All the Restaurants That Have Won Iowa's Best Pork Tenderloin

If you're on the hunt for an amazing tenderloin here in Iowa, you don't have to travel far! Thanks to the Iowa Pork Producers Association, we know of lots of great restaurants across the state where you can get a delicious Iowa tenderloin.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association has been hosting their annual Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest since 2003. Each year, Iowans send in nominations with the local restaurants that serve their favorite pork tenderloins, and then the list of nominees is narrowed down to 40. The official website reads:

"Following a spring nomination period, the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) judges the top 40 nominations. Those are compiled with the top five from each of our eight IPPA districts. The final top five are judged by a panel of judges in September, with winners announced during October Pork Month!"

Here are all of the winning restaurants that are still in business as of April 2026:

2003 - Darrell’s Place, Hamlin
2005 - Dairy Sweet, Dunlap (under new management)
2007 - Larsen’s Pub, Elk Horn
2009 - Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Prairie City
2011 - Gramma’s Kitchen, Walcott
2012 - Breitbach’s Country Dining, Balltown
2014 - The Lucky Pig Pub & Grill, Ogden
2015 - Belmond Drive-In, Belmond
2017 - Grid Iron Grill & Sports Bar, Webster City
2018 - Three C’s Diner, Corning (under new ownership in 2026)
2019 - The Pub at the Pinicon, New Hampton
2020 - PrairieMoon On Main, Prairieburg
2022 - Lid’s Bar & Grill, Waukon
2023 - Cliff’s Place, Manning
2024 - Dairy Sweet, Dunlap
2025 - Hometown Heroes, Grinnell

All the Restaurants That Have Won Iowa's Best Pork Tenderloin Contest

The Iowa Pork Producers Association has been hosting their annual Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest since 2003! Here are all of the winning restaurants that are still in business:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

The Best Places to Get Ice Cream in the Corridor (Updated 5/27/25)

We all know that there are plenty of Dairy Queens across the Corridor, as well as Culver's, Coldstone, Baskin Robbins, Orange Leaf, and Aspen Leaf locations. But, there are lots of other options, too! Here are some of the other places you can grab a frozen treat in Linn County, Johnson County, and surrounding areas:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

Source: All the Restaurants That Have Won Iowa’s Best Pork Tenderloin Contest