36 Best American Restaurants in Dubuque

“Excellent burgers, huge list of choices. I had the olive burger with Swiss cheese. Delish! Others had the BLT burger, steak sandwich, and steak salad. All were excellent. Service was delightful, very friendly. We arrived at end tail end of the lunch hour and our order was a bit slow in arriving, but food was hot, fresh, and good. Atmosphere is casual, light-hearted with an auto garage theme. Highly recommended!“

“Excellent food, excellent drinks! Great atmosphere and quality service/staff. We always have a wonderful experience at Pepper Sprout!“

“the BBQ ribs are the best around very tender and great taste highly recommend . The fish is also very good. Actually everything on the menu is amazing. Great prices also.“

“Very reasonable prices. Down-home diner menu. Friendly staff.“

“I visited the Dubuque, IA Maid-Rite about 2:30 PM on Saturday, June 7. I ordered the Maid-Rite basket which consists of a Maid-Rite, fries and a drink (lemonade for me). The food itself was all good especially the Maid-Rite sandwich (I used to live in Marshalltown, IA a few blocks away from Taylor's Maid-Rite in that town). The service was just OK and perhaps a little on the cold side. I was not offered a refill on my lemonade, so I guess this means no free refills at this restaurant (ask for a glass of water or pay for another drink if you're still thirsty!).“

“Awesome place 😎 to eat they take pride in the making of the food. 💯 was not feeling well and they made sure my husband had clean silverware, and as we ended up staying next door at Hilton Garden which is always an amazing time with staff 💯“

“Went to Fueral Dinner Yesterday What a wonderful job and very good food I would recommend you to everyone I know“

“CORRECTION TO LOCATION IS Perkins in Waterloo Iowa I recommend their meatloaf dinner, the salmon and any one of the soups. Plus they have great customer service. Krista is top tier in customer service!!!!“

“We love coming in for the breakfast buffet. Lots of good food choices and my kiddos always leave happy and full.“

“Michael is outstanding! He managed to tend to all the tables in practically a full house and bartend, all while keeping a smile and joking around with customers as he went. I’ve never had a server provide such amazing service. We didn’t have to wait long for food, or drinks. I highly recommend Baraboo’s for good food and GREAT service!“

“We are from the suburbs of Chicago and this was our first time in Dubuque. It was a Friday night and we loved the artistic and rustic feel of the Mill district as we walked toward the restaurant. The restaurant is small but warm. Our server was spot on with her timing. Drinks were wonderfully crafted and the food was unique and delicious. The chef obviously takes pride in their selections of locally sourced fresh ingredients and presenting them with visually satisfying appeal. They tasted delicious as well albeit a touch on the salty side but that may be my personal aversion. Overall we really enjoyed our dinner and it put us in a great mood to enjoy the rest of our stay.“

“The atmosphere has the charm of a classic small diner. The food was solid - satisfying without breaking the bank. Our waitress was friendly and attentive throughout our meal, making sure we had everything we needed. Overall, a great spot for a casual, no-fuss breakfast experience.“

“We were in town for a baseball tournament and had a lot of choices for restaurants. We chose the Filament. Food and service was fantastic. I especially loved the homemade pickles served with my sandwich. Now that cucumbers are plentiful from our little garden, any chance you would share how I can make a small batch at home? They were so delicious.“

“The food was tasty and our server was very nice. The dinner we ordered had a huge portion of meat and was served with a vegetable and fries. My husband couldn't eat it all. My sandwich was good as well. It was a homey atmosphere and the servers seemed to know a lot of their patrons by name. I was glad we stumbled across it. If we are ever in the area again we will probably go back.“

“Latest Update: The owner of this Culver's establishment, called me and apologized very professionally, and with understanding. He explained the mix-up, as they had recently started serving smashburgers, the latest trend, I did not know this myself. I told him that the traditional Culver's Burger is what I wanted. In my opinion, sometimes traditional is best. He was very kind in his offer to make up for the mistake.

I mainly work at night, and yesterday I left on a 5-hour trip southwest, not eating any lunch or dinner, as it would make me sluggish for work. I worked overnight and then drove another 6 hours back to Dubuque honestly, looking forward to some Burger King, but when I arrived at 9:45 a.m., they refused to make me a burger and fries, because their policy said they couldn't serve lunch food until 10:30 a.m. So I said to myself, Culver's won't let me down, they'll serve me a burger and fries at any time as long as they're open, and they were, so I ordered a double bacon cheeseburger in the Drive-Thru. The attendant asked me if I wanted anything else on my burger besides cheese and bacon, and I said a light amount of mayo please. They said okay, and please move forward. I then requested an extra small fry at the window, and they added that. They then asked me to move forward after putting my number sticker on my truck mirror. After moving up multiple times, and eventually being the first car in the line, I noticed three people had been served before me, and they were behind me. I called culver's, and they apologized that they had served my food to another party by accident, and didn't bother to tell me, but instead hastily remade my meal. Again I had ordered a double bacon cheeseburger, with a light amount of mayo on it. They provided me a double bacon cheeseburger with pickles, onions, mustard, and ketchup on it, a sloppy, soggy, mess, and they rushed the cooking of the patties, burning them on top, and not cooking them enough on the bottom, and it looks like they smashed the heck out of the patty, as it does not look like the usual thick and Hardy butter burger patty (see the picture). The freeze must have been Doug out of the remnants of the last batch, instead of being made fresh, because they were all stuck together and not the hottest they could have been.
When I got home, 20 minutes later, expecting to be able to sit down, watch an old movie, and finally eat some good food, I opened up my food and put it on a plate, and saw this. I called about it, explain the screw-ups, and that I was allergic to onions (not something like a tiny bit of onion powder in ketchup, but full on onions and their juices), and the manager, Ann, was very bureaucratic about it very robot like, giving me the usual response that you would expect from management. "Oh, I'm so sorry for that. If you come in before 4:00 p.m., we will replace your meal for free, and give you a coupon. If you don't come in before 4:00 p.m., I'll have to mail you a free coupon." So I asked, "a replacement meal, after all these screw ups? How about a couple free meals, or a free family meal?", and she responded, "I'm sorry, I can't do that, but if you come in before 4:00 p.m. I can replace your meal and give you a coupon", her programming responded. It seems like a lot of fast food restaurants, even culver's, are now just a bunch of robots, that have no compassion, no care for their jobs, or the quality of their work, or treating customers with respect, and actually making up for three major mistakes in a row, giving my order to someone else, and not telling me, remaking the order but making it wrong, and cooking the food too fast on the remake, and creating crap, instead of food.

