This review is based on multiple visits to WRG. We have never been let down by the food or hospitality of this great establishment. There is a good amount of parking. The restaurant is very roomy with a variety of low top and high top seating as well some chairs available at the bar. The menu has so many great options it hard to make a final decision. On Christmas Eve we went for breakfast. I brought my own specialty tea in my mug. Lo and behold I neglected to take it with me upon departure. On Christmas day I sent a quick message via Facebook and was surprised to get a reply in a short time saying that it was found, and I could pick it up next time I stopped by. What great service. read more

Whiskey River Grill - Shrimp po'boy - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

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I feel like I need to stress that this particular review is for one visit only. I visit this establishment often and normally have at least a good, if not great, overall experience. My husband visited on a Friday night. Fish fry Friday. He ordered the mushroom and swiss burger with sweet potato fries. The burger was dry. Maybe not overcooked, but definitely dry. It is literally a burger with Swiss cheese and a few mushroom slices. The sweet potato fries were just that. No seasoning of any kind and no dipping sauce to accompany. Not a deal breaker, but nothing standout. My flight was delayed but I was craving their fish tacos. I've ordered these so many times and they are my go to, because they never fail me. Even when they changed the menu from 3-tacos to 2-tacos, still a favorite. That changed Friday night. My husband ended up ordering them to go for me because again, delayed flight. When I opened the container, had I not been so tired, I would have driven right back there and asked for replacement tacos. (I realize this part is on me, so don't come for me, I'll talk to them on my next visit, because I'll be back). The fish was tiny and almost burnt on the outside. Inside the batter, the fish was dry and almost not edible. I ate one taco, mostly tortilla, pico and cabbage, and half of my fries. Talk about disappointment. I'm not saying don't try the fish tacos, but maybe not on a Fish Fry Friday night when it might be too much for the cooking staff. On the plus side, the sauce on the tacos was tasty! read more

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I have eaten here a few times. the food has always been good and the service was fine. I find this place very noisy and also a bit too high priced. read more

If you're interested in good drinks and burgers this is the place, but everything else i have tried here has not been good at all! From their nachos to their wings, just was not the best. Could have been an off day for the chef, but irregardless there is no excuse for poor and flavorless food. read more

Our party of three had good service and enjoyed our entrees. Then we shared the skillet cookie for dessert and it was delicious! It was noisy but everything else was excellent! read more

I'd go back here any day if it were closer. Great place to chill and have a beer. Our waitress was amazing and suggested some great appetizers. The ragoons were tasty and their special (ham and cheese potatoes) was delicious. COOL joint and should be a go-to for anyone close. read more

Love this place. Have gone for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gotta say they have the BEST Reuben! Service is always great. Fish and Chips on Friday was also very delicious. read more

My family enjoyed the friendly service, clean establishment, and amazing food. Some of the best fried fish we've had in a long time and we will be back! The drive was worth it. Lots of options. I loved my salmon BLT wrap. It was very filling! read more

I waffled on a 4 or 5 star rating for this place. I really like it. The comfy feeling of a log cabin and good food, plenty of variety. Several craft beers to choose from. Ok I talked myself into raising the rating to 5 stars. I cannot think of a reason not to come back to this place except they are a little farther away from CR than I would like. But that is no reason to short them a star. This place is well worth the visit. Clean the staff are nice and helpful which is hard to come by nowadays. Oh and you can pay your bill at the table with your phone. You can use Apple Pay or you can add a credit card to the app. My tip: try the breaded pickle chips! A must! read more

Whiskey River Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

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Went to the bar for a couple drinks @ 1pm on Sat but never got acknowledged. Server walked past us(no eye contact) so she was trying hard to avoid any extra patrons. Walked out. Don't waste your time there. read more

