Old Man River

Was there twice. First time we were seated and given water but otherwise completely forgotten about or ignored. We left. But we did decide to try again, this time we grabbed seats at the bar. A couple who sat at the same time as us was helped while we were initially ignored. (The help sucks, that’s the best way to put it.)
The food and drinks were fine but we were turned off entirely by the service.

We were on an amazing bike trip coming from Milwaukee and came upon Mac Gregor by accident. After arriving to our hotel we ventured out to find some place to eat. We stopped at the local gas station for a suggestion on which place we should try. They suggested Old Man River.
We came upon the restaurant and to our disappointment realized it was closed even though the sign in the window stated that they should be open! No lights on, no «Sorry we had to close for the night» sign, nothing.
We felt as though we were in the twilight zone, as it was normal dinner hours (6:30pm) on a week night and no one seemed to know when they weren’t open. Are they closed for good? Did their hours change? If so they should make note of that for customers who want to patronize their establishment.
Very unprofessional.

Awesome place to eat. The beers were on point and reminded us of San Diego. We got the steamer sliders and couldn’t believe how delicious the food was. There were 3 sliders total and they were all different. This was great because it featured all 3 of their top meats. I would definitely recommend this place.

We came here on a recommendation. Service was awful… Food was mediocre… Plus I got charged $.65 cents when I asked for some extra dressing for my salad… Maybe it was a bad day, but I doubt we’ll be back. It’s really too bad because it’s a nice little place…

Beer selection OK, food decent, service meh. Waitress seemed like she would have preferred we went somewhere else. Next time we will.

This place might be ok for a group of four or less, but they can’t handle anything more than that. I was there for a wedding rehearsal dinner and they had more than enough notice of the size of the party, but still couldn’t get it right.
As soon as we got there and got seated the server was sure to let us know they had just served a party of 26, so we might have to wait a little bit. That’s not my problem. As said above, they knew well in advance of our arrival. Placing our dinner orders was a disaster. The servers seemed to bounce all around the table as they took orders and that became even more evident as the food started to come out. Some people were done eating before I got my food and others hadn’t even gotten their food until I was done eating.
I ordered a burger and they asked how I would like it done. I asked for medium, but it was more than well done. If they are going to cook all the burgers the same, they shouldn’t ask how I would like it done. The burger could have used some sauce, but I was able to find some ketchup to throw on it.
To top it all off they charged an automatic 18% tip to the bill. I understand this is normally done for groups of 8 or more, but the restaurant should recognize when they provided poor service and adjust their tip requirements.

Stayed at a B&B in town and thought about going for our anniversary dinner. SO glad I didn’t! Went the next day. Menu has sandwiches and burgers, no «dinners» but there were about 5 dinner items on a specials board without prices. Asked about the surf and turf (cod and ribeye) — $ 28. Ribeye — $ 24. For those prices there’s a very nice steakhouse across the river in Prairie du Chien that has some atmosphere and a full salad bar. I know because that’s where we went the night before.
I ordered a ribeye sandwich. They were out. Ended up with a $ 10 burger you could get anywhere else for $ 6 – 7. Service was fair to poor and they were not busy on this June 13 Saturday night, which says something by itself.
If you’re starving to death, stop in. Otherwise you’ll easily find something better.

Stopped in on a cold Friday night and we are so glad we did! Had cheese curds and onion rings for appetizers, both were excellent! We all had sandwiches and had no complaints whatsoever. The pretzel buns were insanely good. Our waitress was excellent, very friendly and helpful. Couldn’t have asked for better food or experience. Would highly recommend!!!

