I stopped for lunch and the first thing I noticed is the parking lot was packed. When I went…read moreinside, I had to wait for a couple before me to get seated and then I was given the only other table that was available at the time. My server promptly came over and took my drink order. When she returned with the drink, she took my order. I asked her choice between the French dip and the hot beef, and she said that she sells a lot of the hot beef, so that's what I picked. It also came with a cup of soup, and I got the macaroni beef soup. The soup came right out, and it was on the watery side, it could have used more of a tomato base to give it more flavor. This could be because of the customers they get, most of them were older customers and might like their food bland. Considering how busy this place was, my food arrived in a very reasonable time (approx. 10 mins). The beef and mashed potatoes were hot and tasty. The mashed potatoes were most likely from a box, but they were good. The gravy was plentiful and had a good flavor. There could have been more beef for my liking, but for the money, this was a GREAT deal! I see why this place was packed, you get a lot of value for your money and that's hard to find today... My only complaint was at checkout, I waited over 5 mins to pay my bill. They didn't have a dedicated cashier, they relied on the serving staff to take care of that, and they were totally swamped with the amount of people in there.

Food is kind of bland. Needs more variety and more flavor. The staff is friendly though!read more

A little tavern/bar & grill in a teeny tiny town. Friendly staff, and the VERY BEST fried/broasted…read morechicken I've ever had! Next time I'm visiting family, I may just have to order some to go because after the 20-25 minutes it will take to get back to Mason City, it might be cool enough to eat! Not that I'm complaining - it was scrumptious! I just burned my tongue a bit. My two sides were baked potato and mac & cheese - both very good. Potato was HUGE and piping hot as well. I couldn't finish my meal and when I had my leftover chicken the next day, it was still very juicy - which has never happened for me with leftover fried chicken! The only real issue we had was when my sister ordered Gobbler's Beans as a side, and it was more like bean soup. Just not what we expected. Definitely get the chicken!

Great food!! Great atmosphere! Owners are some of the friendliest people around, they greet you…read morewith a smile. I highly recommend you check them out, especially on Thursday for their broasted chicken.

I'd totally come back to Rookies, it seems like the place to be. We walked in and it was a bit…read moreloud, but hey, it's a bar, and it's got great classic bar ambiance. Nice! We sat down in the back of the first room by the four pool tables (yup, they have at least four pool tables) and someone almost immediately came to give us our menus. That's one thing that stood out to me here -- we were absolutely taken care of. Any time someone walked by they asked us if we wanted anything. That's service!! They also didn't rush us AT ALL. We asked for boxes and I assumed they'd give us the check to get us out. Nope! We could have sat there for another two hours and just chilled out. Our original waitress hung out with us and talked about the menu (but wasn't overbearing) and was very friendly. She even suggested other places to go in town after we were done, but mentioned Rookies was the place to be at night. Noted!!!! We ended up getting 4 beers total (a shandy and a local hazy ipa x2), 2 starters (pickle chips and cheese balls - which are actually cheese curds), and two burgers (the green been machine and the southwestern burger) and it came to $66. That's a deal, baby! Food was great too, classic fried bar food, but they weren't afraid to take risks with the green been burger (which has fried green beans on it). I'd totally recommend Rookies for anyone looking for a spot to eat in Clear Lake.

Great atmosphere, good food that is consistent, Service is great with few exceptions. Tap beer…read moreselection is better than most.

Everything is great and still the same. Prices have increased appropriately. Margs are the same $11read more

First time back in several years. Traditional Old School Clear Lake restaurant. Good fish fry,…read morebut crazy high prices ($70 for two fish fries and 3 beers), service is weak, nice to be back after a long absence, but it will be longer before I return. God bless them on their effort, but I remember a different place and time, not to be replicated right now anyway.

Had a wonderful lunch at the Thai Bistro today…read more Our server was quiet yet polite, very knowledgable of the menu (was able to assist with a friend who has food allergies). For a midday Wednesday, in Mason City, we were the only customers. While this was the case, the restaurant itself had music set at a decent conversational level, the restaurant was clean and prepped for any rush of service, and it didn't feel as if the server was avoiding our table or checking in too frequently. The food came out looking professional, and was delicious! I personally love how there were five levels of heat provided for those looking for spicer meals. If you're looking for a filling and quick lunch in Mason City, I highly recommend the Level 3 Chicken Fried Rice with a California roll on the side!

Really enjoyed the meal from Thai Bistro that we had delivered through door dash. The pad thai was…read moreamazing, as was the lo mein, plenty of leftovers. We also got a few sushi rolls which were very fresh. The spring rolls were very good as well. Will eat here again.

Service was very poor. Place was half full and we ordered meals for 6. Waited a reasonable time…read morefor the meals but they didn't put sauces on the side for burgers as they had asked when typing in the order and left onions on two of them and completely forgot to bring one burger and when we finally had flagged down to ask they said it would be 5 minutes. Again; no one ever checked back and the burger never came. Spending nearly 150.00 on drinks and meals is a lot to pay for crappy, inattentive service and missing a meal. No apology and no acknowledgement at all.

Terrible service. 20 mins for two drinks. Tennis net with "sorry we are behind but the drinks are…read moreworth it" I can get better cranberry juice from a holiday inn. Service to wrong tables, out of silverware.... Bad WiFi. Nothing good.

We dined at the Leadlight on a Saturday night. The restaurant has a Frank Llyod Wright feel with…read morePrairie Style art work and furniture lending to a warm and cozy ambiance. We started with the Historic Old Fashion and crab cakes. The cocktail was well balanced. The crab cakes had a nice crisp to them. We ordered the Cast Iron Ribeye, one medium and one medium rare. When the steaks came out, I asked which was which and our waitress walked back to the kitchen. She came back and explained they were both medium rare. We were hungry so went ahead and had them instead of sending one back. The peppercorn glaze on top of the ribeye almost overpowered the flavor of the ribeye. The ribeye was tender and flavorful. The restaurant was not particularly busy that night but the two waitresses on duty had to hustle. Our waitress Karen was great. Staffing seemed to be a real problem. The bartender was making drinks for the restaurant and covering the downstairs bar, slowing down the time it took get more drinks. While we were not in a hurry, we noticed several tables frustrated with the service. We saw the manager once the entire time we were there and he just came out, looked around, and went back to his office. As busy as everyone was, I was surprised he did not pitch in and clear a few tables or help expedite the food.

We loved our evening at Lead Light. The service was excellent and the meal was beautifully…read moreprepared and delicious. The menu is limited, but sufficient to meet the preferences of most. The beer menu was tip-top. The restaurant has a quiet, serene atmosphere. We can't wait to go back.

This is place is a hidden little gem, not open a lot, but good food. I will definitely be back!…read morePrime Rib was awesome!

This place is a hidden Gem. Excellent food and great small town atmosphere. Worth the drive, but…read moreget there early as the Friday Night Prime Rib special does sell out. They do serve a grilled (not fried) Port Tenderloin that is HUGE and you can't beat the price! Love Donna's!