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Iowa boasts a broad array of dining options to satisfy any taste. Discover 99 restaurants (one for each county) to get you started. Happy dining!
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209 Main
209 Main serves fresh, contemporary American fare along with specialty drinks and cocktails topped off with fabulous desserts. Open for lunch and dinner, their menu offers an assortment of delicious dishes that will have you coming back to Paton time and time again.
Bill's Pizza & Smokehouse
Specialty pizzas and slow-smoked BBQ basted in their house-made sauce make Bill’s Pizza a go-to for a hearty meal while watching the game.
Bonaparte Retreat
Located in the charming Villages of Van Buren County, the Bonaparte Retreat is housed in an 1800s grist mill on the banks of the Iowa River. Enjoy good food in a gorgeous setting.
Breitbach's Country Dining
At Breitbach’s in Balltown, everything they serve is made from scratch. So, it’s no wonder they won the James Beard America’s Classics Award and people travel from miles around for their fried chicken and homemade pies.
Checkerboard Restaurant
Family owned and operated for almost 40 years, this restaurant consistently draws people from more than an hour away. Their homemade onion rings – fresh onions, battered and fried to perfection – are considered a specialty. People also rave about the homemade pizzas and the Wild West dinners featuring fresh, hand-cut steaks and extra crispy broasted chicken.
Cronk's Café
This hometown diner located on the Historic Lincoln Highway in western Iowa serves classic diner fare and is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Darrell's Place
The winner of the very first "Iowa’s Best Breaded Tenderloin" contest almost 15 years ago, Darrell’s Place in Hamlin is still serving up around 220 pounds of fried pork each week.
Fat T's Cafe
A healthy choice cafe serving panini sandwiches, homemade soups and salads. If you're on the road, stop in for a grab-and-go meal or a real fruit smoothie with an optional protein, energy or veggie boost.
Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ
Experience a most unique place where the jazz and southern food of Bourbon Street meet the blues and BBQ of Beale Street in a beautifully restored 170 year old grist mill in Bellevue. Ribs, jambalaya, pulled pork and gumbo will feed your inner southern soul.
Gasthaus Bar & Grill
You won’t leave hungry after a meal at Gasthaus. The hand-cut steaks are the main event, but with gourmet burgers and stuffed baked potatoes also on the menu, you’ll have a tough time choosing. End your meal with a slice of homemade mile-high cheesecake.
Goldie's Ice Cream Shoppe
Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe is the definition of a jack-of-all-trades eatery. Serving soft serve ice cream and an endless list of sundaes (including apple pie and s’mores) and other ice cream creations, Goldie's was also the 2009 winner of Iowa's Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin.
Hickory Park
Since its opening in 1970, this Ames institution has satisfied diners with a menu of more than 100 selections, most notably a variety of hickory-smoked meats served in generous portions.
Kansas Street Deli
Daily sandwich and soup specials make every day the perfect day for lunch or dinner at the historic Kansas Street Deli. Be sure to also try their beloved milkshakes and stop by the restaurant's antique store.
Northside Café
Made-from-scratch comfort food is served in a more than century old building with 13-foot-tall tin ceilings and old booths and barstools. In the 1995 movie, The Bridges of Madison County, Robert Kincaid stops for coffee at the café. Employees will happily point out which stool Clint Eastwood used.
Ox Yoke Inn
Stop in to the Ox Yoke Inn in Amana and enjoy the best German and American food served "family style" since 1940. Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, banquets, children's menu, and a Sunday Brunch buffet. Don’t miss the homemade desserts.
Princess Grill & Pizzeria
The main attraction in this historic restaurant is the soda fountain counter where visitors can get a huge variety of ice cream treats. Open for lunch and dinner, the Princess Grill & Pizzeria also has an extensive menu with surf and turf, pizza and classic comfort food.
River Rock Café
This quaint diner was the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin winner in 2013. The River Rock Café is located on the scenic and peaceful Skunk River. Take in the views and award-winning food in Mount Pleasant.
Scooter's Pub & Grub
The small-town pub is known for its enormous tenderloins, ribeye steak and prime rib. Visitors can also play pool or shuffleboard.
Sigourney Café
An extensive breakfast menu is served all day. Malted pancakes are available with strawberries, blueberries, pecans or chocolate chips.
Stan's Drive-In
A local favorite for more than 60 years! Carhops take all orders for burgers, tenderloins and ice cream then hang the serving trays off the windows, just like in 1955. Open seasonally (roughly March-September).
Sweets on Main
Only 1,677 people live in Traer, but it's home to some of the state's best super premium ice cream, made from all natural ingredients. The main street staple also serves breakfast and lunch.
The Canteen in the Alley
You and 16 of your closest friends are all it takes to fill the tiny but renowned Canteen in the Alley. The menu is equally small. Try the loose meat sandwich and homemade pie.
The CO-OP Bar and Grill
When Pomeroy residents became tired of not having a local place to meet and eat, they took matters into their own hands and established The CO-OP, a cooperatively funded bar and grill with 65 local owners. Stop in for hot pizza, cold beer and a glimpse at Iowa’s small-town spirit.
The General Store Pub
This former general store, constructed of local limestone and nestled on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River, was immortalized in Grant Wood’s Stone City Iowa painting. The restaurant includes a large outdoor deck overlooking the river.
The Landmark Bistro
Local products are used in The Landmark Bistro’s kitchen, including the inside décor, which is made up of local landmarks and attractions. An open-faced steak sandwich on jalapeno corn bread, with house-made Bourbon Sauce, topped with fried onions and provolone cheese is the signature sandwich and a can’t-miss.
The Lucky Pig
The 2014 winner of Iowa’s Best Tenderloin, The Lucky Pig is a hometown favorite. In addition to tenderloins, try the prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights and the pie of the day.
The Pub on the Cedar
Sitting next to the historic Cedar River, the Pub on the Cedar features picturesque views and tasty eats. In the summer, the outdoor Tiki deck and bar is a great place to grab a brew and toss some darts with friends. The hand-breaded pork tenderloin and bourbon burger are pub favorites.
The Rusty Duck
Winner of Iowa’s Best Burger in 2011, The Rusty Duck is a gem of a bar and grill just off Interstate 80. The portions are generous and the food is perfectly cooked to your liking.
Tobey Jack's Mineola Steakhouse
Known as the destination for the Wabash Trace Trail’s Taco Ride which attracts nearly 1,000 bicyclists each week (May-October). In addition to tacos, the menu includes hand-breaded onion rings, pork tenderloins, shrimp and half-pound burgers.
Twisted Tail
The steakhouse and saloon near the Loess Hills in Beebeetown serves its popular ribs only on Friday nights. Fans also rave about their sweet potato fries sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with marshmallow dipping sauce.
Weasy's Lounge & Grille
Burgers, steak and pizza are all on the menu at this classic downtown Spencer bar and grill. Try the Weaser Pleaser, a unique combination of pepper jack cheese, bacon and peanut butter on a ground beef patty.
