It had been a hot minute since my last visit to The Shot Tower Inn in Dubuque, and this time was a lot of fun. We sat at the bar and spent the whole meal joking around with the locals and the bartender, which honestly made the visit. The drinks were made well, served with a sense of humor, and the whole place had that comfortable historic Dubuque staple feel. And the pizza is still a win here. We ordered a Canadian bacon and sauerkraut pizza -- and yes, I know I am lucky that Kim likes it too. The pie was made perfectly, tasted great, and even made excellent midnight hotel snacks later. Prices were very fair, the ambiance fits the place perfectly, and it was a great post-spa treat. Shot Tower Inn has that old-school local charm that is hard to fake. We will be back, and you should go too. read more

Shot Tower is a Dubuque classic! I always loved coming here as a kid and decided it was a great place to take some friends driving through the area. The service is always quick and friendly. The portions are huge and reasonably priced. This recent visit, I had the Wally Burger which was delicious. My friends got the pizza which is always a solid choice. Definitely visit if in downtown Dubuque. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Wally Burger - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

The service was quick. But we have had it inconsistent with the apps coming out of the deep fryer before they were fully cooked. The rest of the meal was spot on and the error was quickly corrected. read more

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We've been here several times over the years and the food is always good . From pizza, hot sandwiches and even the dinners . We usually sit on the self service side . Several times they have forgotten something to our orders and this time was no different . But when it's a pizza for the kids and the adults all got theirs, it goes bad . The kids didn't want any of ours . Their pizza never came until after everyone else was done . We kept them entertained with the games while waiting and the others ate . It wasn't crazy busy and plenty of staff! The bar staff was awesome as usual and went out of their way for you. The kitchen staff didn't even apologize for forgetting the pizza We started coming here when family members lived close, but they've since moved and it's a bit of a trip for us all, but we do it for tradition. That tradition may change after this trip. This is just a local bar/ restaurant that hasn't been updated much over the years . Tables were dirty and we were not impressed. read more

Stopped by on a random Friday afternoon for a drink before dinner. Cool bar with great sports viewing on tons of TVs. We didn't eat but all food looked great. Pizza will be a must next time we are in town - it looked fabulous and lots of people were getting in and carrying out. Very friendly bartenders. Decent place for families. Not sure what it's like later in the evening. We would go back again! read more

Was in town for a work conference and live a good local dive bar with good food! Found it! Was told they have great pizza for our waitress Emily! She was 100% right! The thin crust isn't what you think thin and it was not greasy or floppy! Crust was crispy and the toppings were plentiful and absolutely delicious! Definitely fresh! Made my own 12" pie and it was more than one can eat! Emily was very friendly and super positive even though she was running like a madwoman! Definitely will be back! Oh and another positive the atmosphere is very cool there and loots of random Knick knacks to check out and the mixed drinks are cheap and strong! read more

Shot Tower Inn - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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Pizza was no better that a frozen pizza. Dry and tasteless. And the price for what we got was very pricey. I was expecting so much better. I am very disappointed. read more

My first couple choices for dinner were not open like Yelp shows and I realized that after grazing the area for lunch and drinks I'm not super hungry for a heavy steak meal so I decided to grab some dinner for later when I finally wind down in the hotel Julian for the day. This place is by far the busiest restaurant in downtown Dubuque because it's controlled chaos in the kitchen with walk ins, phones and the dining room. Once again Steve has to re arrange a menu item because I ordered the Philly cheese steak on garlic bread which confused my order takes, that's a different bread. The garlic bread is obviously a pre made restaurant store style and not a hoagie roll but being the champ he was he made the sandwich in two half's on the smaller garlic bread as not screw me out of the full sandwich. It was very delicious with nice the beef, melty cheese and peppers on the garlic bread. read more

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Very good hot roast beef, exactly as expected for comfort food. Great service! Crappy plastic plates. Very good cider mule as well. read more

We love this place. Fun for the whole family. Best pizza around and the whole menu is tasty.

Thank you Shot Tower Inn for being so accommodating to a crazy request of serving a baseball team and their families within an hour of calling. Your food was delicious and prices were very reasonable. The atmosphere was fun, staff was very kind and helpful and service was quick. If your looking for some amazing pizza and fried ice cream I highly recommend. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

My family who lives in Dubuque always raves about how good this place is so when visiting we have to go. I had been a few years ago and I'm thinking we had pizza and it was great. Since we just had pizza at Happy Joe's the night before (can't leave Dubuque without a trip there either) we decided to let everyone order different stuff this time.. I had the best Reuben sandwich ever! Everyone around me got different food... pineapple pizza... sandwiches.. chicken tenders... and they were all cleaning their plates. My boys (11 and 9) shared the big Nachos Supremos and it came with the most toppings I've ever seen on nachos (you can add either chicken or beef). They tried and they were hungry but they still couldn't finish it. My brother had lived in Dubuque for a few years and knew they usually have really good specials. So he says you should always ask about it and that's what he did- Brisket sandwich! It looked delicious too! I was with a huge group and I like that they have the option of table service or just going into an area where everyone could order at the counter when they were ready and get their own. We had a few pitchers of beer in some fancy cups, my kids had a great time playing the few arcade games they had. The pinball machine wasn't working that night but i remember that Shrek pinball machine being one of my favorites! Hopefully it was just messed up that night. I love the old tavern look on the inside and the atmosphere- casual, lots of old, fun stuff to look at on the wooden walls and the big fire going strong in the fireplace! I just couldn't believe there aren't a million more reviews of how awesome this place is! read more

