My husband and I live out of state but are originally from Iowa. When we are back in Iowa we always make a point to eat at Hoq. The food quality, attention to detail, staff, and ambience is top notch. We are quick to recommend Hoq to everyone.
Mallory
HoQ is the place to go if you are looking for a dining experience that values quality food grown in Iowa. With a mission to serve the best of local foods prepared in sustainable ways, the story of HoQ led us to their restaurant. The drinks are delicious and so is the food. Well priced, seasonal options, appropriate portions, and a comfortable dining atmosphere. Whether it's a date night, dinner with friends, or for a special event, HoQ will not disappoint.
Libby Reser
I wish I would have taken more photos but the food was so good our family couldn’t think to take photos. My mom wanted to eat at HoQ Resturant for her 40th wedding anniversary and wanted the whole family with them to celebrate. Little back story my mom sells vegetables to the owner that he uses in his dishes. 90% or more of the ingredients are locally sourced in Iowa. Farm to table concept. We started withh naan bread the brought out and a little bit of I think pasta with beets. What ever it was it was goos. Then we ordered several different appetizers. Burnt carrots, Hummus and some kind of bread, chicken skewers, and pierogies. For meal we got different things. Several had the bison burger and fries, 2 had the 5 oz steak with risotto. Mom and I had the Mediterranean bowl with falafel add tandoori chicken. That is the only thing I got a photo of of course after I started to eat. The accommodated our little girls with grilled cheese and fries and a side of chicken. Finished off our meal with. Cake my sister made ( our grandma’s recipe) Minnesota chocolate cake with fudge icing. And the restaurant brought out several scoops of vanilla ice cream with shortbread cookies. All the food was so good everyone at the table was quiet including my dad. If you know my dad you know that is not a common thing for him not to be taking and eating. I have posted a photo of my food and a photo of my parents with their cake. And yes my mom is wearing her original wedding dress she wore 40 years ago when she married my dad. Thank you again HoQ for the amazing dining experience and for letting us have a private room to celebrate our parents!
Molly
We enjoyed our meal at HoQ. However, we felt like it may not have been worth the price. Everything was good but nothing was to die for.
Dan
Great and unique dining experience. I enjoy the farm to table aspect of the restaurant. The service was great. Our server was warm and responsive. I would recommend HOQ to anyone who would like a nice quality dining experience.
Guy
First of all, the service was impeccable! The staff were very nice and accomadating . I really enjoyed the steak and shrimp dish and the butter squash bisque was excellent. Also, the black walnut manhattan was very tasty, just a little on the sweet side; enjoyable though.
Brad
The food was excellent as always, the service was extremely slow. It took more than 10 minutes for anyone to greet us at the door. Then we sat and it took more than half an hour to serve two bowls of soup. From there, service was faster but still slow - especially for a prix fixe dinner. Because of the delays getting started, we missed the show that we had tickets for. The waiter was very helpful and was doing all he could - there seemed ti be plenty of staff to handle the crowd but it seemed like things were disorganized a bit. We saw the hostess take 10 minutes to prep a table. She shouldn't have had to do that and, if she did, everything should have been prepped to make it a quick operation. When we go to HoQ, we generally expect that the service will be a little slower than other places but we plan on it and are willing to make the trade for the good food. This was exceptionally slow service though, but the food was exceptionally good and we do love the place so we will be back - just scheduling a little extra time for the meal.
Cameron
Great service from Cooper, as always, and the food was excellent, the ossobuco in particular. HoQ is a gem in the East village. Check out those new lounge as well, a great place for a quiet drink before dinner.
Craig
The food was excellent as always, with realistic portion sizes. Staff were really hustling and the impression was that like so many places, they could use more help. Server was great though.
Christie
We've eaten here numerous times in the past. Including last NYE, where we had our first bad experience. Service unorganized and slow. Bar was incredibly slow. The hostess ultimately started intervening as several tables around us were clearly frustrated. We attributed it to staffing and how busy it was and decided to try again this year. The good was good. Not sure if the ravioli starter was supposed to be cold or not but still tasted good. The food runners gave our table of 3 one charcuterie board. The table of 2 next to us each got one. Same thing happened with dessert. We questioned it and our waiter said it was correct. We barely saw our server all night. Never asked if we wanted a drink from the bar other than the pairings. We couldn't have asked because he was not around. He eventually cleared our desserts, our drinks were all empty. Didn't ask if we wanted anything else to drink and then disappeared so we sat there waiting for our bill for a long time. We were really disappointed with the experience for what we spent. Really hoped it would be better this year but wasn't. Again, food is great. Service is poor. Slow, unorganized, not engaged.
Overall, it wasn't worth the money. The dishes lacked flavor and were poorly conceptualized. Wine pairings were good.
Rebecca
The service and ambience were good. Unfortunately the food was mediocre and left a bit to be desired.
heather
We thoroughly enjoyed the Hoqtail experience. Our service, cocktails, and accompanying food treat was wonderful.
Bruce
Overall very good, my only complaint was the waiter called my girlfriend and I ladies He saw me before and noticed I had a beard. I overlooked this but he brought my food to her side and vice versa, not a big deal, but small details make a difference We will go back
Opentable Diner
Locally, sustainably sourced menu of high-quality ingredients and a variety of dishes with delicious flavors and preparations! Would highly recommend this spot for diners who value supporting local economies and farms, and enjoy fresh, flavorful food.
