ShortE's BBQ was a really pleasant surprise. I had the ribs and smoked wings, and both were…read moreexcellent. The ribs were cooked perfectly -- tender, flavorful, and honestly didn't even need BBQ sauce because the seasoning and smoke flavor were that good. The smoked wings were also spot on with great flavor. The mac and cheese was pretty good, and the seasoned fries were solid as well, but the real star of the show was definitely the meat. I'm pretty picky when it comes to BBQ and often leave disappointed at most places, but ShortE's absolutely delivered. I'll definitely be back.

There are a few BBQ options in the area, but this one is one of the better ones. Nice atmosphere,…read morefeels like a traditional hole in the wall BBQ joint. At one point you ordered at the counter, but recent visits have had table service. My go to order is the Texas Mike sandwich. This masterpiece has thick sliced brisket and chopped brisket along with cheesy corn and bbq beans on 2 slices of Texas toast. I like to remove the top slice and eat it like an open faced sandwich. The brisket is super tender and the beans and corn add a nice amount of flavor and texture. I add their sweet sauce, but the spicy is good too. It comes with an additional side, so add the seasoned fries. They are crispy with a nice seasoning. And again, pair with the sweet sauce. Give them a try.

Had to stop on my way through Des Moines. If you love BBQ don't miss the chance to eat at Smokey…read moreD's. Jalapeño Cheddar Hot links were so amazing. Smokey, cheesey and a little kick. So tasty and juicy. I should have bought two orders because my friend wanted to eat all of it. Brisket burnt ends were amazing! The bark was so yummy. Brisket was moist and Smokey. Perfect size, too. Pulled pork was also juicy and Smokey. Pork at other places can dry out quickly, but not at Smokey D's. It was filled with flavor and I couldn't stop eating it (until I had eaten all of it). Baked beans were very tasty and good. Coleslaw was just the right creamy sweetness to keep the palette clean. Not pictured was the two orders of garlic toast I ordered after eating the piece that came with the plate. Overall a sweet 10/10 from me, or as a BBQ judge, I give it all straight 9's.

We were early, right at opening, party of 2. The smell alone lets you know you've been invited for…read moresome good BBQ. The lady at the counter, she's got your back and is very friendly helping you through the menu. Staff all around is super nice and helpful! The food just can't be beat when it comes to BBQ in DSM. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple spots, but Smokey D's knocks it out of the park with their consistency and quality, every single time. Thanks for the grub! See you for our next birthday lunch!

Ordered the #5 char's bowl with Mac and cheese and the #6 chicken tenders. The breading is pretty…read moregood, I really liked their seasoning. Everything looked fresh and the tenders were hot. It's a local fast food vibe and everything tasted good. I definitely need to try their shakes next time.

I was in the area for meetings and next thing I knew it was 2 pm and I was starving. Glad I…read morestumbled on Charlotte's! I have eaten a lot of chicken sandwiches over the years, but this just is different. Better. So many places serve chicken sandwiches, but this wasn't just a quick bit. It was uniquely flavorful in a category that can be really blah. I looked at the options and decided to do something I hadn't even thought about before -- a chicken sandwich named the Crab Rangoon? Uh, what? It was a great chicken breast hot, juicy, etc BUT something about sweet chili sauce and crisply won tons just makes it a different experience. So yummy! And everything about it screamed FRESHNESS!!! I thought I'd try the mac and cheese and it's good. Really good for a drive through (I was headed an hour or so north so I ate a bit and kept running). The patio looked nice. The service was pretty fast and they were nice. The sign in the window of the drive through made me chuckle cause it was the week of the intrastate rivalry football game. Stumbled on it while traveling but this is a place I would 100 percent seek out if I wanted a quick bite in the area.

Great bbq to be had at Kue'd Smokehouse!…read more I am a big Smokey D's fan but my cousins said this place was just as good and I have to say I'm a convert. Some things were better, others not as good, but good overall. Great brisket and burnt ends were ok but a little light on the smoke to be honest. The pulled pork was dry in some places and nice and juicy in others. The smoked Mac and cheese is mighty tasty and not too bitter from the smoke. Glad we tried the redneck nachos. They are made on house made potato chips and are a very unique treat. Also great bbq sauce! The original and spicy have excellent flavor. Glad to have another bbq spot in the DSM area to go to!

