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Igloo

2819 4th St., Peru, IL - (815) 223-0848
Posted By Michael Stern on 3/12/2013 5:16:00 AM
Rich and Chris Decker took over the Igloo in 2010 from the Mazzorana family, who started it in 1937, and they have vowed to keep it as its always been: the town's favorite destination diner for burgers and chili, tenderloins and brats, hand-cut French fries and from-scratch shakes and malts. Nearly everyone here is a regular customer. One veteran waitress gives me a motherly smile when I sit at the counter, telling me I look just like good old Dr. Schott, who recently died and who was a big fan of Igloo chili.

After only a few minutes in this place, it is apparent that both Rich and Chris relish their role as owner, host, ringmaster. When one waitress starts needling Chris about spending too much time kibbitzing with the clientele and not enough running the diner, he turns away from her and announces loud enough for all around to hear: "This is my back. And this is you off it!"

Order a tenderloin (here known simply as "a pork") and its standard complements are onion, pickle, and – are you ready? – ketchup. At first I was skeptical, considering mustard to be the de rigueur condiment, but I very much enjoyed the interplay of sweet and tangy. The loin itself is wavy, crisp, and quite thin, with enough meat to be juicy once you crunch through the crust.

Root beer is served in a frosty mug, but if you like milk shakes, that's the drink to get. "I guarantee that this is the best chocolate malt I have made all day," says Chris Decker when I order one at 11:30am. I reassure him that it is the best one I've drunk all day. In fact, it was the best I drank during a weeklong trip through the Illinois River Valley.

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Scorecard

4 - Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip
Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip
Double Tenderloin
French Fries
Tenderloin
Milk Shake
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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

What an opulent sandwich! Two crisp-fried pork tenderloin cutlets and all the trimmings is a crunchfest that really does double the pleasure of a single.
"What an opulent sandwich! Two crisp-fried pork tenderloin cutlets and all the trimmings is a crunchfest that really does double the pleasure of a single."
Michael Stern





Delicate, hand-cut French fries arrive just slightly crisp and go limp mid-meal, but that's quite alright because their fresh, spuddy flavor endures.
"Delicate, hand-cut French fries arrive just slightly crisp and go limp mid-meal, but that's quite alright because their fresh, spuddy flavor endures."
Michael Stern


When you want a tenderloin at the Igloo, you order 'a pork' (or a double pork). In this place, the preferred configuration includes crisp onion slices, pickle chips, and ketchup.
"When you want a tenderloin at the Igloo, you order 'a pork' (or a double pork). In this place, the preferred configuration includes crisp onion slices, pickle chips, and ketchup."
Michael Stern


Only modestly chocolaty, Igloo's milk shake is thick enough to clog a straw.
"Only modestly chocolaty, Igloo's milk shake is thick enough to clog a straw."
Michael Stern


Where Peruvians have gone for fine short-order eats since 1937
"Where Peruvians have gone for fine short-order eats since 1937"
Michael Stern


The Igloo's well-worn counter is surfaced with the boomerang Formica pattern formally known as Skylark.
"The Igloo's well-worn counter is surfaced with the boomerang Formica pattern formally known as Skylark."
Michael Stern



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