Wobbly Boots BBQ
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Fight the Chill of Fall With Southern Comfort Foods & Harvest Entrees
This is officially our final week of summer for 2019 with fall arriving on Monday, September 23. Sure, there will still be a few warm weeks to enjoy before the chill of autumn completely settles over us, but just the thought of those crisp, chilly evenings on the way make us hungry for hot, hearty, comfort foods and big, savory dinners.
Southern Comfort Foods
Wobbly Boots Roadhouse has an entire section of our Des Moines family restaurant menu dedicated to Southen comfort foods. Comfort food can bring you contentment if it brings about a nostalgic memory of delicious dishes from your childhood. Classic recipes that have been around for ages. You may also get a warm, comforting feeling due to the fact that these foods are often a bit higher in calories with a high carbohydrate level, which fills you up and warms the body.
Chicken Fried Chicken
A juicy chicken cutlet tenderized and hand-breaded, then fried to golden perfection. Next, we add some smashed potatoes then slather it all with white country gravy. It’s served with a side of
green beans. One of the best!!!
Smoked Meatloaf
Not exactly like mom made! A house favorite, our handmade meatloaf is slow-roasted over hickory and served open-faced with homemade smashed potatoes, brown gravy, and green beans.
Prime Rib Hot Beef
Our house-smoked prime rib thinly sliced and served open-faced on white bread with smashed potatoes, beef gravy, and green beans. Stick to your ribs delicious!
Hot Smoked Turkey
A generous portion of our all-white smoked turkey breast served open-faced with smashed potatoes and covered with delicious turkey gravy with a side of cheesy corn with ham.
Harvest Entrees
We also have a Harvest Entrees section made up of hearty dinners that satisfy even the biggest of appetites. Each of these delicious dishes is served with a big slice of Texas toast and your choice of two of our irresistible homestyle side dishes. You may also add three of our famous bacon wrapped shrimp to any steak dinner for a small additional charge.
Roadhouse Ribeye
A 12-oz juicy, mouth-watering, choice ribeye seasoned and charbroiled to your liking and topped with a Templeton steak butter to ensure deliciousness bite after bite.
New York Strip
A 10-oz choice-cut New York Strip grilled to your liking, ensuring a flavorful delicious steak, topped with our delicious Templeton Steak Butter.
Surf and Turf
A 6-oz top sirloin steak grilled to your liking and topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms, accompanied by three jumbo bacon wrapped shrimp grilled to perfection. Two great items on one
platter… Outstanding!!!
Jalapeno Garlic Shrimp Dinner
Eight jumbo shrimp gently sautéed in our jalapeno-garlic butter until perfect and served with a side of jalapeno-garlic butter.
Catfish Dinner
Two Southern-style catfish fillet hand-breaded and fried to a delicious golden brown. This is served with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. A real southern treat!
Smoked Prime Rib Dinner
Friday & Saturday after 5 pm only
We generously cover each whole choice prime-rib with our special wet rub. We then hickory-smoke
them five hours ensuring the very juiciest and flavorful prime rib in Des Moines. These are available as either a 10-oz or 14-oz cut.
No matter what you decide to dine on here at our BBQ restaurant in Des Moines, it’s going to come out hot, delicious, and perfect for warming up your insides when it gets cold outside. (Well, our salads aren’t served hot, but you know what we mean!) Join us soon at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive and discover all of the delicious possibilities!
These People LOVE Wobbly Boots BBQ! How About You?
Online reviews are a wonderful tool for letting us at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse know what our most recent customers enjoyed most and what areas we can make improvements in. For anyone that hasn’t had the chance to try our family restaurant in Des Moines, those same reviews give them a sneak peek at what a visit to the Boot is like and what they can expect when they come in to dine with us. Here are a few of the most recent reviews we discovered.
