When I'm in Monticello I usually stop here to gas up. Why?…read moreConvenient location. Easy in and out. And most importantly, gas prices are usually lower than prices in Manchester. Give it a try.

Purchase a half a side of beef oh full hog and purchase many items out of there cooler in store…read more This facility is extremely clean. It is a high marked locker in my book. I trust this locker above all others. And they don't steal me like other lockers I had to deal with, and I can say that because I knew employees that work there and they informed me of it. This place is a cut above the rest. I will be calling them again for another side of beef.

They processed half a hog for me. They have the best bacon i have ever encountered. Their smoked,…read morecured hamsteaks are very good. Sausage was wonderful without being too spicy. To the comment about smell...right next door is a tanner who dries hides and pelts. The smell is likely from that unair-conditioned with the hides drying.

Excellent food. a good selection of tasty items. Yummy bakery items…read more Service is fine. Order at the counter; they deliver to the table. Ambience: casual. Walk-in as you are from locals to morning coffee groups to workers grabbing a treat or sandwich. Yep. I'll be back.

Friendly staff and food was great. I was working in town at the hospital and wanted a quick, local…read morebite to eat to keep it healthy. This place absolutely rocks! Such a cool, cozy spot with lots of little gifts and what not. My chicken wrap was delicious. Veggies/ranch were great too!

The coffee shop has a charming atmosphere, good coffee and quality food. I have enjoyed visiting…read morethere many times. Unfortunately, I had two recent interactions that changed my experience. On one visit I was showing my friends my homemade earrings. On another visit a friend brought me a birthday gift and was letting pick out the bracelet, The owner came by and gave the impression that my actions were being interpreted as conducting business, even though I wasn't, If the coffee shop has policies about sharing your handcrafts or exchanging gifts while at their shop that is their right, However, I left feeling unsure of what was and wasn't permitted. The experience made the atmosphere feel much less welcoming than I had previously experienced, because of those experiences, I'm likely not to return. If you're looking for a place where customers can comfortably meet friends and share personal projects or gifts, you may want to clarify the café's expectations first

This was such a cute little coffee shop I stopped by on my way drive home for the weekend! I loved…read morethe ambiance of the shop - it was connected to a store so there was a ton of little things you could look at or buy, definitely gave me very comfy cozy vibes. Bathroom was clean and looked well managed. Staff was very friendly and I didn't have to wait too long for my drink. I tried one of the specials I think the hoppy bunny which the barista described as white chocolate and peanut butter - to me it tasted more like almond, not really either of the flavors she mentioned but it was decent, just didn't blow me away :)

If you are near the Independence area, Em's is a MUST. It is an awesome small business. The service…read moreis quick, and the employees are the sweetest and very personable. I've been to hundreds of coffee shops around the U.S, but this one is by far THE best. My go to is an iced salted honey latte. Their menu is huge. They also offer monthly drink specials. They have unique and delicious flavor combinations. And how could I forget their baked goods?!?! They always have a stacked bakery case. They've got the biggest cinnamon rolls with the best frosting. Em offers a newsroom which has a couch and several chairs for meetings, or just to hangout! Overall a must-try. I promise you'll be going back

The coffee was great. Had gelato and a couple smoothies. Went there twice while I was visiting in…read moreIndependence

This is a pretty standard Fareway. It's not nearly as big as the one in Independence, but I…read morecertainly don't always feel like driving 20 minutes to go to Indee. It's very clean, and it's a very well-taken-care-of store. They even do a great job of getting in some of the newer types of food products. The shelves are usually stocked, and while they don't have the variety a big-box store does, this is one of the few places in town to get a good selection of groceries. Okay, it's pretty much the only place in town, and it puts the grocery selection of K-mart or Shopko to shame. I haven't had any particular issue with things being regularly out-of-stock, and they seem to do a decent job of keeping the shelves stocked. Cashiers have always been nice, and they do a good job of customer management here. They'll call up more cashiers when the lines get long, and I've never waited more than a couple minutes to check-out. Very satisfactory in terms of most stores in Oelwein (and most stores, period. Very good line management) I still don't understand the aisle organization in the store, though. There's water on the far side with some groceries then there are some aisles of cleaning supplies, then we have aisles of cookies, and then refrigerated and then frozen. The aisle organization makes no sense, and despite shopping here regularly for over a year, I still have to look through nearly every aisle when I want to find something. Parking lot is nice. I've never had any issues parking or getting out of the parking lot. Unlike some of the other lots in town, this one isn't in disrepair or going to pop a tire from their potholes. This Fareway does NOT have a fresh bakery, but they do have some bakery items. They do have a full-service meat counter as well as some types of health foods (though not a lot) like almond milk or soy milk. There is no bicycle parking, but in hilarious Oelwein fashion, there is horse parking. Prices are pretty good. Not great, but not insanely high either. If you buy the items that are on the weekly sale (especially the front page of their ad), you can get stuff for cheaper than you could find in Waterloo or Cedar Falls. The fact that Fareway employees go out with the carts to load up your car drives me absolutely insane, though. I mean, insane. I'm sure some people really like it, though, but I'd rather just deal with it all myself. Final thoughts: I'm glad this is in Oelwein or I'd have nowhere decent to get groceries. It's a surprisingly great store for this area, and they've done a good job of taking care of the property and the stock. It's obvious that whoever runs this Fareway cares about presenting a decent appearance and isn't just relying on the "this is the only place people can go" factor. I enjoy shopping here (aside from the aisle organization).

they offer a wide variety of deli products and have great customer serviceread more

I've been wanting to come here for a couple of years and finally made it...I was NOT disappointed!!…read moreThe owners are so personable and fun to be around. The customers certainly have a great time here! I feel like I made new friends in the first 5 minutes of walking in the door. I was given a tour of the kitchen and learned a lot more about the business and the amazing couple who own it. The entire staff was incredibly knowledgeable and so much fun to talk to. If you haven't been here, or even if you have - GO! Do not give it a 2nd thought! They have a full menu and they do breakfast on Sundays!! First Sunday of the Month, you get a free omelette with the purchase of a buffet.

Being from the DSM area & always buying this wine at the Farmers' Market, it was so fun to visit…read morethe actual winery. We already know we LOVE the wine, so a flight was no hard choice. We tasted a few new & kept all our favorites! Also, the Farm Girl wine slushie is amazing!! While there drinking our favorite wines, we decided to get some food. Very easy & quick snacks. Nachos & pickle wraps. Everything was tasty & so laid back. This was nothing fancy, but we still enjoyed every bit of it! Definitely a place more should visit. Very affordable & friendly.

This is a great place to get in-and-out of really really fast. There's a lot of cold drinks here…read moreand a lot of variety. Lots of sandwich shopping if you get there before noon. Same thing goes for breakfast options if you get there before everything's gone. There's a table in the front that has a lot of fresh things on it buy some if you want. Why do you have energy drinks so if you want to get juiced you can get that too.