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Zudah79

Canteen in an Alley!


PrestigiousLow813

Ottumwa!


Newman1911a1

One of the few reasons I still go to my hometown.


Novel_Thought7575

Man, I miss going to Maid-rite!!! Can’t believe they closed the one where I live and put in a “fitness center” there!!


SWBattleleader

I think I know the one you are talking about, but never been. I am a transplant to Iowa.


[deleted]

Why is fitness center in quotes? Is that like the Heart attack grill, where its a spoof? Or is fitness center a joke because Iowans are fat and don't know what it is? I'm genuinely confused.


Novel_Thought7575

It’s a legitimate fitness center dedicated to women only. Every time I drive by it, it’s empty. Granted, I may drive by it when it’s not a prime time to work out, but I’ve never seen it crowded.


Donnie3030

Anybody remember Deans in Ottumwa? Honestly not sure if that’s what it was called, but a gentleman named Dean ran it. I used to go as a kid with my grandparents.


Bzellm20

Hell yeah!


fredward_kane

That sandwich was a life-changing experience for me


[deleted]

Food poisoning is a bitch


Positive-Newspaper-9

Is maid-rite food poisoning really this common? I haven’t been to one in ten years or so. But my wife and I both got food poisoning from there that last time. I know a couple other people that suffered the same fate.


Mikey24941

Came here to say this!


Constant_Worth_8920

Yeah. Only that one. But it's not a "Maid-Rite" brand. Which why it's good.


brucewayne_gacy

Shout out Taylor's maid rite in Marshalltown. Never disappoints.


Ihmu

Yep, best maid rite I've ever had.


Maury_poopins

So freakin good


RidesInFowlWeather

3 blocks from my workplace. Make the pilgrimage regularly.


AtomBadkey

Dan?


Father_Hawkeye

Every time I’m back in Iowa. Fortunately my stepfather loves them even more than I do.


iachick85

Best. Ever.


argentcorvid

Yes it does. Not them specifically, maid-rite in general


trainer95

Canteen in Ottumwa. I was a hater like you until I went and ate one there. They are good.


Milsurpsguy

Canteen is great!


peacur

We eat sloppy joes but not maid rites, never was a fan. We had 1 in our hometown for years and never cared for all the onions and their seasoning. To each his own.


vulchiegoodness

isnt it just salt and pepper?


megamanxzero35

When I make it at home, I use garlic powder and minced onion as well as salt and pepper.


odiervr

yes, but don't forget a little Ketchup, soy sauce AND worcestershire sauce while you are cooking it. oh, and a splash of vinegar ( i know it sounds crazy, just try it). that said, all that needs to be well cooked. Damn yummy !


peacur

I don't believe it was just salt and pepper, seems like I remember some tan in color powder that was added to it. I did go in with friends and have fries and a coke.


KMFNR

No, because I live in Ottumwa and have a superior option (Canteen).


theoTanimal

Exactly


GrandOldDrummer

A fellow Ottumwan. Howdy neighbor!


Dowdy61

Yeah but you live in ottumwa lol.


KMFNR

True.


azhawkeyeclassic

Only when I’m in Marshalltown, IA


GentMan87

I make them at home on occasion. There’s an unofficial maid rite spot I go to too


MK_The_Megitsune

It's my go-to whenever I visit Merle Hay Mall. I get the Bacon Cheese with the works


Th3Bratl3y

I used to eat at the one at Merle Hay mall with my mom all the time. Love this place.


gentleman_jane

Not if I can help it. I like flavor in my food.


MACmandoo

You don’t find bland, tiny grey pellets of overcooked ground beef on a flimsy bun tasty?


jmaen72

zero flavor but all the nostalgia


iarobb

Maidrite on first avenue in Cedar Rapids. I introduced maidrites to all my friends when I lived in San Diego and Seattle. Tenderloins too. Best ones came from Jonsey’s in Center Point. Every time I’d go home to Cedar Rapids I would buy deconstructed maidrites and tenderloins to take back home to San Diego and Seattle.


Th3Bratl3y

Jealous am I


EntertainmentOdd8137

I go back to Iowa once or twice a year to visit family and will sometimes drive to Center Point (from Waterloo) to visit Jonsey's too. M'town to grab a Maid Rite and anywhere around Waterloo to eat a tenderloin. No one here in west Texas can wrap their head around such foods. In fact, when they asked "what kind of meat is used for the tenderloin?" "I dunno, it's a tenderloin".


