These pork tenderloin sandwiches are ridiculously large, and ridiculously delicious

Jess Fleming, Pioneer Press
·3 min read

This story begins a year before the pandemic, when girlfriends and I took a road trip to Iowa.

We were there to attend a fancy fundraising dinner, but while we were there, we kept hearing about the state’s comically enormous pork tenderloin sandwiches.

So of course, we had to make a sojourn to find one, and it turned out to be quite the adventure. We drove down a winding, rural road, ending with a long gravel driveway and a shack of a riverside restaurant named Butch’s, which sadly closed during the pandemic.

We were rewarded with a dinner-plate-sized slab of pork that had been pounded thin and fried until crisp and that was wearing a squishy bun like a hat. It was so comically gigantic that we split it four ways. It was memorable in looks, but also in pure, porky flavor.

I have since learned that these sandwiches, which have a cult following, are definitely a thing in the southern Midwestern states — Iowa, yes, but also Indiana and Missouri.

As with anything that has a passionate fanbase, there is a Facebook page. It’s called Pursuing Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, and it has more than 65,000 members.

Until recently, these sandwiches were all but nonexistent in the Twin Cities. But over the past year, several restaurants have started offering them, and to my delight, they’re as good or better than the one I remember tasting at Butch’s.

Here are four spots where you can sample one, too, and here’s hoping more chefs decide hop on the pork tenderloin sandwich train.

Chip’s Clubhouse

Chef Gina Mangiameli grew up in Indiana, where pork tenderloins are easy to find. Still, the chef, who held some pretty high-profile kitchen positions in Chicago, hadn’t tried her own hand at one until recently.

Mangiameli was surprised by just how much effort it takes to make the sandwiches. It takes them about an hour to pound out one tenderloin, which yields about 8-10 patties.

“It’s a labor of love, for sure,” she said.

That labor pays off with a dinner-plate-sized, crispy outside, tender inside pork cutlet, topped with cabbage slaw and a mustardy aioli. And the tiny-in-comparison squishy bun is just right.

$15.95; 272 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; 651-330-1617; visitchips.com

Inver Grove Brewing

This suburban brewpub serves a lot of really great bar food, and the giant, perfectly crisped pork tenderloin sandwich is no exception. Someone in the kitchen has clearly been to the pork-tenderloin promised land.

This beauty is served with a zippy dijon mayo, lettuce and tomato for freshness, a handful of tart dill pickle chips, a soft bun and a side of tasty, house-cut fries. It’s a totally shareable dinner, great when washed down with one of the pub’s delicious, house-brewed beers.

$14; 9051 Buchanan Trail, Inver Grove Heights; 651-370-1565; igbrewing.com

Pillbox Tavern

At this downtown St. Paul eatery, the pork tenderloin is aptly named “Iowa.”

Chef Graham Messenger, a whiz at creating high-brow/low-brow cuisine, has nailed the sandwich. It’s properly huge, crispy and topped simply with mayo, lettuce and tomato. It comes with tasty skinny fries, too.

$15; 400 N. Wabasha St., St. Paul; 651-756-7566; pillboxtav.com

Frenchman’s Pub

This Richfield dive bar’s version of the sandwich is incredibly inexpensive, but also more reasonably sized than the others on this list. Still, tender pork, breaded and deep-fried, a fresh bun, iceberg lettuce, mayo and a handful of pickles make this a satisfying little sandwich. The beer is cold and cheap, too.

$6.25; 1400 E. 66th St., Richfield; 612-866-0318

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