Must visit this place!!! Where I live, there's not much German (nor is it authentic and good tasting) food. The Saurbraten was delicious and in and of itself deserving of the full five stars. There's plenty of parking in the back and side of the restaurant, as well as an accessible entrance. Walking in you're greeted with friendly staff, the extensive gift shop and yummy smells. We were quickly seated and it was obvious this was a local favorite (had been recommended to us by several hotel staff). Everything about our meal and experience here was great and if I'm ever within an hour of this place, it's worth a detour for another meal. read more

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Ox Yoke Inn is an Amana must-try. It's been around for over 80 years! (And my grandma, mom and dad all worked there at one point.) I haven't been back in a long while... I'm a sucker for their family-style meal. With fried chicken, ham with pineapple sauce and their delicious roast beef. It also features some of the best darn cottage cheese with chives you'll ever have! Amazing potatoes and gravy, salad and bread with their made in-house strawberry jam. (Don't forget to ask for sauerkraut!) Unfortunately, I was in town this past week and my table did not opt for a family-style meal. (Everyone at the table must order it...) So I tried the pork tenderloin with a house salad. The salad was sublime. They event included a huge amount of ranch! My pork tenderloin was great. A bit thicker then what I typically enjoy-- but the breading was tasty and it was cooked perfectly. The staff is pleasant. Pricing is on point. The quality of all the food items I saw at my table was great! The walleye and catfish looked fabulous. Don't forget to checkout their cute store or their patio! Ox Yoke Inn is an Amana institution and you should stop on in for a family-style meal soon! read more

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Moo The Ox Yoke Inn, authentic German food in Iowa's Amana Colonies. Jaeger schnitzel with spatzle mashed potatoesand green beans. Ham with pineapple, mashed potatoes, and green beans Excellent service, great atmosphere. Moo The Ox Yoke Inn, 4420 220th Trail, Amana, IA 52203 8/31/2025 https://www.oxyokeinn.com/ read more

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This place is Nested in historic Amana - went there for wurst fest 2025. The sampler they advertised was very small for $899. However, the cheddar worst we got in addition was good. Overall, it seems a little cliché and tourist trap on the inside although the outside is a charming original structure. We were in the bottom where the bar is and they do have a fancier restaurant at top so for whatever it's worth. 2 plates and a couple drinks for $35. Not cheap. read more

Ox Yoke Inn - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

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Growing up we would travel and visit this lovely place. We went back with the family and this time it felt a lot different. The service was fine, the menu was just different. They used to have more flavor and spices the food just felt so bland. I hope that it was an off day as the experience was something we were hoping to pass on to the next generation- but the sparkle was dim on this visit. read more

Best pickled beets my mom ever had. Our server was a young girl that was so sweet and great at her job. We didn't order much but it was a nice stop with lovely servers. read more

It reminds me of my Grandparent's house with the light fixtures and steins. We tried a sample of sauerbrauten (roasted beef with ginger brown gravy. It came with a yummy potato dumpling, green beans and a roll w/strawberry jam. Husband got the catfish which he loved and we shared a side of sauerkraut. Delicious. The service was great too. read more

Ox Yoke Inn - Fireplace near our table - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

Wow!! My two sisters and I stopped at the Ox Yoke last night for dinner on our way through from Cedar Rapids. I had said the last time I ate there a couple of years ago that it was the last. The food is marginal at best. Nothing like it used to be and the prices are outrageous for the quality and service. I had the roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy and a mixed vegetable. Roast Beef is obviously precooked and had a strange texture, instant mashed potatoes, gravy made from a mix and covering everything, and steamed vegetable with no seasoning. Dessert tray presented with dried out looking samples on paper plates, the bananas in the cream pie were black-poor presentation if you want to sell desserts. Servers need a brush up on serving technique. Reaching across the table in front of guests to refill glasses, handling glasses by the rim. I worked in Amana in the early 80's at The Barn and we would have never attempted to serve this quality of food as all of our competition at that time was serving outstanding quality food, Ox Yoke included. read more

Very nice restaurant that has been here for many many years! Very old building with charm and very well maintained. I had the fresh whole catfish with green beans and mash potatoes. Catfish was nicely breaded and fried. The taste was fresh and cooked to perfection.easy to debone. Green beans were fresh with bits of ham and very tasty! I also had the clam chowder of which was homemade with nice size chunks of clam meat and potatoes. Very very good! Our server Brittany, was very prompt and friendly. Our order was perfect and hot. The restaurant was clean and orderly! It was very pleasant experience! I recommend this restaurant! read more

