The Drake

We went to the Drake on a Friday before going to Steamboat days. Great service and good food.

Great home restaurant. Amazing items on the menu. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in town visiting or a local. Great service, friendly staff, delicious appetizer.

They catered one of our events and it was AWESOME! JImbo is the best, food was fantastic! They came early and set up and got here when we were done and cleaned up, very professional!

This place used to be amazing, but it has gone down hill the past few times I’ve been here. Went here with my Dad this weekend and everything was just okay, accept for the $ 9 app.
When I was growing up as a teen in the early to mid 2000’s, I used to come here and the barbecue burnt ends and brisket weer amazing, now they are more fat than meat. The meat is still good, but it is becoming a little fatties and not worth the money. My Dad (who got the Reuben) said it was good though.
We got the app (again $ 9?!) for a plate (about 10 to 12
Small pieces) of duck fritters with the jalapeño raspberry sauce. The sauce was great, sweet with a small kick, but nothing too strong.
Service was okay. Waitress had a bit of an attitude, but she looked really tired and as if she was being overwhelmed. But our food was hot and we got everything we ordered and it was correct, so can’t complain too much right?

Favorite place to meet friends whenever we’re in town. Love the fried pickles, thinly sliced, perfectly crispy. The chicken hooter pizza is fantastic, great blend of flavors. The patio is a super fun gathering place along the river in the summertime!

My first visit. All was good with a party of 4. We ate appetizers before meal. Meals served hot… The elk steak was a little dry, but burnt ends delish! Wonderful service! Management came by the table and thanked us for eating there.

The deep dish pizza tastes great though it’s not «real deep dish.» It was constructed like a normal pizza– just thicker. The spinach and artichoke dip was super tasty– a wonderful appetizer! They also have a decent beer selection which is nice to accommodate all tastes.
Prices were fair, very good service, and it’s right on the river.

We have been going for yrs, and never had a bad experience. The BBQ (brisket is the best IMO), is good
Their Prime Rib melts in your mouth, and the woodfire salmon is wonderdul. Their drinks are fair prices (go before 6pm for happy hour and they are sort cheap). The view of the river is nice, and in the warmer months sitting on the patio is a nice treat. They always have paper and crayons that cover the table so it keeps the kids happy and entertained while waiting.

I went to the Drake on the recommendation of a client. I arrived after dark, so the view was a not a big draw. The building and interiors were nicely done in a rustic, warehouse feel. Menu had a great variety and entrees all appeared to have a unique flavor or twist to them. I really appreciate when a restaurant goes outside the box. Dinner was prepared as asked and very tasty! Service prompt and polite in the bar, where I dined. The Drake is a great choice in a community where dining options can be limited!

Our server was great, the crab cakes were pretty good, the drinks were standard. I’m knocking a star because when I politely requested that they change the music up a little, to which one of the staff happily obliged (we were the only customers in the entire place at that time) the lady owner came out and acted like a biotch about it. Giving me side eye and all???
The place is alright, but definitely not as cool as it thinks it is. I’d go back, but only for the outdoor seating during summer.

10÷7÷15: what the hell happened to this place??? I last ate here several weeks ago and had good pizza and good service. Tonight it seems like aliens took over! The moronic barmaid – she couldn’t even remember what she just poured me as she was punching in my food order a few moments after I ordered. I also ordered a salad as an appetizer so I could eat it before I got my pizza and she brought out a dinner salad with the wrong dressing; she took it back and then came back a few minutes later after I told her what dressing I originally requested and asked me again, «What dressing did you order?» Told her to just forget the salad since my pizza was coming out. The pizza – what did they use to make it – cardboard? I’ve had better pizza at Pappa Johns and that’s horrible pizza.
Maybe it was an off night, but sadly next time I’m in town in a few weeks, I won’t be going here. Too bad.

After several times with bad service we’ve decided we won’t be back. Our last visit included servers not knowing what was on the menu, over 20 min wait for drinks, 1.5 hour wait for food, and an argument from the owner about why our service was so poor. I would recommend Big Muddy’s instead.

Not so good. Slow service, took 15 mins to even get a server. Creamy chicken noodle soup was veeeery salty. Paid 17.95 for SIX shrimp and bland potato wedges, absolutely overpriced. Got an «ice cream sundae» for my birthday and it was completely melted. Our bill ended up being 80 $ for 5 people and 4 of us shared two dishes. Won’t be back. Was not impressed by any means.