The town of McGregor does not have many traditional sit-​down restaurants that serve more than burgers and deep fry. My husband and I were looking forward to eating here but had to wait several days for them to open. No hours are posted on the building and their website gave inaccurate information. So be sure to call ahead before you go and they also prefer reservations.
The dining experience was not awful bit disappointing. They are clearly understaffed so service was slow. We sat a long time before anyone came for even a bar order. When we tried to give our dinner order, the waitress said: «Oh no, we aren’t serving off the entrée menu tonight. Only burgers and sandwiches.» So we wound up ordering burgers and fries. We also requested a side of their special malt vinegar cream for the fries. Even though the she said «yes», I knew it wouldn’t come because she was totally distracted and walking away from the table. I was right, so never got to try it.
The food itself was good but not memorable. Would I eat there again? Yes, but only because there is so little competition in that area. I would recommend it to other tourists in the area for the food, but with a lot of caveats: erratic hours, slow service, limited menu. On the pro side, nice spacious dining room, in house brewery, more variety than other local restaurants.

My wife and I have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. It is a place we take family when they visit and all have had nothing but great things to say about the food. The egg salad sandwich is the best i’ve ever had and i also really enjoy their rainbow salad with locally smoked trout. It has a very cool décor and is located in one of the many historic buildings in McGregor. You will not be disappointed!

We arrived at 2:00 on a Sunday, the place was busy, but not full, and we were told that they were too busy to serve us and that we should «come back later». We came back an hour later and they said the kitchen was closed (at 3:15 in the afternoon). When we reminded them that they told us to come back they agreed to seat us.
Food was good but they got 2 orders wrong and we never saw our waitress after we got our food.
Hire more staff!

We were told we had to go to old man for dinner while camping so we came hungry! We waited 20 minutes to get drinks an hour to get appetizers and then had to ask for the app to come. Then it was two hours before our meal! They are so understaffed! Great food but the wait with two little kids ruined it for me!

I love this place. It’s in the center of the quiet, quaint little town in Iowa. My husband and I were out visiting some family and we all stopped in for dinner. It has a warm, friendly atmosphere and I love the service and the décor. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. I LOVED the cheese curds. I almost felt guilty about my caloric intake because I couldn’t stop eating them. If your in McGregor, IA, you should definitely stop in

Didn’t get to try their beer, but the Park Ranger… brisket and slaw on a pretzel bun. Excellent… had sauce on the side, so can’t speak to that. Fries were great too. Owner/​manager checked on us twice.
I’d go there again, but the odds of me being in that town again are remote. Don’t get me wrong, the town is really cool too.

Old Man River is a hidden gem in McGregor. The managers have improved the service and consistency since taking over in early 2013. We had lunch on a Saturday afternoon in June 2014. The waitress was extremely friendly and knowledgable and recommended we try the Park Ranger (pulled pork) and the bacon cheeseburger. Both were excellent. They offered a very good beer selection and mentioned that they are working on more in-​house brewing. We’ll be back next time we’re in the area.

Got in on a Monday to camp at Pikes Peak St Pk and found out this is the only day they are closed. After a great morning hike at Effigy Mounds Nat’ Monument, I decided to return to McGregor to come here for an early lunch and am SO glad I did!
A dynamite combination of great food, tasty beer and friendly service at super reasonable prices in a beautifully restored historic building! They did only one of their own beers but it was the one I liked the best on the sampler. I had a delicious Prime Rib Sandwich special with combo regular and sweet potato fries for $ 9!
Their beer sampler included a sample of their outstanding root beer, which led me to the best part-​dessert! And I did not see it on the menu so make sure to ASK for the ROOT BEER FLOAT w/​HOT BUTTERED POPCORN ICE CREAM… I am still dreaming about it.

