We finally made it out to St Olaf, Iowa and the St Olaf Tavern to try their famous breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. I can safely say it did NOT disappoint. It was excellent! Not too thick, not too thin, juicy, lighted breaded and seasoned perfectly, cooked to a perfect crispness. The pickles and onions were a perfect compliment to the overall experience. The onion rings were some of the best I've had. Lightly breaded and made in house. Great place! Great service! 5 stars! read more

This is exactly what I want in a small town bar/restaurant. Nothing fancy. Service great. Food fantastic. Cash only but they do have an ATM on site read more

St. Olaf Tavern - Outside - Burgers Near Me - St. Olaf, Iowa

See all

I guess everyone agrees with me. The tenderloin is fantastic, as good or better than the best I've had elsewhere. Service is fast and friendly. Price is reasonable. Beautiful countryside surrounds it. Just great. read more

Cool tavern in off the beaten path St. Olaf, Iowa. Very friendly and quick service at the bar. Excellent Pork Tenderloin sandwich. I had The Mini and it was filling. The largest size is massive. Great beer selection (local) and a nice outdoor seating area. Excellent motorcycle or UTV destination. Highly recommended! read more

See all

Not worth the drive for their "famous tenderloin". We were very disappointed in the sandwich since we drove 200 miles to try it. Atmosphere was as expected for a bar/restaurant. Staff were very friendly. read more

Great waiting staff! Very clean bar and eating area! Outside seating with very comfortable ceiling fans & plenty of open space for children & adults to have a great time ! Plenty of beers on tap & cold drinks! One of cleanest bar in the area! read more

The town of St. Olaf is actually on the map, a very small town. The center of town is less than a block long with plenty of vacant lots. Beyond the existance of St. Olaf Tap...probably a ghost town! Once upon a time St. Olaf Tap was renowned for "Breaded Pork Tenderloin" as the BIGGEST & BEST Iowa has to offer. Iowa is the Capital of the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. Characteristic of a huge tenderloin dwarfing an average size bun; slivered onion, crisp lettuce and sliced tomato. Today, ownership has changed. The sign out front still reads "Put Something Big Between Your Buns" The old bar has a fresh coat of paint, a few new booths and a new side glass door overlooking an empty lot. My guess for a probable patio area? Talking with some of the locals, this joint has a lot of history and apparently some reluctance to erase memories of past ownership. However it remains a gathering point. New ownership has obviously put a great effort to make physical improvements. What about the tenderloin sandwich? I'm told it's different but still good. My first bite: fresh out of the fryer hot, a distinctive crunch from the breading, lite & moist texture, subtle seasoning to the breading and a flavorfull fresh onion complement. The bun is simply a medium to hold the tenderloin and keep the onion in place. Overall...Damn Good! Northeast Iowa is bluff country, gentle hills and winding roads. Not what you expect in Iowa;the same for St. Olaf Tap... thriving in a ghost town. read more

St Olaf, Ia. "1R's Tap" . 5 star dining. The absolute BEST tenderloin I have EVER eaten. Humongous! Thick! Delicious! The beer batter fries and the jalapeño poppers were to die for (almost). My sister and I give it five stars. Only 1 1/2 hours from C.R. read more

See all

If you like tenderloin sandwiches, then you've come to the right place. I've eaten a lot of them - some that claim they are the biggest or the best but nothing in eastern Iowa beats St. Olaf Tap. Nothing even dares come close. I've enjoyed the food here for about twenty years. At one time the bar was sold and the food and service changed. Fortunately, in recent years the newest owners restored the food to what made them so famous for so long. They went back to serving the monster 20 ounce pork tenderloins with the old recipe of delicious breading. It's quite thick too! It's the thickness and the seasoning of the breading that catapults this legendary sandwich to the five star realm. The St. Olaf Tap also offers a grilled tenderloin but where's the fun in that? Trust me, get the smaller breaded tenderloin if you are health conscious. It's worth a few more calories. If you are near Elkader, Marquette, etc. or even just want to drive up from Cedar Rapids, try this outstanding small town bar. I always make it a destination for a camping trip, fishing trip, or when visiting the gambling boat. It's addictive. read more

Awesome place for beer and tenderloins!! 2nd best tenderloin in Iowa!! Perfectly seasoned and breaded. They accept credit cards now... read more

St. Olaf Tavern - Burgers Near Me - St. Olaf, Iowa

See all

I heard about their pork tenderloins, how big they are. So I tried it out. They are big. They are good. But at $10.00 I think they are expensive. Enough said. read more

St. Olaf Tavern - Think outside the bun! - Burgers Near Me - St. Olaf, Iowa

See all

Huge tenderloins and great bloody Mary's here! Great service and friendly staff. I highly recommend it.

This place is worth the drive. If you're looking for a great tenderloin in NE Iowa, plug "St Olaf Tavern" into your map app & follow it to the main drag in St. Olaf, IA. Don't be fooled by the outside of the building which definitely lacks curb appeal. Step inside & you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I was by the clearly updated decor, the cleanliness of the entire place, and the friendly service. We stopped in for an early lunch about 11:30am & all 3 of us ordered tenderloins; 2 4-oz minis (nothing "mini" about them,) and my dad got an 8-oz regular. They were served up fast & fresh. Sides are available for a small upcharge . Our waitress-whom I suspect was one of the owners-was friendly & kept our drink glasses filled. Ladies Room was spotlessly clean. If you're in that area, swing by & grab a great bite to eat at this hidden gem! read more

Had lunch there today and I will admit it was my first visit to St Olaf. We drove from Wisconsin to visit a few Freedom Rocks and to have lunch at the St. Olaf tavern. What a pleasant surprise. Very friendly owners and staff. The pork sandwich is to die for!! A must order!! Out of the way? Yes..... but worth the trip. read more

We went for the tenderloin and we were not disappointed! Not only was it huge but is was delicious as well. Chicken gizzards and onion rings were good too. It may be in the middle of nowhere but it's a pretty drive and the food is worth it. read more

Had a great hand made pork tenderloin and it was great. Homemade onion rings were also very good.

My cousin and her husband from nearby Elkader brought us here for the pork tenderloin sandwiches, which they said were legendary. They were right, it was the best I had ever had. Beware of ordering the large size. It is HUGE! I had a medium with grilled onions and their own mustard sauce (excellent), and it was twice as much as I could consume. We also tried their appetizer sampler, which included five different items, including cauliflower nuggets, onion petals, sweet corn nuggets, etc. All delicious. Generous portions and friendly service. There isn't much else evidently going on in this out-of-the-way small town, but this establishment puts them on our map. It doesn't look like much from the front, but don't let that get in your way. The owner (newish if I remember correctly) is a cheerful, petite lady. Very good service too. For the BEST pork tenderloin sandwich in all of Iowa, this is it! read more