Emmy Lou's Cafe

Stooped in for lunch on our way to a wedding in Iowa.  We were looking for a fast bite and had planned to go to Culvers, but like to support the local businesses when we can.  

First off, I don't really understand the previous reviews of this place.  Two stars?  When you really didn't have anything bad to say?  This is not haute cuisine - this is a local breakfast/lunch spot with homemade food and excellent prices.

The positives.  My husband had the soup with his lunch - homemade right down to homemade noodles.  Really tasty and not the overly salty canned stuff so many small restaurants are serving today.  He also had the meatloaf sandwich and asked for extra gravy.  Again, everything was homemade and flavorful.  My son loved his peanut butter pancake and my reuben was more than I could eat.  Lots of sauerkraut and a good balance of meat/cheese/bread. Drink refills were very fast  and service was fast and efficient.

My only negative was a very messy bathroom.  Not dirty - just an overflowing trash can and paper towels and toilet paper all over the floor.  We came just after the lunch rush (the staff were eating their lunches when we arrived) and I expect they just had not gotten in to clean up after the busy time.

This restaurant is an excellent example of a small town lunch/breakfast place and in no way deserves the two star ranking others have given it.  Highly recommended for locals or for a family just passing through town.  Great food, great sevice and an excellent value.

This is a restaurant that can easily be missed.  It "hides" next to the Country Inn & Suites in Galena and behind a Culver's.  Tired of paying too-high prices at the resort we were staying at, we thought we would come here for breakfast on a day of touring the area.  I ordered the "Big Pancake" and my wife ordered an omelet.  Her omelet was good and my pancake was, indeed, big.  Sadly, I didn't much care for it. There was nothing wrong with the pancake itself, I just prefer buttermilk pancakes.  

The service was friendly, the coffee cup was continually refilled, and there were a fair amount of locals in the restaurant.  I view that as a good thing since locals usually know a good place to eat.

And, the price was right!

The server was kind. Lots of food. The hash browns were awful, you could taste the freezer burn. The All meat omelet was tasty