Lock 19 — Restaurant in Nauvoo

The smash burger & fries were great! The service was fast but there are only 3 tables and a long high narrow (12-15”) wide plank of wood against the wall- not comfortable to sit at unless you like to look at a wall and scoop you food directly into your mouth. One table can seat 10-12 and there were 3 seats open at that table and when I asked the person if I could sit at 2 of the open seats he said no because his family was sitting there and yes his child was sitting between 2 of the 3 open seats but he was done eating and could have moved over one seat if he wanted to sit down again (he was done and not sitting). I was a little offended because I don’t mind to sit by people we don’t know. Many of times, we like who we meet and have a good time. We just wanted to be comfortable while we were eating so we quietly picked up our food (we did sit for a few minutes at the plank of wood on the wall- VERY UNCOMFORTABLE) and went to our car and sat in our car to eat our delicious smash burger. Here’s my recommendation- ask for your food to go and stay & eat there if there’s a place to sit at a table but if there’s not a place to sit then go elsewhere or not order your meal there and go to The Red Front restaurant (a block West) - they have a great selection of burgers, ice cream blocks, and plenty of tables...

Lock 19 is an absolute must-stop when visiting Nauvoo or the surrounding area!

From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with small-town charm and hospitality—regulars welcomed us like old friends and couldn’t stop raving about the milkshakes (made with real ice cream!). They even joked we should start with dessert, but we went the savory route first—and wow, are we glad we did.

We ordered a classic cheeseburger loaded fries and The Dam Loaded Fries—and OH. MY. WORD. The flavors were off the charts! The burgers were cooked to perfection with those crispy edges that burger dreams are made of, and the sauces? Totally unique and absolutely delicious—like nothing we’ve had before.

The portions were so generous, we didn’t have room for the famous milkshakes… which just gives us the perfect excuse to come back!

Great food, welcoming people, and a place that feels like home. Don’t miss it.

Exploring life 1 bite, 1 sip, and 1 small town at a time!...

We walked in not knowing what to expect. The food rocked my socks off! Open a whole 5 days I was told, yet operated pretty smoothly with how busy they were! They give you a vibrating order indicator just like some large chains do to let you know when your order is ready. This worked great.

Hot, fresh, delicious, reasonably priced. I'm a burger guy and have had varieties across the country in all shapes and sizes, but I can tell you this was perhaps the best smash burger I've ever had in its simplest form. I ordered with 3 patties, cheese, and special sauce to try it out. That's all I got and the amazingly juicy patties, perfectly melted cheese on the well executed caramelized crusted patties, and the rich and sweet sauce surely impressed me to say the least. Get tons of napkins, because if you're like me with a decent sized beard, your burger's meat juice will be dripping into it (but not saying that's a bad thing, savor the flavor right?!?!?). Prepare...