As a vegan at a barbecue place at the mall, I didn't expect there to be many options for me. I was right, and would've rated 3 stars or so, except that I obviously couldn't judge their specialty- barbecue which my grandparents thoroughly enjoyed here. So here we are at 4 stars- delicious baked potatoes, a nice salad with more than just lettuce like some places, and a few vegan sides like corn, steamed broccoli, and applesauce. I suspected you could make their flatbread dishes vegan with just some grilled tomatoes and garlic and cilantro and asking for no cheese, but the waitress just guessed that the bread contained milk + eggs when I asked and didn't seem to want to check so I just let that one go. Inside the music isn't too loud, and they make you forget you're eating at the mall- they created a whole environment and all diners looked happy. The food has some rewards, so the trophies are displayed. It wasn't really my vibe, but my grandparents were happy and that's all that matters. read more

Bubba-Q's - Baked Idaho potato was delicious!! - Barbeque Near Me - Ottumwa, Iowa

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I went in for some take out at the recommendation of the hotel desk attendant at the Hampton Inn. The service was very fast a d the staff was very nice! The burnt ends werent that great but the John Deer Corn was amazong! read more

Food is out of this world you mush have the TEXAS BEEF SAUSAGE !!!! It will change your life not to mention the county fair lemonade topped off with a chuck wagon for dessert. Bubba Q's will not let you down! And the staff are truly a family and it shows! read more

Love eating here! Great food and service. Was in there today and had the bartender make me a Margarita. She added a carbonated soda which was odd. This was probably one of the weakest drinks I have ever had. If I'm ordering a drink I'd like to taste alcohol. I'll eat here but will stay away from the drinks if this is how they make them. Just heads up peeps. read more

Horrible service. Employees standing around, visibly noticed us, chose not to seat us. Eventually showed us to a table and sat our menus and utensils in a pile and said they would be back. Never came back after to ask what we wanted to drink or what we want to eat. They were not busy at all, no excuse for lack of service other than laziness. Clearly employees do not value the customer nor care about their experience. Didn't stick around to try the food read more

Great sit down BBQ place w separate entrance from mall. Food (4 Stars) - Had the burnt ends which was my fav. Beef & turkey was ok. You two bottles of BBQ sauce tangy & sweet Ambiance (4 Stars) - wood western feel Service (4 Stars) - attentive Jimmy's Hacks - back area seating great for our big group of guys Note... reviews maybe updated after future visits. If you find any of my hacks or reviews helpful pls follow & like my review for more. Thx ----- read more

This is the 1st barbeque place I have ever been to in Iowa where you get regular size portions and they are great sides!!! The barbeque is really good and consistent and no Iowa size portions here (Iowa size means very small) they are Texas sized!!! Great deserts and no little drink glasses like most of Iowa they are big glasses and they have sweat tea (You cant be a good barbeque place without sweet)!!! read more

Incredible!!! We ordered a meal for pickup, including a baked potato with pork bbq, a two- meat dinner with pork and beef and an extra side of BubbaQ beans Wow! Lots of food! The sliced pork was juicy and tender and had a great smoky flavor. The brisket was okay but needed the bbq sauce(which was excellent). The baked potato was both meaty and cheesy, and baked to perfection - a full meal in itself. John Deere corn and the beans were incredible. I could have just eaten those sides! Fast service - even at 6:00 pm. Definitely choose this restaurant if you only have one dinner to eat in Ottumwa. read more

BBQ Ribs were decent...the wait was extremely short...food came out in 5 minutes for lunch...good find in Iowa if you want BBQ...good sides and beverage options...staff was very friendly...in a weird location (connected to mall) read more

Bubba-Q's - Half slab of rib with side green beans and salad...Very decent - Barbeque Near Me - Ottumwa, Iowa

My husband and I stopped in there today for a late lunch. We had the special. The Philly Steak and The Reuben. Both of our sandwiches were terrible! They were full of grissle. Huge chunks of this made up the sandwich. When the waitress finally came to see how our meal was, we told her how terrible it was, she said 'I'm sorry, I am you cashier, let me know when you are ready.' Needless to say, we will not be returning to Bubba-Q's. Terrible service, terrible food. read more

I am originally from Ottumwa and was looking for a restaurant to take my husband to while visiting family. Bubba Q's did not disappoint. Started out with the best grilled jalapeño poppers. Love that they aren't fried and filled with cream cheese filling and topped with jam. Then we split a delish prime rib. If you're looking for a great date night, hit up Bubba Q's. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Ottumwa. We always order the pork ribs and they are always cooked to perfection. The service is also excellent. Their mac and cheese is the best I've ever had. The food is also reasonably priced and I love the rustic atmosphere. read more

