Is this absolutely MY best (aka favorite) burger...? Is it the best burger I've personally had in Iowa...? Probably not. BUT it is the best burger I've ever had out of a gas station in Iowa...! Actually... I'm not exactly sure which way this place actually goes... Is this a gas station that sells food... Or a restaurant that sells gas? Potato...potatoe! Lol And it IS a very good burger overall too...! But not only do they serve burgers... They have other menu selections... Mostly all deep fried and grill options... And ice cream! I've seen signs for Iowa's Best Burger Cafe for years while running back and forth on I-80 from the Des Moines metro... Kellogg is about halfway between Newton and Grinnell. We've never stopped here until this past weekend when we were on our way home from the What Cheer IA flea market... Iowa's Best Burger Cafe is just off the highway... The first thing I noticed as the GPS said our route was about to end... It looked like it ended at an Amoco gas station... Huh? And then I noticed the signage for the Iowa's Best Burger Cafe on the building... Oh... So we're here...? Not exactly what I expected..., but I eat at food trucks too so it wasn't going to stop me. I did glance at my girlfriend to see if I could tell whether she was feeling it or not... I think she was just really hungry at that point and didn't really care. Lol There's ample parking. As you enter the building it kind of looks like a standard gas station convenience store...until you turn and look to your Right. Red plastic booth seating. There are two counters and a case that sit adjacent to one another. The counter you order at also displays the ice cream. There's a case displaying some ready to eat options. The register is on a shorter counter closest to the entrance. It's an open kitchen. There is also another small room of seating further to the left as you face the counters. The tables are kind of faux marble. Napkins, salt, pepper, ketchup, and mustard are available in each booth. We were greeted as we walked and I let them know it was our first time there and we didn't know the drill. They let us know you order standing there at the counter. Take a seat. They bring the food out to you when it's ready. You pay at the register when you are done. Cash or card...and there is an ATM on site. They bus your table. There are a couple of menu placards on the counter where you place your order... The 16 flavors of ice cream selection are plainly labeled. The two ladies behind the counter were very helpful and were both personable! We ordered: 2x half pound burger combos (one with cheese, bacon, onions and pickles and one with cheese, onions, pickles, mayo, and lettuce) 1x upgraded side to garlic mushrooms 1x upgraded side to onion rings 2x fountain drinks (Coke products...comes with combo) 1x mozarella sticks 1x two scoop bowl of ice cream 1x single cone of ice cream The wait for food wasn't long. Everything was served hot and fresh! They'd asked us if we wanted ranch... My girlfriend always wants ranch! Not only did they bring us ranch... They brought us a HUGE squeeze bottle of ranch! This is how every restaurant should bring you ranch! While we dined in (as did a couple of other customers) most of the business appeared to be take out. One pro tip... The standard half pound burger comes with two patties. I heard a customer ask a guy, at the booth next to her, how many patties he had on his burger... Huh? He had four patties on his burger... A full pounder! So there has to be a way to add an additonal patty (or patties) too... If you want a bigger burger... Ask...! The bathrooms...not horrible. The food was all great. Good service. No complaints. I wouldn't hesitate to stop in here again! And I know what to expect next time...! read more

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Super cute pit stop when passing through. Highly recommend. Friendly staff, good food and hefty snack selections! read more

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Reviewing the ice cream, not the burgers: The ice cream here is phenomenal! Really delicious, creamy ice cream that the girl told me comes from "somewhere in Wisconsin." My chocolate peanut butter was perfect! It's rare that I come across a truly great chocolate peanut butter and this is one of those places!!! My oldest daughter's rocky road was also excellent, mainly because the texture was very nutty with small amounts of marshmallow. My middle daughter had the chocolate and she said it was good. My youngest had the cookies and cream and both her and my husband said it was super creamy and delicious! The girl that waited on us was super polite and lovely. The ambiance in the little truck stop is great and inviting, with families and couples waiting for their burgers. I will definitely stop again for ice cream when driving down 80! read more

