Is this absolutely MY best (aka favorite) burger...? Is it the best burger I've personally had in…read moreIowa...? Probably not. BUT it is the best burger I've ever had out of a gas station in Iowa...! Actually... I'm not exactly sure which way this place actually goes... Is this a gas station that sells food... Or a restaurant that sells gas? Potato...potatoe! Lol And it IS a very good burger overall too...! But not only do they serve burgers... They have other menu selections... Mostly all deep fried and grill options... And ice cream! I've seen signs for Iowa's Best Burger Cafe for years while running back and forth on I-80 from the Des Moines metro... Kellogg is about halfway between Newton and Grinnell. We've never stopped here until this past weekend when we were on our way home from the What Cheer IA flea market... Iowa's Best Burger Cafe is just off the highway... The first thing I noticed as the GPS said our route was about to end... It looked like it ended at an Amoco gas station... Huh? And then I noticed the signage for the Iowa's Best Burger Cafe on the building... Oh... So we're here...? Not exactly what I expected..., but I eat at food trucks too so it wasn't going to stop me. I did glance at my girlfriend to see if I could tell whether she was feeling it or not... I think she was just really hungry at that point and didn't really care. Lol There's ample parking. As you enter the building it kind of looks like a standard gas station convenience store...until you turn and look to your Right. Red plastic booth seating. There are two counters and a case that sit adjacent to one another. The counter you order at also displays the ice cream. There's a case displaying some ready to eat options. The register is on a shorter counter closest to the entrance. It's an open kitchen. There is also another small room of seating further to the left as you face the counters. The tables are kind of faux marble. Napkins, salt, pepper, ketchup, and mustard are available in each booth. We were greeted as we walked and I let them know it was our first time there and we didn't know the drill. They let us know you order standing there at the counter. Take a seat. They bring the food out to you when it's ready. You pay at the register when you are done. Cash or card...and there is an ATM on site. They bus your table. There are a couple of menu placards on the counter where you place your order... The 16 flavors of ice cream selection are plainly labeled. The two ladies behind the counter were very helpful and were both personable! We ordered: 2x half pound burger combos (one with cheese, bacon, onions and pickles and one with cheese, onions, pickles, mayo, and lettuce) 1x upgraded side to garlic mushrooms 1x upgraded side to onion rings 2x fountain drinks (Coke products...comes with combo) 1x mozarella sticks 1x two scoop bowl of ice cream 1x single cone of ice cream The wait for food wasn't long. Everything was served hot and fresh! They'd asked us if we wanted ranch... My girlfriend always wants ranch! Not only did they bring us ranch... They brought us a HUGE squeeze bottle of ranch! This is how every restaurant should bring you ranch! While we dined in (as did a couple of other customers) most of the business appeared to be take out. One pro tip... The standard half pound burger comes with two patties. I heard a customer ask a guy, at the booth next to her, how many patties he had on his burger... Huh? He had four patties on his burger... A full pounder! So there has to be a way to add an additonal patty (or patties) too... If you want a bigger burger... Ask...! The bathrooms...not horrible. The food was all great. Good service. No complaints. I wouldn't hesitate to stop in here again! And I know what to expect next time...!

Super cute pit stop when passing through. Highly recommend. Friendly staff, good food and hefty…read moresnack selections!

Great service, portions are huge. Food is great. I love breakfast and they serve it all day. Prices…read morearen't too bad either

The food was mediocre at best. Club sandwich, a burger and chicken strip for the kids, nothing to…read morewrite home about. We were taking a back road from Eastern Iowa to western Iowa and decided to check this highly talked about place out. I got super sick from something but not sure what it was. Better lock on our next trip around the state to find better.

Coming to visit family in Fairfield, I had heard of a newer cider brewery and restaurant that…read moreserved great food and cool cider flavors. That was underselling it - this cider house is awesome! I love that there are so many different fruit flavors in their ciders. My personal favorites were the watermelon and apricot. There is also a great selection of burgers all the way from your classic cheeseburger down to a no-meat burger, each with its own unique toppings. I got the 'Merica Burger and didn't even have time to take a picture because I just scarfed it down. They have a great selection of sides too - chips, slaw, potato salad, or a glass of your favorite cider! We will definitely be coming back to the Cider House every time we are back in town. Great food and great drinks!

I've been a few times. The ambiance is great, it's delightful to sit outside in warm weather, and I…read morelove that they support live music. My only complaint is that food service is kinda slow and the way you order food and drinks is kinda clumsy. It's almost like the food is an afterthought to what was originally intended to be a bar. I recently made the mistake of going on a Friday night at 7pm. They were busy and there were about 10 people ahead of us in the line. It took 30+ minutes to reach the order window, at which time we were informed it was an hour and a half wait to get our food. Why couldn't a manager or a staff member inform the people standing patiently (as the line was steadily growing) of the wait time before we got to the window? Completely unacceptable lack of customer service. Once you actually get your food, it's great, and the bar service is pretty efficient. Great selection of drinks.

