After a lifetime of speeding past Gramma's Kitchen on I-80, I finally visited with my uncle earlier this week. He was driving me to the University of Iowa for a doctor's visit and it was early; he desperately needed coffee. "But none of that fast coffee," he told me, nodding toward a nearby gas station as we rolled into the parking lot. Only Gramma's would do. It was around 9:30 and there were several tables filled with old farmers. The waitresses were laughing amongst themselves in the kitchen and it was a few minutes before anyone noticed we were there. However, when our presence was discovered, the waitresses were doubly effusive and did a great job getting us our food and drinks promptly. My uncle ordered a cinnamon roll whose incredible magnitude put those poor excuses at Cinnabon to shame. I had a few bites and it was good. The pancakes I ordered were also quite large. I ordered two, but next time (and there will be a next time - my uncle loves this place and he's basically the only person available to drive me to Iowa City on a weekday) I'll stick with one. I liked it! Gramma's Kitchen is not doing anything groundbreaking, but it apparently beats "fast coffee," makes adequate breakfast food, and has nice waitresses. I'll be back! read more

Checkered flag is one of my favorite stops for dinner and a drink I've had almost everything on the menu the New York strip is excellent drinks are always well made by Jessica who has thee best personality and attitude for dealing with drivers from all walks of life Only two down falls salad bar is very limited and lack luster and the management is not very helpful to the staff in busy situations or covering for staff members breaks like they don't want to be there just two consistent observations from multiple visits Great food though read more

Mmmmmm....banana cream pie was the highlight of this leg of our road trip! The restaurant is on the side of I-80 west bound, and there is a waitress named Sarah who is as sweet as their banana cream pie! It's merged with the Checkered Flag bar and grille, and there's a ton of country gadgets for sale by the register. I couldn't resist, I had to buy the bacon flavored jelly beans....who wouldn't love a present like that?!? Needless to say if you go, you can share a meal with a friend or stranger....if you could find one in the joint! Here's to cross country road trips! read more

I have a very sick weakness for Southern lookin' restaurants that have overpriced novelty items in their store. This place was like heaven to me. My husband and I REALLY enjoyed our food. When they say they have the best pot roast in town, they are oh so very close. I had the hot roast beef sandwich with french fries. Warm, delicious and practically melted in my mouth. My husband had the loaded baked potato soup. He wanted seconds immediately. Service was very friendly and efficient. I needed to wash my hands and by the time I got back, our food had been delivered. Safe to say, they don't waste time! Also grabbed me a purse, gummy bears and some rock candy for the nieces. Absolutely worth checking out! read more

3 because it's this or that dirty travel center across the street and they have a salad bar here. He got pulled pork sandwich she got chick pot pie. His- pretty good flavor on the sweet side very much enjoyed. He would have again. The bun/roll was really good. 2nd best pulled pork he ever had. Hers- the potnpie is a soup with a crust laid on top and baked in a bowl. It comes.with saltine crackers and a roll. Kinda disappointed that it was Really really salty and made me think grams had super high blood pressure by how much salt was in her recipe. I couldn't finish it so he finished the "pie". Potatoes were more al dente than I like-very firm. Service is awesome and staff is nice. The raspberry pie is going into the garbage bc it's a glaze filling like a donut and not like how berry pies are normally made. The menu is limited but there is something for everyone. I wouldn't go back because my two basic food choices were pretty bad. read more

Lovely place! Lovely service!! Nic nacs to look at and buy!!! Will be back when we go through here!!! read more

Completely dissatisfied with new hours. For a business that " Supposedly caters to Truck Drivers , they sure " Do Not " have Trucker Friendly hours . Since " New Management " took over, everything has gone Down Hill. This place used to be open till 11 pm for food, and midnight for bar. This was a more reasonable time especially for Truck Drivers , who can't patron this place any more, due to 9pm closing. If they keep these restrictive hours in place , they will continue to lose Drivers to the less desirable restaurants in the area, who stay open. read more

Made a reservation for Father's Day Brunch. Lady on phone asked what time would we like. 9:00AM she said sounds good. When we arrived and Started going through the line I noticed some things missing so I asked the manager and was told Brunch doesn't start until 10:00. I was not impressed that they didn't tell us that when making reservation. Will not return. Manager and server were not pleasant when I questioned the timing. They both acted like we should have known what time it started. read more

Nice atmosphere, very good food! Everything was delicious, and our waitress Christina was delightful! We'll be back!