GOOGLE REVIEWS
“I belonged to a networking group that met here every Wednesday so I was working through the menu and never found a single item that wasn’t fabulous. I highly recommend this restaurant.” ~Rosemarie Waskel
“Great bbq choices and good servers. I have never been here for dinner, but I have enjoyed lunch here many times. My personal favorite is the smoked bbq sandwich.” ~Kyle Robberts
“The smoked prime rib hot beef sandwich hits the spot every time.” ~Dwight Porter
“It takes a lot to get 5 stars from me, this place smashed 5 stars. The food was outstanding. The catfish was one of the best I’ve ever had. The sausage and brisket were superb, great flavor and very tender brisket. Order to table time was quick for the quality. The staff were all super friendly. Even the bathroom was spotless. There is literally no downside to visiting. Please give it a shot; they very much deserve the try and you will not regret it.” ~Kieran F.
“The food at this place is delicious! I had the Brisky sandwich – brisket and smoked turkey smothered in delicious white cheese – and loved it! A friend had onion rings and they were huge and fried to perfection (and tasty…I stole one to try along with some of the dip). Oh… and I forgot to mention the to-die-for cornbread appetizer – served piping hot with honey butter – smells wonderful and tastes even better!” ~Todd Braun
TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS
“Great food and service – While passing thru the Des Moines area on a road trip, we ate at this restaurant which was within walking distance of our hotel. The food was quite good and our server was excellent! We would definitely return if in the area again.” ~Cturtle53
“Very child-friendly – The food is delicious and the atmosphere laidback at this location. Adults can enjoy a drink and everyone can visit without bothering other tables. They have a good selection of side dishes and prices are average.” ~Annette R.
“Great food – Ordered the turkey wrap and a cup of the baked potato soup. Both were excellent. Took half of my wrap home and enjoyed the next day. Love the food and price.” ~mmccubb
“Great burgers! Awesome onion rings! – We had a coupon for a free burger with the purchase of a burger, so decided to give it a try. My husband had the El Diablo and I opted for the burger melt (with substitutions on the cheeses). The burgers were cooked exactly as we ordered them. The onion rings were huge. I’ve never had them that size before and just the right amount of tasty batter. The seasoned fries were ho-hum. Crinkle cut without much seasoning. The onion rings were definitely worth the extra charge. Our waitress was cheerful and helpful. And… They had Diet Dr. Pepper which was a huge plus for me!
The patio was very enjoyable on a gorgeous summer evening.” ~LittlePaint
photo from TripAdvisor review
FACEBOOK REVIEWS
“Ate here for the first time Saturday and it was delicious! Was there around 1-2 and wasn’t overly busy so we got our food in a decent time. Love the music and atmosphere! Has a kid-friendly menu also. The food was so good I didn’t get a picture but we’ll definitely be repeat customers! We got the bbq pulled pork sandwich, smashed potatoes, kids Mac and cheese, and ranch burger with fries and coleslaw!” ~Stephanie Majors
“Great staff and food, staff very polite and does a great job. I highly recommend Wobbly Boots. Met the owner, very professional and respectful and they honor the veterans with a discount.” ~James Underwood
“Stopped in from out of town. The wait really wasn’t bad considering how busy they were! The tenderloin was great & our server Timothy was fantastic!” ~Tara Michelle Dawson
“We first tried this place last year and absolutely fell in love with it!!! Their Mac n Cheese is absolutely to die for!!!! I so wish that we had a Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in our hometown in Muscatine Iowa!!!!” ~Bonnie LeAnn Hudson
If you’ve had the pleasure of dining at our BBQ restaurant in Des Moines recently, we’d love to hear more about your experience as well. There are many different places online to leave your own reviews. For the rest of you, we hope the reviews above give you an added incentive to come in soon and taste Wobbly Boots BBQ for yourself. We will do everything in our power to make sure you get a 5-star experience!
Celebrate Better Breakfast Month with the Best Brunch in Des Moines
September is Better Breakfast Month. You’ll find the very best breakfast joined by savory lunch options every Saturday & Sunday when you join us for the best weekend brunch in Des Moines! We open Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive a little earlier than usual on the weekends at 9:00 am.