Update: Either a Culver's Bot responded to my post, or again they are shirking their responsibility of truly making up for this, by telling me to go complain somewhere else and give them some feedback; with no mention about ma“

“Best gyro that I have ever eaten!“

“Went here for our anniversary/new years last night! First time being here, and had Mary as our server. She was one of the best servers we’ve EVER had! Very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu! Definitely our new favorite place! Service, food, atmosphere! 🥂🙌🏻“

“Excellent Gyro. I seen wings on there menu and took a chance and ordered. Probably best wings I have had in Dubuque! Highly recommend“

“An exceptional dining experience awaits at Dockside Bar & Grille, where the focus on quality ingredients and masterful preparation shines through in every dish. The star of the show is undoubtedly their mouthwatering burgers, each one a juicy, perfectly cooked masterpiece that sets a new standard for pub fare. If you're looking for something truly unique, the handmade pork tenderloin sandwich is a must-try. It's a generous, tender, and crispy delight that feels both classic and innovative. And for those craving comfort, the homemade pizza delivers with a perfectly baked crust and fresh, flavorful toppings. Beyond the food, the bar is a true highlight. The bartenders are artisans, creating skillfully crafted drinks that are both visually stunning and perfectly balanced. Whether you're in the mood for a classic cocktail or a creative new concoction, they'll deliver an experience that complements your meal beautifully. Dockside Bar & Grille is more than just a place to eat; it's a destination for expertly prepared food and drink in a welcoming atmosphere.“

“Their pike is to die for.“

“The food is amazing & great service!“

“Great food. Had a cheeseburger and fries there. Service was great and very friendly.“

“wonderful meal with quality family time (13 guests). Special thanks to Chris, our server, for your patience, Courtesy, and excellent service. we appreciate you!“

“Excellent food at a very reasonable price. We had dinner here twice and breakfast while staying at the hotel and every dish has been exceptional.“

“Fast service, good drinks, and good tasting food. I'd recommend stopping here for your city brewery experience. We were surprised the burgers were kind of 'plain' for the price. The Genesis burger was good but it's just a burger patty, two pieces of bacon, and a mix of sauce on a simple bun, for $18 with fries.
We didn't have the opportunity to taste any beer because we drove through and this was our dinner stop but the Brown Cow drink and one of the mocktails were very good.

Kid-friendliness: Highchair, milk, and standard children's menu. There are games in the back for older children.“

“we were seriously disappointed. I recommend avoiding this place.“

“I was looking for a place to easily accommodate my group of 14 for lunch on a Saturday. With short notice they got us set up in the back room, Melissa delivered perfect service, all 14 meals came out at once, all the food was excellent and the price was very reasonable. I've driven past this place a thousand times and never gave it a thought. Now I will definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good meal and friendly staff. Thank you Rhody's. You were yet another part of a memorable weekend.“

“Awesome neighborhood bar vibe, great staff, lots of fun there!“

“Best pizza and baked mostaccioli !!! Been coming here for over 40 years!!“

“Here for the 1st time for my dinner and checking this place out ! The employees are awesome and serve my dinner in the timely manner ! Will definitely come to this place for more enjoyment !“

“Had a few minutes waiting on some freight to be loaded on my trailer from across the dike. Had a French dip. It was messy delicious. Sorry no photos. If you all want to sell or rent out the apartment above, it would be hard for me to say no“

“This is one of the best kept secrets in Iowa. The people at Graceland are great. We started stopping here after a golf outing in Galena and only wish we had more time to spend there. They are welcoming and jump in on fun. Can’t wait to visit again this year…“

“excellent, fast and hot food. great service! the Eggs Benedict was fantastic.“

“Fat Tuesdays is little New Orleans ,but alot better you have all your family and friends with the best Cajun food just like the bayou so you need some great company or maybe just a Hurricane, you will leave with a smile.“

“Most of us had a good meal last night however one hamburger was very overcooked. When the manager came by and we told him about it, he put it back on us for not ordering it correctly. The server never asked how we wanted it prepared so apparently if you don’t specify they will automatically cook it well done. I think this should be a question the servers ask rather than a customer remembering to state that.“