Interesting work-a-raunt that seems to have been here forever. Think 1970s Formica tables with…read more1960s bar room chairs. Nothing fancy, and definitely not comfortable for a long stay, but the food is good, portions large, and the prices are reasonable. The most interesting feature is a 12-foot grill where patrons can grill their own. Menu claims "Iowa prime" beef. It's certainly not USDA Prime, but it's flavorful. We opted for the kitchen to cook ours. Steaks were cooked perfectly, sides were plain and boring, but delicious.

Service and food was good. Older tavern like place, small town style, which I personally like…read more Will return.

My parents only live about 7 1/2 miles from Unkie's and they'd taken everyone in the family there…read more(multiple times)...but me. It became almost a running joke. They'd rave about the food. Remember how good that was at Unkie's? No. No I don't... Lol We were up there this weekend and it was a couple days before my 55th birthday and mom said... We should take Dan and Owen to Unkie's to my dad... I almost refused... Why ruin a good inside family joke? But I'm glad we went! Don't blink or you'll miss Thor! We arrived at about 430 PM on a Saturday. They open at 300 PM for drinks, seat for dinner at 430 PMish and take orders and start serving at 500PMish. It's seat yourself. The seating is a combination of booths and low top tables and chairs. There is also a small bar with seating at it as well... The place is old school. Mostly dark wood and a classic small town steakhouse vibe. Don't expect a five star atmosphere... The real magic is in the food and the customer service. Unkie's is cash only. They will take a local check. And there is an ATM on site. No card payments. Our server was fantastic. I think she is one of the owners... Took our drink orders first along with an appetizer. We ordered our entrees with her a few minutes later. She checked on us every now and then and our drinks never hit the bottom of the glass. My parents ordered the appetizer sampler (fried pepper rings, cauliflower, cheeseballs, jalapeño cheeseballs, mushrooms, pickles, and onion rings) that they shared with the table and they split a 10 oz fillet meal (medium) with sauteed mushrooms, a baked potato, and a side salad with ranch. Dad ordered three extra jumbo shrimp. The shrimp are $4.50 ea, but they are HUGE. The ranch that comes with the apps (or salad)... It's made in-house and is SO good! If you like ranch it's a must try here. My son ordered the 10 oz ribeye (medium) with fries and a side salad with french. I ordered the 10 oz fillet (medium-rare), the Jojo's potatoes (broasted potato wedges), three jumbo shrimp, and a side salad with blue cheese. We all ordered fountain drinks. All the meals came with Texas toast. Everything was cooked to perfection. Not one thing was not on point! The special the night we were there was two 5 oz lobster tails for $40 and there was a halibut special going on too. I glanced at the receipt. I think the total was $143 before tip... Dad was paying or I'd have been more attentive. Unkie's is a hidden gem of a small town steakhouse who certainly lived up to their reputation! Everything I'd heard was true. Is it worth an almost two hour drive from the Des Moines metro on a date night...? If you don't mind the drive... Yes. Yes it is! And it's most definitely worth the 7 1/2 mile drive from Goldfield to Thor...

Review of Unkie's Entertainment Restaurant & Lounge - Thor, Iowa…read more Unkie's is one of those small-town Iowa restaurants that feels like home the minute you walk in -- the kind of place where you can sit down, relax, and enjoy a good meal without any fuss. It's a real destination spot if you're from the area or just passing through north-central Iowa. I was there celebrating my birthday with my family, and we had a great evening. One thing to note -- they won't seat you until your whole party arrives, which keeps things moving smoothly for the staff and other guests. It's a busy place that draws folks from a wide area, and you can tell it's popular for good reason. The food was solid all around. I had the pork chop -- it was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. My wife ordered the chicken and said it was moist and well-seasoned. A few in our group went for steaks and steak-and-lobster combos. Most of the steaks are market-priced, and while they were just a touch overcooked, everyone agreed they had great flavor. Sides were a mixed bag -- my baked potato was a little overdone, and the hashbrowns leaned a bit greasy, but nothing that spoiled the meal. Between six adults and one child, with drinks, appetizers, entrées, desserts, and a couple of lobster add-ons, our total came out around $50 per person -- fair for the quality and portions. A quick heads-up for anyone planning a visit: Unkie's doesn't accept cards, so bring cash. They do have an ATM on-site if you forget, but it's easier to come prepared. All in all, Unkie's hits the mark for what it is -- a good, small-town Iowa restaurant serving hearty food in a friendly setting. It's one of the best we've found in the area, and we'll definitely be back to try their sandwiches next time

The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming--exactly what you hope for in a small-town steakhouse. From…read morethe moment we walked in, the staff was super friendly and made us feel right at home. The service struck that perfect balance of attentive without being overbearing. Now for the best part: the food. We ordered the Ribeye and the infamous Steak de Burgo, and both were cooked perfectly. The Ribeye was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. The Steak de Burgo absolutely lived up to its reputation--rich, buttery, and downright delicious. Every bite was spot on. Between the warm atmosphere, excellent service, and perfectly prepared steaks, Babe's is a place we'll definitely be back to. Highly recommend! P.S. From the California folks that showed up in the orange corvette. Thank you for a great dining experience!

