We've been wanting to stop and try their tenderloins for a long time! Friday afternoon it happened! Hubby had the special which was a big meal for nine dollars. It was a grilled pork tenderloin with no breading, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. He enjoyed it. I had the pork tenderloin with extra onion. The french fries that came with it were amazing. I also had coleslaw, which was just OK. That comes as a meal. The tenderloin was thick with a nice breading. It ranks up there in tenderloins that I've tasted! The waitress was very attentive. The place is open and kind of plain, with pennants hanging from the rafters. It's an ode to their daughters who play basketball I think. If you like to taste tenderloins, this is certainly a great place to go read more

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I wanted to try their Pork Tenderloin sandwich but wasn't really that hungry, so I shared one with my son. We were the only ones on the restaurant around 1pm on a Saturday. Our server was really kind and welcoming. She took our order in and the sandwich didn't take long to come out at all. The sandwich itself was pretty good. It was big as expected and it came out hot. The breading could have used more seasoning but overall a very filling sandwich. It also came with a side of fries which were just as hot and delicious. The price was very fair I can definitely see myself returning whenever out this way again. read more

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My Hubby schooled me and my parents who live here! We thought Joensy's was only in Solon IA, and he informed us they moved to here years ago. My boys were Joensin' (see what I did there) for a true Iowa pork tenderloin experience, and why not go to the place who pretty much perfected them eons ago. Everyone but my mom got one, and they were spectacular. Us older visitors appreciated the half order, which was just right for us. The fellas got the ones the size of a manhole cover, and yes they finished them. Mom got their hot beef, and I had a very delicious bite. These nice people know how to cook a wonderful Iowa dining experience. read more

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Making the trek from Utah to NY and wanted to grab lunch in Iowa. A little googling and learned that tenderloin sandwiches are THE thing to get in Iowa. Found Joensy's and I am so glad we did! The sandwiches were fun and delicious! Really hit the spot! The owners served us and they were beyond friendly! It was so nice to have a great conversation. Even my shy kids talked to her and after we left commented on how nice they were! The Reasors give this place two big thumbs up and hope their amazing family does well for years to come! Both business and basketball read more

Joensy's Restaurant - Full tenderloin sandwich - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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Fun hang out spot. Very nice owners with a massive tenderloin. Also try the onion rings!

Excellent tenderloin great family owned place. Excellent size and crispness. 1st stop on an impromptu tenderloin tour and they were the best of 6 stops read more

Basic diner style, friendly service. Call ahead and drive up behind building. Big thick tenderloins.

Best and biggest tenderloin in Iowa. I used to go there when it was located in Solon. Same great place with the same management. Nice clean dining area. read more

Stopped in yesterday at 1130, got tenderloins to go. Super fast! Sandwiches were crispy and hot even after I got home! French fries were seasoned, crispy and hot! Coleslaw seemed old? But tasted ok. read more

Joensy's is the place for pork tenderloin sandwiches. Period. They are huge. Simple breading and perfectly fried. The potato fries are delicious. And the prices are very reasonable. If it's quiet chat with the owner about their daughters' basketball lives. Quite amazing. Delightful people. Clearly working to balance family and put out food for their customers. Kind of a snapshot of Iowa.... Others may knock the building or general vibe. But that's all part of the fun for me. Corporate America it's not..... read more

They weren't kidding when they said the pork tenderloin was ginormous. I could only eat a quarter of it and then had to pack up the rest of it for home. Fries were tasty. So was the side of fruit cocktail. Our server was the owner who was super friendly. Will definitely come back again the next time I am in Iowa City. read more

Joensy's Restaurant - Sign out front. Plenty of parking available as well as seating inside. - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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Always good tenderloins. The shakes are probably the best in I.C. Food is always served in a timely manor.

