We we're waited on by a very friendly staff and received very good service. We found the restaurant to be a very friendly family place. The fried chicken is the best fried chicken I've had since the 1970's. It's fried chicken the way it's supposed to be. read more

This is an amazing place, the beer batter chicken is the best in the land, but if you're in a hurry this is not the place for you. Service is very good, but remember it takes time to cook chicken properly, so I say enjoy a beverage, friends, the atmosphere, & relax to a enjoyable dinner. read more

First time here. Enjoying loaded taco with homemade tortilla shell. These were amazingly delicious. Definitely will come back again for famous chicken dinner. Awesome friendly service read more

Mt Hamill Tap - Loaded taco - Comfort Food Near Me - Donnellson, Iowa

The Mt Hamill Tap is a gem located in a small town that you would expect to see in a larger location! It's known for amazing food and down home charm and friendly people! The fried chicken is out of this world! I will definitely go back !! read more

Mt Hamill Tap - Batter fried chicken, slaw, potato salad with bread and butter! - Comfort Food Near Me - Donnellson, Iowa

This is a great go-to for fried chicken. Their breading is super crisp, perhaps even hard at times. If you are a crunchy breading person, this is your place. You can even order the "crispies" as an appetizer. read more

Mt Hamill Tap - Two breast, potato salad, coleslaw, bread and butter - Comfort Food Near Me - Donnellson, Iowa

This place is legendary around here but I somehow missed going to it growing up in SE Iowa. So on the most recent trip to visit my mom I knew we had to stop by. I think someone said it in another review. There really isn't much out here. When you happen on the restaurant you actually think you must have found a concert because there are an awful lot of cars for just the few buildings there. Mom is in a wheelchair and I called ahead to see if they have a ramp. They do. When we got there I eyeballed that ramp like oh boy this should be fun. That thing is about 45 degrees coming out the front door. Before I could dislocate my shoulder and my mom's some nice customer at the bar came running to help drag her in. Points for the nice customers at the place. They have other stuff besides fried chicken, but let's be clear, everyone comes for the chicken. So we ordered the chicken and I got the salad bar instead of a side. The salad bar isn't huge but it has salad and a few sides. Everything on it was good. When we got our chicken, it was hot. Like lava hot. I have never had a crust like what was on this chicken. I picture painting this bird with some sort of flour shellac to get the type of crispy crunchy consistency it had. It also holds the heat in very well. We had to open it up to start the cooling process. The chicken is fairly greasy yet the crunch is always there. I don't eat tons of fried chicken, it just isn't my thing. However this was definitely some of the best. I did also note they have lunch specials through the week and have things like fried shrimp and fried oysters, something not everyone carries. Mom got a strawberry margarita and I had two Killians drafts. They have a decent selection of alcohol in general again not much else out in these parts to do besides eat and drink. Oh and as we were leaving more people helped us with the door. Little things but they add up to how you feel about a place. Might just have to take a trip here on my next Iowa visit. read more

We've been going here my entire life and now I take my kids. Be sure to try the chicken at least once. Great food, cold beer, a staple in rural Southeast Iowa. read more

Cold beer, good fried chicken. Get the whole catfish on Friday night, you won't be disappointed!

Clean bathrooms, good bar food, fast and nice service. Great stop on our road trip. Corn dog and grilled PB and J were a hit with the kids. read more

Mt. Hamill Tap has arguably the best fried chicken in southeast Iowa. No matter if you prefer white or dark meat, it's all gonna be crispy, juicy, perfectly seasoned and served fresh right outta the fryer. All meals come with coleslaw, a baked potato and a slice of bread with butter. It's all good! They serve their tap root beer in freeze-chilled mugs, which makes it taste like a million bucks. This place can get SUPER crowded though. So be prepared to wait! Because of this, service can be a bit lackluster. It's just one of those places that can get away with it because the food is so ridiculously good. Don't be mad-have a beer and chill; your food will be well worth the wait! read more

Found this via yelp while driving down the highway. We arrived for lunch and had great burgers and cold beer. If in this neck of the woods stop by and check it out. A few miles of the highway but well worth it to escape the common fast food offerings which I always avoid. read more

Mt Hamill Tap - Comfort Food Near Me - Donnellson, Iowa

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Have only eaten here a few times in the past 40 years and have never been impressed. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of greasy (but tastes good) chicken. It's always crowded and hard to move about. In our most recent visit my wife and I opted for the tenderloins. They tasted good but nothing better than restaurants in Mt. Pleasant and New London. My tenderloin was small but my wife's was normal size. Service was slow as it took at least 10 minutes for the waitress to give us a menu, then probably another 10 minutes to take our order. Our food arrived another one hour, ten minutes later. The place appeared fairly clean except for the ketchup smeared on the side of our table from a previous patron that got on my wife's shirt. Surprisingly this place is very popular and has been for years. On this particular night I noticed license plates from at least six different counties. I hope they found it worth the drive. read more

This is a very nice secluded restaraunt. Price are very reasonable. Portions are plenty. The staff is very friendly. Food tastes very good. read more

