Have You Heard of Iowa’s Best Hole-in-the-Wall Diner? [PHOTOS]

There's nothing quite like a family-owned diner full of homemade food and great hospitality!

The website Mashed recently outline the best hole-in-the-wall diner in all 50 states, and the pick for Iowa is a place we've never heard of before! If you want to give it a try, you'll need to take a trip over to the town of Perry.

Where is Perry, Iowa?

If you've never heard of Perry, it's probably because it's a pretty small town. Located in Dallas County, around 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, the population in 2024 was just over 8,000 people.

Perry, Iowa is home to attractions like the historic Hotel Pattee, the Carnegie Library Museum, the Raccoon River Valley Trail, a dog park, a movie theater, downtown art installations, and more. They also host annual events, including the Art on the Prairie Festival, Viva Perry!, and the Bike Ride to Rippey.

If you're hungry, Perry has quite a few restaurants to choose from. But, today we're focusing on just one of those restaurants: Lou's Diner. Lou's was the restaurant recognized by Mashed as the best hole-in-the-wall diner in the whole state of Iowa!

About Lou's Diner

Located at 2720 Willis Ave, Lou's Diner is a classic, no-frills, family diner that opened in Perry in 2016. It may not look like much but, according to Mashed, the food is delicious! The article reads:

"From the outside, Lou's Diner in Perry, Iowa, looks more like an oversized storage shed than a place serving up some of the best diner food in the country. But don't let looks deceive you: At Lou's Diner, all the beauty is put into the food."

The menu at Lou's has everything you'd expect from a small town, Midwest diner. There are all the breakfast classics, like pancakes, omelettes, biscuits & gravy, eggs, hashbrowns, and French toast, plus daily specials, lunch, and dessert options. The lunch menu is offered daily from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes burgers, tenderloins, hot beef, Coney dogs, onion rings, and fries. Oh, and don't forget the homemade pie topped with ice cream for dessert!

Lou's Diner Reviews

Lou's Diner has a 4.6-star rating on Google Reviews and is recommended by 98% of reviewers on Facebook. Reviewer Amanda Bachman wrote on Google:

"...Every time we go the service is friendly and personable. They treat us like friends/family, not just customers. Homestyle cooking, generous portions and great prices. We love Lou's Diner!"

Another reviewer named Emily Parcell also had some nice things to say:

"We stopped here based on the Google ratings and it did not disappoint. I grew up in a similar size Iowa town and this took me back to lunch with my grandparents."

Lou's Diner Hours

According to their Facebook page, Lou's Diner is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can check out the weekly specials by following their page HERE.

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