Ordered off door dash, kinda have mixed feelings about dinner. Ordered burnt ends and pulled pork, both had great flavor just super dry (crunchy almost). Not sure if I would order it again. Side of jalapeño corn was delicious, little runny, cornbread was good and the gumbo had good flavor (add the corn to it, it's even better!). Hopefully next time it will be a bit better. read more

For those who know me and follow my reviews, you already know: I love, love, love to eat--and I take 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 . read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Holy tenderloin - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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We've stopped at Jethro's twice now while in town for basketball tournaments. It is, in a word: "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. read more

Every time I'm in the Des Moines area I have to come to a Jethros. Hands down my favorite thing to get is their boneless wings, they are like thin saucy chicken strips and they always hit the spot. My personal favorite sauces are the garlic Parmesan and the chili teriyaki but I often have to try the sauce of the month as well and I appreciate the constantly new sauce of the month flavors they come up with. The ambiance is always that classic jethros BBQ vibe, casual and comfortable and the staff has always been great. I still believe they have one of the best if not the best in house ranch as well and have to stock up on that and some of their BBQ sauces when I'm here (my favorite is the hot BBQ). read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Boneless Wings - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

They charged a 3.5% inflation fee that was not disclosed until I got the bill. Not going back, despite the good happy hour specials. Hint: You could have increased the prices of drinks 50 cents each. No one would have complained and people would have thought they're still getting a great deal. Chose to be cute instead, which is your choice but I will not be returning. read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Receipt showing inflation fee - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Had the best customer service from Alexia! The onion rings are the best I have had! Huge portions and very tasty! Salad was large and delicious! read more

Seriously disappointing. I had high hopes for Jethro's BBQ, but this was a complete miss. The meat came to the table cold and flavorless. The mac and cheese was runny and bland, the cornbread was cold, and several of the "warm" sides were served chilled. Portions were small, and the server rushed us out--literally took my plate while I was still pulling a forkful of food off it. For $50, I shouldn't leave hungry because most of the meal was inedible. I took a to-go box not for leftovers, but because I couldn't stomach it on-site. The best part of the meal? A side salad. At a BBQ joint. That says everything. Shameful. read more

I ordered the Whole Rack of Ribs!! Should have known when they arrived they didn't have any BBQ sauce on them!! they were cold!! I warmed a half a rack in the microwave!! they didn't have any flavor and the sauce was just masking the true flavor!! terrible!! they possibly can't be smoking there own ribs without putting sauce on them while they are cooking!!! these were bad even for dry rub ribs which I have had before once to try them out!! Jethro's bbq is terrible!! so bad I would ask for my money back but the dogs were hungry and they ate them!! I hope they are ok because I will turn a Vet bill in!! read more

We have been to Jethro's in Ankeny several times and enjoy the food, friendly waitstaff, good service and fun atmosphere. We usually share something because portions are more than one person can eat, which is not a complaint and one of the reasons we enjoy going there. Tonight's experience was no different until we were paying. We were using a Visa gift card, that we could not remember the balance on. No problem running it through. When we checked online for the balance, we saw the amount pending was 30% more than the bill!! No mention on the bill or from our server (who did not return to our table after running the card) as to why. We knew about the "up charge " from previous visits but it was Never 30%!! Bad form Jethro's, that's all I'm saying, Bad form!! read more

Hits the spot every time! This is a must while in Iowa. For me, Jethro's is always: CONSISTENT: I know that the one-meat platter will hit the spot every time - and taste the same at every Jethro's location. TASTY: My go-to is brisket with waffle fries and jalapeño creamed corn plus a cornbread muffin - so good! QUICK: Service has always been attentive for me, and especially this weekend we visited the Ankeny location. Speedy without lacking service! SAUCY: I love all the different sauces they make and provide on the tables. Georgia mustard and Alabama white are my favs! We buy bottles of those, hot BBQ and their Ranch to take home to MN we like it that much ($5 each). SPACIOUS: This location, like the others, have plenty of space. That means typically not having to wait, and that you can bring a larger group here. An Iowa favorite and classic! read more

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Good happy hour and daily specials, good portions and good service! Good sized bar area with multiple tv's.

We stopped for lunch-- our 17th 'cue stop in Iowa, and the 385th in a BBQ journey spanning 35 states. $52.63 plus tip bought a mountain of some of the country's best onion rings for an appetizer. A southwest salad was excellent-- the chicken nicely smoked, and all of the ingredients fresh. The stockyard sandwich is a very good combination of brisket and burnt ends, the brisket sliced and the burnt end cubes well caramelized. Good smoke, moist, tender and flavorful describe both meats. The creamy rigatoni style mac 'n cheese (the side) is rich and full of flavor. A large order of boneless chicken wings went home with us for dinner later that day ... heavenly when dipped in Alabama white. So, yet another good stop for 'cue in the Des Moines area. read more

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Everything was just a tad up from cold. Mashed potatoes and green beans were room temp at best. Brisket was juicy but had a TON of fat. Charging more for brisket on top of a "market surcharge" , they should have provided another slice or two given how much was not edible. Service was good. read more