Bogie's Steak House - Albia, IA (1.25ish hours south of DSM)…read more Calling all steak burger connoisseurs! Warning: if you're the "I eat my burgers with duck confit mayo, fig-bacon jam, and jalapeño-garlic aioli" I would steer clear of this burger. This is for a true midwestern steak burger and, if that's your jive, then you must try Bogie's Steak House in Albia. $11.75 for a MASSIVE steak burger resting between two tried and true thick sliced Texas toast, topped with Swiss and American cheese, pickle and white onion slices. No ketchup, mustard or mayo served with the meals here, nor is it needed; their "house seasoning" is the cat's meow. Includes a baked potato, butter, sour cream, and 1 trip to the salad bar. Don't even think about subbing your baked potato for onion rings or french fries because a baked potato is your only option. Salad bar was meh, but they don't specialize in a salad bar so no harm, no foul. Thought it was 1000 dressing but nope...more like Dorothy Lynch or some other dressing of similar coloring. No signage so couldn't tell. Ranch tasted like fat-free Ranch so that was disappointing but, again, I didn't come here for the unlabeled salad bar. Macaroni salad and potato salads were good. The Bogie Cut Prime Rib (16-18oz) was awesome. I asked what the difference between the Bogie cut vs. Petite cut was, and I got "big or small"...fair enough! Au jus was nothing special but the seasoning used on the PR was spectacular, no au jus needed. Different than the special seasoning in/on their steak burger but equally as delightful. Very generous cut of delicious prime rib (my absolute fav). I must say, anywhere I go and see prime rib on the menu, I get it - hands down. But I ended up longing for more bites of the steak burger than my prime rib. That's a first! Ambience: small town supper club. Nothing fancy, no frills but ladies do take a trip to the ladies room for a good laugh at the hilarious quotes on the wall. $60 total with tip + both meals + 2 beers. I've spent more than that on one meal at other places that have served my burgers with weird toppings, but you won't find a fufu burger here. In fact, there's only one option: Bogie's Steak Burger. I'd gladly drive to Bogie's any day of the week!

I ordered a sirloin steak, it must've came from the oldest bull out in the field's Because it was…read morelike chewing shoe leather, i've eaten beef jerky with more flavor and and hell a lot more tender. should add more sides than just a salad bar and baked potato. expects yourself to cut it open and only gives you butter and sour cream no cheese or anything. you only get one trip to the salad bar, very very disappointing.

Checks ALL the boxes - friendly staff…read more- outstanding food - best hamburger in Des Moines Love this place

Great service! Great food options! Cool atmosphere and clean…read more Will return when back in town!

Still standing by the fact this is the best Hardee's I've ever gone to. 9 times out of 10 this is…read morethe best you could ask for. The service is always wonderful. The drive time is always insanely quick and the food is very fresh. Every once in a while you do get a cold French Fry, and I do think the soda machine needs cleaned more regularly. Like seriously, it probably needs cleaned twice a day when it's busy. But it's such a great place to have in this town especially if you're on lunch break and need a quick fix or are traveling and want some quick grub to hit the road again.

Terrible customer service employee called my friend an F***ing Re*** in front of another customer…read more Workers were very disrespectful and rude. Do not recommend.

My new FAVORITE place to dine! I had the berry Salad and the corn chowder soup. Both were so…read moredelicious! My sister had the grilled salmon and fingerlings potatoes. Also delicious. Our waitress was so sweet. I loved the vibe as soon as we were welcomed by the hostess. It is so fresh and chic! We'll be back!

We went there on a Saturday night to celebrate a birthday. Our group of 11 had a reservation and…read morewere quickly seated. I dropped a star because the menu has about stayed the same and they were out of one of the chicken dishes and it was only 6 PM. Our birthday gal wanted a simple pasta and they really don't just have that. I had a portobello fries and a hot honey chicken sandwich and both were very good. They were still tasty the next day. Hubby had a pork chop - - and it was delicious just like he remembered. The bread bowl is good and they graciously brought you more. A waitress was good - - she kept the children in the group full of!! It was a nice place to celebrate

I need to go here more often and dine. Great food and clientele. Try out the fried bologna…read moresandwich.

A huge cheeseburger & fresh cut fries - fantastic! The service was friendly & attentive.read more

This local spot delivers on taste and service. Seems like everything is homemade , nothing frozen…read morecoming out of that kitchen . My entire family stopped in for lunch had a round of burgers, French fries and jalapeño poppers. The restaurant also has a bunch of fishing gear and bait you can buy at the counter. I feel like the locals would flock to this place just to hang at the bar and talk with the waitresses. Next time you are in Rathbun or hints hankering for a great burger. Stop in!

Second time around and they did a great job. The cleaned up the front porch with social distanced…read moredining. The breakfast menu was great with options and served promptly. The service was awesome so updating my review to five starts.

Stop in. Don't let the outside fool you. It's clean and great food inside. Prices unbelievably low…read more Get you some.

Good food, ok service & ambiance so so! Lots of locals, means it's good, and reasonably pricedread more