Bubbies BBQ — Restaurant in Ankeny

I have been huge a fan of BBQ for a lot of my 80 years, but recently my dear wife and I found the Mecca of BBQ, in of all places, Ankeny, Iowa . I never would have associated Iowa and BBQ, but I am now enlightened. We were following the suggestion of friends after exploring the Capital Area of Iowa, and after bicycling a lot of the High Trestle Trail, we sought out Bubbies BBQ for lunch. It was foretold that the place was the best ever. Now, we are the first to admit that the idea of BBQ is entirely subjective and no-one can agree on who is better at that preparation. Given the fact that we are from the Kansas City area, we know BBQ or have been exposed for a good many years to that culinary treat. Memphis people will state the same for their product, but I think most people will agree Kansas City is the first place to try it if you are a newbie to this ancient treat. Texans should probably stay at home because they eat cow ribs. Pork ribs are truly the bomb. Beef is for brisket. So, Bubbies, we were a bit underwhelmed when we entered, they could use some updates to the decor, but after seeing what they offered I forgot where I was and just waited to get some BBQ in front of me. The place smelled like a BBQ place is supposed to smell. GOOD! I ordered a brisket sandwich with sides of BBQ beans, and jalapeño corn. My wife ordered the rib plate with mac and cheese. We were both pretty hungry after a morning bike ride of about fourteen miles, and when I saw the brisket I was somewhat shocked. It was so thick, I had never seen anything but thin slices of brisket and it didn't look like any I had seen before. Every slice was at least five-eights of an inch thick. When I tried my first bite I was happy to detect that deep smoked flavor and as the extreme tenderness of the brisket presented itself to me, I was then and there forever hooked on Bubbies. My wife was in the process of trying her first bite of ribs when the meat just fell off the bone in front of her. Now that was a properly smoked BBQ rib. She shared one with me and that made my day. Her order came with four ribs and a side of mac and cheese. We both shared the sides and after enjoying a wonderful feast we spoke with the young man who was our server. We let him know how pleased we both were with Bubbies and promised to write a good Google Review. The young man asked us if we were familiar with Joe's BBQ in Kansas City and of course we are. He said he always wanted to try it, upon which we responded, 'Although Joe's is our favorite place to eat BBQ, we feel Joe could learn a thing or two from Bubbies'. For one thing, all of Bubbies sides are better than Joe's. It is our pleasure to report the friends who told us of Bubbies are at the top of our list for making dining suggestions. When you go to Bubbies forget about decor, bring your best appetite and try to take some home as well. But, it will take every ounce of willpower to not clean your plate. If Bubbies ever attempts to open a place in Kansas City we will be there on opening day. We promise.

ps When we got home we waited a week and drove forty miles to Joe's for BBQ. I'm sorry to say that because we discovered Bubbie's we have now lost the delight in eating at Joe's. It's still good mind you, but Joe doesn't have jalapeño corn and he doesn't have thick brisket. After all that I only have one thing to add to this review; Please, Bubbie, come to Kansas City. There's plenty of room...

Had to go to Ankeny for errands and planned to go to Nonna's for their beer cheese soup based off a recommendation from the other page, but alas they did not have it on the menu today. We will try again another time.

However, while parking we noticed a couple of other restaurants in the same building, one a Steakhouse that was closed and the other a little BBQ spot. We decided to try it.... holy smokes was that a solid decision.

Husband had two meat platter with brisket and jalapeño sausage, BBQ beans, and potato salad, it came with a corn muffin. I had a pulled chicken sandwich with cole slaw and jalapeño corn. The portions were huge. Food arrived quickly. Tables have bottles of two house sauces- one regular and one hot. The regular sauce is tangy but not overly sweet, zesty and rich. The hot is a base of the original with a nice kick that lingers. We like each other and share food so each sampled everything - beans were great and simmered in the house sauce with chunks of brisket, cole slaw was creamy but yummy, potato salad was standard but also delicious (a chunky homestyle), and the jalapeño corn was super cheesy with a similar heat to the hot sauce. The jalapeño sausage was nice and oozing cheese without too much heat, brisket was super tender. Pulled chicken was a little dry but that's what the cole slaw and hot BBQ sauce were for. It came on a small brioche bun but I didn't eat it.

I had a smoked bourbon lemonade and water. The drink was great; the apple mule sounded good also but I prefer bourbon over vodka. They had a large rocks cube for the cocktail - if you like a good cocktail there's nothing more I need to say about that.

Bathroom was clean and stocked. They have a separate bar and private room located a short way down a hall, and advertise catering and private parties. I've never heard of them before and it's a small establishment - only one server/bartender running a small room of about 10 tables but he handled it well. Definitely give it a try if you're over there and like BBQ. You won't be disappointed. If you go during a rush, be patient. It's...

I had my first dining experience here today, and it will not be my last! I had the pulled pork and jalapeño corn, and my friend had the brisket and a corn muffin. I tried a little bit of everything 😊 Their corn muffins are of the miniature variety, with a perfect amount of sweetness that doesn't overwhelm the flavor. All of it was delicious. I only gave the food 4 stars because 1) The servings were on the smaller side for a BBQ place, and 2) It was great, but there was nothing especially distinctive about it. It seems like they have really good food across the board, but nothing stands out as spectacular. The inside looks very new, and is smaller than it seems from the outside. Very casual and relaxed. We didn't sit on the patio, but I'm going to next time. It is beautiful and inviting. Out server was delightful; she was prompt, friendly, and informational. I appreciated that she was honest when I asked if the burnt ends were very fatty (she said they are). We were on a restrictive time schedule, and she got us out in plenty of time. I should add that the prices are quite reasonable, and they serve a small selection of alcoholic beverages. It was an overall enjoyable lunch, and I will definitely be back soon with some friends to check out the...