Went for lunch with coworker. I had the burnt ends sandwich and he had the pulled pork sandwich. The burnt ends were too burnt, dry, and flavorless. The pulled pork was dry and flavorless too. On the positive side, service was fast, the place was clean, the beer selection looked good, and the bbq sauces were good too. A bit too pricey for what it is. $2.75 for fountain drink. Not better than Smokey D's. read more

Small little hole in the wall of a place but DAMN! Every single meat they offer is perfect and the best I have ever had. Prices aren't bad for the amount of meat they give you! YOU have to go here and try it. Huge menu. Plenty of selection. I promise you will not be disappointed. read more

Disaster! Order was completely wrong and service was the worst we have ever had! Left missing 3 out of 4 meals due to all coming to the table wrong. One star is too much. Will not be back and do not recommend. read more

ShortE's has limited days and hours of operation as businesses begin to reopen. We ordered online for take out on Friday night at 6:45pm and our order was ready for pick up in 30 minutes. Some of the items were not available due to the prices and availability of meat, but we found plenty of options available. We ordered the loaded tots - always a favorite! Crispy tator tots covered with spicy cheesy corn, bacon pieces, and green onions. The serving is very generous and the two of us had left overs. We also ordered the one meat platter - pulled pork with two sides - beans and broccoli salad. And the Mac attack - Texas toast covered with pulled pork, brisket, bacon and sauce, with one side - cheesy spicy corn. Everything was warm when we went to eat. We had plenty of left overs all around - pulled pork, Mac attack, tots, and cheesy spicy corn. Service was great - met at the vehicle with our order in the parking lot. Ordering and paying online makes it so convenient. read more

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Delicious and super quick! Went at 1130 on a. Thursday. We ordered and had our food within 10 minutes. We had the chicken platter with green beans and broccoli salad. Green beans are drowned in some sort of oil and awful but the broccoli salad and chicken was to die for!!! My buddy had a burnt ends sandwich and Buffalo cheese curds. He ate ever morsel. High recommend!! Will be back soon! read more

Tried the bbq sampler and the pitmaster sandwhich today. It was amazing! The bacon bomb and wontons were probably our favorite things, but everything was great. Our server Allison was wonderful, she was very kind and attentive. We will definitely be back and we will be bringing our friends. read more

Love this local BBQ place. Get the jalepeno wontons as an appetizer, so good. Burnt ends are also really good. Haven't ever made it over to their regular weekly trivia night, but would love to in the future. read more

Pretty large menu with burgers, wraps, salads, soups and of course smoked brisket, pulled pork and sausages. Decent beer selection on tap, bottles and canned. Casual atmosphere, affordable prices. read more

Great BBQ! Best around in my opinion. Everything I've had on the menu has been fantastic. I've never had anything that I didn't like there.

Very impressed. Had BBQ sampler. Everything was great. Only negative was the overly loud live acoustic music. He was good just too loud which our waitress who was exceptional apologized for. We'll definitely be back. read more

ShortE's BBQ catered our Skybox at the Bucs game last night and we were not disappointed. I tried their sliced brisket, cheesy corn, and loaded potato bake. It was all phenomenal with delicious flavors. We were able to take the leftovers home with us, so we took some of the cheesy corn and loaded potato bake; both were still excellent today. I hadn't heard of ShortE's BBQ before last night, but their restaurant will definitely become one of our regulars going forward after having had some of their food. read more

Corn bread and macaroni and cheese were amazing. Cuban sandwich was very very good. Waitress was OK but forgot things a lot after we had to ask. read more

Try this place for the first time yesterday and I felt it was pretty mediocre. The kids menu only had three choices. My son I really wanted ribs but they only offered sliders, macaroni and cheese, and chicken strips. I have to agree with one of the other reviews in saying the pulled pork tasted like it was made in a crock pot. The chopped chicken was very dry. It was a good thing that all of the barbecue sauces were excellent because we used them to douse the meat in. The macaroni and cheese and baked beans were pretty good. Everything was served in styrofoam containers and on a styrofoam plate. For the money, I would probably go elsewhere next time. read more

Best BBQ around! The staff is awesome & super friendly and the food is so tasty! We love coming here and go back often! This place is a must for Good bbq ! read more

So many delicious options to choose from. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. You will want to keep coming back! read more

