We love coming to Brazen and it's really our capstone dining experience when in the Dubuque / Galena area. The menu seems to be getting more extraordinary each time we visit, which is remarkable given the tremendous talent in the kitchen. There are so many crowd pleasing options on the menu but what really struck us this visit were the vegan options which is saying something since we recently came back from a trip to NYC which included a visit to 11 Madison Park where we enjoyed its vegan prix-fix.This visit I had the beet soup (amazing) and we both had the vegan butternut squash as our main - elegant, approachable and delectable. Subtle mastery of a dish that's straight forward but layered in complexity. For dessert, the vegan Swiss roll was truly a standout and should not be missed. The kids feasted on a generous, perfectly cooked and sliced NY strip which screamed welcome to the Midwest with an amazingly flavorful but not overwhelming horseradish cheese sauce and prodigious bunch of perfectly cooked fries. Lucky for the adults, we escaped with leftovers and so I am not unhappy about lunch tomorrow. On the beverage side, Brazen also really delights - the wines were thoughtfully selected and the cocktails were very well crafted. The immediate neighborhood has lots of fun after dinner options which is a great plus.The service at Brazen is also a treat as well. It's particularly remarkable in the post pandemic era that this restaurant delivers friendly, very knowledgeable and attentive service in a relaxed atmosphere that is suitable for foodies, diverse groups and families alike.Make the trip and visit if you are close by - you will be delighted by this standout dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegan
Louise D.
This has been a FAV since day 1... but due to Covid I'm guessing menu was extremely limited and tends to be seasonal, the food is AMAZING, but I don't do spice(heat) so didn't go for awhile! Happy to report we are back and the nutritional yeast fried chicken is the BOMB! , Geminelli DELISH! The Hubs got the Rigatoni he said it was LIKE HOME ( NY ).. so next time in Dubuque, make resv. Give Brazen a try , Chef Kevin lives up to his great reputation !
Amanda Braden
Absolutely outstanding! On every level! Treat yourself!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jade F.
Ambiance is The food was just okay. One of the dishes has burnt bread as a sauce and our whole table thought it was pretty interesting to have such dark/black sauce from using burnt food which is not the healthiest. The atmosphere is nice, service was fine, but wouldn't come back for the food.
Elizabeth Butler
Everything was top-notch as always. The cocktails, even the NA one, the food, and our server was amazing. We'll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Leek Fondue
Amy C.
Everything about this place was amazing. Food, drinks, service was top notch! Beautifully presented, and great atmosphere.
patricia connell
Vegetarian options: There is always one vegetarian/vegan option on the menu that varies from season to season. Everyone I’ve had has been delicious.Dietary restrictions: They always have a vegetarian/vegan option. The menu selection is not large, but I’ve never had a meal I didn’t like except for the leak fondue. I think it was a problem mainly because I’d had a couple of pieces of their delicious bread before I was served, and the leak fondue comes with several more slices of that bread, and it was just too much.Parking: There are two ramps for this block. The one is a block away from Brazen’s. There is another one behind the restaurant where you don’t park, but if you pull in a handicap person can be pushed up a ramp and go in the back door if you’ve told him ahead of time and call when you get there. You would then have to back out and find a street parking place.Wheelchair accessibility: There is a ramp in the middle of the 10th St. block that can enter the back door. You’d want to let them know ahead of time that you’re going to need it and call when you got there. The driver would then have to go back to find street parking.
Being for Chicago city of food, this food here was not great. It wasn’t horrible but the food concepts didn’t bode well with us.We for the Pork Schnitzel and the Rigatoni. Beautiful atmosphere and good service and fantastic drinks. Highly recommend their The Old
I love coming here and I make sure to visit a few times every year because the menu changes with the season. The service is impeccable, and I appreciate the knowledge that each server has spent time acquiring. The kitchen is beautiful and I would highly recommend coming with three or four friends so that you can order almost everything on the menu and share. I think my most distinct memory from this restaurant was a potato soup that they had in the winter a few years ago that was topped off with fresh grated horseradish. It was silky and comforting and changed my mind completely about an ingredient I thought I hated. This is one of the best restaurants that Iowa has to offer.
Very delicious (but limited) menu. I had brioche French toast and it was very good but I would have liked another egg dish choice. Smaller menu insurers that what is made is made to perfection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amber Rickman
My husband and I came to Dubuque for a quick getaway just to eat at Brazen. We love to chase good food together. The menu was interesting, comforting and fun. The creative thought behind a menu like this, where there is an option for everyone, is inspiring. We are suckers for a craft cocktail menu and our drinks were perfect. The vibe and energy of this place is a reason of its own to dine here. The open kitchen, exposed brick walls and playlist of tunes overhead make you feel like you are somewhere everyone wants to be. Our server was so friendly. She exuded easy kindness and genuine hope that we would enjoy our meal and experience. I am a complete sucker for cake roll for dessert. It takes me back to my grandmas kitchen in my childhood and literally no restaurant offers this for dessert. I was over the moon to hear this as an option! It was literally perfect. Kudos to all working on our random Tuesday date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa P.
Food was amazing! Drinks were unique . I would highly recommend dining at Brazen while in town!
Barbara Smolen
Wonderful place! We dined there for New Year’s Eve.
