Smitty's Tenderloin Shop ★ 4.5
The most famous tenderloin shop in Iowa. Since 1966, Smitty's has hand-breaded and flat-griddled Iowa pork tenderloins using a family recipe that has
Worth the queue: Hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
El Rodeo Taqueria is a street-food stop in South Side, Des Moines.
Editorially verified June 26, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Address: 1700 Army Post Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315
The most famous tenderloin shop in Iowa. Since 1966, Smitty's has hand-breaded and flat-griddled Iowa pork tenderloins using a family recipe that has
Worth the queue: Hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
The specialty grocery Gateway Market maintains a deli counter producing sandwiches, prepared salads and grab-and-go meals from seasonal local ingredients.
Worth the queue: Seasonal sandwiches with house-made provisions
The most famous tenderloin shop in Iowa. Since 1966, Smitty's has hand-breaded and flat-griddled Iowa pork tenderloins using a family recipe that has
Worth the queue: Hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
The original Des Moines-adjacent Maid-Rite, best visited via day trip to Ames, serves the loose-meat sandwich that is a uniquely Iowa street food
Worth the queue: Loose-meat sandwich (loose ground beef in a soft bun)
Des Moines institution since 1961: the local Tex-Mex fast food chain the city adopted as its own. Crispy hard-shell tacos and breakfast burritos citywide.
Worth the queue: Crispy Mex shell tacos and breakfast burritos
The Iowa State Fair food programme: 11 August days, 400+ vendors and hundreds of items on sticks. Pork chop on a stick and Iowa corn dog are the standards.
Worth the queue: Pork chop on a stick, deep-fried butter, Iowa corn dog
Operating on Saturday mornings from May through October across 12 city blocks in the Historic Court District, the Downtown Farmers' Market supports over
Worth the queue: Iowa sweet corn, local honey, breakfast burritos, kettle corn