Reviews of Jethro’s BBQ ‘n Jambalaya (Restaurant)

Liz & Casey Kellogg

This place is SO GOOD! We came for lunch and had the wings, baked beans, and jalapeno cream corn. The bartender JAMIE was the best. She was attentive, helpful, and kind. It was obvious she loves her job. Thanks to Jamie, we came back today to try her recommendations- the boneless wings. By far the best we have ever had. Jethro's is a must try!

Ira James

Very disappointed in Jethro's, as it used to be one of our favorites and our weekly go-to-place. However, the quality of food has diminished over the past year and the staff (especially bartenders) are not friendly. We had not been for months and decided last night to give it another chance... our mistake. I ordered the Creole Pasta with ‘extra’ chicken. No exaggeration, there was so little chicken, I had to search for it and the noodles were straight out of a Kraft box... or so it tasted. (A $15.00 dish, by the way) I intended to ask the waitress where the chicken was, but she never came back to check on us. I said nothing, as I have no intent of ever going back; we’re done with Jethro’s. Do so, at your own risk of mediocrity.

Allan Gruen

Great food, service and atmosphere. As a lover of Cajun food, we came for the smoked meat and jambalaya. We were not disappointed! Cajun sampler pushed all the right flavor buttons- heat, smoke, and spice with an authentic version of red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya. The brisket platter served healthy portions of the smoked meat 3 different ways with accompanied sauces to unleash the flavor. Attentive service and extremely friendly comfortable environment.

Shawna Hamilton-Hites

Great food, great atmosphere, great service!

Wade Fangman

The service was not that good informed waitressed that what I ordered was not good had two bites of it was still charged for it terrible food terrible service third time at a Jethro’s BBQ and I have not had a good experience yet

Will Brown

Some of the best ribs and beef tips I've had. Smoked to perfection and the service was great.

Joel Martin

Excellent food. Excellent environment. each time I go I get something different and each time I feel like I've found a new favorite. Prices are very reasonable when it comes to barbecue. It's a very open environment and floor plan. I keep going back and will continue to do so! I'm glad this is in the community.

Chase Horrocks

Great service. The food was pretty good. Tastes a little to commercial though.

Tonya Carter

Great food, very fresh with huge portions! Waiter was very knowledgeable about menu items!

Matt Helmick

What happened Jethros!? I use to really enjoy the food here, but unfortunately, it did not measure up to my expectations. The service was 4 stars, but the food was sub par. This is unfortunate. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Jason Clements

Its OK, I wouldn't say great. Personally not impressed with the Jethro's chain.

Todd Wilhite

Ok... Fries were room temp soggy. Texas dip great as usual.

Jerry Smart

Food was great. Service was way below average. After serving our food the watress never came back until she gave us our check We will go back because the food was very good

Ashley Miller

We went for the Sunday brunch shortly after it started. The first time we went through, the food was really overcooked, like it had been sitting too long. Second round, the food was fresher. Liked the applesauce, ham and pulled pork. Don’t know that it was worth it for $15, though.

Mike Hurt

Great place for consistently decent BBQ that never disappoints. We frequent this place, and have visited 20+ times. I love that you can get BBQ and Cajun dishes both with one entree! Portions are huge, so try splitting a plate of you don't want leftovers. Lots of sauces to try. Although they're always busy, the place is big so you rarely have to wait long. Service has always been great.

Megan Roberts

We'd probably give it 4.5. They burned the crispy chicken sandwich but had a new one out in under 5 minutes, much lighter and tasty. Everyone had good things to say about the pulled pork, the Iowa platter with brisket added and the melt. Portions were good, platter was enough for 2 with added brisket.

Tim Hunter

Very good food and great waitress

Bryant Plano

This was an okay place. I ordered the wing combo with bone-in and boneless wings. The bone-in wings were really good, but the "boneless wings" were more like super-thin chicken cutlets covered in BBQ and were quite disappointing. The mashed potatoes and gravy were bland, and the apple sauce was very generic. Honestly my favorite part of the whole meal was the Texas Toast - two buttery golden brown pieces of thick toast. Service wasn't anything to write home about... all and all, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

Nicole K.