We love coming to Brazen and it's really our capstone dining experience when in the Dubuque / Galena area. The menu seems to be getting more extraordinary each time we visit, which is remarkable given the tremendous talent in the kitchen. There are so many crowd pleasing options on the menu but what really struck us this visit were the vegan options which is saying something since we recently came back from a trip to NYC which included a visit to 11 Madison Park where we enjoyed its vegan prix-fix.This visit I had the beet soup (amazing) and we both had the vegan butternut squash as our main - elegant, approachable and delectable. Subtle mastery of a dish that's straight forward but layered in complexity. For dessert, the vegan Swiss roll was truly a standout and should not be missed. The kids feasted on a generous, perfectly cooked and sliced NY strip which screamed welcome to the Midwest with an amazingly flavorful but not overwhelming horseradish cheese sauce and prodigious bunch of perfectly cooked fries. Lucky for the adults, we escaped with leftovers and so I am not unhappy about lunch tomorrow. On the beverage side, Brazen also really delights - the wines were thoughtfully selected and the cocktails were very well crafted. The immediate neighborhood has lots of fun after dinner options which is a great plus.The service at Brazen is also a treat as well. It's particularly remarkable in the post pandemic era that this restaurant delivers friendly, very knowledgeable and attentive service in a relaxed atmosphere that is suitable for foodies, diverse groups and families alike.Make the trip and visit if you are close by - you will be delighted by this standout dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegan
This has been a FAV since day 1... but due to Covid I'm guessing menu was extremely limited and tends to be seasonal, the food is AMAZING, but I don't do spice(heat) so didn't go for awhile! Happy to report we are back and the nutritional yeast fried chicken is the BOMB! , Geminelli DELISH! The Hubs got the Rigatoni he said it was LIKE HOME ( NY ).. so next time in Dubuque, make resv. Give Brazen a try , Chef Kevin lives up to his great reputation !
Absolutely outstanding! On every level! Treat yourself!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance is The food was just okay. One of the dishes has burnt bread as a sauce and our whole table thought it was pretty interesting to have such dark/black sauce from using burnt food which is not the healthiest. The atmosphere is nice, service was fine, but wouldn't come back for the food.
Everything was top-notch as always. The cocktails, even the NA one, the food, and our server was amazing. We'll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Leek Fondue
Everything about this place was amazing. Food, drinks, service was top notch! Beautifully presented, and great atmosphere.
Vegetarian options: There is always one vegetarian/vegan option on the menu that varies from season to season. Everyone I’ve had has been delicious.Dietary restrictions: They always have a vegetarian/vegan option. The menu selection is not large, but I’ve never had a meal I didn’t like except for the leak fondue. I think it was a problem mainly because I’d had a couple of pieces of their delicious bread before I was served, and the leak fondue comes with several more slices of that bread, and it was just too much.Parking: There are two ramps for this block. The one is a block away from Brazen’s. There is another one behind the restaurant where you don’t park, but if you pull in a handicap person can be pushed up a ramp and go in the back door if you’ve told him ahead of time and call when you get there. You would then have to back out and find a street parking place.Wheelchair accessibility: There is a ramp in the middle of the 10th St. block that can enter the back door. You’d want to let them know ahead of time that you’re going to need it and call when you got there. The driver would then have to go back to find street parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brazen Salad, Sweet Potato Pancake
Wonderful food and service. Friendly atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brazen Salad
Food was so great, clearly chef prepared service was perfect. Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake Craquelin, Pork Schnitzel
Being for Chicago city of food, this food here was not great. It wasn’t horrible but the food concepts didn’t bode well with us.We for the Pork Schnitzel and the Rigatoni. Beautiful atmosphere and good service and fantastic drinks. Highly recommend their The Old
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Schnitzel
Restaurantji Recommends
I love coming here and I make sure to visit a few times every year because the menu changes with the season. The service is impeccable, and I appreciate the knowledge that each server has spent time acquiring. The kitchen is beautiful and I would highly recommend coming with three or four friends so that you can order almost everything on the menu and share. I think my most distinct memory from this restaurant was a potato soup that they had in the winter a few years ago that was topped off with fresh grated horseradish. It was silky and comforting and changed my mind completely about an ingredient I thought I hated. This is one of the best restaurants that Iowa has to offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brazen Salad, Duck Tacos, Pork Schnitzel, Gnocchi, Leek Fondue, Beef Ribeye
Very delicious (but limited) menu. I had brioche French toast and it was very good but I would have liked another egg dish choice. Smaller menu insurers that what is made is made to perfection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My husband and I came to Dubuque for a quick getaway just to eat at Brazen. We love to chase good food together. The menu was interesting, comforting and fun. The creative thought behind a menu like this, where there is an option for everyone, is inspiring. We are suckers for a craft cocktail menu and our drinks were perfect. The vibe and energy of this place is a reason of its own to dine here. The open kitchen, exposed brick walls and playlist of tunes overhead make you feel like you are somewhere everyone wants to be. Our server was so friendly. She exuded easy kindness and genuine hope that we would enjoy our meal and experience. I am a complete sucker for cake roll for dessert. It takes me back to my grandmas kitchen in my childhood and literally no restaurant offers this for dessert. I was over the moon to hear this as an option! It was literally perfect. Kudos to all working on our random Tuesday date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was amazing! Drinks were unique . I would highly recommend dining at Brazen while in town!
Wonderful place! We dined there for New Year’s Eve.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brazen Salad, Burger, Duck, Salads, Soup