BBQ might be an overstatement as this is a bar-first type food with BBQ as a secondary imo

Food is always great! We both had the Papa burger today! So good! Service was excellent. Allison was very attentive. Ambiance is perfect! read more

The staff is incredibly attentive and helpful. The food and drinks came out really fast. If you want wings, this is the place to go. The wings are awesome. And they had a lot of TVs, so a lot of cool stuff to watch. read more

Loved the patio and our server Colton our server! This may be my favorite happy hour spot yet! Fried pickles and fried cheese square with spicy dipping sauce! read more

Service is always good but the web ordering is a mess. Who ever designed this web site should be fired. So clunky and glitchy. After several attempts to order online gave up and drove to the location. read more

The chicken wings were great. Service was was fast and polite. Overall this is a great place for lunch or dinner. very happy with my meal and overall experience. read more

Food was great. Brandi, Anahi, and Stoner were amazing!!! Missed Randi tho. Staff is always friendly and welcoming.

Great food. Service was pretty slow. I like the atmosphere of the place. I had the pulled pork with coleslaw. It was delicious. My husband had the wings. They were very good. You get A LOT of wings! Thursday has half price wings which is a great deal! read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Bubbas Boneless Wings - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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Super disappointed. I just ordered a team lunch for a birthday - I asked for no breading on a sandwich to attempt to make it GF for a member. It came with the toast (so cheese was melted into it) and his French fries are soggy. Not crispy at all. I paid for extra ranch & all of them came half filled. I personally ordered the buff park wings, and they turned out just parmesean. Not giving them a 1, as I have never been disappointed by the service - Abby is INCREDIBLE & every time we get to visit & sit at the bar with her it's a 5 in my eyes. read more

I still love this place. Always excellent service and food. it is definitely one of my regulars read more

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Went in to get an order to go during lunch, I only waited about 5 minutes and it was ready! Highly recommend the BBQ sandwich which comes with one side for $10.99. I ordered Mayo on the side and they asked what kind of bbq sauce I wanted. read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Pulled pork sandwich with waffle fries - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

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Every time I come back to this area, I go to one of the Jethro's. I used to live in Ankeny about 5 years ago and went here fairly often. Like someone else had mentioned, there happy hour is great and that's what I took part in. Sat at the bar and the bartender was great: very attentive, answered questions I had, and got the order put in quickly. Before I knew it, I had my waffle fry nachos with a cold Busch Latte. I made one change for a little bit of an upcharge and got the brisket instead of the chicken it comes with. The meal was huge and I have leftovers for later. This visit was as good as all the others. read more

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Food is expensive for what you get. The service is subpar. We've had several waiters and waitresses that were just straight up rude and not very attentive. Haven't been back there in several years and will never return. read more

I went to Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse last night and the food experience was very underwhelming. Let me say right up front, the service and management response were excellent, which is why the three stars and not less. I am somewhat of a BBQ snob, I do my own smoking and occasionally compete. That being said, let's talk Jethro's BBQ. My wife ordered the pulled pork platter and I ordered a combo pulled pork and brisket platter. When these were both brought out the pulled pork was so dry and tough it was impossible to eat. We notified our server and the manager was at our table in a flash. The manager took the plates back and about two minutes later was back with more acceptable pulled pork. As for tenderness and taste, neither was present. The pork was chewy and salty, lacking any hint of a smoked flavor. The brisket fork cut easily, but tasted like pot roast. This was the first time I've seen smoked brisket without any type of smoke ring. Typically, when you walk into a bona fide BBQ place, you can smell the smokers, there was no trace of that aroma here. Also, there are many banners hanging around the restaurant proclaiming a variety of achievements, but if you look, the most recent is about five years old and most are ten or more years older. read more

Some of the best ribs ever!! No sauce needed. Wish you had a franchise in Minneapolis

Pros: half price wings two times a week. Their boneless wings are delicious with a wide variety of sauces available. Cons: Not sure what is worst, the lack of actual fish you'd catch in a lake being on the menu or the entitled inattentive staff. The service certainly sub par of any of the other Jethro's locations. Staff seem more concerned with chatting with each other than looking up to acknowledge you are there. I don't blame them, that laissez faire attitude is allowed by a lack of leadership in management. My boyfriend and I drive to the Johnston location because their service is attentive and they at appreciate the fact you are there, and acknowledge it! As for the "LakeHouse" theme, it matches the rest of Ankeny's mediocre vibe. The "LakeHouse" theme is bland "Cajun" food. If you're going to have a lake theme, get some fresh water fish on menu like pike, catfish, or walleye. It really should be called Pond House as that is what it's next to. read more

This did not live up to the hype. The brisket was severely under seasoned and by under I mean not seasoned. The pork was jus too and the bread tasted like a butter substitute oil was used instead of real butter. To top it off the bread was only browned on one side. The brisket was mentioned lacked seasoning and salt the redeeming part was the service by the hostess and my table server. Both were please t and accommodating as I made my way through the menu. read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

We got here in the middle of the afternoon so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. This place would be super noisy when they're busy, at mid day, we had loud pop music to contend with while trying to chat. Our waitress was super friendly and provided excellent service. We shared an appetizer of fried cheese squares, to die for! I had a combo platter with pulled pork, turkey, baked beans and Mac and cheese. Turkey was the weak link, helped by sauces. My daughter had shrimp tossed in a spicy coating, yummy and generous portions, waffle fries were a big win too. read more

it was really good food and service was great!! It was in a timely manner and the atmosphere was good!!