What an awesome place. Steak was cooked perfectly, sides were amazing, and great ambiance. Far…read moreexceeded our expectations.

Had dinner here on a Tuesday evening while in town for a conference. I partnered up with another…read moreconference attendee and we came here for dinner. The menu had a diversity of options with both bistro and full size options. We both settled on the Main St. chicken dish on recommendation from the waitress along with swapping the rice for mashed potatoes. Great suggestion. My conference mate asked to have her mushrooms removed and I asked to have the tomatoes removed. Although we both ordered the same meal, the presentation looked different for each of us and hit the spot for our tastebuds. Mine seemed more like a chicken marsala while hers was a tomato sauce. Either way we both enjoyed our meals. We both also had dessert - I had the delicious chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Honestly there was too much sauce but the cake was still delicious! My conference mate had the peanut pie and it was divine - imagine a Reese cup with an Oreo crust. If I'm ever back in Ames this will definitely be on my return list!!

Came here on company dinner and we had a great time. Food was decent and I enjoyed my carbonara,…read morehuge portion. The French onion soup was just ok but everyone enjoyed the peanut butter pie. Very good ambiance for group dining and the service was great.

Last time I went here was a busy Saturday night with a bunch of fellow dog trainers. Tonight was a…read morequiet Tuesday with my husband. No dogs in tow to worry about Nothing at Rubes has changed. Delicious steaks, hot grill, fresh vegetables and plenty of butter. It is dark in the dining rooms but there is plenty of light around the grill. It is the centerpiece of each dining room. Rubes is a great place to go to celebrate a special occasion. Or anytime you are in the area.

My first trip to Rube's was in 1989, and there have been a lot of changes since then. I've eaten…read morethere many times and for many occasions. However, I don't want to focus on the past. Let's focus on this visit. I called ahead and made reservations. My wife and I arrived about 5 minutes before our reservation time. The ladies at the desk always seem to make it an awkward experience for some reason. They are nice enough, but they don't really act like they know what they're doing. There was a lot of whispering among themselves, and we were asked to wait while they checked with our server, and then asked to wait again while they seated people who arrived after us, even though that group was missing a couple of people. The lighting in the dining room is always a bit dark. Maybe they do that so the grills stand out when they're lit. They have small lamps on the tables. Our server was excellent. She ushered us to the cooler to pick out our steaks. She identified the largest ones on display as the ones to get, and even asked the cooler staff to put out more steaks so there were bigger ones to choose from. I got a New York strip and my wife ordered a small ribeye. We also ordered a mushroom skillet, which was extra. This is a grill-your-own-steak place, so you are the chef. There are a few seasonings available at the grill to add to your steak like garlic salt, seasoning salt, and table salt. They also have a bucket of melted margarine if you want to baste your steak with it, or put it on the Texas-sized bread while you toast it. I asked if they had butter. Our server brought us whipped butter and sour cream for the baked potatoes that are included with the meal. She melted a few of the butter packets for us to use on our steaks. Unfortunately, whipped butter just doesn't have the same flavor as regular butter. While I appreciated the effort, the end result wasn't what I'd hoped for. In addition to all the baked potatoes you care to eat, there are also baked beans and salad included with every meal. The salad was basically a section of a head of lettuce with dressing and toppings in it. While the presentation was nice, I prefer when they actually had the salad bar that they advertise. The salads used to come with carrot and celery sticks, and I used to be able to get cottage cheese from the salad bar for my baked potato. Now you can request another salad be brought out if you want another one. Let me add that the cups for the self-serve baked beans could be twice as big and still be considered small. There are also fried potatoes on the grill, and you can eat your fill of them. I assume they're cooked with the margarine they have available on the grill. While the food was good and service was excellent, I left thinking that for just the two of us, we could have made a feast for ourselves at home for less than half the price after the tip was included.

First, the food is amazing, service was fantastic. That said, there's the odd; the restaurant is…read moreat the end of a building that hosts a hardware store, the odd part? Three restaurants share a lobby/hostess. I honestly wasn't sure I was walking into the right place, but it's a minor thing (if you know about it). Now for the bad: like I said the food is excellent, no complaints there. But I was more than a bit surprised to see on my bill that I was being charged for mixers!! A double Captain & Coke: $8 for the rum, $0.50 for the coke?!?! Really? The $8 for 2 oz of rum doesn't cover the couple of cents worth of soda? On the menu you can order a side salad as one of your sides, but if you want extra dressing? That's $0.75. This is too nice of a restaurant to be nickel and diming your customers.

Amazing food. Fantastic and consistent service. The ambiance and atmosphere here are great. BBQ…read moreplace on one side, seafood on the other and steakhouse with a bar in the middle. The steakhouse, you should consider no ball cap or shorts. Dress up a little won't kill you. The bar selection is great (Blanton's, Whistle Pig, Four Roses, Basil Hayden are typically stocked). Nice wine selection and the steaks are perfectly cooked and marbled. You'll be back!

