About an hour and a half drive but well worth the trip!…read moreSaturday early afternoon and it was packed...about a half hour wait for seating was the only downside. Service was outstanding and the staff seemed to be handling multiple aspects of the jobs and helping each other out...no one just did one thing and I think that really sped up the service. Katie was our primary server and was outstanding! We ordered up a two and a three meat deal and had Campground Beans, Creamy Coleslaw, Cheesy Potatoes,, and Mac & Cheese as sides as well as a slice of Texas Toast and Cornbread as sides....oh, and Golden Corn Nuggets as an appetizer. The Corn Nuggets were good and sweet and served up with honey and a ranch sauce for dipping. The meat choices were 3) Ribs, Pork Loin, and Turkey Breast....and 2) Pork Loin and Turkey Breast. The smoke on everything was amazing and just the right amount for excellent flavors..the ribs were very meaty. Some places ribs leave you wanting but not at Watcha Smoking! The Pork Loin and the Turkey Breast were both very good as well...still tender and not dried out. I liked the Neck of the Woods sauce the best (mild tomato based) as well as the Carolina Gold sauce...it had nice kick to it. The sides were all good but the only issue was the Cheesy Potatoes were a bit dry.....I'm thinking that it must've been towards the end of the batch and had been sitting around for a bit. Cornbread was excellent, Texas Toast tops, Coleslaw was a good shredded, wet slaw, the Mac and Cheese very good, and the Campground Beans were the preferred side as they had some good chunks of smoked meats mixed in. Fantastic place, great for small groups and large groups as well...great food and great service...Definitely worth the trip!

Really enjoyed the premier BBQ joint in the greater Des Moines area in my visit to Whatcha Smokin'…read morein the midst of a rural backdrop, this place was definitely worth the 45 minute trek from the state capital for delicious brisket, corn, slaw and sweet tea at a very affordable price. I appreciated the dual restaurant ambiance for a service side with waiters or a order at the register style. All BBQ restaurants have one or the other but not both. The meet was tender and juicy and as their name would suggest - smoked to perfection. I don't know if I'll find myself in Iowa ever again but if I do I will definitely make another pilgrimage to Whatcha smokin for the states best BBQ

Went here for lunch with the family, this place has a lovely charm - and was at one point a train…read moredepot. Our server was attentive, and it was quiet enough to have a pleasant conversation over lunch. Three of our table had the daily special - a ribeye sandwich with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, their version of sweet and saucy steak sauce. Everyone enjoyed it - and I stole a few fries which were golden crisp and perfectly seasoned. I was assured their fries are consistently delicious. I had pork shoulder with two sides, i went with hallelujah potatoes (cheesy potato casserole) and cornbread pudding. The pork was melt in your mouth tender, perfect with the sweet and sassy bbq sauce. Each plate comes with some pickle slices and pickled onions, the onions were nice - i gave my pickles away as i am not a savory pickle girl. The hallelujah potatoes were cheesy, creamy and crunchy (topping) and the cornbread pudding tasty. The lemonade was recommended to me and it was well done - tart and sweet. Overall if I had more time in town I would definitely come back.

Just some suggestions for future guests. Please ask first if guests want to be seated on patio. We…read morewere taken outside on patio, granted the plastic sheets were down, but it was a cool, rainy day. We were told the heaters would be turned on. They weren't. We asked to be moved inside and a they moved us to the loudest part, next to bathrooms and opening to patio, so still cool. Waitress had no time for us, maybe because we were asked to be moved. Idk. Food was good. If the name of your restaurant is "cornbred" you would think your meat dish would come with a piece of cornbread. Instead you have to order it as an appetizer which are muffins. How about one little muffin person placed on the table. I would also maybe include a side with your meal (maybe less meat) to accommodate for the side. Just suggestions. It is a cute place though.

Food, service, ambience are all fantastic. Great for large gatherings or small groups. It's a local…read moreicon restaurant and a must for visitors!

