
Iowa’s Best ‘Cult Favorite’ Restaurant is an Iconic Local Diner
Pieshake, anyone?!
This month, Love Food published a list of the "best cult-favorite restaurant in every US state and DC." The list is made up of eateries with "fiercely loyal followings," and we have quite a few places in Iowa that fit the bill, so I wasn't sure which restaurant would come out on top. Their pick? Hamburg Inn No. 2 at 214 N Linn Street in Iowa City! The article reads:
"Iowa City's oldest family-owned restaurant, this classic all-American diner has been serving customers since 1935. On paper it’s a place that’s easy to overlook, but over the years Hamburg Inn No. 2 has amassed a dedicated fanbase thanks to the quaint feel, classic breakfasts, and knockout pie milkshakes. Now it’s beloved enough to have featured on The West Wing, and to have been visited by Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama."
Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City was purchased by Gold Cap Hospitality, which is headed up by former Iowa Hawkeye Nate Kaeding, and reopened in October of 2023. The restaurant still has its iconic look and its iconic menu, which features smash burgers, fried chicken, omelettes & skillets, onion rings, pancakes, bottomless coffee, the "Presidential Breakfast," and more. Be sure to save room for the award-winning Pieshakes, which each contain an entire slice of pie! Options include Blueberry, French Silk, Dutch Apple, and Sarah's Maple Pecan.
Now that I've been to Hamburg Inn No. 2, I understand the hype. Brain and I visited for the first time when we were in Iowa City for Radiothon back in August, and it was just as amazing as we were told it would be. I ordered the Fried Onion Burger with a side of Doug's Mac & Cheese and a vanilla milkshake, while Brain got the tenderloin with fries and the Wilson's Dutch Apple Pieshake. There are still a ton of things I want to try, so I'll definitely be back!
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