ANKENY, Iowa — JJ's Tavern + Grill in Ankeny has been honored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council with the 2024 Iowa's Best Burger award.
The JJ Smash Burger is a tasty combination of beef, tavern sauce, American cheese, lettuce, red onion and pickle.
"We’re now sealed with some of the great restaurants in Iowa," co-owner Rick Romero said in a press release. "So for the next five to 20 years, our name is going to have the star next to it. I’ve said for a long time, that there hasn’t been an award-winning burger in Ankeny, well now there is."
The restaurant also offers signature burgers like the Brock Curdy Burger and the Jalapeno Cheddar.
Other candidates this year included Chuckwagon Restaurant in Adair, The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown — for the first time, past winners were eligible again — and The Market at the Tap in Monticello.
2024 marked the 15th year of the Iowa Best Burger contest, which consists of a public vote in the first phase followed by judges sampling each of the 10 finalists. All burgers are required to be 100% beef and served on a bun or bread product, the Iowa Beef Industry Council notes.
Past winners include Flight Bar + Grille in Huxley (2023), The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown (2022) and Bambino's in Ossian (2021).
JJ's Tavern + Grill is located at 1975 N Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny, Iowa 50023. The Iowa Been Industry Council says due to JJ's "smaller and more intimate" setting, customers should be patient with staff with a likely influx of traffic to come.
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