Breitbach's Country Dining — Restaurant in Balltown

I’ve been coming to Breitbach’s with my family since I was a kid. It’s always been a special treat to make the short drive up from Dubuque through bluff country with its spectacular views. Mike is a real man of character and a gracious host, and the family business is obviously his pride and joy. We will continue to come here as long as it’s around.

All that said, we’ve visited twice in the last four or five months and while much of the experience is the same as we’ve come to know and enjoy, a few things on the buffet are different: no rolls, only one soup, only saltines for crackers, mashed potatoes that no longer seem homemade. These are all changes from years past. Additionally, they’re only open now four days a week, and as far as I’m aware they don’t do their German buffet anymore. My guess would be that this can all be accounted for by Breitbach’s not having been spared the hardships of the pandemic that all restaurants seem to be suffering: labor shortage, supply issues, skyrocketing costs. That, of course, is just my assumption.

On the whole, however, this is still the homey country dining from my youth. I just need to alter my expectations to accept the realities of our present economy. This is why I give four stars, and recommend that you stop in when you get a chance.

EDIT: Came back the following Friday (July 1) for lunch, intending to try the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, which used to be on Iowa's Pork Tenderloin Trail. Well, I'll be a deep-fried dumbbell if that isn't one of the tastiest BPTs I've ever had the pleasure of consuming. Today's soup was also fabulous - Mike confirmed he'd had four bowls of...

I visited Breitbach's Country Dining after reading numerous times about how this is a "must stop" eating place in Iowa. Unfortunately, my experience was the complete opposite of what I expected from such high praise. The facility itself is very nice - modern and clean, which was appreciated. However, the buffet food quality was quite poor and didn't live up to the reputation at all. The pan-fried chicken was the biggest disappointment - it had bare spots with no coating and lacked any seasoning. The mashed potatoes were clearly instant, and the gravy was thin and watery, tasting like it came from a powder mix rather than being made fresh. There were also sliced pork pieces sitting in a watery liquid that looked unappetizing - I noticed no one seemed to be eating that entrée, which was telling. The salad bar was mediocre overall with limited dressing options, though I will say the ham salad was good and there were a few homemade items that showed some effort. The service was adequate - no complaints there. Given the restaurant's reputation and all the glowing recommendations I'd read, I expected much better food quality, especially for a buffet. While I appreciate the clean, modern facility and historic atmosphere, the meal itself was very disappointing and I cannot recommend it based...

Ate lunch here on Friday mid-Sept. Arrived at 11:03 just as they were opening and got a good parking space (parking lot is on the second floor level up a slight hill). There weren't too many people around so I got seated at a good spot right away. Some of the buffet selections seemed a little odd like two starches, corn and mashed potatoes, but not green vegetables like broccoli or green beans. The food was mostly good - the fried chicken and fried fish I liked. They advertised popcorn fried shrimp, but it was actually a lot bigger than that and was quite good. The ham slices were bland. The salad bar was reasonably large with some unique takes on the standard items that made them more interesting. Servers are busy but they do respond in a reasonable amount of time. Seating is mostly at nice not crowded tables that are well set with amenities. When I was leaving about an hour later the place was packed to the gills in the bar area where it was standing room only. If you are driving to this area from the west (Cedar Rapids/Iowa City) you are going to have to take a route with LOTS of turns on two lane roads thru farmland. Coming north from Dubuque it is a much...