Taylor's Maid-Rite, Loosemeat Since 1928 — Marshalltown IA

Of all the loosemeat specialists scattered throughout America's heartland, Taylor's Maid-Rite in Marshalltown, Iowa is one of the oldest. The original Taylor's opened in 1928 (Maid-Rite started in Muscatine two years earlier), though the current building dates to 1958.



It's a large, airy room with about two dozen stools at a U-shaped counter.



That's the heart of the operation—the loosemeat cooker. Buckets of freshly-ground beef are dumped into the hot trough and vigorously chopped to a fine pebbly texture.



A meat dam separates the raw and the cooked.



Taylor's menu is simple—little more than loosemeat sandwiches, chili, malts and pie. Chili is classic tomato-and-bean-heavy Midwestern style, clearly made in house.



I enjoyed my Maid-Rite and thought it better than most loosemeat sandwiches (though admittedly I haven't noticed a large difference between the best and worst I've eaten, and I remain somewhat puzzled by the whole genre).




If you're looking for loosemeat, you might as well go to a place that does it properly and has some real history.

Taylor's Maid-Rite
106 S 3rd Av
Marshalltown IA
641-753-9684
http://www.maidrite.com/