her!

Best food and historic atmosphere. Our waitress was great. It's a true experience!. We'll stop…read moreagain when nearby.

We read the great reviews and decided to try it out. When we walked in I thought...OK, standard…read moreIowa bar, but boy, it's much more than that. Bar seating and additional high top seats set back from the bar, along with tables and lots of TVs. We grabbed a table and got in our drink orders. They don't have a wide variety of beer and distilled spirits, but it's ample. Our food came out in short order and was fantastic! My wife got a Mushroom Burger and I got the Steak Philly. It was REAL steak, and may heave been the best I've ever had. My wife's burger was also great, and had lots of shrooms. Fries (and sandwiches) were all hot and fresh. Service was great and prices are very reasonable. Definitely recommended.

As previous reviews have said - super clean! :) Bartender very welcoming and the bar food done very…read morewell! Chicken bacon ranch wrap had a nice grill on the tortilla, and the pepper jack cheese balls dipped in sweet chili sauce were a great find. Clearly well-loved by locals, we found it a perfect stop for road trip lunch

While the owls nest was highly recommended by several locals, which included those who worked at…read morehotel Ottumwa within walking distance (bc no Ubers) and ( fancy like)Applebees. We decided to give it a try, bc dive bar... Service started decent enough, beers were brought in a timely manner and without constant need to ask, bartender admitted there was party coming in later on in the evening. It was also her birthday...Emily I believe. She was excited to get off and go celebrate....it seemed quite early on in our visit that she'd already started celebrating, lots of shots, plenty of time not even in the bar, actually admitted and apologized that she went to the "thrift store". We spent approx 4-5 hours there, same patrons would come and go between the bar and the sidewalk. A little sketchy, even for a dive bar.

The food was delicious as always. The hardest part was ordering the food when I'm not bi- lingiul.read more

The hangover burger hit the spot. 1/2 lb burger with bacon and egg. Fries are cooked in tallow…read moremaking it semi healthy. I would order this again. The Long Island ice tea was dangerous, tasted perfect. We were here with a group of nine and service was quick and thorough. Has the feel of a joint, but with lots of tv's with the games on display.

Excellent dining experience. Great bar & grill atmosphere, and the patio is sooo nice in the summer…read moretime. I can tell they clean very well, too. There's literally something for everyone here. I absolutely love the southwest salad and the burgers are so thick and juicy. The wait staff are very nice and attentive. I know one of them personally - Sydney is a very hard worker and does a fantastic job all around. Godfrey's really is a perfect representation of the charming community of Ottumwa. Always a treat to visit!

still open as of 12/07/2023 but not for long sad times as…read morethey are closing the hotel Ottumwa and going to change it to a retirement home. on to todays food! just after 12:30 pm prime time Tenderloin! just over 20 bucks for 2 with drinks. pretty quick to get the food out. nice breading! perfect lunch sized. yup we are going to miss this place!

2nd Street Cafe is closed. Lobby Cafe has replaced it. Some of the same menu items, but missing my…read morefavorite

Wednesday 04 march 2026 Noonish…read moreYea hungry for salad So off to bench warmers for noon snack Pretty busy! That is kinda a good thing at least folks are out for a good meal All of the good stuff on the salad bar Wednesday is wing day I forgot to get any Couple of soups out and more on request They did make a personal standard crust crab ragoon small pizza for us.. Lol not the same crunch as the full size thin but I ate it anyway! Lol $15 total all you can eat out the door with tip. Yea I will try to update more on this place soon.

Food was hot and delicious. Homemade ranch. Service was amazing. Passion was a great sever!read more

Great place for breakfast. Love the Nutella pancakes but you can't miss with the entire breakfast…read moremenu. Friendly staff and good pricing to portion ratio. Highly recommend! They serve lunch and dinner but we usually go there for breakfast in the morning.

I happened to drive by this place last week and it has reopened. I talked with my brother has eaten…read morethere and says the liver and onions is really good. It's a long drive for me to check it out but I will go with my brothers advice and when I am looking for a dish I rarely get to see in restaurants, I will make that drive and check it out.

The service was horrible. The food was ok. But could of been better. Dri is was watered down…read more Went in and it took about 20 minutes before a waiter even came to our table for drinks. Now mind you there was only maybe 5 only customers in the restaurant. Then he finally made it over. Took the drink and food order. Another 20 minutes still waiting on drinks. They were sitting on the bar we could see them but he was setting on a computer. Finally he brings them over. Then he brings the salads that was setting by the drinks. We asked what was going on he said he was working a double shift. But with only a few people there was no excuse. Then made a order to go. And when we got ready to leave had to ask for it. Again he was at the computer. He oh sorry I forgot. Yep we complained to the manager she was told this was coming.

The server was ok. The food was questionable. I ordered steak with shrimp, sides were mashed…read morepotatoes and green beans and an additional Ceaser salad. The salad was cold served in a warm bowl therefore the salad didn't stay cold very long. The green beans were overcooked and mushy. The mashed potato was barely warm. I told the server and she apologized. The manager didn't visit my table. I paid full price for the dinner I could not eat.

Looks like as of 03/04/2026 they are open for spring through fall of 2026…read moreI will update this with new menu pix and pricing soon

Great daily specials. Great malts Love their pizza burgers…read moretoo. Always a pleasant experience