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    Norwood Inn

    4.0 (33 reviews)
    InexpensiveNew American
    Closed 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Norwood Inn Photos

    Business Info

    NORWOOD INN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Loud
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Norwood Inn

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    Whole hot Italian sausage sandwich with cheese, pizza sauce, and hot peppers.
    Dan T.

    Slid into Norwood Inn for a quick lunch today... My first time there. One of the little local spots I've wanted to check out. It's small but easy to find on a corner lot. The parking lot was filled with 4x4 pickup trucks that almost obscured the building from view. This is what I'd call a true dive or a hole in the wall... And I loved it. I lived in, and graduated from, a very small rural Iowa town. I left there when I joined the Navy at 18 in 1988. Boy this place brought me back home. Something that doesn't happen often in the city... It was like every bar and grill I grew up around. Dimly lit. Seat yourself. The weathered tables and chairs bar and barstools. An older obviously local crowd of regulars. A no nonsense staff. A mix of homemade and Sysco food. The TVs behind the bar were playing football recaps and the national news. I suppose you can wait for your server to bring you your bill at the end of your meal...or you can just walk up to the bar and take care of things there. I ordered a variation of what seems to probably be their most well known item. A hot Italian sausage sandwich with cheese, pizza sauce, and hot peppers. Along with onion rings and a coke... It was really good and reasonably priced! Our two meals and drinks came to $26 and change before tip. I kind of wish this place was closer to the West side. It's the kind of bar I could honestly enjoy landing in and having a couple beers at on the regular. I have a couple of those places now. The spaces and people just don't evoke the same memories. You know what I mean? On to Eastside Eddie's, Skip's, and Henry J's. I have a few more boxes to check off in 2023.

    a menu for a restaurant
    Jillissa M.

    Came here on a Saturday afternoon thinking it wouldn't be too busy. Place was packed for a benefit fundraiser. Had a great time seeing the community and locals support one of their regulars. Ordered aome drinks and food. I had the tenderloin, which was very good with some crispy crinkle cut fries! Boyfriend had their famous hot sausage sandwich and he loved it! We will be back for their amazing food and drinks.

    Sausage sandwich and wings
    Craig Z.

    Stopped in for a lunch on friday. The place was packed. Food is priced right and the staff is friendly. Had the sausage sandwich with a side of wings and loved them both. Can't wait to try some other lunch items in the future.

    Angie M.

    I'm giving five stars for the hot sausage sandwich alone! It's amazing! Huge!!! I have no idea how they can serve it for under $8 with graziano sausage! It's a typical dive bar setting, but you can always grab it to go. I hear the tacos are good too. We had breakfast there and they had homemade strawberry rhubarb jam too. Bloody Mary's were delicious and only $2 on Saturday mornings. Good service too.

    Jessica R.

    In the middle of No(where)rwoodville, IA is a little dive called Norwood Inn. Upon arrival, I was already in love just pulling into the parking lot (blink and you'll miss the tiny building). Little greasy spoon dive bar, this place totally has my name written all over it. We walked into a dimly lit bar, found an empty table close to the restrooms and had a seat. Bartender/server brought out menus promptly. It is the most simple menu I think I have ever seen. Only four breakfast meal options, and then a small selection of omelettes. That's all. I DEFINITELY dig this place! The options were 1) biscuits and gravy, 2) hot sausage breakfast, 3) steak and eggs, and then 4) their "traditional breakfast" plate (eggs, potatoes, toast and a meat). 4 omelette options make up the remainder of the breakfast menu. No frittatas, no soufflés, no waffle with a smiley face option, just hearty breakfasts. We opted for 1 steak and eggs breakfast, and then 1 hot sausage breakfast (after finding out that the hot sausage was actually a Graziano's sausage plate); otherwise, we would have gone for the traditional breakfast. We also ordered a 1/2 order of biscuits and gravy because...why not. Toast options are simple, white or wheat. Though the hot sausage breakfast doesn't say eggs, we found out that it does come with an order of eggs. My guy likes over hard and I like over easy, definitely not compatible with our preferences, so it was great that we got our own. And though the menu says hashbrowns, the cook came out to ask if we wanted breakfast potatoes or hashbrowns. We opted for breakfast potatoes and found out that she had some leftover baked potatoes from the night before and made breakfast potatoes fresh out of them. If you know anything about breakfast potatoes, you know that day-old baked potatoes make some of the best breakfast potatoes. And they were fabulous. Jam was homemade, in a mason jar, shared amongst tables, strawberry was the only flavor, and DELICIOUS! Coffee was hot and always full. But the steak and eggs, and Grazianos sausage and eggs were the cat's MEEEEOW! Generous portions! The sausage had so much flavor, with just the right amount of crisp on the outside for the perfect grill flavor. Steak was very tender and juicy. The biscuits and gravy were impressive, I noticed that the biscuits were handmade which was even more impressive. Absolutely love that! Total bill: 1 steak and eggs, 1 hot sausage breakfast, 2 coffees, 1/2 order of biscuits and gravy = $23 (not incl. gratuity). Awesome deal. This is definitely a little NE-side hidden gem! Service was friendly and attentive, no frills, it was great. We'll be back for more breakfasts, for sure. In fact, we are going to get out of our west side habits and start dining more regularly on the other side of town. Finding so many little hidden treasures and loving every moment of it. If you're wanting ambience and a wide menu selection, this isn't your place. If you want solid, down home breakfasts...this is the place! (and if you go with a friend, you can potty together with dual toilets in one room! IDK why I found that so cute and comical but oh well, if one breaks there's always a back up!!!)