I do like the food. We have gone here several times over the years. Good food, reasonable prices. I didn't have a good experience April of 2019 though. Small things were unappealing like dirty menus. Our appetizers were brought with the meal, which kind of defeated the purpose of having something to eat before the meal while we waited. The issue we had was we asked for our meat on the side so we could take it home as we were eating a certain way for a religious observation. It was brought mixed in. We were with friends and really didn't want to send it back and wait longer. The waiter was friendly and kept up on refills. We tipped him well but we just didn't have great service.

A Jordan

BBQ is amazing and the people who work there are great.

Paul Brungardt

Awesome Sunday brunch. Little bit of everything. You wont be disappointed.

P Wilson

Good food. Great atmosphere. I hope they wipe the counters. The others are questionable in that department.

Ryan Sayler

Great stuff. Not as great as Oklahoma Joe's or Q39 in KC. But good.

Allen Dahl

This is my go to for lunch at least once a week! The staff is always attentive and friendly, and the consistency of food quality has always been there for me. They recognize regulars and remember your name.

Ericka Hickman

Loved it!!!!! Nachos never disappoint. We come here every time we are in DM.

Alan Thompson

One of the best BBQ places I have gone to in a long time. Good service, beer, and food. I havent had anything bad there. I have eaten there 4 times.

SHELLIE DRAKE

Good food. Lots of options. God's sized servings make it a great value.

Steven Martens

Small portions. Ordered the 2 meat dinner with turkey and brisket. Turkey was a piece of ground processed meat and the brisket was 1 thin slice which was supposed to be 1/4 pound but was obviously not. Very small sides. Extremely overpriced for the quality and quantity. Service was good.

Andrew Godfrey

Great food. Great service! UPDATE - I ordered Jethro's through doordash on May 11 2019. No joke, the best delivery I have ever got! Food was amazing and the amount of food was remarkable! I ordered a pork tenderloin and fries and got 3 days worth of food for $10! I would highly recommend ordering from them anytime! Thank you for the great food! I would give more stars if I could!

Dane Hopwood

Had the buffet and Jambalaya sampler. The Country fried steak was not good it should be taken out. Gumbo was amazing. Friends liked the jambalaya and bread pudding.

Melissa Dorman

Thought the chicken meet in my Quasadea was a lil dry but the red beans and rice was very tasty and lil corn muffins were yummy !!!

Mark Dunahoo

Food was good ...service was great. !!

Tyla Ward

Not for Texans! They chopped the wet side of the brisket and sliced the lean part. This makes the chopped very greasy. The beans and potato salad where good. The staff was great and very helpful. However, this was fun place to hangout with friends and few beers.

Beth Lister

I love the white bbq sauce.

Bruce Baum

Ordered the The Big Club for pick up. Got home with it and ot was terrible. I think they had one left over from a pick up order that was never picked up. After I placed the order they told me 15 minutes. I showed up in about 12 minutes. Sandwich & fries were cold. Sandwich was all soggy & fell apart. Very disappointed.

Greg Brown

Wow still great place

Jacob McWherter

Favorite Jethros!

Edward Couto

Always enjoy.

Scott Sherman

Any chance for a baked potato? Other than that food is great. Wings are awesome. Hot buffalo sauce is perfect. Service is top notch. If you had a baked potato you would get 5 stars. -YOU- know what I mean.....!

Joseph White

Definitely try the boneless wings with the creamy parmesan sauce. And and for Ryan as a server, he was very helpful. Kind and quick! Thank you!

Dan D

This is a classic example of what happens when you get too big and forget that it was the customer(s) that helped you get there. 90% of the time my take out order is wrong. The food is great but service is gone by the wayside.

Amanda Wiggans

We ordered food totaling $100 and very very disappointed. Chicken, pulled pork, brisket and burnt ends had no flavor whatsoever. Mac and cheese very salty and nasty fasting, cole slaw was dry. Corn muffin was okay otherwise very disappointing which I thought it would be good becausese of the reviews but I would pass and we will never eat there again. Not worth the price!!!

