Indiana’s Breaded Pork Tenderloin Traces Back to a Huntington Diner That Opened in 1908. Here’s How to Order One Like a Hoosier

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The Indiana breaded pork tenderloin is a thin slab of pork, pounded flat, breaded, and deep-fried until it’s crisp, then served on a hamburger bun that it hangs over on every side. Most Hoosiers trace it to Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington, a small city about 30 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. Nick Freienstein, the son of German immigrants, started selling sandwiches from a cart around 1904, then opened Nick’s Kitchen in 1908. His version of a schnitzel, made with pork instead of veal, became the sandwich Indiana is known for.

Here’s how to order one like a Hoosier. Ask for it on a plain bun with pickles, onion, and lettuce, plus mustard or mayonnaise. In many Indiana diners, “mayo” means Miracle Whip, so ask if it matters to you. Expect the pork to be much wider than the bun, and don’t ask for a bigger bun. Eat the edges first, or tear off the overhang and eat it separately. Add fries or onion rings, and you have a classic Indiana lunch.

The sandwich is found all over the state, at small-town diners, taverns, drive-ins, and the Indiana State Fair. Many locals consider it the state’s unofficial sandwich.

How to Order One Like a Hoosier

Ordering is simple, but a few choices make a difference.

Pick your toppings

The classic tenderloin is plain, with toppings that let the pork stand out:

• Dill pickle slices.
• Raw white or yellow onion, chopped or sliced.
• Lettuce, sometimes with tomato.
• Yellow mustard, mayonnaise, or both. Ketchup is common too.

At Nick’s Kitchen, the tenderloin comes on a plain hamburger bun with lettuce and Miracle Whip, with a side of potato or pasta salad.

Know the size

Tenderloins range from slightly larger than the bun to as big as a plate. Some restaurants are famous for oversized versions, and people come just to take photos. If you’re not that hungry, ask how big the sandwich is before you order. Some places offer a smaller version or a “half” tenderloin.

Hand-breaded vs. frozen

The best tenderloins are hand-breaded in the restaurant. Many places buy frozen, pre-breaded patties, which are more uniform but thinner on flavor. If the menu says “hand-breaded” or “homemade,” that’s a good sign. You can also ask your server.

Breaded vs. grilled

Most tenderloins are breaded and fried, but some menus offer a grilled tenderloin, which is a thicker, unbreaded pork cutlet. If you want the classic, ask for the breaded version.

How to eat it

The pork is much wider than the bun, so you have a few options:

• Eat around the edges until the meat is close to the size of the bun, then eat it like a regular sandwich.
• Tear or cut off the parts that hang over the bun and eat them separately.
• Fold the edges in toward the bun.

There’s no wrong way, but nobody expects you to fit it all in one bite.

Sides

Common sides include French fries, onion rings, potato chips, coleslaw, potato salad, and pasta salad. In some places, you can get a cup of chili or a bowl of soup on the side. And for dessert, Indiana’s state pie, sugar cream pie, is often on the menu.

The Story Behind Nick’s Kitchen

Nick Freienstein was born in Huntington in 1876 to German immigrant parents. In 1904, he began selling hamburgers and other sandwiches from a cart downtown. One of those sandwiches was his take on Wiener schnitzel, the Viennese dish of veal pounded thin, breaded, and pan-fried. Veal was hard to find in northern Indiana, but pork was plentiful, so he used pork, added pickles, and put it on bread.

The cart did well, and in 1908, Freienstein opened Nick’s Kitchen in downtown Huntington. He ran it until 1929, when he sold it. The restaurant has changed owners several times since then, but it has stayed open at the same location, on North Jefferson Street, for more than a century.

The restaurant still follows a recipe based on the original. Pork loin is sliced, tenderized, and marinated in a buttermilk mixture for more than a day, then dipped in egg and flour, breaded in cracker crumbs, and deep-fried. Readers of the state tourism office’s blog voted Nick’s Kitchen’s tenderloin the best in Indiana.

Not everyone agrees that Nick’s was the first place to serve a tenderloin sandwich. The Indiana Foodways Alliance has said it’s debatable, but no alternative story has caught on, and Nick’s remains the best-known claim.