ShortE's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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They now have happy hour, the Ribs are some of the best I've had, and just tried the wings tonight and the batch I had were fantastic. You talk to them, they listen. read more

I live in the area and had been anticipating the opening of this new BBQ restaurant. It was not at all what I was expecting, according to their mission statement. The chicken, pork and brisket were all ground into a mush. I ordered the platter and they put piles, which looked almost like puréed meat, on the tray. The slaw and beans were great and the atmosphere was very nice. Beware of any meat titled "pulled". Sorry to post such negative comments but was astonished that the meat was of that quality, and called southern style BBQ. Texas does not make their BBQ like this at all. :( read more

Another great experience at ShortE's and another meal with plenty of leftovers. I have been begging my wife to join me since she is a bbq snob and as I hoped she approved. We had the pulled pork and sliced brisket which was great and so were the beans/cheesy corn sides. read more

I can't believe this place doesn't have more reviews! These are the best ribs I've had in Des Moines .. with multiple bbq places nearby this place takes the cake. The quality of the meat is high and there is a great choice of sides. I had the tots which were freshly cooked and Mac and cheese which was okay. I got 'to go' and it comes in a foil baking dish which is perfect for keeping the food hot. I will definitely be back to shortE's. read more

This place is OK. We got a carry out order, and the food was pretty good. It won't match K'ued out in Waukee, but it is better than Jethro's or Cactus Bob's. The brisket was tender, but very fatty. The sausage was OK, but nothing special. Why does it seem that sausage at BBQ places is always lukewarm? I didn't care for the turkey that much, because it had a different spice on it. The best meat was the pulled pork. It was delicious. The slaw was OK, but a little sweet. Slaw should never be sweet. We had a large group, and everyone pretty much agreed that the food was good, but nowhere near as good as K'ued. Somebody else paid for the food, so I can't speak to value for the money. Maybe I don't want to know. read more

This is by far my go to for BBQ! Their sliced turkey is amazing and the cheesy corn is delicious!! I haven't had anything here that I don't love to be honest. I will definitely continue to return and recommend to everyone I know! read more

This place has figured out the initial hiccups. It's consistently great. They've really fine tuned the items on the menu and we go a couple times a month. This will sound like a weird thing to get at a BBQ place, but the smoked chicken salad is great. The brisket wrap is also not a normal item, but it's also very good. If you have someone in your group who doesn't love traditional smoked chicken, pork, brisket or ribs, these two things are great options. read more

Outstanding service and food. Brisket, chicken and turkey were so good with a good variety of sauces! Kids meal only $5 - a bargain. Last time we were here I think the chopped chicken was a mix of dark and white meat but now it is all white meat which is an improvement. read more

Tried ShortE's for first time. I love BBQ... this was just okay... Atmosphere was good and clean. Service was prompt and polite. Menu felt really limited-- literally one page of items to choose from which included kids menus and drinks. Had the Chx Wings and Cheesy Corn. Wings were ok but nothing that makes you say wow... cheesy corn tasted like it came from a can via the microwave. Another disappointment was the plastic ware and foam plate with wax paper liner... Bummed and really was hoping for more here... read more

One of my favorite places for BBQ in Des Moines, and so happy the it is in Johnston. Delicious food, and the meat is NEVER dry! The turkey sandwich is my favorite. The food order was served really fast. Can't wait to visit again. read more

Absolutely love this barbecue restaurant! Recently dined at ShortEs while I was In town and wish we had a place like this where I lived!! The turkey, pulled pork, and sides were off the chart. Awesome selection of craft beers...friendly wait staff, awesome experience And great sports bar atmosphere!!! read more

This is a little know gem. BBQ is outstanding and the menu has many unique items. Did NOT dissppoint!

Very good service and great food! This was our first visit and were not disappointed. We will definitely be going back! So much better than neighboring BBQ place. read more

Excellent BBQ!! Texas bbq sauce was our favorite! Very friendly staff, great prices, very tasty side dishes!! We were in a party of 9, very fun atmosphere. Highly recommend!! read more

Food was excellent, service was great and prices were right on. Our kids enjoyed their meals too which is a plus. Will definitely return when we are back in the area! read more

Visited today for the first time and so glad we did. Great food! Would highly recommend the wings, they were better than any we have had in town. Smoked Bloody Mary was great and we liked all of the different sauces we tried. Make sure and give it a try if you are in the area! read more