Day Trip to Fairfield for Cider and Tasty Bites

Fishback & Stephenson in Fairfield dishes award-winning burgers and hard apple ciders. Plan on Sunday Funday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which offers sparkling wines, mimosas and loaded bloody marys to complement prime rib for breakfast or lox on an everything bagel. Photo: Fishback & Stephenson.

Looking for a unique-to-Iowa experience? Put Fishback & Stephenson in Fairfield on the list to be the envy in your social feed.

Sourcing grass-fed beef from a fourth-generation Jefferson County farm, the restaurant and cidery focuses on burgers, with nine options—including meatless. Fun fact: The meat is finished with apple mash, giving it a sweet, buttery texture and taste.

And speaking of cider, it’s made on-site and is a consistent award-winner, grabbing the Iowa Cider Producer of the Year title for 2020, 2021 and 2022 from the New York International Cider Competition. The ciders are pressed, fermented and packaged on-site, plus they’re gluten-free and vegan.

Cider flavors include classic green apple as well as other fruity options like peach and passionfruit, pink watermelon, and grapefruit.

The kitchen is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m.

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