Smitty's Tenderloin Shop

This restaurant has completely exceeded my expectations. Top their service! The experience has been amazing so far, and I’m still here, but I couldn’t wait to leave a review. If there were 100 stars, I’d give every single one. Highly recommend!

THIS is the tenderloin I've been looking for. I have been hunting for a tenderloin to match the ones I used to make at my own restaurant, and until I finally stopped here, I had lost hope that anywhere else had a jumbo breaded loin to match the size I used to sell. These are enough for 2 meals - cut in half, eat half on the bun and save the other half to smother with white gravy the next day 🤤 absolutely loved it! This place is small but they make some great tenderloin! My new favorite spot!

If you like an old fashioned diner this is your place. Red dinette sets and booths with a small counter. Friendly service. This was the first time I had visited in many years. The tenderloin was not quite as big as I remembered, but it still tasted good.

We stopped here while during a trip to Des Moines very recently. We heard they were rated Iowa’s number one tenderloins and had delicious onion rings. So we stopped and we ordered tenderloins and onion rings and my other sister ordered a burger. There were four of us. The tenderloins were very flavorless and we also got onion rings, which were also flavorless. We didn’t understand why everything had no flavor.. Dry very dull very boring. The iced tea was fresh and good and the funnel cake fries were good. I would not stop here again. Also, my sister said the burger wasn’t good. She couldn’t even finish it. We did not finish our tenderloins or our onion rings. We stopped later to get something else to eat.

It's worth stopping by... I have no idea what a tenderloin sandwich is, but it was good. The onion rings are fresh and homemade. The chocolate malt was awesome. The building is a little deceiving - it is out of the 50's but cool in a history kind of way. The highlight of the visit is the staff... Mindy and Wendy were awesome - great service, super nice, friendly, and a lot of fun. The atmosphere in this place is great

Our first time eating here. We ordered a breaded tenderloin, vegetable tenderloin, jalapeño munchers, breaded mushrooms, and chicken nuggets. For drinks we had a root beer, strawberry shake, and vanilla shake. The food and drinks were good. The service was excellent. All of the employees were very friendly. This is a smaller restaurant so there are not a lot of seats for dine-in.

Great experience! Very welcoming, respectful, friendly, loved how they worked well together. Food was plenty and very good. This is now my new “go to” place.

Always have to have a tenderloin when visiting Iowa! Onion rings are amazing!

Friendly and fast service at Smitty's! Connie ordered regular tenderloin and I ordered large with onion rings and fries. All was tasty! This was on Army Post road and near our hotel by the airport. Definitely coming back. That also had malts, shakes, and ice cream. You could tell it was a popular by the many people stopping and getting pickup orders to go. Of course there were many congrats on the wall for best tenderloin in the area!!! Hometown atmosphere too!!!

Smitty's is a time machine with chrome, vinyl, and counter stools that make you feel like you should be ordering coffee from a waitress named Flo. Old-school in the best way -- you can watch them make your food, and you'll be treated right. The pork tenderloin sandwich? A beast. And I mean that lovingly. I ordered the queen size, which made me feel slightly less macho, but even that was massive. Perfectly cooked, crispy without being greasy -- it tastes like Iowa, and that's a compliment. And the onion rings? Don't even think about skipping them. They're part soft, part crunchy, kind of tempura-ish, and completely addictive. I still don't know exactly what they are, but I do know I couldn't stop eating them. Highly recommend making Smitty's a stop. Your future self will thank you.

This wasn't just a meal it was an experience, a gastronomic trip into yesteryear. The tenderloin sandwiches are reward enough for dining here, but if you are of the extroverted persuasion and adept at connecting with others you can have a very entertaining and enjoyable time at Smitty's, meet all the servers, the cook, the owner and possibly even some of their family visiting.

It's a go to for every visitor to DMI!!! It's always my son's first stop when he leaves the airport

Diner-style giant Tenderloins, Burgers, Onion rings, old-fashioned malts. It's definitely a destination. Service by fun servers, and you can see the grills and the cooks from your table.