Since they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we figured we’d better get in on that! Our incredible customers deserve it, plus serving an early meal on the weekends especially comes in handy for those early games during football season. In case you need a little convincing to not skip breakfast, here are some of the reasons it does a body good.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Most people assume that skipping breakfast means that fewer calories will be consumed that day. On the contrary, missing breakfast means that you are much more likely to snack off and on throughout the day. You could end up taking in more calories than if you’d just let yourself have breakfast to begin with. You also get an early morning metabolism boost from breakfast which helps you burn calories throughout the day.
Fuel Your Day
If you’ve gotten a full night’s sleep, it’s been a good 8-10 hours at least since the last time you ate. You need to refuel your body in the morning to give it the energy you need to get your day started on the right foot. A good breakfast is a perfect way to do this and if you let yourself enjoy the many delicious choices we have to offer every weekend at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse, you know it’s going to taste amazing too!
Improve Your Mood
Without the energy you get from eating a good breakfast, you’re very likely to start your day feeling sluggish, irritable, and not at your best. A well-balanced meal early in the day keeps you alert, making you more productive, and ultimately improving your mood. Other things that will improve are your concentration, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and attention span.
At the Boot, Breakfast is Simply Irresistible!
As if weekends weren’t already the best, every Saturday & Sunday at Wobbly Boots BBQ from 9:00 am-1:30 pm you get to enjoy the most amazing brunch options you’ve ever laid eyes on! The timing means that it also crosses over with our regular menu so you’re free to choose from either one. Everyone in your group can get exactly what they’re hungry for!
You’ll find breakfast classics that aren’t quite like our regular BBQ dishes but there are also quite a few menu items that incorporate our award-winning hickory-smoked meats to create new breakfast favorites for you to discover. There are deliciously fun menu items like our Sausage, Egg, & Good Ol’ Gravy Pizza and our Wobbly Mac & Egg Bake Skillet. We’ve got perfectly portioned meals for the kids and plenty of a la carte options if you want to make up your own meal. Get a look at our full brunch menu here.
The very best part about enjoying brunch at the Boot on the weekend this time of year is that you’re already in your favorite seat when all the college football games start on Saturday and you’re here early for NFL action every Sunday! Get in the habit of enjoying a better breakfast every day and the best breakfast every weekend with us at our family restaurant in Des Moines!
Labor Day Weekend – Time For Beer, BBQ, & College Football!
Just about everyone looks forward to enjoying a 3-day weekend over the Labor Day holiday. It’s extra-special for football fans because that’s when college football is back for another exciting season! Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive not only the best BBQ in Des Moines for you to enjoy over Labor Day Weekend but we’re also the best place to watch football in Des Moines. Featuring incredible Iowa BBQ, Iowa beers, and good old Iowa college football, this is most definitely the place to be over the holiday!
Iowa Football
First and foremost, you need to know when your teams are playing so that you can make plans to come in early and grab your favorite seat. Of course, with 17 TVs placed conveniently all around the restaurant, there’s really not a bad seat in the house. Those TVs also allow you to keep tabs on all of your other favorite sporting events happening at the same time.
Here’s a look at both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones season schedules this year. Once again this season, week #2 has them taking each other on, which always has us a bit torn. (Is it wrong to cheer for both sides?)
Iowa Hawkeyes Football 2019
Iowa State Cyclones Football 2019
Iowa Beer
Here at the Boot, we have a fully stocked bar so we can mix up all of your favorite cocktails. Still, there’s something special about the pairing of beer and football together. (Add hickory-smoked BBQ to that combo and… OMG!)
We feature an excellent selection of ice-cold beers in the bottle plus 18 tasty brews on tap! The highlight of our draft beers for many is the fact that we always have a few spots reserved for our favorite Iowa-brewed beers. These tend to change occasionally, but currently, you can enjoy the following local beers on tap at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse, plus we even have one in a bottle.
- Peace Tree Brewing Co.
