The Sanctuary Restaurant — Restaurant in Shenandoah

We were just here to do RAGBRI (the bicycle ride across Iowa) and stopped in for dinner. We are so glad we did. The line was long because of 10,000 bike riders descending on the town; the the wait was worth it and the staff were so upbeat and friendly despite having been serving nonstop since noon or so.

Oh, and the food was great - way beyond what we expected to find in a small town. We had a french roast beef sandwich and a smoked turkey sandwich. They were really big (and we had just biked 50 miles to get there) and they came with a yummy salad with mandarin oranges and banana slices. You could also choose a pasta salad that everyone liked too. There were also really great shakes in about 25 flavors to choose from. We had chocolate raspberry and the couple next to us had pumpkin pie. So good. And did I mention desserts. Everything is made on premises and we were able to sample 5 or 6 kinds between the group of riders. The lemon coconut pie was my favorite with a great flaky crust.

The food is very well prepared and obviously made with lot of love and attention (even until the last 30 minutes of what was a very long day for the staff and cook.) Definitely worth finding if you are traveling through or making it a regular stop if you...

I’ve known this restaurant since its humble beginnings, and even worked here for a short time during my high school years. It’s always such a pleasure to come back enjoy the sandwiches, salads, and soups. The best part had to be the delicious desserts, however. What many may not know is that these desserts are created from family recipes and are prepared early in the morning each day. The signature is the raspberry cheesecake with chocolate ganache, but my personal favorite is the banana caramel - tastes like the richest banana bread with whipped buttercream and caramel sauce layers. Be sure to check out their selection of teas and coffees - the blackberry sage iced...

I have nothing bad to say. This sandwich, soup, and salad restaurant is inside an old church, which gives it a cozy, beautiful atmosphere. The sandwiches are delicious. The soup is great. I had never had bananas in a salad before, but their house salad is fantastic! The hot chocolate was good. The desserts all looked scrumptious, although we were too full to test them out. The staff was friendly and the service was quick. They also have a decent selection of coffee drinks and a few beers and wines. Just WOW. If you are in the...