Coming to visit family in Fairfield, I had heard of a newer cider brewery and restaurant that…read moreserved great food and cool cider flavors. That was underselling it - this cider house is awesome! I love that there are so many different fruit flavors in their ciders. My personal favorites were the watermelon and apricot. There is also a great selection of burgers all the way from your classic cheeseburger down to a no-meat burger, each with its own unique toppings. I got the 'Merica Burger and didn't even have time to take a picture because I just scarfed it down. They have a great selection of sides too - chips, slaw, potato salad, or a glass of your favorite cider! We will definitely be coming back to the Cider House every time we are back in town. Great food and great drinks!

I've been a few times. The ambiance is great, it's delightful to sit outside in warm weather, and I…read morelove that they support live music. My only complaint is that food service is kinda slow and the way you order food and drinks is kinda clumsy. It's almost like the food is an afterthought to what was originally intended to be a bar. I recently made the mistake of going on a Friday night at 7pm. They were busy and there were about 10 people ahead of us in the line. It took 30+ minutes to reach the order window, at which time we were informed it was an hour and a half wait to get our food. Why couldn't a manager or a staff member inform the people standing patiently (as the line was steadily growing) of the wait time before we got to the window? Completely unacceptable lack of customer service. Once you actually get your food, it's great, and the bar service is pretty efficient. Great selection of drinks.

We were a bit skeptical upon arrival. The exterior has the look of a budget 1980s-style motel, and…read morethe driveway--which is shared with a semi-truck parking area--is quite rough with several large potholes. However, if you can look past the first impression, there is a lot to like here. Service & Check-in The hotel appears to run on a very small staff. When we arrived, the front desk was empty, but there was a note with a number to call. I called, and a gentleman arrived almost immediately. He was extremely kind and the check-in process was seamless. If you are willing to wait a minute or two for service, the staff is very responsive and helpful. We had two rooms, and both were clean, fairly modern, and very quiet. The beds were comfortable, and we appreciated the Fire TVs that allowed us to log into our own streaming apps. Dining & Bar There is a connected Bar & Grill that was clean and very inviting. We went over for a nightcap but were told they are still waiting on their liquor license. Since we were in town for a family Christmas dinner, we didn't eat a full meal there, but the menu prices were very reasonable--well below the average for this area. We'd definitely give the food a try on our next visit. The One Downside: Breakfast The only real disappointment was the "advertised" breakfast. It was very limited, consisting only of cereal, toast, and oatmeal packets. Most surprisingly, the "pastry" selection was just a small basket containing Twinkies and Hostess Frosted cupcakes. It's fine for a quick sugar fix, but don't expect a standard hotel breakfast spread. Verdict Despite the dated exterior and the "gas station" style breakfast, the rooms are great and the price is right. We would stay here again for the comfort and quiet, but we'll plan to grab breakfast elsewhere!

Room ok but dated. Breakfast? A joke. Coffee was muddy, cereal but no milk, bread left uncovered…read morefrom the day before and toaster didn't work. The Grill- oh boy. Smothered chicken was microwaved a few too many times and still charged me. My sister got sick and vomited her country fried steak. Boxed mashed potatoes drowned in some unrecognizable white gravy. It was awful and will never return. In 2024 the food was good and service was good:: what happened? New management? Well take a cue from the previous owners/management please

Whenever I return home to Iowa, I always stop in to get one of the best loose meats sandwiches ever…read moremade.

This place has been around a long time. As a kid I went with my mom and grandma for a great lunch…read more Going back it doesn't seem like anything but the prices have changed. Service and the ambiance are impeccable. Belly up to the bar and order your "canteen" with whatever toppings. Don't miss the malts, you won't care about fries. Glad I stopped on the way by. If I ever come through again I will be there!

Continuing on our perpetual vacation, we ended up in Ottumwa Iowa. Searching for a great hamburger…read moreled us up at Uncle Bucks on the south side of town. I had the loaded mushroom burger and my wife had the Swiss burger. Prices were very reasonable, large portions, great taste, pool bar vibe and great service. I highly recommend. Also check out their steak. It looked incredible even though we didn't have it. FYI, they have steak specials, and daily specials that looked great.

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.

Being the oldest bar in town, this place deserves a Legacy of Time award for being consistently…read moreawesome. If these walls could talk, they'd probably have some wild stories--and they'd all pair perfectly with a cold draft beer and great drinks Like stepping into a place where everybody either knows your name or pretends to because they're just that friendly. If you haven't been here yet, fix that. History, great food, and top-notch drinks--what more do you need?

First off I would give it 3.5 stars if I could. Very cool bar. Very historic. Menu is limited. I…read morewould stick with the smash burger. Didn't really dig the taco. Totino's pizza rolls is a nice twist. Place is more of a bar, with a bar vibe. We went for lunch so it was fine. Not sure what the night crowd would be like. Tons of TVs and pool tables and a shuffleboard game. Cool music playing too. Would come back for drinks for sure. Service was friendly.

I need to go here more often and dine. Great food and clientele. Try out the fried bologna…read moresandwich.

A huge cheeseburger & fresh cut fries - fantastic! The service was friendly & attentive.read more

The waitress was nice took my order correctly but when I asked for fries to cook didn't want to…read moremake fresh so he took them from the salad bar to enter them soggy and undesirable..

First street has had to make up the loss of RiverBend restaurant,I think they've done a good job…read more There might only be one server working and one cook and a dishwasher, food may take longer than you want to wait but it's good and full portioned and she's getting it out as quick as she can. Small towns can be hard to do everything for everyone but I'm happy to say the foods good and plentiful and it's not going to break the bank bringing the family out. Patronize your local restaurant or it may go the way of the other one...

What a great spot in a small little town! We stopped for lunch & had a very friendly & helpful…read morewaitress. Hubby was able to get a Ruthie on tap! Friend had a grilled chicken sandwich with very tasty fried dill pickle spears. Hubby & I had deep fried tenderloins! So big! So good! We should have shared one because we brought home a half each. We had ours with the house made potato chips, and those chips are tasty. You can get them with ranch, which is terrific or chipotle ranch, which is good too. The food is very reasonably priced and the service is great. The little place is very clean. We even got to talk to Ray. Stop in there for lunch or for just a beer at any time.

Great tenderloins. Big I mean big and taste great. I know they have other stuff and I'm sure it's…read moregreat but honestly we always order the tenderloins because they are that good.!

Great food! Very nice people! Smash burgers were excellent! Also food was ready very quick. Highly…read morerecommend stop in and trying everything they have on the menu!

We got Da Bomb⁣ Burger and Burger in a Haystack⁣. Great,…read moreattentive service on a Friday night. Wasn't too much crowded at all during dinner so wondering if it starts coming alive at night We love loaded burgers in general and these fries were reeeeally good, with ranch of course! ⁣