- Blonde Fatale
- No Coast Grapefruit IPA
- Mile Long Lager
- OG Orange Gose (bottle)
- Confluence Brewing Company
- Farm John’s
- Des Moines IPA
- South Side Citra Blonde Ale
- Firetrucker Brewery
- Uptown IPA
- Pumper Truck Porter
- Boone Valley Brewing Co.
- Roxie Irish Red
- Exile Brewing Co.
- Ruthie
Iowa BBQ
You’re going to want something to eat while you’re watching the games and there’s nothing better to go along with Iowa football and Iowa beer than some good ol’ Iowa BBQ! We start serving lunch on weekdays at 11 am, but on the weekends we open early at 9 am with the best brunch in Des Moines. That means that even when our teams play early, you can come in and get situated with plenty of time before kickoff.
Everyone has their own favorite Wobbly Boots BBQ foods to munch on during the game. Some want a table full of appetizers to snack on throughout, while others prefer to order a hearty meal to tide them over until the end of the game. Either way works and both ways are positively delicious.
Order In Bulk To Go
If you’re planning your own opening-day party for your favorite team at home, make it easy on yourself. Skip all the prep work and cooking and simply order the best BBQ in Des Moines to go! That same idea works perfectly if you’re hosting a Labor Day Weekend bash too.
A few of our savory hickory-smoked meats and pints or quarts of our homemade family-style side dishes will feed your friends nicely. In some cases, if you spend at least $100 and give us 24 hours notice, we may even be able to deliver it right to your door! Call 515-223-5700 to place your order and make arrangements.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend. If you happen to spend a bit of it here with us at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive, well then, we’ll have a great holiday weekend right along with you!
Hearty Appetizers That Will Make Your Mouth Water
The Wobbly Boots Roadhouse menu begins with an appetizer section, as most menus do. The difference is that the appetizers at our BBQ restaurant in Des Moines are so impressive, your mouth will be watering just from reading the descriptions!
Once your appetizer order is headed to the table and you get a whiff of the savory aroma, you know you’re in for an amazing beginning to your meal. As a matter of fact, most of these dishes are large enough to be your actual meal if you’re not planning to share with other people at your table. Read on to discover the deliciousness we’re talking about.
BBQ Pork Nachos
A house favorite! A bed of crispy tortilla chips smothered in our homemade pepper jack queso and topped with our house-smoked pulled pork and legendary baked beans. This dish is finished with cheddar jack cheese, red onion, and tomatoes and served with a side of sour cream and homemade salsa. These are available as a full order or half-order.
Wobbly Wings
Jumbo chicken wings coated in our house dry rub and then slow-roasted over hickory, ensuring only the most flavorful, juiciest wings possible. Served in orders of 5, 10, 20, 0r 30 either plain or with your choice of one of our signature sauces:
- BBQ
- Chipotle Buffalo
- Jamaican Jerk
- Dijon Hot
- Jalapeno Garlic
- Habanero BBQ
Boneless Wings
Hand-breaded fresh to order! A bountiful amount of all-white chicken breast cut into strips and fried to golden crisp perfection. These are served with your choice of bleu cheese or ranch dressing either plain or tossed in one of our six Wobbly Wings sauces.
Ribbies & Wings
Two of our best appetizers – 4 baby back ribs & 4 wings with your choice of sauce. This sampling of each will leave you wanting more!
Texas Fries
A mountain of fries smothered in our homemade queso cheese sauce and topped with bacon, cheddar-jack cheese, and green onions. They’re served with a side of sour cream and jalapenos. Available as a full order or half-order.
Graziano Sausage Bites
Iowa’s own Graziano Italian Sausage mixed with red peppers, cheddar cheese, and pepper jack cheese. We hand-roll them and add a light breading, then quick-fry to golden perfection and serve them with chipotle ranch.
