This is a super cool local wine bar. The food selection is also pretty top notch. We had a bottle of Cabernet, the avocado cheesecake (try it!!), wedge salad, and the zucchini pasta. All options were super good! Service was pretty slow, but it was a Friday night, and there was a film festival going on. Overall, great experience, and I'll definitely go back. read more

My husband, mother, and I recently visited the Dubuque area to attend my college graduation. I was looking for some place really nice to eat to celebrate not only graduation but also Mothers Day. I chose this restaurant based on the other Yelp reviews - there didn't seem to be much else of this caliber in the area - and we were not disappointed. Although the restaurant looks like a tiny little storefront from the street, it is large yet cozy inside. The décor is very inviting with interesting art on the walls, a unique collection of colored glass (teetering precariously on a high ledge, at least from the perspective of someone from earthquake country) and an old-timey tin ceiling. Overall, an eclectic mix of old and new that really worked. The service matched the décor, eclectic and attentive. The food was outstanding. Between the three of us we had: vegetable chowder - amazing flavor, creamy, a hint of curry or coconut milk (but didn't contain either!) Caesar salad - a slightly sweet and tangy dressing that perfectly complemented the greens baby greens salad with a balsamic vinaigrette - very yummy pork tenderloin - the sweet onion and golden raisin sauce over the pork tenderloin was exquisite beef tenderloin - another amazing sauce, with very garlicky mashed potatoes (yum!) lamb chops - cooked to perfection with more yummy potatoes and sauce chocolate cake - very rich, dense, perfect accompaniment for the last of the wine Everything was delicious, including the recommended wine, a Parker Station Pinot Noir. The wine list is amazing, very interesting selectIions and reasonable prices. Someone has really done their homework. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for excellent food in an inviting atmosphere. read more

Unbelievable! Tied at the top of my list for the best meals in the area. A classically trained chef who produces fine Midwest cuisine with a twist. She also changes the menu quarterly, which is fantastic! You won't be disappointed. read more

I've been here twice and both times the food service and facilities have all been excellent. Definitely recommend for a very nice dinner. read more

Best place in town for a delicious meal. Best place in town for a great drink. Best atmosphere. Best bartenders. Best service. Best restaurant on Main st. Best meat cuts. Best appetizers. Amazing deserts. This is clearly my favorite restaurant in Dubuque. Try it, and you'll see why. Meatloaf lover? Ask about the meatloaf of the month. You're welcome. read more

We had the most fantastic time at Pepper Sprout. The food was excellent, and a large portion which was enough to take home in the most unique to go creation. Eric gave top notch service, and will definitely visit again. Thank you!!! read more

Love it and the owner, Kim! Amazing food - tastes great. We had our rehearsal dinner here and it was amazing! The best food and chef in Dubuque. Thanks for adding a wonderful dining experience to the Dubuque area! We make it a regular stop when we are in the area. read more

The food at this spot was good, for Dubuque IA. Our appetizer came out cold, which they promptly fixed. It had a good taste, it just wasn't executed in the BOH correctly. This is kitchen 101 stuff people! The Caesar was decent, and although they warn you about the garlic, for crying out loud, dial it back Chef!! The clam chowder was real good, a proper, just nape consistency, which is always nice to see. I had the Quail, good stuffing, seasoned well, done nicely. I would give this place 4 stars, but the server we had wasn't great, he actually seemed visible put-off when we did not order any alcohol. Next time, offer the table a drink menu, you'd be surprised what might happen! With all that said, this place is a worthy destination if you are in town, or perhaps visiting Galena. read more

Good hearty fare. Reasonably priced. Nice atmosphere and waitstaff was great. Drinks not so great, just think I ordered the wrong thing. Lamb was great as was the Salisbury steak. read more

Recommended by the local bookstore. We had pork shanky and ceasar salad. Both were excellent with great flavor . The servings were huge and my wife ate the shank for another 2 days. read more

Don't get too excited! This place was mediocre at best. Rude unexperienced wait staff. Uncomfortable chairs crammed into too small of a space. Went with a group of six and all were rather disappointed. If this is one of the better rated restaurants in Dubuque then Dubuque has a long way to go to becoming a place of fine or even middling dining. We will not be going back. The meatloaf was not eaten and the salmon on the salads was about two bites to the salad. Not worth the added expense. Look else where. read more

It was a cute place with good service but the food left something to be desired. The mussels in white wine sauce tasted just like white wine without seasoning or depth of flavor. The Hawaiian prawns was spicy from Im guessing the garlic? It was just okay. I'd come back to try a fall menu, but it won't be one of my go to places. read more

This is a unique gem in Dubuque. Located on main street in a quaint area. Public parking garage nearby. The menu is eclectic and seasonal. Prices are higher than a regular dinner but worth it. I had the southern seafood newburg and it was perfect. Huge shrimp. For appetizers we had the brie and deviled eggs. Both good. Eggs were unique with two sets of cheeses. My husband had the crab mac and cheese which was a hit as well. Make reservations, use the parking garage and enjoy your food selections! read more