Stopped here for supper one night when I was visiting a friend in the area. We ordered the waffle fry nachos as an appetizer and I got the "Better Homes and Garden" Melt. The service was great and Jethro's does have a dedicated parking lot. As for the food, the waffle fry nachos were huge and delicious (it might become something I just order as my main meal!). The melt was pretty good, as well, but was a little bit of a let down from the pile of waffle fry nachos I had just eaten. This place is always on my friends and my lists of places to go for good food, good service and a good time. read more

A Tuesday evening, Half off bone in wings on Tuesday. We made our way in to this Jethros location. We had not yet been here, so we dropped in. We took a seat at the bar. We were helped immediately. My hubby got a beer as we pondered over the menu. He did have an idea of what he was craving before we arrived. So we had a hard decision. On top of the wings, we had to decide what type of nachos we wanted to eat. We soon (with the help of the bartender) decided on the waffle fries nachos. While we waited for our food I put in an order for a long island ice tea as they were on special too. This was a perfect drink for $4. Its like 4 drinks in one for me. We didn't realize what we had gotten ourselves into when it came to the food. The portions were very big just for an appetizer. The waffle nachos tasted fantastic. We were definitely in over our heads with this order. The bartender said at one point there used to be two sizes and now it was just one. This was still a huge portion. We should have just gotten this to share. We had them do the pulled pork instead of the chicken and I recommend it. We also had to have our half off wings (bone in) for it being Tuesday. So we ordered those with the sauce on the side for my half and Buffalo sauce on his side. We barely touched these. The nachos were so good that we stuffed ourselves and took the wings home for another meal. I have to admit I enjoyed the atmosphere sitting up at the bar. Very friendly and chatty bartenders when you had questions and they were quick to fill drinks and get you anything you needed. We will be back cause its days later and hubby is still drooling over the thought of those nachos. read more

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How can you go wrong with Jethro's?? And this place is no exception.....great food, reasonable prices, friendly meeters, greeters and waitstaff....always a go-to place, period. read more

Worse alleged bbq ever. They need learn how to cook brisket and burnt ends. Burnt ends are not suppose to be hard and dry. Dont worry we won't be back. read more

Use to like this place but after last take out order, they are getting cheap as they can. Mrs ordered a turkey sandwich but I guess no bbq sauce (maybe they want more money for that) and I order a tenderloin sand, and that is all it was! No pickles onions or any conditments. I am done with this place for take out. Lucky Claxons has stopped take out. read more

We are frequent guests at Jethro's Ankeny. Always a great spot to watch the game and drink a cold beer. Their bloody Mary's are good too. The service can be hit and miss, but we generally dont have a problem and almost never have to wait for a table. That being said, we generally do not eat there at peak times. Our abosolute favorite menu item is their boneless buffalo wings! Lots of sauces to choose from -- we really like the chili teriyaki (which is more of a sweet chili sauce) and the buffalo parmesan. The garlic parmesan is also delicious. Of course if BBQ is your thing, they have lots of BBQ flavor sauces to choose from. Bonus if you go on Thursday, its half price boneless wing night! Would also highly recommend the fried pickle chips and onion rings. The pickle chips are nice and thin and the breading is not overwhelming. We love getting take out from here too! It's super easy to order online or call in an order and pick it up on my way home. read more

Jethro's BBQ LakeHouse - Bubba's Boneless Wings BBQ BBQ Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Ankeny, Iowa

Only just okay for me. My friend is a big fan for this restaurant, so I agreed to go with him. I am a BBQ lover and a smoker, so it took very little arm twisting. We arrived early. The service was great. I had the 1/2 slab of ribs. My buddy had the tenderloin sandwich. His loin was huge, and cooked perfectly, tender & delicious. The baked beans were sweet and tangy. Really good too. The corn muffin was yummy. They offer a wide array of sauces, including several vinegar based. #nice However, my ribs were really underwhelming. They were tender, but a bit dry. They really lacked flavor. We went on a Monday. So it's my guess my bones were cooked Friday or Saturday for the weekend crowd. #reheated. Another miss for me was the Mac & Cheese. It was a white sauce style,... & really bland. It tasted like a bechamel sauce, without cheese. I wouldn't order it again. In summary, if you go on a Monday, avoid the ribs. read more

Showed up for brunch to be highly disappointed that their brunch menu was cut down to 5 options. Was looking forward to the oink, but had to settle for the burrito read more