Martini's Grille

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Steakhouse with Standards

Martini's Grille sits at 610 North Fourth Street in Burlington, Iowa, with views of the Mississippi River that set the tone before a single dish arrives. This is a fine dining steakhouse that takes its own philosophy seriously: hospitality, in their words, is not just a word here — it is a way of life. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence underlines a commitment to the table that goes well beyond the expected in a river town of this size.

What to Eat

The menu is ambitious and specific. Steaks anchor the experience — a Filet Mignon, Rib Eye, New York Strip, and a surf-and-turf pairing of Filet Mignon with Maine Lobster. The Filét Oskar, topped with snow crab, asparagus, and béarnaise, is a particular statement of intent. Beyond the steakhouse classics, the kitchen reaches further: Chilean Sea Bass with herb crust and tomato dill beurre blanc, seared Sea Scallops with garlic beurre blanc, and a Bronzed Salmon Mardi Gras finished with fennel, spinach, and blistered tomatoes.

Shareable starters like the World Famous Chicken Lips with Budweiser blue cheese and the Housemade Soft Pretzel with Cheese Fondue have earned their place on the menu through repetition and demand. The Raw Bar adds oysters three ways alongside Ahi Tuna Stack with mango, pico, and avocado.

For the full picture, the Grazing Experience — a four-person minimum at $59.99 per person — moves through shareable bites, salads, a petite filet, Caribbean Pork Chops, Iowa Pasta Carbonara, sides, and an ice cream pie finish. It is the kitchen showing off everything at once.

The Room and the Wine

The Party Room seats up to 60 guests with a private bar and river views, available for business gatherings, birthdays, and private celebrations. Off-premise catering extends the reach to weddings and large corporate events. The wine program, recognized by Wine Spectator, gives the steakhouse its formal credibility and makes the decision to linger over a bottle an easy one.

The Culture Behind It

Martini's runs on a stated philosophy of continuous improvement — starting each day with the goal of getting 1% better across food, drinks, cleanliness, and the customer experience. That kind of operational self-awareness, unusual to find stated so plainly, goes some way toward explaining why this steakhouse has held its standing in Burlington for long enough to earn national recognition.