Never fails to disappoint! They were extremely busy because of a concert and our food still came…read moreout hot and fresh. They forgot to put a burger in and the manager came over and apologized and said that the burger was on them! Very good customer service

Service was great! Shout out to the girl who just turned 18. You were so sweet & very attentive!…read moreThe place is decorated on theme & they have cute shirts with their logo on them The food was a bit underwhelming unfortunately. The hot bbq sauce was good, the beans were actually the best part! The potato salad was disappointing unfortunately

The bbq here is good but as my previous review for BBQ resturant surpasses this place by far, no…read morecomparison to whatcha smokin. There is no wait staff and all our food was served in to go containers or Styrofoam. Just not as comfortable of a place again food was OK to good. Given the choice between the two I've been to given proximity I'll go to my first reviewed BBQ joint over this one any day of week.

We stopped here on a whim making our way through Iowa on a road trip. I was looking for a good…read moreplace that could fill my family and keep them full for a while so we could keep driving. From other Yelp reviews, this place looked like a good place to try. Walking in, it first reminds you of a dive bar and staff were a little slow to seat us on a Thursday lunch but once we got our seats, service was speedier and we were eating soon enough. Service was attentive and our waitress made sure we had things taken care of. The best bang for your buck (or at least for my family of five) was ordering the family sampler platter. We got an assortment of meats including pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and chicken. We also tried the baked beans, mac and cheese, and waffle fries. Portions for the sampler are huge and filled us all up with a little extra left over. The BBQ was really good, just what we were wanting. You can't have good BBQ without good sauce (my opinion) and Jethro's had an assortment to find just the right one for the meat/entrée you were eating. Definitely a great stop, I'm glad we took a small detour to find this location.

Tried the challenge sandwich (not trying the challenge). Delicious and more than any 4 people…read morereally should eat. Every part was amazing! I ate the pork and my Mac and cheese there, and that was enough to make me full. The leftovers that I took home after this, filled a catering pan! I ate three more days on that one sandwich.

The Filling Station is a gas station, an extra stocked convenience store, a breakfast/lunch food…read morecounter, and a tables inside and out to enjoy your refreshments and the view. Gayle and I stopped in today after reading about it within some "48 hours in Ames" article. I ordered a brisket grilled cheese sandwich, while Gayle chose a similar one with blackberry flavoring. We split a can of Guinness off the convenience store fridge, and then sat outside for our street and car wash view. We had nice shade on a not too hot day and took the opportunity to hang out bit after we finished our meal. This was a tasty and pleasant experience of good value overall.

Was nearby for an early meeting and had a gap before my next one. Decided to grab breakfast and…read morerolled the dice and just went here for a quick bite. Wow, it is a lot more than a quick breakfast at a gas station! The kitchen was complete and had a full menu offered up. It was also a commercial bakery... multiple bakers working on cinnamon rolls that looked divine! I had a breakfast quesadilla. It had real flavor in it with candied jalapeños. It was a lot but judging from all the plates I saw come out of the kitchen everything there was solid in serving size. The chai latte was good too. And the folks were nice. They definitely have loyal fans locally, folks were ordering for tailgates!

Amazing wings. Their hidden gem is the avocado turkey & chicken wrap. Overall, great BBQ.read more

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.

Stopped for lunch at The Traveling Pig, a new food truck that is making the rounds in Ames. They…read morehave great porchetta sandwiches based on flavors from around the world. I had the BBQ and it did not disappoint. The sauce was amazing and the slaw on top put it over the edge. The "truck made" chips were also fantastic. I know the truck makes the rounds around Ames and if you follow them on Facebook, you can find out where they are. I'm hoping to visit them frequently this summer.

From the owner: The Traveling Pig Food Truck specializes in chef innovated mobile meals that combine local…read moreingredients with global flavors. While our origin is the Porchetta sandwich of Tuscan street markets, our ever changing menu is a culinary vacation of taste that will please meat eaters and vegetarians alike!

