I was awoken by my husband in the car after our drive home from Kansas City..where were we? Where could we be, the area looked unfamiliar, I realzied we were in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel. I have never been to this location, and definitely not to a CB in 10+ years. I forgot how charming the store front is. It was actually affordable too! I promised my kids if they ate their dinner they would be able to get a toy. Fast forward to a heaping basket of corn bread and biscuits, mac and cheese, and our delicious dinners we went back. I ordered the seasoned chicken, and it was excellent! two large chicken breasts seasoned perfectly. With a side of fries and dumplings. I didn't care for the dumplings, they werent very warm, and the fries were okay. The bread was amazing. We went back to the store and got a Bluey toy, plush, and coffee mug, all under $30. We had a nice visit and I would definitely not be mad if I woke up in another CB parking lot in the future. read more

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Hadn't been to Cracker Barrel in literal years, and with some folks craving breakfast for dinner, we decided to give it a whirl. We were seated right away and told about the specials, which was a nice touch. Our server was friendly and took our drink orders while we looked over the menu. Not much seemed to have changed since my last visit, which is both comforting and a little nostalgic. I went with my old standby: grilled tenders, carrots, green beans, and hashbrown casserole. We also got adventurous with the mini pecan sticky buns. Cute presentation in a tiny cast-iron skillet, but unfortunately, the buns were lukewarm and more runny than sticky. When our meals arrived, the first thing I noticed was that portions seemed smaller. The chicken, carrots, and green beans were solid, but the hashbrown casserole lacked flavor. Some of my dining partners found their breakfasts a little on the cool side with gravy starting to congeal. Not bad, not amazing, just a little disappointing. We did not leave hungry, but it did not quite hit the spot. On the bright side, a stroll through the store was as fun as ever, with old-time candy, quirky gifts, and treasures galore. We be back, probably just to shop. read more

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I really like the menu at Cracker Barrel because there are vegan and vegetarian options. I had all side dishes-- mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, tomato slices, fried apples and a biscuit. I could have had a corn bread muffin but opted to skip that. Everything was delicious. My friend had momma's breakfast with sausage patties, two over easy eggs and three buttermilk pancakes. She could have had a muffin or biscuit but decided the pancakes were enough carbs. We really liked our food, the server was attentive, and the country store provided entertainment. 'Nough said! read more

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Never been before so it was fun to check it out. There's a 'porch' with rocking chairs out front and one set had a checkers board set up. The chairs have prices on them so that was smart marketing I thought. You enter the restaurant through the gift shop and we walked into an overwhelming display of gift items. From Halloween to Christmas and everything in between, there isn't anyone you can't find a gift for. I myself saw several items I want - Strawberry Shortcake to Harry Potter to Sanrio brands. Restrooms are up front after the gift shop. The hostess seated us and the server was prompt in offering beverages. I really liked him. He was polite and professional. Expedient and attentive. He brought biscuits and butter in a basket. I selected the lemon pepper grilled rainbow trout as I couldn't bear more fried foods. My sides were fried okra and whole baby carrots. He chose the lunch meatloaf with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Someone had grilled catfish. The biscuits were fine. I tried one. More doughy than flaky. The fish was swimming in butter and a little salty but cooked well. I ate the baby carrots to offset the saltiness. Same with fried okra. Salty but cooked well. His meatloaf was fine. Everyone likes their dishes. We also bought cinnamon rolls to go. The original flavor. I'm glad we tried it and from the restaurants in Council Bluffs I've tried so far, this one is the best. I love the concept and gift shop. Lots of parking when we went. read more

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hose to go out for dinner one day and had realized it ha been a a very long time since eating at the local Cracker Barrel. As it happened we both ordered the Fried chicken dinner They were not very busy so we sat immediately. The waitress got to us right away. She was pleasant to talk to. I was surprised when in less that 5 minutes our dinner came out. The chicken looked very good. So did the side dishes. We both knew this was going to be a great deal more than we could eat, but this is common as we have gotten older. We always intend to take home our leftovers to so that most times we are actually buying 2 dinners. I was slightly surprised when I started to eat the breast as it was cool in the center. I had actually been wondering if this was going to be case. You CAN NOT cook fried chicken in less than 5 minutes. It was obviously mostly cooked and then 'microwaved'? I asked my wife about hers and she said hers also was not really hot, but then she started with a different piece. It seems that Cracker Barrel has decided to NOT really cook your meal when you order it, in exchange to making it a VERY quick meal. I personally would rather be told it how long it will take and receive a freshly cooked meal than a re-warmed over meal. read more