    Norwood Inn's sausage sandwich - a full 10 inches of man food.
    George F.

    I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me! Though I have read and enjoyed the letters from Yelp for many years, I must admit that until now I had always thought they were made up. It just seemed too much of a stretch of credulity to believe that they are true, real-life tales of actual readers. Let me just say that when my wife and I decided to make plans for an ordinary weekend staycation the last thing on our minds was the possibility of running into three sorority co-eds, miles from civilization, surrounded by the primal wilderness of unspoiled nature, where our hunger could reach untold heights far from the disapproving eyes of society. Alas... we didn't. But we did stumble upon a little dive bar hidden from prying eyes and sandwiches that we had previously only imagined in our wildest dreams! Tucked away in the quaint town of Norwoodville is the Norwood Inn. It's a typical dive bar that you would expect to find in a small town, this one happens to be just north of Des Moines. We sat down and ordered our sandwiches. My wife and I were very pleased to discover the crispy tenderloin resting in a basket with its pickles, onions, ketchup and bun all in full view; vulnerable, open and fully exposed. The only thing separating the three of us was a thin, almost translucent sheath of paper. Crispy, large and in-charge, this sandwich was a flavor explosion in my mouth. We thought we would just nibble around the edges and be able to stop, but we were enticed by the flavors to go in deeper. You could almost hear the desire for the sandwich to be had right here, right now - we were not going to wait until we got home to continue! Before we knew it, the sandwich was gone; we were in no hurry and not yet satisfied. And my wife's sausage sandwich! That thing was a full 10 inches of man food; it arrived confident and large. My wife turned away briefly, but realized that because of the sheer size of the thing there was no escaping it! It was loaded with pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard, gorged with juice and nearly pulsating. A single drop of glistening love juice (ketchup) ran down its side; one bite in and there was no stopping us - our hearts were pumping like the pistons on a Kawasaki in high gear. Our first thought was we needed to slow down or this would be over too quickly. So we pulled back for a moment to wipe the sweat, juice and excess moisture from our faces and fingers. Catching our breath we dove back in face first, grabbing a single piece of the succulent paprika-colored meat to savor on its own. We continued on, changing positions often to avoid wearing down from the sheer size of the food. Time passed in slow motion as we explored the sandwich, lingering, discovering new parts and subtleties. We made our way through the multiple layers, textures and emotions and finally finished, exhausted and spent. We were done! The satisfaction on our faces and the stains on the table were the only evidence left behind. Highly recommended!

    Gizzards!
    Bill L.