There's a particular smell that good barbecue joints carry -- the low, sweet perfume of wood smoke…read morethat clings to your clothes long after you leave. It's the smell of patience, of time, of a pitmaster standing watch over a stubborn hunk of meat for half a day or more. Walking into Kue'd, I was hoping for that smell. What I found instead was something a little more complicated. I ordered a half pound of brisket and a half pound of burnt ends, with a side of poblano creamed corn -- thirty-two bucks all in. Not bad. In the modern barbecue economy, where smoked meat is starting to cost what a decent steak once did, that's a respectable number. The brisket arrived looking the part. Sliced, tender enough, with a decent beefy flavor. But the first bite told a different story. Where you expect the deep campfire soul of smoked meat -- that unmistakable bark, that blackened, peppery crust that whispers of hours in the pit -- there was... nothing. No bark to speak of. No smoke that lingered. If someone had told me it was roast beef pulled from an oven instead of a smoker, I wouldn't have had much evidence to argue otherwise. It wasn't offensive. It just wasn't barbecue. Then came the burnt ends. Now these were the reason to be here. Juicy, tender little cubes of beef with the kind of bark the brisket should have had in the first place -- dark, caramelized, and deeply smoky. The fat rendered just right, the meat pulling apart with that perfect balance of resistance and surrender. Each bite carried the flavor of the pit that the brisket seemed to miss entirely. The regular barbecue sauce was solid -- sweet, balanced, and clearly designed to complement the meat rather than smother it. The vinegar-based sauce, on the other hand, promised Carolina but delivered something closer to pancake syrup. Sweet, thick, and missing the sharp, nose-tickling tang that vinegar sauce is supposed to bring to the party. The poblano creamed corn was good -- comforting, creamy, with a mild pepper warmth -- but it played things a little too safe. One note, pleasant but forgettable. Like a song that never quite reaches a chorus. Still, when you step back and look at the whole tray -- a pound of meat, a side, and change left in your wallet -- the value is hard to argue with. Not every barbecue meal has to be transcendent. Sometimes it just has to be honest. And here's the thing: those burnt ends? They were honest. Next time I walk into Kue'd, I'll know what to do. Burnt ends again, no question. Maybe some pulled pork. And I'll give the baked beans and potato casserole a shot -- because every barbecue place deserves a second look, especially when they've already proven they know how to get at least one thing very, very right.

Great food and drinks...came here for the brisket! We've…read morevisited before and received great food and service. Got the brisket AND the Memphis style ribs. Great flavor. Memphis flavor is medium level spicy. Cowboy beans, cornbread, and coleslaw were our sides. All were flavored very well and Smokey. Ordered the Mango margarita and the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Beer. Margarita was a nice light flavor. Service was excellent and very accommodating to dairy intolerance. Our server did everything she could to keep us happy. We would def go back

I can't believe we've missed out on this place for 22 years. 22 years today actually. It's their…read moreanniversary. We are huge DDD fans and had to try this place out. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. It was amazing. We got there right at 5:00 and were the first ones in. The owner was right there to greet us and we had a fantastic conversation with him. Super nice dude. Great stories. He checked on us several times to see how things were. He was super attentive to all tables. Impressive. Great atmosphere. My teenage son can eat a ton and loves his food. Impressing him can be tough. This place did it. We both loved it all. Service was fantastic. Food was so good. Drinks very good. Easy 5 stars. I worried about this place no living up to the hype. It surpassed expectation. Guy found a gold mine and I'll be back. Get there early as it fills up quickly.

Thao and Kara welcomed us to our first visit to the Smoking Goat Pub like we were family. We…read morestumbled upon this place through a different channel, and decided to give it a try. We are so glad we did. The atmosphere is a dicey but very clean and the vibe looks like a great time. It was a quiet afternoon but the ladies went out of their way to make us feel like we belonged. This visit was only for a couple of cocktails but we saw some food come from the kitchen and it looked on point! Kara made a tasty treat and shared it with some of at the bar and that sealed the deal! We will be back in to give it a shot. I will update my review on the food after that! See you soon!

Stopped in for lunch, had the (really good) house specialty burger. The service was excellent and…read morethe staff was friendly. Didn't get to sample any of their beers but the selection was definitely appealing.