OMG this place is absolutely amazing! A small place downtown but it has an amazing atmosphere. The food is out of this world. The menu changes per season, so it is never the same when you come in. I highly recommend have a great meal here. I will definitely be back! read more

I don't want to be nasty but "I don't get it" I have eaten here four times in 8 years and every time I promise I will not do it again. Then like childbirth I guess after a while you forget. This last time was some kind of duck and it was not even possible to finish the food. Sorry guys but you're not fooling anybody. By the way they treat you great and try hard, the only issue is the food. read more

The four of us were really looking forward to our first dinner here. After asking the server about the bison stew special, three of us ordered it because it sounded great. The other entrée ordered was a spicy Italian pasta dish. While what we were served looked great, the bison meat was difficult to cut with a steak knife let alone to chew. We brought this to the attention of the server who just stared at us blankly. Not wanting to spoil our night out, we didn't make a fuss where we should have sent the three dinners back. We then ordered after dinner port (without finishing our entrees) and were surprised that the server came back with only one serving of port telling us "that's all that was left". read more

I am a vegan so I threw myself at the mercy of the chef in this town where there are only two ingredients---meat, and dairy. I received a nice vegetable curry. Not amazing tasting, but the chef gave it a try and I appreciated that. The decor and overall feeling of the place was excellent, as was the service. read more

I have heard great things about this restaurant so maybe my expectations were a little high. The decor was very nice and the staff was very friendly! The waiter warned us that the Cesar salad was a bit garlicly and I didn't mind because I absolutely love garlic. What he should have done was warned us that everything the cook cooks is overloaded with garlic. The soup and cod cakes we ordered were so overwhelming with garlic that I couldn't really taste anything else. The duck with raspberry sauce my husband ordered wasn't med rare it was just plain rare. Needless to say it wasn't what I expected. Plates are around $20 to $25 which would be reasonable if they worked on improving the food a little more. read more

We were there on Saturday night March 18th to celebrate a birthday in our family and the food was fabulous and so was the service! There were five of us and we all had something different and we all just said WOW! read more

I came here last year with my sis who was visiting for Xmas. The atmosphere was great (especially compared to other dubuque restaurants). The waitress was very friendly but the food was just ok. It was nothing special. I had the osso bucco and i don't even remember what my sister had or what we ordered for appetizer. It wasn't unforgettable. But overall, it was a good dining experience. read more

OMG as the kiddos say, this restaurant is a treat for the senses! Beautiful inside, much attention to detail, and owned by a local chef who returned to her roots. I was in town on business and heard from a grandmother of 16 who was on the flight from Chicago that this was a great place to go. Exposed brick, an antique tin ceiling, artwork from locals hanging on the walls and great crooner music playing low and soft in the background. I went back both nights I was in Dubuque. The first nite I had the very fresh greens with a strawberry vinagarette and for the main course, the macaroni. This is no ordinary macaroni. Gourmet cheeses with crab, sauteed onion and bacon make this a rich comfort food treat. Split it, though, as it is a large entree. Second nite I had the filet which was cooked to perfection over garlic mashed potatoes and savory asparagus. I don't know much about Dubuque other than it is beautiful there and that you MUST go to this restaurant! Ask for Justin as your waiter. read more

I am always surprised when I read a negative review of Pepper Sprout. Chef Kim Wolff is probably the most inventive chef in the area. I just love to stop in when the new seasonal menus come out. At my last visit, there were too many (new) choices for me, but I had to go with the venison, as that is a dish that can be hard to come by and surely tests the mettle of its preparer; cook it 30 seconds too long and you might as well throw it away. Needless to say, mine was flawless. Although the entrees have always been first rate, I have to praise Chef Kim and her outstanding soups. I have ordered some of the oddest sounding things or a soup that I figured I wouldn't particularly care for, but the homemade stock, along with the chef's perfect choices of herbs and spices have always surpassed my often-finicky expectations. The wine list is not overly extensive, but the prices are quite fine. I've never had anything but first-rate service. While some in the area have been known to complain about price, I insist that you get what you pay for. read more

Food is amazing. Atmosphere is phenomenal. Pricey, but worth it.

The Pepper Sprout is perhaps the most elegant, romantic restaurant in Dubuque. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional supper clubs, this is it. The dining area is narrow but deep, with a high, tin-covered ceiling, exposed brick walls, and muted lighting. The menu is eclectic and changes regularly. Service is friendly, prompt, and professional. A bit on the pricy side, but try it - most entrees aren't much more than a gourmet burger and drink at Red Robin! Great for dates or special occasions. read more

Incredible cuisine. Service was great and food was spectacular. This place is the crown jewel of Dubuque. An absolute must if you ever go through this part of Iowa. read more

The atmosphere is great and service just average. Unfortunately the food disappointed all 4 at my table. My Shrimp Creole had more carrots and zucchini than rice and shrimp. My friend ordered the ravioli and it had the largest most tough Brussel sprouts I've ever had. None of us finished our meal and the waitress didn't even question it. Shocked that this place has so many good reviews! read more

