Victoria Station

A true gem in terms of a local experience. The converted rail station is a unique dining location. Food is simple but good. We like to try new and interesting things and found a memorable dessert in the raisin sour cream meringue pie. I hope to come back and eat it again!

Ate here while in a neighboring town for an antique festival. It was a Saturday night and place was fairly crowded but they got is in right away. Service was very good. Food quality was very good as well. Prime Rib was the special of the night but I opted for steak/​shrimp instead. Steak was cooked perfectly and shrimp was good as well. My spouse had the fried catfish and she thought it was exceptional. We had an appetizer and each had a couple beers with the meal and the entire tab came to under $ 40 — AWESOME! Only downside to this place is that it’s a bit difficult to find and there seemed to be very little outside signing that told you the place was a restaurant. But once you find it and go in, it was great. We’ll be back.

If you are in Harlan and looking for a good, inexpensive dinner then Victoria Station is perfect. We ate here on a Friday night while passing through town with our three kids and had no complaints. The prime rib (Fri/​Sat only) was delicious. It came with a basic house salad (or soup) & your choice of potato, and a relish tray & crackers. We didn’t have dessert, but have heard the pies here are great (maybe next time!)

First, i did not eat here. I wanted to. I was in Harlan on a business trip and i kept hearing about their great steaks/​prime rib. They were not open on Monday or Tuesday night so I had to wait for Wednesday. When I got there (finally!) i ordered a beer and sat down. That’s when the waiter told me that THEY ONLY TAKE CASH OR CHECKS. I have to use my corp card for travel and all i had was a dollar in cash so I couldn’t eat there. They understood and gave me the beer. The reason I am rating them so high after not eating there was that the folks there were so nice and friendly and i could just tell from the place and the smell that the food was gonna be great. Next Time I am in town I will get some cash and eat there. If you have cash, please go there and let everyone know how it was!

To rebuke the previous review of Victoria Station– THIS former New Yorker found the restaurant quaint and charming with great prices and very good prime rib. The staff is friendly and the setting of the former train depot makes this spot unique. The complimentary fresh rolls and side veggie plate with beef paste is great and reminded me of restaurants when they cared about customers before profit. Victoria Station is a romantic rustic getaway full of the «regulars» who are family and friends who treat you as is they have known you forever. The have fantastic late hours (5pm to 11pm) which is a nice change from all of the other places that close at 9pm. The separate bar is a nice spot to have a drink and look at all of the old train collectables. Victoria Station is just the place to go on a very cold and snowy night for a good hot dinner and some tasty dessert.

Harlan, Iowa would be a pretty decent stand-​in for my hometown in Wyoming, only it’s not 8 hours from Omaha. But, that’s not how I ended up in Harlan. As much as it would be neat if I missed small towns so much that I just couldn’t go six months without visiting one, the fact is that I avoid small towns as much as possible. I ended up in Harlan recently, which tells you what a good job I am doing avoiding small towns.
Victoria Station is a family restaurant in the old Harlan train depot, which serves a variety of food that you would expect from a small town restaurant in a train depot. Steak, prime rib, cheese balls, onion rings. Like many Midwestern family restaurants, they also have a bar inside.
The food here is Ok. I had the prime rib and onion rings and Italian Wedding soup (I think the primary ingredients are a Puma track suit and chest hair). While three stars is hardly an endorsement, if you’re looking for places to eat in Harlan, IA, you won’t care. I promise.