My husband and I live out of state but are originally from Iowa. When we are back in Iowa we always make a point to eat at Hoq. The food quality, attention to detail, staff, and ambience is top notch. We are quick to recommend Hoq to everyone.
HoQ is the place to go if you are looking for a dining experience that values quality food grown in Iowa. With a mission to serve the best of local foods prepared in sustainable ways, the story of HoQ led us to their restaurant. The drinks are delicious and so is the food. Well priced, seasonal options, appropriate portions, and a comfortable dining atmosphere. Whether it's a date night, dinner with friends, or for a special event, HoQ will not disappoint.
I wish I would have taken more photos but the food was so good our family couldn’t think to take photos. My mom wanted to eat at HoQ Resturant for her 40th wedding anniversary and wanted the whole family with them to celebrate. Little back story my mom sells vegetables to the owner that he uses in his dishes. 90% or more of the ingredients are locally sourced in Iowa. Farm to table concept. We started withh naan bread the brought out and a little bit of I think pasta with beets. What ever it was it was goos. Then we ordered several different appetizers. Burnt carrots, Hummus and some kind of bread, chicken skewers, and pierogies. For meal we got different things. Several had the bison burger and fries, 2 had the 5 oz steak with risotto. Mom and I had the Mediterranean bowl with falafel add tandoori chicken. That is the only thing I got a photo of of course after I started to eat. The accommodated our little girls with grilled cheese and fries and a side of chicken. Finished off our meal with. Cake my sister made ( our grandma’s recipe) Minnesota chocolate cake with fudge icing. And the restaurant brought out several scoops of vanilla ice cream with shortbread cookies. All the food was so good everyone at the table was quiet including my dad. If you know my dad you know that is not a common thing for him not to be taking and eating. I have posted a photo of my food and a photo of my parents with their cake. And yes my mom is wearing her original wedding dress she wore 40 years ago when she married my dad. Thank you again HoQ for the amazing dining experience and for letting us have a private room to celebrate our parents!
We enjoyed our meal at HoQ. However, we felt like it may not have been worth the price. Everything was good but nothing was to die for.
Great and unique dining experience. I enjoy the farm to table aspect of the restaurant. The service was great. Our server was warm and responsive. I would recommend HOQ to anyone who would like a nice quality dining experience.
First of all, the service was impeccable! The staff were very nice and accomadating . I really enjoyed the steak and shrimp dish and the butter squash bisque was excellent. Also, the black walnut manhattan was very tasty, just a little on the sweet side; enjoyable though.
The food was excellent as always, the service was extremely slow. It took more than 10 minutes for anyone to greet us at the door. Then we sat and it took more than half an hour to serve two bowls of soup. From there, service was faster but still slow - especially for a prix fixe dinner. Because of the delays getting started, we missed the show that we had tickets for. The waiter was very helpful and was doing all he could - there seemed ti be plenty of staff to handle the crowd but it seemed like things were disorganized a bit. We saw the hostess take 10 minutes to prep a table. She shouldn't have had to do that and, if she did, everything should have been prepped to make it a quick operation. When we go to HoQ, we generally expect that the service will be a little slower than other places but we plan on it and are willing to make the trade for the good food. This was exceptionally slow service though, but the food was exceptionally good and we do love the place so we will be back - just scheduling a little extra time for the meal.
Great service from Cooper, as always, and the food was excellent, the ossobuco in particular. HoQ is a gem in the East village. Check out those new lounge as well, a great place for a quiet drink before dinner.
The food was excellent as always, with realistic portion sizes. Staff were really hustling and the impression was that like so many places, they could use more help. Server was great though.
We've eaten here numerous times in the past. Including last NYE, where we had our first bad experience. Service unorganized and slow. Bar was incredibly slow. The hostess ultimately started intervening as several tables around us were clearly frustrated. We attributed it to staffing and how busy it was and decided to try again this year. The good was good. Not sure if the ravioli starter was supposed to be cold or not but still tasted good. The food runners gave our table of 3 one charcuterie board. The table of 2 next to us each got one. Same thing happened with dessert. We questioned it and our waiter said it was correct. We barely saw our server all night. Never asked if we wanted a drink from the bar other than the pairings. We couldn't have asked because he was not around. He eventually cleared our desserts, our drinks were all empty. Didn't ask if we wanted anything else to drink and then disappeared so we sat there waiting for our bill for a long time. We were really disappointed with the experience for what we spent. Really hoped it would be better this year but wasn't. Again, food is great. Service is poor. Slow, unorganized, not engaged.
Restaurantji Recommends
Overall, it wasn't worth the money. The dishes lacked flavor and were poorly conceptualized. Wine pairings were good.
The service and ambience were good. Unfortunately the food was mediocre and left a bit to be desired.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Hoqtail experience. Our service, cocktails, and accompanying food treat was wonderful.
Overall very good, my only complaint was the waiter called my girlfriend and I ladies He saw me before and noticed I had a beard. I overlooked this but he brought my food to her side and vice versa, not a big deal, but small details make a difference We will go back
Locally, sustainably sourced menu of high-quality ingredients and a variety of dishes with delicious flavors and preparations! Would highly recommend this spot for diners who value supporting local economies and farms, and enjoy fresh, flavorful food.
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