Restaurants on the South Side of Ottumwa, Iowa

The South side of Ottumwa features the city's largest parks and several lagoons that are home to innumerable ducks and geese. It also has the Bridge View Civic Center, large water park, movie multiplex, shopping mall, and the 'big three' big box retailers -- Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart. Much of the shopping is on or just off of Highway 34, and several new restaurants have popped up here in the past few years.

Pizza Hut and Wings -- the newest, it is especially popular at lunchtime during the week.
Rt 34 and Quincy
Next to the movie theater

Applebees Neighborhood Grill & Bar -- almost always packed, but they are honest about the wait time.
1303 Vaughn Drive

Bab's Deli and Big Apple Bagels- great sandwiches and cookies, and always good coffee & bagels.
1137 N. Quincy Ave.

Arby's
1130 North Quincy Avenue

Burger King
1122 North Quincy Avenue

Domino's Pizza
1111 North Quincy Avenue

Tasos' Steakhouse
1111 N. Quincy, Suite 111

Country Kitchen -- family dining with terrific pies for dessert.
1107 North Quincy Avenue

Church Street Business District

Ottumwa has two two business districts, and employees who work in the businesses along Church Street have many choices for lunch. Interspersed with insurance agencies, a bicycle shop, banks, and a funeral home are:

Happy Joes Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor -- complete with a party room for kids' birthdays.
315 Church Street

Soda Fountain in South Side Drug -- not a true restaurant, but a true, old-fashioned soda fountain.
337 Church Street

Taco Johns
423 Church Street

Uncle Bucks Bar & Grill
518 Church St

Juanita's Restaurant -- a small Mexican restaurant with great taste and reasonable prices.
537 Church Street

Long John Silvers Seafood
925 Church Street

Uncle Bucks Bar & Grill
518 Church St

Subway Restaurant - South
608 North Hancock Street

Albia Road and Richmond Avenue

This busy area has a vet, chiropractic offices, Auto Zone, and many other small businesses. It is also the route to get from the Church Street business district to Quincy Place Mall without going out to the highway.

Ching Dow Restaurant -- my personal favorite. The food is good, and it's where my husband took me on our first date.
704 Richmond Avenue

Kentucky Fried Chicken
719 Richmond Avenue

The View Restaurant -- a family restaurant overlooking a lagoon.
345 Richmond Avenue

McDonald's - South
222 Richmond Avenue

Papa Murphy's Take & Bake Pizza
819 Albia Road

Wendy's
808 Albia Road Ottumwa

On the Way to Bloomfield, Iowa

Riverside Family Restaurant at 1317 East Mary Street has a large dining area and reasonable prices. It is almost at the intersection of Highways 34 and 63, which means it gets a lot of drive-by traffic. There is a large smoking section, but it is fairly separate from the non-smoking section, so even most of those with asthma can be comfortable. Staff are friendly and they don't mind large groups.

Many More Choices

A number of the local bars offer sandwiches, and the South Hy-Vee store (on Quincy Avenue) has a good-sized dining area. The Bridge View Civic Center (on Church Street, near Highway 34) has a snack bar, but it is generally open only during events. However, there are often events on weekends (such as a boat show or other major display), and these are open to the public, which gives access to the snack bar. Quincy Place Mall has a restaurant and a sandwich bar, so you can shop until you almost drop and have a bite to eat. Whether you get an item from the dollar menu at a fast-food restaurant or order a steak from a major restaurant, you can always find something to suit your taste.