Family-owned Marshalltown counter serving loose-meat sandwiches from a cast-iron cooker for over 98 years, plus its own ice cream and pies.
Stops within about 40 miles of Taylor's Maid-Rite. Collect a Lavender Passport stamp at each one.
Taylor's Maid-Rite has been feeding central Iowa from downtown Marshalltown for more than 98 years, and it is still family owned. The draw is one thing done the same way for generations: a loose-meat sandwich made from 100 percent choice beef that is ground fresh every day, cooked in a cast-iron cooker and piled onto a bun. The menu sticks to that single sandwich rather than trying to be everything.
Dressings are the old standbys of mustard, pickles and chopped onions. Ketchup is a newer arrival; the restaurant notes that it only started putting ketchup on the counter after 95 years in business. The dining room is open for dine-in, and the kitchen is open seven days a week, which makes it an easy stop at lunch or on the way home from a day out.
Save room for dessert. Taylor's makes ice cream from its original recipe and bakes pies fresh, so a sandwich, a scoop and a slice make a complete small-town meal. If someone back home misses the taste, the restaurant also offers a service to send sandwiches to people elsewhere.
Marshalltown sits about 30 miles north of Grinnell, where Bees Knees Lavender Farm grows lavender just outside town, about three miles from I-80. Plan on roughly 35 minutes between the two by state highway, and pair a lavender-farm visit with an early lunch or supper at the counter.
Bees Knees Lavender Farm · about 35 minutes away
Bees Knees Lavender Farm, just outside Grinnell near I-80, is about 35 minutes south, so lunch here fits easily before or after a lavender-farm stop.
A loose-meat sandwich of finely ground beef, ground fresh daily and cooked in a cast-iron cooker, served on a bun with mustard, pickles and/or onions.
Yes. As published in October 2026, Sunday hours are 9:30 am to 9 pm.
Yes, ice cream made from their original recipe and fresh-baked pies.
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
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