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We went there for Easter Brunch...horrible instant mashed potatoes, canned gravy, the thinnest ham imaginable soaking in brown sugar water tough and dry. Would NEVER go back. Very pricey for a buffet with horrible food read more

We went for the Sunday brunch. It was amazing!! So much food and it was all amazing! Or waitress was attentive and constantly kept my coffee cup full and dirty dishes away. The atmosphere is very German. There is a litte museum upstairs that is interesting. read more

The Ox Yolk Inn is quintessential Amana Colonies dining at it's best! I've been here multiple times over the years. While I'm normally here for the old German family style dining... We were in town for an event and we were going to be served appetizers and drinks at the Hotel Millwright later in the evening. We ordered off the appetizer and sandwiches plated menu. We ordered an appetizer of the cheese curds. I went with the Jager Burger and accompanying seafood chowder. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp basket and fries. A soda and a water. The cheese curds came with marinara and ranch. The shrimp basket came with five large shrimp, a good sized order of fries, and cocktail sauce. The Jager Burger is described as: a 1/2 lb. Angus burger topped with fried mushrooms, Swiss, Jäger gravy on a brioche bun. Everything was cooked perfectly with one minor exception... Mannnn... That burger was good. Every component playing off the other. I was asked what temp I wanted the burger cooked at and had said medium rare. It came back medium well, but it was easily forgiven and I didn't even mention it to our server. The seafood chowder was all fake crab as far as I could tell, but fake crab is normally just a processed white fish so it is what it is. Still a good soup! Service during our visite was excellent! We were checked on regularly and refills were brought when needed. While the family style dining is where it's at for large parties don't skip out on the Ox Yolk Inn if you are by yourself or in a smaller party. One additional mention. If you liked fried chicken check out their fried chicken plates. While I didn't order it a gentleman at a table near us did and it looked phenomenal! read more

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My family and I went for the Sunday brunch and it was delicious! We were greeted and even checked on by the host. Our waitress was super attentive and the food was amazing. They had both breakfast and lunch available on the buffet. We were definitely happy and full when we left. Check it out!! Also, very family friendly ​ read more

We got there at 9 am and there was no wait and everything was ready. By the time we left at 945 most tables were filled and they were keeping thE buffet full. Numerous options for pastries, omelet, waffles, lunch food as well... Peel and eat shrimp, seafood imperial, pork chops, hash browns. The room was typically decorated for an old German restaurant. The fireplace with the steins and stag was on point for Amana. Food was good. Coffee was meh. Buffet was 25/person and coffee was a couple dollars each. Overall a good cost for a filling bunch. read more

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Rolls and jam are great! Good amount of food without being too much. Weiner schnitzel was a little undercooked. Nice atmosphere.

Standards have dropped. No butter either the rolls, rolls under cooked, mashed potatoes cold, schnitzel soggy, spatzel tasteless

Ambiance was very nice - quite a charming place. The food was not impressive. If you like frozen or canned corn, this place is for you. Given the restaurant is located in the heart of Iowa, I was expecting fresh corn or at least tasty frozen corn and was disappointed. Someone in our party tried the split pea soup and liked it. Nothing impressive about the rest of the meal. read more

We have eaten at Ox Yoke Inn several times. We ate there Feb. 12 and were very disappointed, not only had the price was increadef, but the food had decreased in quantity and quality. We ordered a plate lunch. It had a breast and wing, neither were very warm, potatoes were cold, along with the frozen peas and carrots and lacked taste. We were served a very small roll, tasty but very small, not what one would expect at Ox Yoke Inn. I hope they can offer a better lunch plate. Service was very good. read more

Delicious German food! We try to stop on our travels through from Illinois to Nebraska once a year. Bartender was a bit slow and have had better potato salad but overall very good! read more

Ox Yoke Inn - Baked steak - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

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The quality of food was OK however there were items advertised online that weren't available when we travelled to the restaurant to order them. We went to this restaurant to specifically order this dish. After speaking with other patrons we found out that this restaurant's quality of food had deteriorated. The service was excellent. The ambience good. read more

Food was outstanding! Service was excellent, we've come here for ever! Love the atmosphere! Got the cook book on this last trip!

