Update because we went here again recently. Still pretty good food, but not as good as in the past and I had two problems with the service. First, the waitress brought a refill of a mango lemonade drink that we didn't order, and then charged us for it. Second, I swapped out kale for broccoli as a side dish and the waitress didn't warn me that they put bacon in the kale. Who puts bacon in kale?!? A person who orders kale probably doesn't want bacon!! I don't eat bacon and didn't notice it at first, so I was pretty disgusted by it. I mentioned this to the waitress and she just blew it off like it was no big deal. It won't kill me, but there are a lot of people who would be even more offended by this than I am.
Otherwise, pretty good, but going downhill. Still great beer, though.
Food and service were great and earned them the three stars. Â The beers they brew not so much. Â Three or four of their beers are blends of their other beers. Â $25.00 for a growler initial purchase was way over the top. Â It's kind of disappointing for us true beer connoisseurs to get good local advice about going here for their "world class" beers. Â I guess that just shows us the beer palette of the area. Â Fix the beer recipes and this place would be unrivaled.
Review Source:As a San Francisco foodie, eating in Iowa is always an experience. I've been hanging in Cedar Rapids for the past couple of years (daughter in college here) and I LIKE Granite City. A lot. Because if you're looking for  decently presented food, okay wine list, better beer list and fairly good service, this is the place. Haven't had a bad meal here. Yet. But it could happen. Honestly, it's not like there are a ton of choices in Cedar Rapids, folks. I would LOVE to open up a really good restaurant here...like the Lincoln in Mt. Vernon. In the interim, don't bad mouth the chains. They fill in where scared entrepreneurs (like me) fail to take a chance.  I had excellent service here the other night (mid blizzard). Our server was informed about the menu and very personable. I've been here in the summer when it's busy and the service was pretty good.
Review Source:This place use to have great service back about a year ago and to me it seems to be going downhill.
Strike 1: our waitress told us that the staff changes so much there she didn't even know her co workers! That can't be a good thing in the management end.
Strike 2: Our waitress also could not answer questions we had about menu items because she said she had never been trained on the menu items
Strike 3: well this might just be a man thing...ha, but the entire time we were there I was completely ignored by our waitress no eye contact nothing! all questions were asked to my girlfriend as if I was not there. Even when it came to water refills she would just ignore my glass! Then when the check came she hands it to my girlfriend hmmm. Me and her found it very odd! But hey that didn't effect the rating just funny!
The burgers always seem be cooked well and I must say I do love the better cheddar burger. I have tried a lot of the menu items and I find that it's best to stick to burgers and the appetizers. They all seem to taste great. My girlfriend had the shrimp Alfredo and the shrimp was very over cooked and sauce seemed very thick!
The one saving grace for this place is the beer and outdoor seating. I really enjoy all the beers they offer especially the two pull... There version of a Black and Tan.
This place wont wow you but it's ok food for an ok price!
Typical GCB offering, not typical service and performance.
I've been to GCB's in two other cities and love them. This one on the other hand is terrible. Bad service at the greeting, took 5 minutes after being seated and I had to ask for a waitress to get service.
Food comes...can't find my waitress (again) to ask for condiments.
I'm glad I don't live here, if never come back!
The only reason I'd go to Granite City is the breakfast brunch. Â It is absolutely delicious. Â They have a really delicious Eggs Benedict Bar, and they refresh the buffet regularly throughout the morning. Â The Unlimited Mimosas are TO DIE FOR. Â I would definitely recommend this restaurant on a Sunday morning.
Review Source:We came here on a Tuesday night, and this place was packed. Â We had a party of 8, but they were able to seat us quickly. Â The hostess was going to originally split our party into two tables. Â When we sat down, we noticed that the two tables were really far apart. Â Our table was in a section intended for a bunch of small tables, but was only populated by our table. Â I give credit to our waitresses for figuring out that it was better to move the 2nd table into our section so that our party could sit together. Â The food was decent and the beer was decent too. Â My prime rib sandwich could have been better if it was medium rare vs well done. Â It was not Lawry's prime rib, but I was hungry and scarfed it down. Â My Northern Light Lager went well with my meal.
Review Source:food was good. Took a long time to come out, but that did not bother me. I was with a group of about 9, so there was enough going on to keep us busy. Had I been with a smaller group, however, I would have been a little upset about how long the food took. This, however, did not affect the star rating.