Shot Tower Inn - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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Apparently one of the most popular places in town, but a no for me. The setting is fun and reminded me of the kinds of places we went when I was a kid, and our server was the kindest woman. The food, however, left a lot to be desired. My boyfriend and I decided to split their Italian Meatball sub and a deep dish pizza, half pepperoni and half Canadian bacon. On the menu the sub says "not your typical round meatballs" and it intrigued us. We ventured a guess it might be more like a slap of meatloaf to make it easier to eat on a sub roll, but didn't know for sure. The server let us know that the texture was mushy, but we decided to roll with it. It turns out mushy Italian meatball = unseasoned meat paste. I couldn't get more than a couple bites down around the edges that had browned a bit. It needed texture or taste, but a lack of either was unappetizing. The fries we were upsold on were thin shoestrings that were half raw. The server was very understanding and got us a crispy batch. As for the deep dish pizza, it's really closer to a Pizza Hut pan pizza. The crust is about an inch thick and there is thin layer of sauce followed by a thin layer of toppings and then cheese. The pepperoni itself was actually pretty good, and the pizza wasn't terrible - it just wasn't deep dish by any stretch of the imagination. Calling it deep dish was extra misleading with the menu note that it would be a longer cook time and the higher prices. This is the only spot I've eaten in Dubuque so I can't say how it fares compared to the rest of the city, but if we end up in the area again we'll try something else. read more

Good food. Good service. A Dubuque staple. Need I say more? Always good. We stop here whenever we're back in town.

Shot Tower is our favorite pizza place in Dubuque. The food is always excellent and staff are friendly and helpful.

Great for a big group. Had 50 people for a baseball team and was able to reserve the back of the place. Had an order window to place you orders and food came out quick. Highly recommend for any teams visiting the area. read more

I really don't know why this restaurant has only three stars... Our experience was excellent! We sat at the bar and the bartender was really friendly and helpful. We ordered a couple of glasses of Merlot and a combination pizza. Pizza was outstanding and of course the Merlot was good too... Our experience sitting at the bar and having this meal was excellent so that's why I'm giving it five stars and I highly recommend that you sit at the bar and do the same thing if you're in Dubuque, Iowa! read more

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Pricey, but some of the best pizza ever! And I am so picky. Delivery to our hotel was early and came right to the room! Our cousins loved their dine-in service and ate there twice in 2 days! read more

I've grown up with the owners of this place, tradition has been carried on from parents to the kids who own and run it now. Pizza is some of the best in town, service is fast and friendly, never a bad experience here! read more

Very, very, very good pizza in downtown Dubuque. A very, very, very nice surroundings. A very, very, very nice place to eat good pizza which tasted very very, very good. read more

They have a good pizza with a fresh crust. Prices are still reasonable compared to other restaurants. It has a cool old school atmosphere. Nice variety of items on the menu. AFTER they charged me for using a credit card without posting a notice anywhere ahead of time I was mad. I am not patronizing places that charge a fee when they actually profit off the fee as well. The credit charges 3% and they charge the customer 4%. If they can not afford to take a credit card they should close, raise prices or streamline their business to accommodate. This leaves a bad last impression as you leave the restaurant. Furthermore the manager promised he would refund my card for the fee and NEVER followed through. If you still want to eat here ~ BRING CASH. I am not going back read more

Great place. Kinda divey. Good staff, friendly towny bar. Cold beer, great sandwich. Pizza looked great. Guys sitting next to me at the bar loved the chicken wings. Nachos looked great too read more

Shot Tower Inn - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

I've eaten here my whole life, I love it and I recommend it to all. Though, it's worth noting, I don't venture away from their grinder sandwich or the shot tower special pizza. Both are great. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Grinder sandwich - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

The lasagna gave my mother in law food poisoning. The French dip sandwich was barely edible due to being over salted The thin crust sausage pizza was not good. The sauce is so acidic it burn the mouth and the cheese was unpleasant and very greasy. Very expensive for very poor quality read more

Food was okay. I ordered the all meat pan pizza, the beef tasted like it had been cooked and frozen for quit sometime. The pizza itself self wasn't cooked completely, just ate around what wasn't done. The service was good and pretty prompt. The atmosphere was nice. read more

I grew up in DBQ and moved away years ago. I recently moved back to the area and couldn't wait to come here. The food is even better than I remembered. The pizza is the best. Thin crispy crust with lots of toppings. I also had a grinder sandwich recently. It was so good! read more

