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.

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

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

Great food! Very nice people! Smash burgers were excellent! Also food was ready very quick. Highly…read morerecommend stop in and trying everything they have on the menu!

We got Da Bomb⁣ Burger and Burger in a Haystack⁣. Great,…read moreattentive service on a Friday night. Wasn't too much crowded at all during dinner so wondering if it starts coming alive at night We love loaded burgers in general and these fries were reeeeally good, with ranch of course! ⁣

One of best hidden gems in Iowa. The food is abundant and the prices are great. The atmosphere is…read morefun & child friendly. When ever I'm in Iowa this a must on my places to eat!

FANTASTIC! My…read morehusband and I wanted to find a new place for our date nights and saw this tavern. The food is delicious and affordable. The waitress who waited on us was so nice. I love this place so much I may even be calling to see if they would allow us to bring in our kids for dinner...

Wow what a find! Went for lunch on a Tuesday to find this gem! Hot honey brussel sprouts as a…read morestarter which tantalize you with a sweet heat and feta cheese bits to cool the palate. Followed by one of the most amazing hot Reuben sandwiches with spicy pickles and homemade aeoli and a side of real fries Hubby had hand battered fish and chips which was cooked to perfection. Add to all of these wonderful gems was a great waitress with a pot of fresh coffee on an always refreshed cup... Folks this was a wonderful gem not far from I-35 and worth the extra mile or two... Osceola's Gem!!

Another drive outta DSM, this time to Osceola's The Iron Horse Neighborhood Grill and I had thee…read moreBEST onion rings! I'm so glad we thought to order them AFTER our meals came, or I would've eaten the humongous pile as my meal. Delicious! Chicken Wings: they have "the good ranch" and the wings were really good. Dirty Bird: turkey and bacon sandwich, side of coleslaw. All was good. Personally, this sandwich would be awesome with stuffing on it, like a thanksgiving leftovers sammy! It felt slightly...lacking something, but my aunt liked it so that's all that matters. Rueben (forgot pic until half was gone): very good! Perfectly toasted marble rye, french fries piping hot and delicious. Once the fries and Rueben were delivered, that's when we realized we forgot to order the onion rings and ordered those as well. Sirloin & Baked Potato (forgot pic until halfway through my baked potato ): delicious! However, I'm a total sucker for baked potatoes, lots of butter and sour cream. Also, I was so enthralled with the onion rings, I really didn't touch the steak beyond tasting one bite. I did bring it home for my lunch today! So again...let's talk about these amazing onion rings! I love large, hand-battered onion rings, not a huge fan of shoestrings. These hit every mark in my book, and were 100% worth the 45min drive! ‍‍Service was excellent, highly recommend! Sometimes it's just nice to go for a little drive, which we appear to be doing more of lately! All for $75, plus $25 tip was an awesome meal for $100. Very affordable and top quality.

This place feels like someplace you'd find in a big city. The food has big flavors and there were…read moresome unique menu items and the menu rotates. Staff was friendly. I'd highly recommend the chicken pita-every component had unique spices or flavor. The homemade fries were delicious. The cheesecake, made in-house was a little heavy and lacked peanut butter flavor. But main course and service a 10 out of 10.

We enjoy coming here and brought several of our guests from out of town and they enjoyed it too!…read moreThe last time we were here, I got the Chicken Shawarma and a side of Hinterland Cheese Curds (must order!). Our friends got the fish & chips and they loved it. The batter looked very crispy and our fries were on point. Megan served us and she was very friendly and attentive. They've made upgrades to their menu and I think that their food options are getting better each time we return. We've also tried their Som Burger which is tasty and their Birria Tacos -- good but could use a little more seasoning. Overall, we love The Som and highly recommend them!

The service was fantastic! I got the crab Rangoon burger and brussels sprouts as an app. Both were…read morereally good!

Back again and just like the last time the food was great and invited others to join us this time…read moreand all enjoyed it, from burgers to the salmon. This is my too go to place to eat when I'm in town. Thank you to Sadie for again being our waitress and being great

This place has been around a long time. As a kid I went with my mom and grandma for a great lunch…read more Going back it doesn't seem like anything but the prices have changed. Service and the ambiance are impeccable. Belly up to the bar and order your "canteen" with whatever toppings. Don't miss the malts, you won't care about fries. Glad I stopped on the way by. If I ever come through again I will be there!

In town for my oldest daughter's cross country race and I decided to stop here. All I have to say…read moreis, Wow! This was great food and an Amazing atmosphere. There is a counter to sit and they prepare the "main attraction" right in front of you. I ordered the loose meat sandwich with cheese on the side and a diet coke. The staff was courteous and I loved watching their interactions with customers. They made everyone feel at home and the really have a great establishment here. Definitely a 10/10!