Me and my husband were passing thru Iowa and this place was pretty close to us. Gave it a try and oh what a Ken! Delicious. Eggs were done just right! Like homemade. Our waitress kept pouring more coffee refills the entire breakfast. Very friendly and attentive. Pancakes and fried potato skins were also quite good. Definitely going to eat here again when coming back. Please try this place you won't be disappointed. Enjoy! read more

Food and service were good, nothing special but I had a good burger and the chocolate pie for dessert was also tasty. I would have preferred to sit in the bar area, but it was Super Bowl Sunday and there were no spots available. I ate in the mostly empty dining room but it did have a TV so I could see the game. The reason I didnt give 3 or 4 stars was the odor of the table. I believe the table was wiped down with a dirty rag. It left the smell of a stale sponge. read more

Best breakfast place ever! Tastes fresh and homemade. Staff is awesome. I guess if the review isn't long enough, it won't post. So here are some more thoughts: it's clean, it's cute, the location is at a truck stop; which isn't great, but once your inside - who cares? read more

See all

Kitchy fun place. Plaid wallpaper and overhead lighting made from tea pots and cups. The service was robotic, with the waitress being uninterested. She didn't make eye contact with us more than half the time. Apparently it was busy before we showed up and they were in the process of restocking many of the items. Mostly comfort foods and a absurdly appropriate level of bacon related merchandise. The Smoked Turkey Salad (with bacon dressing) was quite tasty. The others that were dining seemed to have quite healthy servings of food. My dining partner had an open-faced Turkey Sandwich, complete with mashed potatoes. It was like Gramma's, they feed you when you show up. This place is across the street from the World's Largest Truckstop and it is definitely worth crossing the road for the food. read more

Had a late breakfast here with my aunt and uncle they had the breakfast buffet going still at noon, not sure that is ever Sunday or what but the food was good and seemed fresh they had an omellet bar mmmmm. There's a lot of diffrent nic nake stuff and some cool gas pumps through out. read more

Gramma's Kitchen & Checkered Flag - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Walcott, Iowa

See all

Pretty good, chicken was not greasy. Great service! Apple pie was great buts it's thick, fills you up pretty quickly. Husband has banana cream pie, very good. I'll stop again next time I'm in the area, would like to try breakfast next time. For the truckers! You can park behind the restaurant, or just a very short walk from the Pilot across the street or the TA. read more

See all

We stopped here for lunch on our cross-country trip in July of 2013, and had high hopes for this place, given the other reviews. Sadly, we weren't that impressed. The Good: the service was friendly; the gift shop had some cute stuff. The chef's salad was generous. Drinks in mason jars are a cute and fitting touch. The Could-be-Better: I don't think the prices made it a good value. My soup was underseasoned and the mayo on my BLT was just glopped on. The bread was just generic toast. The catfish dinner was a whole fish gutted with the head lopped off--there wasn't that much meat on the bones. There is just about nothing on the menu for a vegetarian--even the "garden pasta" had three kinds of meat in it. Dessert might have redeemed the meal, but we felt like we'd already sunk too much money into a disappointing experience and wanted to get out of there. I know the "Gramma" name means it was good home-cooked style food, but in the end I thought it would also be fitting because it's the kind of food your grandparents would probably enjoy. I doubt we'll stop on our next trip through. read more

Great place, nice decor, clean, fresh, soup banging/fresh, salad bar nice/fresh, bar attached, && nice country store!! Great choices for travelers!! read more

Gramma's Kitchen & Checkered Flag - Great salad bar!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Walcott, Iowa

Everything was delicious. Very friendly staff. Happy to make substitutions... if you are debating between here and the truck stop buffet, this is the right choice. Prices are almost identical and portions are big! read more

Gramma's Kitchen & Checkered Flag - Chicken fried steak with the free extra egg for saying "I love eggs". - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Walcott, Iowa

This has always been a stop my family looked forward to on long road trips when we needed to take a break from driving. The past couple of times we have stopped, though, we have really noticed a decline in the food quality. Today I got a reuben sandwich which came with 2 very thin slices of what looked like packaged corned beef that didn't even cover the bread, 1 slice of swiss cheese, and about a tablespoon of sauerkraut. All I could taste was greasy rye. My daughter got deep fried cod, which she said was good. The fries were crispbut needed salt. I was very upset by the total lack of regard for public safety in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We travelled through 3 states on this trip and this was the ONLY restaurant, gas station, or hotel we stopped where no extra sanitation or safety precautions were being taken. The waitress reached across our table and stood very close to us without a mask or gloves on while taking our order and serving water and food. The salad buffet was open and inadequately protected. The food looked like it had been sitting out awhile. This restaurant is right across from the World's Largest Truck Stop, and truckers from all over the country pass through. It boggles my mind that no effort was taken to protect the staff and customers. Even the salt and pepper shakers left on the table were shared and looked dirty. There are cute signs and farmhouse items in the gift shop, but they are overpriced and do not make up for the mediocre food and lackluster service we received. We will not be back. read more