Martez Stevenson

I am in love with the Brisket melt. It's a really tasty sandwich. The Thursday boneless wings special is awesome. The Chili Teriyaki and BBQ rub sauces are delicious

Paul Zepeda

Oh damn if I could only go back stuck in Tucson Arizona but the food was the best anywhere oh my goodness just seeing this Review wants me to fly back try it out you will not be disappointed

Christie Thielman

Food was fabulous and our wait staff was extremely attentive and when we complimented him, we found out he was a newbee. Shocked to say the very least!! They did themselves a favor by hiring him!!!

Tim Specht

Ordered the brisket platter wirh red beans and rice and potato salad. The burnt ends were nice texture and good flavor but a little sweet. The chooped brisket was the best and the sliced brisket was a little dry but still fell apart nicely and bent on the fork. The red beans and rice were a great flavor, and the potato salad was heavy on the celery and a bit sweeter than i normally like.

Caitlyn Lloyd

Love all of the Jethro's locations! Great food and great drinks!

David Honaker

I went to three BBQ joints around Des Moines while I was here for a weekend, and this was by far my favorite. They have a extensive menu for a diverse group, several sauce options, and a "Eat thing crazy amount of food" type challenge. Highly recommended.

Joseph Hamilton

Amazing food

Eric Truitt

Great place to watch games and grab a few drinks. I like the wings, tenderloin sandwich, and of course the bbq. Pulled pork and ribs are the best. Try a state fair lemonade if you like a fun summer drink. They have a huge shaded patio, great for an afternoon drink or two.

Robert Bayer

Great food and great service! I would go there again in a heartbeat!

Tim Beranek

Great service. Ribs were tough.

Megan Johnson

Our server Nate was exceptional. The food was fantastic as ever!

Christopher Redman

Great food Decent prices

Kelly Summy

Service was fantastic...my toasted cheese burger was great. Super onion rings...fries came out stone cold from kitchen but I was stuffed without eating them. Very nice young man gave us great service without being obnoxious.

Briana Sheffield

Best BBQ we have ever had. We ordered the Brisket, burnt ends, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes with gravy. They also have great drink deals and a brunch buffet on Sundays.

Lydia Walker

It is a very popular place, I however am not a fan.

Nichoelle DeBrouse

Service was fantastic food was fast but didn't wow me

edubb4226

I was impressed with the Riblets!

Shannon Hoffman

We love to co.e see Campbell.

Derek Ackley

Food was good, good selection on the buffet, would've liked to order off of the breakfast menu though. The only negative was I had a bloody mary and it was a little burnt, other than that it was a very good experience

Andy Collmann

I'm disappointed that I forget how close this is to home. Every time I visit, the staff is amazing and the food is top-notch. I'll be back!!

Rick P

Always great food, and great people working there.

Nathan Heemstra

Favorite place for boneless wings on Thursday's

Shane Thomas

Excellent food and experience

Fatima Khalil

I had a shrimp PoBoy and it was Cajun good! The shrimp was clean and perfect. It was not heavy for a fried dish. The whole thing just melted your mouth. I also ordered Onion rings and these baby's came out hot, crispy and even though it's fried it was light and not greasy. The service is family friendly and attentive towards kids. My children are happy to come here and the atmosphere is relaxing too!

Jerome Bukstein

Always enjoy eating here! Emenecker slider was good, but could not eat it all.

jeffrey hitt

I love Jethro's. It may be my favorite go to restaurant. Everything is good here.

Brian S

Every Thursday! Boneless wings and Jamie is always the best behind the bar

Kristy Howard

They have a great waitress named Tracy, she was so good at keeping our drinks filled, and great suggestions on what to order! We Will definitely go back!

Gale vert

Not so great...disappointed

Marcie Cobb

Good food.

Scott Degeneffe

Food is good as you would expect from Jethroe's but this location has an excellent wait staff! Really good, probably the best location they have. Way better than Ames.

Jordan McGuire

Great atmosphere! Got the dinner for 2 and it was definitely enough to feed the both of us. Ribs were juicy and the mac and cheese is to die for. We will be back!

