Northeast Iowa—with Two Destination Restaurants Worth Building a Trip Around
Enjoy a classic supper club and a contemporary chef-driven restaurant—plus beautiful bluffs, stellar leaf-looking, and more in Northeastern Iowa.
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The area of Iowa I love most nestles in the hills, cliffs, and bluffs of the driftless area and is anchored by the Mississippi River, which is always a marvel. Add two destination-worthy restaurants and mix in some spectacular autumn colors in coming weeks, and you’ve got some great reasons to head east right about now.
I’ve put together a three-night itinerary built around visits to these two restaurants, but it’s worth more time if you can spare it.
Day 1: Overnight in Dubuque So You Can Eat at Brazen Open Kitchen
This trip’s top destination restaurant is Brazen, and every time I head this way, I’ll spend at least one night in this lovely city just to dine there. But first—try to get to Dubuque early enough to do a little sightseeing. Best bets when you’re short on time:
• The Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. The 1.6-mile Horseshoe Bluff Trail is especially exhilarating—you’ll traverse a quarried canyon through two majestic bluffs, then arrive at a scenic overlook with some of the area’s most pastoral and unspoiled views of the Mississippi.
• For a great overview of Dubuque, don’t miss the Fenelon Place Elevator, which creaks on up to a historic neighborhood on the bluff. Here, you can take in the view of the city—plus the Mississippi River and great swaths of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
In the evening, eat at Brazen Open Kitchen. Of all the restaurants I’ve ever dined at in Iowa, I can’t think of one that is more firmly rooted in a sense of place than this gem. Paid subscribers can read my full review here.
Where to Stay: In the past, I’ve enjoyed the historic Hotel Julien. For this trip, I stayed at the comfortable Towneplace Suites, about a two-minute walk from Brazen.
Spending a Second Night in Dubuque? Try L. May
After you’ve tried Brazen, another good choice for dinner is L. May. While not a destination restaurant per se, this main-street spot has good food and a terrific vibe. We recently enjoyed a robust braised pork shank and a terrific spinach Caesar salad—perfectly tossed with the right amount of deep, tangy, and bright dressing. While I relished the toppings on the Autumn Harvest Pizza (sage cream sauce, crisped prosciutto, butternut squash, apple, and hot honey drizzle), I found the thin crust itself fine if underwhelming, leaning more towards dry and cracker-like than pleasantly crisp with a bit of chew. Still, it’s worth ordering for a casual-yet-refined dinner.
Day 2: Head Upriver
Today, your ultimate destination is a classic Wisconsin supper club. However, before you leave Dubuque, walk up and down Main Street to view the Victorian-era and early 19th-century buildings. While some storefronts are vacant, you’ll find a smattering of shops worth checking out.
Tool Through Guttenberg: Be sure to detour off the highway to drive along the riverfront of Guttenberg, a tidy historic town with a river-hugging park is a great place for a picnic.
Stay in Prairie du Chien or Marquette: See below for options of where to stay. Before dinner, go to downtown Prairie du Chien; a stroll along Main Street offers a glimpse of its genuine river-town roots. While some areas are a bit rough-and-tumble (think dive bars and second-hand stores), the historic buildings are well worth a look, and you’ll find some pleasant shops along the way. Marquette also has some down-at-the-heels pockets; still, it’s worth walking around town for its historic architecture.
Dinner: A Classic Wisconsin Supper Club
For Iowans, Jones’ Black Angus Supper Club in Prairie du Chien might be the Wisconsin supper club that’s closest to home. And it’s a fine, fine example of the genre indeed. It’s got everything you want in a Wisconsin supper club: a moody dark interior with a U-shaped bar, mature servers, great steaks, golden fried walleye, and generous drinks (yes—you can get an Old Fashioned made the Wisconsin way, with brandy).
What about a relish tray? Here’s the deal: The extensive salad bar—with soups, salad and all the predictable trimmings—also offers everything you’d want for a relish tray: olives, pickles, celery, carrots, radishes, pickled beets, pickled herring, plus a block of cheese the size of a car battery as well as a sharp and buttery cheese spread. Pick your pleasures and enjoy—this thing’s a blast!
Steaks aren’t cheap, but to my palate, the $45 ribeye was every bit as good as you’d expect at this price, and it includes choice of potato, that salad bar, and a Mississippi-bluff-sized loaf of bread. I also enjoyed the fried walleye, with crisp breading that was light enough to let you savor the moist, sweet fish. Next time, I might pass on the hashbrowns, simply because I prefer mine more crunchy.
Day 3: Mississippi Splendors All Day Long!
Visit Effigy Mounds in the Morning: Follow a steep path up the bluff to the peaceful burial grounds for a peaceful, solemn look at prehistoric burial sites, some in the shapes of bears. The overlooks from here are worth the climb as well.
Stop in McGregor: Of the three clustered towns—Prairie du Chien, Marquette, and McGregor, the latter is by far the loveliest—cute and historic without being too “tarted up.” Take a walk up and down the main street before picking up a picnic lunch. Sadly, I’ve found no highly recommended hotels in McGregor.
Pack a Picnic from By the Spoonful: The grab-and-go sandwiches at this gourmet shop in McGregor are made fresh every day, and include thoughtful items like horseradish mayo, spring mix, cranberry-orange mayo, quality meats and cheeses, and fantastic breads.
Picnic + Hike at Pike’s Peak: Did I find the best picnic table in Iowa? Maybe—and it’s a short walk from the main parking lot at Pike’s Peak State Park. Enjoy the sandwich and great views, then take a hike on trails replete with scenic bluffs and valley views. And that river.
Dinner in Prairie du Chien: While I did not find another destination restaurant for the third night out, we did enjoy a solid Cajun walleye and a simple-but-satisfying broiled cod at Fort Mulligans Grill Pub in Prairie du Chien, housed in a handsome 19th-century stone building, where the service was warm and the price was right (entrees cost around $20).
Where to Stay: In the past and recently, the accommodations we’ve stayed in have been serviceable if not stellar. I prefer the Cobblestone Inn and Suites in Marquette, a clean, functional chain hotel that’s a good base for everything you want to do. This trip, we tried the Waterview Hotel in Prairie du Chien. While the website photos make it look quite plush, the place has the feel of a midrange chain hotel that’s merely been nicely decorated. The location, adjacent to the town and on river inlet, is pleasant, but it’s also on a busy intersection that can be noisy at times. Overall, it’s fine, if nothing special.
Elkader on the Trip Home: The most direct route back to DSM is through Elkader, a darling town on the Turkey River that might possibly have the best small-town bakery in Iowa. Stop at Pedretti’s for pumpkin or apple-cider donuts and jam-filled sugar cookies!
A reader wrote me privately and said:
"Speaking of supper clubs ... have you been to Timmerman's in East Dubuque, IL? Right across the river from Dubuque up on a bluff so it has an incredible view with lots of windows in the dining room."
Indeed! Timmerman's is wonderful! It's perfectly midcentury and has a terrific vibe!
Since I met you at Johnston Library ... and you write books ... I'm guessing you enjoy hanging out in bookstores, between meals of course. Dubuque has a great one: River Lights. And McGregor has the one-of-a-kind shop called Paper Moon.