This is a super cute place! Big open restaurant with lots of tv's for sports. The food stole the show for me. I had the Cobb salad and it was HUGE! All of the ingredients were fresh and the chicken was grilled perfectly and super flavorful. My friend got the chicken bacon ranch wrap and it was bigger than a giant burrito!! The portions are huge. We had the skillet cookie and brown butter cake for dessert. Once again HUGE portions and words cannot describe how good they both were. Definitely check this place out. Worth the drive if you don't live in Palo. read more

The fish sandwich is excellent. Best I've had. Service is good. They have an outdoor patio for the nicer weather. Up charge to use credit card. read more

I was surprised to see how crowded the place was. But the food compensated for the shock. Its been a while we went out for food so I was in shock. The place had a nice small town charm. Our waitress was on her toes since the time we came in. And very active. I liked even after she being exhausted she was very nice to us. Food we had multi layered nachos like a mountain of nachos. Possibly every table had nachos on the table. Black bean burger- nothing wrong & nothing different. The patty was well done and not that greasy so i liked it. Butter cake - there was the most Buttery cake with ice cream and whipped cream with strawberries. Everything complemented each other like wow! Overall a positive vibe with an awesome food. Also its a divey bar with lots of TVs :) read more

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If I could come here every Monday for trivia, a fish sandwich and the apple something margarita they no longer have I totally would!

Stopped here after a baseball game and was very impressed. Large facility with indoor and outdoor seating. Huge bar area! I had a blueberry whiskey mule that was delicious. We had a fried pickle appetizer and the amount of pickles was crazy! I ordered the fried cod and it was fantastic. The fish was fried to perfection and was flaky and moist. The coleslaw was good and the macaroni was decent. My son had the whiskey burger and really enjoyed it. Overall a very good meal at a decent price. I'll definitely be going back. read more

Whiskey River Grill - Huge serving of fried pickles - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

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Very good food and atmosphere. Service was good as well. Stayed to eat during a tornado alert.

Great place for breakfast and dinner. Wide variety of food choices. Never disappointed. Friendly and helpful staff.

An interesting little place in a small town. It's located in a strip mall, but when you walk in the door, the decor totally makes you forget that's what it is. A fun rustic western theme with lots of room. There's a lot of seating that's not cramped. The parking lot is not huge, but seemed to be adequate even though it was their grand opening as well as an iowa football game in the tv's. They have a well stocked bar as well as a sampling of craft beers. The menu is diverse with a nice selection to choose from. We just had burgers, but mine was good despite the fact that I got it after the others were half through with theirs and the cheese was not melted just thrown on top. My review probably represents the wait staff more than the venue as our waitress was a total airhead. Part of it may have been because it was busy, but the service seemed to be disorganized. I'll probably try it again when it's not so busy and I'm anticipating a much better experience read more

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We enjoy this new spot in Palo! Great food and beverage offerings. Good is tasty and plentiful. The staff is great.

Open, rustic atmosphere with tons of TV's. Good drink selection with quick and attentive staff. Clean tables and bathrooms. Food has mixed reviews within my group and all of us ordered burgers. Good price for the amount of food you receive. Nothing special but I had a good time. read more

Love their food! I either get a steak or their tenderloins. They have really good bar drinks as well! Definitely recommend.

Wonderful surprise find while looking at fall leaves in eastern Iowa. The best food we have had in ages. The wings are fantastic . The Reuben was perfection. Even the coleslaw was some of the best we've had. Very accommodating for our dog, letting us sit on the patio with her, even though it was a bit chilly out. Great wait staff, too. Can't say enough about this place. read more

Whiskey River Grill - From the patio - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

Went to the Father's Day buffet. Food was cold and tasted funny. Whole family had a total of six bites of food paid $60 and now I'm throwing up and writing this between dry heaving. read more

The appetizers came out in a few minutes and they were great. The temp was good and the flavor was great. The meals were another story. We had three meals and it appeared that they cooked the burger first and let it sit out while they cooked the rest of the food. The bun was hard. The burger was dry and cold, but the fries on the plate were hot. The fried fish looked burnt and tasted like the grease was old. Just overall bad main meals. The service was lacking. The waitress was not friendly and at times a bit rude. Maybe a better server would send me back for a second try. Maybe she had a bad day, maybe not. Either way she is the main reason we won't give it a second try. read more

