Cactus Bob’s BBQ Corral
5955 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston, IA, 50131
Cactus Bob’s BBQ Corral Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Johnston for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Johnston for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Johnston for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
5955 Merle Hay Rd
Johnston, IA, 50131 - Phone (515) 331-0057
- Website https://cactusbobs.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Bill L.
Two reasons I came here, I heard they have good BBQ and I was curious about their Showdown Challenge. I attempted the challenge first...I won't explain my experience, you need to try for yourself. All I can say is I did not complete the challenge, but I was content with my result. After I recovered from the challenge I ordered the Longhorn, which is the Beef Brisket sandwich, their specialty. I need to say this loud...BEST BRISKET I HAVE HAD AT A RESTAURANT. It was juicy and flavorful, only better brisket I had in my life was homemade by someone I don't even know at a potluck. I had the mac and cheese and cornbread muffin for sides and they were delicious as well. This is a order at the counter style place and you don't need to wait long to get the food. The owner is a hard worker, he sat and chatted with us during the challenge, very nice guy. Great atmosphere here, cannot wait to come back again! No more challenge for me though...
(5)Matt L.
My father-in-law took the family here once on a wild hair and at first sight, we were not very pleased. Located in an average strip mall in Johnston, IA we weren't expecting much but after having the food, I totally stand corrected! My wife and I have quickly come loyalists and have made it a staple of our "pickup after work routine". I always get the rib tips and wings appetizer because I've never found a better value for the quality. My wife loves their chicken strips (at a bbq place??? I know...) and their BBQ sauce selection is second to none. As a hot sauce lover, I love how many spicy varieties they offer... Did I mention $5 pitchers? Yep... Sold. Thanks, Dad
(4)Dan T.
I finally made it over to Cactus Bobs a couple weeks ago. I had the Longhorn sandwich. Basically a pile of brisket on a bun. The brisket was probably one of the best I've had in the city! Their homemade fries were scorching hot and tasted great. The bun the sandwich was on...it was delicious...I know it's just bread, but it had a great texture and feel to it. I didn't care for the mac n cheese...the mac n cheese is WAY better at Wobbly Boots. My date said she probably wouldn't get the beans again either. I didn't try them... One simple thing that made the meal for me...the bread and butter pickle spear. I absolutely LOVE bread and butter pickles with BBQ. The atmosphere was good. It's self-serve mostly, but the service at the register and the pickup line was good. I liked the variety of sauces. I tried all three at the table and a couple of the signature ones in the lobby area (the burn zone). Their sandwich prices were fair. The prices on their meat combo entrees seemed a little high. We both stuck to sandwiches, sides, and a drink. I think the two of us ate for around $26.
(4)James P.
Friendly staff , clean place. Ordered 2 sandwiches. Brisket was tender and moist, pork was dry and grey on edges and big chunk of fat in the middle. No noticeable smoke ring on either. Sauce was tasty, original was very sweet. Revenge sauce tasted fairly sweet too. Would try again to see if pork was fresher .
(4)James K.
Excellent! Ribs fell off the bone. Brisket to die for. Definitely will dine there again.
(5)Sean T.
The dining area is nice. Wall to wall hot sauce bottles to look at. They have a lot of choices for hot sauces to try, which is good because the food is just ok. Ribs are not fall off the bone but does have a good flavor.
(3)Maggie W.
I'm sorry, I hate giving one-star ratings, I really do! But this place has NOTHING going for it. Food, service, and prices are bad. My brother suggested my family meet here to celebrate his anniversary. My parents and I came for lunch and had never been here before. We took a moment to glance at the menu (no one was behind us in line) and the front counter lady seemed impatient and bored assisting us in our order. A smile was out of the question, lol. I think they were out of the beer my dad wanted too... I ordered the BBQ Nachos and the rest of my family ordered sandwiches. The BBQ Nachos were served on a cafeteria tray (which is fine) and were unseasoned tortilla chips topped with a Cheese Whiz type cheese. They were SUPER stingy with the cheese - there was not enough to cover all the chips, and there was hardly any meat sprinkled on them either. Which ended up being a good thing because the "smoked pork" was TERRIBLE!!! It was so old and stale tasting that it had hardened into like, little chewy wood chips. I bit into one so hard that I thought it was a bone and it turned out to be a "plasticky" piece of pork. SO BAD for $8 nachos... the best thing about it was the sweet pickles that were served with them (I know - random, right?), and I got the feeling they were not house-made... My mom got a sandwich with "coleslaw" as one of her sides. This so-called "coleslaw" is a vinegary sweet relish. Period. I don't even think there was cabbage OR mayo in it. Now, I watch a lotta Food Network and never heard of a coleslaw like that... This place is supposed to be "Fast Food BBQ" - it's all "order at the register", "grab your own food from the window", "get your own drinks", etc. But the price contradicts that idea - for four of us to eat a few picnic-style lunches and get 3 pops and a beer, it was $45. For that kind of money, the food has to be good. And it was far from it...