I ordered the regular burger. Though it was good, it was definitely not the best burger I have ever had. Additionally, it was a little overcooked. In fact, this was the most dissapointing part of the restaurant. Many of the people in my party ordered steaks and spend a good deal of money in the restaurant. For most people their steaks were over cooked. In one instance, a mid-rare steak came out as well done. This is the purpose of the 3 star rating.
The beer, however, was very good, and the prices were reasonable. Though I was not overly impressed with the restaurant, I have no reason not to go back, and think perhaps it was just an off night for the kitchen.
I imagine I will be back, especially since there are so few restaurants in the area.
As someone who has eaten at Granite City a fair number of times, I think that I might be able to shed some light on the disparate reviews here.
Granite City has a pretty ambitious menu, but it's really more of a meat and potatoes place. I don't mean that in a derogatory sense. I mean that they really knock things like steak, pork, and meatloaf out of the park. The problem, I think, is that people who stick to those basics really talk Granite City up to their friends. Those friends then go there and order one of the more exotic menu items, and leave disappointed. It's not that those items are bad. They're just not going to wow anyone.
If you're trying Granite City for the first time, I would recommend that you order the meatloaf (served with a pepper and onion relish-esque sauce over ciabatta bread). I would also recommend adding a cup of the French onion soup
I went here for lunch recently and was very happy with the experience. I got a very interesting Napa valley burger and a flight of beer. I almost fell over when I realized my 8 - 5oz samples of beer was only $3.75. You really can't beat that.
The beers were all tasty, but not spectacular, and the burger was cooked just right.
This is the only place I've been in cedar Rapids, but I'd definitely recommend it for lunch or drinks.
There are only TWO negatives about Granite City:
1) Prices are kinda high. (But that is offset due to the HUGH portions they give you).
2) It gets loud at dinner time = poor acoustics.
But the service is ALWAYS friendly and attentative....I swear there  times where the staff outnumbers the customers...and they move fast...no deadbeats.
Food is spectacular... Even the meals I normally do not like, Granite City finds a way to make them tasty.
I really don't get the hype with Granite City. It's really just okay IMHO. Service is usually pleasant, it's the food that is the biggest downfall. It's just sort of...blah blah BLAND. What's hilarious is the last time I ate here, the assistant manager came to our table twice, both times asking how the food was, and then promptly answering his own question by saying "absolutely incredible, right?!". Of course I was like, yes everything was good, because it's not like it was awful or inedible or anything... but absolutely incredible? Don't kid yourself man.
Ultimately this place falls into the category of "I will eat there, but only when prompted."
Staff was incredibly and sincerely friendly. It's amazing what sincere friendliness can do to enhance an experience. I had the Asian Salad on their recommendation. It was super. Definitely would suggest it. Very clean atmosphere. I do not drink alcohol but this is a micro-brewery. Bar looked classy. I ate lunch around 1pm, and it wasnt loud at all. I dont know why reviews arent higher for this location. Most definitely would recommend this as a good place to eat.
Review Source:I must say, I REALLY used to like this place. Â Good burgers, good service, and an AMAZING brunch. Â That being said, the last couple of times I've been here, spread across a couple of years, it's been going downhill. Â First off, the burgers. Â The burgers we ordered came to the table and both of the grilled buns were cold to the touch, not a good sign at all. Probably cus they waited in the pick up window for more that a couple of minutes?? Â My side of broccoli also had curiously a short strand of what looked to be fettucine alfredo. Â Ok, I can sort of live with that, I guess. Â But the place was DEAD on a Saturday night around 9-ish. Â If you knew about Granite City's fabled past in Cedar Rapids, you'd think something was amiss. Â It's always been busy, but not so much the last couple, non-brunch times I've been here. Â The previous outing I had one of the game-time specials, a flatbread pizza which had to be sent back to the kitchen because a good half of the crust was burnt. Â And I saw other flatbreads returning to the kitchen/dishroom half eaten. Â
 Next off is the service.  Going to Granite City in the past meant good service.  I know someone who has worked there and he said that the management is so strict that if you show up to your orientation there without a pen, you'll be let go immediately.  Being a former waitress myself, I think that is a good rule, as I would commonly lose pens to my co-workers after I lent them one.  Anyway, the service here has really gone downhill.  Absent waitstaff, curt waitstaff, you name it.  This trip there was a question over the bill and the mug club rewards(10% subtracted from your bill) not being taken off.  After what seemed an eternity, the waitress curtly came by with the adjusted check.  No apologies for the discrepancy at all.  Looking again over the check, she was unable to get the 10% off, which would've been $2.80.  More than just about the missing deduction, but about the overall lackluster dining experience, my bf went to talk to the manager.  He brought up most of the points I've talked about.  Surprisingly, my bf walked away with a FULLY comp'd meal, and a free $25 giftcard.  Now the question is, do we use it for their brunch or re-gift it to a friend?