It's worth stopping by... I have no idea what a tenderloin sandwich is, but it was good. The onion rings are fresh and homemade. The chocolate malt was awesome. The building is a little deceiving - it is out of the 50's but cool in a history kind of way. The highlight of the visit is the staff... Mindy and Wendy were awesome - great service, super nice, friendly, and a lot of fun. The atmosphere in this place is great

3.5* (out of 5) Food: 3* Atmosphere: 3* Value: 4* Service: 4* 09/12/2023 My wife and I had stopped here several years ago after moving to the area given its history as the original king tenderloin. This time I had just picked up friends from France at the airport, they were hungry and they wanted to eat something unique to Iowa. I ordered the Breaded Tenderloin (see picture) and we shared some Onion Rings (see picture). The food and atmosphere were each average with the tenderloin served on a common high volume commercial bakery bun and the building showing its age. The flavor of the tenderloins was good and I liked that it was not greasy. The breading seemed quite dry, almost as if it wasn't even fried at all...or was re-breaded after frying. There wasn't much substance to the onion rings as is shown in the picture - they were very thin and had minimal breading. The food and ambiance reminded me of many of the small town ice cream shops I frequented as a teenager. If you are looking for value and a small-town diner experience, you will enjoy a stop at Smitty's. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

Smitty's Tenderloin Shop has been a staple of south Des Moines for decades. Their tenderloins are super sized and delicious. Service is quick and the ambiance takes you back to the days of nostalgia. A great place for a sandwich treat. If you love tenderloins, Smitty's should be on your checklist.

Good service,kind staff members,food tastes wonderful 10/10 I will definitely come back soon

The Food is delicious the service is outstanding and the ambiance is like a family place. Would highly recommend this place. I eat it frequently.

Get off the interstate and find this diner by the airport. Easy to find. Classic diner. I always have a tenderloin in Iowa while traveling from Kansas to Chicago. This is one of the best. Great service. I'll be back for onion rings and a chocolate shake. Charming clean dining room where staff pays attention to details.

Smitty's is a great old school grill operation that has kept it's retro vibe. Checkered floor, red vinyl chairs, glazed brick interior, the works. What's more, they have the menu to match. Smitty's has all the fried foods; tenderloins, fries, onion rings, batter-dipped mushrooms... All cooked to golden crispy perfection. Smitty's gets bonus points from me for serving regionally produced root beer and cream soda (Millstream, out of Amana) to go along with their wonderful milkshakes. Tenderloins are a bit of a thing in our area, and if that is your thing, then Smitty's should definitely be on your list of places to frequent. Things you should know: * There are also hamburgers and other items on the menu, though it is hard to imagine anyone resisting the tenderloins. * If you don't see any parking out front, you should find some out back. * There is not, as you would expect, any patio seating. However, there is are picnic tables next to the building if you want to dine outside. * At last check, Smitty's is not open for dinner hours. Shakes and malts Table service or eat at the counter

World's best chocolate malt!! Seriously! We stopped with 3 grands before a zoo trips. It was pretty full so we got the ultimate diner experience--red stools at the counter! We watched the food being cooked. Perfect for 5, 7, & 9 year olds! Kids meals included a drink & fries. We actually had to order another cheeseburger for the olders to split after they ate their first ones. Grandson loved the onion rings. My Queen tenderloin was the old fashioned pounded & cracker crumbed. Lots of onions added to it!! Papa's double cheeseburger was very good--great grilled taste! Our waitress was great with the kids. She didn't blink when they changed their minds on soda flavors. Go there & then visit the zoo!!

Great find after a week on working in Nebraska and Iowa. I was looking for a local place to eat before flying out in the morning and found Smitty's. I had the King tenderloin sandwich and onion rings. Both were awesome. Perfect balance between meat and breading. Seasoned just right. The onion rings were the best. I'll definitely be back

I had high hopes for this place, based on past reviews and pics. However, it seemed like my sandwich and onion rings weren't done. Neither were crispy, and I could barely finish part of my meal. Back at the hotel, it hasn't been a pleasant experience. Staff was nice when around, but mostly busy. I must have caught them on a bad night

Great spot if you have time to kill or wanna eat before heading to the airport! Great service, Jane was a delight! When I ordered my burger she asked if I wanted a "medium or large burger" which I'd never been asked before so I was excited to see what a "large burger" would look like.. Unfortunately it ended up being a normal sized burger, which scares me to think what a medium burger would look like.. But other than that, great service, pleasant environment with a friendly staff!