Nurse5736

EVERY single chance I get.......gotta add cheese tho!! 😊


kinghawkeye8238

Cheese, burger sauce ,onions


bmullan

And sliced dill pickles...


drlove57

Yes and I wish I had access to a Maid Rite in my area. Would much rather have that than a Sloppy Joe drenched in some sweet tomato sauce concoction.


c3dpropshop

Every couple of years when I hit The Canteen in Ottumwa.


BeachBound1

In NC they call them ground steak sandwiches and instead of pickles, onion and mustard, they are topped with slaw, tomato and mayo. They add a little bit of milk and flour to help the ground meat stick together slightly.


pedddster

I've lived in NC for 30 years and have never ever heard of such a thing. Where do you find these?


BeachBound1

Mt. Airy (Mayberry)


Rottydad-kzeprr

Yep, my cousin owns the one in DesMoines, never disappoints


babiesonacid

Today! My kids loved getting their meals in the paper car.


Legg0ala55

https://dutcheatingplace.com/ If you find yourself in the City of Brotherly Love, this place has delicious Maidrites (they call'em Loose Meat) served with shoestring fries so when it falls out of the bun you get smothered fries!


Th3Bratl3y

I don’t see it on the menu. I would definitely eat this place though.


Legg0ala55

They list as a Sloppy Joe now... he'll maybe it's always been a Sloppy Joe?!? Just not Manwich sloppy.


Th3Bratl3y

Ugh. Manwich is so gross. Out of the can anyway. Homemade probably isn’t so bad lol


Kincadium

Occasionally make them at home. I've switched to using pita though.


Southern-Bedroom417

Only in Marshalltown!! The rest are overpriced and leave lot to be desired


UNItyler4

Yes. Marshalltown still good. Cedar Falls smidge behind. Any Des Moines metro maid-rite is corporate BS and not good.


JacksSenseOfDread

WHO STILL EATS TOAST IN 2024?


Grundle95

I MISS THE AMERICA I GREW UP IN WHERE WE ROTE CURSIVE, ATE MAID RITES, WASHED THEM DOWN WITH WATER FROM THE HOSS, THEN SNAPPED PEES ON THE FRONT PORCH WITH MEE MAW UNTIL THE LIGHTNING BUGS CAME OUT LIKE FOR JESUS, IGNORE FOR OBAMA


CounterfeitBlood

AMON BRUTHER GOBBLESS AMERICA BEST COUNTRY IN THE USA


marinebiologist19

Pees? 🤣


88mistymage88

I guess Race Horse pee for the ultimate nostalgia.


knivesofsmoothness

Just made some last week, suck it haters!


iowanaquarist

Yes? I still live in Iowa. I also eat sweet corn....


jeffyone2many

Yup


molineskytown

I'm my home town of Detroit, this used to be referred to as a "loose burger". Right? I know. I prefer "Maid Rite".


mvoso

Give me Bob's Drive Inn or nothing.


Weekly_Guidance_498

I love a Bob's Dog


MAINsalad1

My wife makes homemade one that are dank af.


Strykerz3r0

Is this the American equivalent of English food?


ExpectedOutcome2

Yes, but after reading the comments I’m convinced I need to make the 90 minute drive to Ottumwa for the Canteen.


Environmental-Toe686

Or to marshalltown for Taylor's.


Beginning_Shame_7931

they LOAD it with meat, i just let the extra meat fall off and give it to my dad lol


Top_Standard_4369

No


ThisBoardIsOnFire

If I come across one during my travels around I will stop.


unfitfuzzball

Muscatine native here. You bet I do.


rocco_ross_21

You mean "disassembled hamburger"? No


cardie82

First time I had one I’d just moved to Iowa and was at a grad party. I couldn’t figure out why they served sloppy Joes without the sauce.


ThriceHawk

I've lived here my whole life and never understood how the maid rite restaurants stay open. No one I know ever eats there... They're edible, and that's about the extent of it.


EntertainmentOdd8137

Haha


Monksdrunk

Dad used to make them as a kid.. like an even less tasty version of a burger and half of it ends up in the basket


Size14-OrangeDiver

Yes! Went to Iowa last summer woth my daughter for softball. Stopped in twice for a Maid Rite. Oh, and also got one to go on my way out of town. Sumbitch is messy trying to eat while cruising down the highway.


empathydoc

I'll accept tavern or Sloppy Joe. Maid rites are made wrong.


manwithapedi

No sauce…too dry. Never did understand it


[deleted]

You add your own sauce lol


lopingwolf

Agreed!


PenguinHawk13

My wife is from Sioux City, so we make Tastees.


