Popular Mexican Chain Restaurant to Close in Dubuque

A social media post that's been making the rounds on Facebook has revealed that one of Dubuque's most popular Mexican restaurants will be closing this weekend, giving longtime fans desperately little time for one more bowl of tortilla chips, or perhaps one last jumbo margarita.

Carlos O'Kelly's, a staple eatery located right off of Dubuque's Northwest Arterial, announced via their corporate Facebook page that their location at 1355 Associates Drive will be closing this weekend. The final day of operation will be Saturday, June 21st, 2025.

READ MORE: Carlos O'Kelly's 2024 Cinco de Mayo Party was the Perfect Sunday Funday

The restaurant's Waterloo location was closed back in March 2025 after the building's lease was up. Once Dubuque's restaurant shutters, that will leave only four Carlos O'Kelly's in the entire state of Iowa, the closest to the Tri-States being the one in Marion, IA.

It sounds overly nostalgic, or perhaps hyperbolic, but Dubuque's Carlos O'Kelly's will always be close to my heart for several reasons. It was the first live broadcast I ever did for Y105, way back in May 2022. For three consecutive years, my team and I hosted our ever-popular "99 Bottles of Corona Giveaway" during Carlos O'Kelly's Cinco de Mayo party. That's where we'd give away 99 prizes. Listeners who were pre-qualified, or qualified at the event, would grab an empty bottle of Corona of their choosing and be rewarded with a corresponding prize.

Year in and year out, the "99 Bottles" events were massive success. I owe a depth of gratitude not only to Katie Kotz, a coworker who always helped me assure that every level of the giveaway was a smooth success, but also to John "Digger" Digman, who opened up his restaurant to us and treated us with warm, welcoming hospitality.

Ultimately, it was also because of you events like this are possible, and made all the more fun! It's such a privilege to be able to do the line of work that I do, and events like the "99 Bottles" giveaway remind me why. Unfortunately, we were unable to do the same giveaway for Cinco De Mayo 2025. That said, who would've thought at the time it would've been our last had we did?

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READ MORE: Carlos O'Kelly's Serves Up Drinks, Music, and More for Cinco De Mayo 2023

Commenters on the aforementioned social media post assert that many of Dubuque's Carlos O'Kelly's staff will be taking jobs at the neighboring Applebee's, although that's unconfirmed hearsay at this time. I truly hope everyone employed there lands on their feet.

Again, the memories I have of Carlos O'Kelly's, both on a personal and professional level, are everlasting. If you'd like to see some photos of what was ultimately the final "99 Bottles of Corona Giveaway" at the restaurant for Cinco de Mayo 2024, you can see those here.