My favorite place to eat in Altoona! The food is always chef's kiss perfect, and the staff and…read moreservice... it just doesn't get any better. The portions are generous and tasty, I can't recommend their top shelf margaritas enough. One of the wait staff convinced to try it with Don Julio instead of our usual Patron, and it was a game changer! So smooth. It the warmer weather they open the walls for an indoor/outdoor experience. Atmosphere is great as well. High Recommend this restaurant!

FYI- they close at 10 even though it says 10:30. They just make up their own time even though the…read moredoor AND online says 10:30. Doors locked, don't let us in even for chips and salsa.

Such a fun place to eat! Seated rather quickly, it was the tail end of breakfast on a Saturday…read moremorning. Coffee is quite lovely! It's so smooth and velvety. The Supreme Skillet was absolutely perfect! Add gravy. Bacon cooked just right too! Everything was just fantastic! It's like an old diner, either a juke box, claw machine, bright lighting, terrific food and excellent service! I really need to make this a regular spot for us!

In the year since we moved to Altoona, this is our favorite place. The staff are consistent and…read morefriendly and quick to bus tables. They are calm when it gets crazy and seem to always be smiling. I've had the chili burger, steak sandwich a few times, the hot ham and cheese, and the tenderloin. Their seasoned fries are so hot and crispy. There are daily specials, and the food is made in-house as opposed to microwaved pre-made food. I believe the owner is named Mark. He cashes people out and cooks. He's very passionate about his business and has every reason to be. We love supporting this business and highly recommend it!

Excellent great food and service nice hometown environment would recommend to anyone passing throughread more

Great service and excellent food! Great fresh made bar food staples, excellent tenderloins and…read moredelicious daily specials. Great service, and friendly staff too!

One of the better breakfasts in the Des Moines area. Hashbrowns are really good and crispy, eggs…read moredone perfectly.

Stopped in this morning for breakfast after washing the car!…read more I have to say this Diner is checking so many boxes. Talk about Nostalgia, the choices on the menu, the staff, the service, the food, the music playing, the ole timey juke box on the tables. The food was spot on in my opinion. I had the Veggie Skillet with a ham steak, not with the bone-in, but still classic diner breakfast items and more. I tried to finish what was there but was stuffed like a on Thanksgiving! They have a cruise in Thursdays from 5pm-8pm. There was a white 92 Corvette parked out front, pulled my 17 Camaro right behind it Oh yeah! I've attended the cruise in before and really enjoyed the experience enough to keep coming back!

I've only visited Melody's Kitchen once, but it left a great impression. While the menu and hours…read moreof operation are limited, the food was absolutely delicious. The burgers are huge--far more impressive than the photos suggest. The owners were exceptionally friendly and accommodating, especially Melody herself. I'll definitely be returning the next time I'm near Eddyville.

Family restaurant! Great food. We arrived shortly after they opened at 5. In town for an archery…read moretourney and decided to stop here as my dad met us for supper before. My daughter kept raving about their onion rings. My tenderloin was almost as big as the plate and very good. We enjoyed our food which also included fried mushrooms and the grilled chicken sandwich. We were greeted by a young boy that grabbed our beverages which is a cute touch...hit the feels! Support this place! Great food and you can tell they care!

Party of 2, 10am Memorial Day. Clean and fast. We, locals, should really talk about Hy-Vee…read morebreakfast more. It's the best breakfast option in Altoona. Biscuits & gravy, slam dunk! Thick cut bacon, rye toast heavily buttered to toasted perfection. You place your order at the counter and pay, they'll give you a numbered table tent and bring your food to your table. Did I mention fresh squeezed orange juice? I'm not sure about the tipping situation, so I did leave a tip. Bartender/server, did coke on over to check on us a couple times and they do clear the tables. However, you retrieve your own refills.