Don't allow your minors to work there. The managers DJ and Genie allow grown men to go into employee only areas when they don't work there just because family members do. This guy would sit and watch people. When it was brought up to the managers on 3 separate occasions nothing was done. This guy's was so far into the kitchen he was standing outside the restroom when a server that DJ fired because she wouldn't drop the extreme safety risk he was putting the team in. When she reached out to corporate. They ignored her and refused to talk to her. They have not just been turned into osha but she has filed a complaint with Iowa Civil rights. Because not only did they scream at her to drop it and when she wouldnt they fired her. But DJ and Genie have a history of break policey. She hides the fact that DJs daughter works for her when that is also against policey. Crackle barrel does not care about the saftey of ypur children. DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO WORK THERE. GENIE ARE STILL ALLOWING THIS GUY TO LOITER SAYING HES A GUEST BIT HE BUYS NOTHING JUST STANDS THERE AND WARCHES THE GIRLS. LIKE A PREDATOR. read more

Service and ambiance were on par with CBs I've visited over the past 30+ years. Food was okay, portions were smaller than pre pandemic-and no more bottomless biscuits, gravy and grits with breakfast. Corporate profits rule again over historical precedent. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

For the type of restaurant that it is, it is decent. 3.5 stars. Food: the quality and quantity of food from Cracker Barrel has diminished over the last 20 years. While you get less and lower quality food now, it is still worth a visit. The vegetables options are good, but the portions are small and not cooked the best. This time, we want for lunch, as opposed for their breakfast. But, I did note that their new menu has a lot fewer breakfast items than they used to have. I got their chicken fried chicken, which was very nicely done, but their sides were small. Their hashbrown casserole used to be incredible. However, it is not as tasty, cheesy, nor good as it used to be. Biscuits are still good, but much smaller. Service: The wait staff is busy and attentive. They cover a lot of tables but still got us everything we needed quickly. They are generally very nice. Ambiance: It really hasn't changed in decades, but the country vibe still works. Clean and interesting. read more

The last 2 times we have been here our food took forever. Today was one of those 2 times. Our food was taking so long to come out. At the 40 minute mark we asked out waitress how much longer. It was still going to be another 10 minutes or more. We cancelled our food and paid for our drinks. Manager gave us something to come back but offered no reason as to why it was taking so long. So with that being said, why would we ever go back there again to use that coupon? I would never want to go back there if they can't get their crap together. read more

Can't go wrong with Cracker Barrel!! There was a long wait (forgot it was Mothers Day and forgot to join the waitlist online. Oops!) Busy place for Sunday breakfast but the staff was good and the food came rather fast considering! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Momma's French Toast Breakfast - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

We haven't been there for few months and it has changed in Quality. I had to ask for the bacon that is supposed to come with my meal 3 times. I finally got it when I was all done. Eggs were cooked to hard when I asked for medium. Manager kept our coffee cups filled but there were 7 dirty tables that he never helped cleared off. They don't schedule enough help to serve a packed house. read more

Cracker Barrel just feels like comfort food in mom's kitchen combined. Located at the Lake Manawa exit in Council Bluffs, It's pretty convenient if you're driving through or shopping in the area. Open all day long, 7 days per week, you can have breakfast lunch or dinner whenever you want it! The Decor is very much vintage 70s mixed with a little bit of country store. Not very fancy but has all the food that you need. Service seems to be right on top of things and the will keep an eye on you during your visit to make sure you do not run out of coffee! Check out Cracker Barrel for some comfort food at reasonable prices read more

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Like all Cracker Barrel's they have the same shopping items and food, which are alway great! What makes or breaks them is the staff and this one didn't disappoint! read more

Our waitress, Olivia was a rockstar. Poor thing had to tell us they were out of 3 of the things we ordered!

