jethro's bbq

not too bad, but not smoky enough for me.. my wife and i first tried a half order of the onion rings which was still a huge portion, wasn't greasy and tasted just great with the hotsaucethat came with it. we couldn't finish it all. i tried the two-meat dinner. the rubbed ribs were very meaty but not the best that i've tasted. what really helped was the add-on sauce. i tried the one labeled "hot" and it was hot and very good. a relative mentioned that the smoked turkey was good, so i tried it and i thought it was only so-so. for the sides, i loved the baked been dish and the potato salad was just ok. the ribs lacked that really robust smoky flavor that i crave, but they were meaty and the portion size was adequate. my wife tried the sauce-less pulled pork and wasn't too crazy about it; but then again, she's not a bbq kind of gal. the service was a little slow at first, and then it was more attentive. the prices are fair for the value received.

if you aren't impressed with the food at least there is a lot of fun things to read and look at in the restaurant.; including reading about how "jethro" from the beverly hillbillies sued trying to get the name changed.  jethro's bbq has been on man versus food and there is a wall of failure and a much smaller wall of winners.  

on to the food.  i had the 4 bone rib bbq appetizer for lunch.  it was really fast coming out.  ribs where ok meat wise and had a nice bark.  smoke ring looked decent to maybe a little heavy.  overall taste was ok, still kind of bland for my desire but to feed the masses i am getting used to that.  

there are multiple bbq styles on the table.  i've never been a fan of a white alabamasaucenor do you see it often but they have one on the table for you if your inclined.  their house bbqs have a nice taste to them but have a little bit too much vinegar for my taste. 

overall this is one of the better bbqs i have had in iowa (besides my own of course!)

average. i've been to jethro's drake location three or four times now. it smells amazing outside, i walk past it almost every day to go to class, but their food really falls flat. their bbqsauceis not good, it's very runny which is okay until you try to eat it on a sandwich and it goes everywhere. the flavor isn't the best, there is a couple of sauces and i've tried them all but none of them are like yes i love this or even like it.

sides are pretty standard nothing special about them. i usually get the mashed potatoes which i enjoy more than the main pulled meat sandwich. you get a ton of food though, so if you're really hungry you'll get full though.

being from alabama...this spot is "just okay". the alabama whitesauceis weak, for my taste, and the potatoe salad is a little too wet! i've never heard of baked beans that do not have hamburger meat.

we started with wings. our sauces were traditional buffalosauceand hot bbq. hot bbq was the winner there. we then split home and gardens patty melt which was very plain. the turkey surprisingly had good flavor. we were going to get sweet potato fries for a side, we could see the ones they were using in the line window. they sat in the window for over 15 minutes along with the waffle fries. so we picked mac and cheese which is awful. tasted like powered cheese mixed with water. overall, i'd recommend another bbq place. they don't have burnt ends which is disappointing. smokey d's is way better and not as pricey.

positive. first time, lunch, had the pulled pork sandwich and cup of gumbo.
good size portions and everything was terrific. their "carolina"saucewas pretty close to the real thing.
chicken gumbo was good but nothing spectacular. served with a very tasty cornbread muffin.
i will be back!

it's loaded with a bunch of stuff like cheese sticks, bacon, hamburger patty, beef brisket, pork tenderloin, buffalo chicken strips, covered by cheesesauceon a toasted bun. our choice of side was a waffle fries. three of had a tough time finishing it in 15 minutes. pretty tasty.

mmmmm mac & cheese!. i always need to try the ribs, and these are tender and full of beef flavor! tasted his brisket, and yet as a not-fan of brisket, i would order jetho's beefy brisket ... if the ribs were sold out.
five of the six sauces are tasty - their whitesauceis more bland than the color white - don't waste your time.
i've enjoyed all the side dishes. if i could only have one source for mac & cheese - it would be jethro's!!!

this is a sports bar. so if you don't like crowds and noise, please don't come during major-local sporting events like drake relays, university of iowa games, etc.

great bbq at a reasonable price!. heard about this place before i moved to dm and i have had it on my places to visit for a while. boy was i missing out!!

i ordered the full rack of rib with waffle fries (see photo) and i was completely blown away. these were the best ribs i have ever tasted. they had a dry-rub on them and were smoked. they were also served withoutsauceon them but the table had 6 different sauces bottles on them to choose from. i like the hot bbq but the orginal jethro's bbq was great as well. the ribs were so tender there was no need to use a knife to cut the bones apart (just the way ribs should be!) the waffle fries were well seasoned and piled high. so much food i had to take some home.

the price was pretty standard i thought and it was definitely worth it! i will be visiting this place quite often.

really. i carried out 4 lbs of meat, 2 pkgs of buns, cole slaw and beans and had to pay $10 for bbq sauce. i would think bbqsaucewould be complimentary when spending that much. makes think that everything there is overpriced.