Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails in Council Bluffs is a restaurant located in the downtown area of this city in Iowa east of Omaha. The restaurant opened in August of 2018 and is known for its “scratch made American cuisine, classic cocktails, and craft brewed beers.”
Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails in Council Bluffs. Restaurant Review.
The restaurant was empty when I arrived — yet it was clean, modern, and stylish. I liked the wall of glass windows on the left with views of the main street. They let an abundance of light inside and brightened the dining area.
One of the starters to the meal was the Black and Bleu Steak Bites, which are pieces of steak that are seared in a pan, blackened, and topped and roasted with bleu cheese crumbles. It is served with toasted rosemary ciabatta and raw and creamy horseradish. $16.00.
The beef was quite flavorful; but the texture was unfortunately rather tough on greater than half of the pieces of meat. For some reason, no creamy horseradish was served with this dish.
I was looking forward to the bowl of turkey and wild rice soup. Packets of saltine crackers were served with it. When I ordered it, the server neglected to tell me that it was creamy. That was an understatement. This soup had very strong dairy overtones. I could not eat it. $5.00 for a cup; $7.00 for a bowl.
I do not care for French onion soup; but it was supposedly one of the best that the person who ordered it ever had. Packets of saltine crackers were served with it as well. $6.00.
The BBQ Brisket was flavored with Dr Pepper and served on a cheddar jalapeño biscuit. Served with it were a cup of pickles and onions that were prepared in house — as well as cheddar cheese. The brisket itself was surprisingly delicious; but the pickles and onions were disappointingly bland. $15.00.
The Diver sea scallops and jumbo shrimp are seared in a pan and are usually accompanied with a creamy parmesan risotto. I typically like risotto; but the turkey and rice soup caused me to ask about it, of which I was warned this time that the creaminess was similar in flavor and texture and that I might not like it. Mine came with chunks of avocado and some sliced bread. It was very good. $28.00
The onion rings were nice and crispy.
Final Boarding Call
I found both the food and the service at Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails to be either hit or miss rather than consistently very good, which is why I have stopped just short of recommending it. Perhaps I arrived on an off day. Regardless, Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails has a lot of potential.
None of us ordered dessert or drinks; so I cannot comment on them.
The restaurant is located in downtown Council Bluffs in Iowa. If you do find yourself in this city, you will not be sorry that you dined at Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails — but I am not sure that you would be glad, either.
Caddy’s Kitchen and Cocktails
115 West Broadway
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503
712-256-0070
brian@caddyskitchenandcocktails.com
Operating Hours
Monday through Friday: 11:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the evening
Saturday: 9:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the evening
Sunday: 9:00 in the morning through 9:00 in the evening
Free parking is available behind the restaurant.
Consider several interesting things which you can do in the greater Omaha metropolitan area either before or after dining at Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktails in Council Bluffs.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