Ate lunch with someone here. I ordered the BBQ sandwich and baked potato. They ordered the loaded baked potato. The loaded baked potato was good. My sandwich was pretty flavorless. I added the BBQ sauce I asked for and the sauce was cold making my entire sandwich cold. The drinks tasted off and it took awhile to get a refill. Otherwise server was nice. Food came out fast. read more

I love this place! The staff is super friendly and the good is is AMAZING!. The meat is moist and Juicy, the award winning sauce is sweet and tangy and SUPER GOOD. There is a HUGE menu to choose for. I try to go whenever i can because there food is just that good. read more

First time visit with my Mother and the service and food was great! She had the stuffed baked potato and I had the burger with Mac and cheese on top and a side of Bubba-Q baked beans. (I like saying that instead of BBQ). Very busy during these Covid times. The servers weren't wearing masks as the other servers around town are and thought it was a regulation in the state. read more

Very good BBQ in a restaurant attached to a mall. Not a place I expected to find real, made from scratch BBQ and sides. I tried the ribs and burnt ends. Both were nicely rubbed and came out smelling of smoked goodness. Great smoke ring. The spicy honey bourbon BBQ sauce was my favorite, though not spicy. It's more of a more well balanced flavor than the regular honey bourbon sauce which is mostly a sweet finish, although still good. The sides I tried were the bubba-beans and mac & cheese. The beans were full of pulled pork...amazing. The mac and cheese was creamy and well flavored as well. Everything I had was very good. Wish I lived closed. I'd eat here often. Until next time Bubba-Q! read more

I've been happy with everything I've ordered from Bubba-Q's. I tend to stick with the Burnt Ends Sandwich with the Bubba-Q Beans as I've never been disappointed with it. I have tried other items and been happy with all of them! They may not be the world's greatest BBQ, but is the best darn BBQ anywhere nearby! read more

Very tasty bbq. It's a nice local joint with some real character and extensive menu. Very impressive Turkey and brisket. Nice nachos. The burnt ends weren't burnt enough for me but it's a personal preference. read more

To my surprise the barbecue here was pretty good. I got the three meets plate and was pretty happy with it. I had the ribs the brunt ends and the chicken. The burnt ends and the chicken were moist and juicy. The rib meat was falling off the bone. I really enjoyed the regular barbecue sauce real sweet, not too tangy it went real well with everything. I would definitely here again read more

Bubba Q's is not real BBQ. Not to be mean but the food was not good at all. I've had ribs here and also a cheeseburger and both times I was disappointed. If I must have BBQ I'll just head towards St. Louis and if I want great BBQ back home to Tennessee but maybe when you've had the best Iowan BBQ just fails in comparison. Was really bummed out too because the way this place is decorated it convinced me the food would be great, just a real let down. read more

Ok have a friend who wanted to eat here. And we did. On Tuesday,Aug.5,2014. Its full service. Is in a mall,with a sign showing where its at. It was at lunch time,so service was on the slow side. Had pulled chicken sandwich,with a side order of baked beans. The beans had taste,but the sandwich, had no taste. Even the bbq sause,has a little taste . Now for the peach pie,had peaches in it.But the crust for it. Was like paper with very little taste! No Coke ,or Pepsi products. Had ice tea. read more

Food was OK, nothing special. Our server added an extra $20 to the bill and then tried to explain why it was right. No apology.

Great tasting BBQ and incredibly low prices for the portion size. I hope Bubba makes a go of it in down-town Ottumwa.

Good food and good service. The menu is much larger than the downtown location, serving burgers, sandwiches, and steaks in addition to the bbq. The interior is very casual and clean. My only complaint might have been that a couple of line cooks were yelling back and forth pretty loudly and the serving window was large and open enough that most of the people eating could hear. There was also a loud and inappropriate exchange between two waitresses at one point who were across the dining area from each other. I'll definitely go back for the food and recommend it to people, they just may need to work out some kinks in the staffing. read more

Stop in for the burnt ends--amazing! I had the burnt ends sandwich, which was excellent. Bubba's sauce was also excellent, blend of sweet and spicy. I didnt sample any but it looked like Bubbas stocks a nice selection of local wines as well. read more

Bubba Q's ** Full service, dining full menu, nicely decorated Sauces: Only one to choose from and it was not good Pulled pork: No smoke, no flavor, chopped way to fine and very dry Ribs: very small ribs which in the end turned out to be okay because they were not good, however they were cooked well. Burnt ends: I love burnt ends these were good but still not great Sides: The sides were all good many to choose from but the John Deere corn was amazing. It contained corn, lime juice, cilantro, mayo, and cheese by far the best thing I had all night. Overall: The best thing about Bubba Q's was their website. I was convinced it was going to be good and whoever designed their site needs to be commended because they fooled me. If I were to return I would have to try something on the menu other than the BBQ. read more