(1)Mark H.
I am not from the area so my friend dragged me here... And I am glad he did! The BBQ was really good! They have lots different homemade sauces to try and offer baskets that let you try a variety of meats. Its a little pricey but it tastes so good I didn't even care!
(4)Tom M.
I love eating at Cactus Bob's. I have eaten there on a regular basis since they opened. They are very consistent and I think they have the best smoked meats in town. There are a lot of BBQ options in DSM, but Cactus Bob's is my #1 choice. I usually get the Chuckwagon sandwich. I love their fries, chips, apples, beans....... and I love their sauce selection.
(5)Dawn P.
I had chuck wagon and my husband had longhorn. Both good. Brisket and pork were great on chuck wagon. Chicken didn't fall apart as much as I would have liked. Slaw is a sweet different kind of slaw. My husband said the French fries were great. Cornbread was moist. Going to be a return customer
(5)Rob O.
The pork tenderloin is a five star. It's the best I've ever had. I've never been disappointed with anything else ordered either but I make special trips just for the tenderloin.
(4)Bella C.
My favorite BBQ in the area for family friendly eating (the food is so much better than Jethro's, which seems to have a lot of ratings because it has 3 locations compared to Cactus Bob's one, kinda out of the way location). Cactus Bob's is located in an older strip mall which you may be inclined to drive past. Don't. And when you walk in and don't see high end seating, don't let that put you off either. The money is in the food---and isn't that what you really want? The restaurant, including the bathroom, is very clean. Great sandwiches. The sides are so good, I often order many to go for meals later in the week. Yet another restaurant that makes real, home-made food, yet neglects the beverages, which is my only complaint about this establishment. An instant ice tea machine? Can't you brew some Lipton? The pop dispenser spits out beverages I can't even identify. They certainly don't taste anything like they are suppose to.
(4)Andrea T.
Came to Cactus Bob's for lunch with a couple of co-workers. I had been hearing how good it was, just never managed to make it there. When we walked in, there were hardly any seats left. The thought that crossed my mind was "wow, this place must be good!". I noticed a sign that said Item of the Day. The price on the sign was the same as the price on the menu. Did they mean to do that, was it an error or did they have a lot of that item to get rid of? I grabbed the only table left that was big enough for us as my co-workers ordered. I had the Smoked Chicken Sandwich Basket with Potato Salad. It took a little bit of time for them to call our number but I'm sure that was due to them being busy. The sandwich had decent sized pieces of chicken and a nice soft bun. I was lazy and used the sauce at the table rather than go to the hotter sauce area. The sauce I had was decent but next time I will not be lazy and try a hotter sauce. The sandwich was good as was the potato salad. Overall, good place for lunch as long as I can find a seat!
(4)Jeremy C.
Been there twice and will make it a trifecta at some point. Food is really good and the prices are great. I like the special BBQ sauces they have on the side but be careful. If you don't like HOT sauces then just stick to the sauce that is already on the table. I do like hot sauces so it's great for me. Food is really good and you don't have to wait very long at all. Overall, it's a really good place. This site says they don't have alcohol but they do. There is a cooler with bottled beer behind the counter. A cold beer does make the rattlesnake venon sauce go down a little easier.
(4)Doug M.
I am a regular Food Network watcher and happened to catch this place on one of the shows I was watching. I live close by so I decided to try it out. Since then I stop in 1 or 2 times a month for a nice lunch. I have only ordered off the part of the menu where you get a sandwich and 2 sides. I have tried almost all of the sandwiches and found them all to be good. The first time I tried "The Smokey Chicken" it was a bit dry, but luckily there are about a dozen different sauces to spice your sandwich up with. I am a spice nut, so this place suites me well. My favorite sauce is "Sweetwater Death" it gives me that kick I love and has an initial sweet flavor when you first bite into the sandwich (the name says it all). For sides I always get the corn bread and rotate between the baked apples and the baked beans. The baked beans are some of the best I have had and have some chunks of brisket in them.
(4)Chris B.
Ate lunch there. Got St. Louis 6 ribs with bake beans and chips. Ribs where somewhat wet which is way I prefer it. I still added some sauce. They were good. Not great. Baked beans were very oniony . Chips out of bag.
(3)Jessica L.