Never again. Â Hubby's teenage nieces said they love this place and I probably would too as a teenager, but as an adult with more advanced (hopefully) culinary experience, it was pretty abysmal. Â
The good: the beer was pretty good and the service was great.  Our server was extremely  nice and helpful.  Also the manager came over to welcome us and ask how things were going.  He also gave us helpful suggestions for other good restaurants in Cedar Rapids.  Unfortunately, he came before our food arrived, so we didn't get to express our discontent. Â
The food is EXTREMELY overpriced for the quality. Â Here, they believe in quantity, not quality, which again, would have been fine with me as a teenager, but now is just an ick-factor. Â I hate seeing a pile of mediocrity in front of me and feeling the need to still eat it because we paid good money for it with no refunds. Â Sigh. Â
What I was highly disturbed about also was being seated near the glass partition which separates the eating area and the food preparation area. Â I counted at least 15 flies on the glass which were on the food preparation side. Â This really grossed me out and even though I tried to ignore them (seeing that ignorance is usually bliss), my eyes were inexplicably drawn back throughout the meal. Â
We will definitely not return. Â But it seemed busy, so apparently they don't need our business anyway.
Went back a week later... Â did have to wait for a table, but the wait was about 25 minutes, even though they told us it would only be 15-20 minutes. Â Our waitress was so friendly and attentive. Â She was very helpful and just went the extra mile to give us good service.
We had some of their bread before our food came out. Â Some of the bread was warm, but the slices that weren't were a bit hard. Â My mom ordered the Grilled Salmon Oscar. Â She said she really enjoyed the crab meat on top, but didn't seem as enthusiastic about the wild rice pilaf. Â I did try the salmon and it was delicious and nicely cooked. Â I ordered the Grilled Garlic Butter Sirloin. Â I asked for medium, specifying that I didn't want it bloody, but still a little on the pink side in the middle. Â The waitress said that I should get it medium well then... Â so that's what I did. Â
The steak still came out a little on the bloody side, which made the onion straws underneath soggy and also made some of the mashed potatoes (which were already a bit mushy) soggy as well. Â The sirloin, however, was nice and tender, although I didn't really taste any garlic butter, but that was ok with me. Â Because the steak is only served with mashed potatoes, I added a side of broccoli. Â It is a large bowl of broccoli, but I appreciated it on a separate plate so it would end up in the blood of the steak. Â As far as the mashed potatoes... Â they were a bit on the mushy side and the flavor wasn't that great... Â so either opt for a baked potato, or substitute something else for it. Â However, I still enjoyed my steak and for that I would still give them a high rating.
Although the waiter was friendly and the staff fixed a large table for our group, the food was lackluster at best. I got a vegetable Alfredo linguine that was very boring and tasteless. The vegetables in the dish were all way overcooked. Just about everyone at our table was not really impressed with their dishes.
Review Source:Granite City is an excellent place to dine when they're not busy. Â They're only so-so when busy... primarily because of the service.
We ate there this past Christmas Eve. Â The place was dead. Â Other than an epic fail with the initial seating, our service was top notch. Â As was the food.
Their Sunday brunch buffet is also very good, one of the best. Â Even the eggs are good, and that's quite a feat for a buffet.
Service does tend to slip noticeably when they're busy. Â Except for special occasions or family events I don't have the patience to wait, so I usually avoid them at their busiest times.
Prices are a tad on the high side, but not outrageous.
I came here for dinner on a Tuesday night and they were packed. As a newbie to Granite City, I wasn't sure what to expect. They brew their own beers here which is pretty exciting. I got the Northern Light which went down very smoothly with my Baked Three Cheese Ravioli entree. The waffle fries were amazing. Portions are pretty large here as 4 people shared the plate of fries. Service was great, food was great - I'd definitely want to check out their Sunday brunch!
Review Source:I really like Granite City, this is the first one I was ever at. Â The Sunday bunch was great, it's $14 a person and comes with the buffet which has about a dozen hot foods, pastries, fruit and other cold items, as well as a sweet roll for each person.
