Whatcha Smokin BBQ & Brew — Restaurant in Luther

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4* Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $55

05/11/2025 Imagine my delight when my wife chose Whatcha Smokin as her venue of choice on Mother's Day! While smoked meat is not a cheap meal, Whatcha Smokin is one of my favorites - so I couldn't wait to get in the car. While you leave with your wallet a little lighter, it is hard to beat their quality smoked meat.

We started off our meal with an Iowa Twinkie (see picture) and boy is that ever something that you HAVE to try! They aren't always on the menu, so get one when you can. How can you go wrong with bacon, jalapeno, pulled pork, cream cheese & ranch...and then smoked on top of that?

For our meal, we decided to go with a Family Platter with both fatty & lean brisket (see picture), but wanted some extra meat to bring home so we added a 1/4 rack of Baby Back Ribs. For our sides we went with Jalapeno Cream Corn and Cheesy Potatoes (see picture) - and believe me, they were delicious.

Even though we were full and had some meat to bring home, we couldn't pass up the Nutter Butter Nanna Puddin (see picture) and Coconut Cream Pie (see picture). We said we were going to bring them home for later...but couldn't leave without trying a few bites of each. As stated in my original review...you will definitely want to take your dessert of choice at the table or bring it home - they are SO good!

If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

4.5* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4* Service: 5*

02/28/2023 I've been waiting quite a while to try this place as I had heard and read multiple stories about how good their smoked meats are - and finally got the opportunity to go with some co-workers tonight. Boy what a treat it was, with the BBQ meat being some of the best I've had and the service from Abby nothing short of exceptional - friendly, energetic, knowledgeable & not afraid to share her opinions! While I couldn't go 5* across the board given the plastic eating utensils, Styrofoam containers for sides and $8+ tap beers, this is truly a gem with some great character just a short drive north of Des Moines that is also set up very well for take-out.

We started with a round of drinks - the tap selection was more than expected for a smaller community outside of the Des Moines metro (see pictures). For dinner, Abby was kind enough to recommend the Brisket (fatty) and Ribs (see picture) paired with Jalapeno Cream Corn (see picture) and Potato Salad (see picture). The fun little 'treat' at the bottom of the Jalapeno Cream Corn container was a few Fritos corn chips - which made a nice crunchy complement to the corn. My co-workers ordered Brisket (lean - see picture) and Brisket (lean) with Pulled Pork (see picture). Even though the meat didn't need any sauce, I enjoyed the Wildfire BBQ Sauce to not only add it to my meat and cornbread, but also bought a bottle to bring home (see picture).

All of the smoked meat was delicious, with the fatty Brisket being extremely moist and flavorful (as might be expected from its name). I sampled some of the Fries and also thought they were very good - excellent flavor without the extremely high saltiness. I really enjoyed the roadhouse feel and decor throughout the building (see pictures) along with the pin board showing where their customers lived (see picture).

Lastly, don't leave without sampling at least one of their Sweet Treats. Abby recommended the Oatmeal Cream Pie (see picture) as one of their originals and favorites as well as the Nutter Butter Nanna Puddin (see picture). While both are pre-packaged as per the pictures, both of them tasted fantastic and I highly recommend them both.

If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

Photos...

We drove 2 hours to give this place a try. We specifically wanted to try the Iowa Twinkie and the bacon bombs they advertised. Unfortunately, neither item was available so we were not able to try them. The Iowa Twinkie wouldn't be available until the next day and the bacon bombs were a Sunday special and only available after 4 pm. We drove over on a Sunday afternoon and got there around noon. When we entered, there was about a 30 minute wait unless we wanted to sit out on the back patio which we chose to do. We ordered from the back patio kiosk. Our food came within about 20 to 25 minutes from the time that we ordered. I ordered the 3 meat plate which came with 2 sides and either cornbread or Texas toast. I chose both for a small add on fee. I chose the Mac and cheese and cheesy potatoes for my sides. I got the fatty brisket(added cost), ribs(added cost), and pulled pork. I wanted the sausage but apparently they didn't have any, either sold out or not available. My friend got the lean brisket with Mac and cheese and cheesy potatoes with Texas toast. She enjoyed the brisket, the toast and the potatoes but didn't really care for the Mac and cheese. She said it was just kinda plain. My Mac and cheese was about the same with it being a bit greasy(oily) like the cheese had a high oil content plus the noodles were a bit unevenly cooked. The cheesy potatoes were really good with a great amount of cheesiness with excellent seasoning giving it good flavor. The lean brisket was good, well flavored. The fatty brisket was super flavorful with a great bark. I must have gotten the end portion as one piece of my brisket was over half fat which wasn't too great The ribs were good with a nice soft bbq sauce that wasn't slopped on so not overly wet which I liked. The pulled pork was very good, not overcooked and mushy as you find in a lot of places. Mine came with some good bark pieces which I very much enjoyed. The cornbread was tasty, light and slightly sweet. It was not too dense or overly sweet and would have been perfect with a bit of honey butter. The Texas toast was good though I would have liked mine to have been a bit more toasted but that's a personal preference. I got some of the spicy sauce and my friend got the medium. Both were good with the spicy being very good with just the right amount of heat. This allowed you to be able to taste your other flavors. The portions are excellent for a bbq restaurant and the people and service were very good. Overall, the food was good to very good with great portions and good people and service. Other than being very disappointed about not being able to get the bacon bombs and Iowa Twinkie since those were big reasons we drove there, we will definitely be going back to try more things and would recommend giving it a try, just be aware not all things are available at all times, either due to being a special, only available at certain times or being sold out. Definitely give a try as this is high on my list...

Please take a moment to reconsider choosing Whatchya Smokin BBQ for your upcoming event or meal. Our experience with them left much to be desired.

We initially considered them for our wedding, scheduling a tasting appointment with their catering coordinator, Katie Klein, for July 19th. However, Katie's limited availability (only Tuesday to Thursday from 4 pm to 5 pm) forced my fiancé to take time off work. On July 11th, our first appointment was canceled and rescheduled for July 26th, again requiring time off work.

The July 26th appointment was confirmed for 4 pm, with the promise of the food we specifically requested for the tasting. However, when we arrived, Katie was nowhere to be found. Her co-workers and the co-owner suggested she might have taken time off, leaving us without anyone to meet with. We asked if we could at least purchase the requested food for the tasting, but they hadn't even prepared it that day, making it unavailable.

When we discussed these issues with the co-owner, his response was disappointing. He simply said, "sorry, I can't control if something else comes up" and offered to set up yet another inconvenient appointment, requiring more time off work from my fiancé.

Fast forward to September 2nd, when we decided to try their food for a to-go order while passing through Luther. Our calls were initially ignored, then answered but left on an open line. When we called again and inquired about available options, they hung up without a response. We eventually stopped by in person, only to learn that they had shut off their phones due to being busy. During our visit, we noticed several customers waiting for to-go orders for over 45 minutes and groups waiting for tables for more than an hour and a half. It's worth noting that two employees appeared idle, suggesting not all staff were fully occupied.

In summary, while Whatchya Smokin BBQ may serve good food, they clearly do not prioritize customer service. They may not fulfill commitments and are unresponsive when issues arise. Rather than taking ownership and addressing problems, they prefer to ignore them, potentially inconveniencing customers. When considering them for catering or dining, keep in mind that there are many other excellent BBQ options with better customer service and reliability.

Despite our efforts to reach out to Whatchya Smokin BBQ, they have not made any attempt to contact us to address these issues.

Sincerely, A former Whatchya...