Have You Visited These 10 Iconic Iowa Restaurants? [GALLERY]

There are certain Iowa restaurants that just about every Iowan has visited or heard of at one point or another! In no particular order, here are ten of Iowa's most iconic eateries:

GALLERY INFORMATION:

Hamburg Inn No. 2 - 214 N Linn St, Iowa City

Iowa City's Hamburg Inn has been an Iowa staple since the 1930s when the original restaurant first opened on Iowa Ave. Hamburg Inn No. 2 arrived the next decade, officially opening its doors in 1948. Although the original Hamburg Inn only lasted until 1978, Hamburg Inn No. 2 has continued its legacy.

The restaurant has been visited by lots of well-known politicians during the Iowa Caucuses over the years, including former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan. Wikipedia reports that it was even featured on an episode of The West Wing! It wasn't filmed at the actual restaurant, but being mentioned is still pretty cool! Hamburg Inn No. 2 also holds its own Coffee Bean Caucus during election years.

Hamburg Inn No. 2 is known for its all-day breakfast, burgers, and award-winning Pie Shakes, which come in flavors like Dutch Apple, French Silk, Maple Pecan, and Blueberry. Yum!

Breitbach's Country Dining - 563 Balltown Rd, Balltown

Iowa's oldest restaurant is Breitbach's Country Dining. It dates all the way back to 1852, and has remained in the same family for almost its entire history! The official website reads:

"Jacob Breitbach, great-great grandfather of the present owner, purchased the business in 1862, and through six generations, the Breitbach family has been in ownership ever since."

Breitbach's has had to be rebuilt twice because of two major fires that took place within ten months of each other, but even then, the restaurant never ceased operation. The current restaurant sits where the original did and has been going strong since reopening in 2009.

Breitbach's Country Dining offers a variety of popular Midwest comfort foods, including their award-winning breaded pork tenderloin, homemade pie, prime rib, and broasted chicken. They also have a dinner buffets on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

Taylor's Maid-Rite - 267 E Church St, Marshalltown

There have been a few great inventions to come out of Iowa, and one of those inventions was the loose meat sandwich. The Maid-Rite sandwich was born in Muscatine, Iowa back in 1926, and the franchise expanded to Marshalltown in 1928. The official website says:

"Cliff Taylor purchased the 1928 franchise for the sum of $300. Cliff and his family operated Taylor's Maid-Rite Hamburger Shop; baking pies at home, slicing whole pickles from Marshall Vinegar Works and buns from Strand's Bakery."

A brand new, "state-of-the-art" (for the time) Taylor's Maid-Rite was built directly across from the original in 1958, and that's where it's been ever since!

After all these years, Taylor's Maid-Rite still grinds their beef fresh every day and makes ice cream from their original recipe. A standard Maid-Rite is served with mustard, pickles and/or chopped onions, but there IS ketchup on the counter, just in case.

Archie's Waeside - 224 4th Ave NE, Le Mars

One of Iowa's most iconic steakhouses has called Northwest Iowa home since 1949. That's when Archie Jackson started Archie's Waeside, which is currently in its third-generation of ownership. According to the restaurant's website, Archie escaped from Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution and then, in the 30s in the 40s, he learned how to cut and dry-age beef in packing houses. The site notes that "the techniques he learned were used to create a distinctive flavor of Steak that he featured on the original menu at Archie's."

Archie's has been recognized nationally several times over the years, even receiving the American Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation back in 2015! The restaurant is known for its dry-aged steaks, which are served with a tossed salad, your choice of potato (baked, fries, or hash browns), and a relish tray. And, don't forget to check out their carefully-curated wine selection and their onion rings, which the menu says in one of their specialties!

Bluff Lake Catfish Farm - 9301 95th Ave, Maquoketa

Bluff Lake Catfish Farm is a must-visit here in Eastern Iowa. The rural Maquoketa restaurant is tucked away in "a beautiful Iowa River Valley" with a huge pond and its own little waterfall!

Bluff Lake comes from very humble beginnings. The restaurant's website says that Clayton Kuhlman bought the farm that the restaurant is located on back in 1969, and he decided to build a pond that he stocked with catfish. Word got out, and in 1971, Clayton began selling the right to fish the pond. The next step was building a little refreshment stand for the visiting fisherman. Once the International Coon Dog Association contacted Clayton about hosting a national field trial, a real kitchen was added on and the menu was expanded. The rest is history!

If you plan to visit Bluff Lake, you should know that it's only open Friday through Sunday. The restaurant specializes in all-you-can-eat family-style meals. On Fridays they serve whole & fillet catfish, Saturday is haddock night, and Sundays are all about fried chicken and shrimp! The family-style meals are all served with sides of coleslaw and fries.

Ox Yoke Inn, 4420 220th Trail, Amana

The Amana Colonies are home to several great restaurants, but the Ox Yoke Inn has been a local favorite since it was opened by William and Lina Leichsenring in 1940. The building the restaurant is in is much older than that, though. The main building was constructed back in 1856, and William was actually born inside what is now the Amana Dining Room back in 1908! According to the restaurant's website:

"With a wooden ox yoke hanging from a post out front, the Inn opened its doors serving steak, Amana ham, Amana pork sausage and chicken dinners for 65 cents."