Service is poor. We had to wipe our own table. The waitress was turning around to leave the table before she even dropped off the food. The only time she stood at the table was to make sure we knew how to pay. They were not busy when we were there. My number one complaint is the service. Number two is the food. It was all overdone and dry. They also charge for using a card to pay. I will not be back. read more

Hidden gem! Super casual & comfortable! Great menu options. Loved the won tons for appetizer. Fish & chips A+. Can't wait to try more as the menu options are plenty but not overwhelming read more

Stopped here for lunch, my husband had been but I hadn't and I was not disappointed. I ordered a cocktail, Peach Pineapple Punch, and let me tell you it was dangerously tasty and refreshing, there's 2 liquors in it but tastes like pineapple juice only so it's easy to drink your cup dry in no time flat. We ordered the combo platter for an appetizer, which comes with pretzel bites, mozzarella sticks, smoked wings, and jalapeño wontons. All were very tasty but some notes, wontons are filled to the brim with cream cheese so be prepared for a mess, pretzel bites are not salted, wings are crispy come with sauce on the side and mozzarella sticks are homemade. My husband ordered his fave, which is a sirloin steak sandwich, and was pleased with his choice once again. I ordered the pulled pork tacos. Tacos were very good, comes with slaw and cripsy onions, I would prefer the meat to be tossed in bbq instead of the bbq sauce on top of the meat, BUT they were still very good! Will definitely be back to try more items off the menu!!!! read more

They have redeemed themselves! EXCELLENT EXCELLENT FOOD TONIGHT!!! We WILL be back!! I'd be embarrassed to claim the ribs as good ribs and as a WR favorite or "known for" I got a plate of bones. Even the guy at the table next to me said he noticed someone else gnawing on the ribs too when he walked in. He was smart to realize not to order them. He looked at me and laughed and said "not exactly fall off the bone huh?" DEFINITELY NOT! The hubby got a tenderloin. It was big but he said it wasn't special. Not sure we'd come back. It was a special date night for us since we rarely go out. Very disappointed. read more

I went to Whiskey River Grill with some friends and we were greeted and seated upon arrival. It was their Grand Opening day so they were having a raffle, which was neat. The atmosphere inside was like that of a sports bar and since the big Hawkeye game was on also, the bar was packed with fans. All of the TVs had the game on and practically the whole bar shouted out either "YAY!" or "BOO!" when plays were made in the football game. The service was absolutely horrible, which we blamed the waitress for. We had to get other waitresses around to help us, because ours was not around. Also, the 3 of us ordered our food and when our food came out, the waitress only brought 2 of our meals and the meals she brought out were not what we ordered. I ordered a chicken salad with a side of dressing and instead they brought me my salad drenched in dressing. My boyfriend ordered a burger with onion rings instead of fries and he got a burger with fries. And then my friend still didn't have her food and she asked about where her food was and the waitress replied "oh I totally forgot, hold on a second". It was shocking that she didn't notice in the first place that she was only feeding two of the three people that she was waiting on. Then she brought out my friend's food and a side of extraordinarily greasy onion rings. When you picked one up, grease dripped off of it...very unappetizing. The food overall was agreeably not of very good quality. Then when we got our check, the waitress had rung us up for an appetizer of onion rings along with everything else and no one even touched them, because they were so gross. We ended up having to get another waitress to fix our check because our waitress was not around...as usual. Overall, poor quality and service at this sports bar. I blame both our waitress and the cook in back for our disappointing experience. I don't plan on returning to this venue. read more

I've ordered carryout here three times...first time the burger was raw.... they gave me a 10 dollar credit and I ordered wings.... they weren't bad... tonight was over that way and ordered chicken strips and fries.... the gal was rude on the phone.... stopped and got my order went home and the strips were burnt.... dry and greasy.... couldn't eat them.... I'll never go back read more

