When I went on my annual Birthday Road Trip, Nader and I went up to the Orange City Tulip Festival. But while we were there, I cashed in on a chance to do some tenderloining.
Orange City is the home of The Roadhouse. It is a restaurant of some reputation. It was the runner-up for Iowa’s Best Tenderloin in 2023. It was also a finalist for Best Burger in Iowa in 2025. I love a good burger, but you know these Sunday food adventures are built on the search for the best tenderloins in Iowa.
Here are some cell phone pictures from the day:
We stopped at a sweet sculpture hike in Aurelia.
The men’s Roadhouse bathroom door.
Pepsi products!
We got fried cheese curds to start this show… like you do.
Gooey goodness!
Tenderloin and onion rings!
Nader’s burger. The poor guy doesn’t eat pork.
Get a look at them onion rings!
Mayo doesn’t really belong on a tenderloin, but when in Orange City…
Greasy, porky goodness!
Trying to remember to get pictures of me eating or am I trying to get more pictures looking up my nose? You decide.
Knocked that bad boy down!
Who has 2 thumbs and likes The Roadhouse? Nader!
The winner Best Tenderloin in Iowa in 2023 was Cliff’s Place in Manning. If you want to relive my trip there, click on the link below:
Hello, my name is Nader. I like short walks on the beach and walking into my shot!
No Patrick Swayze though.
Or Sam Elliott.
After lunch we headed up to the Tulip Festival for the parade and for Poffertjes!
I got the original recipe and the raspberry flavored. They were too sweet for Nader, but they were just right for me!
You could also get a flight with like 6 different flavors. If more people would have went, I might have popped on that.
I went there for the parade, but I also went there for the sublime Dutch fried almond patties!
I firmly believe that one of the ways God shows us love is through fried almond patties!
(Insert the voices of a choir of angels)
I like to spread my Birthday Road Trip around, but this thing makes it awful tempting to go to Orange City every year.
Visiting the windmill before hitting the road.
Sadly, there were no tulips at the Tulip Festival. But more on that in future.
But what did I think about The Roadhouse?
- THE GOOD
- Fried cheese curds were tasty and gooey and delicicious.
- Pepsi Products.
- The tenderloin had a good meat to bun ratio. Meat could have stuck out a little bit more. But solid.
- The tenderloin had a good thickness.
- Toasted bun.
- THE BAD
- Red onions. Not the worst. But white onions are where it is at.
- Mayo doesn’t belong on a tenderloin.
- THE UGLY
- Nothing to list here.
- THE DAMAGE
- Nader bought for my birthday. Thanks Nader!
- THE VERDICT
- I would definitely go back here. I would definitely get the tenderloin. It was fantastic! Not quite good enough to join the Tenderloin Pantheon. But an excellent tenderloin!
- How to eat here:
- 723 8th St SE – Orange City, Iowa
- Closed Monday, Tuesday – Thursday: 11 AM – 9 PM. Friday & Saturday: 11 AM – 10 PM. Sunday: 4 PM – 9 PM.
As a reminder, her is the current pantheon:
- TENDERLOIN PANTHEON
- Darrell’s Place – Hamlin, Iowa
- BK’s – Ogden, Iowa (RIP)
- The Country House – Colo, Iowa (RIP)
- Nick’s – Des Moines, Iowa (RIP)
- Cole’s Ice Cream – Slater, Iowa (Unsure of the status of this place)
- Stumble Inn – Bradford, Iowa
- Prairie Moon on Main – Prairieburg, Iowa
- Dairy Sweet – Dunlap, Iowa
- Dexfield Diner & Pub – Redfield, Iowa
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve an old timey cafe that is only open a few times a year.