On a road trip and looking for lunch, we intended to stop at the Jimmy John's next door but stumbled on this gem and decided to go in. NO REGRETS! We were greeted by the owners who were the epitome of Midwestern hospitality, and the food was fast, hot, and delicious. My partner had the full tenderloin sandwich and I had the hot half tenderloin, both of which were perfection. Do yourselves a favor and skip the chain sandwich shop and come here instead! read more

The owner lady greeted and cooked our meal. Everything was delicious and the pork tenderloin really is big and freshly prepared to order. The fried made fresh as well. Highly recommended!!! read more

Such an excellent place to eat at. The people were all so friendly. There food is always so delicious and fresh. I love going there to eat!!! read more

Fantastic food, fantastic people running this place! We had multiple tenderloins, and they were awesome! read more

Joensy's Restaurant - Large tenderloin - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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Came for some recommended food before the Penn State night game, was told their food was super good. Well the food was just mehhhh and also the owner kept giving me and my friends really creepy looks....:(. I would just eat next door at Jimmy Johns if you are over this way!!!! Shea VanBuren read more

'Biggest & Best Pork Tenderloins in Iowa' Since this was the only tenderloin that I've had in Iowa, I would have to agree. That being said, put it up against other tenderloins I've had, and it definitely holds it own. Very big, juicy, and the fries are great too. Service was FAST and very friendly. The owner greeted us himself and was very outgoing. I would recommend this place to anyone. Will definitely stop again the next time I'm driving through town. read more

Joensy's Restaurant - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Great people, great place! My new favorite in Iowa City. Came for lunch and enjoyed everything about it. Love the decor.

The famous Joensy's tenderloin has come to Iowa City. The restaurant is good, but the layout is a bit too wide-open. I'd like it to have a bit better layout, that was a bit more intimate. Beer selection is passable (almost completely big-brews). Tenderloin is where it's at, obviously. Best part of my visit was the french fries, though. Those were to die for. Prices are also very reasonable. read more

Joensy's Restaurant - Their famous tenderloin - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Stopped here off the interstate headed home. My husband and I ordered a burger and fries w a side salad. Just water for our drink. Everything was very good! Salad was good with cheese and tomatoes. The ranch dressing was great. The fries were battered and crispy. The hamburger was good and tasted nice and home made. Total was only $23! Would go again and again! read more

What an amazing place. Family owned business since the early 80s, the service was professional, yet very warm and friendly as well. Had a pork tenderloin sandwich and a shrimp basket, which I shared with my brother, and it was way more food than we could eat. I think the tenderloin sandwich was 10.45 with two sides and the shrimp basket was 8.99 with two sides. Take a look at the picture and see the food we got. read more

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Jump off 80, skip Jimmy Johns, and come and try the tenderloin. I give this place a 3.75 stars. My review: I walked in on a Tuesday night at 5:45 PM on my drive home from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids. Had heard about Joensys and thought I'd try out the place. Immediately felt like I was in someone's family room. Not because of the homey decor, but because all but three booths were occupied by young teens doing their homework. I mean one kid per booth, notebooks and laptops scattered the tabletops, headphones and pens, ponytails and sweatpants. A full fledged family study hall happening in this unassuming strip mall fast food made to order casual diner. Sort of weird, sort of charming, sort of uncomfortable, but also so very welcoming too. The hostess owner was warm and friendly and checked in with me often after she took my order, brought me my food in lightening speed and even brought me extra pickles. We small talked and by the end of visit, the place felt homey. My breaded tenderloin was good and the "small" size was big enough. Best part of tenderloin was the breading....excellent. Fries were crispy and slaw was tasty. I can't complain! Pros: Friendly and fast with good, predictable food. Owner was great. Cons: Multiuse space by kids sort of weird (but it is a family business, idk), lettuce on sandwich could have been fresher, place feels a bit disorganized read more

My daughter and i stopped in today while passing through town. I ordered the small tenderloin sandwich and the daughter orderrd the tenderloin stripes off the kids menu. We caught them early in their lunch service so it was no time before our meal hit our table. The sandwich was thin and the breading had a nice crisp to it. Just right in my opinion. We will definitely try to stop in the next time were in the area. read more

Joensy's Restaurant - American Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Very over rated. Who writes these reviews. Family and friends. I had the pork sandwich. It was dry no flavor ... just not good. Brian, was not patient very rude. Does not live up to its advertising. I would NOT recommend this place. read more