What a welcome respite from the never ending fast food chains. Great food. We had 1/2 lb cheese burgers with everything. Fresh LTO. And fries. Made to order. Eat inside or at the picnic tables outside. Surrounded by farm. One of the better meals we had on a 10 day trip to Wyoming. I usually pack a lunch but not today. So glad we wandered by. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - Iowas Best Burger Cafe does not disappoint. - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa

A rather bold name choice, but honestly it's the best burger I've had in Iowa. Might be the only burger I've had in Iowa though. They have stamped postcards that they will mail for you, the sell duct tape (only Black), and they have clean rest rooms. They also sell gasoline, and these were the things I needed on my way from Des Moines to Rantoul, Illinois. Yes, I needed a good burger and fries, stamped postcards that someone would mail for me, a clean restroom, duct tape (black), and also a cup of coffee. It was a fun road stop, the people working here are friendly and efficient. They also have ice cream, which I most certainly didn't need because I'm lactose intolerant, diabetic, and on a road trip, but I had some anyway. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa

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The name of this place should not be. Patties are probably $1 in reality. Me and my girlfriend are both sick and it happend not long after we left this place. The people are nice, I feel bad that they work there though. I'm not a big complainer myself, but I have a 102° fever please do better. Expecailly if you put "best" before your burgers. read more

Great hamburger and onion rings. A free beverage. I camped at the on-site campground several times. I definitely highly recommend this place. As soon as I get my motorhome back from storage I'll be back read more

Good option versus fast food but certainly not the best burger In Iowa by a long shot. Clean restaurant that is part of the gas station right off I-80. Had the 1/4 pound burger with cheese, came with fries and a drink for under 10 bucks which is a deal these days. Everything was prepared nicely but the burger meat lacked flavor. I'm guessing it is a frozen patty. I also tried a toffee milk shake that lacked much toffee flavor. If it was supposed to be a vanilla shake it would have been fine. read more

Amazing ice cream! Flavors you would have never thought of. The lemon crumble was fantastic! Size small was like two scoops.

Iest we recall this is a truck stop cafe. This is a truck stop cafe. With that sad the fast food menu is awesome with nifty burgers and real Iowa tenderloins. nice hard ice cream menu as well. Plenty of seating outdoors amongst the sheltered picnic tables overlooking scenic Interstate 80 or you can squeeze into one of the booths inside. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa

Food was good and prices were not much more than a regular grocery store. Scott cares so much for his customers when he didn't have laundry detergent he went to his house for some at no charge. It's well manicured grounds and cleanliness was superb. By far one of the best stops on our 3000 mile trip! read more

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To name a place like this you better have the best burgers in the state! I don't know if they actually do but I do know my half pounder was perfect in every way. It wasn't that I was starving but I do believe it was gone within a minute or two. Just delicious. This is one of those circumstances where you see the usual chains and then this guy down the road. We needed another 20 miles or so to ensure we wouldn't need to refill again so we pushed for it with our fingers crossed and trusting all the Yelp reviews. Everyone came through and this was the best choice of the trip. Don't make this the deal breaker but, for those whom this matters, this is a Pepsi shop and not a Coke shop. I sucked it up and dealt with it (pun intended). read more

This is Iowas best burger cafe.......it has been confirmed. Don't look elsewhere just eat here.

Our family stops here often when traveling home from Iowa City or Cedar Rapids. The food is always fresh and exceptional. So much better than the fast food chains. Service is always friendly and fast. They have done a nice job expanding their dinning room to add more seating so you can sit down and enjoy with your family. And if their amazing cheeseburgers and cheese balls don't fill you up, save room for their great selection of ice cream! Our kids love it!!! We love this place and consider it one of the hidden gems in Iowa! We will be back, again and again!!! read more

