(Carroll) Wasted Grain in Carroll serves Iowa’s best breaded pork tenderloin this year, according to the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). The restaurant rose to the top of 464 restaurants nominated by Iowans this spring, then beat four other finalists to win IPPA’s 2026 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest, announced during National Pork Month, better known as Porktober.
Wasted Grain receives $500, a plaque and an outdoor banner. The runner up, Friends Hide-A-Way in Underwood receives $250, a plaque and an outdoor banner.
Wasted Grain co-owner Cory Handlos based the restaurant’s award-winning pork tenderloin on a sandwich he remembered from Darrell’s Place in Hamlin, the winner of Iowa’s first tenderloin contest in 2003.
Handlos and his wife, Missy, opened Wasted Grain in Carroll in 2023. Their team perfected the recipe within the first year, focusing on balancing the pork, breading and bun. Each tenderloin is hand-breaded using a closely guarded recipe.
Carroll resident Sienna Becker, who nominated Wasted Grain, won the contest’s $100 nomination prize.
The other finalists were Landmark Grill & Grind in Williamsburg, Sasquatch Jacks Hideaway Barroom & Grill in Waverly, and Tin Roost in North Liberty.