Ox Yoke Inn is famous for its traditional German dishes, which can be ordered family-style. With your choice of entrée, like schnitzel, fried chicken, sauerbraten, or Kasseler Rippchen, you get sides of cottage cheese with chives, the salad of the day, vegetables, potatoes with gravy, and rolls. Don't get too full before dessert, though! Ox Yoke Inn offers a wide-variety of pies that are baked fresh daily, plus German chocolate cake and apple strudel. The restaurant's Sunday brunch is also very popular.

Mabe's Pizza, 110 East Water Street, Decorah

It's hard to imagine a time where people didn't know what "pizza" was, but that's where the story of the iconic Mabe's Pizza began. In 1953, Mabel White started Mabel’s Lunchroom, which was located just a short distance from Luther College. The restaurant's website says that Mabel would often let her customers make their own sandwiches, and that's when everything changed. It reads:

"One fateful day, a student asked if he could make himself a 'pizza.' Mabel agreed without knowing what a pizza was or understanding how this would change her life and eventually become an icon of Decorah."

After Mabel's Lunch Room started serving pizza, the restaurant became even more popular, so the name was changed to Mabe's Pizza in 1968. Mabe's opened its location on East Water Street in 1978, and that's where it has remained ever since!

Although Mabel passed away in 2002, her legacy lives on through her family. The pizza, which is famously cut into squares, is still incredibly popular, with more than 100,000 sold each year.

Canteen Lunch In The Alley, 112 2nd St E, Ottumwa

Canteen Lunch in the Alley is often referred to as a landmark, as its been a staple in the community since the 1920s. The first restaurant opened in 1927, but it's been located at 112 2nd St E since 1936. All these years later, the tiny business still attracts visitors from all over the U.S.

One of the main draws of Canteen Lunch in the Alley is the nostalgia. Wikipedia says that its a great example of a "mid-20th-century lunchroom," which gained popularity during the Great Depression. The page reads:

"Lunchrooms like The Canteen were frequented by those who had a small budget for eating out, but still needed to have lunch. Places like The Canteen offered simple short-order food in an informal place to meet and socialize. They were typically frequented by male workers and were typically located near factories."

If you're looking for lots of menu options, Canteen is NOT the place for you. The 720-square-foot restaurant serves a limited number of items, the biggest draws being the hot dogs, shakes/malts, homemade pie, and the iconic loose meat sandwiches, aka "Canteens." The Des Moines Register reports that employees still prepare around 100 to 150 pounds of meat each day, so the business model is clearly still working!

Northwestern Steakhouse, 304 16th St NW, Mason City

It's rare to see a restaurant that is still going strong after a century, but Northwestern Steakhouse isn't your ordinary restaurant! In fact, it's been around since before Mason City was named Mason City! Originally called Pete's Place, Northwestern Steakhouse was started in 1920 by two Greek immigrants named Pete Maduras and Tony Papouchis. The website says that the duo set out to serve authentic Greek food to the people of River City, Iowa during a time "where T-bone steaks were $.25 and liquor was bootlegged out of the basement."

Pete's Place moved to its current location in 1954, and the business changed its name to Northwestern Steakhouse when Tony took over as the sole owner in 1965. Since passing away in 1991, Tony's son Bill and his wife Ann continue his legacy. Today, Tony's portrait watches over the restaurant, and many of his original recipes are still used.

The main highlight of the menu at Northwestern Steakhouse is the Greek-style, broiled steaks made with high-quality Iowa beef. The Greek-style spaghetti, fresh Greek salad, and prime rib are also popular items. If you do decide to visit, be warned: it's not uncommon to see a line wrapped around the building!

Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, 300 E Grand Ave, Des Moines

Zombie Burger may not be as old as the other restaurants on this list, but it has definitely made a name for itself over the last decade! The popular theme restaurant first opened in 2011 and is run by Orchestrate Hospitality, a group that also oversees several other popular Des Moines restaurants.

Zombie Burger was co-founded by Paul Rottenberg and Chef George Formaro. In an interview with Southern Tide Media, Paul revealed that George's love of horror movies was the inspiration for the restaurant. And, the timing couldn't have been more perfect! Although the idea for the restaurant came before the premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead in 2010, the hit show certainly made zombies more popular, which brought more attention to the zombie-themed eatery. Additional Zombie Burger locations have come and gone in other areas of Iowa, but the one in Des Moines' East Village is still going strong. You can also check it out in the food court at Jordan Creek Mall.

Not surprisingly, the biggest draw of Zombie Burger (aside from the zombie theme) is the burgers. They're all unique and cleverly-named. My personal favorites are The Walking Ched, which has deep fried macaroni & cheese patties in place of buns, the Trailer Trash Zombie, which is topped with fried pickles, chicken-fried bacon, cheese curds, and ranch dressing, and the They're Coming to Get You Barbara, where the buns are mini grilled cheese sandwiches! Oh, and don't miss out on the milkshakes. The cereal shakes are a must-try, with flavors like Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Crunch Berry. You can even order them "spiked!"

Other Iconic Iowa Restaurants

• A&A Pagliai's Pizza, Iowa City
• Rube's Steakhouse, Montour
• Fong's Pizza, Des Moines
• The Nutty Bar Stand, Arnolds Park
• Tasty Tacos, Des Moines

How many of these iconic Iowa restaurants have you visited? Let us know by sending us a message on our station app!