#59-2021 The Iowa best burger and Cafe located at the old gas station stop over outside of Newton Iowa on interstate 80 approximately 45 minutes east of Des Moines. About the turn of the century circa 99 in the 2000 they put a campground in here which stays full a lot some people like staying here. The little gas station is just basically like a KOA store you walk in there they got soda they got beer and they got snacks and that's about it it's very small. Real Cafe is hooked right up you walk right in and there it is. I haven't been here and probably close to at least 3 years or more usually when I'm trucking across 80 and they're either not open yet or they're closed. They still close at 9:00 p.m. this is such a small town in the middle of nowhere once you get off the interstate Kellogg's about a mile up the road but it's one of those towns where they roll up the sidewalks at night. Walking in I was greeted and perused the little menu they have and decide to go with an old-fashioned big half-pound burger bacon cheese lettuce tomato ketchup mustard no pickle or onion. And the diet Pepsi fries with no salt. they doing four of no refills on drinks you 50 cents I said fine whatever. Was definitely nice and clean everything was wiped down small and quaint dining room always has been they do not open for breakfast. Okay the nasty cans. Could definitely do a little better bathroom detail indeed. They are unisex bathrooms one horse stalls lock the doors. although they were kind of skunky and funky. Luckily I just had to whizzarino had I needed to have a seat I would have trucked up to loves 5 miles down the road LOL. They have basic sandwiches I think next time I come through I may either try the pork tenderloin or the Iowa pork chop it sounded pretty good if it's open when I'm coming through here they have shakes and mulch and soft serve ice cream they now also have fresh made deli sandwiches better available too made on site. My burger came out I was very impressed half pound two patties quarter pound patties stacked with everything I wanted on it. was delicious nice and juicy couldn't complain there the fries crinkle fries with no salt or excellent too just like I remembered it's all in all my visit was really satisfying for what it was and I left with a happy tummy ready to roll some miles. Was a about 90 almost summer day temperature wise but the good thing was the air conditioners do a great job it was very nice cool and comfortable in there also. read more

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It is everything they said it was. Small great burger and fry place with ice cream and homemade milkshakes.

Food was amazing! Great location with a man made lake to look at. Right off the highway. I got a Cobb salad and it's was probably the biggest one I've ever had. Highly recommend! read more

My boys and I were heading west on 80 through Iowa and I began to Yelp looking for a little place to stop and grab something on the way through. Found this little joint and had to give it a try. It's conveniently right off the interstate however you would never know it's here. I gave them a call and ask them to recommend to me a couple burgers. My plan was to order ahead to grab and pick up as we got gas and then head out. Found out that the actual spot is inside a gas station. So very convenient, I needed gas anyhow. It is definitely a dive, a little grease joint. But it has a lot of history. That said, they can clean it up a bit. The burgers are basic. You can get it with everything on it meaning lettuce, tomatoes,pickles ketchup.... and they had a few different choices of cheese I believe American, Swiss or pepper Jack. But other than that no specialty burgers. Which is fine, I mean really, what are you expecting it is a gas station. Got our gas and went inside to pay and grab our burgers. I called 20 minutes prior to us getting there and ordered ahead giving them our eta. Apparently I should've said can you not put the burgers on for at least 10 minutes, everything was cold, my boys didn't even touch the fries. So the burgers. I definitely would not call them Iowas best burgers. But that said they were good, even cold. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - Iowas best burger at a gas station? We shall see! - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa

Always very quick service. Food quality is great for the price. I always take the food to go but there is indoor and outdoor seating. Along with the food, they also have great ice cream! read more

What a great find for a late afternoon lunch! We saw the sign for this spot a couple miles out and it seemed like a place worth checking out! It's located inside a gas station and has a surprising amount of seating for the size of the place. It's operated by a very nice bunch who are definitely excited about what they're doing! The burger we had was solid, but the best part of our meal was the tenderloin! They advertise that it's "not made with fritters", but rather from true pig and it tastes the part! Not gigantic, but good size and seriously good. Fries were excellent and the ice cream was solid with 16 flavors available! Currently they have the "Samson" challenge which is a journey that includes two quad burgers and fries in 30 minutes. Your treasure is a t-shirt and getting your name on the wall of fame! Overall, a great place to stop for a quick lunch when traveling on I-80! You won't be disappointed! read more

