Colony Inn Restaurant

Love the family style breakfast pancakes are the best. Wish it was open all year round

The Colony Inn is our favorite restaurant in the Amana Colonies. I always enjoy going there and find it a tasty reasonably priced meal. I know this review is going to sound harsh but I want to set expectations. The Amanas are really just a tourist trap with an interesting history. It’s fun to go but don’t pretend anything is high end or authentic. It’s still worth taking the trip and eating there.
Just to be clear… the Amana Colonies HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AMISH. Amish and Amana are two different things. This cuisine only shares its German heritage with the Amish. Nothing else. Sorry for the rant but I’m sick of people calling it Amish. ONE MORE TIME… AMANA DOES NOT EQUAL AMISH AND VICE VERSUS.
Nothing on this menu is truly German. I have German heritage and I lived several years in Europe while in the military. I love German food. I also cook it quite a bit at home. The Colonies serve Americanized German style that have German names. None of the Amana restaurants even have red cabbage. As a matter of fact most places don’t even know what it is if you ask about it. You know you’re not in an authentic German restaurant when they don’t even know what it is. It’s like going to a Korean restaurant and they not know what kimchi is. I do think the Colony Inn gives a pretty good value for what you pay. Just adjust your expectations and don’t expect anything authentically German in the dishes.
Everything except the protein is served family style which means you get many different dishes set at the table and everyone serves themselves from it as it’s passed around like Sunday dinner at Grandma’s.
1. The entrée options are always pretty good with some pretty good German style dishes. This is the main reason I’m giving them 3 stars. I think some these are the only things made in house. Not all of them though.
2. The pickled ham is awesome and the kraut is good. This is the secondary reason I’m giving them 3 stars
3. The potato side dishes are usually pretty good. I suspect the mashed potatoes are canned though. Their supplier must be pretty good quality because I’m not 100% sure.
4. The side dishes come straight from a can. Canned corn, canned beans, canned whatever and I’m 99.9% sure canned gravy. Rest assured if it’s a side dish it came out of a 1 gallon tin can or carton delivered by Sysco, Hawkeye Foodservice, or US Foods and has only been reheated. I don’t really have an issue with this but you should know going it that none of the restaraunts in the Colonies that I’m aware of do homemade side dishes and the salads are always iceberg.
5. I love spaetzle and make it at home quite a bit. The spaetzle here is ok but it’s usually overcooked and rubbery. Mediocre spaetzle is better than no spaetzle.
6. My wife likes the desserts. I really don’t at all. I’m pretty sure they’re shipped in too.

Loved it! We did the family style with the the fried chicken, Ham and roast beef… Awesome

Stopped in today, wanted a nice lunch during the winter fest. Had the Swiss steak which was good. I always enjoy the side dishes. Always a nice stop especially on a freezing cold day.

I hadn’t been to Amana in a number of years but I had previously eaten at the other restaurants in town many times. I feel that the side dishes at the Colony Inn are superior both in number and in quality.
For some reason, cottage cheese in Amana tastes so much better than the stuff we get at the grocery store with it slight sour cream flavor and some chives. Anther stand out side was the cold sauerkraut salad.
We came for lunch and the portions were smaller yet still substantial. I had the smoked pork chop, absolutely tender and mouthwatering and came with fresh applesauce. My mom had knockwurst and bratwurst which came with hot sauerkraut and my dad had wienerschitzel which came with some spaetzel sauteed in butter!
This restaurant is a bit further away from the main drag shops but very close to the furniture store and woolen mill.

Stopped here on our way out to Des Moines airport fm Iowa city.
I had heard quite a bit ab this establishment and was excited to finally try it. I mean, endless breakfast, how could that be bad, right?
The food really disappointed. The homemade strawberry jam was the only delicious high light. That, and the extra crispy bacon.
The pancakes were pretty bad, eggs were intended to be over easy but the yolk was too cooked thru, fruit was canned, and watery coffee.
It was $ 25 for two for their family style breakfast. The hospitality was great but the food was seriously lacking. I have sampled way better greasy spoons than this joint.

Family Comfort food central, side dishes are all you can eat, which is awesome. Has a nice menu of home cooked. Had the fried chicken and it was amazing, would pass for a southern recipe with ease. Def would go back and try more of their offerings.
Pie for desert is a must, they know how to finish off a meal.

My first visit here was twenty long years ago; when my husband and I were dating and we came to Iowa to visit his mother. We have «Amana Breakfast» (as we call it) at Colony Inn every time we’re in Iowa. Let’s do the math: twenty years, 3 or 4 visits per year, roughly 6000 calories consumed at each visit… Scratch that. Let’s NOT do the math.
I have never ever had anything but breakfast here, as it is unlike any breakfast I’ve had anywhere. In the world. It is downright fan-f***ing tastic. All you say when you walk in is, «We’re here for breakfast». I don’t even know if there’s an actual breakfast menu. After you’re seated — the show begins.
Act One: Coffee, fruit, and toast.
Act Two: A pancake as big as a hubcap (thin, light, with crunchy but not burned edges)
Act Three: Platter of eggs over-​easy. Serving bowl of country potatoes. Platter of sausage and bacon. OJ’s all around.
Act Four: Repeat acts One through Three.
That’s right… because it’s ALL YOU CAN EAT. Order another pancake. They bring them out one at a time so they stay hot and fresh. Want another thanksgiving-​sized platter of eggs? Done. Oh, more bacon you say? Watch out — here comes a pound of it. Don’t feel bad when you’re on your 6^th glass of OJ; it’s served in those little tiny juice glasses, so they’re used to it. All of this gluttony for roughly $ 10 per person.
The service is prompt and polite. The history of the Amana Colonies is pretty cool, if you like that period in history as I do. This is similar what the farmer’s wife cooked up every morning for her husband before he went out to the fields. But here’s the catch — in this day and age you don’t have to physically labor just to get by in life, therefore spending 10 hours outdoors toiling all day and working off those 6000 calories.
Good thing this restaurant is far, far away from me…

We come back to the Colony Inn every time we are in the Amana Colonies area. The food is so good and the staff are very friendly. Save room for some house made pie for dessert!

Whenever you’re in the mood for some family style deliciousness, the Colony Inn is your go to spot! We go here about once a month and are never disappointed.
Prior to the smörgåsbord, you are greeted with a bounty of cottage cheese, delicous bread and coleslaw that would make Colonel Sanders proud (big fan of KFC coleslaw here!).
The schnitzel dishes are always a crowd pleaser, the chicken is delicious… truthfully, we haven’t had anything here we didn’t like. They’ve got a few beers available, but the Millstream brewery is just down the block so you can grab libations before and afterwards.
The topper for any trip to the Colony Inn is the pie for dessert. They’ve got to have some church ladies in the back making these because they’re seriously awesome. Definitely worth grabbing, for yourself or to share with your kin — after all, it’s family style!
In our opinion, the best place to go for some family style dinner in the area and a perfect place to finish a day hanging at the Amana colonies.

Very good food in the Amana colonies. Traditional Amish fair, very good but a bit pricey