(Ames) The Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association have announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 15th annual Iowa’s Best Burger contest.
This year’s contest saw record-breaking engagement, with more than 7,500 burger enthusiasts casting their ballots, underscoring the deep-seated love and passion for beef in Iowa. The restaurants making the 2024 Top Ten finalists list (in alphabetical order) include:
-Big Head Burger, Waterloo
-Chuckwagon Restaurant, Adair
-Flight Bar + Grille, Huxley
-Houson’s On Main, Milo
-JJ’s Tavern + Grill, Ankeny
-Lucile’s at the Continental Hotel, Centerville
-The Flying Elbow, Marshalltown
-The Market at the Tap, Monticello
-Wilder at Graduate Iowa City, Iowa City
-Williamson Tavern, Williamson
To qualify, the burger must be a 100% real beef patty served on a bun or bread product. Burgers may include any combination of condiments, sauces, cheese or toppings. In celebration of the contest’s 15th anniversary, all previous Iowa’s Best Burger winners were allowed the chance to compete in the 2024 contest.
Three of the Top Ten restaurants are past Iowa’s Best Burger winners, including Chuckwagon Restaurant (2016), The Flying Elbow (2022) and Flight Bar + Grille (2023). Only one of the remaining restaurants, Lucile at The Continental Hotel, has been a previous Top Ten Iowa Best Burger qualifier.
The final phase in the quest for the 2024 Iowa’s Best Burger will now begin. All Top Ten restaurants will be visited by a panel of anonymous judges who will evaluate the burgers based on taste, appearance, and proper doneness (160 degrees Fahrenheit). The judges’ scores and comments will be accumulated and the winner will be announced on May 1 to kick off May Beef Month.