After years of hearing about this place, I finally checked it out Monday night for dinner. I convinced three of my good friends to join me and this resulted in us ordering just about everything on the menu! First of all, cashier was so friendly- she was very helpful with suggestions and just awesome. The sauces in the lobby area are labeled as hot and they aren't kidding- I am kind of a wuss anyway but I tried #1-#3 and #3 had my mouth on fire. They go up to #8 which is something like Serpent Venom and the guys tried it and said yes, it merits the name. The ribs, brisket, pork and chicken are all quite good-we got the Longhorn and the Chuckwagon sandwiches and they were both good. One guy added bacon to his sandwich and those pieces were HUGE and he said super savory. My friend said the baby back ribs are so big that she can't wait to try the St. Louis style! We shared the cheese curds and chicken fingers appetizers - the batter is light and even though these are fried, they weren't greasy. It is nice to have a place with good side options (sorry Woody's!) - the pit beans and the cornbread were average. We really liked the hand-cut fries and mac & cheese! One guy went back for another order of fries. Our disappointment came regarding the sweet pickle issue - none of us like sweet pickles so we didn't enjoy the slaw or the potato salad. This is a personal preference but I think they should let people know about this especially when we all said it was our first time there. The flavor is so prevalent that the person who tried the slaw actually spit it out in horror. Regarding drinks- they have fountain drinks and bottled beer- thank goodness because who can have BBQ without beer? Not me. They don't have a waitstaff but it would be nice to have the food brought out to the tables and have someone check on you for refills or another beer. We did leave a few things unordered but we vow to return as the wings, tenderloin and Italian sausage are waiting for us!
(4)Amy W.
Tasty and loved all the hot barbecue sauces you could add/sample. The only thing that I didn't love was the chili ... But that's ok, just eat more of the real BBQ and brisket. :)
(4)Joseph D.
I've been to Cactus Bob's at least four times. Each time, the barbecue has been incredibly delicious. However, the customer service is sometimes sorely lacking. When you walk into the store, you are presented with a chalkboard menu, featuring all the dishes you can order from. In addition to barbecue, the restaurant has western-styled potato salad, apple cobbler, and quite tasty cornbread, in addition to other quality sides. As you are looking at the menu, to your left you will see the "Wall of Heat," a handful of barbecue sauces that feature heavier-than-usual peppers and spice. The granddaddy of all the barbecue sauces is the one featuring the ghost pepper. Patrons who wish to use this sauce must sign a waiver before consuming it because the pepper's spicy qualities are so unusually strong. Where the food quality is incredibly high, the customer service is at times nonexistent. For instance, during my most recent visit a few days ago, the cash register was manned by a local high schooler. It took everything the kid had to utter a "hello," and his "sales pitch" was his icy cold stare he glared toward myself and the people in line behind me. It certainly wasn't the most welcoming of gestures. Sporadic customer service events aside, this restaurant is worth at least a visit or two just to get your hands on some of the best barbecue grub in the metro.
(4)Tom N.
Although I am NOT a fan of Iowa, since there is nothing to do there other than eat. I do have to admit, I did eat very well. Iowa really does re-enforce the midwest stereotype; the folks there are genuinely really nice. Cactus Bob's was a little BBQ unassuming little restaurant located in an unassuming strip mall. Inside was a sparsely decorated for convenience than anything else. The menu is pretty basic...BBQ and BBQ. My associate and I ordered a rack of Ribs and 1/2 Chicken, sides were Texas Chilly, Baked Beans, Apple Cobbler, and Corn Bread. Yes we ordered way too much! The Ribs were just perfectly done, fell right off the bone when you bite into it, I don't like it when ribs just fall completely apart. There was a really nice smoke ring for that incredible smoky taste. They have a large selection of BBQ sauce and varying in heat level; I recommend the original of course. The BBQ Chicken in my opinion was better, still very juicy and really good flavoring. The baked beans was the best of all the sides, perfectly cooked and sticks to your ribs. The Texas chilly need to cook longer, it was a little on the runny side. Corn bread was not very good. Apple cobbler was just way too sweet and you couldn't taste anything.
(4)Tony D.
Why would smoked food be dripping with grease? I smoke at home often and this is not a sign of smoked food. In fact I commented to my wife that it tasted boiled - by that meaning it had no taste. The ambiance was ok for lunch but too bright and plain for a Friday evening. The ribs were fatty and had no meat to them and the sausage I swear might be Johnsonville injected with a little spice - nasty, fatty, and I took two bites. Too expensive for what we got and I must have passed 4 superior places on the drive up there.
(1)Gene H.
Stopped in this last weekend....fantastic! The ribs, pork shoulder, sausage combo with bbq beans and the Texas Chili was my choice. The Mrs ordered the Chicken and Onion Rings...The BBQ Nachos were pretty good as well. Ribs very tender and they have a large variety of sauces to choose from, some too spicy for me to try...I settled on the Last Man Standing at the OK Coral
(5)Andy T.
