We pulled up on a Saturday night for a quick dinner. The special was Prime Rib. 8 or 12oz. These…read morecuts were over an inch thick and huge! There is no way you are not in a meat coma when done. We opted for the ribeye and a patty melt. The ribeye was also very good sized and cooked perfectly. Brian thoroughly enjoyed it. I love steak but was embarrassed to order my normal "well done" in a place that obviously knows how a steak should be cooked, so I chose the patty melt. It was perfect. Tons of seasoned onions and cheese. The salad bar is lettuce, tomatoes, several dressings and crackers. It was all fresh though. The place was packed. Pulling up outside you see nothing buts lines of pickups. It was almost comical that this little small town bar draws the biggest crowd of anyplace around or even all the places around combined.......but then you taste the food and understand. Come as you are and don't expect frills. Most of all come hungry. Be ready for some farm talk or to hear the latest hunting story and an evening around down to earth people who welcome all hungry bellies.

It's been a hella few weeks/months of non-stop running for us, and we needed a little drive outta…read moretown to get dinner and just...drive and be together. A friend suggested the town of Arispe, IA (south of Afton) for their Saturday night prime rib at RoadSide Grill. Don't blink driving down Hwy 169 or you will miss it! Actually, no you won't because there were easily 50 trucks parked out front, and several more behind us. I grabbed a bar seat and ordered 2 beers, which were promptly served. We saw several patrons come in behind us, and decided we had better grab a table while we still could. We sat at a long table, meant for 8, and a lively 4-top sat next to us at the other end. It is a very lowkey and chill environment. Appetizer: pick 3 - mushrooms, jalapeño poppers and spicy Wisconsin cheese curds. I wanted gizzards and wings, but those come as a meal basket. Thus, we picked the 3 apps mentioned above. The fried mushrooms were the average, Sysco breaded mushrooms (not complaining, sometimes that's just what tastes good!). Jalapeño poppers, same story, basic Sysco poppers (I mean, it's fried cream cheese, what's to complain about?). Both were good but definitely premade. The spicy curds had some kick and we loved those w/ ranch. Salad bar: iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, croutons and dressings. Tub of cottage cheese for those that fancy it. 12oz Prime Rib: the whole reason for our roadtrip did not disappoint. Pretty sure I was served a 22oz, not a 12oz and I am not complaining about that! Wowza, the seasoned crust around the cut was so tasty, and the meat tender. I waffled between rare or medium rare, and decided to go with medium rare. Probably should've gone with rare, the medium rare was more medium than rare but whatever. It was still solid and delicious, even more cooked than I prefer. The au jus was fantastically salty and flavorful. Mmnnnnn! Served with a baked potato, slice of Texas Toast and oh yummmmmmm. I'm stuffed! 12oz Ribeye & Fried Shrimp: 4 basic butterfly shrimp with cocktail sauce, good. 12oz ribeye also fantastic, and also slightly more than med rare but not bad. Did not taint the awesome flavors and tenderness of this steak. Also served with a baked potato and Texas Toast. If you're up for a drive south of DSM, I HIGHLY recommend this place. Get in your vehicle and go for a roadtrip, you absolutely won't regret it.

Went here as a family of 4 tonight including a 4 year old and 1 year old. Was a great place to come…read morewith kids! Lots of choices and laid back environment. Pizza was delicious as was my husband's pork tenderloin. Beers were yummy and lots of other good sounding drinks we'll have to try some other time! Also, we split a HUGE piece of carrot cake which was a hit as well!

My wife and I stopped in for appetizers and a couple of drinks. We got two appetizers the Elote…read moredip(a Mexican corn dip with chips), and the garlic steak bites and bread. They were both excellent and really hit the spot. We definitely will be back.

I am so glad we found this gem, everything was so good even down to the delicious ranch dressing…read more Fries and burger were superb would definitely come here again any day!