Do not come here to eat actual food. Come here to drink a beer. I came here while on a long 18 hour drive and was hungry. Stopped at got what the waitress suggested. It was absolutely terrible. Everything tasted frozen. Saw people in the back warming up cold soup in a microwave for us. Not worth the price. The only reason this was a 2 star was because everyone was very nice. Bathrooms were disgusting. Just don't come. Save your $20 and go to Dairy Queen across the street to the truck stop. read more

Our first time here. Planned to stop at Iowa 80 but the annual truckers jamboree had it completely packed. The breaded tenderloin was very good and the homemade onion rings were delicious. Our son had the buttermilk pancakes and said they tasted like home. He loved the sausage links and bacon. Prices were reasonable. The service was very friendly and attentive. Would definitely stop here next time through. read more

If you want cheap, low quality food, go Somewhere Else. This place is HOMEMADE ALL THE WAY. They do not sacrifice ingredients on recipes. This is a ANY MEAL RESTAURANT. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, they Satisfy. Service great and friendly atmosphere. Oh, and the PIES, are The BEST. I've order them for many holidays. You will be full from the main course, but take home a slice or half pie for home!!!coconut cream is my fav Casual,Midwest atmosphere. read more

Always a hit. Excellent food! Never had a bad experience here. Iowa hospitality. My favorite is the fried chicken dinner. Delicious. Crispy. Perfectly seasoned. And I always have a go-box for the generous portions. Don't forget to get a slice of pie. Homemade and delicious. If only we could replace 98 percent of road trash with this kind of food, then we'd be fortunate. read more

We were on the road and trying to find a place for the night. Got our hotel and headed across the way for dinner. There were standard fast food places and then there was Gramma's. Our service was excellent and the food was quite good. All of the servers were friendly, as were the other diners. It was our servers first night and we had no idea until the manager mentioned it. We returned the next day for breakfast and were equally impressed. They are very open to entree sharing and accommodating dietary needs. read more

It all started, as most great things do, with excellent service. Of course that was followed by savory food which included meaty portions of tilapia, a perfectly baked potato, al dente green beans, and a soft, warm, fluffy dinner roll that tastes amazing. Added bonuses included your standard sour cream and a sweet tartar sauce for that tasty fish! Oh, yeah...I can't forget the refreshingly cool iced tea! Mmmm!!! read more

Stopped at Grammas for breakfast yesterday morning with some friends traveling back from a weekend road trip. Cute little family restaurant complete with plaid wallpaper and country decor. They also have a gift shop area before you enter the dining room which has some unique fun items including a bunch of bacon fan stuff! So anyway, I decided to get the $7.99 breakfast buffet which overall was pretty decent. The buffet offered scrambled eggs, bacon, smoked sausage, hashbrown casserole, biscuits and gravy, french toast and fresh fruit. The eggs tasted a little dry and overcooked but if your just looking to fill your belly and aren't too picky about your eggs the buffet choice is definately the way to go. My friends ended up ordering off the menu and later wished they would have just gotten the buffett. Also, I want to comment on the service. I know it's better to be overserved than underserved, but our waitress was ridiculously attentive to the point of being a little annoying. I barely got 2 sips of coffee before she was back filling my cup. Even when she asked if we were ok and asked if we needed a refill on something we would tell her no and she would continue to ask are you sure? I don't mind getting it for you, are you sure? really? are you sure? yes we're sure! Trust me we speak up if we want something we'll ask for it! My friend even commented on feeling pressured to get more refills because of her constant asking, even while he had a full refil on the table waiting for him! read more

My wife and son stopped here on a cross country road trip, had a very nice meal. My wife left her cell phone on the table. When I called her, one of Gramma's staff Dana Johnson answered my wife's phone and told me it was left behind. I gave her our address in Massachusetts and she boxed it and mailed it to me, asking for nothing, not even the cost of mailing. That's real hospitality. read more

Ate supper here tonight, and would rate this restaurant a 10 if I could! This is the place to go when you want a delicious, home cooked meal. The restaurant is always clean, and service was beyond great tonight. Our waitress was Kaitlyn, the best waitress I've ever had. Thank you Kaitlyn!! I had the meatloaf, REAL mashed potatoes, grilled green beans, salad bar, and the best chocolate pie! The portions were more than generous, so brought some home. Everything I had was fantastic!!! My daughter had the lasagna and was more than satisfied with the side of french bread and salad bar. She also had the chocolate pie. She said it was the best meal ever and it wasn't deep fat fried The other employees treated us with nothing but respect. WE WILL BE BACK!!!!. read more

If ur from or have visited and eaten in the Southern States of America,u will not enjoy this food. If my gramma cooked like this the whole family would have starved and I would have never been born!! read more

Decent Sunday brunch. Biscuits and gravy looked better than it tasted but that would be my only complaint.

