Stumbled on this gem by accident. We were a party of 6 everyone said the food amazing. Best HB I have eaten in forever. Service was fantastic. Oh, and did I mention the food was phenomenal. Will definitely eat there next time we are in the area. read more

I ordered the chicken quesadilla as did my girlfriend who suggested it. This was delicious! I recommend you ask for a sauce. They brought what tasted like a chipotle mayo based dipping sauce. These were stuffed with gobs of chicken breast, peppers & onions. The sauce was the perfect accompaniment. I couldn't eat all of it and took my leftovers home & ate it for dinner. The ambience was very upscale but prices were very reasonable. The wait staff was so on point including our hostess with the blinged out glasses and beautiful dress. read more

I came here 5 years ago and my experience wasn't great. Tonight it was wonderful. Calamari is tasty. Grilled shrimp with fluffy rice and fresh seasonal zucchini, amazing. My husband's ribeye, cooked perfectly medium rare. The chocolate cake my son got was decadent. The lemon drop martini was a bit strong. The service was great. Glad to have something nice to try here in our small town. read more

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Amazing food. Excellent service. Small town prices with big city flavor . The pineapple chicken sandwich with spicy salsa is recommended. Jalapeños are on the side, so you can spice it up to your taste. As for ambience, acoustics are a little loud as it's a small restaurant. But the fact it was crowded is a testament to this being a good place to eat. read more

The Purple Door - Chicken sandwich with pineapple and spicy salsa - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

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The service was outstanding! The decor is relaxing but top notch! The food was absolutely delicious and would recommend!

One of my favorite local restaurants. It's perfect for a casual night with friends and family or it can be your special occasion restaurant. I've never had a bad meal here. The grilled salmon is my favorite. The cheeseburger and beef medallions are also good. Recently we tried dessert for the first time. The tiramisu was so good and I'm pretty sure it was homemade. Always a good time here. read more

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Just had dinner at the Purple Door. Wonderful place and the food was delicious. Our only complaint is the heavy use of black pepper. I'll know for next time. While I can't remember our server's name, she was excellent. read more

Great food. Several different menu options including appetizers, entrees and desserts. Highly recommend. read more

The Purple Door - Tuscan Tilapia - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

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I could drive to Omaha for much better food at the same price. I am guessing it was the owner(?) she was very rude and not welcoming. If you had a complaint she didn't care or just became awful. The ambiance of the restaurant was the only nice thing. Please don't waste your time or money going here! read more

My wife and I met another couple for dinner on a Friday night. We had a reservation and got right in. They were never full, which surprised me given our food and service experience; it was wonderful! There was a nice selection from the bar - enough wines to make a reasonable selection, and the same for beer and liquor. They had Guinness to satisfy the beer drinker in our group, and a number of decent vodkas to pick from to make my very tasty martini(s). The special the night we were there was the Louisiana Bowl, which was a fresh and tasty combination of creole flavors, with shrimp, andouille sausage, rice, veggies, and spices. Others in our group got prawns (tender, tasty, and full or flavor), beef medallions (tender, perfectly grilled, and delicious, and I got the Mahi Mahi, which was nicely prepared with a great chili lime sauce, and a very spicy wasabi on the side that really complimented the dish nicely. The food came out timely, and our server was attentive and took great care of us. Prices are very reasonable as well. I can't think of anything I'd change except maybe moving this closer to my home! read more

Nestled in downtown Harlan, The Purple Door is a culinary gem. My recent visit left me thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food. I ordered the Greek salad, which was a vibrant and fresh mix of crisp vegetables, tangy feta cheese, and briny olives. At the owner's recommendation, I added the shrimp to my salad which turned out to be a highlight of the meal. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, with a tender and juicy texture that spoke volumes about the kitchen's expertise. The seasoning was spot on and a testament to the restaurant's commitment to delivering quality cuisine. Could easily have blindfolded me and I would have thought I was eating in a NYC restaurant. Actually, even without the blindfold, its reminiscent of a NYC establishment with exposed brick and high ceilings. Delish. read more

Ambiance and high end restaurant in a quaint little town. Beautiful cocktails and specialty food and dessert! A must try without the crowds of the city. Great jazz music and low romantic lighting. read more

The Purple Door - Carrot Cake - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

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To Die For. Melt in your mouth steak like butter. Street fries had street corn and maybe a chipotle. One of our guests was in tears from the beauty of it all. Service is the best around. You have to go. read more