The Ox Yoke Inn is an Amana Colonies staple. They had TONS of seating which is nice but a little odd as there is not one dining room but that meant there was no wait. Their big draw is family style food which is cute and can be great for a group. Every person at the table (except kids) have to get family style if you choose that option. We all got various types of schnitzel and all cleaned our plates. I'd recommend the jager schnitzel over the chicken schnitzel as it has much more flavor thanks to the sauce on top. read more

A party of four all ordered the two piece chicken meal. The chicken was overcooked and extremely dry. No one was able to eat it. Extremely disappointing. They did offer a free piece of pie. But for 22.00 person I was not satisfied at all. read more

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I was charged an adult brunch for my 10 year old. When I politely asked the server if there was not a kids rate, she told me there was for 10 and under. I let her know my daughter just turned 10, she SNATCHED the receipt out of my hand and crumpled it in my face, walked away and said "maybe you shouldn't come to brunch then". When I sent in a complaint explaining and sharing that I was very disappointed in the waitress' behavior, I was accused of lying, and the waitress lied and said my daughter told her she was 13. She did not because she was not part of the conversation let alone would she lie about her age or for it to even be believable that she was older than 10. Their response being accusations, lies and being extremely rude instead of being an apology for the behavior will lose all future business from us. There is no excuse for their behavior. read more

Food was Sysco product, service was tired, food is expensive ($2.50 for extra gravy even with "family style"!!) but worst was to be told I have to pay an 18% tip so $16.06 more than I had left for a "custom" $12 tip. I have my customer receipt but their scam is telling me I "didn't sign the receipt so they had to add the 18% tip." BE CAREFUL since they have got the scam routine down and probably we "auslanders" are the easiest targets. read more

in town for the week on business and had dinner then came back for lunch next day. food and deserts are amazing. Quick to seat us and service was friendly. Reas price for the quality and freshness. I'd recommend to anyone. Rubin burger, sweet potato fries and cheese curds are excellent. read more

Been coming here since I was a child, now 69, and this is not the Ox Yoke it to be. We were there this past weekend for Sunday Brunch. Very disappointed. The food doesn't seem homemade any more, which is very disappointing. The prices are extremely high for cheap quality food. The roast beef was nothing more than a beef loaf that was mushy and fake tasting. The potatoes were not real and the chicken strips tasted like they were from a bag. Where was the "real" fried chicken? The "real" ham and the "real" potatoes?? You've had the same buffet for years, why change now? Sorry, for the price you now charge for cheaper quality food, we won't be back...not for a long time anyway. You are destroying what was once a great, great thing. Really sad. read more

Dined for the 1st time in over 10 years at the Ox Yoke Inn in Amana on Tuesday. We arrived just before noon and were seated immediately. I must say, the place appeared to not have changed much over the years, as we first dined there over 40 years ago. The building, both inside and out still has the "old world" charm to it, everything seemed clean and tidy, and after driving there for nearly 2hrs., I actually checked out the men's room first. You know we include reviews of the facilities in our reviews, as we believe it VERY important for businesses to have clean restrooms for travelers. The Ox Yoke Inn scored a 5 star rating on cleanliness. As for the food... Suzie was our waitress, and she took care of us from start to finish. It's obvious that she had worked there for some time, and we appreciated her answering questions that we had. The Ox Yoke Inn offers 2 kind of" plates," and I'll copy portions of those explanations from their website menu: Plated Special: includes one serving of potatoes, gravy, vegetable, dinner roll and Ox Strawberry Jam, except where noted. No refills. Family Style Dinners, which include: "refillable Cottage Cheese with Chives, Salad of the Day, Vegetable, Potatoes and Gravy, Bread Basket and our Ox Strawberry Jam. Sauerkraut and Pickled Beets upon request. All leftovers are discarded. Refills may not be carried out." I had the Rueben Sandwich with Onion Rings (pic included,) my wife had a bowl of Chili, and her sister had the Roast Beef Dinner - plated. We all had desserts, and my choice was the German Chocolate Cake. Folks, this took me back some 50 years when my Mom made it. Yeah, it was that good. So, Ox Yoke Inn here's our grades for ya on this REALLY nice Fall day: Cleanliness: 5 stars. Staff (especially Suzie): 5 stars. Food: 5 stars. Keep it up! read more

Ox Yoke Inn - Awesome Rueben Sandwich with the BEST onion rings. - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

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Very tasty food! Waitress was great and she handled three other tables. One was a family gathering equivalent to four tables.