James Kolnik

We hosted our rehearsal dinner here! Wonderful staff and food and really started the weekend off right! Thank you!!!!

Brian Peck

Great food, great service as always!!

Steven Zaegel

Awesome Creole Pasta !

Valerie Rios

Honestly never had a bad experience with this restaurant. Just don't get the chicken it's very dry. Their ribs are to go to. Especially with their sauces.

tht1kd

Excellent food and service as always. Great BBQ at a decent price. Now if only Jethros would expand outside of the Des Moines Metro (and Ames)

Maria Lopez

Great food.

Josh Beyer

I've been to the original Jethro's over by Drake but, had yet to come to this one. I'm glad that I was finally able to go to this one. The service and atmosphere were both great. Our waitress was quite friendly and prompt. The food was phenomenal and I definitely didn't leave hungry. I will definitely be coming back to this Jethro's next time I'm in Des Moines.

Pena T

Excellent service from our waitress. The chicken wings were great. Carrots were old though. We had to ask for fresher carrots. They came back washed but still old. Sweet potato fries were lukewarm. We told our waitress and she Came back with hot and freshly made fries. Despite those two things, we still were pleased with our food and service.

John Reichart

The food was fantastic as always. And when the waitress learned that our family was visiting for the first time from Germany she told the manager who threw in desert for free. Our German family settled for the cornbread muffins! Fantastic food, fantastic staff! Thank you Jethro's! We will always bring our out of town guests to you!

Luc Burgess

Went to Jethro's on wing Wednesday, and I wasn't dissapointed. Pound of wings for six bucks is awesome. Good dry rub and slow smoking make for fantastic flavor and with garlic parmesan sauce all over them they were finger licking. I will definitely be back.

J C

Great food! I enjoyed my entire meal. Beer and food. 32 oz Mason jar beer, even. Our server was great as well. Definitely recommend Jethro's, and I'll definitely eat there again!

Will Lester

Great food and great service. Madison was training a new employee, and both were great. ☺

Dieter Cross

Nothing special. Only about 5 customers there at 11am.

Laura Lee

Absolutely AMAZING!!!!! The BBQ is soooooooo good, if you have not eaten here put this on your to do list!.

Nick Clausi

Jethros is the bomb

Rose Soda

Jethro’s did a great job with our catering order. The food was still hot, delicious and the portions were perfect!

James Hawthrone

The (Cajun-Creole) pasta is to die for!

Andrew Colosky

I've enjoyed every Jethro's I've been to, including this one. Great food.

Darrell Bruce

My friend and I have come in for drinks twice now and have gotten pretty bad service both times. The bartender was not attentive and took a long time to get anything done. He would occasionally talk with us for a few moments then disappear for 20-30 minutes. This last time I ordered fries to go and we joked that it would take 20 minutes to get them. Little did we know it would actually take 20 minutes to get the fries. The first time we had drinks there he served more alcohol to an obviously drunk gentlemen next to us. And for that reason alone, this deserves a one star review.

John Chew

Great place, OK service

Mike Wrightsman

Excellent Tue Taco Lunch Special

Lyle Erding

Food was excellent. I had all you can eat Bacon Wrapped Ribs, and they weren't afraid to keep them coming. I think our waitress was Madison. She was extremely friendly and checked to make sure we were happy several times. I would go back and have her as a server any time.

JT Morrison

When it comes to dinning out. Jethro's is in a league of their own. The price, taste, and amazingly fast and friendly staff is one of a kind. Match that with a fun atmosphere, it doesn't take long for it to become your favorite spot.

Amanda Jerkins

The food was decent at best. The service was the worst I've ever had. We had to flag down our waitress to get refills on our drinks. When the waitress brought our drinks back, we asked her to warm up a side of mashed potatoes that was cold. She didn't take them and never came back to get it. We sat for 15 minutes after we were done eating waiting for a check. When she didn't come back, we had to flag down another waitress to get the check. We have had terrible service here in the past, but decided to give it another try. We will not be back after this experience.