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Forgot to add the pictures when I stopped by going on the last trip. The prices reflect the last year of inflation but are comparable to other restaurants. The burger was cooked how I like it and the toppings added to the flavor. The fries were good and the amount was fine for me. We will be stopping again soon. read more

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Great burgers. Honestly they are a frozen patty, but the prep makes them great. Slightly crisp on outside, tender and flavorful on inside. Stop by. Worth it. read more

It's definitely not iowas best burger cafe. Well maybe the name that's it. The place is clean. The cook is rude. I asked a few questions and was met with a snappy reply . Like she's tired of answering questions . Ordered a pizza burger. Came out with a tenderloin piece of meat , lettuce, onion and pickle. It was good but no where near pizza anything . Fries was nice and crispy .. ordered a burger.. frozen patty .. no seasoning.. barely done. Nothing special .. ordered mushrooms.. for $4 + tax I figured I would have gotten more than 9 . Then charged us $5.99 for mozzarella sticks which we didn't order! They taste like fish.. so I won't be back. First impression was I'll go to sonic or somewhere down the road before I stop here again. Rude people ! Their menu prices are different then what your are charged . You have been warned ! read more

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Best burgers for sure ! Cheap prices. Small little diner in a gas station. But we'll worth stopping there ! French Fries and cheese balls were good, ranch dressing for dipping was awesome. read more

So, with a name like this, one has to make the effort to see whether there is any credence to this claim. As you may have noticed, I gave this place 3 stars primarily because the burger I received wasn't Iowa's Best. Maybe the best in Kellogg, or within 20 miles, but most assuredly not the best in all of Iowa! After placing my order, much to my dismay, I noticed they grabbed a frozen patty and inserted it the "charbroil" machine. I had hoped they would've grabbed a ball of fresh ground beef with special seasonings and fashioned it into Iowa's Best. In any case, it wasn't that bad, I'm guessing that it's the same patty DQ uses as it tastes very similar. I will be back, as I do want to try the BBQ beef. It is kind of a cool place as divey hamburger joints go. Really hoped that this would have been what it claimed but it was not, least in my opinion. read more

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I am completely perplexed by the stellar reviews of the food here. Maybe the owners have a lot of friends? Service is great and very friendly, but the food is exactly what it would seem to be - gas station food. Although it doesn't sit, pre-made, under a hot lamp like large chain gas stations, it's still pretty bland and plain. The burgers taste very similar to Burger King, but the patties are thinner (not ideal). The fries are sub par. My children (not picky eaters) hated their chicken strips. It's quaint and the prices are decent, but there is absolutely nothing that distinguishes this food from a school cafeteria. Nothing. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - 1/4 burger. Pretty standard. - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa

I have driven by this place so many times but circumstances were never right to stop. This time on my way from Central Iowa to Chicago, I made it happen. By now everyone knows this is a grill/diner in a gas station. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you at your table. I ordered a double burger with cheese. The double is two ¼ lb patties. I was disappointed. I expected someone to be hand making lumps of ground beef and smashing them on the flattop. Instead I received two perfectly round pre-made hockey pucks of beef from an institutional restaurant supply house. I say this honestly, these are not really that distinguishable from McDonalds or Burger King. It was juicy and greasy and really not bad, just not the homemade burger I was expecting. I also ordered coleslaw. I sat down and became engrossed in something while the burger was being cooked. A guy brought a small cardboard serving tray of something to my table and I honestly could not remember what I had ordered that this could be. I could not identify it by sight. It turned out to be my slaw. I could not see any cabbage in the pool of dressing. I am not exaggerating. This was actually dressing with a tiny bit of carrot, lots of celery seed and a few shreds of cabbage. It was inedible. Given a choice, I will stop here rather than the aforementioned fast food joints, but I would not drive far out of my way to do it. I'm sure that people like the idea of a little local place that is not a chain. I understand that and am the same way. There was just nothing special about what I had that day. read more

Interesting stopover most clients for lunch are farmers and agricultural workers All with suntan and hats Let's see how's the hamburger?? C. read more