My husband and I went to this location while out for an appointment. We were seated immediately, and our server was very friendly. She took our drink orders and then brought our food within a very short timeframe. I went with easy yet delicious biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon. Everything tasted great in my opinion. After we ate, we walked around the store and looked at all the gift ideas. Definitely sign up for their rewards if you have not! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Biscuits n' Gravy with Bacon - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Almost always go for the steak and eggs breakfast as you can tell from my picture. Their steaks are always cooked perfectly in my opinion and have great flavor. Over easy eggs with fried apples complete the perfect meal. Our server was very nice, and let us eat in peace, without bugging us about needs constantly. Overall great dining experience and plan to come back if we're in this location again for breakfast read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Steak n' Eggs with Fried Apples - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

The food was horrible! It all had been cooked earlier and reheated or microwaved. The biscuits were hard and dry. The cornbread was hard and dry. The gravy wasn't warm. The sausage patties were very gamey and not edible. The carrots were cold and not sitting in juice like they normally are. The only items that were okay was the chicken and dumplings. Nothing was fresh at all! The service was as exciting as the food-not at all. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - If I was waitress and seen all this food barely eaten...I'd ask what's wrong and fix it! Nasty, hard, cold, horrible food. - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

We've been here 3 or 4 times now and have never been disappointed! i LOVE cracker barrel and this location rocks, always fast service and friendly waitresses. love the vibes. the country fried steak always hits, and the mashed potatoes are so good. highly recommend read more

Today March 24, 2025, two friends and I had visited Cracker Barrel in Council Bluffs and did not have exccellent service. Our server, took a bit to take our order after we received our drinks. Though the server did not ask questions regarding the order to make sure we had the right items. I ordered a loaded baked potato and it was black on one end and took 15 minutes to get it back. A friend of mine place an order mashed potato with corn. Though was never asked what type of gravy she wanted. When it came with white gravy and she returned it. They did not plate new they just took off the chicken and corn with white gravy and put new mash potato with brown gravy. She asked for a manager and the manager made it right for her. My other friend asked for gravy on the side and waited 10 minutes for the gravy. We also asked for refills on drinks but had to asked 3 people for the drinks. We did end up getting the $5 take home meals for free and two of us got an additionally $5 dollar credit but I didn't. That is the reason I wrote this review and gave it a 2 out of 5. read more

Service is very very slow. Place is a mess. Floors are dirty. They don't even bother cleaning people's food stays on tables for a long time. No wonder why there is a wait. Saw people leave. Food took too long to get. No one here seemed happy. Very dim place. Managers just walking around as if there is no sense of urgency and more like they just don't care. read more

The food was excellent The service was great and the country store was great also the restaurant and the Bathroom was very clean by that I mean there were no food or no paper towels on the floor read more

Good from afar, but FAR from good. It looks good on the billboards until you get there. My family has eaten at this Cracker Barrel many times over the years and loved it. The past 3 visits have been consistently worse and I believe a month ago they hit the bottom of the barrel. The service takes a hit too. Why our server brought us out completely charred food and thought that was okay is beyond comprehension. Why the kitchen sent that and the other schlop they called food out betrays common sense. The manager apologized and said they have a lot of new cooks in there trying to learn and train. Clearly they need a new teacher because they all suck. The atmosphere of the restaurant and store are the only things that haven't changed. Our last few visits had gotten spread out as we felt perhaps they needed a little time. We really wanted them to pull it together and gave them a few more chances. After the last visit, we are done and will never be back. read more

We stopped by for some peach cobbler dessert after a long drive and really appreciated Duke's helpful and thoughtful service tonight. Plus the cobbler hit the spot. We'll be back. read more

I love cracker barrel but this place is insane Me and my family went here and didn't get our food for an hour and people that came way after us got their food in 15 minutes when we got our food my eggs tasted and felt like rubber the pancakes tasted like cold charcoal and I didn't get my fried apples and it was so loud the entire time. read more

Matthew B was my server and did an amazing job I drink a lot and it's hard to find places that can keep my drink full thank you Matt for your awesomeness I will be back for sure. AMAZING JOB AND FOOD read more

The slowest service I have ever received for eggs toast and pancakes. Over 40 minute wait and the waitress can't figure out how to refill drinks. Go to IHOP down the road and just wait for the seat to open. This place is garbage. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

