10 Restaurants In Iowa You Need to Visit ASAP
Michaela Kendall
Author
If you find yourself assembling an Iowa restaurant bucket list, you’re going to want to take some notes about the places listed below. None of them are particularly fancy, but each spot has earned its place in Hawkeye State foodie culture, and any meal served up in these kitchens is worth the drive, no matter where you started your journey. These hole-in-the-wall spots may not look like much from the outside, but it’s the delicious food that keeps Iowans coming back, year after year! Did you grow up dining at any of these spots?
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What are some more delicious, hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Iowa? Be sure to nominate your favorite small-town restaurants right here, so we can check them out and report back on the best dining rooms in the Hawkeye State!
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Iowa restaurant bucket list
What are the most iconic restaurants in Iowa?
Iowa's most iconic restaurants include steakhouses, small-town bars, and country kitchens. Breitbach's is the Hawkeye State's oldest restaurant, and it's an indisputable part of the Balltown community. Bluff Lake Catfish Farm, in Maquoketa, is a landmark that reminds many Iowans of summer days out in nature. Other spots that are representative of Hawkeye State cuisine include Fong's Pizza in Des Moines, Hickory Park in Ames, The Hamburg Inn No. 2, and Canteen Lunch in the Alley, in Ottumwa.
Do any Iowa restaurants serve the world's best food?
Iowa's best restaurants are known for serving up the world's best breaded pork tenderloins. Whether you visit a small town ice cream parlor, like Goldie's in Prairie City or a tucked-away tavern, like St. Olaf's Tap, you can find BPTs in all corners of the Hawkeye State, and they're leagues above any tenderloin you'll find elsewhere, no matter how hard you look.
Where are the best bakeries in Iowa?
If you ask around, you'll find that several spots in Iowa make delicious baked goods. Perhaps the most famous bakery in Iowa, Jaarsma's Bakery, can be found in Pella. Every year, thousands of visitors who are in town for Tulip Time stop by to try their legendary Dutch Letters. Be sure to take some time to track one down and you'll finally understand what the hype is all about!