First timer to Okoboji! O'Farrell Sisters was highly recommended on various vacation platforms. I'm wondering now WHY... It seems like a nostalgic place for those that either live in Okoboji or for those that have been visiting here for years. I'd suggest a soft PASS on this place for breakfast. Perhaps desserts or drinks could be the sought after items. I'm not totally sure. Pros: Appears nostalgic including original furniture and decor. Boozy malts and desserts are on the menu. Service was fine. We were greeted, sat, and served Cons: Very mediocre food at a higher than expected price based on taste. The food tasted like someone went grocery shopping at Dollar General for the meal ingredients. *Not hating on Dollar General as I enjoy popping in there from time to time... French toast must have been made from regular sandwich bread. I think in my mind I was expecting/hoping for homemade...made from scratch...small town breakfast. read more

O'Farrell Sisters - Omelette with hash browns and toast - American Near Me - Okoboji, Iowa

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TERRIBLE!!!!! Walk in the waitress was sooo rude!! The floor was so gross dirty. It was NOT busy we were the only people there and we ordered avocado toast and it was horrible my eggs were not right and it was cold!!!! The waitress was awful and rude almost somewhat incompetent. Do yourself a huge favor and GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!!! read more

Classic stop - with great food! We were greeted upon entering, waited 5 min for a table, and got our food quickly. The cinnamon was delish, eggs Benedict hit the spot, and you could tell many things were made in house. Restaurant is small, but lots of history in the walls (I'm sure!) Definitely recommend read more

O'Farrell Sisters - Cinnamon roll - American Near Me - Okoboji, Iowa

I hear this place gets busy during boating season, so we tried to get in before things got crazy. We walked in on a Wednesday morning in June around 10:30, were greeted immediately, and the service was helpful and well-paced. The menu was pretty simple, with nothing too crazy. The most exciting thing on the menu to me is the Cinnamon Roll French Toast - I will need to surprise my wife some of those someday! I ordered the more giant biscuits and gravy with two pancakes. It was too much to finish in one meal, so I grabbed a box. It was good, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. It tasted exactly how I would expect pancakes and biscuits & gravy to be! I'm going to have to try again in the future and do something different to figure out what the locals go crazy for, but for my first visit, it seemed like a typical spot that seemed to be reliable. read more

We've been coming here for years! Always delightful service and worth the 20-30 minute wait. We were informed a new owner took over and it doesn't feel the same. No merch, no fun souvenir cups... Hopefully they'll bring that back and it's just early in the season where they don't have those items yet. read more

My wife and I visited on Saturday morning June 28th, 2025, and were seated promptly. Our sever Chloe was very attentive and courteous. Our food was delivered quickly was delicious and plentiful, way more than we could eat. I ordered the Hangover, my wife ordered the Boji Browns, and we ordered one pancake to share. Well worth the visit. read more

Waited over an hour until the waitress asked for our drinks. Some of us never even received our drinks. Waited another 2 hours for our food to finally come, and when it did come not a single order was correct. They couldn't figure out the payment system and took forever to finally pay. Bad and unorganized service for food that isn't very good either. Overall poorly ran restaurant and I do not recommend going here. read more

Came in with a party of 8 at 10:30ish on a Saturday morning. Got our food an hour 45 minutes later. Messed up 5 of the orders and didn't give us all our food. Paid $42 for 2 people for not good food at all. Didn't have water for an hour. One person left and got his tire patched and when he got back we STILL HAVEN'T ORDERED YET. Also took another 20 minuets just to pay the bill. Spent a total of 3 hours there for sub par food and wasn't comped for anything. Might be one of the worst ran restaurant I've been to. read more

Long wait over am Hour for sorting over an Hour for food Food not right My daughter got her food almost 40 minutes after us read more

I might be a little biased, but O'Farrell Sisters has such a special place in my heart. I used to ride my bike here with my dad every Saturday morning growing up (90's). I visited again in June and the place hadn't changed a bit! Lol! You have to embrace the charm and diner-esque feel of the place. Is it super clean? No. Is the food AMAZING? No. Is the staff super friendly? Also no. But the pancakes were hot and still very yummy. Our waitress looked like she had just rolled out of bed and she was kinda cold, but it's a diner, okay??? It might be hard to find the charm if you've never been here, but just take it for what it is and soak it in. Sticky ketchup bottles and all. LOL. read more

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This is a wonderful breakfast spot! It's always busy so be prepared to wait; however if you get there early like 7:30 am you can typically get a seat and enjoy a nice and quick meal! The cinnamon roll is a family favorite! It's big enough to share and comes with butter- haha just what you need! The Benedict's are delicious and my boys love the pancakes! They're fluffy and taste delicious. The hash browns are also very good. Staff is quick and kind and keeping people moving! We always visit here when in town and we love it! read more

Kind of difficult to find. Does not look very nice but during the season months there is always a wait. It is a small place and they do have a few plastic tables and chairs outside too which is where we sat. The food was good as well as the service. The portions were generous. We were a party of 4 and we all ask for something different from the menu and everyone liked the food. I would go back. read more