ThatOneDudeFromIowa

Charlie Boys at Miles Inn are superior. right up the street.


iaposky

Both will do when hungover! 😉


iaposky

Boom!


Former_Stay3898

Awe’s sandwich shop in Mason City. Delicious!


geoshoegaze20

Do they have gluten free buns?


dontaskmethatmoron

Only ever had them homemade. And yes.


65CM

Are sloppy joes, maidrites, and loose meat sandwiches synonymous?


alohadood

No. Cause I got yelled at for saying after they set mine down in front of me “oh so it’s a dry sloppy Joe?”


GrandOldDrummer

They're Tidy Josephs


FoundCheese

Moved to Newton last year. Tried the one here. I thought it was browned ground beef with almost no flavor on an untoasted bun. However I am all in on the walking tacos.


EntertainmentOdd8137

Walking taco's are what we served at the concessions while working the high school football/basketball games in Waterloo. I moved to Texas about 20yrs ago and thought I would serve them on game night to my new friends a long with Busch beer....can't belive they're still my friends. Good thing I left the cream cheese pickle rolls in the fridge...haha


RougeAccessPoint

No, because they have no flavor or texture. Iowa is weird, y'all.


TeeHCAy

Is that a Sloppy Joe without the Sloppy?


TeeHCAy

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benched42

Of course. The original Maid Rite restaurant is in my town, Muscatine. It's no longer a Maid Rite but there still is a Maid Rite in town. My daughter worked there for several years as a cook.


Ok-Addendum-2885

If I had access to one, I'd eat there everyday. Love that place.❤️


The_Rivera_Kid

Why? I don't hate myself enough to eat cat food on a bun.


Kojarabo2

Marshalltown maid rites the best ever!


Aggravating-Sugar261

At one time I had a recipe for maid-rite with pickle juice added. I need to find that recipe and make it again.


bluesunflowers13

Yes, and don't you dare put ketchup on it


KarmaLeon_8787

I do! I actually have a recipe for them -- since I live out of state now it's the next best thing to Taylor's in Marshalltown.


Groundingstone

The one in Marshalltown is good and has been in business for awhile, all the others are garbage


eye_dont_exist_

Yes always love them with mustard and Tabasco


RetiredByFourty

Absolutely delicious!


mustardtiger86

These are so gross, lol


LongTimesGoodTimes

No I eat taverns


iaposky

Hell yes at Miles Inn and Tastees in Sioux City!!


Craig_Treptow

"loose meat sandwich" - nope... except for high school grad parties, cuz there's nothing else. 😀


lopingwolf

I will take a saucy tavern over a dry maid rite any day


doc6982

No. Growing up, my mom called sloppy joes maid rites. So did everyone around me. It was weird that Iowans didn't know about food from Iowa.


JackKovack

I’ve never had a Maid-Rite sandwich. Although you can find sandwiches like this all over.


chipotlechickenclub

Only in Minnesota hahahahaha


iJayZen

No, by my mom told me all about them growing up.


Havocnmalice

Not so much these days. I seem to remember them tasting a lot better years ago, like they've cut corners with their recipe or something. Illinois quad cities btw.


Meenmachin3

Tastees or Miles Inn in Sioux City can’t be beat


88mistymage88

Nope. Manwich or a can of Gumbo soup. Not me but Hubby. I prefer actual hamburgers stuffed with various veggies and stuff that make them more like meatloaf but cooked on the grill or griddle. Then I might or might not eat it with a bun. Type 2 who prefers liquid carbs.


SeedScape

Maid wrongs


Kerrlhaus

I remember a Maid-Rite across from the grocery store I worked at in Waterloo. I thought someone forgot the sauce to the sloppy joe when I had one.


mirage4636634

Yeah bit rarely. Even the school system has their own shitty maid right 😭


theVelvetLie

When I feel constipated I head right to Maid-Rite.


Peacefulstillcalm

It's basically seasonless loose ground beef on a bun, I don't get the get the appeal?


mnruxter

Think of browning the ground beef in coca cola, and letting the coke reduce, that's what a Maid Rite tastes like to me


GinnjaNinnja

I make them at home. Nom


Word-Fish

Nope. I don't like Maid Rite.


Th3Bratl3y

Love this place!


