We walked in and we were invited to select the table of our choice. My Texas Tater was loaded with cheese and beef brisket. I requested a side of sour cream. It was a filling lunch. My husband enjoyed their gumbo and fried okra. The staff was attentive. Perfect lunch stop on our travels north. read more

I've been here a few times before. It had been a while so I made it in tonight. Not too busy, but it is Football Friday night. Picked a table and the menus are already there. Madilyn came and got my drink order. I went with no appetizers as I was getting extra sides. I ordered the 3-meat plate with ribs add-on. Requested the sausage, sliced brisket, smoked ham, and a couple of baby back ribs. The sides were pinto beans, potato salad, hand cut fries, and Tchoupitoulas Gumbo. The wait was not too long, better than average. Presentation on the plate was nice. Check the photos. All the meats and sides were great, very tasty. I absolutely loved the hand cut fries, they were seasoned just right. The real surprise for me was the cup of Tchoupitoulas Gumbo. It was quite delicious. I'm definitely going for the larger gumbo meal next time. All kinds of cool things adorn the walls and hang from the ceiling. Above average noise with all the different conversation volumes. Very clean and lit for character (night). Madilyn and Trinity were the best tonight. They helped to make the experience enjoyable. I'll definitely be returning. read more

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The service is stellar. We saw good reviews and we were missing Texas barbecue so thought timing-wise, it seemed like the perfect place to stop on our way out of Texas. The interior is cute, stereotypical Texan. Military gear, game trophies on the walls, etc. Sadly the food did not stack up. What they called chopped brisket was really just shredded meat with zero flavor. In Texas, we're all about the dry rub and not needing sauce. The meat was so dry, if you didn't add sauce your tongue might turn into sandpaper. The sausage just tasted like someone heated up a plain ole Eckrich sausage. It was fine just nothing special. And the baked potato only had meat and a bare sprinkling of cheese. No butter. No salt and pepper. VERY bare bones. It was all fine, I just expect a lot more from Texas barbecue. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Triple - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

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Ordered three meat plate with turkey, sliced brisket and sausage I asked for moist sliced brisket. They didn't know what I was talking about. Turkey and sausage were just ok. My sides were Cajun fries and gumbo, neither was very flavorful. Staff were all smiles and interacting with guests. Decor was typical of what I've found here in Texas. I wanted to try the rubs as those are what was suggested but they only do ribs on Fridays. So I didn't get a chance to have those. I was passing through and saw bbq so I gave it a shot. Next time I stop hopefully they have ribs. Then I'll get to try those and see but I would not recommend the brisket at all. I ended up tossing this meal. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Three meat sliced brisket, turkey sausage. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

Wanted BBQ while driving from Amarillo's to Tyler and Iowa Park has a little roadside BBQ joint that lured us in. There isn't much to look at on the outside but the inside is full of memorablia and old pictures. They were very busy on a Sunday afternoon but it was still fairly quick. I ordered the one meat plate with ribs and the hubs had the two meat plate. The only reason for the 1 star deduction is my brisket was considerably less than my hubs 1 meat brisket. He got 6 slices I got 3. He also got chopped brisket and had a considerable amount of that as well. The brisket was good and flavorful but slightly harder to cut. The ribs were absolutely mouth watering and fall off the bone. WOULD DEFINITELY eat here again!!! Wait staff was also accommodating and prompt. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Bar area, dining area - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

I want to give a shout out to everyone in the Texoma area to go to Rafter J's just off 287 in Iowa Park. I live in Wichita Falls and their BBQ ribs served (Fri-Sun) are worth the drive. The portions are such that most people might share between 2 people. I like having leftovers so for me sharing is out of the question. The rub on the ribs is so tasty and there is sauce to add to them if you so desire. I like spicy so their Cajun fries (breaded and fried jalapeno strips) are right up my alley. The sides we have tried there have all been good. Hope to see you there in the future. Since it seems we're losing good BBQ places I hope ya'll go an try Rafter J's I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

