Hamburg Inn No. 2
Encyclopedia
The Hamburg Inn No. 2 is a small family diner located near downtown in Iowa City, Iowa
, in the United States
. The Hamburg Inn is a regular stop for presidential
candidates during the Iowa Caucuses
. Both Ronald Reagan
and Bill Clinton
have visited, and the restaurant was featured on the TV show, The West Wing.
s" in Iowa. It serves breakfast all day long, and serves a wide variety of omelettes sided by homefries.
One of the more famous Hamburg Inn concoctions is the "pie shake", a milkshake
made by blending a scoop of icecream, milk, and a slice of cake or pie.
won in 2004, with Dennis Kucinich
and John Kerry
coming in second and third, respectively. In 2008, Barack Obama
won the Democratic contest with John Edwards and Hillary Clinton coming in second and third. Mike Huckabee
won for the Republicans. Each year many political candidates visit the Hamburg Inn to increase the publicity to Iowa. John Edwards visited there in the 2008 election.
Major surrogate appearances:
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Hamburg Inn is a regular stop for presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidates during the Iowa Caucuses
Iowa caucus
The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
. Both Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
have visited, and the restaurant was featured on the TV show, The West Wing.
History
Joe Panther started the Hamburg Inn on Iowa Avenue in the mid 1930s. Later Joe's brother Adrian joined the business, and eventually bought the restaurant from Joe. In 1948, Mrs. Van's Restaurant at 214 North Linn Street came up for sale and was bought by another brother, Fritz and his wife, Fran which would become known as the Hamburg Inn No.2. Adrian and Fritz formed a partnership and over the years developed several restaurants, the Hamburg Inn's No.1 and No.2, the Big Ten Inn on Riverside Drive and the Airport Inn in Iowa City. They also had the Hamburg Inn No.3 in Cedar Rapids on Center Point Road. Hamburg Inn No. 2 is the only location remaining of the three. Dave Panther, Fritz and Fran's son, bought the restaurant in 1979 from his parents and has continued the tradition.Food and Drink
The "Burg" has also been widely acclaimed as one of the best "greasy spoonGreasy spoon
Greasy spoon is a colloquial or slang term originating in the United States to mean a small, especially cheap, archetypal working class restaurant or diner. The term is now used in many English speaking countries to mean the same thing...
s" in Iowa. It serves breakfast all day long, and serves a wide variety of omelettes sided by homefries.
One of the more famous Hamburg Inn concoctions is the "pie shake", a milkshake
Milkshake
A milkshake is a sweet, cold beverage which is made from milk, ice cream or iced milk, and flavorings or sweeteners such as fruit syrup or chocolate sauce....
made by blending a scoop of icecream, milk, and a slice of cake or pie.
Iowa Caucuses
During the Iowa Caucuses, candidates seeking the presidential nomination of their party frequently meet caucus-goers at the Hamburg Inn. The restaurant conducts a coffee-bean caucus, in which each guest is given a coffee bean to place in the jar of his/her candidate. Howard DeanHoward Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
won in 2004, with Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
coming in second and third, respectively. In 2008, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
won the Democratic contest with John Edwards and Hillary Clinton coming in second and third. Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
won for the Republicans. Each year many political candidates visit the Hamburg Inn to increase the publicity to Iowa. John Edwards visited there in the 2008 election.
Appearances
Major political appearances include:- President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
- President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- General Wesley ClarkWesley ClarkWesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
- Congressman Dennis KucinichDennis KucinichDennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
- Governor Howard DeanHoward DeanHoward Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
- Pat BuchananPat BuchananPatrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
- Then-Senator Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
Major surrogate appearances:
- Elizabeth EdwardsElizabeth EdwardsElizabeth Anania Edwards was an American attorney, a best-selling author and a health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S...
for her husband John EdwardsJohn EdwardsJohnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in... - Rob ReinerRob ReinerRobert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
for Howard Dean - Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
for Howard Dean - Patch AdamsPatch AdamsHunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, M.D. is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971...
for Dennis Kucinich
Appearances in Television and Film
- The Hamburg Inn No. 2 was featured on on the "King Corn" episode of NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The West Wing. - Much of the comedy Zadar! Cow From HellZadar! Cow From HellZadar! Cow From Hell is an independent, low budget comedy film directed by Robert C. Hughes. The film was released in 1989 and shown in select theaters, mostly located in eastern Iowa. In a two night theatrical run, the film grossed over $25,000...
was filmed at the Hamburg.