Where to Find an Indiana Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Breaded pork tenderloins are served across the state, and nearly every town has a local favorite. Here are a few ways to find one:

• Start at Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington, at 506 N. Jefferson St., to try the sandwich at its birthplace.
• Look for small-town diners and cafes, especially on county roads and in county seats.
• Check taverns and bars, which often serve tenderloins as part of their lunch and dinner menus.
• Check the Indiana Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit that maps culinary trails of locally owned restaurants across the state, including places known for their tenderloins.
• Visit the Indiana State Fair in August, where tenderloins are a classic fair food.

Iowa also claims the breaded pork tenderloin as a signature sandwich, and you’ll find similar sandwiches across the Midwest. The two states have a friendly rivalry over who does it best.

A Tenderloin Stop on Holiday Road Trips

If you’re driving across Indiana for Thanksgiving or Christmas, a tenderloin makes an easy, filling lunch. Huntington is just off U.S. 24, between Fort Wayne and Wabash, and not far from Interstate 69. Many diners along U.S. highways in Indiana serve tenderloins, and they’re often less crowded than chain restaurants near interstate exits.

Small-town diners may close early in the afternoon, close on Sundays, or close for holidays. Check hours before you go, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Making One at Home

To make a basic breaded pork tenderloin:

• Slice a pork loin into portions about an inch thick.
• Pound each piece very thin, to about a quarter inch or less, using a meat mallet.
• Soak the pork in buttermilk for a few hours or overnight.
• Dredge it in flour, dip it in beaten egg, and coat it in crushed saltine crackers or breadcrumbs.
• Fry in hot oil, about 350 degrees, until golden brown and cooked through.
• Serve on a soft bun with pickles, onion, and your choice of condiment.

How to Judge a Good Tenderloin

Hoosiers have strong opinions about what makes a breaded pork tenderloin great. If you’re trying a few on a road trip, here’s what locals look for:

• Thin, even pork: The meat should be pounded thin, so it cooks quickly and evenly, but it shouldn’t be so thin that it’s all breading.
• Crisp breading that sticks: The coating should be golden and crunchy, and it shouldn’t slide off the pork when you bite into it.
• Juicy meat: Even though it’s thin, the pork should still be moist, not dry or chewy.
• Not too greasy: A good tenderloin is fried in clean, hot oil, so it comes out crisp rather than soggy.
• A soft bun: The bun is mostly there to hold the toppings and give you something to grab. It should be fresh and soft.
• Fresh toppings: Crisp pickles, sharp raw onion, and cold lettuce balance the rich fried pork.

Some places make their breading from crushed saltine crackers, like Nick’s Kitchen. Others use breadcrumbs or seasoned flour. Each gives a slightly different crunch, and most regulars have a favorite.

Ordering Tips at an Indiana Diner

A few practical tips:

• Ask for extra napkins. The sandwich is big and crumbly.
• Share a side. A tenderloin is filling, so a basket of onion rings or fries can go further than you think.
• Ask about the special. Some diners have a tenderloin special on certain days, with a side and a drink.
• Don’t rush. In small-town diners, food is often cooked to order, especially if the pork is hand-breaded, so it can take a few extra minutes.
• Leave room for pie. Many Indiana diners bake their own pies, including sugar cream, and they often sell out by late afternoon.

Tenderloins Around the Holidays

Breaded pork tenderloins aren’t a holiday dish, but they’re a common stop for families traveling to see relatives over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many Hoosiers who have moved away make a point of stopping at a favorite diner when they come home. If you’re visiting family in Indiana for the holidays, ask them where they’d go for a tenderloin. Almost everyone has a favorite, and the answer is often a small, family-owned place you’d never find on your own.

Tenderloin vs. Schnitzel

The Indiana sandwich and the Austrian dish it came from are close relatives, but they aren’t the same. Wiener schnitzel is traditionally made with veal, pan-fried in butter or lard, and served on a plate with lemon and potato salad. The Hoosier version uses pork, is usually deep-fried, and goes on a bun with pickles and onion. German restaurants in Indiana often serve both, so you can compare them side by side.

The Bottom Line on the Indiana Breaded Pork Tenderloin

The breaded pork tenderloin started as a German immigrant’s schnitzel on a sandwich cart in Huntington, and it became Indiana’s best-known sandwich. Order it plain with pickles and onion, choose mustard or mayo, and don’t worry that it’s bigger than the bun. That’s the point.