Tara Lamb

Personable and adept host and waitress. Food delivered very quickly. Interesting color strips that kept the kids entertained. Overall, the food was alright. The mashed potatoes with gravy and cornbread muffins were the tastiest.

Jeffrey Hughes

Had a rough experience with service and food last night. Ordered some fries that I was told 3 times by the server were "coming out" and after the 2nd time I said to forget them and was told I will bring them at no charge. They never arrived. The server was busy and hustling, but it was not an enjoyable experience.

Scott Grunert

Reliably delicious and our waitress was delightful. What's not to like?

Karen Stewart

Friendly staff and the food is very tasty.

Megan J

I wasn't super impressed with the food here. Between my husband and children we tried a few plates and they were just ok. The service was good but for the price I expected better food. Clean and fast though.

Mark Avitt

The Waffle Nachos are awesome! The Cajun dishes were good, not great. That's what I get for eating the nachos as an appetizer I guess. Service was really good.

Cindy Simons

We stop here for breakfast every now and then, and this Sunday we discovered they have a breakfast buffet. Not sure if this is new, or if we just have never been there on a Sunday, but nonetheless, the food was really very good. I'm not usually a fan of buffet breakfasts, but this is one that I would gladly eat again. All the food was fresh and didn't seem like it had been sitting long. They were relatively busy, but the line moved quickly. And the price was very reasonable as well.

Peter Erickson

It's a great place. World famous!

M Nemmers

Food was good. We sat and talked for quite a while without pressure from server.

Darlene Reighard

Delicious food with generous servings!

Ross Byers

Good food and service. They serve 32 oz. Mason jars of beer, but that's pretty expensive.

Pampam Jr

Alot of selections of meals also kids menu good place to have lunch and dinner

Jerry Kokesh

Nice low key atmosphere and goid service. Sandwiches were packrd with flavorful meats; sliced brisket was excellent as were fresh hot fries as nd large side salad. Very reasonable prices; highly recommended!

Cecil Watson

Average at best

The Gaming boy

Good service even when they're busy

Alan Carlson

Huge rack of ribs at fantastic price.

Paul Porter

Food and service were awesome. I had the Turkey Gouda Melt with a side of Gumbo. Very filling. Just so you know, the Gumbo was not spicy.

Lee

Great wings on Wednesday, pricey other days

tyler arickx

Good food. Fast service.

Jeff Burger

The jambalaya was good. We were looking forward to some good bbq brisket...but disappointed in tough, not tender meat... Sad!

Justin Martin

Service was great tried the hot wings they were perfect heat not too hot but a bit of heat

Ben Hyrman

Good food, good sauce, great service. We went a bit early and the waitress couldn't have been more attentive.

Ruth Kopf

Food is excellent, the staff is friendly, good prices. I ordered the Papa Burger, a half pound juicy burger that came with lettuce, tomato, pickles and raw onions and I picked the Campfire Beans as my side. Great experience!

Ace Freheley

Told myself I would never eat at any Jethros. We want bbq and Smokey D's is way on the other side of town. Wish we would of went there. Had the brisket platter and she had the tenderloin. All the brisket was very tough and dried out. The burnt ends were dried out and soaked in something that I can't explain. Terrible! Mac and cheese nothing special. Her tenderloin......not that good. The batter on it is what broke the deal. Well at least our dogs thought it was good.

Nate Blaylock

Amazing food! Try the wings and burnt ends! Best I've ever had. Like by a mile.

Eliza Rose Hall

I got the brisket platter. Moist and flavorful. I got the jambalaya to take back for my boyfriend who's in the hospital. Smelled amazing on the car ride and the taste is wonderful. Good Creole taste without being unnecessary spicy. Will be eating here again

Brad Kinzie

Great service and food. Waitress kept drinks full and was very personable. The food tasted great. The portions were perfect. Highly recommending this location for a breakfast.

linda salomon

Okay slow service out of kitchen

Bernice Nelsen

Excellent food and service. Wonderful atmosphere. Thanks

Krystal Neppl

Food and staff were great!!!

Ryan N. Ludwig

Best meat in town.

