Cratty Shack — Restaurant in Colfax

I heard about this place from a third party, specifically their ice cream. I took the drive this last Sunday. It took 28 minutes from the "East Side" of Des Moines. (I like the back roads so I took the back way past Mitchellville. It was a bit of a drive but not too bad for a nice casual Sunday. I arrived to find a nice little shop. The young lady who was doing the serving promptly told me I could sit where I liked. I ordered coffee and water. I asked the friendly wait person what was good. Without hesitation she replied "Everything." I went with Southern Omelet add hash browns (Extra $1.50) and a two piece of French toast. My food came out and it was good. The French toast however was pretty cooled off. (It wouldn't even melt butter.) It tasted good but it was pretty cold. The rest of the food was pretty good. The omelet was done perfectly. The service was solid and friendly. Now for some dessert. The Soft Serve Ice Cream that according to my buddy was worth half an hour drive to get. I ordered a small strawberry sundae as I was pretty full from breakfast. First, the size was HUGE for a small. Probably the equivalent of 5-6 scoops of soft serve. Second, the strawberry sauce had actual BIG chunks of strawberry in it. And lastly, but not least, the soft serve was perfect. Smooth, creamy, vanilla goodness. In closing, the food was okay but the ice cream made this an above average venture. And I was glad I made the trip and can highly recommend you swing in if you are in the neighborhood. Just make sure you save some space for the soft...

So small town hidden gem!!! Prices are a hard not to stop in and have an amazing meal!!! Prices are beyond reasonable!!! Great service, great service, very welcoming and the customers were also very polite. It looks very deceiving the size of it . You walk in and see only 6 to 7 booths then they have another area in the back to the left with plenty of seating!!! Waiter was very welcoming, very polite and helpful explaining item I had a question about on the menu. We started out with the deep fried pickles and fried mushrooms at $5 a piece. My son got the 6oz sirloin with hash browns, eggs and toast for only $10.25 couldn't believe it. I got the double bacon cheese burger with swirl fries and never seen them before and they were amazing for $10 and my buddy got this insane sandwich I believed to be called the Crafty Daddy sandwich and fries for a insanely cheap price of $10.25. Let me tell you about this Crafty Daddy sandwich which I will show the picture of, it's a massive size tenderloin with a 6 to 8 oz burger on top along with 3 different types of cheese and all the fixings honestly this can be made into 2 meals easily. For the people that like just water with meals which I do and I'm very picky on my water and it was amazing with a slice of lemon because I enjoy the lemon but tastes amazing without the lemon. I can't say more positive things about this little hidden gem in Colfax, IA and for the sweet tooth they also have...

The short haired woman who owns this building is very rude and will ruin your order almost seeming like she does it on purpose. I have been a loyal customer to this business for almost 20 years seeing multiple different people own it and have never had a problem like I have with this woman. A lot of people from this town complain about her on Facebook and she still doesn’t seem to get the hint. If she would simply remove herself she would have a way better chance of keeping loyal customers (who tip very well might I add). I try my best to avoid coming when she is working but lately she seems to be there every-time so I give up trying to order from here anymore. She tips herself when you use a card, it even says so on a sign there. She is very dirty and I have not seen her wash her hands before preparing orders and she does not wear gloves. Would love to see this business do as well as they have in the past but with her being there it is unlikely that will happen. I feel bad for the men that work there as they are always very polite and patient. She just seems to have a problem with every customer unless it’s someone well known from town that she knows people...