Kalmes Breaktime Bar & Grill

The only good thing about this place was the beer selection. We had the half rack of ribs with hash browns and broiled cod with garlic mashed. The fish was rubber and the lemon had mold on it, clearly the food had been sitting around. The mashed potatoes were the same, dry and tasteless. They also had age on them. We asked the waitress what her favorite dish was and she said the ribs. They were so dry, it was like they were reheated and then had some sauce slapped on them. One of the worst meals we’ve ever had and we are not picky people.

We stopped in Dubuque while traveling across country. We had brunch at Kalmes. It was excellent. Great burger, Reuben and pork tenderloin sandwich. The corn nuggets were amazing! Also the Bloody Mary was uniquely pickled and tasty. The staff was very nice and went the extra mile to make sure we had a great meal. We even forgot a sweatshirt at the restaurant and they were kind enough to mail it to us later when we got home!

Great food. The burgers were juicy and moist. The buns were soft. We came in the middle the of the day and the place was empty. Get the corn nuggets and the black and blue burger you won’t be disappointed. It was juicy and perfectly seasoned. Sometimes when season with Cajun seasoning it is overwhelming. But this burger delicious. Great job totally would recommend this to others.

Amazing service! We arrived half an hour before the lunch rush and had many options for seating. (It was packed by the time we left.) The primary hostess/​waitress made us feel welcome right away and seemingly did very well at keeping track of most of the pub. The atmosphere was family friendly; the place was clean; and the food came out quickly. We had lasagna (the special for the day) and chicken fingers. The food was not fantastic but it was good. Nice for a mid-​workday lunch.

While living in Dubuque, the family and I ate dinner there one several occasions. We found Kalmes to have the best burgers in the area. The atmosphere is cozy, like a country pub, but in the city. I regret not trying more on their menu before moving from the area. But if you’re ever in Dubuque looking for a great burger at a reasonable price, I highly recommend Kalmes Break Time.

This was awesome! Lots of interesting and very yummy food. We were just passing through and found it by accident!

Much needed pit stop heading to Wisconsin Dells from Quincy, IL with 3 kids. Speaking of kids, they can be the harshest critics, but our 6, 4 and 18-​month-​old are scarfed down their lunches. Definitely more enjoyable than stopping at a fast food chain! Good beer, good menu and overall good vibe!

Very nice local atmosphere. Zesty burger and taco soup were tasty. My husband said the same about the ham steak. If you want to experience Dubuque, this is the place.

First time me and the girlfriend ate down there the fries were the best part. My girlfriend got the broasted chicken witch she said was rubbery. I got the zestey burger and the sauce had a overwhelming taste of horse radish. The service was good until we got our bill. Then we sat there for a good while. Had higher hopes because of the other reviews maybe will try it again someday. Hope others have better experiances…

We’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this restaurant. And I’ve come to believe all of it.
The burger had to be one of the best ones I’ve had at a restaurant. Well worth the trip there.

The food here is the best «bar» food you will ever have. This family has been doing this forever and has it down pat. They even cut their own meat. I had the Philly steak sandwich and it was amazing their fries are like none other in Dubuque. The bar tender was very friendly you just can’t go wrong eating here.

My husband and I stopped by here because we had read a very favorable review on them. We’ve been in Dubuque for a while now, and I’ve yet to find a decent burger — so my hopes were low.
Kalmes is surprisingly popular and busy, just by it’s outside appearance. Tucked on the corner of the millwork district, it’s pretty unimpressive, just a red brick building with some red awnings, just another Dubuque bar. The place was positively HOPPING inside though — I mean, no sitting room at all, it was busy… and that was a problem. We were greeted by a relatively friendly waitress, given the option to sit at the bar (which we did), and then promptly forgotten. For about 15 – 20 minutes we sat completely unattended. Another older couple actually was sat before us, and then promptly kicked out of their table when the bartender realized we had been waiting longer… which I felt horrible about… where in the world does that happen?! I offered to split the table with them!
So the service was slipshod at best, but I can’t blame them. I think I counted a total of two waitresses TOTAL and one bartender to a full house — not a table open — and a birthday party going on in the upper level. I’m willing to let it slide, because stuff like that happens. It did take us a while to get our order in, but when we did our food came pretty quickly.
The menu in Kalmes is actually pretty extensive considering it’s a grill/​spirits joint. I certainly wasn’t expecting a lunch AND dinner menu, plus a ton of appetizers, as well, but they had a little of everything, and some things I had never seen on a menu before. Zach and I ordered their «fried sweet corn bites» appetizer to start with. It was okay, nothing too impressive and the inside texture was a little weird. It didn’t taste super corn-​like either, it just kind of left me wanting an ear of boiled corn instead of what I had. It was also served with maple syrup, which I just found bizarre.
Kalmes also does a pretty nifty daily special — Tuesday is $ 2.00 burgers, domestics & rails, and $ 1.00 fries. We both ordered a burger and some fries — their fries were mediocre, but definitely fresh cut and not frozen. The burgers were very good, I was actually really pleased — I had a Hawaiian style and my husband had a «Zesty» burger. I can’t even remember what was on it, because there were a ton of topping options. However, their two-​dollar burgers are, unsurprisingly, relatively small. A little bigger than White Castle’s, but still pretty small. Since we’re chubs who love food, we ordered seconds, and they were pretty good too!
And that bartender can mix a good vodka cranberry!
All in all, I liked it. I wasn’t floored by it, and I probably won’t go daily, but it’s a good place to put in reserves when I want good, cheap food that doesn’t come in a bag. The place being a stones-​throw from my house also works in it’s favor.

Let me be clear here: This is, by far, the best burger in Dubuque. The West End Tap is a close second (and they have slightly better fries). By all accounts, they have good *other* things, but all I’ve had are the burgers. Big, thick (up to full pounders!), juicy, and cooked just the way you like it (plenty of topping options, too, all for the same price as best as I can recall). Service is pleasant, and the décor is okay.
How great are the burgers at Kalmes’? My thirty-​year-​old Cute Girl had never had a hamburger at a restaurant. Never. After some serious testing in and about the Dubuque area, I took her to Kalmes’. We’ve been back since.
It’s a locally owned business, and the people who work there are a real stake in the place. They actually care about your experience, which is pretty cool, IMO.