Ridiculous prices for mediocre food and service. Not worth the trip from WF. Overpriced drinks. Appetizer was wrong. 14$ for a Texas Tater the size of my wife's fist. You'd expect something with a Texas name in it, that it would be big. No butter. No sour cream. A few chives. A handful of chopped brisket, had to drown in bbq sauce because it was so dry read more

The vibe is perfect. Loved the decor and the smiling faces. Our waitress was happy, sweet and efficient. The owner came by to greet us as well. The bartender came by with drinks and was friendly too! Now for the best part....the food was delicious. My personal favorite is the brisket and the baked potato. In our group of seven we had pulled pork, sausage, beans and rice, a classic potato, fried okra, chicken, cheddar jalapeño sausage, a sampler platter, crab jalapeño appetizer, gator balls and a roadkill sandwich. Everything was great! Happy to have had some good bbq! Thank you Rafter J's. read more

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Went to Rafter J's for dinner with family. The server was a little overwhelmed and wasn't sure of the orders. My granddaughter ordered a frozen margarita and it was the last drink brought to the table. Before my daughter got her order of gumbo the waitress came and said there wasn't enough for a full portion so my daughter had to order the beans and rice as the entree with a side bowl of gumbo. My grandsons meat on his sandwich was cold and my granddaughter had ordered a three meat plate. All the meat was cold and we waited about 45 minutes for the food. Mine and my daughter's pork in the beans and rice was vinegary. I think the kitchen staff needs more training on food preparation and timing. We probably won't be returning. The waitress tried to correct the problems but it was too late between the time frame and the temperature of some of the food. read more

They changed their menu and only offer ribs Friday-Sunday. The the reason we go to Rafter J's is for the ribs which are very good. They also increased their prices. We used to be able to eat for around $25.00 including soft drinks. Today our meal was almost $46 including taxes. Today we didn't get soft drinks and opted for water which saved us about $6.00. The ambiance has not changed as it is still a nice mix of Cowboy, Military and 1st Responders. Our server did a great job and even apologized for not having ribs. read more

Traveling from Lubbock back to Fort Worth, we stopped at Rafter J's to grab lunch. Firstly, the people here are so kind and friendly! I wouldn't expect anything less from Iowa Park after Iiving in Wichita Falls. But after being back in the Metroplex, it's delightful to experience again. Secondly, the food! Delicious! The meat was tender and the sauce was a perfect balance of sweet and spice. The bread on my sandwich really made the difference. Soft on the outside, grilled and crispy on the inside. What a combo! The restaurant is so clean and inviting. Restrooms are super tidy. If you haven't been here, you are seriously missing out!! read more

Great job by the staff!! We showed up late and understand as a Texan that BBQ runs out, but the staff went the extra mile when I ordered ribs and they were out, took very good care of us and the brisket was great We will make the stop again! read more

I can't get enough of this. The BBQ is amazing, the only thing I haven't tried on that front is the ribs...yet. Prices are not out of line for good BBQ. Inside has the classic BBQ vibe and sports on the TVs. Both inside and through the drive thru, the employees are prompt and courteous. read more

Excellent food and exceptional service! Clean place with a great atmosphere! We stopped here in the midst of our travels to Fort Worth and will now stop here every time we pass by! The kids and us parents all left full and happy! Don't miss out on this!! read more

Vibes: Texan, Servers: Super friendly, BBQ: Best in Texoma, Other food: Also fantastic, Should you go here: Absolutely.

Really good bbq! My husband and I had a sampler platter, and it was seriously good. I don't usually like ribs, but these were fall-off-the-bone good. We ate our fill and brought the rest home with us. We'll be back again! We also had a great waitress~ she was attentive without being annoying. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Sampler platter - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

Stopped at this restaurant while on a trip from Dallas to Santa Fe. Barbecue and Cajun seemed like an interesting combination so I stopped by. The restaurant itself has a small town vibe to it. Very cozy and sports oriented. The service was immediate and very friendly. I don't know if I've ever been served as quickly or taken care of. I ordered the one meat plate with brisket as the main, and gumbo and potato salad as the sides with toast. Potato salad is kitchen made but nothing special. The gumbo however is very authentic and had a nice kick to it. The brisket had very good bark and fat too it, and paired well with the smoky sweet bbq sauce they had. Had apple cobbler with ice cream for desert. Delightful. My only suggestion is I wish they had more Cajun options, because I think the gumbo was the all star of the meal. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

