Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Dubuque by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Dubuque area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Dubuque were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

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Yardarm

1 / 17

#17. Yardarm

- Rating: 2.9/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1201 Shiras Ave. Ext Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, American
- Read more on Yelp

Catfish Charlie's

2 / 17

#16. Catfish Charlie's

- Rating: 3.2/5 (153 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1630 East 16th St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Seafood, Cajun/Creole, Steakhouses
- Read more on Yelp

River Rock Kitchen and Tap

3 / 17

#15. River Rock Kitchen and Tap

- Rating: 3.2/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 450 Main St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Seafood, Latin American, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

Shot Tower Inn

4 / 17

#14. Shot Tower Inn

- Rating: 3.3/5 (120 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 390 Locust St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Pizza, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Houlihan's

5 / 17

#13. Houlihan's

- Rating: 3.3/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1801 Greyhound Park Road Hilton Garden Inn Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Bars, New American
- Read more on Yelp

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Town Clock Pizza

6 / 17

#12. Town Clock Pizza

- Rating: 3.4/5 (37 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7653 Old Hwy Road Peosta, Iowa
- Categories: Pizza, Sandwiches, American
- Read more on Yelp

Vinny Vanucchi's

7 / 17

#11. Vinny Vanucchi's

- Rating: 3.5/5 (212 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 180 Main St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Dottie's Cafe

8 / 17

#10. Dottie's Cafe

- Rating: 3.7/5 (57 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 504 Central Ave. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: American, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

1st & Main

9 / 17

#9. 1st & Main

- Rating: 3.7/5 (174 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 101 Main St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Sports Bars, New American, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Stone Cliff Winery

10 / 17

#8. Stone Cliff Winery

- Rating: 3.9/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 600 Star Brewery Drive Ste 100 Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Wineries, Venues & Event Spaces, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

7 Hills Brewing

11 / 17

#7. 7 Hills Brewing

- Rating: 4.2/5 (333 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1085 Washington St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Breweries, Beer Bar, American
- Read more on Yelp

Pete's Thai Kitchen

12 / 17

#6. Pete's Thai Kitchen

- Rating: 4.2/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 609 East 22nd St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Convivium Urban Farmstead

13 / 17

#5. Convivium Urban Farmstead

- Rating: 4.4/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2811 Jackson St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Venues & Event Spaces
- Read more on Yelp

L May Eatery

14 / 17

#4. L May Eatery

- Rating: 4.4/5 (402 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1072 Main St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Pizza, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Smokestack

15 / 17

#3. Smokestack

- Rating: 4.4/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 62 East 7th St. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Restaurants, Music Venues, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Brazen Open Kitchen Bar

16 / 17

#2. Brazen Open Kitchen Bar

- Rating: 4.6/5 (425 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 955 Washington St. Ste 101 Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Devour Cafe

17 / 17

#1. Devour Cafe

- Rating: 4.8/5 (46 reviews)
- Address: 1798 Central Ave. Dubuque, Iowa
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.