The Unassuming Restaurant In Iowa That Serves The Best Tenderloin You’ll Ever Taste

If there's one food Iowans can't live without, it's pork tenderloin. We have countless restaurants here that serve it up just right, too. But every year, the Iowa Pork Producers Association names one restaurant as having the Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in the state. The winner for 2017 won't be named until October, but last year's winner was Nick's. It beat out 384 contenders for the prize, and you'll soon see why.

Nick's is located at 1106 Army Post Road, Des Moines.

From the outside, there's nothing remarkable about this restaurant. The dining area is bright and cheerful, with plenty of seating, but this place isn't fancy.

Owner Nick Iaria has a special process for his breaded tenderloin. He tenderizes them every morning, then seasons, flours, batters and breads them before frying them up in a special tenderloin fryer. The result? Perfection.

The King-Sized tenderloin is massive - 12 to 13 ounces. This one has added cheese and chili.

The Queen-Sized tenderloin is six to seven ounces or pork. Judges noted that Nick's tenderloins have a juicy, pork flavor and don't taste like frying oil.

Can't decide whether to get onion rings or fries with your tenderloin sandwich? Order the Half n Half - some of each!

Nick's serves up about 1,000 tenderloins every week. Get yours soon!

Dine at Nick's Monday through Thursday from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm; Friday and Saturday 10:30 am to 9:00 pm; Sunday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The next winner will be named in October, so stay tuned!

Looking for more recommendations for delicious tenderloin? Take a look at these 10 restaurants.