Hidden in this little Phillips 66 is a great little, hometown feel restaurant. I'm a truck driver and sick to death of the 2-3 options to eat at truck stops. Iowa's Best Burger Cafe hit the spot today! There is a handful of parking spots for your rig. The service was fast and friendly. Everything on their small menu sounded great but I opted for a bacon burger, fries and a ice cream. The burger meat was excellent. The bacon was perfect. The ice cream they sell is delicious. Given it's location, it gets a 5 star review from me. Give it a try. read more

Fast, convenient and very courteous! Got d food at a great price. We had cheeseburgers and fries. Tasty!

Very clean and friendly staff. I stopped by here while driving through the area and would definitely stop here again if I drive past in the future. read more

Best little burger cafe. Hits the spot. Great food. Excellent ice cream and Shakes. A must atop along I-80!!

Regular 1/4# hamburger did not disappoint but their tenderloin sandwich was awesome. I think it was $6 for the sandwich fresh fries and a 20oz soda. Perfect for a quick bite to eat, very fast service. Will definitely be marking it as a favorite in my maps to visit in the future read more

Pretty good burger and a clean place to eat. Yes its at a gas station. But its still good grub. I got a cheeseburger with crispy fries and a full tank of fuel. read more

I've been driving back and forth on interstate 80 for over 5 years and kept seeing the sign for IA's Best Burger Cafe. Each pass of the sign I made a mental note to try here, and today I finally did. I've been been missing out! Pulling up to the restaurant, which is basically a small counter in a very small gas station, I was unsure of my choice. Walking in I was greeted with friendly and prompt service. Being my first time I went with the staples: cheeseburger, fries, and cole slaw. The warm food was cooked to order, with fresh fried fries. The burger was perfectly cooked on a well seasoned flat top. The bun had a crusty exterior which added a nice extra bite. Cole slaw was good, but I'll try other sides in the future. My meal with a drink, and the extra side was a little over $9! read more

I've been eating at this place for over 13 years!! Such a great place to eat!!! Definitely affordable and very tasty!! The corn nuggets are a MUST have when coming to eat here!! Don't forget to get some ice cream!! read more

Stopped by for an early dinner after driving past for years on I-80. We are so glad we did. The burger had great flavor and was cooked perfectly. The fries and corn nuggets were delicious. The gentleman working was incredibly nice. We will definitely be back. read more

Best food reasonable priced dip ice cream. Best burgers and Tenderloin great fries. Right off I-80 at exit 173. Well worth the stop

I saw a road sign as we were eastbound on I-80 for the self-proclaimed "Iowa's Best Burger Cafe." I thought to myself, "I'll be the judge of that thank you very much." After some smooth talking to my brother we decided to stop in to this conveniently located burgerstand / gas station. There's a lot of history here. This place is worn. Looks like the last refurb was in the late 70s. Wood paneling, formica you know what I am talking about. But it's well lit, clean and bright. The menu here is extremely limited. They stick with the fare that makes them famous: burgers, fries onion rings, soda and ice cream, and other popular favorites that you'll find at any fast-food stand. Place your order and find a seat. They'll tender place the beef patties on a incendiary conveyor belt to be coated in tasty flames. I had the double cheese burger and onion rings, with a soda. The burger was served on a big soft roll with fresh toppings. This is an awesome burger. It has a great authentic flame-kissed taste. Due to the demise of Sizzlin' Sams in Newton I would advise for traffic on the way to the eastern part of Iowa to try this wonderful little place out for a great burger. read more

This is located in a gas station however the food was decent. I liked how they serve charbroiled burgers. The fries were not too out of the ordinary, just plain crinkle cut, but they also serve ice cream in many flavors and shakes. The burgers are not huge but its enough to fill me up. Keep in mind I only got a quarter pounder. read more

Iowa's Best Burger Cafe - #2 - 1/4 pounder charbroiled with crinkle cut fries and a medium drink. - Burgers Near Me - Kellogg, Iowa