Service was good but the food was pretty bland and overpriced. They did have a delicious soup on the salad bar but unfortunately that was the high point of the meal. read more

This is a great place to eat and I'm glad we stopped here. The pork tenderloin sandwich is very good and was recently voted the best in the state. It was unlike most of them I've had which tend to be thin and crunchy. This one is thick and fluffy with great pork flavor. Everything I saw others eating looked just as delicious. The wait staff was attentive and welcoming. read more

Am a regular here but after 2 bad outings I'm rethinking...waited to be seated for 15 minutes this visit so finally just took it upon myself....nobody around!! Salad in salad bar was browning. Last visit here salad bar was virtually empty!!! So bummed... really was a great place when Brian managed it! Now it doesn't seem anyone cares. read more

I ordered the pork chimichanga, and it was simply outstanding. Even though is not a Mexican restaurant, I was very pleased with the Grandma's Kitchen approach to traditional Mexican food. The atmosphere of this place is great! Very nice decor, background music matched the theme and was perfect volume, hardwood tables, cloth napkins, and the service was top notch. I felt the price could have been twice the $13 per person average. Highly recommended. read more

Terrible breakfast buffet. All of the food was cold. I told waitress and she told me they would bring fresh hot food. After 30 minutes, that never happened. Salad bar was wilted and old. Very disappointed by the terrible food. read more

We went for lunch on Sunday last, We got seated right away , no waiting. Todd our server did a better than average job, the table wthat we got was so ! wobbly that I feared it would actually fall down. It only has Pepsicola drinks, (roll eyes) I am a coke products kinda guy. wich was only problematic because they don't filter their tap water through the fountain drink dispenser and the water out there sucks big time, and then some I found it undrinkable. Please consider spending just a little bit on a quality water filter, your pepsi guy may not even charge you for it. Even if you pass along the $300.00 cost of an Everpure filter to the customer for .25 cents or even .35 cents a glass, its well worth it. My companion got the tenderloin sandwich ( batter dipped) and said it was very good, another two people split a reuban sandwich and they said it was very good as well. I got the club sandwich and it was good as well, I,d say better than most, in this area. I actuall ate half there and took the balance home with me for later. Price for mine was $15.00 for a sandwich and a rootbeer with tip. So, areas of opprotunity are: fix all of the tables so they don't wiggle or shake Filter the tap water, with a good quality filter. we will go back , I think you should give it a try , read more

We stopped here for the night. Just passing through on our way to Chicago. Food was good homemade with re as l mashed potatoes. Our service was very good and prompt. Definitely will stop here again. Better than the Truckstop food read more

We stopped here on the way home from Iowa City. We almost went to I-80 truck stop until I saw Granmmas. So happy we chose Grammas. First the ambiance is like stepping back into time ,sitting in a country dining area. The teapot lights are so cute hanging from the celing. Every thing on the menu looked amazing but cannot have everything at once. My husband ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich with fries. It not only looked good but he said it was one of the best pork tenderloins he has ever had. He even mentioned the fries. I did try one of his fries and yes he was right. They were really tasty and were still hot. I had the bacon,bacon, lettuce,tomato sandwich. It was stacked with some of the best bacon I have ever tasted. It was cooked to perfection. I ordered their homemade chips with it. They were very good. But after trying the French fries my husband had, think I will go that route next time. I really wanted to try the pie but after eating that whole NOT I just did not have room. Looking forward to our next stop there. If you are visiting the truck stop for all their best shops go across the road to Grammas to eat. read more

BF and I stopped here on our way back from Davenport. It was oh-so-cute. It really did look like my gramma's kitchen. Service was attentive, the food came out nice and hot, and the coffee was good. I also got grapefruit juice and it was really good! Usually it is just super tart but this was sweet AND tart. YUM. They had some really good sounding breakfast items (breafkast tacos, or how about a pork taco INSIDE an omelette!?) but I just wanted something simple and got traditional breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and toast. BF got the pork taco inside the omelette and thought it was awesome. You can also substitute biscuits and gravy for toast at no charge! He was blown away by this. The server described their buffet, I think she said it was only on Sundays, but not certain of this. It sounded really good! I checked out the little gift shop area before we headed out and saw a lot of very cute things that I hadn't seen before. Ended up buying a gift for a friend, even though I wanted to buy lots more :) Would definitely stop here again. read more

We were traveling with a dog this time so had to order takeout, but it was still really good. After a long day of driving the lasagna and turkey wrap were great. Last trip we were there for breakfast and it was excellent too. Great place to eat when in the area. read more