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As a corporate pilot I see a lot of fabulous restaurants and eat out often in a variety of East/West Coast & other big cities worldwide. First time visiting The Purple Door & can't wait to return! A gem of a restaurant for any large city, absolutely fabulous for Harlan! Was impressed with the staff and owner, both made several rounds to our table to ensure a great evening. Drinks were refilled often, appetizers and the meals were perfect and well proportioned. My medium rare medallions were melting in my mouth. Deserts were scrumptious! We had been to this location before when it was an Asian restaurant. The renovation The Purple Door did was spectacular. They combined the old history with the new, casual fine dining. Well Done! read more

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Pretty atmosphere, okay service. Count on being asked if you have a reservation.. even if the restaurant is completely empty. Costs are high for what you actually receive. read more

As a New Yorker visiting from The Big Apple, I was pleasantly surprised with this gem of a restaurant. Great service, diverse dishes, and classy mixed drinks...the Purple Door is a must. Even the bathroom was hip (& clean!). I will definitely be back in the future! read more

Restaurant is located downtown. Quaint restaurant, good ambiance, great food, attentive service.

I live in The Northeast. I'm impressed. That takes a lot. A meal of this caliber would've cost me three to four times as much back home for less quality/taste. A gem. Keep it up. read more

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Stopped in for lunch while on vacation. Very good service and the Pizza burger was amazing. Can't wait to try new things the next time I go. read more

The Purple Door - Pizza Burger - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

The food is high class and delicious! The drinks are great too!! My favorites are the coconut shrimp as an appetizer, margaritas, the best bloody Mary's I've ever had, southwest chicken chipotle salad, steak is amazing, and the chicken sandwich is so good!! The last two times I've gone on the weekend I've gotten the beef medallions because they are so good! read more

The Purple Door - Mahi-mahi - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

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Food and service is always excellent! I had the Mahi Mahi and my wife had the Salmon, both were fantastic! Try the Brussels sprout appetizer, it is wonderful! read more

I just had the best lunch I have ever had in Harlan at The Purple Door. A new addition to the downtown square in Harlan, Iowa, this place offers an urbanesque dining experience this town has never seen. Making great use of historic space, the interior is nonetheless modern, yet inviting. The host, Monica and chef, Wolf, co-owners, share a philosophy that people should NOT have to brave city traffic to enjoy affordable fine dining, and they deliver on that promise. I had a shrimp ceviche that was authetically refreshing. My mother was thrilled with the grilled prawns with summer squash which were perfectly cooked and delightfully seasoned. Their desserts are amazing, created by a former pastry chef of one of the old-school Italian eateries Omaha was once famous for. This restaurant would draw an immediate following in Omaha, Des Moines, or Chicago. Yet their menu and prices are accessible to small town diners. Wandered in at random, and so glad we did. Can't wait to come back for dinner. Worth the drive, wherever you come from, to walk through The Purple Door. read more

Awesome atmosphere and great food. My brother in law doesn't like anything and he loves this place. Great burgers salads and pastas. Great service as well. Highly recommended. read more

The owners are so inviting. The place is very chill and relaxing! Oh and most importantly, the food is very good!! read more

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Excellent food and great cocktails. Staff was very professional. The owner was so very kind to sit with my elderly mother when I pulled my car closer to the curb. I LOVE kind people. Definitely will eat here when I visit my mother. read more

Wow! What a surprise! We were in town to visit family and ran into The Purple Door for dinner. We ordered calamari as an appetizer. Perfectly cooked. The sauces that came with the calamari were delicious. We both ordered the grilled salmon that came with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It was scrumptious!! Next time we are back in town we would definitely visit. In my picture I had already eaten half of my salmon. Nice big portions. read more

The Purple Door - What's left of my grilled salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables. - New American Near Me - Harlan, Iowa

One of the best places I have been to in a very long time. We tried the brussel sprouts and wedge salad. Amazing! The ambiance is adorable and clean! Our server was friendly and prompt! Highly highly recommend. read more

Highly recommend The Purple Door! My new friend Monica is just AMAZING and her husband is the chef and he is pretty amazing also! They have an amazing story and I love what they are doing and their story! I'll be back!!! read more

Always amazing dining and service!!! Desserts are always delicious. Bravo Wulf and Monica!!!

I've tried many dishes from here and I absolutely love their food. Lucky to find this much quality in this small town, appreciated.

