An Eastern Iowa Pizza Place Made Midwest Living’s ‘Best Dishes of 2025′ List
Three Iowa restaurants were represented on Midwest Living's list of the best food & beverages their writers tried in 2025, and one of them is here in our half of the state!
Over the course of the year, the Midwest Living team did a whole lot of traveling, and a whole lot of EATING. They summed up their 2025 restaurant adventures in a recent article titled, "The 18 Best Things We Ate and Drank in the Midwest This Year." It reads:
"... narrowing down which nosh or sip left a lasting impression over the course of the year can be difficult for us culinary enthusiasts, almost like picking a favorite child. Nevertheless, we asked our editors to do just that."
Out of the 18 restaurants on the list, THREE of them were in the state of Iowa, and the one that caught our eye was the Tie Dye New York Style Pizza at Driftless Pizza Co. in Dubuque.
About Driftless Pizza Co.
Located at 333 E 10th Street, Driftless Pizza Co. opened its doors in Dubuque back in the summer of 2024. The restaurant specializes in two different kinds of pizza: New York Style and Detroit Style (thicker crust with crispy edges - sauce on top).
As a Michigan-native, I much prefer Detroit-style crust, but Midwest Living's Associate Art Director Erin Keeffer went with the New York Style during her visit to Driftless Pizza Co. Erin's addition to Midwest Living's list was the restaurant's New York Style Tie Dye Pizza.
According to the online menu, the Tie Dye Pizza from Driftless Pizza Co. has a tomato sauce base and is topped with the restaurant's signature cheese blend and swirls of pesto and vodka sauce. Here's what Erin from Midwest Living had to say about it:
"When it comes to pizza, sometimes simplicity really is best. The Tie Dye pizza from Driftless Pizza Co. surprised me in the best way and had me going back for more. The slow-fermented dough was really delicious with a subtle, tangy flavor you can really taste..."
Some of the other unique pizza flavors available at Driftless Pizza Co. include:
- Hawaiitalian - Red sauce base topped with cheese, prosciutto, caramelized onions, and charred pineapple
- Hot Honey - Garlic confit base topped with cheese, sausage, feta, and hot honey drizzle
- Figgy the White - Garlic confit base topped with feta, prosciutto, caramelized onions, ricotta, and fig drizzle
- Frosted Orchard - Garlic confit base, pear slices, prosciutto, blue cheese crumbles, arugula, and a balsamic glaze
Driftless Pizza Co. is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can check out the full menu online HERE.
Other Iowa Dishes on the List
The other two Iowa restaurants that made Midwest Living's list are both over in Des Moines, and both a bit fancier than New York Style Pizza. The first dish is from a new French restaurant called Masao. Executive Editor Hannah Agran raves about their Lavender Eggs, which are French-style scrambled eggs with bloomed lavender, crème fraîche, and caviar. Hannah describes them as "a luxuriant, buttery puddle of plush, soft-set goodness, infused with lavender and topped with caviar and crème fraîche. Rich on rich on rich." You can check out photo HERE.
And, last but not least, the final dish on the list comes from the restaurant Oak Park. Senior Travel Editor Julia Sayers Gokhale had the opportunity to try a seasonal pasta dish in October that she remembers very fondly. Here's how Oak Park described the dish on Instagram:
"Our newest pasta dish showcases campanelle—which means 'bellflowers' in Italian—elevated with Caledonian blue prawns, tender leeks, kale, a saffron beurre monté, delicate lemon crumble, and fresh herbs to give each bite that balanced garden flavor."
To check out the rest of Midwest Living's list of the best 18 dishes and drinks of 2025, click HERE.
READ MORE: An Iowa Restaurant Has Made the New York Times’ ‘Best Dishes of 2025′ List
The 25 Best Things I Ate At Iowa Restaurants in 2025
Gallery Credit: Courtlin
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