Loose Meats & Coneys in Sioux City, IA

The goal of my 1st day on my trip West was to get thru Iowa and then call it a day and we pretty much did that and stopped for the night in Sioux City which is right on the border of Western Iowa across from Nebraska and right below the Iowa/South Dakota border. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never been here and don't know much about the place. Well you wont be vacationing here but in case you find yourself driving thru or there on business I got some spots for you. Its yet another Midwest river town that seems to be on the decline. So of course they have a gambling riverboat that's nothing special at all along with a bunch of factories, both currently in business and lots of large abandoned buildings long out of biz. Alot of factories were going strong more so than I've seen in most other once thriving Midwest factory cities.


Sioux City, IA

The downtown has some really old historic buildings but like all the cities past its got alot of vacated spaces for rent but like the factory district it isn't dead and there are people walking around working at different spots around the area. They also have a few amateur sports teams and a downtown events center. We stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown which wasn't far from our two dinner stops known for their tastee's and Charlie Boy's aka Loose meats. First up on the list was Tastee Inn & Out.


as seen on roadfood

This locals favorite spot is a drive thru with a walk up window so there is no dining indoors, its in your car or outside at one of the picnic tables. The weather was wonderful so we were gonna eat at a table and we went thru the drive thru and ordered up a few loose meats (Iowa's other signature sandwich) along with the roadfood rec'd onion chips which were classic in my book. They take pieces of onions in chip like form and fry them up fresh and they are served with a thousand island/ranch type dressing and an excellent eat.


Onion chips were one of the best fried onion sides I've had

In case you don't know what exactly a loose meat is, its basically a sloppy Joe without the slop or a crumbled hamburger as opposed to in patty form. They arent the most tantalizing sandwiches out there but they're a special regional treat loved by locals and I do enjoy them when I have made them and also from other spots while traveling on the road. They are called Tastee's from here and come with ketchup, mustard, pickles and chopped raw onions. One will cost you just under $2 without cheese and just over $2 with it and they also come by the bag with six in each.Yes its true that loose meats are for the most part under seasoned they also always taste homey and comforting. These had a unique taste to them and were actually the favorite loose meat of the spots we stopped to try them at. I guess I just like loose meats because it wasn't anything to drive out of your way for and I wont fiend for one later in the month but I liked it while I was there and would go back here if ever find myself back in Sioux City for some odd reason.


Tastee sandwich

There isn't much on the non chain dining front in SC so after our appetizer it was off to another roadfood rec'd spot for dinner and drinks. The Miles Inn is another classic Midwest tavern just a few blocks from Tastee and frequented often by locals. In northwest Iowa you'll find more places serving loose meats than hamburgers and you'll also come across more names for them than most foods. In these parts they are called taverns not loose meats although at Miles Inn they're called Charlie Boys.


Classic Midwest tavern

We were there on a Monday night and the place was packed for the MNF game. Drinks are cheap and they serve ice cold schooners which were the drink of choice and the menu was simple-Charlie boys, Charlie boy nachos (avail. until 5p) and bags of chips. We sat at the bar and were able to watch the bartender who was working solo that night get at it making as many Charlie Boys as drinks were poured, and people weren't tasking it easy that night on the alcohol. They have a few steam table/pot luck style concoctions that hold the meat and buns and they come with cheese, mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles.


Sign outside and the view from my seat at the bar

These sandwiches were double maybe even triple the meat of the tastee's and came with cheese and were $3. They were full of peppery flavor, maybe a little too much. I liked them but only ate one because it pretty much tasted like black pepper with a dash of meat and toppings. We did end up watching the rest of the first half of the football game and having a few more drinks and enjoyed that very much. The bill was dirt cheap and the service was excellent, the bartender was a cool dude and insisted I be back. I would highly rec stopping in for some drinks since its a classic Midwest tavern with a great atmosphere and while your there, have a Charlie boy just so you can say you've had one.


Charlie boy sandwich from Miles Inn

We called it a night after a short walk around the river boat and I was up the next day at my usual early time. My travel companion isn't an early bird and she was a real trooper on day one so I let her sleep in and I was off to have Coneys for breakfast. If it's an old Midwest city/town that has a working class blue collar community than the odds are with you for there being a Coney dog place somewhere in town. As is the case with Duluth, MN there isn't just one but two that duel it out for top dog in town. Resident Coney expert ReneG would of liked the two spots I visited for their history and longstanding presence in the community. The Milwaukee Wiener House and Coney Island are both downtown and within a walk from each other just like the dueling Coney joints in Duluth seen HERE. My first stop was at the Milwaukee Wiener House No. 1.


Since the 1940's in Sioux City

Another roadfood rec'd stop I went in about 8:30a tues. morning and was there for a Coney with everything and a bottle of water and that's what I ordered. There was a table of old timers and a few more that came in as I ate but the place opens at 6a so I'm sure there were a few others earlier in the morning. It was a classic coney joint in every sense. While not as old as some others I've been to it had the look and feel both outside and in (cafeteria feel) and interesting history. It is owned and ran by two immigrants from Greece who are brothers in law and married sisters and bought the business in 1960. One of the owners, Gus, wasn't even the first from his family to go to Sioux City from Greece, his father worked at a meat packing plant there and then moved back to Greece where he married and raised his family on a farm he bought. They have 2nd generation customers and people who moved away long ago but always come back for a Coney.