My daughter and I stopped in this morning for some good'ol Cracker Barrel breakfast. Its always a safe bet coming here. Our service was amazing and we love the environment. For food, my daughter got herself some pancakes and I tried a bacon and egg hash brown casserole. Food was delicious and filling. Almost had to nap in one of the rocking chairs after. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Bacon n Egg Hashbrown Casserole, add a lil hot sauce and bobs your uncle. Yummmm - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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I came in around 9:20pm. Just finished an 11hr drive and was starving but didn't want to be "that customer" that comes in right before closing. I made sure to check first if it was okay to dine in, I was okay with take out too lit of courtesy. The staff were all super friendly. I felt so welcome in a way I've never experienced. My server was Jack, he was excellent, looked out for me and gave me some of his top 3 picks, which I ended up picking one of them, the Meatloaf. The food was delicious, shout outs to the chef and staff in the kitchen, the food came out so fast and especially during when you guys were preparing to close, thank you all so much. The cashier (I'm sorry I didn't get her name) was excellent as well. She was efficient and courteous, fantastic customer service. If you've read this far and still debating whether or not to come? Just the customer service here alone is worth dining here. read more

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This is my first time at Cracker Barrel- and I loved it. There is ample parking at this restaurant, including some trailer parking availability. The food and service was amazing- and at at very reasonable prices. The decor is very unique, with a plethora of antiques of every kind. The restaurant has an adjoining Country Store has so much good merchandise at pretty affordable prices. I would definitely return! read more

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If you're coming here hungry, don't get Marlean.. You'll wait 20 minutes for your drinks after sitting down and won't get the sides you ordered. She's MIA on the floor and when you complain to management they act surprised. read more

45 minute wait for food and once we got the food it looked and tasted like it was a day old and reheated. My school lunch from childhood tasted gourmet compared to the quality and taste of this food. This Cracker Barrel is not like the others, do better. read more

Dear heavens has this place gone downhill. I ordered the fried chicken which had way too much goopy flour and had little flavor. Green beans were inedible. Not particularly clean either. Had taken my granddaughter there last year and it was good. Won't be going back for a tie-breaker. Service was okay--but had to ask for refills and cutlery. read more

Their new Cheesy Chicken Bacon meal is fantastic. My server Elba K. around 1pm today(Sunday) was awesome. Big servings every time I come here & food tastes great! Loved sitting by the fireplace and seeing the art and vibe of the place. Very hospitable, country & down to earth people! read more

I all-around love the Cracker Barrel. I love the food, I love the gift shop, I love the peg game, I love the rocking chairs on the "porch" out front! I come for the food, but stick around way longer than I initially plan to for the gift shop! They always have the best (and most reasonably priced) seasonal decor! read more

Can't say Cracker Barrel is normally my go to food. I haven't ever been to one before. But they offer a few grilled salads as well as veggie sides. I had a grilled tender salad no cheese and their chow chow relish on top as my dressing. It was just a salad, nothing special. Service was excellent - lights out amazing. We had a large group and they actually gave us a waitress on each end of the table who were on point in every aspect. Get the chocolate Coca Cola cake!!! It was like a molten lava or an underbaked brownie batter. Best of all the other desserts we sampled read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Grilled chicken salad no cheese, chow chow relish on top - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Food was great. Had Chicken Pot Pie and it was so good. Enjoyed talking to waitress she had a sense of humor and served us with great skill. We sat in a corner table and really liked some of the old pictures and old farming tools. The old farm feeling you get from being there, really liked seeing all the old candy and soda how cool. read more

Great friendly service as usual. I always enjoy stopping at a Cracker Barrel when I travel around the US. I had chicken and dumplings, which is my favorite food item at C.B., and it was delicious. read more

Love visiting Cracker Barrel'l when in the area. Cheap no frills good home cooking. This location has a very friendly staff. read more

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Had a craving for pork chops..made a trip to Cracker Barrel... first I always thought of them for breakfast... today I tried one of the weekly specials and it was pork chops.. the have a different special each day of the week... I received the order and found out the pork chops were boneless... love it... also fried okra and fried apples... I'm in a food coma right now..came with a roll and corn bread also read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Social distancing table's - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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Well, let's start by saying I'm not a fan of Cracker Barrel but the husband is. And once again affirmed why I hate this place. Twangy country music blaring so it was hard to have a conversation, one server working the whole room, half the tables hadn't been bussed when we arrived. Grits were runny, eggs over easy were cold, and the gravy/ sausage/ breakfast casserole clearly from frozen. However, the coffee was drinkable. Oh and the server loudly announced what we had ordered. I get it: restaurant workers are hard to find. And I have worked in the sector so I know how it goes. Upside: I won't have to come here again for at least 3 years. read more