It was seat yourself. Immediately, I was brought a menu &…read moreoffered a beverage b6 Colby H. my server for the evening. He was quite polite & patient for my drawn out ordering process. I ordered the wedge salad I've heard so much about & it was quite refreshing & a hefty portion. Bleu cheese dressing, balsamic, bacon chunks, lightly candied pecans, bleu cheese chunks.... Just heavenly. I ordered a burger, cheddar cheese, no bun & side cottage cheese. It was a large patty, tomato, lettuce, onion & pickle garnish was on the side. I left fulfilled & will be back to have a steak when I have more time.

Just a small town diner with home cooking on the menu. Fun train themed restaurant. Historical info…read morethroughout. Good service. Support small.

Local homemade food. Steaks cut in the restrurant, fries actually cut from the potatoes there too,…read moreribs, burgers, and chicken all delicious too. Plus free Wi-Fi and decent prices! If you miss local small town quality food THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO IN THE METRO AREA!

Great food! Homemade everything! It's been an age since buffets were a thing so we were surprised…read morewhen we walked in Ham, prime rib, fried fish all fantastic! Desserts that bring back memories of my childhood...there are so many choices it's kinda impossible to have it all lol but my goodness, it's so delicious you can't help but try! (You can also order from their menu, I saw an impressive looking cheeseburger on a nearby table ) The staff is efficient and super friendly! Evenings can get busy but they keep the food refreshed and there's no significant wait. We were traveling through the area a couple of years ago and kinda stumbled upon this little spot since we were staying nearby. We never miss it now when we come back!

Such a nice surprise! Never been there since we don't live near there! Saw a big sign off 35 so we…read moredecided to give it a try! What a cute place! BUFFET makes me wanna drive 78 miles from our town! I just admired it.. we ordered off the menu... TENDERLOIN sandwich and onion rings! So so good! I thought it was so cute! Then I walked back to the bathroom and it was MUCH BIGGER than I thought! I went back and grabbed my mama and walked her back there to see it and we talked to some nice customers, one used to work there when she was younger! Servers were so kind! Great memory with my mama!

Wow what a find! Went for lunch on a Tuesday to find this gem! Hot honey brussel sprouts as a…read morestarter which tantalize you with a sweet heat and feta cheese bits to cool the palate. Followed by one of the most amazing hot Reuben sandwiches with spicy pickles and homemade aeoli and a side of real fries Hubby had hand battered fish and chips which was cooked to perfection. Add to all of these wonderful gems was a great waitress with a pot of fresh coffee on an always refreshed cup... Folks this was a wonderful gem not far from I-35 and worth the extra mile or two... Osceola's Gem!!

Another drive outta DSM, this time to Osceola's The Iron Horse Neighborhood Grill and I had thee…read moreBEST onion rings! I'm so glad we thought to order them AFTER our meals came, or I would've eaten the humongous pile as my meal. Delicious! Chicken Wings: they have "the good ranch" and the wings were really good. Dirty Bird: turkey and bacon sandwich, side of coleslaw. All was good. Personally, this sandwich would be awesome with stuffing on it, like a thanksgiving leftovers sammy! It felt slightly...lacking something, but my aunt liked it so that's all that matters. Rueben (forgot pic until half was gone): very good! Perfectly toasted marble rye, french fries piping hot and delicious. Once the fries and Rueben were delivered, that's when we realized we forgot to order the onion rings and ordered those as well. Sirloin & Baked Potato (forgot pic until halfway through my baked potato ): delicious! However, I'm a total sucker for baked potatoes, lots of butter and sour cream. Also, I was so enthralled with the onion rings, I really didn't touch the steak beyond tasting one bite. I did bring it home for my lunch today! So again...let's talk about these amazing onion rings! I love large, hand-battered onion rings, not a huge fan of shoestrings. These hit every mark in my book, and were 100% worth the 45min drive! ‍‍Service was excellent, highly recommend! Sometimes it's just nice to go for a little drive, which we appear to be doing more of lately! All for $75, plus $25 tip was an awesome meal for $100. Very affordable and top quality.