The best thing about Smitty's signature item, the breaded loin (in queen or king sizes), is how tender the kitchen has pounded that pork into submission. It's a long piece of meat but it goes down real nice-like. However, the bites that did NOT have the onions and yellow mustard were pretty bland, so I would stick to the queen size (or a kid's size if you can), because that was enough for a big guy like me. The rest of the food was fine, but nothing to write home about. If anything, the vibe of the place is why you go. It's a dump, but with love, and the sign, the parking lot, the staff...all of it makes you think "oh man, I'm not sure I want to be caught here after hours" but the prices and the speed balance things out. I see why it's a local institution!

Pretty amazing tenderloin sandwich. If you want a slab of giant pork on a tiny Sunbeam bun you could do a lot worse. Now that I've had it I don't know that I ever need one again, but they keep it real. You'll be napping. Chili cheese loin is legion.

This place is as good as it gets! Old time diner with amazing comfort food. I had the breaded tenderloin sandwich, fried mushrooms and topped it all off with a chocolate milkshake. Good thing I do not live here, as this would be on my regular rotation and would surely show up on my hips!

Amazing services the best employees super nice if I could it would me 10 TTHE BEST FOOD

What do you say about an institution? Smitty's has been around, in one form or another, for close up to 70 years now. It's simple. Tenderloins, burgers and milk shakes. The tenderloins are the best in Central Iowa. Pounded down pork, simple breading, catsup/mustard/pickle/onion. It's perfect. I always get the chili cheese. I don't know what oil they use, but the tenderloins and the fries are very light, not greasy at all. The staff is very friendly (they told me to say so!) There is not a lot to say about this. Either you like tenderloins, in which case you will love Smitty's, or you don't ... We do.

Best pork sandwich in the state!!! The taste is wonderful and not heavily breaded so it is good to eat and doesn't have a bunch of extra stuff. Good bun too!

The best tenderloin in South Des Moines. A must stop any time I'm in Des Moines. You will not be disappointed. The King is super big so be hungry if you order it.

Ordered Kings for the wife and myself fried to perfection. Bun was fresh but smaller than the tenderloin for obvious reasons. Also picked up Amana Iowa root beer.

Always fun eating the best tenderloin Iowa! I suggest the veggie loin with cheese! Excellent foot, excellent service! Love the size of this bad boy!!! I suggest everyone try this place everyday! It's amazing!!!!

Wow what an amazing joint. I met the owner and in conversation come to find out this little joints about to celebrate 50+ years and they have been featured on Al Rokkers travel Chanel show! The owners been working there since he was 10 and he hand cuts each tenderloin and all meat is locally grown. I'm surprised more people don't know about them. Amazing family and great quality food. I love that they are close to airport so you can run get your fix and head out.

Service was excellent and the food was awesome Highly recommend not far from the airport.

For what it is? 5 stars. This hometown 4th generation restaurant really rocked. Local root beer to boot and onion rings that didn't need any ketchup. I had the "queen" size tenderloin and it filled me up just fine. My waitress, a retired nurse, made the experience that much better. She rocked.

The King Tenderloin was amazing! It is a Des Moines landmark and huge and delicious! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Had the queen tenderloin sandwich and it was excellent. The twins gave excellent service and entire staff was friendly. Haven't been in Iowa for a while so the tenderloin sandwich was a big treat

First time here from North Dakota! Excellent food and service! Staff were funny and friendly And new there menu! Everything is made in house

Food was average, but the service was horrible. Saw mice droppings behind counter. The bathroom was absolutely disgusting. Avoid this place at all costs.

What a fun place. On the south side of Des Moines near the airport. We got the queen size with everything and it was huge. The onion rings were hand breaded and crispy but not at all greasy and the chocolate malt was great! Bypass the city on the south side and avoid traffic. We'll be stopping next time pass!

The tenderloins were huge! It was my first time coming here and based on the reviews I saw, this seemed to be the place to go. I was very impressed with the size but not the taste. It was pretty dry and not seasoned enough. Definitely needed a lot of ketchup. Not sure if that is how it's supposed to taste because it's the first tenderloin I ever had

Monster tenderloin sandwich. You certainly get your money's worth here. Quick Service.

Really good food and awesome staff! Their establishment is clean and pleasing to the eye. There is also a set of twins that work here that are hilarious.