The other food is also good and we have always had good service at all of the locations.
25 min ticket for dinner on a steady night...NOT slammed. Â Luke warm alfredo instead of re-fire on the fly...they just nuked it. Â Clueless waitress (nice personality just not on the ball). My friends Salmon was seared and raw on the inside.
Manager picked up entire tab...should have gone somewhere else and I knew better too!
Oh yeah...beer is so-so...want awesome? Â Get something from Founders Brewing Grand Rapids, MI
I've been up & down here each time I've visited.
Sometimes I get great service and great food.
Other times, totally opposite.
It is a good menu with great choices.
I do like their flat bread pizza and mussels and many other dishes.
Beers and drink menu is good.
I am a Mug Club member which has some benefits (which just got knocked back and less and less now).
Sunday brunch is good from what I've heard.
Last visit, we had a long wait. Ordered.. my burger (med), cam out raw/seared (still bleeding) no sauce (to the version I ordered), and cold. They replaced the entire order after awhile, but everyone else was done eating and ready to go, so I boxed it and never got to eat it. And wasnt compensated for price or a beer refill or anything. Disappointed.
And I've had decent experiences there too. So like I said, its up&down.
Nice decor, nice open kitchen. Bar area needs more seating along with waiting area (always cramped).
We stopped in for beers and food one Thursday night and I was pleasantly impressed by both. I went for the beer sampler, which included a number of their standard brews, plus a couple of seasonal options. The Bock and Stout were excellent, and the rest of the brews were decent too. However, I was not a fan of the seasonal "blueberry" beer as it tasted like it was flavored with blueberry sauce rather than real blueberries.
For dinner (on recommendation by the waitress) I had the Blackened Chicken Linguini. The chicken was tender and flavorful with just the right amount of charbroiled saltiness to go with the creamy pasta. The linguini was served al dente with a delicious parmesan sauce, diced tomatoes, béarnaise sauce and green onions.
The only drawback to the place was that the famed dipping sauce never arrived with our french fries. Despite pointing this out to our waitress, the dipping sauce was charged to our bill. The matter was easily rectified and in the end we left happy and satisfied.
I'm not sure about the service complaints in other reviews. Our service was fine and it was packed. There were a ton of staff to take care of us.
The food was fine. Med-rare steak was not over done... BIG surprise to me. No complaints.
I did not try the beer. I am sure it is fine, too.
This place had a short wait on a Wednesday night in a bad economy. That speaks volumes. The prices were reasonable as well.
This is mostly due to the recent service I received. Â A while ago my mother and I stopped here for a weekday lunch after shopping in the surrounding area. Â My mother ordered the pull pork sandwich with fries and I ordered the turkey tortilla, hold the aioli, Â grille with fresh fruit. Â Not liking honeydew or cantaloupe I asked the server if they could just give me strawberries...expecting to receive just a few. Â My plate came out with a pound of fresh delicious strawberries...and mayo. Â The server brought me a small plate so I could continue to enjoy my berries and said entree would just take a few seconds...apologizing of course. Â
The server brought out my accurately made tortilla grille and another pound of berries. Â A few minor hiccups but great service recovery. Â We left a nice tip due to same even though our bill was small.
I'm definitely a fan of Granite City. Â Mostly for it's food and beer. Â The service is hit or miss, with a long wait to be had at the door. Â The dining is loud, so if you prefer peace and quiet, this is not your place.
Fortunately, the food usually comes quick and with a smile. Â Though slightly pricey, I would recommend visiting Granite City.
The short version: food is pretty good for the price, service leaves much to be desired.
Every time we've been to Granite City, there's a wait, and often a long one (30 min is not uncommon). Because it's so busy, parking can be tight, but there are always spots if you're willing to walk. Â One of my travel buddies likes that place very much and we go with her when she recommends it.
The restaurant itself is pleasant. The tables and booths are generally clean and in good condition. The specials are usually also worth looking into. The food overall is good. The portion sizes are a good size, somewhere between "Just enough" and "I'm going to die if I eat another bite."
We had the homemade potato chips (yum!!). At one visit, I had the caesar salad with dinner (also yum!) and the chicken parmesan (triple yum for the win!). At another, I had the asian chicken salad (pretty good!). My dining partners had steak or burgers or ravioli and they all enjoyed their food.
The food is generally good quality, good tasting, and is devoured when it arrives.
WHEN it arrives.