Whiskey River Grill - burnt chicken - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

I tried this place in the beginning and recently. It still could use some good management. They really could benefit from getting to know how to make a Manhattan or old fashion and starting from there. Get to know your whiskey. Our waitress didnt want to be there the other night. So that sets off the vibe. So good constructive criticism would help the people. I will continue to try this place. read more

It's almost embarrassing how often I eat here. I love the food and the atmosphere. Service is great and the drink menu is very fun! I haven't had much I don't like and frequently order the salads, burgers, and pork. read more

I've had WR a handful of times and enjoy it! The service is generally really great even for a smaller staff and the food is great. My favorites are the sirloin sandwich (get the side of mashed potato's, you can tell they're homemade and they're always really hot and fresh), and the shrimp po boy. The shrimp is HUGE and I love the sauce they serve with it. My husband is a fan of their burgers! Nice selection of alcohol and great atmosphere. read more

We had the BEST take out ! Salmon, Buffalo chicken wrap, and kids meal. It was SO good and we can't wait to go back !!

For a bar in this small little town in Palo, it is decent. Even though this is my first time here, and i ordered one of their signature burgers, the taste was similar to some of the bars i could go to back in cedar rapids. Do not get me wrong, the food was delicious, it is just the convenience of comming out here would be rare. The place is fairly new, so there is room for improvement. Hopefully they add to their menu and give their food their own touch of originality so it can make a name for itself. I might come back here if I am ever in the area to try something else from the menu. read more

Excellent food and drink choices! My favorite is the wonton appetizers. Always a pleasant experience.

This is some of the best bar food around and worth the drive. May be best fish sandwich in area. Everything I've eaten or whoever I'm eating with is always more then satisfied. Yummy. read more

Can't recommend this place. The manager actually brought her dog into the restaurant while we were eating. It kept coming up to us and eating food crumbs off the floor. Manager was extremely rude as well. Told us we had to leave as they closed at 9pm. Yes - 9pm! Meanwhile 7 of her employees were bellied up drinking at the bar. Not a great way to run a business or treat customers. read more

I was looking forward to visiting the upgraded dining option in Palo. We arrived at 7:30 on a Saturday evening and there was a 20 minute wait. Guests appeared to be really enjoying themselves and there were numerous large groups. The Host was a young man who was working his tail off .I appreciated that he gave us some direction that we had the option of dining at the bar. The menu was easy to read and had lots of options for various price points. We ordered the rangoon appetizer which came with a side of raspberry sauce-absolutely delicious. In addition ,we shared the full rack of ribs with the sides of macaroni cheese and mashed potatoes.The ribs were wonderful the mashed potatoes excellent, but the macaroni was a little dry. I was very impressed with their beer selection which featured many local brews. The bathrooms probably will need a mid shift cleaning due to the amount of patronage in the evenings. The food came fast considering how busy they were. My only gripe was the waitress. She carded me ( I'm 42) which was more of a compliment but when my 14-year-old daughter smiled at her and said "that's my mom " she gave her a dirty look and then repeated that she needed my ID-which I was digging for at the time. I continued to give her grace throughout the evening, but she was clearly not having a good day. By the end of the meal we still had plenty of food to take home. When I requested a take home box she delivered us one to go box and never offered an option for our sides. At the end of the meal she used the handheld machine for processing the payment and pointed out "you can pick what tip you want " which were a series of percentages. After she processed the payment and had the tip, she literally said nothing else and just walked off. Overall- a very laid-back relaxed solid experience. We will definitely go back in hopes that Mrs PMS is off that day. read more

Whiskey River Grill - Yummy ribs! - Sports Bars Near Me - Palo, Iowa

Gave this place a 2nd shot. Their wont be 3rd. Got seated and after 20 minutes and no waiter i went to hostess and explained situation. He said if we didn't like to leave read more