Great cafe! Great service. There are some excellent items on the menu. A fun place to visit. Highly…read morerecommend. (I hope the cooks can go back to making the gravy for the hot beef platter the way they did a few years ago. The gravy back then was not too salty, was not dark, and had a very delicious beef flavor. Classic!)

We decided to take SR 2 instead of the interstate while traveling from Indiana to Utah and stumbled…read moreacross this gem. Junction Cafe has a large menu and reasonable pricing. My husband ordered the brisket sandwich with Cole slaw and I had the pulled pork Street tacos. Both were excellent! They offer several different sauces. We sampled the Frog Spit and Carolina Gold...yum! Well worth the stop and I am sorry that I didnt take photos before we dug in to our delicious lunch.

Oh my gosh I've been hearing about this place for years!!! I'm out of Kansas City so good food and…read moredrink are not scarce for me. However!!! This food; hospitality; vibe... is definitely worth all of the hype! We got here early so we had brunch, but we might be back later for dinner! Stay tuned!! Oh the owners are THE BEST!!!

3.9 We drove 2 hours to try this place this weekend. We had…read morebeen watching it on Facebook and was enjoying the changing menu and lively ideas. It's very good, the service is top notch for sure and the bar is good. The food is pretty and good +plus with maybe a bit more accurate seasonings to take it to the next level. Prices a bit high, but Very well done. It could be a bit more... fun? Seems a little tense to me but it's certainly worth a visit. Good Job!

Love this place. Stopped by between Des Moines and Sioux City and had a deliciously disgusting…read moremeal. Everything was yummy and so unhealthy. Garlic cheese ball and tater tot poutine? Amazing. The tenderloin was massive. And the broccoli cheese soup was a star. Tried the peach pie as well which I thoroughly enjoyed. The wait staff was super friendly and the ambiance was exactly what I was hoping for, a quality local establishment. Throughly enjoyed it.

The gf wanted to check out I-80 MetalArt and we found the Chuckwagon Restaurant right across the…read morestreet. We arrived pretty much at straight up noon on a Saturday. I fully expected the place to be packed as it appears to be pretty much the only show in town as far as a sit down restaurant. There was a please wait to be seated sign there as we walked in. We were greeted right away and seated in minutes. It's old school wood tables and chairs and I think there was a counter available. Ordering is done at the tables as well as settline your bill up with your server. Surprisingly the speed of service continued throughout the visit. After drinks we ordered the rodeo burger and fries, a tenderloin with chili cheese fries, and the garlic cheeseballs. The cheeseballs came with marinara and ranch. Fresh, hot, and fantastic! I've eaten a lot of tenderloins. Many that have been highlighted as Iowa Tenderloin Trail winners or participants... This is one of the better tenderloins I've had in the state! Obviously hand made, breaded, and fried. Not too thick and not too thin. Drained properly. Served with the essential condiments including the holy trinity (onions, dill pickles, and mustard). The gf liked her burger. It could have used more of the featured ranch and bbq sauce. The fries... Neither of us cared for them. Obviously hand made, but almost too thin and too greasy. We'd both opt for a different side next time. To each our own though. Almost every small town along this stretch of I-80 has a pub & grill. The menus vary a little, but are very similar in a lot of aspects. The quality of service and the cooks make the biggest differences. The Chuckwagon hit five stars in some aspects of both. Work on those fries and the flavor of the chili (horribly bland) and this review would have been five stars. I'm going to emphasize this again. Truly one of the best tenderloins I've had in the state! Keep doing what you are doing!

This was Fern's Drive In when I worked there as a teenager. Even with the change of name and…read moreownership, it is still a great place to grab cheese balls (known in other places as fried cheese curds) and ice cream! They offer standard fast food (burgers, fries, chicken strips and other fried goodies) with a local touch.