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.

We stopped here for dinner as we really enjoyed the Adel location (one of my 5* ratings) and wanted…read moreto try out the new location. In comparison, we were disappointed with the food at this location, but did enjoy the live entertainment as well as the friendly, attentive staff. I ordered the wings (see picture), as we really enjoyed them at Adel, while my wife ordered the medium Pork Tenderloin. The wings weren't as smoky as what we remembered from Adel and I believe they were fried too long (crispy, dry and the meat shrinking / pulling away from the bone). Given the Top 5 rating for his Tenderloins, our expectations were high and we were left disappointed. The portion was small (see picture) and there didn't seem to be a distinct smoky flavor. If you order the Tenderloin, I would recommend trying the large size in hopes that it is a bit more juicy and smoky. The highlight of this visit was the Blueberry Cobbler for dessert (see picture - delicious) and Jesse and the Medicine Men's live entertainment in the bar area (see pictures). Jesse mingled in the crowd during break and was a good enough singer / entertainer that we moved to the bar for another drink and listened through their last song. He did some great classic country music and really seemed to enjoy entertaining us. Todd's FAS: Food: 3 Atmosphere: 4 Service: 4 If you found this review helpful, please click on 'Useful'.

We had seen reviews for this bbq place for awhile and decided to try it. The first thing we noticed…read morewas a sweet note on the door from the restaurant owner (you'll have to eat there to find out what the note says but it made us feel even better about giving it a try). Inside of the restaurant has a very laid back country feel and has live music on some evenings. We were there early so was sat on the bar side of the restaurant. Our waitress was so sweet and when we told her that was our first time there, she was kind enough to share what her favorites were with us. We ordered onion rings, the southwest burger, potato salad, Mac n cheese, burnt ends, andouille sausage, and brisket. Burnt ends were best we had in Iowa so far! The other dishes were pretty good...not the best we ever had but still delicious. The downfall to the night was the price of the Moscow mule we ordered. Cost was $15 for a copper cup that was mostly ice. Had I known it was going to cost that much, I wouldn't have ordered it. We'll be back to try some of their other dishes and maybe plan it while we're able to listen to some live music!

Just Jethro's has always been one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast unfortunately they got…read morerid of one of my favorite items but I tried a new one and it's now my favorite item. Great service staff very quick food. Excellent quality always never had a bad meal there.

Jethro's was a good lunch pitstop on our way through Des Moines. I got the sandwich with onion…read morestraws on it and added hot sauce. With the baked beans. The beans were very tasty and had a great smokey flavor. My sandwich was also good but didn't knock my socks off. Service was friendly and the place was clean. I appreciated the moist toilettes at the table as well to clean off when you're finished eating.

We use to make it a point to stop at Jethro's on our way through Des Moines. Moved here recently…read moreand visited Sunday for lunch. Had Brisket and chicken platter. Sent it back because it was cold. Came back lukewarm. Chicken was so dry it wasn't edible. Service was just ok. Can't imagine we will ever stop again.

I REPEAT IF YOU ARE A BLACK PERSON DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS AT ALL!!!!…read more I came into the restaurant & everyone was seated at the bar. Not one person came to welcome me into the establishment and I had to find my own seating. I sat at the bar and let the hostess know that I needed to order to go. She then proceeded to have a conversation with the patrons at the bar, who, of course did not look like me, and so I waited a little bit and interrupted and let her know that I was ready to order. **ignored** I had to speak up a little bit, louder to be heard and grasp her attention to request to submit my order. I was not rude! She took my order and walked away. Not only did she slam my food down on the countertop, but did not give me any utensils or napkins. Alao while doing so, she looked at me & rolled her eyes when I asked for those items. She proceeded to walk away, and I told her that she was very rude and that her Customer Service was very rude. I naturally am very giving with a monetary tip but today I did not. I walked out to my car really shocked about how I was treated and was going to leave, but then I decided I needed to speak up and out. I walked back into the restaurant and requested to speak to a manager. Naturally, the young lady had already told her manager about what happened because they must've overheard me telling her that she was very rude. His name was Oscar and he spoke with me about reviewing the footage, and I let him know how it made me feel as a person, not just individually, but being the only person in the restaurant who was black and he told me that my race is not what prompted the bad service. Ok. Hmmm I let him know that I simply interrupted her other conversation to let her know that I was ready to order and I was not rude at all. At the end of the day, we shook hands and he apologized for her being rude and he invited me back and or to visit any of the other locations. Whether he was sincere about it or not, only God knows! But all I know is how I feel leaving the establishment. And yes, when I was talking with him, I did inform him that I was recording a video. It's sad that naturally people have to go live in order to feel safely heard. ‍ What's disappointing is that as I was walking out, several patrons stood up rudely clapping me out the door.

