Garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers…doesn’t that sound delightful?!  You can expect this and so much more from Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown, IA. 

While summer may seem far away, you aren’t far from homemade goodness and fresh, local food at Breitbach’s Country Dining.  Started in 1852, Breitbach’s is Iowa’s oldest food and drink establishment and has stayed in the Breitbach family for the past 166 years. This Dubuque County icon is known for its breathtaking views over the Mississippi River Valley and its all-you-can-eat homemade buffet starring Iowa favorites like roast pork, German potato salad, and broasted chicken.

With a dedication to quality food and homemade, all-you-can-eat buffet items, it stands to reason that local food suppliers and fresh garden produce would be important to this local family restaurant.  All salad bar items are made fresh by Cindy Breitbach and her team, and they take pride in preparing each and every item.  Salads are made the old fashioned way: with potatoes for the potato salad being boiled and hand peeled before being cut for the salad, and whole, raw carrots cut for their homemade carrot dish.

During Iowa’s summer months you will be sure to find produce from the Breitbach family garden, like fresh cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, on the salad bar along with other select items. Rhubarb and apples are used to make homemade pies, and soups are all made from scratch.  Off the salad bar, Breitbach’s uses Iowa Premium Black Angus beef, which is sourced from family farms within 150 miles of their Tama, Iowa facility.

The care for quality and ingredients shows off in the taste of the food, and people come from miles around just for a taste.  Their commitment to quality results in a packed restaurant almost every weekend year-round.  But Breitbach’s support of local farmers and businesses is not limited to their menu items.  Their nearby “Wine Shed” is stocked with local maple syrup, honey, and wine available for sale to customers waiting for a table at the restaurant or taking a perusal after enjoying a wonderful meal.  “Supporting small businesses is important to us. In addition, local suppliers and garden produce commonly offer the freshest and best tasting ingredients,” says Liz Breitbach.

So, if you want to enjoy a made from scratch, home-cooked meal, with fresh, local ingredients, check out Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown, IA.  Treat your sweetie to their Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet for a Valentine’s dinner this year!  You’ll be glad you did!