Uncle Buck's Bar & Grill

A proper Old Fashioned made with Rye. Only in town for one night, but found a spot I'll remember…read morefor quite some time. Nice place. Cocktail bar atmosphere. Although I didn't order any food, what I saw nearby, looked good.

Very neat, historic bar. Loose meat pizza was different, but hit the spot, also got a chicken…read moresandwich the next night, also good. Prices are insanely cheap to me and there's nothing wrong with that. Came here all 3 nights I was here for beers, Kris the bartender was wonderful. Kudos to her!

Inside, they have a horse shoe bar

Menu after 8pm

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Recovery Room

4.2(19 reviews)

2.1 mi

Recovery room Sunday! Yea early lunch…read moreHad the special to go Fast service Easy parking In and out Open faced tloin with gravy and mashed potatoes and green beans. 13.00 out the door. lol Too hungry to snap pix Real good!

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.

Front doors

Stop in and play a round of pool.

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Regulars at the bar. Check out the awesome wind chimes.

Owl's Nest

4.0(5 reviews)

0.7 mi

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

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The Owl's Nest, Downtown Ottumwa

Courtside Bar & Grill

3.6(40 reviews)

3.0 mi

Yummy smash burger! Good cook!! The servers were tidy and on point. The drinks were good they were…read morenot skimpy on the booze. The crowd that was in there that afternoon was a crowd that I would hang out with. altogether the place was clean, friendly, fun and me and my three friends enjoyed ourselves.(maybe a little too much). we also like the smoking area that was outside, and it was even clean. me and my friends would highly recommend this place. #Memorial weekend, 2026.

You should go when the owner Steve P. is there. He's a funny, outgoing character! Food is good,…read moretypical bar food like burgers and Midwest style sandwiches. Bloody Mary is fun. Service is pleasant and fast. Place is kept clean. Can get crowded, loud and a bit drunk but is generally well controlled.

Threats from courtside staff

Menu side 1

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Exterior shot

Wissota Chophouse - Ottumwa

4.2(26 reviews)

0.4 mi

Love this steakhouse. The SHARABLES along with the main dishes and sides are very tasty and look…read moreforward to going there. Service was attentive.

Wissota Chophouse is a little fancier than I usually go for, but it might be just right for you…read more The staff was great, super friendly, and even the manager came over to chat for a bit. The place has a really nice upscale vibe. The outdoor seating has fire pits and heaters, and inside there's a gorgeous bar setup. We had drinks, fried alligator bites, and truffle fries. The drinks were amazing, and the food was good, though it could use a little fine-tuning. Overall, a nice spot if you're looking for something a bit more upscale.

Asparagus with cream

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Godfrey's Ale House

4.0(28 reviews)

3.0 mi

Our Server, Liz, was amazing! She was super friendly and happy to serve us. She anticipated our…read moreneeds and met every one of them. The food was amazing as well. Portion size is very generous and you definitely get your money's worth. This is a fantastic place to come to for delicious bar food. Live music added to the ambiance outside on the patio. Thank You for a wonderful experience for our Mom's birthday! Highly recommend!

Chicken Tenders fried to perfection and juicy. The hangover burger got a 7/10. The fried potato…read moresalad is definitely a 10/10. The Mexican shots could use some more watermelon pucker but the lemon drop shots were perfect.

Hangover burger

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Godfrey's SWAAAAGGG

Bench Warmers

3.8(19 reviews)

1.9 mi

Wednesday 04 march 2026 Noonish…read moreYea hungry for salad So off to bench warmers for noon snack Pretty busy! That is kinda a good thing at least folks are out for a good meal All of the good stuff on the salad bar Wednesday is wing day I forgot to get any Couple of soups out and more on request They did make a personal standard crust crab ragoon small pizza for us.. Lol not the same crunch as the full size thin but I ate it anyway! Lol $15 total all you can eat out the door with tip. Yea I will try to update more on this place soon.

Food was hot and delicious. Homemade ranch. Service was amazing. Passion was a great sever!read more

Salads, pizza and soups at the end of the food bar

8/2025 menu page 2

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Front Runners

3.8(4 reviews)

0.3 mi

The food was good, but the customer service tonight was extremely bad. The bartenders were…read moresarcastic and rude no matter what you said or no matter how polite you were to them. We were there with friends from out of town and they never want to go back.

Good lil bar in Ottumwa. Very good hamburgers and tenderloins. Very friendly bartenders. Give it a…read moretry

Bubba-Q's

4.0(87 reviews)

1.0 mi

In town with extended family. We asked locals for a gluten free option restaurant that would…read moreimpress. Oh it did! Old school woodsy vibe - typical of BBQ joints in the south. The menu is gigantic. They run out some meats on weekends. We were victim of this when 3 of us ordered steak and someone took the last one. We almost had to get up and hunt them down! Just kidding! For our gluten free eater, this place was big hit. He had multiple choices and most importantly didn't get sick the next day. My meat combo platter was filling. The meats were amazing. Portion sizes were great. I was most impressed by this corn off the cob with some sauces. It was incredible! Prices were also reasonable.

Stopped in with a group of friends and received wonderful service. Overall the food was pretty…read moregood. Firecracker Potato appetizer 5/10 . Corn dip 8/10 . Alfredo is a crowd favorite rated 9/10 by all three who ordered it at the table. Pork Nachos smelled and looked amazing. I personally had a bbq chicken flat bread and thoroughly enjoyed it 8.5/10.

Ribs - 1/2 Slab

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Sead J.

8 years ago

What's this experience ever and my life and never going back again and my life Worse this restaurant In the town

Alesha B.

8 years ago

Great food and the service was very satisfying! Love the atmosphere

Alexanderance S.

9 years ago

Stacey is awesome. That alone is enough to recommend Uncle Buck's.

Uncle Buck's Bar & Grill - bars - Updated October 2026

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