The food is great! I haven't had a bad experience here yet. These have been the items I have had. Breaded Pork TenderloinClassic Des MoinesClassic TenderloinFried MushroomsKing LoinQueen TenderloinChocolate Malt

I've been getting tenderloins in the Midwest for years. Last Thursday arriving in DesMoines I stopped to pick up a few to go at Smitty's. These were the most disgusting excuses for tenderloin sandwiches I have ever seen. Frozen in the middle middle, zero flavor and slopped together. Worst tenderloin I've ever had. Was this a one time thing or is your reputation fake? $30 in the trash. I have my credit card receipt and would like a refund. I was in town for a funeral and couldn't get back there since I live in Texas. So I went to their website to leave a message but guess what? maximum messages received. Another waste of time in addition to the time wasted going to this horrible restaurant. So no way to contact them. They obviously don't want to hear this. Stay away. Good Tenderloins? Here are a few places in Iowa and the Midwest where you can get an edible tenderloin: Mustards - DesMoines The Tavern - Des Moines George The Chili King - Des Moines Culver's - All over PM Park - Clear Lake IA The OP - Iowa Locations The Maid Rite - Quincy, I'll. Made Rite - DesMoines The Score Board - Quincy, I'll JUST ABOUT ANY CONVENIENCE STORE THAT SELLS THEM. Again, I have been eating these sandwiches since the 1960s and that bag of grease I got at Smitty's was an abomination. And when someplace doesn't allow Feedback, and has a webpage stating such a wonderful prize-winning product, well, I smell a rat and a horrible tenderloin. By the way, the place was not very busy , maybe this is why.

Not good like they were when I was a kid. They messed up the order and the food was gross

Located on Army Post, this place has been here for decades. Narrow menu but decent sandwiches although I think the tenderloins are a little thin.

In my opinion this is the best tenderloin in Des Moines. Onion rings are pretty good as well!!

A destination stop. If you are in 15 mile radius make sure you stop here. Great service. Food was top notch. He price was even more then fair.

This is like stepping back in time with the smiling faces and great service like a old soda shop. everyone is so cool and fun. If you have not tried this you are missing out. the tenderloins are the best and guess what they have a Beef Burger that puts Maid Rite to shame. This is always my go to when thinking about what to eat. lol

I use to eat here when I was a kid. I decided to eat here and when I walked inside it just like I remembered. I didn't like how some of the staff wasn't wearing a mask properly and when I got home with my food I realized that for what I was charged it wasn't much food & they skimped out on the toppings. I had to add some ketchup and mustard. The tenderloin was ok but not as good as they use to be. I was very disappointed. I called my mom and she agreed they are not like they use to be. Time to move on.

I was so disappointed with my meal at Smitty's after reading all the glowing reviews and the fact that it's a historical restaurant. I read that I had to try the pork tenderloin sandwich at Smitty's if I come to Des Moines. For $16 I got a deep fried patty of breading (pork is the very thin line of pink in my picture), a small handful of cheese curds (The picture shows the actual amount they give.), 14 soggy tater tots and a lettuce and tomato salad (Thanks, Smitty's, this is the only item that really lived up to the description.). I was the only customer at half an hour to closing (they were already mopping up for the night) so I took my order to go. I was shocked to see the cook pull everything from the freezer. No fresh food at all. I thought at least the tenderloin would be fresh or housemade. I would be OK that it was frozen if it was tasty and meaty, but it was badly fried, all breading with no flavor or meat. Would not recommend this place if you are looking to try a midwest pork tenderloin or a decent meal!

Fabulous tenderloins! Great service! Quaint mini-diner atmosphere. Love this place! My husband and I make this a must stop restaurant at least 2x a month!

Famous Iowa Tenderloins larger than you can imagine! Burgers, fries and hand cut onion rings are my choice! Great chocolate shakes! Small building friendly staff family owned & operated for years keeps it neighborhood cozy! I can't imagine not having Smitty's in Des Moines!

Nice small mom and pop business with a delicious tenderloin sandwich. I had the queen size and could only eat half

Took the kiddos to Smitty's Saturday after doing some swimming and luckily there was room at the bar for us to belly up. My 10 yr old was excited they had Millstream root beer and my youngest slurped down some chocolate milk. Kiddos got burgers and we got small tenderloins. Delicious. How have I never been here? It will become a regular place for us, for sure. Our server made us feel right at home and was extra nice to my boys. Unfortunately the ice cream machine was down but I look at that as a reason to go back again. If you want a greasy lunch and a server that calls you sweetie, Smitty's is the spot!