Smokey D’s BBQ

I’m amazed at the smoked meat everytime I come here!!! Best in Des Moines!!! Love the burnt ends, Nacho aren’t bad either.

Best bbq I have had in a long time! The place was packed, The food was ready in 5 minutes, and I couldn’t stop eating it! All those awards on the walls are well deserved!

This is a great choice for good barbecue, at a price that’s hard to beat. I got a lunch basket and drink for under $ 10 and it was definitely filling. I even had leftovers for home.

OK… I am a BBQ judge… but those are not the rules or criteria I use for these reviews. I just love GOOD BBQ!
Went here with a date while I was doing rehab for a new leg at the VA here (GREAT people!)
We ordered a sampler of all… not cheap… and only worth half the price.
Seems like these BBQ champions leave and have minimum wage people who don’t care running the place. I have seen it too many times… I did it myself once a long time ago… resting on my so called laurels… and then had the rug pulled out from under me… so for the tour…
Full sampler plater for each of us–
Garlic bread-​DAMN it was good!-4 pieces? I wanted meat???
Brisket-​tough and dry.
Cole slaw-​bland and very little sauce.
Smoked Turkey-dry…but good… it is hard to serve a moist smoked turkey breast in this setting. Use their GREAT BBQ sauces on it! You’ll be fine
Sausage-​better than nothing… very little smoke flavor. If you are going to spend this amount
of time and money on these meats-​serve the BEST you can!
Brisket-dry-tough…even though it was sliced thinner than toilet paper… that is your 1^st clue it will be
doesn’t HAVE to be DRY as the desert!
Chicken-​was awesome!-(I stole some from her plate :-))MOIST!OMG!Finally!!!
BBQ beans-OK.Very little effort was put into them. Pork and beans with a little smoke.
NO FRIED OKRA??? WTF…enough said here about that…
I also ordered over 100 $ worth of meat-​pulled pork-​brisket and ribs to take back to the guys at the VA Hospital… bad choice… I should have tried the food first.
Cheery bites… I brought back a few for the troops-​they didn’t even finish them. They tried to be nice since I paid for it… but I saw them dump them in the trash after 1 bite.
That was my visit here. I had an occasion to have them cater an event… and the BBQ Ribs and the pulled pork I had were great. I saw that their tenderloins were not only great tasting by accounts of the gueats-​every one of them… they were HUGE! I mean comically funny huge!

Wow. There’s authentic then there’s AUTHENTIC. This is the place. ’nuff said.

This was our first time dining here. The food was super quick and staff was pleasant. The food tasted great and the spiciness snuck up on us as we were eating, the coleslaw was good at helping cool off our palette. Would definitely stop again if in the area.

We came to Smokey D’s because we’d only ever heard good things; in fact, we’d heard it was the BEST BBQ in the state.
It was alright. The brisket was medium-​well, and not very tender. I like that they have their GF options readily available on the menu when you order. The beans were great, coleslaw was good, too. Pulled pork was good. We got two meals & drinks for over $ 30, though. I would say it’s ‘on-​par’ with Jethro’s, but a little more expensive. Staff was friendly and welcoming, plenty of seating inside with a cafeteria type setting. I’m glad they have a GF soup option on the menu, we might be back to try it.
Definitely worth a shot if you don’t mind paying higher prices for Midwest BBQ.

I would like to add that you should have online ordering. People place their exact orders and you don’t waste time on the phone.

This is your order at the window sit down with the red plastic basket sort of BBQ place. The atmosphere is filled with tons of trophies on every surface and random music coming from the bar. You go to the window, place your order, grab your drinks and try and find a seat. Which there is tons of seating.
The young lady that took our order was sweet and really nice. However. Staff was a bit short when they delivered it to the table.
We ordered an appetizer of country fried steak fingers. They were ok. Kind of awkward to eat a little chewy and pricy. But not bad!
Had the dinner platter with burnt ends and brisket with the sides of Mac n cheese and potato casserole. The burnt ends were the best part! The mac n cheese was delicious as well. Brisket was perfectly seasoned and was tender. The potato casserole was good as well kind of oohy gooey cheesy.
It is pretty pricey but then again you pay for quality! Which it was high quality meat they serve. And you get plenty of food. We left very full!
The parking lot left much to be desired. I had to back out the entire length finding there was no spot in that row. We had to park across the street in a larger lot.
Overall this is a do over and good BBQ for the area!

