What an unexpected surprise. This place is in the absolute middle of nowhere but nonetheless…read moreprovides an excellent fine dining experience. What a find! Presuming our son ends up going to Truman, we will be back. To start, the rolls are fresh baked every day and served with local honey butter. They are amazing! Easily the best bread I have ever had. They are a cross between a yeast roll and a biscuit with a hint of sweetness...incredible! My son had the chicken piccata which, though the portion was a bit small, was extremely flavorful. He ate every bit. I had the prime rib sandwich. The portion was large with plenty of provel cheese, onions and mushrooms. It was also delicious. My wife got a giant pile of roast pork served with warm apples and a sweet glaze. The pork was fall apart tender and the glaze added a punch of flavor. All 3 of us had the home fries as the side. These were the crispiest potatoes I have ever had in my life. 10/10. Out waitress/hostess had plenty to do (I think she may have bend doing kitchen prep as well) but she was friendly, welcoming and accommodating. A few tips: the restaurant is very small with few staff (like one person who is the hostess and waitress for the entire place). Reservations strongly recommend. And maybe don't come here if you're in a hurry. Service was not fast but it's clearly because they are taking great care with the food and preparing everything fresh to order. The menu changes frequently so check their Facebook for the latest. All of the food is made fresh and they do run out. Book early in the evening if there is something you have your heart set on.

We came in from out of town to celebrate my cousin's graduation. A total of three tables were…read moreoccupied. My aunt called on two separate occasions to make reservations for our larger group. We walked in on the night of my cousin's graduation to celebrate a huge milestone. We walked in and the hostess stated she didn't have our reservation, another lady who was either the owner or manager came up hot and bothered and was EXTREMELY rude. On a hospitality level I give her a -50. She very rudely stated she didn't have our reservation and continued to be awful as we tried to clarify that we had made a reservation. Even if she could have been nice and apologetic about the reservation misunderstanding, I wouldn't have stayed to eat here and support this business. People need to learn how to treat other humans nicely. This lady was NOT nice, one of the rudest restaurant encounters I've ever had.

If you like tenderloins, this one cannot be beaten. The service was excellent as well.read more

Best food in mount sterling has a huge bar and is amazing and has really good food. You should…read moredefinitely!!!!!!

New Year's Day 2025 Wed 2 pm…read moreSo special was the open faced tenderloin With mashed potatoes and country gravy And green beans 11.11 all in with tax Good solid value meal! Not too busy I phoned in the order to go Fast in and out And yes it is still one of my favorite Blue plate specials in 2025!

The food was 4 star, atmosphere 3 star, good prices, decent but not spectacular tenderloin (I might…read morehave gotten mine on an off day or time). However, a real turnoff was the N-word used 3 or 4 times, once by an off duty worker (waitress/cook/co-owner?) while I was there. They can't help how the customers talk, but employees, even off the clock? Not cool. It was supposed to be a great night; while my politics is ever-evolving, my family in Iowa had just gotten to high five Don Jr at an event which, whoever I vote for now was darn cool that day! This visit kinda put a damper on our fun. We don't talk that way.

Honestly the BEST fried chicken ever! It's always seasoned just right and fried to crispy, golden…read moreperfection!

Omg the best Fried Chicken. Service was outstanding…read more Reasonable price. The food was hot, green beans, sweet potato fries , coleslaw.

Best food in the area! Everything is fresh and made from scratch. Brandy, our server, was great…read morewith all of our questions and we loved everything we had. The burgers are delicious and the options and sauces are fun! Try the black garlic aioli on your burger!!! Mmmm. The mozzarella sticks are addictive! They have tons of specialty house drinks and typical Midwest American cans and bottled beer, one IPA and Guinness. No draft beer. One dessert on the menu, fried cookie dough and one daily dessert special. They also have a small stage, slot machines and volley ball courts out back. The whole place was very clean and plenty of level parking. There were customers of all ages, so that says a lot!

Service was abysmal and the food had no flavor. Stood while the waitress talked to the cook with…read moreher back to us for at least 10 minutes before getting the check to leave. Fried pickles just tasted like grease, and same with the burger. Really disappointing with how expensive it was. My wife had the chicken salad and said the chicken was soggy and underwhelming as well. Their ranch doesn't taste like ranch. It tastes like tzatiki sauce... I really don't understand the positive reviews for this place.

The people who work at Buddy's and fun, and the food is fabulous!…read more Everything was fresh and well prepared. It was kid friendly. I will be back.

Food in the restaurant is good. We took desserts home. Was told they were store bought which is…read morefine. Gor home to find that the apple pie was molded. Wait staff had cut the pie put it into the to go container, charged us and sent us home with a completely molded piece of pie. Mold was obvious. When the container was opened it was furry and green on the sides.

Best restaurant within 100+ miles. Service at the bar was phenomenal and personable. Don't recall…read morethe young ladies name but she was personable, fun and engaging. Food was served piping hit and cooked well. Nothing crazy fancy but just good food done well, which after spending 5 nights in the area, is tough to find haha. Definitely worth a visit and a great place for a nice meal.

Cowboy Ribeye is as best as they come. Sweet potato side, same. The Blue Lady cocktail is world…read moreclass.

incredible price for two delicious large pancakes ($3.90 in 2025!). Employees were very nice…read more Service fairly fast. Would tell POC to be BRACED for the other patrons though. Some middle aged white lady stared at us like =_= the entire time we were there. Were the food & workers great? Yes. Did I feel safe in the building? No.

Great fund in a remote part of Iowa...will return for healthy food choices! Purple interior was…read morepleasant, kind service and a community feeling of a warm welcome!!

While the owls nest was highly recommended by several locals, which included those who worked at…read morehotel Ottumwa within walking distance (bc no Ubers) and ( fancy like)Applebees. We decided to give it a try, bc dive bar... Service started decent enough, beers were brought in a timely manner and without constant need to ask, bartender admitted there was party coming in later on in the evening. It was also her birthday...Emily I believe. She was excited to get off and go celebrate....it seemed quite early on in our visit that she'd already started celebrating, lots of shots, plenty of time not even in the bar, actually admitted and apologized that she went to the "thrift store". We spent approx 4-5 hours there, same patrons would come and go between the bar and the sidewalk. A little sketchy, even for a dive bar.

The food was delicious as always. The hardest part was ordering the food when I'm not bi- lingiul.read more

Great tenderloins along with everything else. Nice people. Love the decor and the atmosphere. Must…read moretry if you drive through the area.

Best Tenderloin in the state! I don't live around here anymore, but I alway run into someone I know…read moreat AJ's! Friendly staff and great service.