King Bucks — Restaurant in Cedar Falls

Today we stopped in at the newest restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and the Cedar Valley King Bucks. The decor inside is pretty cool. Lots of old classic signs, advertising and photos. They did an amazing job. Must have spent $100k in decor as it is everywhere!!! You walk in and order at the counter just like their other restaurant Starbeck's Smoke House in Waterloo, Iowa, next door to the John Deere Museum. The food at King Bucks reminded us of our visits to Starbeck's. Took about 15 minutes to get our food. Same corn bread (amazing), same Mac and Cheese (amazing if you like the real thing like mom used to make, not the yuck out of a blue Kraft box). I had the Starbeck burger a 1/3 pound patty with Starbecks brisket on a pretzel bun. My spouse had the Mushroom and Swiss burger with onion rings. The burgers were good, but not juicy. I question if the patties are made fresh or if they are pre-made/previously frozen. Nothing beats a fresh hand-made burger patty. The onion rings were a little over cooked for my liking as they have a heavy I assume it was a cornmeal based batter. Would have been better with a lighter batter and less cook time. The grandkids had kid chicken strips and they said they were 100 out of 10, so I assume they were excellent based on these picky eaters. We finished off with an order of the mini doughnuts and again the kids said 100 out of 10 and I did get to eat one before they were all gone and they were really good. All in all a good experience for a new restaurant open for 36 hous (lunch time on day two). We will be back in a month to give them another try, and can't wait for their live music nights! I foresee this to be a fun place with a lot of potential after they get things running smooth. Check them out, give them a break the first month or so to get everything...

Let me say first that a good Tenderloin is hard to find, and a great Tenderloin is a rarity. At King Buck’s you will find a truly great Tenderloin. It has been my favorite type of sandwich for most of my life, and I order them everywhere. Most are just okay, but Jeff Starbeck has come up with an epic version. It is plump and meaty on the inside, crispy on the outside, and served on a hearty bun. It is a large sandwich that will satisfy, but not one of those pounded thin dinner plate sized tenderloins fit on a tiny bun. It has a very slight smoky flavor that really kicks up the flavor ever so slightly. The restaurant atmosphere is pub like and family friendly. The menu is extensive, the prices quite reasonable, and the service is excellent. I have been there 3 times in the past week with family, and we’ve been very happy with our selections. We have tried the BLT, the ribeye sandwich, Buck’s Cheeseburger, Fries, Onion Rings, and the best Coleslaw in town. There are many items on the menu I look forward to trying, particularly their Patty Melt, the Blue Hawaii Burger, and the Southwest Burger. And of course I will be returning for another fabulous Tenderloin soon! The location is perfect, with easy in and out, and there is plenty of parking. This is my new favorite sandwich stop and I can’t...

We were cautiously optimistic about our first trip to King Bucks after hearing about the split between Cindy Lou’s across the street and the Starbecks location across town. The food was decent at best, but $9 for the absolute smallest order of cheese curds I’ve seen in my life (comparable in size to a French fry substitution at a fast food place—maybe a dozen, if that) really turned us off from the get go.

There was no mention that the Mac and cheese side option was spicy, and although I don’t mind spicy food, I know my partner would not have been able to stomach it. The final nail in the coffin for us was a lack of a la cart options, as one shouldn’t have to order a full priced meal just to get a second entree.

We had been wanting to stop by since opening, and while these things are relatively easy fixes, I believe there are better options (price and taste-wise) for everything we tried there today.

Edited at the request of my partner: The fries were mediocre with little to no flavor, and while she appreciated the atmosphere, the service was average.. other than employees not really acknowledging another customer’s complaints and then laughing about it after the customer...