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Five jumbo shrimp individually wrapped with our hickory-smoked bacon and grilled to perfection. These tasty treats are served with a side of our own Jamaican jerk sauce.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Our house blend of spinach, artichoke hearts, and three different kinds of cheese combined with our secret spice blend, all served bubbling hot with crispy pita chips.
Chips * Salsa * Queso
A platter of crispy tortilla chips accompanied with our salsa and homemade pepper jack queso.
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
A bountiful blend of crab meat, cream cheese, cheddar-jack cheese, and special seasoning stuffed in large mushroom caps and baked to a golden brown, then topped with our five-cheese blend.
Famous Onion Rings
A heaping stack of thick-cut yellow onions bathed in buttermilk, then hand-breaded in our seasoned flour & fried to a golden brown. Served with chipotle ranch and available as a full order or a half-order.
Fried Pickles
A half-pound of pickle chips hand-breaded in our special seasoned flour and fried to a golden brown and served with chipotle ranch.
Basket of Homemade Cornbread
A basket of delicious, made-fresh cornbread muffins served warm with a side of honey butter.
Wobbly Boots Sampler
A fantastic sample of some of our best appetizers! 4 Wobbly Wings – 4 Famous Onion Rings – 4 Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, – 4 Baby Back Ribs! A mountain of food suitable for a BIG meal or for sharing!
If you can manage to save some room after enjoying one (or a few) of the best appetizers in Des Moines, there’s an extensive menu filled with amazing hickory-smoked BBQ, burgers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, and a whole lot more waiting for you! Stop by Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive soon and discover something new to try. We are positive that you’ll be happily satisfied and anxious to come back and try even more.
Burnt Ends – From Scraps to a Delicious Delicacy!
A customer favorite off the menu at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive is our flavorful burnt ends. Did you know that this delicious dish was originally discovered by accident? Pitmasters were only trying to create the perfect brisket but a second equally amazing food was invented. Our BBQ restaurant in Des Moines found our own way to perfect burnt ends but its origin story comes from another place famous for BBQ – Kansas City.
From Trash to Treasure
The fantastic menu item that people love today actually came from the end pieces of brisket that got cut off because they were too charred and fatty to be served. Once cut off, these pieces used to get thrown away, used for scraps in stews, or sometimes snacked on by the chefs.
As customers were waiting in line they would notice these ends begin piling up as the brisket was cut, and some would grab a few to pop in their mouths while they waited for their order. One Kansas City BBQ restaurant, Arthur Bryant’s, began setting their burnt ends out on the counter as a free snack that patrons were encouraged to enjoy.
In 1972, a now-famous article appeared in Playboy magazine written by Kansas City native Calvin Trillin. He praised and bragged about the burnt ends, even going so far as to say “I dream about those burnt ends!” It didn’t take long for the restaurant to realize that this “throw-away meat” deserved its own spot on the menu. Even though they were already a popular treat, pitmasters went to work perfecting the way this “new” dish would be prepared.
Burnt Ends at the Boot
If you’ve tried the amazing burnt ends we serve here at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse, then you know exactly what we’re talking about when we say they are a memorable dish that is simply irresistible. Believe it or not, they are considered a Kansas City food and most restaurants outside of that area don’t even bother to put them on the menu. (What a shame!)
That’s not the case here at the Boot! We proudly serve burnt ends whenever we can. (They get eaten up quickly, but we always make more!) In our opinion, if you’re striving to serve the best BBQ in Des Moines, this is a must-have menu item.
Our process begins with slow-smoked brisket. We cut it into small chunks and then cover it in extra rub, some of our house recipe BBQ sauce, and Guinness beer. After that, they are re-smoked for hours, ensuring a tender, flavorful, one-of-a-kind taste.
We highly suggest giving burnt ends a try the next time you dine at our family restaurant in Des Moines. They are available as a sandwich or served on a plate next to one of our homestyle side dishes. It’s definitely a flavor sensation you will fondly remember after just one bite, just like you’d expect from Wobbly Boots BBQ!