I've eaten at Leachmon's twice. Both times the sandwiches were amazing. They just recently started…read moreopening for lunch and both times I ate at the lunch counter. The space has an old-time diner feel on one side of the restaurant. Monday through Wednesday they serve various sandwiches and fries. All the prices are in the $10-$13 range. On Thursday through Sunday they have a full menu with ribs, Southern sides, and interesting desserts. Prices are higher, but appropriate. This review is a preview because I will definitely be going for the full menu. The service is prompt and everything has been tasty. I am judging them solely on service and food. They're pretty new to the space so I'm giving them a pass on the ambience. It's a family restaurant and restauranting is hard work. I trust that they will get the ambiance fully dialed in in time. The most important thing is the food anyway and they have BBQ down! Lucky to have them so close to work :)

This is 5 star food in our great city. The owner is humble and has so much to be proud of! They…read morewere out of many things in the day we tried, but that won't stop us. They have a board of items listing what they're out of. I had the brisket sandwich with fries and mac and cheese. The sandwich was everything you want brisket to be. Tender, succulent, perfect crust and loaded on a grilled bun. The fries were great and had some delicious rub/seasoning on them. The mac and cheese was different than expected, but in a good way. Rotini noodles, cheesey, perfectly seasoned. You need to go. They're not open all days of the week so check yourself so you don't end up brokenhearted. Go. Eat. Indulge. Tip well. Thank me later.

For those who know me and follow my reviews, you already know: I love, love, love to eat--and I…read moretake pride in giving fair, honest feedback. I also believe in being the best at your job, and that includes our wait staff. I'm someone who tips generously, but I expect the service to match the tip. Unfortunately, this visit had a few missed opportunities. We ordered a 1-meat dinner with pulled chicken and sweet potato fries, a pound of shrimp with Carolina sauce, and an order of fried cheese squares to start. The appetizers came out quickly, hot and fresh--the cheese squares were golden and crisp, and they had great flavor. That was a great start. But from there, the experience started to slide. Our server was polite, but not engaged. There was no real greeting, no check-in after the food arrived, and zero personality or warmth that could have elevated the experience. We had to flag someone down for drink refills, and while we weren't in a rush, the entrees took longer than expected to come out. The food itself was solid--pulled chicken had good flavor, the shrimp was a highlight with its tangy Carolina sauce--but the lack of connection from the staff made it feel transactional, not welcoming. With just a little more attentiveness or a smile, this could have been a five-star experience. Missed opportunities like these matter. People come back for the food, but they stay loyal for the service. I wanted to leave a bigger tip, but I left feeling like I was tipping for speed, not hospitality. I'll try again--maybe it was just an off night--but I hope the next visit delivers the warmth that matches .

We've stopped at Jethro's twice now while in town for basketball tournaments. It is, in a word:…read more"serviceable" The atmosphere is solid and the baked beans border on greatness (with little pieces of pork mixed in), but their homemade sauces do not impress and every pulled pork dish is too dry to eat sans sauce. No issues with the service, but they didn't exactly 'wow' us either.

This place has been a staple for the past three years I've been in law school @ Drake. The student…read moreburger deal is a godsend, happy hour is perfect, and the servers are always great. I've take family who've visited DSM for the first time and they love it. I've had rough days where the chicken bacon ranch flatbread is all I want and it satisfies every time. I've done schoolwork here (including group flash card study sessions) while sipping on a cute cocktail. I've shared so many drinks and laughs with my classmates here, I hope they stay open forever. HIGHLY recommended!!

I've been here a handful of times. Never a complaint…read more Food is is always tasty and delivered in a reasonable time. And I've never sent anything back, it's always been good. Waitresses are always attentive and friendly. They know the menu & drinks as well and are doing a fantastic job. Decent prices. Close and also private parking. Decent restrooms.

Sandwiches are my favorite thing to eat--seriously, I could give Joey Tribiani a real run for his…read moremoney. The sandwich I had at Cheeba Hut last night is easily one of the top three sandwiches I've ever had. I'd give this place tens across the board--food, service, atmosphere, everything. Can't wait for our next visit.

Finally made it out for a sammie and it was great. You order when you walk in and they bring it…read moreto you when it's done. There's also a drive-through available. Many, many options to choose from. It was hard to decide. I went with the Mediterranean Greek one and the flavor combo was fantastic. My husband went with a roast beef one. He liked it, but wants to try others. The decor is fun and they have great names for the food. There's also a bar you can sit at and order alcoholic drinks. We will be back.