I honestly have no recollection of eating at this restaurant I think years ago. But here we go. This time around I came with a group of ladies who have never been here at this location before I will try this barbecue in town. We got it seated pretty quickly and had a party of seven. The area and decorations are interesting. The animals and various shirts/uniform tops hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. We ordered fairly quickly, not knowing how long it would take to get the food. I got a three meat plate with turkey, sliced brisket, sausage, gumbo and loaded potato. With sweet tea. The sweet tea was good not too sweet. My turkey was nice sausage OK, my brisket was dry. Had hardly no flavor and needed sauce to be eaten. My baked potato head fatty bacon in it which I wasn't a fan of but the gumbo was nice spicy and good. Definitely recommend you try it. My friend ordered a two meat plate with ribs, sausage, beans, and potato salad. You definitely get good portion of this restaurant. She said the beans could use salt. Everybody agreed at the table that the ribs had absolutely no flavor. Definitely a wasted meat to purchase here. Save your money and it cost an over charge just to have them. Definitely not worth your money. We came because we saw a commercial/video review made by a young African-American young man where the ribs fell off the bone, and he said the food was absolutely great. This video will definitely get more people through the door of different races, and from different areas but the ribs are not good and don't fall off the bone like the video. I ordered a kids meal to go and they over fried it. One of the ladies asked our table. What did we think after we had ate lunch about the meal, and then began to get upset because we said that the ribs had no flavor. At this point, the waitress stop helping us for the most part. She was an earshot of our table, but Didn't really assistance any longer, no refills after giving us to go boxes and we were waiting for the check. I had to get another young lady working in a different section to assist us sense. Our waitressing to have been finished assisting us. This restaurant does not have many clients with melanin so you may want to bring a buddy with you if that is one of those things that make you feel awkward or uncomfortable. The bathrooms are clean and my bill with two tacos and my three meat plate was about $60. I did order a peach cobbler but they ran out and only had cherry cobbler. It was OK but had lots of harder crust instead of filling. All in all I would say, give it a try especially if you have a group of people who you can pick off each other plate and try new things. It definitely wasn't a place that I could say had a great barbecue. The sausage will do, the gumbo was great, thanks for military discount with a valid ID and you can get 10% off. The brisket was dry , required sauce, and the ribs just don't order them, or try it for yourself. This is not a bad option to try with. read more

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Driving through on the way to Colorado Saw this place had decent reviews and we were very happy with our barbecue sandwiches. Did not come with side the but it was good Cajun fries and fried okra were both delicious read more

There's a lot of local love for this place, but I'm not the biggest fan of their sliced brisket. It's always been very dry. The ribs are generally good and the sides are too- try the onion rings sometime. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Dry sliced brisket and sides. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

Stop by going into Texas! Definitely worth a try if you are driving through the highway. The food was great! Although what really sold me on this place was the service and ambiance! Very friendly and hospitable folks, had a great experience munching on all the goodies. If I drive through Texas again, I'll be stopping by; definitely getting that meat plate again! Thank you guys! read more

We had company in town so we catered from here and were impressed with the mixture of bbq and tried the gumbo, very good. We will go back.

Wife and I stopped on the way through. More BBQ than Cajun, I'd say, but the pulled pork was pretty good. I had the sandwich, she had the salad with Ranch dressing. Both were quite a bit better than average, and the bun was very good. I had okra as a side - loooove fried okra - that was just average. Service was very good. Store is very attractive and clean, though this section of Tejas seems to be more full of biker dudes (I mean, biker dudes) than others, so never felt particularly comfortable anywhere here. For what it's worth, there was a "thin blue line" flag on the ceiling. Kind of an odd juxtaposition. Go there, if you're there. read more