Pork loin was HUGE and a great value for the money. Fries were absolutely phenomenal, definitely the best part of the meal. Black bean burger was tasty. Coleslaw was delicious. Will definitely be coming back again!! read more

Saturday night place was empty and the tenderloin I have heard so much about was dry and tasteless. Jimmy johns next Door would have been a better bet. read more

Driving cross country with the entire family because we're moving from California to Wisconsin, and my nieces had to use the restroom. We stopped here to see if they could use their bathroom and who we presume was the owner said it is for customers only, ok fair enough, no problem. He didn't stop there though, he decided to start bad mouthing my nieces, who are CHILDREN, to their own mother! Then he starts bad mouthing my sister-in-law to HER mother saying that she doesn't look like a Trump supporter..??? What do politics have to do with my nieces using the restroom?! Needless to say, we would have happily purchased something in exchange for use of the facilities but instead went to a much more welcoming place across the street and spent our time, energy and MONEY there! Welcome to Iowa! read more

Tenderloin was not at all as good or as big as it is touted. Salad was pretty good but small for the price. Service was very good.

We pulled up to Jimmy John's and boy am I glad they were closed. Joensy's black bean burger is one of the best I've ever had! Highly recommend it! read more

If your choice is to eat here or have dirt for dinner...I'll let you borrow a shovel. This place is horrible! The tenderloin might be worst thing I ever put in my mouth. read more

Their tenderloin did not disappoint! It's huge! It could fit three sets of buns. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. And I like how they have all these different toppings. I had the blue moon. It's good. My only complaint would be since the pork chops are so big, they could've seasoned the breading and the meat a little bit. Salt and pepper would suffice. So that even the parts that doesn't have the toppings would taste good. Very friendly service. Not sure why all these negative comments from the other reviewers. read more

So happy to see Joensy's back. I loved this place when it was in Solon, now it is in Iowa City. The atmosphere is as little different than the old Solon location. The Solon location was more of a dark hole-in-the-wall place, the new location is newer abd brighter. I always get the tenderloin and it is always delicious and always huge. They have lots of fried appetizers, the pickle spears and fried cauliflower are fabulous. The prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly (family owned and operated) and the kids love the free ice cream with the kids meals. read more

The pork tenderloin was huge and great. It included some sweet coleslaw and a side of fries that was out of this world. Would recommend to anyone! read more

Traveling through Iowa city stopped for a quick bite. Food was great and service was super fast. Owner is really friendly and is interested in getting to know his customers. Glad we skipped jimmy johns for Joensy's! Will definitely return. read more

This place use to be in Solon Iowa, the food was bad then but they changed for the better. Great good and wonderful staff.

Yelp said open. Sign on door said open 10-10 on this sat! Went out of our way to try the tenderloin sandwich! It was closed. Locked up! Lights were on? No sign on door saying why? Like will be right back. Lol. No way we will try to stop here next time thru! read more

Huge portions sizes, but perfectly tender and crispy tenderloin! Tried both a sandwich with lettuce, onion and mayo, as well as patty pelt - both delish! Service was quick and friendly! Best meal on our cross country road trip by far. read more

The family went to Joensy's last weekend for lunch. The food was pretty decent. The fries were good and so was the tenderloin. The size did not disappoint. The staff was friendly also. The cook came out to chat with us and we had a nice little conversation. He chatted with the other customers also. Like I said, the food was good. The atmosphere however left a bit to be desired. There was a bad odor when we entered the building. Later discovered that the odor was strongest in the bathroom. One of the booths must double as a office. Stacks of papers and a couple laptops. Stacks of papers and phone books on the bar as well. Another booth was unusable because the table was hanging off the wall. 3rd booth was unusable due to a kid doing homework. Floor may have been swept/mopped a few days ago. Worst part was the chest freezer. Lid didn't appear to close well every time. Lid also didn't appear to have any insulation on it. Hope it keeps temp. Anyway, good food, nice staff, don't look around to much. read more

This was the best home made food I have had in a long time. The kindness of the staff told me they take pride in their food. The hot roast beef with mashed potatoes were just like mom made. I highly recommend Joensey's read more