Burnt ends are amazing! I tried them for the first time ever today and I have to say they feel like a guilty indulgence since I don't eat fat on my meat when cooking at home but these burnt ends are good enough that I can overlook how fatty these treasures are read more

Very good BBQ place located in the Mall in Ottumwa. Service is usually very prompt and the food is great. They have great sides including their John Deer Corn and Mac n cheese which is very good. It is on the pricey side for the area but it's worth it. It is small and gets very crowded once all the tables start to fill up but overall we love this place. read more

I had the burnt ends, chicken, beans, and potato salad tonight. Being from Kansas City, Ive had some very good barbecue, this is pretty darn good. Atmosphere is rustic and family friendly, service is very good. Highly Recommended read more

Tender ribs that fall off the bone! (that's almost worth saying twice) I absolutely love this restaurant, and we come here very often. The servers are friendly, and the menu selection is very nice, there are even good options for children. Ribs, burgers, nachos, even salads are exceptional here (I have yet to try the pastas or chicken because I keep ordering things I REALLY like). Of the approximate 30 times we've been here I have only ever had one bad, and over sauced, nacho experience. Coincidently that was the only time I've experienced slow service. Other than that the only negative thing I have to say, which isn't really negative, is to be ready to pay for what you get. A little tip, if you want the nachos (which I highly recommend you at least try) but don't want to gorge yourself or have useless leftovers (who wants reheated soggy mush) ask for the appetizer size. You can do this for all the different "flavors", even though it isn't noted on the menu. read more

The hog face sandwich was awesome and was fast service..waitresses where nice and kept checking on us .

Calling in and asking for a reservation for 6 would be normal for any other restaurant, but not here. My family called and wanted to set a reservation but they told us they didn't do them for any party under 8. We get to Bubba-Q's and they tell us we have to wait for 30 min, but wouldn't it make more sense to just make a reservation?? Guess not. The hostess is supposed to be the happy face to welcome you to the restaurant, in this case the woman was VERY rude and asked a woman, "can I get your name LADY?" Not very professional in my point of view. Good food though. read more

Bubba Q's has some of the best BBQ I've ever had. Their ribs are fall of the bone delicious. They are so juicy and smothered with sauce (if you choose to). They have great pulled meat sandwiches that could feed an entire family with one sandwich. I'm glad they were able to open up another location in the mall. They expanded their menu immensely and have added quiet a few new side orders. My favorite sandwich would have to be the burnt end sandwich with some *John Deere Corn. All in all this place has won my stomach and my heart. They've delicious food, great prices, and some of the friendliest staff I've came across. Something just tells you the place is going to be great when you walk in and there are trophies and ribbons plastered all over the place :) read more

Ottumwa's best bbq. You can taste the smoke! LOVE the side dishes, like homemade mac n cheese, smashed potato salad. Good lemonade. Prices are ok, sandwich with a side, nine dollars, plated entrees maybe thirteen dollars. Good quality food, some fun desserts. The owners keep the place clean. As for a downside: Can be very busy, though waits are pretty short. Can get LOUD. And the service and the plating seems better when the owners are there, which they can't be 90 hours a week. read more

Certainly the only BBQ restaurant in Ottumwa by my understanding, that said it wasn't bad. Competition in town may be a win-win situation for all parties involved. My meal was a late lunch consisting of a sliced brisket sandwich. The place was quiet and certainly BBQ themed. With only one choice of sauce it makes for very... bottle-necked experience; this guy doesn't mind a vinegar style sauce. The burnt ends and Iowa pork chops were suggested by the waitress, and they will be on my to-do list. Until then, Munch On! read more

Great food and HUGE portions. Love thier burgers, chili and breakfast offerings. Prices are reasonable, especially with the amount of food served. Will keep coming back. read more

They have the best BBQ in town. Plus the Mac and Cheese is melt in your mouth delicious. The salads are huge and filling.

Their food just isn't what it used to be when they served out of their mobile unit. Bubba is a darn good cook, I just wish he was around the restaurant to run the show instead of out on the competition circuit so much. I'm not big on the chopped meat. It's to fine so I prefer slices. We have tried it 3 times now and finally admit defeat. I'll pay good money for a good meal but after 3 times striking out, I guess we won't be back. read more

We are very fortunate to have this here in Ottumwa. They offer original recipes and delicious BBQ that you can't get from your chain restaurant. read more

We were delighted with our meal at BubbaQ's on November 1, 2014. I had a half rack of ribs and my wife had chicken and noodle casserole. We also tried the Rueben flatbread appetizer. Everything, including the cole slaw and baked beans were delicious. We will be going back the next time we visit Ottumwa. read more