Jethro's BBQ — Restaurant in Ames

We were seated promptly, brought beverages and than left for too long pondering over the menu. We could see our waitress standing in the back area talking to coworkers and not paying attention to the fact we were sitting there watching her and waiting for her to come and take our order. Finally we had another server get her for us. I had the pork tenderloin which was by far the worst one I've ever had. Sure, it's huge but where's the meat? All breading. If they didn't make it so thin for size but made it thicker for meat content with less breading it would've been better. Very dry and tasted like tacky breading. I would've let our server know but she never asked how our food was just offered us more water. That was the only time she came back to our table until it was time for the bill. She asked if she could take our plates but never offered a box for the half of the tenderloin that was still sitting on my plate. Not that I wanted one but she could've at least offered. Then maybe I could have spoke my mind about how terrible the tenderloin was. When we left there was 2 employees standing by the front desk, one on her phone texting and the other walked right past us, neither one saying a word. Not a thanks for coming in or have a nice day. So, if you want less than adequate service, friendliness and a bad tenderloin, go to this Jethro's. The only reason for 2 stars instead of one is because my water glass...

Not the worst BBQ I've ever had... but it was pretty bad. Admittedly, my standards, after living for many years in Texas, are pretty high when it comes to BBQ. The brisket was dry and it had no smoke ring, no smoke flavor and no seasoning. I'm used to brisket that is moist in the middle with a crispy bark on the outside that is a spicy dry rub and a smoky flavor throughout. If I had to guess, the "slow cooking" is done in an electric oven, not on a wood fired smoker or open pit like it should be.

The jalapeno sausage was overcooked and fairly bland. If I had to guess, it could have been from Eckridge, basically a glorified weenie.

The sides I had were coleslaw and potato salad. The coleslaw was dry and bland. It basically tasted like chopped cabbage with a little carrot in it. No vinegar or creamy sauce at all. The potato salad was probably the best thing I tried, and while its flavor wasn't terrible, it was about the only thing I was served that wasn't dry. Unfortunately, that wasn't a good thing, as I really don't like potato salad that runny.

Here's why I give two stars instead of one... at least they are better than Hickory Park -- who basically pressure cooks their meat and their sauce is bulk Cattleman's (French Food Service) that you can buy in 5 gallon buckets at Sam's Club. That place has been awful since they moved to South Duff from East Lincoln Way. And most people probably don't remember...

2025 Update: Service is spotty, about half the time I order wings from them the order is wrong. Even when I tip enough to get another order of wings. They do fix most of the mistakes though. Tried Jethro's Steak and Chop tonight, it was very good. Had the Angry Burger, with Jalapenos, and Harbenero sauce. It was very spicy, but not overpowering (I think), the double patties were cooked through, and still very juicy as I saw them running down the burger. Happy to report that the buns held together the entire time, as at other places I've had them dissolve on me, even before I got the burger unwrapped. I think it had a slice of Swiss cheese underneath the sauce and peppers, very tasty burger. Had the Sweet potato fries for an extra dollar they were tasty as well, they offer like 14 different sides, though about half cost extra... Tried all four bbq sauces on table, Georgia, Alabama White, Carolina, didnt see one for KC, all are made in house and very good! The building was clean and open, a little cramped in the entry with about 15 people in it, double doors will keep the heat and cold to a minimum. The staff was fast and friendly, about 25 min wait for a single dinner, plenty of seating space inside and outside while you wait, free wifi, and plenty of places to lock bikes up too. Only con I thought of is was a little dark for me... Also plenty of tv's to watch...