Never able to visit. Called to see if gluten free pancakes were dairy free but they are not. Buttermilk gluten free pancakes only. Sad we weren't able to visit. read more

Four words: Cinnamon Roll French Toast. It's as good as it sounds. Add bacon and some pineapple juice, and you've got an amazing breakfast. Yes, it looks like a dumpy dive, but the food is great. read more

Food is good but the service was awful. I wish that I had read reviews before our visit. It definitely was not worth the 40 minute wait for a table. It was pretty frustrating to see our server waiting on tables who came in after us before acknowledging us. She finally came to our table about 15 minutes after we were seated, then it took another 10 minutes for our drinks (pop and coffee). Food took about 30 minutes and our order wasn't correct. We didn't mention it and decided to pay extra for the full portions we received even though we asked for half orders. Our server never returned. Eventually, we flagged her down and asked for the check. She brought it about 15 minutes later. It was clear that we weren't the only frustrated customers. We tried one of their "famous" cinnamon rolls and it was very dry. Pancakes were good, but nothing special. The eggs Benedict was outstanding, but not worth the headache. read more

Great "Greasy Spoon" (yes,that is a compliment) Benedict's were awesome and and the pancakes and cinnamon roll French Toast were very very tasty. When in the area, we will be back! read more

Edna Mae, Arlene, and Fern O'Farrell opened a small, family-oriented restaurant in the City of Okoboji in 1958 called "O'Farrell Sisters." The three sisters successfully operated O'Farrell Sisters for decades, and other family members later continued the restaurant operation. The restaurant is located on Lakeshore Drive in a small building situated on a triangular-shaped lot. It overlooks Smith's Bay on West Lake Okoboji. A fish-shaped "O'Farrell Sisters" sign is located on the roof of the building. You can also see the family letters from the water. My grandparents enjoyed their meals at the O'Farrell Sisters and the long gone Oak Hill and Vern & Coila's restaurants (among others). My parent's have also enjoyed the buttermilk pancakes and the homemade pies (among other meal options), and so have their children. The place is a bit of a throwback both inside and outside, and offers street side and dock side access. The O'Farrell Sisters is current owned by Leo "Butch" Parks, who also runs the Okoboji Boat Works, and is probably part of a larger marina district business plan. And although long running zoning feud between Mr. Parks and the City of Okoboji continues, local and tourist alike can find comfort food pleasure at this historical eatery. read more

O'Farrell Sisters - American Near Me - Okoboji, Iowa

Posting for a family member who visited and LOVED this restaurant: This was their favorite place to eat when visiting this area, they were repeat visitors! The pancakes were large and tasted amazing. If I am ever in the area, I'd love to personally go see what all the fuss is about! read more

The place to go for breakfast! Love the French toast sandwich! So delicious! The wait can be long but it is worth it!

Excellent breakfast place at the lake! At 945am on Saturday there was no wait for a table but around 1030 there was a 30-40 minute wait. We were immediately greeted by our waitress, ordered drinks and a famous cinnamon roll (which was extremely satisfying, highly recommend). We ordered our food and it did take about 30 minutes for our food to come out. There is a warning on their menu that "good food takes time." They encourage you to order a cinnamon roll while you wait-glad we did. I ordered the BLT bene and it was fantastic, however, too much. I would've been just fine with a half order. My boyfriend got the triple K which he also enjoyed. The lake is a spot my boyfriend's family comes to every year! First time he tried out this restaurant and we will be back next year. Thanks to Charlie our waitress, our experience was great. read more

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I'm torn about writing this but perhaps management will see it. GOOD FIRST: This is a delightful unassuming diner that has an array of typical diner selections that come in generous portions. Servers are attentive and pleasant. BAD: THIS YEAR they took off two standards that are the essence of a diner-the Egg Salad sandwich and the Tuna Melt Sandwich. There may be other new additions, but McButch Sandwich and the Butch's Griddle are the obvious ones. WHY? read more

Every time, prior of Saturday, I have had to wait in excess of an hour to be served at a restaurant, it's been a big disappointment. UNTIL NOW ! My wife and I have been planning to have breakfast at this iconic diner nestled on the north shore of West Okoboji Lake just west of Hwy. 71 for a couple of years, but never went. It is a very small restaurant that has been in business since 1947 and is ALWAYS busy, especially during Summer weekends. The wait was well worth it ! My wife and I had the Eggs Benedict and it was DELICIOUS ! The hollandaise sauce was perfect, with just the right amount of lemon (not too much). The hash browns featured melted cheese and onions as an option, which we would definitely recommend ! The staff was very welcoming and kept the coffee coming as we waited. This place is a definite "find", but make sure you're not in a rush when you go ! read more

I really wanted to love this place after hearing so many good things! We ordered drinks and were recommended to order a cinnamon roll while we waited and I am very glad we did! It was amazing and the kids loved it! It took almost 45 minutes to get our breakfast and they didn't bring out our kiddos pancake before, which would have been nice. By the time he got his food, he was over it. We ordered the Oscar Benefict, it was okay! Huge chunks of crab. My husband had an omelette, he said it was good but nothing special. The wait itself, for breakfast foods was outrageous. It was also PACKED. Nobody had masks or gloves on and they pack the tables full. It was a little odd in this pandemic but to each their own. I dont see us coming back here to eat but glad we were finally able to try it! read more