Dinner with my sweetie at the Purple Door in downtown Harlan, Iowa. What a cute place! The original building was a General Store and the owner has kept the lettering on the walls, the floors and the brick walls intact. My chicken quesadilla with housemade pico de gallo was excellent! I was warned that the pico de gallo was hot, but for me it was perfect! My sweetie had the chicken sandwich. He was very pleased. Although we both had a chicken entree, we chose the house Merlot. At $4 per glass it was quite a steal and complimented our meals well. We were able to chat with the owner. She moved from Seattle and opened the restaurant about seven months ago. Come check out this place! read more

This is a fantastic gem in Harlan! The food, service, and personal touch made for a lovely evening. The ceviche, salad, salmon, burgers, and the dessert were prepared very well. The owner was attentive and welcoming. Give it a try...there is something for everyone in your group! . read more

AMAZING! What a gem here in Harlan! I'd post photos, but we ate it all! The ceviche special was a big hit. The mixed greens salad and quesadilla were both amazing. Try the lemon mascarpone cake. We also ordered the tiramisu and the cheesecake, but the lemon cake stole the show. Presentation was beautiful and service was great. The owner served us and it was easy to see that making us happy made her happy. And we are all very happy!! read more

Wow! Everything was done to perfection. The grilled salmon and the baked halibut were the best I have had in a long time. The potatoes and vegetables were delicious. The waitstaff was wonderful. Perfect evening. Thank you, Purple Door! read more

We happily anticipated eating here for my wife's work's Christmas party. Sad to say it was not a good experience. To start with I don't think they were prepared for our large group. We were given #'s that reflected our food order and had cups to display them but when the food came out the wait persons stood and shouted the numbers, it might have been more organized to have the wait people note the numbers at the seats and bring the food that way. Food came out very slowly and with our big group most people were done with their meals before some got their food having had to sit and watch the others eat around them. The "cerviche" was tiny previously frozen shrimp with some vegetables and very little seasoning or citrus. I ordered a T-Bone rare, even wrote it in very big letters on my order form and my steak was large but cooked beyond medium, not quite well done. The person across the table from me also ordered rare and his was so overdone it had curled up. I had a huge glob of garlic mashed potatoes with my meal which were completely cold except where the hot meat had been piled on them I am a cook and I could not for the life of me tell you what the other side dish was supposed to be.....perhaps peppers, they were so overcooked they were unrecognizable either by site or taste. The desserts were good but we were told they were purchased from Omaha. I am questioning people's who have told me this is a great place to eat judgment. Again, they appeared to be overwhelmed and maybe deserve a chance to prove they provide a good meal but I would guess over half of the group with us last night will not be going back. read more

This place is great, whether you want something basic like a grilled cheese or are feeing more adventurous. Beautiful building and decor.

Am in Harlan on business with a co-worker. Looking around for a nice place for dinner, since the one "good" restaurant I know about in town is not open on Tuesday evenings. We stumbled upon The Purple Door. From the fresh ceviche appetizer (ceviche in IA?!?) to the excellent salad my dining companion ordered, to the beef tips I selected, everything was fresh and perfectly prepared. Our server was excellent and chatting with the owner to find out more about her family venture made the evening even more enjoyable. The desserts (made in Omaha, per the owner, along with their breads) were the perfect ending to a great meal. Atmosphere, food, decent prices (downright cheap by our East Coast experiences), and all added up to one of the nicest meals I've had in Harlan since my first business trip here 7 years ago. read more

We live 30 miles from Harlan and we're out for a Memorial Day Drive. The atmosphere was calm and quiet yet casual. My husband ordered a wedge salad with steak. He hates blue cheese and asked to have that left off. Any time my husband orders this, he still ends up with the blue cheese in the salad and has to have it taken off. At The Purple Door the chef came out to ensure he was Making the salad correctly. I had the grilled chicken entree and it was the best grilled chicken I've ever had. There weren't a lot of seasonings but it was moist and cooked to perfection. There was a kids section and yummy looking appetizers on the menu. I would recommend this to anyone traveling through Iowa or folks that live nearby. It was a wonderful lunch experience. We'll be back to check out their dinner menu soon. read more

This is a great restaurant. The ambiance is fantastic, and I felt like I was back home in Minneapolis (instead of in small town Iowa). We shared delicious appetizers and the steak and salmon meals were great. The drinks were also very yummy. read more

Recent evening meal at the Purple Door was a great surprise. New York ambiance, but with Midwest friendliness and great food. I loved the coconut prawns with rice pilaf and grilled cucumbers with blu cheese. My husband says his spaghetti and meatballs was the best he's ever had in a restaurant. Their beer selection was also what we look for. Prices were very reasonable for the great food and service we received. read more