I love the Drake. My favorite order is blackened fish tacos. A number of other entrees are delicious too. If you are used to Texas-​style BBQ, you might not like what they have here. On a nice day, the Drake is a great place for a gorgeous outside meal. The wait staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and pleasant.

The Drake’s patio is wonderful — right on the MIssissippi! The food is also excellent. The service can be hit or miss, but usually their servers are pretty good. One of the best places to dine in Burlington!

The 4 of us had a nice experience but the other couple has had inconsistent experiences. My biggest pet peeve is table clearing-​most places are trying to turn the table asap so they bring your food without clearing the salad dishes, as was fine here. When we left our empty dishes were still on the table-​that sucks too. Salad is quite unremarkable. All of our meals were very good and our waitress was nice. She was our cocktail waitresses outside in the bar area too-​odd. Excellent view of the river outside and they had a live band that played good (or is it well?). Not many choices in Burlington so this was a good night out.

The Drake, being also the name of my favorite rapper, was a must visit for that reason when I was staying in Burlington, Iowa for work. The food was given in large portions but fairly standard. In my opinion there was not much creativity behind the food. The Drake specializes in a very large menu so they have something to offer everyone. The restaurant is very big and on the Mississippi water front which makes this place so appealing. From the outside you think you are entering a classy intimate establishment but upon entering you will find more of a chilies atmosphere. It is slightly more classy than a Chilies but still not upscale. For the area it is definitely upscale but not compared to a restaurant in an urban area. We ordered the app sampler and then I ordered the cod in almost crust. I expected more of a grilled fish with a lightly breaded almond crust but I got a deep fried fish with a little bit of almonds on it. It was very bland. The fried taste took over any taste this fish had to offer. My friend got a Bloody Mary with a beer back and a steak. He was very happy with his meal. The service was a little slow especially since we were one of the only groups there that night. Perhaps the service would have been better if my friends and I were not talking so loudly and inappropriately. I may go back or try something new in the future. I was left full but not 100% satisfied.

This is a really nice restaurant located on the river with nice views, I am a huge fan of eating near water so I has happy to find this place.
I ate there for lunch, looks as if they have a separate dinner menu. I choose the bbq brisket sandwich with drake fries which are wedge style with seasoning. The brisket was good, tender cut not too fatty with a nice sauce. For desert I had the white chocolate cheese cake which was very good and a decent size slice. Good meal and great prices.
If your around you can’t go wrong here for lunch or dinner, would love to come back when the weather is nice for the outdoor seating.

This was our second time here. The first time was OK but over priced and watered down soup.
Tonight most things lack seasoning. We ordered breaded cheese cauliflower 8.95 we were surprised that it was such a small amount in the order total of 10 small pieces, it was served on a small saucer.
I got the small prime rib $ 23 cooked right but not much flavor and the au jus was little more than brown oily water I added salt to it, that helped some. (I don’t use much salt at home because of sensitivity to sodium, so my husband knew the flavor wasn’t there just by seeing me use table salt.) As I looked at other tables next to us I watched as nearly everyone had to add salt too! It’s bad when you see a guy salting his hamburger!
My husband had full rack of ribs $ 24. These were great! The flavor was spot on! But the disappointment was with the sides, corn bread so dry it was just not anything to enjoy eating, the baked beans and very bland Cole slaw served in 2oz plastic cups on the plate. It just didn’t show as fine dining but more as fast food or Hy-​Vee deli take out.
So if they want to charge $ 23-​$ 25 for a meal they should invest in dishes and lose the plastic cups. And train the cooks to season the food.
It is a nice building with lots of character, there was live music tonight. The wait staff did a great job at filling drinks.

Someone in the kitchen is BRILLIANT with a fillet knife. Not one bone in my fried catfish, I ate the whole thing. No regrets.
While parking was confusing with the river flooding situation sending customers through unusual entrances, the rest of the experience didn’t miss a beat. Okay there was one thing: kegs screwed up (also due to the high waters) so my first choice beverage was warm – I opted for something from a cold keg instead.
I was pleasantly surprised being lead to our seats when an older gentleman at a full, happy table said, «Welcome to The Drake, we’re glad you’re here!» Owner/​partner/​random… Whoever we was he really set the tone for a great meal.
We liked it so much we returned a couple days later and ordered the exact same thing; trading beers for blended adult beverages on Margarita Monday! $ 2.50 for a margarita?! Excited to return in the future!