Celebrate National Catfish Month at the Boot
The month of August is set aside to observe quite a few different things and one of those happens to be catfish. Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive is ready to celebrate that in style (delicious style, might we add!) If you’re already a fan of catfish for dinner, you’ll be thrilled to hear that. If not, well, our family restaurant in Des Moines is ready to change your mind!
It’s a well-known fact that your favorite BBQ restaurant in Des Moines is an expert at hickory-smoked meats. Today we’re here to tell you how incredible our catfish dishes are as well.
Catfish at the Boot
Our Wobbly Boots BBQ menu features two taste-tempting catfish dishes. One comes in sandwich form and the other as a hearty dinner plate.
Catfish BLT
A catfish fillet coated in seasoned cornmeal and fried to a golden brown. It’s served on a ciabatta roll with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo and comes with one of our savory side dishes.
Catfish Dinner
Two Southern-style catfish fillets hand-breaded and fried to a delicious golden brown. This delicacy comes with Texas toast and your choice of two of our homestyle side dishes. It’s all served with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. A real Southern treat!
Did You Know…
National Catfish Month has been around since 1988. It was created to recognize both the industry surrounding the fish and the fact that it’s a versatile and sustainable food available year-round. You probably already know it’s incredibly delicious, but here are a few more fun facts that may be news to you.
- While June 25 is observed as National Catfish Day, the entire month of August is dedicated to this tasty fish.
- The name catfish was given to them because of the long barbels around the fish’s mouth that resemble the whiskers of a cat.
- They don’t have scales! All catfish (there are nearly 2,900 species of them) are either naked or armored.
- While wild catfish are bottom feeders, farm-raised catfish are taught to eat pellets that float on top of the water.
- The largest catfish ever caught happened in 2005 in Northern Thailand. It weighed in at 646 pounds and was 9 feet long! (That’s as big as a grizzly bear!)
- Legend says that giant man-eating catfish live deep below Bagnell Dam, but divers swear it’s just a myth. (Or is it…) The largest catfish ever caught in the Lake of the Ozarks (on record) was 103 pounds and nowhere near big enough to swallow a diver.
- In the Southern United States, slang names for catfish include “mud cat, “polliwogs,” and “chuckleheads.”
- Catfish are high in protein and contain no carbohydrates. They are also an excellent source of B Vitamins and phosphorus.
If, even after learning all of that cool stuff, we still can’t convince you to try catfish this month, don’t worry. You won’t go hungry! We’ve got plenty of shrimp dishes to tame any seafood cravings you may be having.
Of course, if you’re not in the mood for seafood at all, we’ve got the best BBQ in Des Moines ready and waiting in the kitchen as well, year-round, 7 days a week. Come on into Wobbly Boots Roadhouse soon and discover the many mouthwatering possibilities!
Wobbly Boots BBQ is Fun (& Delicious) For the Whole Family
Dinnertime is an excellent time to catch up and reconnect with the family. August happens to be Family Fun Month. Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive believes you can combine those two things and enjoy some quality time together at our family restaurant in Des Moines plus enjoy a delicious meal in the process. Win-win! Here are a few reasons why your family is going to love dining at the Boot.
Sometimes, Kids’ Meals Are FREE!
Twice a week at our Des Moines BBQ restaurant, kids ages 10 and under can order off of our kids’ menu for free with the purchase of an adult meal. (Dine-in only.) This magnificent offer occurs each Sunday night for dinner and all day every Tuesday. Our incredible kids’ menu is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Each one comes with a drink and one of our signature sides. Choose from:
- Chicken Strips
- Grilled Cheese
- Pork Slider
- Mini Corn Dogs
- Kid’s Cheeseburger
- Boat of Mac & Cheese
Great Grownup Food Too
There are a lot of places that children love to eat that don’t really offer much for adults to enjoy. That’s not the case at the Boot! You can get just as excited as the kids when you dine with us because our menu is filled with down-home deliciousness that simply can’t be beat.