Food is always consistently great. Have had few bad meals here. Service is good depending on who's…read moreworking but I've never been treated poorly. The place is well kept and always decorated for whatever holiday they have coming up. All in all a decent place to get a good meal.

Christmas set up is magic! Great service and fun for kids. The food was awesome. I recommend trying…read morethis place out especially over Christmas

Pickles Pub is central Iowa gem. Hidden on blue Highway D 41 in Kamrar. The building is lovely with…read morea great hometown bar & grill vibe. Always bustling on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Fun Day, Pickles has a great staff of friendly, small-town folks. They hustle! Food comes out timely, and is good quality. We had a combo plate with fried mushrooms, pickles, and corn nuggets. It's all frozen stuff, but good quality. My wife had the French Dip sandwich and loved it (although she never dips her sandwich... wtf). I had the Patty Melt. It was cooked well on marble rye and was delicious. This is the ultimate roadside joint for a beer and bite. Nothing but positive energy for Pickles Pub!

I'd like to start out by saying; the experience exceeded any expectation I had!…read more My boyfriend and I visited on a Saturday evening. We had an app, 2 steak dinners & 2 drinks each for around $75. Great prices, good food, friendly staff. They weren't packed but as we sat there the place filled up very quickly! Classic American pub. I was not expecting my sirloin to be so well cooked & seasoned. It was the most perfectly cooked Medium steak. WORLDS better than the crap Texas Roadhouse puts out. I did ask for steak sauce or "A1" and one of the server's (not our server) looked at me like I had 5 heads & shook her head no. This dumbfounded me that she had no clue what steak sauce was. Our server grabbed the steak sauce so no harm no foul! We will be back to try the pizza which seemed quite popular there. This is also a great establishment if you have a larger party for dinner, they get the food cranked out pretty quickly.

About an hour and a half drive but well worth the trip!…read moreSaturday early afternoon and it was packed...about a half hour wait for seating was the only downside. Service was outstanding and the staff seemed to be handling multiple aspects of the jobs and helping each other out...no one just did one thing and I think that really sped up the service. Katie was our primary server and was outstanding! We ordered up a two and a three meat deal and had Campground Beans, Creamy Coleslaw, Cheesy Potatoes,, and Mac & Cheese as sides as well as a slice of Texas Toast and Cornbread as sides....oh, and Golden Corn Nuggets as an appetizer. The Corn Nuggets were good and sweet and served up with honey and a ranch sauce for dipping. The meat choices were 3) Ribs, Pork Loin, and Turkey Breast....and 2) Pork Loin and Turkey Breast. The smoke on everything was amazing and just the right amount for excellent flavors..the ribs were very meaty. Some places ribs leave you wanting but not at Watcha Smoking! The Pork Loin and the Turkey Breast were both very good as well...still tender and not dried out. I liked the Neck of the Woods sauce the best (mild tomato based) as well as the Carolina Gold sauce...it had nice kick to it. The sides were all good but the only issue was the Cheesy Potatoes were a bit dry.....I'm thinking that it must've been towards the end of the batch and had been sitting around for a bit. Cornbread was excellent, Texas Toast tops, Coleslaw was a good shredded, wet slaw, the Mac and Cheese very good, and the Campground Beans were the preferred side as they had some good chunks of smoked meats mixed in. Fantastic place, great for small groups and large groups as well...great food and great service...Definitely worth the trip!

Really enjoyed the premier BBQ joint in the greater Des Moines area in my visit to Whatcha Smokin'…read morein the midst of a rural backdrop, this place was definitely worth the 45 minute trek from the state capital for delicious brisket, corn, slaw and sweet tea at a very affordable price. I appreciated the dual restaurant ambiance for a service side with waiters or a order at the register style. All BBQ restaurants have one or the other but not both. The meet was tender and juicy and as their name would suggest - smoked to perfection. I don't know if I'll find myself in Iowa ever again but if I do I will definitely make another pilgrimage to Whatcha smokin for the states best BBQ

Good cheese curds graet bacon burger best service around! Not very busy great atmosphere! Would…read morecome here again!

We were 2 couples. Early Saturday afternoon we made reservations for 6:30pm. We arrived about…read more6:20pm and we were seated right away in one of their booths. The decor is pretty low rate. The whole restaurant desperately needs an update. The restrooms are only for one person at a time. This causes some major lines. But the service and food quality makes up for all of those issues. Our server was on the ball and came around frequently. We all ordered the prime rib. This is the ONLY place I will order prime rib. Everywhere else it's been flavorless, pure fat or tough. It's been none of that here. The salad is nothing special, just iceberg lettuce, a little cheese and a few Fritos. But it was pretty good, anyway. The blue cheese dressing was excellent, with some nice chunks of cheese. The baked potato was very good, nice & fluffy. It was done all the way through. So many time they're hard in the middle, but not these! We've been here several times before and we'll be back again!