View as you enter and the hot dogs sitting on the grill in the window

One of the owners was just getting a new batch of coney sauce which was bright red and greasy just like it should be. I ordered mine with everything which is mustard and chopped onions included and was able to put down the dog in a couple bites, these were like slider dogs. I enjoyed it for what it was, just like with loose meats, I just so happen to like Coney's as much for their history as anything else. The dogs are almost always Oscar Meyer like but that's how they've always been. Not for all but something I always get when I see an old shop like this one.


Coney from Milwaukee Wiener House

Just a couple blocks from the Wiener House is Coney Island, it's dueling nemesis in Sioux City where I'm sure there have been many heated arguments over who's Coney is better. So you know I had to check out both.


Since 1921 in Sioux City

I headed over here to see what was up and how the two compared and it was just what I expected and just like so many other Coney spots around the Midwest. This place has actually been all in the family since 1921 and has an interesting history. It's actually famous for their taverns (loose meats) which they actually call taverns. It became so when Ye Olde Tavern, the tavern who's owner is said to create the loose meat sandwich, closed down and the owner of Coney Island who was best friends with the owner of Ye Olde Tavern was given the original recipe.


View as you enter and the hot dogs sitting on the grill in the window

Well as bad as I wanted to try one they were just getting started on making the mixture in back so I only had a Coney which is their other claim to fame. Just like the rest of the spots it came with mustard and chopped raw onions and was good for what it was. The cheap dogs work well with the greasy ground beef sauce and I actually preferred the sauce from Coney Island Wiener House for its spiciness chili flavored factor as opposed to Milwaukee Wiener Houses sweet cinnamon flavor.


Coney dog from Coney Island Wiener House

So after breakfast it was back to the hotel where I watched some Sportscenter as my friend got ready and then we were off to Le Mars, IA located about 40 minutes North of SC and not far off our route to South Dakota so we would be stopping there for early lunch. Le Mars is the self proclaimed ice cream capitol of the world and home to Well's Dairy which is the worlds largest producer for ice cream novelties under one roof and most known for its Blue Bunny ice cream. You can visit a museum with old school ice cream stuff and history for a couple bucks but we passed on that and headed to another roadfood rec'd locals favorite called Bob's Drive In.


Since 1949 in Le Mars, IA

We parked in the gravel lot at this country Drive In similar to so many around the Midwest and the rest of the US. We walked up to the window and took a look at the menu which included the regulars like loose meats and tenderloins as well as plenty of ice cream options. We were there for the loose meat and their most popular item, the Bob dog. Its a natural casing wiener from the local butcher topped with loose meat and the usual dog toppings of ketchup (of course I got mine without), mustard and onions. The loose meat was ok if anything, not much flavor to it at all but it did have a nice fresh baked bun. The hot dog was awesome and an excellent roadfood eat. The loose meat might not of had much flavor but the wiener did and was a-ok by this Chicago boys standards and the bun was great as well. Stop in for one of your ever around, its worth a detour if your a hot dog lover.


Loose meat sandwich from Bob's Drive In


The Bob Dog from Bob's Drive In

So after a light lunch we were off to Sioux Falls, SD for some more stops, so stay tuned. Lunch wasn't light because we ate so much in Iowa in a day and a half but rather because we had some stops I had to visit in Sioux Falls which wasn't far way.

Tastee Inn & Out
2610 Gordon Dr
Sioux City, IA 51106-5728
(712) 255-0857

Miles Inn
2622 Leech Ave
Sioux City, IA‎ 51106-5728
(712) 276-9825‎

Milwaukee Wiener House No 1
309 Pearl Street
Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 277-3449

Coney Island Wiener House
510 Nebraska St
Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 258-7479

Bob's Drive-In
Highway 75 S
Le Mars, IA 51031
(712) 546-5445

that looks really, really good

great post , well done da beef

Beef, IMO your rustbelt adventures are just as enjoyable as, and probably more relevant than,* exotic travelogues posted from the Baltic, the Aegean, the Tasman and the South China seas. Sioux City or Split, LTH has it covered. Another good one.

(*Unlucky me.)

Tastee Inn N Out in Sioux City, in the forgotten northwest corner of Iowa, in a town that used to be much more important.

The Shopper Special on the sign is 12 Tastee Sandwiches, a bucket of fries, and a half gallon of Root Beer for $27.99. If you buy two of these, you get $4.00 off, sounds like a pretty good way to serve a small group of people:


Onion chips, Onion Chips, Onion Chips, these lived up to the hype:


Simple but effective tangy sauce for dipping:


Small sized "Tastee" sandwich, available in packages of two, or twelve at a time:


Multiple sizes of their best-seller are also there, I could eat these all day:


Pictures taken on a nice picnic seating area next to a busy commercial street.

Tastee Inn & Out
2610 Gordon Dr
Sioux City, IA 51106-5728
(712) 255-0857

Wow! Those onion chips look delicious!

Hi,

I was just talking to a food writer in South Dakota, where I learned regional names for the same sandwich:

Iowa: Loose Meat Sandwich

Nebraska: Sloppy Joes or Chili Burgers

South Dakota: Taverns

This woman grew up in Nebraska and has lived in South Dakota for 20 years.

Regards,