Whether you’re in the mood for hickory-smoked meats, big city flatbreads, classic BBQ dinners, big fresh salads, or Black Angus burgers, you’ll find all of those plus a whole lot more on our extensive menu.
Finger-Lickin’ Fun
Once you start adding our mouthwatering housemade BBQ sauce to a meal, things tend to get a little messy. When something tastes that good, you simply can’t take the time to wipe your mouth between every bite… that would take too long to get to the next bite!
Plus, the more you get on your hands, it’s literally “finger-licking good!” Let the kids have some messy fun at our place instead of yours. (You’re more than welcome to join them!”) Don’t worry, it washes off easily, and we’ve got lots of wet wipes handy.
Family-Friendly Atmosphere
Our restaurant has plenty of seating for groups both large and small so you can come in with just you and the kids or invite Grandma, Grandpa, all the cousins, and everyone else along to join in the family fun.
Our friendly staff will make sure you are well taken care of and they’re always happy to offer suggestions if you can’t decide which dish to order. As a bonus, if you have a family full of sports fans, we’ve got 17 TVs so you can all cheer on your favorite teams together while you eat.
Take Some Home
Relive some of the awesome memories you make at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse by taking a jar of our housemade BBQ sauce home with you. Carryout is always an option too and allows you more time to spend with the family because you don’t have to spend any time in the kitchen.
So what are you waiting for? The next time the family is trying to decide where to go for dinner, just say “Wobbly Boots Roadhouse.” After hearing that, the kids will be racing you to the car! Everybody has a good time at our family-friendly restaurant in Des Moines, and everybody leaves with a full belly and a great big smile on their face! And remember, if you come in anytime on Tuesdays or after 5 pm on Sundays, the kids can eat for free!
The ONLY Way to Celebrate National Chicken Wing Day…
National Chicken Wing Day is coming up again next Monday, July 29, 2019. Lucky for you that the best BBQ restaurant in the Des Moines area just so happens to serve the most amazing chicken wings in the Midwest! The Wobbly Wings at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive are one of our most popular menu items and they’re the perfect dish to celebrate this awesome holiday with.
Wobbly Wings at the Boot
Just what makes Wobbly Wings so mouthwateringly good? Our hickory-smoking expertise is a big part of that! First, we take jumbo chicken wings and generously coat them in our house dry rub. Next, we slow-roast them over hickory ensuring only the most flavorful, juiciest wings possible.
Once they’re ready for serving, the best hot wings in Des Moines are so good that they can easily be enjoyed sauceless. We do have some terrific signature sauces available though, so you may just want to give one of these a try.
- BBQ
- Chipotle Buffalo
- Jamaican Jerk
- Dijon Hot
- Jalapeno Garlic
- Habanero BBQ
If you prefer your wings boneless, we’ve got you covered too! A bountiful amount of all-white chicken breast is cut into strips and hand-breaded to order. They are then fried to golden crisp perfection and can be enjoyed plain or tossed in one of the fantastic sauces listed above.
Hot Wing History
As is the case with most legendary tales, the origin of today’s hot wing is a bit cloudy. One fact is for sure. They were first introduced in Buffalo, New York, hence the popular name “Buffalo wings.” The rest of the history is up for debate.
- The most popular origin stories revolve around Teressa Bellissimo, a Buffalo, New York restaurant owner. One account chalks the appetizer creation up to a mistake. She and her husband Frank were expecting a delivery of necks, which they used to make spaghetti sauce for their establishment, the Anchor Bar. Frank convinced her to get creative rather than waste the shipment. Teressa chose to deep-fry the naked wings, toss them in some hot sauce, and serve them up with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.
- Their son, Dominic, remembers the story a little differently. He says that his mother created the wings after he asked her to make up something special late on a Friday night. Most of their customers were Catholic and weren’t eating meat on Fridays. Since they had been spending lots of money in the bar that evening, Dominic wanted to offer them a special treat at midnight as a thank you for their patronage.
- One last twist on this particular tale was that Teressa came up with her amazing wings one night when Dominic and his friends from college came in hungry. The one thing that all of these stories has in common is Teressa and her delicious creativity.