    The only eatery in the town of Norwoodville Iowa! Well, the town isn't that big, actually I don't even think it's an actual town, it's a small area between Des Moines, Ankeny, and Altoona. All I know is, this place gets pretty busy! It's a bar and restaurant and is visited by many regulars! I know this because when we came here, everyone was looking and wondering who we were haha! You seat yourself at a table or the bar and check out the menu. The menu is posted as a picture here on Yelp and I am grateful for whoever did that because it helped me get an idea of what they have! The first question I asked the server was if breakfast is served all day, the answer was no. (I never got a response on when it was actually served) They have a pool table here for whoever is looking for a bar with a pool table. For dinner we had the Italian Sausage Sandwich (hot) and the Breaded Pork Tenderloin along with Gizzards for a side. The Italian Sausage Sandwich I believe is their signature item, and it was GOOD! I read good things about it on their Facebook page and everything everyone says about it is true! It is a good amount of food and it tastes fantastic! The Pork Tenderloin was okay, it didn't really wow me, but it was okay. The Gizzards was very good as well, it is breaded deep fried for those wondering how it's prepared. The atmosphere is a local bar feel, it's loud with everyone having a good time drinking and playing pool. Almost everyone knows someone in the establishment somehow it seemed like. The staff members were friendly, but they ended up only having one bartender who doubles as the server as well. So in order to get your check you need to go to the bar to close out your tab. There was also no check up on how we were doing and no water fill up. Overall, good food here, but the atmosphere is not for us. This establishment is definitely a bar first and restaurant second.

    Hot sausage with everything to go

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    2 years ago

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    2 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    The service sucks waited 40+ minutes still no food. Fries came after we finished eating

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food is tasty, high quality and made to order. The prices are amazing for 2025. Crinkle cut fries!

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    10 months ago

    Best damn sausage sandwich in town. Bet you'll take half of it home. Great service, clean atmosphere.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best sausage sandwich in Des Moines. Bring cash to tip or just pay cash. Local bar been around forever but the food is delicious

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    First time coming, they had really good comfort food!! Customer service sucked though.

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    3 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Best hot sausage sandwich in the whole damn metro. No debate. Dine in or take out. Beer is cold. Prices are good!

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Always busy. Love this place. Food is great and drinks are plentiful. Patrons are usually pretty decent and staff is friendly.

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

    The best hot sausage sandwich ever.somewhere everyone should go and try one.you won't be sorry d.hawthorne.

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    18 years ago

    Small, family owned forever, just a plain old bar with good sausage sandwiches and other food.. Great place to drop by.

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    RoCA

    RoCA

    4.2(268 reviews)
    5.0 mi
    $$

    Drinks before and after the show at RŌCA…read more The drinks were all fantastic. The Pig & Fig Manhattan was fantastic with Bacon Fat Washed Bourbon, sweet vermouth, and house bitters. Excellent start. She got the smoked margarita which was really cool and smoky. Don Julio Blanco, lime, Cointreau, Agave, and Apple-Wood Smole. Very decadent. After the show we got: The Polar Express O with Diplomatico Rum, Sweetened Condensed Milk, coffee topped with cold foam, and grated chocolate. Very boozy and strong. Didn't look very good in the glass, but tasted ok. Very strong. She choose the Cold Brew Martini and it was excellent with Ketel One Vodka, Averna Amaro, Madagascar Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup, and House Cold Brew Coffee. The service was great. Will be back for more drinks.

    4.6* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $46 06/28/2025 Enjoyed our latest visit to RoCA with friends after Mass Saturday evening. My wife started with a Smoked Margarita (see picture) and I opted for the El Chapo (see picture) - both were delicious. The great thing about a small plates restaurant, especially with 4 people, is that you can try a bunch of different things...and that we did! We each chose one small plate and I'll say up front that all of them were wonderful and I wouldn't hesitate to order any of them again. We started with a BBQ, Pork & Apple Flatbread (see picture), followed by the Deconstructed Ribeye Nachos (see picture), Fondue (see picture) and Graziano Sausage & Pepperoni Flatbread (see picture). Of all of these, our favorite was the Fondue and Deconstructed Ribeye Nachos...but both Flatbreads were also very good. The only negatives to the atmosphere were having to go downstairs for the restroom and a bachelorette party next to us that got a little loud. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

    Photos
    RoCA - Wine decorative partition

    Wine decorative partition

    RoCA - Pan Seared Divers Scallops

    Pan Seared Divers Scallops

    RoCA - Steak nachos

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    Steak nachos

    Norwood Inn - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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