Came on a whim... wanted bbq on a Sunday. I was worried cuz it wasn't busy at all, but pleasantly…read moresurprised. Good food, friendly service, and great sauces to choose from ! Will be back !

Always a hit! The…read morebattered and fried tenderloin and mushrooms put this place on the epic scale. Not much to look at, decor is pretty old school, but it's the food that counts! Hit CB's today with a group of seven old co-workers... That's old as in former, but most of us would probably qualify as literally old now too. Lol If you haven't checked out Cactus Bob's... Get there! If you've been, but it hasn't been recently... You deserve to go back soon! Enjoy!

Food was excellent . The service was wonderful and Scott, the manager, along with Michelle and…read moreRiley, were very polite. The other thing I didn't know is that I would be selling my children's book there.

Was super excited to try this place since I love southern food. They are not open until 5pm, which…read moreworked out for us. Got seated right away. Super friendly staff, and knowledgeable. Told us the specials for the day. Went with the Cajun catfish and shrimp pontchartrain in crawfish sauce replaced the rice for the sweet potato noodles per suggested. Shrimp were cooked perfectly. And good size. Wished they would have removed the tails. The sauce was tasty but crawfish was over done, which made them a little chewy. Glad we stuck with the noodles because the rice on my red beans and rice was crunchy! The red beans and rice overall were horrible: it was as if they just pour the beans over the rice instead of all being cooked together. Bland. The goat cheese grits were bland to say the least. None of the goat cheese flavor came through other than the smell. The mashed potatoes were as unappealing to the taste as to the eyes. Looked like they have been sitting under a heat lamp and were brownish. Overall, disappointed since I had seen a lot of great reviews.

If you really want to try all the options and still have tasty meats left over order the "Feast." I…read moreordered the (Feast) which included a slab of pork ribs that were very tender with cooked in succulent sauce with sides of chopped pork, smoked chicken parts, baked beans a little watery), cold slaw, muffins and steak fries. A few sides need a little more work whereas the ribs, chicken, muffins, and cold slaw were outstanding due to freshness, seasoning and the tenderness in each bite. All in all the entire feast was very savory casting a flavor bomb making you want more of the tender pork ribs. As a whole, the meats were very tender with seasoning you smell and taste. Perhaps my only wish is a little more smoke on the meats and thickness to the baked beans. The ordering online is quick and easy online for pick up. The pick up park lane is in front of the to go pick up and front entrance providing you the safety needed to park in a clean and visible area.

Wow I was blown away with how delicious everything was! Famous Dave's deserves to be recognized…read moremore for really great BBQ in the West Des Moines area. Asked about dairy free and everything was able to be accommodated. Ordered two racks of ribs- regular St Louis and baby back. All were amazing. Hot and fresh. Pulled pork was wonderful. Kids had a blast sitting out in the patio on a nice day. Service was nice. Quick and polite. Food came out timely. Would definitely highly recommend and will be back!

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.

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 had the king crab legs with garlic butter. OMG! So delicious! It came with a small potato and…read morecorn on the cob. Our server, Nick, was excellent. He was the only server working that afternoon (it was early afternoon) and he was right on top of everything. The restaurant wasn't busy. It was a Wednesday. I really liked the nautical theming. I would gladly go again and again

Laughing Crab of WDM has a lively fun crew of young wait staffers ready to take your tasty seafood…read moreorder. The large dining area is very good for any social gathering. I ordered the fried shrimp and fried oysters which were mildly seasoned. Chin-- My Energetic and New to the process -- Wait Staffer -- eagerly took my order. He actually knew the menu and recommended the Fried Oyster and Fried Shrimp Platter which was served within a reasonable time. The floors, tables, paper coverings for each table were clean. All the wait staffers were scampering around getting ready for the evening crowd. The Pop and R & B music that was softly playing in the background was full of melody that made you want to slow your eating, relax and reflect on your delicious dish.