It’s an early morning—maybe you’ve got family in town—and you’re tired and you’re looking for somewhere relatively cheap and entirely comfortable. What diner are you going to?
We asked Iowans, and heard from 120 of you telling us where you go for the best breakfast or lunch. (A decent number of people told us “home” was the best place, or that they were happy with “air conditioned.”)*
Anyway, people seemed excited. Michael O. said, “Yes! All diners are the best!”
But only one rose to the top, and did so pretty easily: Drake Diner, in the Drake neighborhood at 1111 25th St in Des Moines, just off-campus of Drake University.
Drake Diner has been around since 1987 and, most importantly, serves breakfast all day, though it also has lunch and dinner selections. The diner also sells beer and wine.
The place has a retro vibe with neon signs, lunch counters and a covered patio. (The diner was also the site of two murders in 1992. Managers Cara McGrane and Tim Burnett were murdered in a robbery; the killer nabbed less than $500 and ran.)
But what about all the others?
As Rob F. said: “Hundreds, too many to narrow down. Subjective question.”
Don’t worry, here’s your list of all the best diners in Iowa, as chosen by Iowans.
Top 3:
1. Drake Diner, Des Moines
2. Morg’s Diner, Waterloo
3. Bluebird Diner, Iowa City
Alphabetically:
Bill’s Diner, Spencer (now called Grand Diner, and Ben H. says WAS)
Bluebird Diner, Iowa City
Bubba and Mama’s Family Restaurant, Clinton
Bud’s Café, Estherville
The Café, Ames
The Canteen, Ottumwa
The Classic Deli & Ice Cream Shoppe, Brooklyn
The Chuckwagon, Adair
Darrell’s Place, Hamlin
Dinky Diner, Decatur City
Dottie’s Café, Dubuque
Drake Diner, Des Moines
Family Table, Osceola
The Grove Café, Ames
Gwen’s, Lisbon
Hamburg Inn No. 2, Iowa City (reopening in October)
Harvey’s, Sioux City
Henry’s Diner, Crescent
Highway 63 Diner, Waterloo
Jerry’s Main Lunch, Burlington
Jimmy’s Pancake House, Bettendorf
Johnnie Mars Family Restaurant, Sioux City
Morg’s Diner, Waterloo
Now or Later Restaurant, Des Moines
The Outfield, Richland
Pleasant Hill Diner, Pleasant Hill
Pullman Bar and Diner, Iowa City
Robin’s Nest Café, Clarinda
Ross’ Family Restaurant, Bettendorf
Sally’s Family Restaurant, Forest City
Sally’s on Broadway, Springville
Sunrise Café, LeGrand
Sunshine Diner, Dubuque
Town & Country Café, Madrid
Waveland Café, Des Moines
West End Diner, Marion
West Side Diner, Atlantic
The Whistle Stop, Boone
Wilton Café, Wilton
*These got a surprising number of responses.
Nikoel Hytrek
9/5/23
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Have a story idea or something I should know? Email me at nikoel@iowastartingline.com. You can also DM me on Twitter at @n_hytrek.
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