My family has been going by this restaurant on our way from Chicago to Dyersville for the past 17 years without stopping and dining at The Rafters. Today that changed. We started with the cheese curds. They were excellent although the dipping sauces were not all that good. The corn cakes they brought to our table were a pleasant surprise. The first micro beer I had was from their brewery was incredibly good. It didn't have the hoppy after taste I usually experience with micro beers. It was an ale although I cannot recall the name of the beer. My wife had the pulled pork and was well pleased with this dish. Me and my two daughters had burgers. Our review of the burgers were mixed. I thought the burgers were too dry. I would not order another burger from this place again. My youngest daughter loved her burger and can't wait to eat here again. My oldest daughter thought the burger was ok but definitely had better burgers at other restaurants. Oh, I almost forgot. The service was excellent. I would go back to this place based on the service alone. read more

We have been here multiple times and have never been disappointed. The service is good but the wait for food is sometimes a bit long. The atmosphere is unique and steak oscar is my favorite. read more

Fun atmosphere, my husband & I came here a couple years ago & had a pleasant experience. Bartender was very nice & it just so happened the owner happened to be there so we learned the history of how the barn came to be. It was imported from another town, so interesting. Tonight was a different story. The food is good but we sat at the bar to eat. The bartender wasn't allowed to order us food, we had to wait for a waitress to come behind the bar. That process took longer than it should have. If I had happened to change my mind about something it had to wait. Even if he had the time to do it. Like the place other than that, it's just an odd policy to me. read more

Stopped here by chance on the way home from Galena. What a nice surprise. We had the buffet and all food was amazing. The fried chicken, bacon, eggs, sausages, salads, stews were all fresh and tasty. Home made rice crispy treats .....soooo good. People were ordering burgers that look really good too. Great gift shop. Lots of local wines, jams, furnishings. read more

Big city culinary dreams with small town execution. We stopped here on our way to Galena. If you're used to food from the Chicagoland area, do not stop here. The brisket on the nachos was grey, cubed and tasted like it was smoked on dirty coals. The chips were swimming in an awful spice rub. The maple bourbon burger was inedible - super sweet, sticky and the bottom bun was drenched. You guys have the right idea, but you need to learn what these items are supposed to taste like before serving them to the good people of Lena. read more

We stopped here after a long day at the Galena Country Fair. I will go back every chance I get. My table had all burgers tbat were all cooked different. They all came to us perfect. We all had sides of Mac-n-cheese and it was soooo tasty. I can't wait to go back. I wish i lived closer. We go to Galena several times a year and this will be our new place to stop. It's also beautiful inside and our waitress was great! read more

Absolutely terrible; beyond terrible in fact. Our waitress was inexperienced and simply didn't care about much of anything. Our dirty appetizer and salad dishes remained on the table throughout the whole meal because she just didn't care about removing them. Sodas were not re filled at all. Staff from the bar saw the poor service but did nothing to assist. The pork had an strong, odd scent to it-- like ammonia. when I tasted it I f figured out the meat had most likely gone bad, yet it was cooked and served to me anyway. Come on, the chef should have been able to catch that based on scent alone. Our other dish was the fried chicken and that was tasty, so we shared it. It is a shame because this seems like a neat place in an area with few options; however we will not be returning here ever again. read more

Great spot, good atmosphere and large enough to accommodate big groups. Stopped with my family and they were very welcoming and friendly. My husband and I split a sample flight of Lena's craft beer and were very happy with our selection. I enjoyed the martian madness and my husband liked all of them. We ordered cheese curds which were great, lightly breaded, not salty and a healthy portion. I will definitely visit again If I am ever in the area. read more

We were there for dinner Sunday night. This was our second visit in a couple of years. Last time was a good dining experience. However, much has changed apparently. Nice-looking place. Decent atmosphere. Waitstaff very nice. Service horrendous. Manager clueless. Chef, must use the rule: brown it's cooking, black it's done. Ribs were tough and charred black. Fried chicken overcooked. The couple behind us had the same complaints, over cooked burger, very slow service. Our server pointed out a plaque indicating an award for their ribs. Checked into Pitmasters of Pearl City which supplied the award. This is merely an amateur BBQ competition in a very small town. Besides, the Rafters didn't win for their ribs. Save yourself from the heart burn... read more

We had them cater our wedding at Oak Hill in Apple River and they did a great job from the appetizers to entree to ice-cream. Delicious!