Ordered the Cajun shrimp without sides as a starter. It was definitely good, but not Cajun flavored. They were just barbecued shrimp. Enjoyed my chopped brisket sandwich with the Cajun fries. If you're thinking about bbq, I'd recommend stopping in. Plus, the service was excellent. read more

Delicious as always , good service and very friendly The food was hot and the potato salad was awesome read more

We had The Roadkill, described as 2 small sandwiches--actually 2 regular size buns with mixed brisket, turkey and rib meat in their bbq sauce. Delicious! We also had great fries and beans--which were Ranch style--duh. I don't really care for Ranch style but they were good. Excellent, quick service and would definitely stop again. Lunch for less than $20! read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - The Roadkill - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

If you love BBQ! Rafter J is the place to go! Food, service, and Ambiance is outstanding. Good variety, everything is so delicious. Large menu of sides to choose from! The meat is so tender and flavorful. The ribs are the best! read more

What a great find! The food was excellent - amazing bbq! The owner Jimmy Don came over to talk to us and we had a great conversation - we will make this a regular stop from now on our travels to Texas read more

The food is consistent and not bad. Not that great either. Staff is usually friendly but occasionally one will be less so.

The food & service are excellent! We find the food is excellent in quantity and quality. We have never had tough meat with little... the meat is cooked perfectly and wonderfully favored. read more

A 3 for a nice local joint. Not a BBQ destination. First visit here brisket was very dry we used a lot of bbq sauce today. Pulled pork was cold when served, potato salad was the mass produced mustard style. Pinto beans a little hard still and not much flavor. We will try the Cajun food next time. A lot of locals bragged about this place we were kinda disappointed but we're from central Texas read more

Good food. Good service. Nice atmosphere. I highly recommend if you're looking for BBQ. read more

Super underwhelming barbecue. We ordered the smoked turkey, ribs, brisket, and jalapeño sausage with a side of cole slaw and fried okra. The ribs were like leather and lacking flavor. The brisket was extract dry and also had no flavor. The turkey was fine. The sausage was just not good at all and the sides were just whatever. Don't waste your time. read more

Had to hit up Rafter Js when driving through Texas! Used to come here when I was at Sheppard AFB. Small town good bbq. The baked potato salad is amazing. Friendly good service, good bbq. Good prices. read more

Rafter J BBQ & Cajun Eats - Two meat plate with brisket and pulled pork and baked potato salad - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Iowa Park, Texas

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We stopped here on our road trip back to Denver for lunch and so glad we did!! The food was outstanding and the staff was friendly and welcoming!! We highly recommend the Turkey and if the staff says the ribs are looking happy, make sure to get a few of those as well! If we are in the area again we will definitely be stopping! read more

It's was so good! Cajun fries which are fried jalepenos were good, ribs had good flavor, not dry and fall off the bone. Waiter guy was friendly and awesome! read more

With cajun in the name I expected some seasoning, I was wrong. The bbq isn't bad, but it isn't great. Restaurant is clean, staff is friendly but the food was just ok. read more

I'm not one to normally write reviews however this place is lacking in service tremendously. The food is hit or miss. My major complaint is that two of us ordered the same meal except one was a full order and the other was a half order which the waitress did not disclose would be the same price. So one of us had enough food for an extra meal (if that's what you want) and the other had just enough for exactly the same price. I should've started out with we waited 10 minutes before anyone even stopped at our table. read more

My family has been frequenting Rafter J's since they opened and it has never disappointed. It's conveniently located right off 287, so if you are looking for friendly service and delicious food, you must check it out. I've tried several dishes on the menu but my go-to favorite is the Texas Tater stuffed with beef brisket and all the fixins and a side of fried okra. The beer on tap is ice cold and goes down smooth, but if your drug of choice is caffeine, their fountain Dr Pepper is great, too. Be sure to check out the fried corn and delicious sausage! If you need a bird for the holidays, put your order in well ahead of time. They smoke them to perfection! Why waste time cooking when you can enjoy time with friends and family?! I only recently learned RJ's started as a food truck but has since grown into a staple of this small town. read more

Such good bbq pulled pork and the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant was delightful. If you're not a people person, their drive through is fairly quick! read more