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal and by breakfast I mean eggs, hash browns, bacon or…read moresausage. Sometimes both and when it's cooked by someone else other then Nova or myself. Make no mistake Nova can cook her ass off and when it comes to spoiling me she is undoubtedly the queen. "Are we gonna have breakfast or are you just gonna walk around the house all day in your panties wearing your crown" "Baby Im still hurting from last night. I'm not hungry either. You just go out for breakfast? Ive got a ton to do around here anyway. You go." Its not often she turns me loose in the world on my own but when she does I try to take full advantage of it. Nova actually worked at Hy-Vee a long, long time ago. It was one of her many jobs right after we relocated to Altoona from Kansas City. My buddy Scott met me there a few minutes after I arrived. He sat down and said... "Thinking about God or the concept there of. A being, an energy , a vibration, a collective of all of the above which is beyond the supernatural and the natural simply cannot be defined by either supernatural or natural means, or at all." "Dude, its way to early for your psychedelic third eye bullshit. Just order breakfast" We both ordered the Good N Early, Scott went scrambled, I went over easy. Scott got a Michelada, I went with a bloody Mary. I've said it many times before. Cooking over easy eggs is an art that few can master. They did ok. A little over cooked but actually acceptable. It's a good breakfast in a pleasing setting

Have visited AJ's many time and it appears their standards are falling. Service is very good and…read morethe attention to customer is superior. However, the food has shown a decline in the last several visits. I ordered a ribeye steak with baked potato and salad. Salad was fine and quite good. The steak was ordered medium and was well done. It resembled more of round steak rather than a ribeye. The baked potato was warm at best. This is more than a "One Off." for the prices that are being charged in today's market, you'd expect much better. The ambiance was below average. They placed us at a table in the bar area which doesn't encourage any privacy. I truly hope AJ's steps up their game. I want them to succeed and this most recent visit was in the wrong direction.

3.5* (out of 5) Food: 3* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 3* 03/09/2024 My wife and I had both heard good things about this place, so had been wanting to give it a try and check out the Casino. We had the opportunity when friends were in town and an 80's group was playing in the Casino, so we decided to start the evening with dinner at AJ's Steakhouse then attend the concert. While we had to walk around an escalator that was out of service, the entrance area of AJ's and the initial impression was quite positive (see pictures). The place was clean, modern and lively - giving off a classy aura. Once we were seated at our table, we were a little disappointed with the wobbly table and the delay in receiving our drinks - but the drinks were solid. My wife had the Grande Margarita (see picture) and I went with the Smoked Old Fashion (see picture) - both of which were very good and the prices were reasonable. The food and service though is where AJ's fell well short of my expectations for a place like this with so much promise. After waiting some time for our meals, our server stopped out to tell us that our meals would be delayed due to a large group ahead of us. This seemed a bit surprising, as we didn't see any large groups in the restaurant, but what could we do? At one point after waiting over 30 minutes, I suggested to our server that "the manager will probably comp us a drink or dessert given the wait"...which received nothing more than a dismissive "maybe" and didn't seem to be taken seriously. Once our food was finally delivered, we were again left disappointed. My wife ordered the Top Sirloin (see picture) and I ordered the Salmon (see picture). While she ordered medium rare, the initial cut into the Top Sirloin was medium well and dry. A manager did come around to ask how things were, so we were open about it being overdone (other cuts later were closer to rare, so it was very inconsistent relative to other steaks at other steakhouses). She offered to exchange it, but given how long we had waited for our meal and the concert starting soon, we declined the offer. Again, given this situation and the fact that it was shared with the manager, we assumed a minimum of a complimentary dessert or a coupon to return another day...but received nothing. As for the Salmon (see picture) it was cooked well - very soft and juicy...but almost zero flavor. A convenient stop at the casino with a classy first impression, but the food and service leave me unable to recommend AJ's Steakhouse. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

First time here and we thought it was great. Had the huge tenderloin, fried and onion rings. Ranch…read morewas homemade and great. Tenderloin was big enough for 2. Fries were good and had a crisp. Onion rings were tasty for not being homemade. We will be back to try other things.