Mt Hamill Tap - The Salad Bar - Comfort Food Near Me - Donnellson, Iowa

I Took 13 adults and 8 children here on Friday night to do but one thing. Try the famous fried chicken that many people in the area rave about. I believe after waiting 1.5 hours and seeing other large groups receiving their food before us that evidently you can call in your order ahead or we had a waitress who didn't do her job. Anyway by the time you do receive your chicken you could eat anything and it would taste good. Oh yeah about the taste. Severely lacking in flavor. A nice batter but no salt or pepper or other spice to give the chicken any flavor. I Guess maybe I am a critical Yelper but people better stick to using this tap for what it is for...... read more

About 15 min from Mt. Pleasant, Mt Hamill Tap was a very lively restaurant/bar. I visited on Sat night about 6:00 and was surprised by the hunt for a parking space. There were about 200 people there. I heard the broasted chicken was very good so I ordered a half chicken dark meat. I got 2 thigh/leg combos. Overall good chicken, but not the best I've ever had. The chicken is served on Wed, Fri, and Sat nights. A baked potato came with the chicken and included butter and sour cream. My wife got the salad bar and it was well stocked and good quality. FYI, the juke box steals quarters, you will have to put in dollar bills. Really nice wait staff and bartenders. read more

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I made a short detour on my drive from Iowa City to St. Louis to try the fried chicken here (luckily I happened to be passing by on a Friday night), and it was definitely worth it. The town of Donnellson is so small that if you blink you'll probably miss it, and this place doesn't look like much from the outside -- you'd guess it's just an average roadside dive bar, except for the fact that there are dozens of cars up and down the road at 6 on a Friday evening. When you walk in, it looks more like a church potluck dinner -- families around big tables, eating off of paper plates. I got a half chicken, and it took quite a while to come out -- I think about 45 minutes, basically everyone there was ordering chicken, and as far as I could tell the frying was a one-man job, so every 5 minutes or so you see a new batch of fried chicken in the window, and then the waitresses take it to everyone but you... Luckily there's beer to make the wait go by faster, and the beer was cheap! I think a Blue Moon was $2 or 3. As for the chicken itself -- the meat wasn't quite tender enough to be the very best fried chicken ever (in my opinion anyway), but I loved the batter -- it was thick and very crispy, and the pieces that flake off are great to crunch on. And with the sides, bread, slaw, etc. that come with it, you certainly won't leave hungry. read more

Food...this place has the BEST fried chicken on the planet. There is no denying it, it is absolute perfection. Very good salad bar as well. Ambiance....over-crowded and loud and it will take almost an hour to get your order. Staff...not the friendliest in the world but one gets the sense that they are working hard. Verdict....if you are a fried chicken fan or not, it's worth the drive. Amazing fried chicken. I am not a big fan of fried chicken but this stuff is absolutely amazing. read more

Worth the drive for fried chicken nights! ( Wednesday, Friday,Saturday) staff is friendly and attentive even when it is very busy. Family friendly read more

Have been dying to get her for 5 years +. Well worth the wait! One of the best local authentic fried chicken place I've had in iowa! Out of the way but worth every mile! read more

My friends and I travel the lesser frequented by-ways of the Midwest looking for unique eateries. What a pleasant surprise we found in the Mt. Hamill Tap! It reminds me of the taverns I used to haunt as a kid with a pocket full of quarters to play video games while my Dad held court with his friends at the bar and my Mom would chat about the town's goings on at a table full of friends. Do not be surprised if you must park two blocks away in the small town of Mt. Hamill to get to the tavern. What better compliment can there be for there to be so many cars packed into the little town, the drivers of which are all there solely to enjoy its lonely tavern? Be on the lookout for some photo opportunities from the main turn off all the way to the restaurant (we sure found some). The staff was unwaveringly courteous and the folks from the area were great hosts (they are not shy and will join right in on whatever fun you are having that evening). The night we devoured our chicken at Mt. Hamill there must have been over 200 people carousing about, but the service was still friendly and fast. Just don't put any quarters in the juke box... it will eat 'em - but plop in a dollar and the music selection will take you back to many a bygone era (remember Mambo No 5, my friend - or maybe John Denver better suits your needs?). The chicken has a special (secret recipe) batter. It is so secret that a local gentleman told us the staff has to sign an agreement to not divulge said recipe to any restaurant within 150 miles... and for good reason. The chicken is broasted, which I prefer as I feel it seals in the juices. Play your cards right and staff may just drop off a paper plate filled with batter cracklins (a la Long John Silvers). Worth the trip and the adventure! read more

This is obviously the best place to get chicken and other food. It has an amazing lunch with amazing specials. Very big restaurant that many locals enjoy on a daily basis. Don't listen to all the food snobs, they're just jealous. read more

Get the CHICKEN that's all you need to know ! Ask any local they will give you directions ! Can really be busy at times so you may have to wait a while. They have a small salad bar but it has some really good sides to tide you over if you are waiting for the CHICKEN ! You can also have a beer while you wait for the CHICKEN. Or play a song on the jukebox while your waiting on your CHICKEN. They have a pool table to use while your CHICKEN is cooking. read more