Recommended. Probably one of the best BBQ places in the vicinity. Good food, good price, friendly staff. My job takes me on the road fairly frequently, and I like to sample local restaurants. I was on the north side of Des Moines and I saw this place in a tiny little strip mall. I rolled the dice and went on it. Good decision. The owner (I'll call him Bob, given the name of the restaurant) was behind the counter putting together food orders. There is obviously a dedicated set of regulars who go to Cactus Bob's since he seemed to know a fair number of them by name. I let a few people pass me on the way to the cashier so I could study the menu. Lots of options, all but one dry-rubbed. I asked the cashier what she would order if she were only going to be in the restaurant once, and she recommended a type of sample sandwich. Why, I asked. "You'll get to try a bit of everything." Sounded logical, so I ordered it. There are a variety of sauces available to add (or not) to the sandwich. I gave them all a shot, and they ranged from good to very good, mild to spicy, something for everyone. On to beverages. I noticed they had a couple of local brews on tap, including some from Exile Brewery. I asked the cashier about them. Bob, having finished filling someone else's order, came over and we talked beers. He described them nicely and I chose one that appealed. While the BBQ was being prepared, he served up my beer and a sampler of the beer I hadn't ordered, just so I could give it a try. Nice touch. Bob commented that he would have recommended the sole BBQ choice that wasn't dried-rubbed, a more traditional shredded meat in sauce sandwich. I had such a good meal (try the corn muffins for a side dish) that I went back the next day just to give it a shot. Excellent. I'll be visiting Cactus Bob's next time I'm passing through Des Moines.
(4)Terri M.
First time here. Went with friends for our monthly dinner get together. Their choice. I was not crazy about the place. BBQ was meh and the atmosphere was meh. That's all. It's not bad, but there is definitely better BBQ out there. Not a very good selection of beers either.
(3)Andy S.
In the movie The Never Ending Story, the main enemy is The Nothingness. The Nothingness might not be real, but his distant cousin The Blahness resides here. The bbq meat here really is blah, I hate the buns they use for sandwiches, and the sides are either too sweet or taste weird. The atmosphere and set up is also blah. I have been here about 5 times because it is close to my work, and for some reason people pick this place for group lunches (stop it!). The only thing I like about this place is The Wall of Fire, which is a wall with increasing intensity hot sauces that you can test your pallet against. But even this fun novelty is full of not so great tasting hot sauces.
(2)Suzan H.
I really want to like this place because I love the place on the inside. We stopped in about half an hour before they closed and we were greeted with 'you have to be done by 9.' I wanted to walk out right then and there but the company I was with chose to stay. Food was hot and prepared well. They have different sauces to choose from. The portions are large. You bus your own table when finished with your meal. There is better bbq in the area. There is also friendlier staff in other restaurants.
(2)Rebecca W.
Cactus Bob's is one of our favorite local BBQ's joints. Amazing food for a great price. I'm especially in love with their Chuckwagon sandwich, the baked beans, and the pickles. Oh the pickles-sweet with a little heat-so good! Cactus Bob's isn't anything fancy-your food comes on a tray covered in paper and your sides are in Styrofoam containers, but the food is out of this world. I agree with the previous reviewer that customer service can be hit or miss. When it's good-it's very good, the rest of the time it's indifferent. I don't have the tefelon tastebuds to try out their spicy sauces but the ones that are served table side are very good.
(5)Scott C.
I've been here a lot. Used to live down the street. They went through a big change within the last year... expanded seating as well as their menu; and still seem to be going through some menu changes. Either way, I think the BBQ is great. I'd recommend this place over all the other BBQ places in the Des Moines area. I'm not saying the others aren't good, I just prefer the options, location, and ambiance of this place Great food! Definitely check it out if you're in Des Moines and a BBQ fan. I had a not-so-great experience with a half-rack of ribs, but all the other positive experiences outweigh that... I just haven't ordered the ribs since. Oh, and they've got the best side dishes (and pickles) out of ANY of the other local places. My advice to the owners of this place.. GET SOME SOUTHERN STYLE SWEET TEA! I mean the stuff that turns into a solid at anything other than room temperature. Difficult to eat real BBQ without drinking sweet tea.
(5)John M.
Was there last night for the first time. I got the Burnt Ends with BBQ Baked Beans and french fries. Used the hot sauces they have off to the side. The whole meal was a mixed bag. The Burnt Ends, which are the end pieces of the brisket, were too fatty. I know that cut of meat has a higher fat content, so I would expect there to be some fat, but a few of the pieces were nothing but fat, just a gelatinous cube of bbq fat. The BBQ baked beans on the other hand, were really excellent. The french fries were okay. I'm not saying I wouldn't eat here again, but there are better BBQ restaurants in the metro.
(2)Alcare X.
The three standard sauces tasted very similar, the ribs were very tough (one piece that appeared to be an end rib was actually more like jerky in both taste and texture), the brisket was mush along with the mac & cheese. The sausage and baked beans had great flavor but everything else was flavorless. Doubt I'll be back!
(1)