Delicious food, friendly staff and beautiful surroundings. Ample parking too. The blackened salmon is amazing and pretty spicy. The ribeye and prime rib melt in your mouth. The soups are great and so is the free cornbread. read more

Went on a Saturday night. Great service. We were greeted instantly, sat at a table and the waitress was right there. The appetizers and food were superb. They treated our kids great and were very attentive throughout dinner. In all, it was a great experience. Prices were decent and the atmosphere was relaxed and quiet. read more

Went for dinner on a Saturday night and definitely will not be back. Started off by ordering one of the craft beers which when served was flat and had a metal taste to it. Same thing happened with the second beer so I switched to a can instead. Don't think their lines were cleaned in a while. Food was horrible - potatoes I had tasted like they were cooked in rancid oil. Chicken piccatta breading was soggy and the sauce was watery. Service could have been better as well. Seemed like they cook everything in large quantities and then reheat it when ordered. read more

Meet our daughter and her hubby here regularly. The roasted and fried chicken dinners are our favorites. Noticed that at the Sunday brunch line patrons head to the end first - its where the roasted chicken is. Ribs and burgers are tasty and really value priced. Keeps us coming back. read more

Pulled pork was so tender! Yummy cheese curds, cole slaw was tasty. Husband says the Haystack burger was well made with high quality beef. Would/will go back to try the ribs. read more

We love this place. Drive 84 miles every season, ok maybe not winter, to eat here. Coffee is great, rubin is really good. Rafters hamburger with an fried egg excellent. Alexa, our waitress was A+. read more

Reviewing as a restaurant: Date night, family night, casual lunch time or meeting- rafters is your place! The menu is always updating and the staff is fantastic. What to try? Fried pickles, corn salsa or onion stacks w their home made sauce or any of their daily specials! Check out the rafters store for delicious goodies and beautiful home decor. Reviewing as a wedding reception vendor: Rafter is a unique atmosphere. They have a gorgeous 2 level event room upstairs (elevators for those who are handicapped). They set up and tore down our whole wedding event, besides the decor we wanted to put up ourselves. They were incredibly flexible to fit our budget, date and what we wanted for our wedding. The prices were something they really worked with on us to keep everything within our budget but have an amazing day. The food was superb and bartenders were friendly. Overall, I'd definitely recommend rafters if you're looking for a great place for a wedding! The only downside I can see is the maximum capacity is slightly smaller (if I can remember I believe it's around 200 for the event room), but that just helped us keep our invite list to the closest friends and family. read more

Amazing. We've been here three times and each meal has been perfect. The food is homemade and delicious. Absolutely try the cheesecake. Cooks are perfect and wait staff is pleasant. Tasty beer as well. Love this place! read more

In March 2020, four months after I paid my deposit of $3300 to The Rafters for wedding catering services on 10/10/20, the United States was in a pandemic shutdown. in May, three months later, I had lost my wedding venue due to Covid concerns. The Rafters refused any refund to me. Plus they had still not sent me an updated quote for the new menu we decided upon at the tasting in February 2020 for which they charged us $50. I contacted the Better Business Bureau and they tried to negotiate a refund but Rafters refused to acknowledge or respond to them. The Rafters had done nothing and was committed to nothing but still refused to give me any kind of refund. They even had another wedding for the same day (10/10/20) but still refused a refund to me even though I had not cancelled for convenience. I am retired and i do not have the funds to go around cancelling commitments because I feel like it. My daughter was heartbroken that the pandemic ruined her dream wedding. As of today, the state of Illinois is still in phase 4 which, if I understand correctly, means no gatherings over 50 people. There is no way her wedding could take place in October with 250 guests. I am disgusted with the management and owners of The Rafters for the position they've taken. I'm sorry to say my next step will have to be with the courts of Illinois. read more