Tonya Parrish

Awesome service and good food

Jason Greubel

Overall a good restaurant. Not sure why the bar manager hates Kahlua, though

Sean McCullough

Terrible. We went there for my mom's 80th birthday. It was her favorite restaurant. We were going to surprise her with an Elvis impersonator. The female at the hostess stand said they would not accommodate our party of 15. I explained to her about my mom's birthday and that we would like to sit in the patio area. She said she could not accommodate us. I said my sister had called ahead and approved it with someone. She said we don't take reservations or call ahead from customers. I said you are going to lose a lot of business; and she told me "sorry". I told her I am not the one that should be sorry and we left. I immediately called Granite City and they said they would accommodate us, even the Elvis impersonator, and to come right over. We went to Granite City and had a great time. They even bought my mom a birthday cake for all 15 of us.

Tina Flatt

So great!! Brian the manager and Campbell the bartender are boss!! Will be back soon!! My friend is from out of town was amazed by the corn and wings!! Love jros

Todd Lewis

I live in Arkansas now where they rave about barbecue, jethros is better. Des Moines you are so lucky to have this restaurant.

L Bradley

Nice selection, staple sides and some unexpected offerings. Generous portions and friendly service. Will be back!

Chad Harter

The food is better at the Altoona location. Service was disappointing.

Jacob McCormack

Great place for early dinner. Our waitress was the perfect amount of attentiveness.

scott mcclure

Everything is good at Jethros. Brisket is great, wings as well. Full bar and great sides. Sports bar atmosphere, lots of tvs.

Johnny is Freed

Accidentally ordered from the wrong location and when they figured it out for me they put together a new order for me at this location lightning fast. Fantastic service and delicious food!

Liliana Frederic

Average barbecue, casual clean atmosphere

mark carver

Great jumbonot to spicy

Cody Samec

Went here last week with family. The service was fast and our waitress was great!

Ryan Dobmeier

Love this place. The wings are the best in town. Favorite place to come for football season. Definitely a must if youre in the area.

Jason Pringle

Just had the bbq rub dry wings for the first time. Very good change from the saucy ones!

Sandi Pettengill

Food was perfect! Service was excellent! I could eat there every day!!!

Chris Dahlstrom

Excellent jumbo. Huge apps. Very good service. Good specials.

G Girod

The dinner for two is amazing!!

Allan Higgins

Good food and service.

Bo

Friendly service an good food.can work on the sweet tea a little tho:)

Clayton Maris

The brunch on Sunday has wings. So good

Michael Keller

The breakfast buffet is simply the best and likely the only bbq buffet you will find in the des moines area.

A A

Good food and excellent customer service

Barbara Niemeyer

The Bbq was great but the sides were fantastic. Loved the mac n chz and the sweet potatoes and the red beans and rice.

Jake Woody

Quick service. Friendly Carry out guy. He knows what he is doing and always has the to go order very quickly

Debra Gaskins

Ribs were very meaty and sauce had a good amount of heat to it. Love jalapeno corn and baked beans were very good. Server was attentive and friendly.

JJ Patten

Unfortunately, the wings served on Wednesday for their "special" of 1# of wings for $4 are not the same wings that are served the rest of the time. The wings we had last Wednesday were horrible quality. The drumsticks were the top ends, with the bone length broken off, which made them sharp and difficult to eat. All the wings had shards of bone in them, which is dangerous. And although previous comments indicate 10 wings in a pound, we received 6 wings in 1 order, and 7 in another order. And no, the wings we received were not of a larger size by any means, which I understand would potentially impact the weight. The manager was too busy to speak to us last Wednesday when we were at the restaurant. When we called Thursday we were told it is a different quality of wings served for their Wednesday special. If you are the kind of person who doesn't mind getting 6 wings for $4 and spitting out bone shards and cutting your fingers on the broken off bones, then definitely take advantage of this "special deal". However this is a bait and switch, and we are extremely disappointed in Jethro's.

Joyce Friederich

We were disappointed that are take out order was delayed twice as long as what they told us. 25 minutes became 50 minutes with no apology. Very Disappointing.

Jake Holden

Good food great service