This is more like 5 reviews in one because everyone who is with me agreed that we need to write a great review for the Shot Tower Inn! Here's why, first of all their pizza and chicken wings are the best in town!!! Seriously, I always recommend this place to people who either live in Dubuque or are visiting. They are a family owned business and not only is the food great, but service is great and the ambiance reflects Dubuque history and culture. The reason I'm specifically writing this review today is that we placed an order that got lost and caused us a twenty minute delay... however, to make it up to us, they reimbursed us for the pizza, had it delivered to our address, and added a free dessert with the delivery! I really appreciate their gesture and would highly recommend giving this place your business in return for delicious food and a great local experience! read more

This is based on food as I ordered from the counter and did not sit in the area that had a waitress. I started with the combo appetizer which was mozzarella sticks, mini tacos, buffalo wings and artichoke dip. Everything was good on that except the artichoke dip which was inedible. And I love artichoke dip and like it even when others don't. This one just should not be served. I also ordered the works pizza and that was not good at all. It was very bland, doughy and just really no flavor. I've had better frozen pizza at half the cost. The best part of the pizza was the green olives. I probably will go back but will try something other than the pizza. I did see taco salads people had and they looked great and the ranch that came with the appetizer combo was really good. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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I have never eaten their pizza while in Dubuque, but they have the best lasagna around. They give a huge portion of lasagna (filling almost the entire take out box... always get take out). It's filled with tons of cheese, beef, and tomato sauce. This lasagna is better than any lasagna I've had in San Francisco and the bay area. Plus, I just love their mozzarella sticks. The aroma just smells delicious, and once you take your first bite into them, they are just oozing with cheese and yummy goodness. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Their 1/2 rack of ribs for take out. - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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Great wings! Awesome service! Must try the mushroom and Swiss burger. Sooo juicy! The pizza looks amazing as does the fried chicken! Must try next time I stop in DBQ read more

I don't know why we continue to come here. The pizza was super dry AND COLD! Not only do they not put enough sauce on it, but I feel like they gave us a canceled order from some other customer. When we complained they just said "sorry". I then asked for more sauce on the side. The waitress gave me a bowl of sauce...which was also right out of the fridge cold! I had to ask they nuke it so it was warm. I didn't bother to have it re-nuked when it came back out still cold. The last few times we've come it has been the same crappy service and not enough sauce. It's our fault for not ordering extra sauce this time because we always forget how bad it sucked the time before... I'm gonna think twice about ever coming here again. There are plenty of other pizza places in town doing a great job to bother with this place anymore. read more

Great comfort food and the ambience is nice. Very welcoming and home like feel. Staff was very welcoming and attentive. I eat here at least once every time I visit Dubuque. Our family has been patrons since it opened and is one of our favorite places to have a meal as they can accommodate our seating needs. read more

I have had positive experiences with shot tower in the past but tonight is total disappointment. Ordered wings and onion rings and ended up with a greasy soggy mess. This place is totally hit or miss. read more

Provides a family friendly dining experience. There are arcade games for kids to play and other quarter machines to keep occupied while you wait on your food. Pizza is okay. I prefer their other dinner options. They have great sandwiches and bar style foods to choose from. read more

I loved this place up until today. Arrived at 1:30pm. We were the ONLY ones there. We promptly knew what we wanted before arriving. It took over a half hour to get this personal size pizza. While three employees sat at the bar on their phones, flipping through TV channels. Our waiter never checked on us, never refilled drinks. He coughed in his hand, picked his nose. I had to break up their party to get our bill. There are far to many other paces to eat, and I always stopped here when passing through Dubuque. Not any more read more

Just horrible. I used to come here when visiting family years ago and everything went downhill. There were flies everywhere swarming the food while we were eating. The food was cold and terribly greasy. Hopefully they can turn this place back to how it was. Sad. read more

I ordered a single deep dish w/ only cheese & onion and it's one of the best pizzas I've had. They delivered quicker than expected directly to my hotel room. I'm sad I don't live here to get pizza from them more regularly. The tomato sauce was . read more

We ordered delivery and they forgot our spaghetti and accused us of lying. Plus the food was so gross. We will never eat there again!

Probably the worst meal I have had in US in 2 years. We ordered a garlic bread bruschetta. It arrived in a foil with exactly what u asked for. Bread, cheese and bruschetta like tomato onion salsa. The bread was soggy from the water dripping from tomatoes. No crispy was, no crust and no cooking skills. Also ordered a portobello mushroom sandwich which did nothing to the great ingredients. All in a all a road trip spoiled. read more

Shot Tower Inn - Garlic bread bruschetta with cheese - Pizza Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

The food was disgusting I would give it a zero if I could. I called my delivery order in like and hr earlier than I wanted it, and they must've made it almost immediately because the fries were disgusting they're all soggy like they had been in the box for at least a half an hour definitely more than five minutes. And the taste of the meat in the French dip sandwiches was bland and dry, and a lot of the cheese was burnt. They also didn't specify that they came with onions. I love onions but I ordered for my friend as well and they won't touch anything with onions on it. I even gave you guys an extra hour to wow us. And you all completely failed. Never eating/ or ordering from there again. Nothing even remotely salvageable. Had to order from somewhere else which is another hassle because most places around here don't stay open after 10pm. And I had 10 minutes to find somewhere else quick. read more