Heartbroken to discover this cafe was closed four years ago. I have great memories of this place in…read morethe early '90s when I was a college student in the area. RIP plate sized cinnamon rolls!

off to a rough start with staff harping on bad behavior by a common acquaintance while I waited to…read morebe sat and again to order... the cafe is kind of a big place across from the motor inn and attached to a service station; dates back to when people travelled by car and these cafes used to plate good food at good prices for locals and the motoring public. I got coffee, asked for hash and eggs and waited a little more, but at least I had coffee :-) I like when my food fits on one plate, especially if it's a really big plate: whites weren't quite set on three eggs up, potatoes were browned but not quite crispy, corned beefs hot all the way through but still too moist... half a minute longer on the heat and everything would have been excellent... btw: two rye toasts were lightly buttered and perfect.

Great food! Homemade everything! It's been an age since buffets were a thing so we were surprised…read morewhen we walked in Ham, prime rib, fried fish all fantastic! Desserts that bring back memories of my childhood...there are so many choices it's kinda impossible to have it all lol but my goodness, it's so delicious you can't help but try! (You can also order from their menu, I saw an impressive looking cheeseburger on a nearby table ) The staff is efficient and super friendly! Evenings can get busy but they keep the food refreshed and there's no significant wait. We were traveling through the area a couple of years ago and kinda stumbled upon this little spot since we were staying nearby. We never miss it now when we come back!

Such a nice surprise! Never been there since we don't live near there! Saw a big sign off 35 so we…read moredecided to give it a try! What a cute place! BUFFET makes me wanna drive 78 miles from our town! I just admired it.. we ordered off the menu... TENDERLOIN sandwich and onion rings! So so good! I thought it was so cute! Then I walked back to the bathroom and it was MUCH BIGGER than I thought! I went back and grabbed my mama and walked her back there to see it and we talked to some nice customers, one used to work there when she was younger! Servers were so kind! Great memory with my mama!

Visiting friends in the area. A small crowd outside on the porch made us think this must be the…read moreplace to be. If you enjoy a neighborhood dive bar this is as good as it gets. The bartender happened to be the granddaughter of the owner and great granddaughter of Patty her self. Everyone, staff and costumers were friendly and made us feel welcome. We didn't try the pizza but they looked pretty good. If you like a little bit of shit with your coffee it's one of their specialties. I highly recommend the Australian Rubber Nuts. They're not on the menu you have to ask for them. Enjoy

When you roam the road of Iowa, you encounter a lot of interesting sights and people. My wife and…read moreI always enjoy stopping by a local bar because you never know what to expect. Patty's Back Door in Grand River IA is one example of what I am talking about. The owners of Patty's are incredibly easy going and welcoming. This is a straight-forward, nothing fancy bar with a single pool table and standard American beers (Bud, Coors, Miller, etc.). They have an incredible jukebox with anything and everything on it (which I loved!!). I cannot speak to the food (we did not eat), just the cheap beers and down to earth conversations with other guests and staff. As a bar, this establishment (we were told) has been around since the 1940s and with hospitality and simple small town charm like this, it is no wonder. Patty's made Grand River IA a memorable place to stop.

Wow what a find! Went for lunch on a Tuesday to find this gem! Hot honey brussel sprouts as a…read morestarter which tantalize you with a sweet heat and feta cheese bits to cool the palate. Followed by one of the most amazing hot Reuben sandwiches with spicy pickles and homemade aeoli and a side of real fries Hubby had hand battered fish and chips which was cooked to perfection. Add to all of these wonderful gems was a great waitress with a pot of fresh coffee on an always refreshed cup... Folks this was a wonderful gem not far from I-35 and worth the extra mile or two... Osceola's Gem!!

Another drive outta DSM, this time to Osceola's The Iron Horse Neighborhood Grill and I had thee…read moreBEST onion rings! I'm so glad we thought to order them AFTER our meals came, or I would've eaten the humongous pile as my meal. Delicious! Chicken Wings: they have "the good ranch" and the wings were really good. Dirty Bird: turkey and bacon sandwich, side of coleslaw. All was good. Personally, this sandwich would be awesome with stuffing on it, like a thanksgiving leftovers sammy! It felt slightly...lacking something, but my aunt liked it so that's all that matters. Rueben (forgot pic until half was gone): very good! Perfectly toasted marble rye, french fries piping hot and delicious. Once the fries and Rueben were delivered, that's when we realized we forgot to order the onion rings and ordered those as well. Sirloin & Baked Potato (forgot pic until halfway through my baked potato ): delicious! However, I'm a total sucker for baked potatoes, lots of butter and sour cream. Also, I was so enthralled with the onion rings, I really didn't touch the steak beyond tasting one bite. I did bring it home for my lunch today! So again...let's talk about these amazing onion rings! I love large, hand-battered onion rings, not a huge fan of shoestrings. These hit every mark in my book, and were 100% worth the 45min drive! ‍‍Service was excellent, highly recommend! Sometimes it's just nice to go for a little drive, which we appear to be doing more of lately! All for $75, plus $25 tip was an awesome meal for $100. Very affordable and top quality.

