The Best Local Restaurants In Davenport, Iowa

The oldest brew pub in Iowa, Front Street Brewery is the perfect place to enjoy a cold beer while visiting Davenport. Radiating ‘the charm that only history can impart’, the brew pub offers a varied selection of beers from the Old Davenport Gold, German Hefeweizen and Brewmaster Special to the sweet and unusual Cherry Ale and Vanilla Porter. The food menu matches the drinks with steaks, pork tenderloin, roasted chicken, sandwiches and burgers; a great array of solid, all-American dishes perfect for a casual night out.

Bix Bistro specialises in ‘contemporary American cuisine’ with quality wines that earned it the ‘Award of Excellence’ from Wine Spectator for two years in a row. A local favourite, Bix Bistro is famed for its weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch with the Josh Duffee Jazz Quartet and its rich menu with highlights such as asparagus salad, Bosc pear salad, lobster bisque soup, Cuban burgers, meat loaf or Italian meat and mushroom pizza.

A great choice for Mexican cuisine enthusiasts, Chipotle is also a must-try for responsible food aficionados. Chipotle prides itself on its use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, certified ingredients and a traditional cooking style. Its specialties include the stars of Mexican gastronomy: burritos, crispy and soft tacos, fresh chips and hand-mashed guacamole.

If you’re looking for tasty Italian dishes, Biaggi’s menu abounds in fresh appetizers, home-made pastas, pizzas and traditional seafood recipes; from fried ravioli or carpaccio to lobster corn chowder, sherry tomato soup, Sicilian meatballs and fettuccini with lobster. The rich menu is complimented by typical decadent Italian desserts including tiramisu, cannoli, baked cappuccino and, of course, creamy, addictive gelato.

Thunder Bay Grille is one of the most beloved and local restaurants in Davenport. Its popular Sunday brunch brings to the table cheesy grits, fried shrimp, jambalaya, beef tips stroganoff, super-thick bacon, waffle bars and berries in yoghurt. On regular days you can indulge in their crab cake sliders, warm goat’s cheese salad or pepper-seared salmon salad, their signature chicken Tchoupitoulas and their tempting ‘small plates’: quesa fundido (melted cheese), tuna crostini, crispy calamari, buffalo wings, beer battered shrimp or coconut shrimp

Known as the best place in town for ice cream, Whitey’s Ice Cream is an unmissable stop for frozen yoghurts and shakes too. A family business for over 80 years, Whitey’s Ice Cream was named ‘Best in Midwest’ and is a sure choice for those wishing to try a rich variety of upside-down shakes and malts. For the nostalgic, White’s Ice Cream offers the flavours ‘that started it all’ such as brownie, butter finger, black cherry, Oreo or Snickers.

Located in downtown Davenport, Barrel House 211 is one of the youngest restaurants in town, but an excellent choice to enjoy a great meal. Offering the complete American experience, Barrel House 211 aims to create ‘food that lifts your spirits’. This ambitious goal translates through a menu that includes chicken twists with blue cheese tossed in their signature ‘boom boom’ sauce alongside Barrel House’s signature draft beer.

One of the most popular restaurants in the Midwest, Machine Shed defines itself as a ‘tribute to the American farmer’. Opened in 1978, the Davenport location is the very first Machine Shed restaurant conceived to be not only ‘farm themed’ but ‘something that farmers could be proud of’ with consistently popular dishes such as beef brisket dinner, roasted stuffed Iowa chop or its themed fish fry Friday night.

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