Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack – Iowa City, IA

I was driving back through Iowa City and called up Coach to see if he and his lady wanted to grab some Whitey’s Ice Cream with me – that’s ice cream, not honkeys, so you’re not confused. We met at the Coralridge mall and Toach said she’d always wanted me to try Jimmy Jack’s since she knows I love ribs and BBQ. We scrapped the Whitey’s idea and drove over to Jimmy Jack’s.


I walked inside since I beat them there and it was about 80% full. A good sign. You order at the counter, but I was pretty sure I knew what I’d be having. My usual at rib places. A half slab of ribs, a couple sides, and cornbread if they have it. They DID have cornbread and it came with the dinner portion, so I got it. I also got baked beans and fries. And because Jimmy Jack doesn’t play around, he serves Sprecher products, so I got a bottle of the best cream soda in the world.



We grabbed a table in the dining room. There’s lots of room, but there are these backless little wooden stools to sit on. I know some people complain about that (mostly old people), so I thought I’d note it, but I really don’t care either way. I’ve stood and eaten ribs before – it just doesn’t matter to me as long as most of the food hits my mouth-al area.

They have a sauce bar for all kinds of condiments and BBQ sauces. There are our different kinds. Original, Cowboy, Four Alarm, and Some spicy Mustard stuff that I steered clear of. I loaded up on those so I could try a couple different ones.

The food comes out really fast. I had sat down for about 2 minutes when my food came out. Perfect. The ribs themselves were really good. Not amazing or mind blowing, but they were tender, came off the bone with only a little bit of work, and there wasn’t a ton of gristle. There was a lot of meat on the bones, so I got good and full with these and didn’t have any problem going through each of the sauces I got. I liked the Four Alarm sauce the best, followed by the original and then the Cowboy. I don’t do mustard, so that’s automatically a fourth.

The fries were seasoned well and crispy and were home cut fries, not skinny pre-made ones. I really liked these. The baked beans had a lot of bits in them – some meaty bits, some vegetable-y bits. All were delicious. There was a little bit of spice in them, without being overpowering. I like Jimmy’s beans a LOT.

Thanks for taking me here, Toach. I will likely be back. I love the scenic drive through downtown Iowa City. It reminds me of when I went to school there (which was hell, by the way).

And of course, there’s always room for Whitey’s on the way home!!!!...


Top 5 things about Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack
1. Ribs
2. Baked beans
3. Fries
4. Four Alarm BBQ Sauce
5. They have Sprecher Cream Soda!

Bottom 5 things
1. It’s still no Lee and Dee’s
2. It’s a 5+ hour drive from my house
3. You can’t get the Little Jimmy (kid’s sammich) without buying a side and a drink
4. No descriptions of sauce flavors on the condiment bar
5. No backs on the wooden stools you sit on

www.jimmyjacksribshack.com