For as nice as the atmosphere and food are, Granite City has poor service. (Not mediocre. Poor.) Special requests are forgotten (a side of ranch dressing) and it takes forever to get drinks, get food, and get the check. (At our most recent meal, it took more than half an hour for us to get our drinks, and one in our party had to ask for his at least four times before it was brought to him. And the bread for the pasta dishes came just as they were bussing the empty pasta plates at the end of the meal.)
Even when the house isn't crowded, before the dinner rush, the service staff is hard to find - except in that one minute interval between when the food has come to the table and before you've had a chance to take a bite, when they never fail to ask, "How does everything taste?" before anybody has tasted anything. Drinks don't get refilled, the delay between salad and entree can be 30 minutes or more, and (to my absolute astonishment) it can take more than 15 minutes just to get the check after requesting it.
I guess if I was with a bunch of friends - and making good use of their reputedly tasty microbrews - and had plenty of time to kill, it might not bother me so much. But for a mid-week dinner after a long business day I can't say I look forward to returning to Granite City in the future.
I think GC is somewhere between a 3.0 and a 3.5. Â It's not a 4, but a straight 3 seems like selling it a little bit short to me, and it's definitely not a 2.
Yes, it's an American food chain (around 20 restaurants if I recall correctly), but it's no Appleby's, the food is significantly better than that.
The chicken wings are top notch, and I'm a bit of a wing aficionado. Â The Idaho nachos are good, but nothing special. Â I really love the dip though (which I think they gouge you an extre 50 cents or a buck for, but its worth it) and the quantity is enough to choke a horse (way too much for an appetizer for two people, four is better), so that's a winner in my book.
I've had most of their dinner entres. Â Nothing is amazing but none of them are bad either. Â Pretty much everything is what I would consider slightly above average. Â You won't be amazed but I don't really see how anyone could be disappointed either, and the portions are gargantuan. Â The steaks they serve are solid, and I love the onion strings they serve with them (and almost all of their dinners). Â I like their ale & cheddar soup as well.
Sunday brunch is also worth a visit.
My beer brewing friends have commented that granite city has some sort of patented way of transferring unfermented beer on trucks so that it can ferment at the restaurant. Â While that is kind of cool, I let taste be the final judge and the beer is good. Â The stout is the best of the 4, but my cedar-rapids-hops-deprived palette usually leads me to the IPA. Â I have had 3 of the 4 beers (not the light lager) and they were all good. The problem is the food.
Hamburger: The bread is cheap or maybe was just old when I got it. Â The meat had something wrong with it but I couldn't place it. Â It might be cooked in some sort of weird not grilled way. The lettuce drenched everything in water and it made the bread soggy.
Some sort of alfredo type noodle dish: I can't remember the title of this dish as it was several months ago. Â I do remember it looking sloppy and it reminded me of 4th grade lunch trays where something in a big pot is served with an ice cream scoop. Â There was very little flavor and the noodles were squishy like they had been boiled in water that wasn't hot enough.
Cheese Ravioli - This was actually good, though at $15 I expected a little more... extra seasoning or something green and fresh looking sprinkled on or just anything that made it look like a $15 dish (I don't know how this cheese ravioli is one of the most expensive items). Even though it is over priced, this pulls my overall food score up a little.
For beer I would give this place 5 stars and for food 2 stars. Â This place is fundamentally a restaurant so I'm averaging 2 and 5 to a 3.
Granite City is Applebee's for Frank Lloyd Wright fans. Let me explain: the restaurant's menu duplicates the successful Applebee's formula: lots of safe American food options (burgers, steaks, pizzas, pastas, etc.) that are good but not especially memorable. Instead of lots of crazy crap on the walls, however, GC is a relatively classy affair, decked out with lots of stonework and wood in a vague Prairie style. I've never had any problems with service, but expect to wait - this place is popular, especially on Sunday mornings for the brunch buffet.
Review Source:The beer was not so great here but the salmon was nice! Â I did not really feel the vibes in this spot, maybe cos I was the only brown man and did not feel as welcome. Â
The place had a total small town mentality and put a place like the TV show "Cheers" to shame. Â I mean, people stuck to themselves and did not even want to offer that one empty seat to sit at the bar- I had to pry it out of amongst the WASPY folks. Â Besides, I really did not have the time to get into conversation with someone about Jesus.
All in all, if you're stuck in Cedar Rapids, get a meal and run to your hotel room!
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