J's Homestyle Cooking in Cedar Falls

This longstanding comfort food diner is wedged in between student apartment buildings and the UNI Campus in Cedar Falls. For a college town, this place felt like a meeting place for the older townies.


Location: 1724 W 31st St in Cedar Falls, just south of the UNI campus and the UNI Dome.

Directions: Its about four miles north of Highway 20 just off Hudson Road in Cedar Falls. Look for the tall sign.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Described on the menu as 14 oz. and lean cut pork meat. The point of distinction here is that the large cut of pork loins is trimmed of fat completely. This makes a big difference when you are eating a super jumbo tenderloin. The breading is just a thin golden brown layer that gets moistened by the steam in the meat. Served with your choice of fixings on a huge fresh baked bun. Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: $9.99, half size available for $7.99
Also on the menu: The menu is huge with breakfast, baked goods, broasted chicken and daily specials. They have a loosemeat burger named "J's MADEWRONG", a cheese stuffed "JUICY J's BURGER", along with classics like hot ham or Rueben sandwiches.

Service: there is a small counter but most people get table service and eat in booths.
Ambiance: This place shows its age. Its not old enough to have a nostalgic appeal like an older diner would, and its kept clean. But it still has tons of wood paneling and a baked goods display.

Final Thoughts: The dictionary definition of homestyle food from Google reads "Such as would be made or provided at home; simple and unpretentious". One of the online coupons for this place claims "We put the HOME in HOMESTYLE". J's Homestyle is like eating at a grandmothers house, from the decorations to the cookies.

Newtons Paradise Cafe in Waterloo

For many years this building was known as Newton's Jewelers on a busy corner in downtown Waterloo. The rehab of this aging building looks like miracle work. A local grant of $50,000 made the exterior renovations possible. This included restoring the original exterior Carrara Glass to its Art Deco glamour from decades ago. Just this year it reopened as a cafe with the jewelery store signage of GOLD SILVER WATCHES DIAMONDS changed to read Great Fresh Local Food. The relatively young chef placed in charge has created a menu of simple comfort foods made with fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. Some of the online reviews claim he has become a local hero, using Farmers Market produce and protein from local farms will do that in a town like Waterloo.

Location: 128 E 4th St. in Waterloo, Eastern Iowa.


Directions: You should look for the revolving sign reading Newtons Paradise Cafe at 4th St and Sycamore when driving around the north side of downtown Waterloo.

Online at: they have a facebook page here.


The Tenderloin: This is at the bottom of the menu, listed as Iowa's Pork Tenderloin. The first thing you notice is the giant size, it envelopes the square plate and dwarfs its bun. The edges of the pork loin form arms and branches that fold and curl like a fried pork octopus. the breading includes some giant bread crumbs that pack a giant crunch while producing hundred of crumbs scattering everywhere nearby. The pork inside was bright white and mostly trimmed, with only one tiny bit of fat. Served on a toasted Ciabatta bun with Romaine lettuce, sliced onions and tomato. Overall 9.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.95
A special note about the size: This thing felt like it must have been twelve ounces of pork loin before breading and frying. If I had eaten earlier that day, I would not have been able to finish this thing. The giant size may scare some people off, as only one other person there was eating the tenderloin, and they were cutting it in half to share or take home. The tenderloin looked about four times bigger than anything else served here.


Also on the menu: A small menu with sandwiches like a Rueben, Roast Beef Dip, or salads and wraps. They serve a full breakfast all day.


The French Fries: these were only fifty cents extra, but the Parmesean and Oregano didn't stick to the fries, and jest fell to the bottom of the bowl. The fountain drinks were $2.00.
Service: Its table service with waiters running around all the time.


Ambiance: They put a serious amount of money and designing time on the interior. There is a green color theme with paintings of farms and ornaments of roosters on the walls. the ceiling has a painted blue sky with clouds against a stain glass sun window. There are tables and booths for seating, and a small bar.
Final Thoughts: Its not uncommon for a restaurant with such a heavy investment to cut corners on the menu. Thankfully, Newton's Paradise Cafe has at least one great menu item. I would not be surprised if the chef had tried the tenderloin at the Augusta in Oxford while developing this one. A nearby sports bar claims to serve the "largest pork loin in the Cedar Valley" on its menu, but I doubt its as big as what they serve here at Newton's.

Pump Haus in Cedar Falls

My last trip to downtown Cedar Falls was on a winter night when the sun went down early, but the streetlights and decoration made the business area lively and the nearly fully occupied storefronts are worth walking past and looking inside. There was even a horse-drawn buggy moving down the street that night. While browsing through online restaurant menus, one tenderloin from this area stuck with the option to have the sandwich dipped in BBQ sauce. I had to check this one out.

Location: 311 Main St in Cedar Falls, in Eastern Iowa.


Directions: Its on main street in the downtown area.


Online at: http://www.thepumphaus.com/


The Tenderloin: This is listed on the menu as the PH Tenderloin. The thick layer of breading absorbed the BBQ Sauce and kept it close to the meat. The white pork had slightly above average thickness and juiciness. There was a little piece that stuck out like a finger of pork. Served on a large untoasted bun with all the fixings. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.49 with a side, plus 50 cents to dip it in BBQ sauce.

Also on the menu: There is a large menu with burgers, salads, and drink specials. I got the homemade chips with the tenderloin:
Service: Its table service that was typically slow as most sports bars seem to be these days.

Ambiance: This is a recently remodeled Main St. building, with exposed brick and good lighting, with tables and booths or a bar area for seating and flatscreen televisions everywhere.

Final Thoughts: The Pump Haus has a full title with Pub and Grill, and it is better than most sports bars I have visited. The lighting and small table I was sitting at meant I couldn't get any good pictures of this tenderloin. Next on my list in this neighborhood of Iowa is Newtons Paradise Cafe in downtown Waterloo.