More evidence that Bar-​B-​Q doesn’t belong north of the Mason-​Dixon Line.
There were four people in my party when we visited and all four of us left dissatisfied with our meals and the service.
When walking into the restaurant, it can be a little confusing about how to get your meal. There needs to be stronger signage by the front door to direct the customer to the counter to order.
When arriving at the counter, the cashiers both seemed impatient that we were not familiar with the menu and barked out responses to our questions. (We were the only party in line, so it was not due to being busy.)
The area where you feel your drink glass is a bit of a turn off. It seemed dirty and was too congested with servers waiting for food to come out of the kitchen.
I had the Ribs and Brisket platter and the meat was extremely disappointing. The brisket was dry and unflavorful. The ribs were just okay… not tender and flavorful.
I felt the prices were pretty high for a basic cafeteria style restaurant. The only service was someone bringing the food when it was ready. Everything else was self-​serve.
I doubt we will be visiting any time soon.

I usually go to Jethros on my trips to Des Moines but wanted to try something a bit different and Smokey Ds is pretty highly rated on Unilocal so I figured I’d give it a shot. Overall I enjoyed everything I tried.
The burnt ends merit an 8 out of 10. Great smoky flavor and good size chunks, but just a bit too much variation in tenderness and cutting. I was missing the barque that I’ve come to love on burnt ends and I didn’t taste any kind of laquer on the outside. The brisket gets a 7 out of 10. Nice thick slices and again the deep rich smoke flavor was there but it could definitely have been more tender. The sausage rates a 6 out of 10, because while it was a good sausage, it didn’t taste smoked at all. It was also just a tad mealy, like the inside had been undercooked then heated up again. Odd. The sides were decent also – fries, coleslaw, mac and cheese, chips, garlic bread, beans, all the usual suspects.
The décor was your typical bbq joint and the service was very standard. No one smiled at me and everyone seemed content to walk slowly and just run out the clock.

I was actually pretty disappointed when I ate here. Now, you may think, «what does a girl from the North know about BBQ?» While this is a valid assumption, I’ve done my best to go to BBQ places every time I go down South, and I’ve been to quite a few famous places.
I got the half BBQ Nachos with Chopped Pork– this was my favorite. Nachos were crunchy, meat portions were generous, and I appreciated the side jalapenos and sour cream. I even liked the nachos where I could taste the sugar sprinkled on them– sweet and salty combos are great.
1 Meat BBQ platter with 2 Bone Rib Sampler added– I liked the Burnt Ends! Some pieces were a little burnt and some pieces were pretty moist, but all very flavorful. I was pretty disappointed in the Ribs– it was cold and very, very dry. I did not end up finishing these. The cole slaw side was great, the garlic toast was OK for what it was, but the Mac and Cheese was a little disappointing as well.
I wanted to sit at the bar and order food, but apparently you can order only appetizers there. If you want alcohol, you need to get it from the bar, and then order food in the line, where you get a number and someone brings the food to you. Prices are very reasonable.

If you are from the Des Moines area, you always hear about Smoky D’s. That have plenty of awards, but what they serve doesn’t seam to be the same as the competition. The BBQ seams average.
I got a turkey sandwich for lunch with fries. The turkey had a light smoke flavor. The meat looked like all white sliced breast, it wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t juicy either. I tried the sassy bbq sauce and it went well with the sandwich.
The fries were average and were just warm went they were served. I am guessing they are not made fresh to order.
I tried some brisket and it was very dry, chewy, and not much smoke flavor. The brisket was not lean and heavily marbled.
The staff are excellent and the food comes very fast. They try to keep everyone moving.

I’m a fan! Had this on my list since I saw the restaurant on Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives!
Since I live about 7 hours away, it’s just that often that I’m driving through Des Moines looking for a place to eat, but it just so happen to work out that way today!
It’s a good thing I don’t live here because I’d probably eat here so often I’d get sick of it!
The Brisket and Burnt Ends were top notch, and so was the Mac and Cheese side!
If you saw the Episode on Triple D you will want yo take a drive and give this place a try. (or at least add it to your list of places to get to someday). You know they are good by all of the trophies they have lined up in the hallway on the way to the bathroom.
One of the better, if not the best BBQ I have had!

