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    Bluff Lake Catfish Farm

    3.6 (50 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood
    Closed Closed

    Bluff Lake Catfish Farm Photos

    BLUFF LAKE CATFISH FARM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Bluff Lake Catfish Farm

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    Reviews With Photos

    Laura W.

    This is a beautiful hidden little gem! It's certainly strange to drive a few miles on gravel roads but you're rewarded with a beautiful location. We saw a huge snapping turtle, fish, mallards in the pond while waiting for our table. We got a table with a waterfall view. The food came out hot and was tasty. This place is pretty popular and perfect after cave spelunking! It's very casual dress and dining.

    All you can eat Haddock

    Very nice place, clean, modern, and organized. We arrived early so they gave us a buzzer. As soon as the restaurant opened we were seated. Food was good and if you get the all you can eat special you will leave full!

    Waffle fries, catfish, shrimp and coleslaw... Yummy yummy!
    Gregg T.

    Behind Maquokata Cave State Park, you have to drive through a farmers lot, which is a dirt road, to be reconnected to a well paved road that leads you down to a large parking lot. My child works at the Caves. We both came immediately after work so it was only a 20 minute wait. The special was all you can eat catfish and shrimp for $18. The meal was waffle fries, deep fried shrimp, breaded catfish, and creamy coleslaw. We requested 2 refills of catfish... it was that good. Their slogan is "Somewhere in Iowa" and it's true. Definitely worth the trip.

    a man standing on the bank
    Elle B.

    What a sweet little gem! I'd been wanting to check this place out forever and finally got the opportunity with a group of gals from work. I am not even remotely a fish eater, but they're known for converting folks apparently. The drive from Cedar Rapids is gorgeous, but be prepared for gravel and a pretty steep hill depending on which route you take. When you're close, it will feel like you're driving through private farms and took a wrong turn, but then suddenly you're there. We arrived about an hour after they opened and were seated right away. Highly suggest getting there early because the line developed quickly. The special on Saturday was haddock, which was offered as a sample before we ordered and surprisingly tasty. I was bummed no one wanted to get the catfish to try with me, but my fried chicken dinner was very satisfying. We ended our evening on the decks outside, drinks in hand, enjoying the scenery and watching the fish. I really enjoyed my visit and can't wait to bring more people here as well!

    John W.

    Seriously. If you want good fried catfish (with or without bone) this is for you. If you want tons of options for sides and such, look elsewhere (but miss out on REALY GREAT fried catfish). This place is always busy from my experience. I'd say come early and be ready to wait. This is "somewhere in Iowa" because you won't be discovering it without hearing about it and being told how to get to it. The GPS got us near the place but had it been up to my wife we would've turned around and given up. It certainly does not look like continuing down that rode would lead to anything but more houses. I'm so glad we stayed the course. We took my mom last time and she's still raving about the fish.

    I spy cows!

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    4 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Beautiful location and great food! We don't get to come often but enjoy it when we do get to visit!

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    2 years ago

    Delicious! Beautiful environment with the waterfall and surrounding pond. Service is fast and friendly.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    I love this place. Travel over an hour. Setting is beautiful. Food is good and prices reasonable. Worth a drive off the main road.

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Excellent service. Beautiful views. Of course the catfish was excellent. Get it whole vs filet.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Bluff Lake Catfish Farm

    Review Highlights - Bluff Lake Catfish Farm

    We saw a huge snapping turtle, fish, mallards in the pond while waiting for our table.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Log Cabin Steakhouse - Ribeye

    Log Cabin Steakhouse

    4.1(375 reviews)
    28.1 mi
    $$$

    Ah, a night in Galena, and our anniversary to boot! Where else to go but The Log Cabin? We were…read morelooking for the best steakhouse, and YELP did it again! Great reviews! We got a resevation a week before, and it was a good thing. This place books up quickly, so if you want to get a seat, CALL FIRST! We arrived several minutes early out of respect to assure if they had an opening, we could be seated. Our seating was perfectly aligned with our reservation. We had a nice seat in a long room, with typical western regalia on the walls and ceilings. I should note the servers who were on the tall side were experts at tipping their heads to avoid the lighting. We started with an order of Flaming Saganaki (the sign does say GREEK Steak House) which arrived at the table sizzling, and created quite a large flame when it was lit up with a hearty OOOPA from the servers. It tasted as good as saganaki usually does of course. The salads came out, and were quite good. You have your choice of dressings, which were more than enough to cover the salad. I failed to mention the bread and butter, which while not pictured, were very good. The entrees came out - my wife had ordered the 20 ounce Prime Rib, and it was beautiful. I honestly had second thoughts about my Filet order her Prime Rib was so spectacular, and fortunately for me, she took pity on my eyes and gave me a few chunks to enjoy. The Filet Mignon was perfect. So tender, so juicy, and well-seasoned. I cut it in increasingly smaller pieces to enjoy it more. We really enjoyed our visit, and we believe you'd enjoy it too!

    We came here for to celebrate my dad's birthday and it turned out to be a wonderful evening. The…read moreservice was very attentive and friendly and the atmosphere was very dark and intimate. We ordered the saganaki to start, which was flambéed table side and it was fresh and delicious. We shared the porterhouse and the lamb chops (which were loins, not ribs) and there was an extra $8 charge on shared plates. The porterhouse was very tasty and cooked to perfection. The filet portion was my favorite part. The lamb loin chops were very thick and came with 4 large pieces. Each order came with a side salad or soup, and some type of potato, with many options to choose from. I love the Greek influence on this steak house restaurant. This is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or for a nice dinner.

    Photos
    Log Cabin Steakhouse - Saganaki

    Saganaki

    Log Cabin Steakhouse - International Greek salad

    International Greek salad

    Log Cabin Steakhouse - Outside

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    Outside

    Benson's On The Mississippi - Meat platter

    Benson's On The Mississippi

    4.0(27 reviews)
    36.8 mi

    I'm not sure if we came on a good night or not, but I'm not sure what all the bad reviews are - as…read moresomeone who travels for a living, I was super impressed with this spot! I travel to Clinton a lot for work and am always less than impressed with the food options, this place was randomly recommended and wow, it's going to be a normal spot for me. We came in around dinner without a reservation and were immediately seated, by the window at that! The view was GORGEOUS. The dining space was bright and airy, very welcoming. It feels like a family establishment. Now the service. We were joking we literally had 5 seconds between each thing, they were BOOM BOOM BOOM. Drinks, apps, meal, dessert, I swear everything was out within 5 minutes from each other. Maybe some of the best service timing I've ever seen, we were amazed. The food, wow. For the middle of Iowa? This is it. The onion rings, the fried goat cheese. I was here for it. People at the table got the crawfish? boil and they all loved it, apparently the lobster Mac is some of the best the table has ever had, and I just got a couple sides - the asparagus and regular Gouda Mac - because there was so much food. Literally everything I had was so tasty. The cheesecakes were bomb too. I will absolutely be back every time I'm in town.

    It's closed permanently turned into a rental vacation place. Opened a small place in Thomson I'll…read morebut has odd hours and it's very small

    Photos
    Benson's On The Mississippi - Appears to be closed!

    Appears to be closed!

    Benson's On The Mississippi - Pulled Pork with asparagus and bourbon beans

    Pulled Pork with asparagus and bourbon beans

    Benson's On The Mississippi - Shrimp appetizer

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    Shrimp appetizer

    Bluff Lake Catfish Farm - seafood - Updated June 2026

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