Northeast Iowa Eateries Make Iowa Best Burger Contest Top Ten, But Neither Wins

The Top Ten finalists for 16th Iowa’s Best Burger Contest included a pair of Northeast Iowa eating establishments: Dan’s Road House in Cresco and Big Head Burger in Waterloo.

However, neither won the top prize handed out by the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.  The 2025 Iowa Best Burger title goes to Halftime Bar & Grill in Pleasantville.

IBIC says, “After several years of the trendy smash burger claiming the Iowa Best Burger crown, Halftime Bar & Grill returns us to an original grilled patty. Sourced from a local meat locker, their all-beef patties are eight ounces of fresh, never frozen beef. You can decide if you want one or two patties (a whole pound of beef) for each burger selection. That is a lot of beef!”

Past Iowa Best Burger winners include Bambino’s in Ossian, which claimed the top prize in 2021.