Food is always consistently great. Have had few bad meals here. Service is good depending on who's…read moreworking but I've never been treated poorly. The place is well kept and always decorated for whatever holiday they have coming up. All in all a decent place to get a good meal.

Christmas set up is magic! Great service and fun for kids. The food was awesome. I recommend trying…read morethis place out especially over Christmas

Wow everyone's talking about Bubbies and now we know why…read more Amazing St Louis ribs....only on WEDNESDAYS. Love their regular ribs too but wow. Absolutely amazing. My kids are picky and they prefer Bubbies. Two racks, four sides. Call ahead if you wanna eat ribs for dinner to check if they have them in stock. Every time we visit, it's packed. Came out here again for a Saturday early dinner as a family of 10 and it was packed! Service is ok. Shop is small, seats 30 maybe at tables. Then there are 10 bar seating. Not a cozy place, really a place without frills. That's fine. We came for the food only. Highly recommend a visit and will be back when we crave them ribs.

After work yesterday I took a drive a little North to Ankeny from West Des Moines through the…read more"flurries" after work... Let's get the disappointment out of the way... They had a truck not show and there was no Wednesday special tonight. A full rack of St Louis style ribs and two sides for $20. At this point I think we all understand distribution chain issues... So it is what it is. Might want to call ahead, just in case, if you are looking to take advantage of that killer deal...! Having opened in June of this year they've been around a few months now. Bubbies sits right alongside Filet and the parking lot is very good sized. It's seat yourself with a selection of low top tables and chairs along with a small bar and bar stools. The interior of the restaurant is well lit and open. The decor outside of the one wall mural is pretty plain. Ordering is done at the table and that's where your bill is presented at the end of your meal. Let's put this right up front too... The young gentleman who served me tonight did a helluva good job! I went with the Rib and Meat Platter. Four bones of baby back ribs and I paid the $5 upgrade for for the burnt ends. Sides of BBQ beans, mac and cheese, and a corn muffin. And a fountain drink (Coke products)... $31 and change before tip. This special not being on tonight's menu was the only negative. The corn muffin was small, but moist. Not the dry excuse some restaurants try to pass off as cornbread. I could have eaten a few more of these... The mac and cheese was made with a cavatappi type of pasta and a pleasant cheese blend. Creamy...not chalky. Very good. The BBQ beans were traditional and had large visible chunks of meat throughout. They didn't exactly blow my socks off...but still one of the better examples of baked beans I've had recently. The burnt ends were very good. There were a couple of pieces that were a little salty for my taste, but it wasn't all of them. Honestly I think that can be kind of normal with most seasoning and rubs. It's not always as uniform as it could be and will vary from batch to batch. I'd order their burnt ends again in a heartbeat. St Louis and baby back ribs are both pork. St Louis are smaller, thinner, and cut lower closer to the belly. Baby back are thicker, from the upper rib cage area, and cut closer to the spine. The baby back ribs were easily the star of the show! So tender. The smoke and the seasoning were on point. The meat pulled clean off the bone! They were perfect! One other thing I should mention... My food hit the table within a few minutes of me placing my order. FAST! Now I LOVE Whatcha Smokin', but I've always wondered why it takes 30 min from when I order to the food hitting the table. My guess is most of the food was taken off the smoker long before I got to the restaurant. It's sitting in a warmer and maybe needs sliced and plated. I could be wrong... If I was ordering bar drinks I could see holding me at the table for as long as possible cause we all know drinks often drive profit, but my Coke comes with free refills. Lol They're not on the menu, but ask about desserts. Tonight they were offering a mason jar cheesecake and some kind of a mousse cake. Bubbies really nailed it on service expectations. I had a great first visit with them. My server was fantastic. The food was hot, good quality, and I was in and out. Can't wait to go back and try their brisket! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61557154408668