Boxer Barbeque — Restaurant in Council Bluffs

I was in charge of throwing our company Christmas party there last Friday and everyone is still talking about the food four days later.

First of all, the ambiance blew everyone away. We utilized Boxer BBQ's upstairs party room and the owners had the place looking like winter wonderland with their Christmas decorations and lights. There was a bar so everyone was able to mingle and drink before dinner and with a party of over twenty people, there was plenty of room to do just that. The bar was even stocked with the holiday drinks which when discussing this with Renae (the event coordinator and I believe owner) I didn't think anyone in our firm would drink them but I was 100% WRONG (Thank you Renae for not listening to me! Everyone who drank them loved them!)

For dinner, our company chose to go the smoked prime rib route. I was hesitant at first making this decision as it is $35.00 a plate; however, after tasting the succulence of the meat, it was well worth the price. For our sides, I chose the cheesy hashbrown casserole which is up there in comparison with my grandmas, as well as a salad. One thing that impressed me is the attention to detail even with the salad as it was covered with tomatoes, cucumbers, egg, and croutons. For dessert, Renae suggested the bread pudding and molten chocolate lava cake which was a hit!! Everything from the salad to the steak and dessert tasted homemade, juicy, and hot.

I eat here all the time for lunch and the food is always a 10 out of a 10; however, if I had another event to throw, Boxer BBQ would be my first choice hands down!!! Renae was so easy and friendly to work with as she helped guide me in the meal options (For anyone reading this not knowing which buffet option to choose, TRUST ME and go with their prime rib dinner), requesting our drink menu ahead of time, and the friendliness of the bartenders, waiters, and waitresses.

Thank you Renae and the Boxer BBQ team for making this night magical for our business! Nothing that night went...

Went to Boxer BBQ last night after following them in Facebook for about a year now. Their photos look so delicious and I finally had the opportunity to give it a shot.

The service was excellent! The food, unfortunately, was disappointing. My buddy and I started with cheese curds appetizer. Cheddar cheese, not fried long enough to render the cheese gooey, just warm. Came with their homemade ranch which was thick, not runny, and had hints of dill and garlic which did not pair well with the curds.

We then ordered the same meal, the special, pulled pork sandwich with sides of Mac and cheese and corn bread. The did arrived quickly. Bun was stale. Meat was dry and had no taste of smoke. The canned peppers and onions on top of the meat were not to my liking. The portion was small as well. We tried all the BBQ sauces and they were the better part of the meal but nothing to write home about.

Moving to the sides, the Mac and cheese was clearly prepackaged and had little flavor. The corn bread was also low in flavor, and the texture was smooth like cake. I expect corn bread to crumble and have some grit but this had neither. It took me quite a while to finish my sandwich due to the amount of bun as well as the bun being stale.

My buddy trekked on and gave the bread pudding a shot. While this was delivered quickly, he once again was not impressed. The texture was much firmer than one would expect with a soft and moist bread pudding. Another flop.

Honestly, I feel bad writing this negative review due to the quality of service. The employees were clearly happy to be there and proud of their offerings. I'd like to dismiss my review here as nitpicking, unwarranted by high expectations due to the reviews and allure I'd built up in my head. Sadly, that is not the case. The food here simply does not impress. Next time we'll go back to Swine Dining in Bellevue...

Very disappointed with our experience tonight. It was my husbands birthday and he made reservations earlier that day for 7:30, which he confirmed over a 15 minute phone call with a young female server/hostess at the restaurant. We arrive on time and walk in to an older blonde hostess at the entrance. I tell her we have a reservation and the name it’s under and she in an extremely loud and condescending tone says “I threw away your reservation which was at 7 by the way” and then she smiles. There were clearly more than a few empty tables and it took her a few minutes to then try to appeal to me saying “I guess we have an empty table it’ll take us a few minutes to clear.” Now my issue is not that they wrote down the wrong time or even in some cases the wrong time was originally reserved (not in this case we both know it was made for 7:30). My issue is the tone she delivered the news that she threw away our reservation in. It was clear she needed to correct us and make sure we were in the wrong. At no point before that we’re we rude or upset towards her. My husband was very upset understandably especially because it would have been very easy for her to simply not say anything and clean the table and seat us. She called him out on his birthday (I told her it was his birthday) in front of not only the whole family but the entire restaurant. If you are in her position customer service should be your main priority and it clearly was more important for her to be right. We walked out and will not...