Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown, Iowa (population 67) bills itself as the state’s “oldest food and drinking establishment.”
It is also among the most determined.
When you pull up to its location on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River about 15 miles northwest of Dubuque, this certainly doesn’t look like a place that has been “in continuous operation” since it started as a stagecoach stop in 1852. The building here looks nearly brand new.
It might not be surprising that the restaurant was rebuilt in 16 decades. But the story behind rebuilding is a surprising travel find.
You see, in the recent past, Breitbach’s has burned to the ground. Twice. And the fires were only 10 months apart.
The original tavern burned in a gas explosion on Christmas Eve 2007. It took six months to rebuild the place, but it was opened to patrons in the June 2008.
But only four months later, on October 25, a second devastating fire ripped through the restaurant in the early morning hours. Again, it burned beyond saving. After some time for consideration, the family decided to rebuild yet again. Rebuilding help came from members of this close-knit community who consider the place a local landmark and the Breitbach family as their close friends.
Strong-willed determination also played a role in the rebuilding. Remember that claim to “continuous operation?” A building across the parking lot served as a temporary bar and restaurant called “The Gathering Place.” Construction workers ate lunch there, and “local euchre players moved in during the evenings,” according to an online menu narrative. A feature in the Cedar Rapids Gazette quotes Leon Sigwarth, 78, who told the paper he’s attended euchre games here for 60 years and continues to make new friends.
Once the second reconstruction was finished, the temporary building became a place “to sample local wines and other products.”
What stands today is more than twice the size of the original tavern. Tourists in SUVs have replaced the stagecoaches. They traverse what is known as the Great River Road, a national scenic byway that runs the length of the Mississippi River and touches 10 U.S. states from Minnesota to Louisiana.
Any scenic byway worthy of the name provides observation pull-offs, and Balltown’s citizens are proud of their vantage point. Not far from the parking lot, a sign marks the beginning of a “walkway to Iowa’s best Mississippi Valley scenic overlook.” While other nearby Great River Road towns might dispute that claim, you’ll definitely enjoy Balltown’s sweeping view of this fertile valley, the river, and southwestern Wisconsin on the horizon. The Breitbachs claim you can see for 50 miles on a clear day.
Still, most people don’t come to Breitbach’s Country Dining for the scenic views. They enjoy hearty, homemade Midwestern menu selections like an over-sized pork tenderloin sandwich, hand-battered pike, and juicy broasted chicken. Many diners opt for the buffet, which includes salad, soup, entrees and dessert.
Do you love homemade pies? This restaurant once was featured on the Food Network’s Feasting on Asphalt 2 with Alton Brown.
This is very much a family affair. The Breitbachs have been running the place since 1862, when the present owner’s great-great grandfather bought it. Mike and Cindy Breitbach continue to make customers comfortable, and their children wait tables and tend bar.
The sign at the entrance to their Beer Garden says it best: Kumm als gaast, geh als freund, which can be translated “Come as a guest, leave as a friend.”
If You Go