I had the Shrimp Caesar Salad and a side of sweet potato tots. Fantastic lunch, with fast, friendly service! The restaurant is attached to a beautifully decorated banquet hall and also had an extensive gift shop. Another cool feature is that they have beers on tap from the Lena Brewing company, located right next door! read more

Had brisket sandwich, spicy corn chowder and bread pudding. If there is better brisket anywhere else I would find it hard to believe. The spicy corn chowder was fantastic and the bread pudding was delicate and complex like a fine Parisian delight. I've driven by and never before stopped in. This place is now my restaurant of choice in the area. Highly recommend. I'll be back. read more

This was an excellent experience. We're from out of town and stopped while passing through. There was a big rock wall with a small waterfall in the lounge which was a pleasant scene. The gift shop was fun to check out while we waited for our food. We were a family of 5 and were all passing around our food for each other to try. We were completely blown away by how excellent the food was. I had a smoked brisket sandwich. We would love to go back again any time we're back in the area. read more

We were very happy with the whole experience. Cocktails on to delicious appetizers and the entrees that were fabulously fresh and proportional. Great service too! read more

Always a great experience and delicious food! Love the atmosphere here, different than other places in Lena. Definitely recommend this for a good night out. read more

This was an excellent and unexpected find on our way from Chicago to Galena. We recently went 40 miles out of our way just to come back here. The atmosphere is surprisingly classy for such a remote location. The service is very friendly, although the waitstaff is a bit young so not entirely polished and professional. The bread they serve before dinner is so good that we bought a loaf to take home. Highly recommended as a stop on your roadtrip. read more

Ok, for a city girl, driving through the beautiful countryside, hoping for more than McDonald's or subway in Freeport, this place was an oasis. Super cute and cozy inside, extremely helpful staff....the food? Diner quality...just sayin, the food doesn't match the decor and service level. STILL...way better than the fast food, no love alternative! read more

I think that I had the worst hamburger I've ever had in a restaurant here. I ordered the blue cheese/bacon burgerIf there was blue cheese in it you could have fooled me. And the burger was incredibly greasy. The bottom half of the bun seemed to have been dipped in grease. A truly repulsive burger. read more

We had our wedding catered over Labor Day weekend from The Rafters. The food was delicious and the servers were friendly and quick to get meals out to guests. We would highly recommend their catering. read more

Great restaurant, the burgers were excellent and the beer selection was very good, service was fast and friendly. If you are headed to Galena or points West on highway 20 near Lena you won't be disappointed. read more

My husband and I stopped here coming home from Galena. We had our heart set on breakfast food, which they did not have. That's ok though, because everything we got on the menu was delicious. We are so glad we stopped here, it was better than any food we had in Galena. The macaroni and cheese isn't your standard yellow cheddar. The chips are homemade. The prime rib sandwich was seasoned just right! The coleslaw was great. Our server was very helpful. Highly recommend!!! read more

Stopped in for lunch on our way to Dubuque. The menu looked to be a mix between traditional and interesting. They have a peanut butter and jelly burger (I know, sounds really weird) that was AMAZING! My husband had the bbq brisket which was equally good. We ended our meal with the bread pudding...best I've ever had. Our server was quick, fun and friendly. You've got to try this place if you're in the area! read more

Love. Love. Love. The steaks are delicious and the haystack is always a hit with the kids. The menu is simple but works. Our only complaint is we hate the tables. Being tall, we want a booth. Not a $60 meal at a rickety uncomfortable table. read more

The Rafters went beyond my expectations with the taste and quality of food. Very original menu and love the gift shop. One downside was our food took almost 40 minutes to get to our table since there was a large group of people nearby. They should also mark the entrance by the bar better so you do not need to walk through the gift shop. Overall the cleanliness was great, amazing taste from the food, and unique restaurant. read more

Be careful when tipping on the bar side they like to enter their own tip on the receipts..which is against the law, had this happen twice!