Jethro's BBQ

West Des Moines, IA · Barbecue restaurant

Rating
4.3/5
★★★★☆ 4.3
Reviews
20
Rank in West Des Moines
#63
of 224 restaurants
City Percentile
51%
rating percentile
Address
Jethro's BBQ, 9350 University Ave, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Phone
(515) 987-8686
Website
www.jethrosdesmoines.com/locations/jethros-bbq-n-jambalay-waukee
Status
Closed · Opens 11 AM

Jethro's BBQ is a restaurant located in West Des Moines, IA. It is one of 224 restaurants listed in West Des Moines. Its 4.3-star rating matches the West Des Moines city average of 4.2 stars. There are 10 photos associated with this location.

About Jethro's BBQ

Jethro's BBQ is a well-known restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrated for its hearty portions of classic American barbecue. The restaurant offers a wide range of smoked meats, including ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, all prepared with signature... More

Hours

Saturday11 AM–10 PM

Customer Reviews

★★★★★ 5.0 Nicholas Nocek · Jan 2026

Food was excellent, large selection of menu options. Service was fast a friendly, Raul our server was very hospitable and provided great recommendations off the menu. Bathroom was spotless clean. Beer glasses were huge, they give you a large mason jar for beer. The whole restaurant is very clean. They have over 15 TVs for football and sports games. Highly recommended restaurant if you like BBQ and Cajun food.

★★★★★ 5.0 Gary Ainsworth · Feb 2026

Wow, what a great restaurant! We recently moved here and this is one of our top go to places. The food is fantastic, and served in ample portions. Highly recommend the brisket platter. Also, do not sleep on the happy hour from 3 to 6pm. May be the best deal in Iowa, half price drinks and several reasonably priced appetizers!

★★☆☆☆ 2.0 BB Law · Feb 2026

We asked for a new plate because ours was dirty. Knocked of old crusty residue and showed it to our waitress. Think food was warmed over. Waffle fries were barely warm. Had to flag someone down as our waitress was not around. Waited for drink refill as service was lousy. Not going back.

★★☆☆☆ 2.0 Noah S · Mar 2025

Gonna have to echo a comment from another review... don't get the burnt ends.. mine were dry and old, didn't taste even remotely close to brisket. they taste like they were made a week or 2 ago and sat. Tasted like really bland beef jerky with a slight sweet taste Do em' right or just take em' off the menu if you're gonna disrespect burnt ends like that. There is other great food here though.

★★★☆☆ 3.0 Tammy Douglass · Oct 2025

This is why over all a ✨✨✨, the food is really good, lots of flavor but way too much salt. NOTE to the Cooks: SALT CAN ALWAYS BE ADDED BUT NOT BE TAKEN OUT. NOT WITHOUT RESTRUCTURING THE DISH. Which I did. I get it create flavor, but too much salt causes problems for many people and we don't eat out much because of that. I brought home my leftover Jumboline and altered it at home, 3 cups of cooked rice, 1 - 15 oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes, some garlic, chili powder and tabasco. It was good and about 2/3 less the salt. Let's talk about atmosphere "The seating": You have the most uncomfortable seats one step above metal chairs uncomfortable. The room is completely open with very little to mute the immense amount of noise. I couldn't hear anything my son said from across the table.

Accessibility & Amenities

✓ Wheelchair Accessible Entrance ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Parking Lot ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Restroom ✓ Wheelchair Accessible Seating

Services

Barbecue restaurant

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This listing is informational. Contact the business directly to verify credentials, services, and availability.