I was so excited to go to this place because I love diners and places with giant pancakes. I would normally give this place 4 stars, but the customer service was really bad... We arrived before 11am, which I specifically remember because we couldn't order non-breakfast food until after 11am. We asked for water once our waitress came to our booth. She brought us coffee maybe 10 minutes later (11am) (which we didn't order). She apologized and took our food order. I was secretly thankful it took her so long to get to us so we could order non-lunch food, even though my husband was about ready to eat his own arm. About 10 minutes later we got water finally (11:10am). At 11:40 we finally flagged down a different waitress to ask about our food. This was partly because my husband was at the point of drinking creamer to tide over his hunger and partly because there was a group of 7 who had sat down after we ordered and already had their food out. The waitress went to check on our food and said that our order went into the system at 11:32am. We tried to explain that we had ordered much earlier than that and were confused how it took so long to be entered. She replied by telling us that she wasn't lying about the computer time and the food would be out when it was ready. The food came out at 11:45am. Then we ate our food as quickly as possible because we didn't want to sit and have the waitresses stare at and whisper about us any longer. It was rather uncomfortable. So as for the food... we got a BLT, cinnamon roll French toast, an omelet, sweet potato fries, and chocolate chip pancake. All of the food was great - no complaints there. The only thing I would change about the food is putting icing on the French toast (: The waitress let us keep the coffee we didn't order, and each of our cups needed 3 creamers to have any flavor. I guess that's diner coffee for ya? read more

We are visiting from out of state and we were looking for the perfect little hole in the wall spot. This place was awesome! My kids loved it and I had the best eggs benedict ever! The server gave us pointers on other places to check out nearby. Thank you for making our trip a memorable one! read more

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Had a great breakfast here on a rainy Sunday morning. We were seated immediately at the counter, so even though they were busy, we were quickly seated and waited on. I had the French Toast, and it was fantastic. My wife had the Cinnamon Roll French Toast, and she loved it. This is a kind of hidden gem, but worth it. Great food, friendly service make for a great breakfast. read more

I waited 40 minutes to be sat... which was understandable, but it's not understandable is waiting over an hour and 40 minutes and still not getting our food.. if we would've been told when we were saying that it was going to take that long, thank you very much and went somewhere else.. read more

Food is really good. Be patient and order a mimosa from Alana, it's worth the wait. Really good so enjoy the experience!

Wonderful service! Great food! Amazing small town cafe with history. Help them make 75 years of serving food great!

Great place, awesome breakfast at a reasonable price. Love this place. An okoboji must!

1 1/2 hour wait times for marginal food. If you are coming here because it is a "Lakes" icon, that ship has sailed.

Don't hate on this place. They do awesome for what they're working with. I don't know what all the people complaining are expecting from a shack in the back of a neighborhood ??? HA I love this place. Food is awesome home cooked tasty like and the staff is super cool. Pancakes are YUMMMMM read more

O'Farrell Sisters - American Near Me - Okoboji, Iowa

Great Food, we had hamburgers and fries and the burgers about melted in your mouth, they were so soft and juicy. Next time I want to order breakfast, every plate I seen, looked so good. It was a little hard to find but well worth getting a little lost to find it. read more

Definitely a popular place for Saturday breakfast! I think we waited 15-20 minutes to be sat, not bad. This place is tucked in a residential/RV park type neighborhood so it was a little hard to get to not being from the area. Once we ordered, it took about 40 minutes to get the food and there was only three of us. The cinnamon roll here is huge and pretty tasty so I recommend trying that! Our server was rude and our water cups never got refilled. The breakfast was decent, but nothing to write home about. I had their French toast egg sandwich with bacon and hash-browns. I asked for the egg over easy but it was more of a fried egg. The bacon looked burnt and I just wasn't overly impressed. read more

Great food, but the service is extremely slow and lacking. The owner is overwhelmed and understaffed, which reflects in the service. The food is really very good, though. The building itself could use some upkeep. The ceiling had a spot above a table where it was not only bulging, but looked like it may cave in at any moment. Price is really very good for the quality and quantity of food you get. read more

We come here every year! This is an okoboji favorite! Best breakfast in town, pleasant staff and service. read more

Finally stopped by for breakfast walked down from our friend's house. It was a great retro experience complete with a great menus full of eggs Benedict and Hollandaise sauce. It took me a bit to decide on what to choose but settled on the half Traditional Benedict. It was great and I'd recommend it. The hash browns were subpar and needed a help. I was able to eat the nice crunchy part but that was it. read more

Great breakfasts. Fantastic cinnamon rolls... Outstanding pies. Been around a long time

2-stars and I didn't eat here. 2-stars because its local and not a chain. We got in, sat down, ordered a coffee. It came fast. Nearly 20 minutes later, we were still waiting. We left, unnoticed. read more

Horrible brunch service. We sat down, waited and watched as two servers attended to other patrons who arrived after us. It was busy. Not too busy that we should have been ignored. Peaced out after waiting 20 minutes. read more