Urban on the Square — Restaurant in Winterset

I rarely write negative reviews, but my family’s experience at Urban on the Square for my mother-in-law’s birthday was incredibly disappointing. We were excited to celebrate, but sadly, the food did not live up to our expectations.

To start, we ordered the meatballs and burrata. While the presentation was impressive, the meatballs were cold, which was a letdown. We also tried the pecan-crusted chicken as an appetizer, but it was overcooked and stringy. We had to send it back, hoping for a better experience with our entrées.

Unfortunately, things didn’t improve. My husband ordered a steak cooked medium, but it arrived well-done and extremely tough. Again, we had to send it back, which disrupted our meal. I opted for the short rib ragu, and I was disappointed to find that the noodles were undercooked and chewy.

To cap off the evening, we ordered dessert—a banana fosters bread pudding. However, the caramel sauce was grainy, making it feel like I was eating sand instead of a delightful treat.

Overall, the service was fine, but the food simply did not meet the standards we hoped for. Given our experience, I cannot recommend Urban on the Square, and we will not be returning. It’s a shame, as we were looking forward to a wonderful...

Date night out in Winterset and decided to try this restaurant we had just seen and we figured we’d give it a shot as we’ve tried just about every other place in town. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and drinks. First off the seasonal drinks we had were delicious and properly poured. I had the white chocolate Russian and my husband had the spiced honey old fashion, we had seconds yuuum! The appetizer was wonderfully made. I love crab rangoons and their inside out rangoons were amazing!! Best I’ve ever had! Now to the entrees, we had 6oz sirloin with garlic mashed potatoes, a Cesar salad and the other chicken with brussel sprouts over risotto. Both entrees were made to order and fabulous. For dessert we shared the crème brûlée and just the perfect ending to an outstanding dining experience. Ashley was our server and she was super friendly and most accommodating. Everything was on point. Never would have thought we’d find this caliber of dining in our quaint town. We will definitely be return especially if we are entertaining family and friends on the town or just another date night out. Thanks for a night to remember and...

This place was a complete and utter pleasure to find. The choices on a Monday night in Winterset are not abundant, to say the least, so this was our only choice. Needless to say, we were ready to eat what we were served and grit our teeth and bear it. Nothing could be more contrasting from what we actually experienced!

The restaurant is located on the main square, and is small and simple, but quite nicely appointed. We were greeted and attended to promptly, efficiently, and with a very friendly manner. The service was flat-out excellent.

Most importantly, though, the food was amazing. The house salad was well-composed, with a white vinagrette that had to have been made in-house. The lemon shrimp pasta was simple, but very tasty. The brussels sprouts were simply perfect---probably the best that I have tasted in my life: just a bit sweet, and an impressive blend of crispy and chewy. The chicken with mushroom sauce was excellent, and the parmesan risotto was subtle but quite good.

In sum, this is a restaurant that is firmly on my "favorites" list, and what a great find in the middle of...