This Iowa Restaurant Is So Remote You’ve Probably Never Heard Of It
But if you’ve been there, you are probably feeling pretty enthusiastic about the experience. Even though it’s remote, people drive for hours to get to this Mom-n-Pop burger restaurant in a tiny Iowa town.

Iowans love a good road trip.

Most nights, the dining room is full. In fact, if you want to visit on the weekend, you should probably make reservations. This place is nestled in the hills of northeast Iowa. It’s the only business in town. People drive for hours for a meal, here. It’s in a 1929 building that used to be a grocery store.
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This friendly sign would make anyone hungry.
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In the warmest months, the produce comes from the garden.

Hope you brought your appetite.

This is Iowa, after all.

It’s the signature dish, after all. They weigh a 20-ounce ball of fresh ground beef, put it on the flattop grill, and press it into a patty. After adding the secret seasoning (the cook calls it Fairy Dust) they drop a bacon weight on it and let it cook slowly over low heat. The burger cooks down to about one pound, and they add tomato, bacon, lettuce, grilled mushrooms, and onions. The finished burger weighs about one and a half pounds. The understated bun ends up looking silly.
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Plan to spend the day exploring.

The Irish Shanti gets busy fast on the weekends. Make those reservations, now. The phone number is 563-864-9289. The address is 17455 Gunder Road, Elgin.
Have you been to the Irish Shanti? What do you think of it?
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