I debated writing such a negative review, but decided to do so in the end to warn off others from eating here and to get the owners to fire the chef and to hire someone that actually knows how to cook. I brought a large party to the restaurant (14 of us) and not a single one of us had anything positive to say about the meal. The service was fine, but the food was awful. First, there was the cold bread. Not sure what type of bread it was, but it was not your typical restaurant serving. We also ordered some duck nachos which were absolutely tasteless. A few of us ordered the Caesar Salad which was the oddest tasting Caesar Salad any of us had ever had. One of my sons-in-law ordered the salmon (grilled) while my father stayed with the blackened salmon. Other entrees included the mac-n-cheese. I've actually forgotten what everyone else ordered because they were further away from me, but I had to apologize to everyone after the dinner for having picked this restaurant to eat at. Given the prices (average entree low $20's) I expected something better. It didn't have to be Haute Cuisine, but it absolutely should have been enjoyable. The food was edible, but it was NOT good. Trust me, even the Olive Garden would have had better food and I don't have a very high opinion of their food. read more

Excellent! Just so ya know, I don't give many places 5 stars but this food was excellent. Haven't had a steak cooked so well in a long time (and I eat out 4 nights a week). Slightly disappointed in their wine by the glass selection but house wines were decent. Definitely stop in if you're passing through town! read more

Best restaurant in Dubuque. Fantastic service, great ambiance and excellent food. Would go again if I were to make it back to the area.

Had reservations for 5:30 which we felt would give us plenty of time to make our 7:30 play across the street. We made in just in time, unfortunately multiple people I were with were very disappointed with their meals. Everyone said their meal and dinner salad had too much garlic, I just ordered a chicken Cesar salad because my stomach was already upset, but the salad was so garlicy that it didn't help my stomach at all. I ended up eating the chicken which was very good but felt it was a total waste of money. It took a while to get our meal which had us concerned we would be late for our show and we were then told by who I assume was a manager that if someone orders an appetizer they typically plan for a 2-hour dinner time. This is unheard of. Yes we had an appetizer but it was because we were all very hungry because most of us skipped lunch knowing we would be having an early dinner. This was my moms third and final visit to this restaurant. Each previous visit she was highly disappointed, but she had not chosen the place for dinner that night so had to give it another chance. So much disappointment. read more

BBr and having very good dining experience here. Was local suggested and was right on. Had a fruit trio plate of different melons. Cantaloupe was best. Also some creamed herring, goat cheese, and prosciutto, which was good but not amazing. Bread was a sourdough and ok. BBr had a sirloin tip pasta which was excellent. I had scampi and shrimp and scampi were large and excellent. Also Cesar salads were good. Mine had anchovies added which I really like and they were larger size. Great service and a nice dining experience overall. read more

Went for dinner and sat at the bar around 7:30pm. Dining room was half full. Bartender stated they didn't serve food at the bar until 8:30. We opted to wait. At 8:00 Hostess came up to us and stated she would get us a table as they couldn't serve us food at the bar due to how busy they were. Service was understaffed and somewhat rude. Opted to walk to the next place! read more

Do yourself a favor and get the Large Salmon Caesar Salad. It will change your life! This place is my favorite restaurant in Dubuque, IA. I never come to town without stopping by. The staff are always so friendly and the food is always so delicious. You cannot go wrong with this one! Oh, and everything tastes better with a bottle of wine-you know you want to. read more

Service and drinks were good but it ended there. Salad, soup, and bread were mediocre. Lamb was fatty and chewy although cooked correctly. The bison tenderloin was completely raw when ordered medium rare. Both had only mediocre flavor for the price not worth it. We will never be back. read more

We were staying at the Hotel Julien just down the street and we tried Pepper Sprout on the recommendation of a store keeper we met in Galena. She was spot on! It was a nice place. The atmosphere was nice, service was good and the food was excellent. We had some mix up with the seating but either the hostess was new or they were working through some changes but they took very good care of us. Would definitely recommend this place for a special dinner! read more

Absolutely outstanding! I had the pretzel crusted pork tenderloin and it was one of the best meals I have ever had! read more

Great atmosphere. Great drinks and service. I loved the menu. Flat iron, lamb, duck confit , bruschetta, all good. Loved it. Feeling out of place in IA? Coming here feels like the best places in SoCal. Bad reviewers haven't ever been anywhere. read more

My wife and I went here a few weekends ago. The atmosphere was great. Our waiter was attentive. We ordered the beef tenderloin and the prime rib. The tenderloin was melt in your mouth amazing, one of the best I have ever had. The prime rib was very good, though not quite as "wow" as the tenderloin. Both were served with garlic mashed potatoes which were good and vegetables which were cooked perfectly. It was a little pricey for us (we dont splurge that often), but a great place for a date. read more

Yelp comes through again! I was passing through Dubuque tonight and was in the mood for a good meal - found Pepper Sprout with decent ratings and took a chance. So, I just polished of an amazing baked Brie appetizer and one of the best beef tenderloins I've ever eaten. Can't wait to pass through Dubuque again!. read more

I can't even describe how amazing the food is here...choose the pheasant, pork, venison....oh gosh you can't go wrong. wine menu is solid...liquor selection is nothing special but adequate. THE FOOD!!! do it. read more