Great find. Can get busy but great food lanes and service! They have a good bar menu and a drink…read moremenu. Place was clean and staff was happy and nice.

We were camping in Hamilton while visiting the shops of Missouri Star Quilt Co. Several locals…read moretold us the best place to eat in town was the bowling alley! We stopped in for late lunch about 2 pm on a Thursday. Very clean and a friendly atmosphere. Waitress greeted us and we looked over the very extensive menu. I had the Cowboy burger on a pretzel bun (had crunch onion rings on top) with ribbon fries! Delicious!! My husband had the Ring of Fire chicken sandwich on pretzel bun and large order of onion rings. He said it was Delicious as well. Prompt service and hot food. I add it was a slower time of day and mid week. I would imagine it would be more crowded on weekends. The local people eating there could not have been more friendly. Hamilton is a gem of a town! Visiting from Ohio.

amazing food! small place 5 minutes off I35…read more best chicken parm with home made marinara. Philly steak with fish steak. worth pulling off for

This was Fern's Drive In when I worked there as a teenager. Even with the change of name and…read moreownership, it is still a great place to grab cheese balls (known in other places as fried cheese curds) and ice cream! They offer standard fast food (burgers, fries, chicken strips and other fried goodies) with a local touch.

We pulled up on a Saturday night for a quick dinner. The special was Prime Rib. 8 or 12oz. These…read morecuts were over an inch thick and huge! There is no way you are not in a meat coma when done. We opted for the ribeye and a patty melt. The ribeye was also very good sized and cooked perfectly. Brian thoroughly enjoyed it. I love steak but was embarrassed to order my normal "well done" in a place that obviously knows how a steak should be cooked, so I chose the patty melt. It was perfect. Tons of seasoned onions and cheese. The salad bar is lettuce, tomatoes, several dressings and crackers. It was all fresh though. The place was packed. Pulling up outside you see nothing buts lines of pickups. It was almost comical that this little small town bar draws the biggest crowd of anyplace around or even all the places around combined.......but then you taste the food and understand. Come as you are and don't expect frills. Most of all come hungry. Be ready for some farm talk or to hear the latest hunting story and an evening around down to earth people who welcome all hungry bellies.

It's been a hella few weeks/months of non-stop running for us, and we needed a little drive outta…read moretown to get dinner and just...drive and be together. A friend suggested the town of Arispe, IA (south of Afton) for their Saturday night prime rib at RoadSide Grill. Don't blink driving down Hwy 169 or you will miss it! Actually, no you won't because there were easily 50 trucks parked out front, and several more behind us. I grabbed a bar seat and ordered 2 beers, which were promptly served. We saw several patrons come in behind us, and decided we had better grab a table while we still could. We sat at a long table, meant for 8, and a lively 4-top sat next to us at the other end. It is a very lowkey and chill environment. Appetizer: pick 3 - mushrooms, jalapeño poppers and spicy Wisconsin cheese curds. I wanted gizzards and wings, but those come as a meal basket. Thus, we picked the 3 apps mentioned above. The fried mushrooms were the average, Sysco breaded mushrooms (not complaining, sometimes that's just what tastes good!). Jalapeño poppers, same story, basic Sysco poppers (I mean, it's fried cream cheese, what's to complain about?). Both were good but definitely premade. The spicy curds had some kick and we loved those w/ ranch. Salad bar: iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, croutons and dressings. Tub of cottage cheese for those that fancy it. 12oz Prime Rib: the whole reason for our roadtrip did not disappoint. Pretty sure I was served a 22oz, not a 12oz and I am not complaining about that! Wowza, the seasoned crust around the cut was so tasty, and the meat tender. I waffled between rare or medium rare, and decided to go with medium rare. Probably should've gone with rare, the medium rare was more medium than rare but whatever. It was still solid and delicious, even more cooked than I prefer. The au jus was fantastically salty and flavorful. Mmnnnnn! Served with a baked potato, slice of Texas Toast and oh yummmmmmm. I'm stuffed! 12oz Ribeye & Fried Shrimp: 4 basic butterfly shrimp with cocktail sauce, good. 12oz ribeye also fantastic, and also slightly more than med rare but not bad. Did not taint the awesome flavors and tenderness of this steak. Also served with a baked potato and Texas Toast. If you're up for a drive south of DSM, I HIGHLY recommend this place. Get in your vehicle and go for a roadtrip, you absolutely won't regret it.

Just a small town diner with home cooking on the menu. Fun train themed restaurant. Historical info…read morethroughout. Good service. Support small.

Local homemade food. Steaks cut in the restrurant, fries actually cut from the potatoes there too,…read moreribs, burgers, and chicken all delicious too. Plus free Wi-Fi and decent prices! If you miss local small town quality food THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO IN THE METRO AREA!

Prime rib was amazing. Service was great. Everyone was so friendly! We were from out of town and…read morecertainly didn't expect to find this hidden gem.

Delicious chicken Marsala with baked potato. Service was excellent and they can accommodate for…read moreallergies. A nice ambiance with old style vocal jazz set the mood for a lovely evening.