Smitty's Tenderloin Shop

1401 S.W. Army Post Rd., Des Moines, IA - (515) 287-4742

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Posted By Michael Stern on 2/12/2012 5:57:00 AM

Home of the REAL Whopper says a cartoon on Smitty’s wall; and if you know the taste of Iowa, you know that in this case “Whopper” does not refer to a hamburger. It means a tenderloin: pork tenderloin, pounded thin and plate-wide, breaded and fried crisp and sandwiched in a bun. Tenderloins are a passion throughout the heartland. Iowa is pork central, home of the broadest, crispest, and most delicious tenderloins. Smitty’s Tenderloin Shop has been a pork connoisseur’s destination since 1952; and its loyal clientele put it in the pantheon of sandwich shops.

Like all the great tenderloin restaurants, Smitty’s is a humble place. It has a scattering of tables and a friendly counter where locals sit and shoot the breeze at lunch hour. Although the menu includes a handful of other lunch-counter meals – hamburgers, double hamburgers, Coney Island hot dogs, a lovely corn dog, a bowl of chili – “King Tenderloin” is the dish to eat. Available in small or large sizes (small is large; large is nearly a foot across), Smitty’s tenderloin is served on an ordinary burger bun. The bun is virtually irrelevant except as a method for keeping ketchup, mustard, onions, and pickles adjacent to the center section of the ten-inch-diameter cutlet, and as a kind of mitt to hoist the vast tenderloin from plate to mouth. It is a marvelous disc of food, its inside a soft and flavorful ribbon of pork succulence, its crust brittle and luscious.

For homesick Iowans who live in a place where pork tenderloins are not part of the food scene, Smitty’s can ship them frozen by the dozen, ready to fry, to any of the lower 48 states.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

King tenderloin	Onion Rings
Queen Tenderloin	Hand-Spun Malts
Chili Cheese Fries

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"Tenderloins in and around Des Moines tend to be very thin and ridiculously wide. Smitty's is a perfect example."
Michael Stern

"Of the sides we tried, the one we liked best were these chili cheese fries, which were a gloppy, delicious mess."
Cliff Strutz

"If you need extra crunch to accompany a tenderloin, Smitty's onion rings fill the bill."
Michael Stern

"Way too big for the bun, the King Tenderloin deserves its royal name."
Cliff Strutz

"The King Tenderloin actually comes in two sizes. Even the small one is enough to satisfy most appetites."
Cliff Strutz

"This caricature rightfully proclaims Smitty's to be, "Home of the Real Whopper!""
Cliff Strutz

"Bill 'Smitty' Smith was in the gas station business when he changed paths to open a tenderloin shop in 1967."
Michael Stern

"Smitty's is an especially convenient destination if you arrive in Des Moines by plane. It's only a couple of minutes from the airport."
Michael Stern

"The menu board hangs right above the grill. Although there are many things available, the King Tenderloin is what you must order."
Cliff Strutz