Meet the Iowa restaurant serving the state's best pork tenderloin

The breaded pork tenderloin is practically Iowa's state sandwich, with every roadside diner, sports bar and even some fine-dining establishments offering their own versions.

This year, a casual, family-friendly American bar and grill in Carroll, Iowa, can claim to have the best in the state. On Oct. 15, the Iowa Pork Producers Association named Wasted Grain Bar & Grill in Carroll the 2026 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin winner, rising above 464 nominated restaurants and four other finalists during Porktober, National Pork Month.

Wasted Grain's winning tenderloin didn't begin in a kitchen. It began in a memory — one rooted in rural Iowa, in the kind of small‑town diner where the bun barely contains the golden, crisp cutlet beneath it.

Co‑owner Cory Handlos grew up eating tenderloins at Darrell's Place in Hamlin, the inaugural winner of the Iowa Pork Producers Association's Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest back in 2003. That sandwich, he said, set the bar. More than two decades later, the tenderloin inspired by those meals has earned the same title.

A hometown favorite, rebuilt from memory

Handlos and his wife, Missy, opened Wasted Grain on Mother's Day 2023 knowing a tenderloin had to be on the menu, and it had to taste like the one he remembered.

"I've traveled around the country all my life, harvesting and farming, and I know what good food is," said Handlos, whose family raises pigs near Audubon. "I wanted that here at Wasted Grain. The pork tenderloin definitely had to be on the menu."

Working with the kitchen team, Handlos spent the restaurant's first year refining the recipe until it matched the tenderloin he remembered. The breakthrough came from a small but crucial change: tenderizing the pork once instead of twice. Double‑tenderizing made the cutlet wide and thin — more breading than pork. Wasted Grain's version still spills past the bun, but each bite delivers a balanced trio of bun, breading and juicy pork.

"Otherwise, you're tasting breading, you're not tasting the pork," Handlos said. "Appearance matters too, so it still sits out past the bun. But the main thing is tenderizing it once to get the meat in the bun."

What the judges tasted

That balance of golden breading, a moist interior and pork flavor that leads the bite is the criteria that the judges look for. "A lightly golden‑brown breading with a moist and very tasty pork flavor, this breaded pork tenderloin hits the spot," said finalist judge Phil Carey, a retired chef and culinary instructor. "A very enjoyable sandwich to eat."

Wasted Grain's staff hand-breads each tenderloin in a small kitchen using a secret recipe.

General manager Jordan Hunter said the win reflects the restaurant's broader philosophy. "We'd rather put out a good product and cook it the right way. If we hear something isn't right on any item on our menu, we keep working on it until it is. That's what we did with the tenderloin, and we had no idea it would lead to this."

At Wasted Grain, the $12 tenderloin can be breaded or grilled and served a la carte with lettuce, pickle, tomato and onion.

More: These 5 Iowa restaurants compete for breaded pork tenderloin glory

How the contest works

The tenderloin contest begins each spring, when Iowans nominate restaurants that serve a hand‑breaded or hand‑battered tenderloin on their regular menu. This year, nearly 6,000 nominations came in for 464 restaurants statewide.

After the nomination period closed June 1, IPPA narrowed the list to 40 — the top five from each of its eight districts. Pork producers then visited each restaurant undercover, scoring pork quality, flavor, appearance and overall experience. The five highest‑scoring restaurants became finalists, and a final judging panel visited each one to select the winner and runner‑up.

Other finalists included:

• Friends Hide-A-Way : 200 Third St., Underwood, 712-566-9292

• Landmark Grill & Grind : 128 W. Evans St., Williamsburg, 319-668-2209

• Sasquatch Jacks Hideaway Barroom & Grill : 118 10th St. S.W., Waverly, 319-559-2444

• Tin Roost : 840 W. Penn St., North Liberty, 319-626-2331

Wasted Grain didn't campaign for the title. The owners shared the nomination link once on Facebook and didn't know they'd made the top five until the phone started ringing. One fan, Sienna Becker of Carroll, who nominated the restaurant last spring, won IPPA's $100 nomination prize.

What happens after a win

If history is any indication, Wasted Grain is about to get very busy. Last year's winner, Hometown Heroes in Grinnell , saw tenderloin sales increase twentyfold after earning the title. Customers are already driving up to three hours to try Wasted Grain's version, and the restaurant is preparing for even more attention.

To mark the win, Wasted Grain is transforming its annual fall festival into Pork Fest on Saturday, Oct. 17. Expect a mechanical pig ride, inflatables, pig‑themed games, live music and — starting at 4 p.m. — a tenderloin‑only menu with a topping bar and sides. Diners can build their own award‑winning tenderloin however they like.

"We're proud to keep Iowa's breaded pork tenderloin tradition going strong," said Kelsey Sutter, director of marketing programs at IPPA.

What does the best breaded pork tenderloin win?

The winning restaurant will receive $500, a plaque, a banner to display and statewide publicity. The runner-up, Friends Hide-A-Way in Underwood, wins $250 and a plaque from pork producers.

Which Iowa restaurants won in the past?

Winners from the past five years include Hometown Heroes in Grinnell in 2025; Dairy Sweet in Dunlap in 2024, the first restaurant to win the contest twice; Cliff's Place , which opened on Main Street in Manning in 1977, and won in 2023; Lid's Bar & Grill in Waukon in 2022;  Victoria Station  in Harlan in 2021; and  PrairieMoon on Main  in Prairieburg in 2020.

What do the judges consider when selecting the best breaded pork tenderloin in Iowa?

To be considered, the pork tenderloins must be hand-breaded or battered. The restaurant also must be open year-round and feature the breaded pork tenderloin on the menu as a regular item.

Food trucks, concession stands, seasonal eateries, and catering businesses are not eligible.

The judges took into account pork taste and quality, physical characteristics and presentation.

Where to find Wasted Grain Bar & Grill

Location:1235 Plaza Drive, Carroll

Contact:712-775-4796 or wastedgraincarroll.com .

Hours:Kitchen open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on  Facebook ,  Twitter , or  Instagram , or drop her a line at  sstapleton@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the Iowa restaurant serving the state's best pork tenderloin