It's pretty easy to find delicious barbeque restaurants in the Midwest, especially when you travel to South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. We're pretty lucky to have great local barbeque establishments!

Whether you're firing up the grill to make the perfect steak or cooking the classic BBQ chicken, the flavor is the key element to each BBQ dish. But where can you find the best barbeque restaurants in South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota?

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Nothing screams the Midwest like some good old-fashioned barbequed food. But there are some barbeque restaurants in South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota that stand out from the rest. Recently, the food publication, 'Love Food', released its list of the best barbecue restaurant in every state. It's hard to pick just one barbeque joint in each state, but someone has to do it!

According to the article from Love Food, these are the best South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota barbeque restaurants in the nation.

South Dakota: J.R.’s Rhodehouse BBQ PIT in Summerset

JR's Rhodehouse BBQ PIT (via Facebook)
JR's Rhodehouse BBQ PIT (via Facebook), Canva
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If you're looking for Texas-styled barbeque in South Dakota, then J.R.’s Rhodehouse BBQ PIT is the place for you! This West River restaurant is known for its brisket nachos, pulled pork nachos, brisket mac ‘n’ cheese, pork ribs, and beans. YUM! Sounds delicious!

Iowa: Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack in Iowa City

Jimmy Jacks BBQ (via Facebook)
Jimmy Jacks BBQ (via Facebook), Canva
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This BBQ restaurant literally feels like home. The Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack looks like a house and it's the most "charming barbeque restaurant in Iowa." Love Food explains customers rave about fatty beef brisket sandwiches (with sweet and smoky 'cowboy sauce' and provolone cheese), ribs, honey cornbread, fries, and Carolina mustard.

Minnesota: Animales Barbecue in Minneapolis

Animales Barbeque Co. (via Facebook), Canva
Animales Barbeque Co. (via Facebook), Canva
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Animales Barbecue is actually a food truck that can be found in Minneapolis. But BBQ lovers can mainly find the Animales Barbecue truck parked by the Bauhaus Brew Lab. They smoke a lot of meat like ribs, pork belly, and moist chicken drumsticks. It's recommended to enjoy these meals with Animales Barbecue's special sauces.

What's your favorite barbeque restaurant in South Dakota, Iowa, or Minnesota?

Tour the 2023 Downtown Sioux Falls Burger Battle

January in Sioux Falls only means one thing...Downtown Sioux Falls Burger Battle! 32 savory burgers from local Sioux Falls restaurants looking for your stomachs and votes.


If you've never participated in the Downtown Burger Battle, this is how it works:



  1. Review the participating restaurants and their burgers
  2. Make sure you check their schedule and hours before you go
  3. Go to one of the restaurants
  4. Eat the burger
  5. Use the DTSF Digital Passport to vote and rate the burger
  6. Repeat
  7. And you could win prizes
  8. And you help one downtown restaurant win the Burger Battle and reign supreme for one whole year!

Voting criteria consist of patty, creativity, toppings, bun, and customer service.

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Minnesota is the Land Of 10,000 Lakes and 853 towns. Even if you know the state well I'll bet you haven't even heard of Minnesota's 10 smallest towns.

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