Stopped in for some comfort food as I know this place never dissiponts me. I love seeing all the rewards and smoking trophies lining the walls. The people are great and always busy cleaning. The menu is huge I’ve had all the smoked meats and never can get enough of them I settled this time with a tenderloin to try new menu item, when she asked if I wanted 2 buns I knew it would be huge. It was lol still hanging off the bun. Wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but for a smoke shop it was great. I like the homemade BBQ sause at the tables and the chill environment to eat. You do walk into a short order type place then you are seated. They bring you hot food fast and you fill\refill your own drinks. The bar has specials most days and I like how local this place is. You should give it a try

BBQ ON THE MIND? Well this is a place to come. Locally owned. The parking lot is always packed when you drive by.
I think this visit might have to be redone. I came into a Bbq place and didn’t order Bbq. My bad. What was I thinking? A burger sounded really good so I got the Tuesday special. Comes with fries and drink. Maybe it was me but not quite the taste I was expecting.
The wait staff shuffles through every few minutes and delivers food after you sit down.
My husband got a two tenderloin meal with warm potato casserole. Holy moly that was a lot of food. I did trade him a little piece of his tenderloin for my smoked burger. Much better. With loaded up pickles and onions to top it off I happy ate a small portion of his meal.
Trophies litter the floor along the halfway and checks and ribbons are all over the walls. I should have sampled the bbq like a smart person.
They were quick and tasty but the burger was smaller and just not what I was hankering.
I’ll be back.

If you haven’t been to Smokey D’s yet, why? This is THE spot for BBQ.
I’ve been tons of times, let me give you a rundown of how awesome they are.
First of all, my office scheduled a large size event and they provided nachos and lots of appetizers. It. Was. Great. They made it easy to put together and separated everything so the chips weren’t soggy. The event was a little crazy trying to get everything together, but it was delicious and everyone loved the nachos.
Second, we’ve been in the back room — I’m not sure if we scheduled it or not — but the bartender was super friendly and we got our food quickly. I had salad with chicken on the side and it was sooooo good.
Finally, when I go with friends or family, I mostly stick with their chicken, but really all their meat choices are delicious. I always share and steal others’ food, and it’s always good. Super quick, the food is hot and fresh, and you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. It’s not good for you, but it’s delicious.

Excellent bbq restaurant! I’ve been here twice now, and love it! Ribs nearly fall off the bone, smoked, homemade sausage on the spicy side, burnt ends & brisket nice n’ juicy! The sides I’ve had so far are fair to great, Mac n’ cheese is ok, baked beans are good, and I highly recommend the potato casserole (mix in some bbq sauce!)
P. S. We tried the buffalo wings tonight, I believe they are smoked as well. Bone-​in, great crunch, and good flavor. I’d say a medium on the heat level…

We arrived and were a little confused as to how the restaurant operated. Apparently you line up to the left to place your order, then after paying you are issued a number where someone eventually delivers your food. The service here was ridiculously fast and the servers are friendly. Other than having your food delivered to you by the staff, everything else is self serve.
We ordered the half slab BBQ ribs platter which included 6 ribs and two sides. I tried the potato casserole and the mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was very watery but the potato casserole tasted pretty good. The meat was so tender they were fall off the bone, and the bone was so soft sometimes they even broke in half. I like that the tables offer a lot of napkins and also three types of BBQ sauce – mild, medium, and hot. My favorite was the medium.
Definitely a great place for ribs. We arrived at 530pm on a Friday evening and the place was already pretty busy. By 6pm the place had gotten much more crowded. Thankfully the restaurant has A LOT of seating to accommodate the crowds.

Came here during lunch and this place gets busy for good reason. No matter what you get off the menu, it will be delicious. A coworker and I came here around 11:45, right before the lunch crowd hit and ordered a half order of pork nachos to share. Why share you ask? Because all the servings here are huge, just like they should be at bbq joint. I usually order a Turkey Club for lunch but wanted to something different. So far this place has the best nachos I have ever had. The cheese, the meat and the chips were just all delicious. Food is always consistent, no matter what location you go to but this one is my favorite