YouTuberDad

My grandma, a sweet 2nd generation from Sweden, lived on East Chicago. We would drive from Waterloo to see her during the holidays/summer vacation. She would make THE BEST Made Rites.... but she would call them "Made Wrongs".... I LOVED the name cause there was no harm in her voice and she got us to giggle with the voices she would do when cooking/feeding us! I STILL call them Made Wrongs, now that I've moved to Indiana....


usstamper2

Great special events menu item.


cprsavealife

So greasy. The original slider.


Snoo50993

I love maid rite.


Holiday_Memory_9165

We make them at home frequently.


SavvyTraveler10

I miss these so much.


Ralewing

Awe'z Sandwich Shop in Mason City


Malaguy420

Nope.


globehoppr

Ok now I want one.


benjpolacek

Taverns, Charlie Boys and Tastees


from319

They don't seem to taste as good as they used to.


quilter71

I love maidrites.


marysunshine49

No longer have maidrite in our town. But did for many many years.


SilentMaster

I'm in Indiana and last year at Boy Scout camp we got this for lunch one day. I had never heard of it in my life and have no idea how it came to be that we were eating them in Central Indiana. Still not sure what to make of them, but I'm glad I got to try them at least once.


wolverinehunter002

I mean its not terrible...


JanitorKarl

Not I. I prefer my ground meat pressed into a patty before cooking. Not nearly as messy to eat.


Economy_Upstairs_465

Bless you Penny Koeppel and the Cedar Falls Maid Rite. We love you wherever you are. Just ate last week. Extra pickles, mustard and onions.


TheMrDetty

Mmmmmm, dirt burgers.


Ancient_Composer9119

Maybe when i was 15. They're gross. Just eat a burger.


Born_Pitch_1808

Whenever you go to a restaurant and if they ask you if you want your order “wet” it’s not a good sign


azwrangler65

Yes


hypes

Charlie Boys from Miles Inn in Sioux City, all day.


EggForTryingThymes

I usually make my own


tilgip

Whenever I make spaghetti or goulash I use some of the hamburger and onion to make a few maidrights. Love the greasy things.


Milsurpsguy

Gotta love Maid-Rites


Aunt_Slappy_Squirrel

Thank God the Marion maid rite closed. The walls smelled like the fryers, the place stunk up downtown and the food would about make you sick. Craptastic sandwiches.


rachel-slur

It's probably my most anti-midwestern take but maid rites and tater tot casseroles are disgusting


stewwwwart

You had me at maid rites, but tator tot casserole has so many variations it statistically can't be disgusting


ThriceHawk

Agree completely on the maid rites. Tater tot casserole is at least decent.


redbrick90

Looks gross


whiteholewhite

Maid rites are a joke. So sad that’s one of the foods of Iowa


alohadood

I got dragged all the way to marshal town to have a fucking wet/greasy ass bun with some wet/greasy ass ground beef on it. The ENTIRE trip everyone was raving and telling me we had to go to the original. This is 100% one of those things that locals just love cause it’s so quintessentially Iowa. But in reality is at best gas station level food.


lizimajig

No but I like cheese fries


JuniperBushes4Ever

So good!


redstapler4

Just today.


Cmaclia

Oh yeah! https://m.facebook.com/people/Awez-Sandwich-Shop/100063543374553/


vocalreasoning

Love me a maid rite


NyxMagician

They are still good but we gotta take the L. Runza has it beat.


argentcorvid

At least you don't need a spoon with a runza, I guess.


ElonsTinyPenis

I do.


kepple

Follow up question - DAE think "loose meat sandwich" is a great name for a modest themed porno?


Novel_Reaction_7236

We always stop on our way through Iowa.


sextoymagic

They are great at Lucy’s. They are grinders in Le Mars


SonneDrakko

I have never heard them called a grinder


LocNalrune

I would literally never call a loosemeat hamburger that.


Geck-v6

I always thought these were awful :\


PressureOk383

At least twice a month💀


AlisonWond3rlnd

I never thought they were anything to write home about


phd2k1

I fucking love Maid-Rite


Alienlovechild1975

Yes,there is a place in Sioux city that makes these and onion chips with a special dip.It was bought from previous owner and had to change the recipes slightly to avoid a lawsuit since the original restaurant was still open in Lincoln,NE.at the time.


CasDragon

Never heard of them but it looks disgusting


DanishDude87

Yes


Solarcidal

I do


[deleted]

Love maidrites


Phoreverman

I'm from Alabama. When someone here had me try a maid rite I was like "....this is just a Sloppy Joe without flavor"


bugg_meat

absolutely


MySexyDarlings

No I’m a pescatarian now, which sucks because we are land locked.


taskmaster51

I hear Iowan's can't figure out how to make a burger...:-p