I grew up coming to eat family style at the Amana's, and I will say it is as delicious and hasn't changed one bit through all the years. But the fun part of this visit was seeing my daughter's bug-eyed boyfriend when all the food came out. And came out. And came out. This is his first trip ever to the midwest, and now he knows how good we eat here. He couldn't stop saying, "This is Thanksgiving in July" all through our amazing lunch. He then fell asleep in the car on the way back to my parents house lol. read more

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Met some family here and took advantage of the German menu. I had the Reinlander sandwich. I could drink that mustard by the glass! I had enough to have lunch the next day. Service was great and friendly! read more

I love coming to the Amanas to explore the shops and of course eat some great food. The Ox Yoke Inn is our standard lunch stop. Today I had the jagerschnitzel (gravy on the side!). We also had the "family style"... So we had green beans, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, and our favorite the cottage cheese. I also had a millstream rootbeer to drink which was very tasty in the chilled mug. Great Food & Great Service! read more

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We enjoyed our visit to the Ox Yoke in the Amana's. Our serviced was very attentive and proficient. The meals were extremely satisfying. We'd definitely visit again. read more

Great place for a classic brunch with all the fixings. Good service, excellent selection for st pattys day. Would like to try it on a regular day to see what variety they would have. read more

Ordered carry out. Took 2 hours and they forget about you. Very disappointing. Kept coming out every 15 min saying it's almost ready. Not worth the wait read more

Ox Yoke Inn - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

Food was Amazing! We were visiting and so glad we found this Restaurant. Highly recommend.

We saw their Facebook ad for Sunday brunch and decided to make the 1 1/2 drive. Arrived at noon and was seated promptly. Our waitress was not so prompt. There were 3 tables including us in our room. It's buffet only so I'm not sure why she kept ignoring us. She finally took our drink order and told us where buffet was. I thought there were pretty good choices. The young man at the omelet bar was awesome! Very friendly and made a great omelet. He was by far the friendliest staff member we encountered. Some of the food was Luke warm. I think it would have been really good if it was hot. The cold salads were all very good. The waffle with the strawberry jam was tasty. Overall the food was pretty good I don't think we'd go back for $25 for it when it didn't even include the coffee. I am usually pretty lenient on servers as my young daughter works at a McDonald's and I know how hard these kids work and how much crap people give them but this server just kept ignoring us. At one point is was my party of 2 and another party of 2 in the room and she came out with a water pitcher and filled their glasses and my boyfriends glass was empty mine half and she walked right past us and never even offered. Then we watched other people get their checks so we waited. Nothing so we went to the counter and the lady there wasn't overly friendly either. The waitress came over and pulled up our check on the register and I paid it from there. I did leave a very minimal tip also very unlike me. I'm not sure if this is normal for this place and I'd hate to think it is because we are a biracial couple but we sure did not feel welcomed. read more

The food used to be good, but is now lacking in authenticity. The ambiance is now tired looking. Service is HORRIBLE! Wait staff is angry, unkempt, impatient, and clearly don't want to be working there. read more

The Amana Colonies are seven villages on 26,000 acres (11,000 ha) located in Iowa County in east-central Iowa, United States: Amana (or Main Amana), East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana, and Homestead. The villages were built and settled by German Pietists, who were persecuted in their homeland by the German state government and the Lutheran Church. For nearly one hundred years, the Colonies were completely self-sufficient. When they decided to start selling their home-made goods to the outside world, they formed the Amana Society, which included the Amana Corporation (the appliance company). Today, the colonies are largely a tourist destination, which shops selling home-made goods like quilts, and furnitures, as well as locally produced foods. There are a number of restaurants, including the Ox Yoke Inn. Opened in 1940, the restaurant features old world and traditional recipes, and side dishes that are served "family style." Service includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch buffet. It's big on the tour bus circuit and has several large rooms to accomodate groups. This is one of those places that is probably resting on their laurels from decades ago. While the food and service is fine, I have big doubts about the number of things prepared on site. I order the wienerschnitzel, as I always do when it's available, and it was topped (upcharge) with cheese and ham. It was perfectly fine, as I said earlier. It came with a couple of sides, mash/gravy, and green beans, both of which were perfectly forgettable. Doubtful on whether the gravy was made in house, ditto on the dinner roll. The prices are what one would expect at a tourist destination. They also have a variety of pies to go, around $14 per. Stop for the novelty. read more

Ox Yoke Inn - Schnitzel - German Near Me - Amana, Iowa

Their Rubin was great with cheesy Spatzel. Had a strawberry rubarb margarita that tasted great but was overfull and made a sticky mess.