- There is one story that does not involve Mrs. Bellissimo. John Young says that he grew up eating chicken wings and he created a special “Mambo Sauce” to go with them. His wings were breaded before they were deep-fried and the drummies and flats were not separated before cooking. He registered the name of his restaurant, Wings ‘n’ Things, in the mid-’60s before he left Buffalo in 1970.
Perfect In So Many Ways
For example, they’re the perfect way to start your meal as an appetizer before a main dish of more of the best BBQ in Des Moines. They’re hearty enough to be the main dish on their own as well.
It’s a wonderful food for sharing with a table full of friends. (But you’ll probably want to make sure everyone has their own ranch or bleu cheese to avoid any double-dipping accusations!) Our wings are available in orders of 5, 10, 20, or 30. These wonderful wings are also featured in a couple of our popular combo appetizers. You can order Ribbies & Wings featuring 6 Wobbly Wings and 4 baby back ribs. Your other option is even bigger, the Wobbly Boots Sampler, with 4 Wobbly Wings, 4 baby back ribs, 4 famous onion rings, and 4 bacon wrapped shrimp!
3 Reasons Why You Can’t Resist BBQ
It’s easy to convince people to eat BBQ because it’s a type of food that is simply irresistible! The hard part is making it taste good enough that they come back for more, but that’s not a problem for us at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive! A person’s natural desire for BBQ combined with our award-winning way of preparing it creates the best BBQ in Des Moines!
Have you ever wondered just what it is about this amazing food that makes it so irresistible? We think about stuff like that all the time! The following facts are a big reason why and we bet you’ll agree.
The Aroma
The very first sensation that grabs you when it comes to BBQ is that scent that makes your mouth water immediately! Once you step into the dining room at our Des Moines family restaurant, you’re already hooked. (Sometimes it even hits you in the parking lot before you make it through the doors!)
Once that magnificent aroma hits your nose, your stomach is bound to start rumbling. If you weren’t already hungry before, you most definitely are now! Any food that can do that to your sense of smell is definitely one you want to treat your sense of taste with.
The Flavor
The art of BBQ requires patience because the best flavors come out when the cooking is done low and slow. Wobbly Boots BBQ chooses to smoke our meats. This process allows us to create the most tender, juicy, flavorful meats possible, always slow-smoking them over our favorite wood – hickory.
First, we generously coat the meats with our secret-recipe rub. It then gets a carefully selected amount of time in the smoker. The reason we use hickory is that it lends a rich, full-bodied flavor to all of our meats. Once it’s done, those meats get a dose of our house recipe BBQ sauce, and the result is a mouthwatering flavor that is irresistible!
The Variety
BBQ, especially the type we serve at the Boot, is also a very versatile meal. There are all kinds of delicious dishes to choose from, and we put them together in a variety of ways so that even the “same old meat” you usually order can be enjoyed in a delicious and fascinating new way.
We serve savory hickory-smoked meats on their own, but also as an additional ingredient in most of the dishes we serve. These meats include (but are not limited to):
- Hand-Pulled Pork
- Sliced Turkey Breast
- Sweet Smoked Italian Sausage
- Applewood Smoked Ham
- Tender Smoked Brisket
- Our House Favorite Burnt Ends
The Boot Makes It Easy!
As if the food itself wasn’t already enough, we make it even more irresistible by taking care of all the work for you. Even the most skilled grill master will admit, it takes a lot of work to make the best BBQ, so when someone else can do it deliciously, it’s a lot easier to let them. We’ve perfected the art of cooking it, you simply get to come in and enjoy it! We even clean up the plates for you when you’re done.
The next time that you feel a BBQ craving coming on (even if it’s 7 days a week!) head on over to Wobbly Boots Roadhouse for a plateful of our mouthwateringly delicious, hickory-smoked meats. The savory aroma will grab your attention and the flavor… well, let’s just say, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from there on out!
