The Irish Shanti

I really enjoy visiting Gunder whenever I’m in the area. Kevin, the owner, is friendly and lively. Norma bakes the best homemade bread. I’ve had the Gunderburger, the cod sandwich, ribeye steak sandwich, prime rib sandwich special, reuben, and the southern fried chicken. All of the food has been delicious and unique though I’m hard pressed to choose a favorite — they’re all that good. It’s well worth the trip.
The Irish Shanti is located on «Gunder Road» as you head out of Elkader (turn left at Dollar General). It’s not far from the Big Spring Trout Hatchery. Gunder is convenient to Claremont, Postville, Elkader, West Union, Elgin, etc… It’s easy to find. Once in town you can’t miss the Irish Shanti… or you’ll miss the whole tiny town.
This is a «must see» whenever you are in the area. I do a lot of fishing in the four county area and try to make sure and pass through Gunder on the way home. You can always count on a great meal of homemade food, very reasonable prices, and terrific service.

We had the Bacon Cheese Gunderburger with jalapeños, onions, & chipotle mayo and the Sow Melt (ground pork patti, bacon, cheese, awesome sauce). Both meals were cooked fairly quickly & tasted delicious. Our server and the owner were very nice. It’s worth the drive.

First time for the loaded gunderburger. The wife and I split and was plenty for both of us. Would definitely go back again.

We stopped by here a few years back and were floored to se that the place was super busy on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch. After driving around in the «middle of nowhere» in Clayton County for a while, we finally arrived in the hamlet of Gunder, home of the world famous «Gunderburger.» This place is hard to miss. If you have arrived in Gunder, you’ll find it. Not much else in this tiny community other than a cool cemetery located just south of the restaurant.
This place is basically a small-​town bar with the typical small-​town feel to it. The have a decent menu which includes a few Irish favorites (they had corned beef and cabbage when we stopped in) and a fairly impressive-​looking breaded pork tenderloin. We were told they also serve a «mean» fried chicken, but I came for one reason and one reason only… and I think you all know what I was here for. Probably the same reason about 80% of the patrons stop in here.
For as monstrous and intimidating as the Gunderburger looks, it is really a very tasty sandwich. It is loaded with flavor. I can see why people all over the Midwest seek out this tiny speck on the map. I would drive a few hours for one of these. I don’t know how many people can claim to actually have finished one of these monstrous sandwiches, but I was nowhere close. The owners came by our table and asked me if I was going to finish. I told her I was full and she called me a «lightweight wimp.» I love it! If I were anywhere else I would be insulted but somehow on the backroads of Clayton County, Iowa, this was refreshing honesty.
If you are ever anywhere near Gunder, please stop at the Irish Shanti. The food is great, the atmosphere is laid back and the Gunderburger is a true challenge. It is as big and as good as advertised. As an Iowan, I’m proud to claim this restaurant for my home state!

Stopped in the Shanti on Thursday, June 12^th in the early afternoon & had a hard time finding a parking space. And we were on a motorcycle! They were pretty busy. After eating there I can see why. My wife had the Gunderburger & I had the fried chicken (half) special. We both tried each other’s meals & they were great. Service was good for how busy they were & the owner was friendly. He even offered to «burp» one of the guys at the next table when the guy complained he was too full! This place is out in the sticks, but if you like a big burger that’s actually GOOD it is well worth it.

Took my son who was home from Omaha here. We both got the gunder burger and it was awesome. It’s in rural Iowa but very much worth the trip. They also have a very large selection of Beers

I had the Gunderburger while passing through on a fishing trip recently. It’s big. It’s tasty. I would definitely recommend it to others.
The homemade hashbrowns are also delicious. I will surely return while fishing one of these times. Great stuff… great service!
As a «big guy», I might have been able to finish it but opted to take half of it trout fishing the next morning. It’s prettty good cold (20 degrees outside), too!

I had heard about the legendary Gunderburger several years ago and had been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to try it out. This Labor Day hunger coupled with a need to restock my supply of New Glarus Brewery products (available only in Wisconsin) afforded me the change to put the Irish Shanti on the map on my way to Prairie Du Chien to restock on my favorite beers.
Gunder is more intersection than community but the Irish Shanti is placed in some of the most breathtaking scenery that the state of Iowa has to offer. The trip is a joy in itself. Rolling hills and landscapes that made Grant Wood famous.
The restaurant itself is clean and unassuming. The star here is the infamous Gunderburger. It’s a 16−20oz burger that is about the circumference of a volleyball and about an inch thick. I ordered the «Loaded Gunderburger» which was topped with bacon, onions mushrooms and cheese. I was told that the appropriate accoutrement for this massive burger was a side order of their signature American Fries.
This was a very good burger but not great. But the pitch here is on the gargantuan size. I recommend stopping if you are in the Driftless area of of Iowa. This is not a life-​changing experience worthy of hours of driving to a town of 30, but coupled with the wonderful scenery and activities in the area, I would stop at the Irish Shanti to punctuate a visit to northeast Iowa with an attempt to devour the Gunderburger.

A relatively good American restaurant out in the slap damn middle of nowhere. I was told that people in this area actually spoke German in their homes until relatively recently. I’m not sure how true that actually is, but the place certainly feels isolated enough that it’s possible. You’d never know that Postville is only a short drive away. But anyway the place wasn’t empty whenever I was there.
Their specialty is burgers, so I’d stick to that; you definitely can’t go wrong with theirs. Their signature is the massive Gunderburger, one of those «and see if you can eat all of this!» gimmicks that restaurants sometimes have to drum up business. By no means do you have to try to eat a Gunderburger to enjoy dinner here, though. Worth taking a detour out into the countryside to stop by.