McGregor is a sleepy little river town in NE Iowa. I was once there 2 years ago and was surprised and pleased to find a local brewery that also served good food.
Fast forward 2 years. I return to McGregor. I cant wait to hit that brew pub. Here’s where things go awry.
The place is clean, the space is open and cheery. But …
They apparently are no longer a brew pub. They weren’t offering any in house beers. The brewing equipment was sitting dormant. They had a few Iowa brews as well as some national ones. I tried an Iowa Pale Ale. My wife had a Fat Tire.
Then comes the food. We order a sausage plate. The server returns to tell us they are out of one of the types of sausage, so we need to order something else.
OK, chicken wings in a waffle bowl. Nope, no waffle bowls either. Can we get an order of chicken wings? OK, apparently they have those. We also ordered a trio of sliders.
About 25 minutes later, we get our food. Brisket slider with coleslaw — so so. Pulled Pork slider — the same. The burger slider wasn’t bad. The buns were good.
Chicken wings — 5 drummies (not whole wings) for $ 9.00. Dipped in a sesame chicken sauce. I was underwhelmed.
Some adjoining tables also had issues with missing or unavailable items.
The wait staff was very overloaded. Its Friday on a summer weekend in a tourist town and you have only 1 waitress?
2 stars for a decent beer even if you didn’t brew it.

My parents had been here a few years ago and described their meal as one of the best they had ever had. Several years hence we returned with a family group, and unfortunately couldn’t relive the experience.
That’s not to say the meal was bad. And there were some factors working against us. But it certainly won’t be going in the Greatest Gustatory Hits of my life, let’s put it that way.
We did have a group of 9 people, but that was really piddling considering the fact that when we walked in the door they were expecting a reunion of 42 people. But they were able to seat us, so with some trepidation we took a seat on the closed-​in patio.
Our waitress was brand-​new, as she immediately (and somewhat defensively) warned us, but she did a fine job, though it was her duty to inform us several times of some ill tidings. The special was tenderloin steak… which they were out of. (?? It was still quite early in the evening… you might want to stop advertising it.) They couldn’t make the grilled onions that my parents had had last time (and are listed on the menu). In short, there were several «no”/“we can’t“s throughout the meal that got a little discouraging.
In lieu of the tenderloin, most of us got the ribeye, which was tasty, though the cooking was wildly uneven: my dad and I ordered ours cooked to the same doneness, and his came out much redder than mine.
Things moved very slowly, perhaps gratis the clan of 42 that rolled in. At least this gave our crowd a chance to chat, and chomp on the appetizer of cheese curds (lightly fried and dunked in bbq or ranch — the latter was better).
The restaurant is very attractive: high ceilings, light wood, bright lighting. It was a nice evening to be seated on the back patio, and the benefit of the screen was a boon as there has been a plague of gnats of late, which would have made for most undesirable dining companions.
Overall, McGregor is a very cute little town and this is nice dining option. I feel like the stars did not quite align for us on this visit but that it has the capacity to be better, based on my parents’ past experience. Hopefully the next time I’m in town I can see if it’s still rollin’ along.

As a group of 30 with reservations we expected slightly slower service but this was an abysmal experience from beginning to end. Even with an exceedingly limited menu — 3 dinners, a few sandwiches, and 2 salads — after ordering it took about an hour for the first food to appear and the last burger came out of the kitchen 2 hours after it was ordered.
I ordered the double-​thick chop and was disappointed it was not as advertised. It was about 3/​8″ thick. I spoke with the «manager» who defended what was on the plate by saying «well, it’s what we got from our distributor». Other folks at the table got the double-​thick chops. I suspect they were running out and simply cut the doubles into singles. She refused to comp it but did remove 2 beers from our tab.
The chop was not seasoned — no salt no pepper no nothing — and bone dry. This is Iowa for crying out loud! I figured they’d know how to cook a decent pork chop!
The salad with smoked trout and blue cheese was great!
Service was poor; our waitress didn’t stop back to see if we wanted more beverages and we had to flag her down to order desert which turned out to be another disappointment.
Our group won’t be returning for dinner Sunday night…

Started off well and just down hill after orders were taken. Went in at 12:30 and it didn’t seem to busy. One large group of about 15 people and a few tables of two to three people. Took orders and brought drinks. We then waited and waited. I guess the group was just to much for this place. About 30 mins later the waitress came over and let me know they were out of soup. It’s the middle of the day, how do you run out of soup. I asked for fries. After about 45 mins the onion rings came. Those were good. 30 mins after my order came without the fries. They were still getting done. Another person in my party had fries and they were cold. There were two hairs on my plate so I sent it back.